## Chapter 564 – Nice to Meet You, Friend

With nothing pressing to do, I spent the winter relaxing at home. Of course, winter is long. It’s still snowing, annoyingly so. And the weather is chilly.

But strangely enough, this winter didn’t bring much snow.

The white trash didn’t pile up higher than my knees. Usually, we’d get blizzards that could bury you up to your head if you weren’t careful.

So, it seemed like there weren’t any major traffic jams, and today, the city gates were bustling with carriages and pedestrians coming and going. Even in winter, many people would starve if they didn’t work.

All those people are heading out to work.

ㅡClink.

I fiddled with the money pouch I received from Saintess Kadia as I crossed the street. The reward was 80 silver. That’s like running four decent adventurer quests.

It was a real jackpot, and the corners of my mouth couldn’t help but turn up.

Just a few days ago, the paladins had finished scouting the heretical secret research facility that we marked on the map. It was faster than I expected. Well, all they had to do was follow the path on the map.

The time it took was completely different compared to our wild goose chase.

Clear evidence was found, so the reward was paid out immediately. I asked Saintess Kadia if there was anything else she needed me to do, but it seems like there isn’t for the time being. She said that the movements of heretics and demons have also decreased because it’s winter.

Since it’s winter, the paladins aren’t going out on long-term operations far away, so they can’t gather much information.

Let’s live comfortably for a while before the Saintess returns to the capital.

ㅡCrunch, crunch.

Still, the snow was piled up to my knees, so the streets were full of poor people clearing snow. I looked for Lina, but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

Anyway, before going home, I visited the Adventurer’s Guild.

Even though I’m resting, I can’t just stay inside all the time. I need to know what’s going on in the world, so I make sure to stop by the Adventurer’s Guild to gather information.

“That barbarian bastard…!”

As soon as I entered the guild building, I heard a familiar voice.

“That son of a bitch…!”

Copson, a D-rank adventurer with unbelievably shimmering blonde hair, was pointing at me, his whole body trembling.

A sense of joy instantly welled up.

“Long time no see, you fucker!!”

It’s been so long since I’ve seen this guy.

“I don’t know how long it’s been!! But… your equipment has changed since I last saw you? What’s that fancy-looking armor, barbarian?”
“Ah, this?”

Copson, who had approached me, suddenly asked about the armor. Come to think of it, I hadn’t had a chance to tell him since I hadn’t seen his face in a while.

“Let’s go to the tavern first. I’m buying, you bastard.”
“Oh!”

Copson grinned at the mention of free drinks and hurriedly followed me out. We went to a nearby tavern, sat down, and then Copson asked, “So, what’s with the armor?” I replied.

“I became a quasi-priest.”
“What, what did you say!”

When I showed him my quasi-priest certificate, Copson immediately grabbed his head and was shocked.

“So, the barbarian has finally accepted the gods of the civilized world!!! The grace of the god Verde has reached even there, this is a miracle!!!!!!!!”
“Hehehe, you little shit.”

Of course, I didn’t convert.

Anyway, we started drinking from the morning and continued talking. I had plenty of money today, and the price of snacks wasn’t too expensive. And I had nothing else to do.

“Hehehe, I actually noticed that the barbarian had become quite strong. As expected of a descendant of the harsh barbarians, a race quite different from civilized people, with tremendous hidden power.”

Copson widened one eye and stared at me while chewing on jerky.

“What is the source of that prejudice?”
“It’s not prejudice, it’s the truth.”
“This bastard.”

From what I gathered, Copson had been living by taking on various requests. He’s made quite a few D-rank companions and seems to be doing well.

He said he’s taking it easy because it’s winter.

“Well, so I’m thinking of moving my base of operations. I can’t stay in Isvant forever.”
“Hmm, but you have an adventurer rank, isn’t it a bit of a waste to go to another city? I used to think about moving my base, but eventually, I became a D-rank, so I had no choice but to stay here. And I don’t have any reason to go to Krasheim anymore.”

Originally, adventurers who have established themselves to some extent don’t really try to leave the area. Even if they go to another city, they have no credibility, and the recognition of their rank is often limited or non-existent.

