Chapter 51: Domain (51)
After finishing their snacks, they headed straight to a carriage shop.
Ahrie and Min stepped inside—leaving the slim horse outside.
"Good afternoon, young lads! Welcome to our shop!" the salesman greeted with a wide, rehearsed smile.
Ahrie and Min started browsing around, pointing at everything that looked remotely shiny or expensive.
"How about that one?" Min pointed at a sleek, comfy-looking carriage with cushioned seats and golden rims.
"Ohh, excellent choice, sir," the salesman said proudly. "That’s the baseline of what nobles use for their travels."
Min nodded, arms crossed. "Uhuh... uhuh..."
He clearly didn’t understand a thing, but he looked convincing enough.
WHAM!
Ahrie sighed, then smacked him on the head—
"Ouch—" Min leaned sideways dramatically, dodging the hit with a grin. "You missed!"
The carriage seller eyed them warily after the little head-smack incident.
Ahrie and Min ignored his expression and continued browsing. They wandered through rows of carriages — luxury ones with polished roofs, long trade caravans, small traveler carts, even one with built-in lanterns that looked way too fancy for their budget.
The seller clasped his hands. "So, what kind of carriage are you looking for?"
"A carriage we can store stuff in... and ride at the same time," Ahrie said, rubbing his chin.
"Ahh, in that case..." the seller led them toward a sturdy trader’s carriage. "This one comes with a large compartment inside. You can even sleep in it if you don’t have much cargo. The roof’s made of waterproof material — perfect for travel during rain."
Min raised a brow. "Hmm... sounds good. How much?"
The seller grinned. "Since you two seem like promising customers, I’ll give you my best discount — around two silver."
Min froze. His brain did the math... 1 silver = way too much.
"Two silver?! One silver is already—"
He gasped, looked at Ahrie, eyes wide. "We can’t afford that, bud..."
"Meh," Ahrie muttered. Then he casually lifted his pouch — the heavy clink of coins echoing.
Min’s eyes sparkled like he just saw the light of heaven. "Where did you get that much money!?"
"Wut? That?" Ahrie smirked. "Haha— thanks to you."
"Eh?" Min blinked, confused.
Ahrie just patted his shoulder, grinning. "Don’t worry about it."
He turned back to the seller.
"We’ll take one of these."
"Do you also want to buy a horse along with this?" the carriage seller asked.
"Nah, we’re good," Ahrie muttered.
"Oh, you already have one? You can test it out—see if it fits the pull."
"Say less!" Before Ahrie could say anything, Min darted outside and came back dragging the Slim Horse.
The instant the poor thing stepped inside the shop, the seller’s smile dropped.
He stared. Shook his head. "Nuh uh..."
Still, out of sheer professionalism (or pity), he tried hooking it up anyway.
The ropes were attached.
The horse strained.
The Slim Horse leaned forward with all its might.
Nothing.
Not even an inch.
Its legs wobbled like wet noodles.
Its soul visibly left its body.
Ahrie and Min were already giggling, trying not to laugh out loud as the poor thing puffed its cheeks in despair.
The Slim Horse turned to Ahrie and Min with wide, watery eyes.
Ahrie patted its stomach. "We’ll be back," he said.
"Yeah," Min added, nodding like a coach before a loss.
And so, the three of them left the shop... broke, humiliated, but still weirdly determined to one day roll out in their own damn carriage.
Ahrie and Min looked at the slim horse — tail wagging, ears perked, clearly in a damn good mood now that it didn’t have to pull any carriage.
The two exchanged glances.
A slow grin spread across both their faces.
A nod.
A silent agreement.
Moments later—
They were rushing around the market, buying everything they needed: ropes, supplies, camping gear, and enough food to last them a few weeks.
By afternoon, they left Glimmerfen behind.
Why?
Simple.
To train the pathetic horse.
Days passed.
Their new life began in the wild—early morning runs, endless drills, lake swims that the horse absolutely hated.
Ahrie’s voice echoed across the plains.
"MOVE YOUR ASS!"
They hunted their own food, ate under the open sky, and if the Slim Horse refused to eat the meat—
they brute-forced it.
Ahrie stuffed the food near its mouth.
Min held the reins tight.
"Eat it."
"Neeeiiighhh!"
"Chew, damn it!"
The forest echoed with chaos, sweat, and the faint sound of a horse questioning its existence.
A month passed—
The Slim Horse finally bulked up a bit.
Not jacked-jacked, but... respectable.
At least it no longer looked like a stick with legs.
They headed back to Glimmerfen and straight to the carriage shop.
"Good daaay! Ahhh, you’re back!" the carriage seller greeted, half-surprised, half-impressed.
