Rin crouched near the edge of the river, eyes scanning the water as it flowed gently across polished stones. The sound was peaceful, a rare moment of calm in this world.
"We should buy some bottles from the shop and fill them up with this clean water," he said to Nariku.
"Yeah, good idea," Nariku replied, already opening his own shop window.
Rin checked his remaining gold—just 7 left.
He found an item that caught his attention:
[Water Storage Bottle]
Capacity: 10 liters
Weight: As light as a standard mineral water bottle
Effect: Automatically purifies river water
Price: 5 Gold
Description: A must-have for explorers. Light, clean, and reliable.
"Convenient, but I can only afford one," Rin muttered. He bought it, the gold deducted immediately. He handed the bottle to Nariku.
"Here, fill this. We'll share it for now."
Nariku smiled. "Alright." He knelt down, submerged the bottle, and watched it glow faintly as the purification enchantment activated.
Meanwhile, Rin stayed alert. "Stay sharp. Places like this are often used by monsters too."
---
Back at the village…
Hairu stood by the crystal, breathing heavily. The second wave had just ended, lasting from night until sunrise. Monster corpses littered the perimeter.
"Good work, everyone!" he shouted. "Only three more waves to go!"
He raised his fist, and the remaining players mirrored him with tired but relieved cheers.
After catching his breath, he glanced at his gold count: 30 gold.
"I earned about 20 gold this round," he thought. "Not bad."
He walked toward the makeshift medbay—nothing fancy, just some blankets, wooden crates, and injured players lined up. There were only three healers in the group, but still, no serious injuries had occurred.
Hairu spotted Yokuta resting beside a wall, her shield leaning beside her.
"Thanks to her, we didn't lose our rear line," he thought. "She held firm."
He turned to one of the healers—Natsuro, a former pharmacist.
"How bad's the damage?"
"About twelve people injured," Natsuro replied calmly. "No casualties. All treatable. My divine stat helps speed things up."
Hairu nodded. "Good. Better than expected."
He scanned the village. Most of the players were recovering, repairing equipment, or resting.
But Rin and Nariku were nowhere to be found.
"Last I saw them, they were headed toward the southern gate together…" he thought.
"Where have they been all this time? Hmph. Let them be. If they're scouting or resting, that's fine. The next wave will be harder than anything before."
He folded his arms and looked toward the horizon.
"Just three more. Then we'll see who survives."