In Copson’s case, he’ll probably end up spending the rest of his life in Isvant. His connections and trust are all concentrated here, so unless he commits a crime and runs away, there’s no reason for him to start over somewhere else.

Of course, if you become a true powerhouse, you can make a living anywhere.

“Quasi-priests gain trust wherever they go. It’s different from adventurers.”
“I guess so… But it would be a shame if the barbarian disappeared.”
“What…! You don’t mean!”
“Who else is going to buy me drinks?”
“Hehehe. This shithead.”

Even if I go to the capital, I’ll have plenty of opportunities to come to Isvant or Krasheim for work. There will be plenty of chances to see each other again someday.

Anyway, as we continued to drink, Copson, who had become quite drunk, shouted like a roaring lion.

“Then let’s go to the gambling den!!!!”
“What the hell are you talking about? Didn’t you say you quit?”
“No, well! The new female dealer is incredibly beautiful! So, I’m just showing my face again for a bit!”

A female dealer?

“Let’s go together, barbarian! Since you bought me drinks, I’ll win big today and treat you to dinner! You can say it’s in celebration of you becoming a priest!!”
“Are you out of your mind?”

Copson, who shouted that, got up from his seat, insisting on going to the gambling den. This guy is definitely going to collapse on the way and freeze to death.

I can’t just stand by and watch that happen.

“Damn it, where’s the gambling den?”
“As expected of the barbarian! You understand me!”

And so, I ended up going to the gambling den with Copson. I’m not interested in gambling at all, but I couldn’t just leave Copson to his own devices.

The gambling den was a bit far away.

It was quite a fancy building, and there were a lot of people around. It’s winter, so there are tons of people thinking about spending money. Or are they thinking about making money?

Either way, they’re both idiots.

Copson skillfully entered the building.

“Oh, Copson, you’re here?”
“I’m here! Miss Rosina! How have you been!”

As soon as we entered, a woman wearing a dress with a deep cleavage greeted Copson warmly. Is this the new dealer he was talking about?

She wasn’t exactly a beauty that caught my eye.

My standards have gotten too high.

“Hehe, I’m always doing well. But who’s this next to you?”
“He’s a barbarian from the land of the wild! He’s my close friend!”

But Copson seems to be smitten. He introduced me energetically with the tension unique to drunk people.

“Oh, he looks strong?”

I simply nodded and followed Copson. He naturally sat down at a table where dice gambling was in full swing.

“Copson’s here!”
“He’s drunk today!”
“Haha! Who’s the crazy bastard who comes to the gambling den after drinking!”

Then the gamblers around him greeted him with a smile.

“Nice to see you, friends!”

Copson also greeted them with a smile.

How much has this guy lost here that everyone greets him so kindly? It was honestly scary.

“Barbarian! Look! It seems like I’m very lucky today! I’ll show you how to win money!”

I didn’t know what he wanted me to see, and I couldn’t figure out why he concluded that he was lucky. Was it true that gambling addicts see their fortunes by looking at their own distorted reality?

“I hope so, you son of a bitch.”

I decided to stand behind him and watch his downfall.

The gamblers who had been looking at Copson with friendly eyes glanced at me. Was it wariness? The dealer had a similar look.

Of course, I didn’t need to pay much attention to it, so I ignored it.

I wasn’t planning on doing it anyway, I was just going to watch for a bit.

“Dealer! Let’s start!”
“Yes, Copson-nim.”

The male dealer took out the dice and cup in a very polite manner and placed them on the table.

“Look, barbarian! I’ll tell you the rules! Here, there are dice. You bet money, and if you match odd or even, you get double the money you bet!”
“Oh, really?”

Copson explained exaggeratedly, as if he was telling me a huge secret.

Somehow, his eyes seemed to be gleaming with energy.

“But the special thing is that if you roll a 5, you lose, and if you roll a 6, you get to roll again. In other words, you bet on 1 or 3 for odd, and 2 or 4 for even.”

Isn’t this just 5 and bust, 6 and re-roll?