Ahrie and Min grinned as they strapped the Slim Horse back in.
Moment of truth.
The horse puffed its chest, neighed proudly—
and pulled.
The wheels creaked.
The carriage moved.
It actually worked.
The seller clapped. Ahrie and Min high-fived.
They bought the carriage on the spot, celebrating like idiots outside the shop.
Their horse trotted out of town with the carriage in tow, chest puffed, eyes gleaming.
It looked proud. Victorious.
Until Ahrie and Min climbed inside.
"IKUZOOO!" Ahrie shouted, fist in the air.
...Silence.
No movement.
The carriage didn’t move an inch.
Both of them looked at each other.
Then at the horse.
It was trembling.
Sweating.
Ahrie groaned. Min sighed.
They both stepped out.
"Fuck it..."
And so, the mighty duo of Glimmerfen walked beside their own carriage.
As they walked through Glimmerfen, the air buzzed with rumors.
"Yeah, I heard it too..."
"Weird screams at night, man. Gave me goosebumps."
"Creepy as hell."
"They said a few noblemen got attacked—huge bounty on that bastard."
Ahrie stopped mid-step. "Ohhh... interesting."
Min smirked. "You’re thinking what I’m thinking?"
He and Min immediately bolted to the Seekers’ Hall.
Near the quest board, a new Wanted section was posted.
Ahrie leaned close, scanning the parchment.
The sketch looked like a shadow with teeth.
There it was—the so-called "villain."
Reward: 2 silver coins.
"Two silver just to capture it?" Min whistled. "Damn."
Ahrie was already reaching for the poster. "We’re taking thi—"
Then—
[A new Domain has appeared.]
A glowing UI flashed before every seeker in Glimmerfen.
The hall froze.
caw!
Suddenly, a crow crawled out from beneath the receptionist’s desk—
It flew straight toward Ahrie and landed on his shoulder.
"ARGHHH! YOUR CLAWS, YOU DEMON CHICKEN!"
He flailed, trying to shake it off.
The bird squawked once, then dropped a small rolled note that unfolded midair.
letters glowing faintly.
Note:
Vanishing Domains - collapse after being cleared. Stay too long, and you die with it.
Recurring Domains - reset after a time—new monsters, new loot, same danger.
If this message appears, a Domain has spawned within a 10km radius.
Ahrie and Min exchanged a look.
Their grins widened in sync.
"Sweet."
Ahrie and Min made their way to the plaza, their horse lazily trailing behind them.
The place was booming — seekers everywhere, shouting, bargaining, forming temporary Links on the spot.
"Looking for a temp Link heading to the domain!"
"Need a level 3 or higher!"
"Tank wanted! Healers too!"
"Oi, no freeloaders, please!"
Ahrie and Min tried to join a few groups too, but it was the same story as always.
Same old story — rejected.
Their reputation wasn’t exactly "trustworthy healer and tank."
After a while, they found a small party still looking for members.
a guy with two girls who were way too sweet to each other for comfort.
The guy had that smug "main character" aura.
Ahrie and Min already hated him.
"Ugh."
"Bleh."
To make it worse, his carriage was twice as nice as theirs.
Ahrie and Min sighed in defeat as they introduced themselves.
They approached.
Another girl joined the group right after — a mage, judging by her robe and the staff strapped to her back.
The so-called meet and greet began.
"I’m Ahrie. Healer."
Everyone’s eyes immediately went to his rapier.
"...Is that a healer’s weapon of choice?" someone asked.
Min raised his hand next. "I’m a tank."
The group stared again.
"You’re way too slim to be a tank," one muttered.
The guy grinned, brushing his hair back. "I’m Xavier. Swordsman."
He even winked.
Ahrie and Min visibly cringed.
The two girls followed:
"I’m Zofia, a swordsman as well."
"I’m Alira, archer."
Finally, the latecomer—
A quiet girl stepped forward. "Charlotte. Mage."
After introductions and a quick map discussion to locate the new Domain, they stocked up on supplies—rations, mana potions, essentials.
Xavier’s trio rolled out in their cozy carriage.
Ahrie and Min... walked beside their horse.
Charlotte rode quietly in their carriage.
Ahrie leaned in so close his nose almost touched the horse’s.
"How the hell can this shit pull this carriage and not us?" he muttered.
Min squinted, chewing a piece of jerky. "This pathetic horse is totally faking it. Acting all weak."
The slim horse blinked, offended.
Ahrie grinned, half-joke, half-threat. "We should toss it in a river and call it even."
The horse neighed nervously.
"Whatever," Ahrie muttered. "Let’s just find that damn Domain."
Ahrie’s Temporary Link rolled out of Glimmerfen.
No turning back.