Dice gambling was the same no matter where you went in the world. Anyway, Copson immediately flicked a 1 silver coin with his finger and handed it to the dealer.

“1 silver on odd!”

And then he shouted confidently.

“Yes! 1 silver on odd! Rolling the dice!”

The dealer immediately put the dice in the cup, shook it like crazy, slammed it on the floor, and started spinning the cup like a mixer. ㅡRattle! The sound of the dice rolling inside was intense.

“Open it quickly!”

When Copson shouted that, the dealer opened the cup.

“5! Bust!”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!!!!!!!”

According to the rules, if you roll a 5, you lose. Copson lost 1 silver in just 20 seconds and screamed.

Isn’t this guy completely crazy?

“E, even! I’ll bet on even this time!”

Not coming to his senses, he took out another silver coin and shouted. The same procedure was repeated, and the dealer who opened the cup said.

“6! Re-roll!”

Because it’s a 6, re-roll.

“Re-roll… I’ll go with even again this time.”

Copson, who suddenly had a serious face like a 9th circle archmage, calmly declared.

“1! Odd!”

Of course, it was a disaster.

“Jyuwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

A scream like that of demon worshippers echoed.

Several rounds of gambling continued, and Copson lost 10 silver in less than 5 minutes.

I couldn’t watch him anymore.

“Hey, hey, you bastard. Stop being crazy and go home, you idiot!”
“Barbarian…! Don’t stop me! 3 silver on even here!”

It was when Copson, who had completely lost it, bet 3 silver.

“2! Even!”
“Uoooooooooooooot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Here, 6 silver, Copson-nim!”
“Iyaaaaaaaaaoooooooooooooooooooot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Copson won 6 silver for the first time. He seemed very happy.

But even so, this crazy bastard had already lost 4 silver.

That crazy gambling was repeated.

I could understand why this guy always said he lost money gambling.

“Barbarian-ssi, aren’t you going to play?”

As I was standing there, the female dealer from earlier came to watch Copson. There were a lot of people watching besides her.

Copson seemed to be the mascot of the gambling den.

Well, he has good reactions.

“Hehehe, I’m not interested. Rather, don’t encourage Copson too much. He’s about to die.”
“Hehe, I will. Copson-ssi, do your best. You have to win and go home today.”
“O, of course I will, Miss Rosina!!!!”

Copson, who heard the words to do his best, immediately bet 2 silver and lost again. This guy’s eyes have gone dark because of the woman.

The female dealer was being friendly and pretending to know all the gamblers who entered. That’s why the gamblers are going crazy.

And so, Copson repeated losing and winning in just one hour, resulting in a total loss of 20 silver.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!!!!!!!!!!! I lost so much, shiiiiiiibaal!!!!!!!”
“This guy’s hopeless.”

I immediately picked up Copson and put him on my shoulder. Watching a friend’s downfall was fun, but it was also unsettling.

“Dealer! Stop it! I’m taking Copson!”

When I said that, the dealer tried to stop me as if she couldn’t allow it.

“C, customer. Gambling is a matter of personal freedom…”

Is this bastard daring to?

“Copson told me he couldn’t do it anymore!! Or did Copson put something on credit?”
“N, no, but…”
“Then I’m leaving. Get out of the way.”
“…”

I shouted at her once, and the path opened. I grabbed Copson, who was struggling, and came out of the gambling den.

“Barbarian…!!!! Odd, odd, odd, odd came out there, so if I bet 20 silver on even now, I’ll earn 40 silver!!!! Let go of me right now!!!!”
“Hehehe, stop being crazy, you idiot. Odd will come out again.”

Then you’ll be minus 40 silver, you idiot.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!!!”

ㅡLike jingle bells announcing Christmas,

Copson’s mournful screams echoed through the streets.

Well, he seemed to be living happily in his own way. Anyway, I threw him, who was getting more and more drunk, into an inn and went home.

Surprisingly, it was still morning.

* * *

And so, it was when I was visiting the Adventurer’s Guild every morning to gather information for several days.

ㅡA red-haired nun appeared.

“Elise!!!!!!!!”