The small and deep wounds on his face caught my attention.

The traces of countless battles and life-or-death situations all over him made him look cool. I could tell that he was a veteran without looking at the condition of his armor or equipment. He deserved to be applauded for surviving this long.

It was a shame he didn’t have enough mana to stop himself from aging, but mana wasn't really important when it came to being a vanguard.

Even our pig had a tiny bit of mana. If he had enough mana, he wouldn't have problems working as an excellent vanguard. Of course, Park Deok-Gu and the gramps were slightly different from each other.

‘His stats… are already decreasing.’

He had to have realized that fact long ago, as he was working out really hard, but he couldn’t stop his body from aging.

He was doing a great job at taking care of himself, and he managed to slow down the speed of his stat degradation to the minimum. He was probably all muscle beneath his armor, and since he was tall and had been working as a vanguard, he had a really large frame. Rather than trying to make up for whatever he lacked, he was trying to overcome his old age by doing other things.

His physique, which made the younger players look weak, was one of the things that made him look like a veteran. Of course, he couldn’t be compared to Bahamut, who was Epic, but that kind of physique at his age was basically a miracle.

Even if one had buffs or blessings, maintaining that kind of form was nearly impossible. Looking at his overall stats, he definitely couldn't be underestimated, but he was already seventy-one years old.

‘Will he work?’

I couldn’t help but question it.

His glory days were over a long time ago. Even if he managed to make up for the things he lacked through experience and other means, making him grow to become suitable for an Epic party was almost impossible, and this was the harsh reality before him.

He could be useful temporarily, but there was an issue with turning him into a permanent party member. Of course, he had advantages, and they were more than just his stats.

‘I can roleplay as his grandson.’

A grandfather and his grandson show could probably melt Woo Hyo-Yeol’s cold heart. I was sure that guy grew up without parents, so there was nothing better than that in helping him regain his humanity.

I was certain that the story between the old warrior and Lee Ki-Young, who was running out of time to live, was going to be better than any other stories I had written so far.

‘That’s right. If I just wanted to find someone talented, I wouldn’t have come here to begin with.’

What mattered was their character and story…

If I wanted to create a story with a party that was limited to four to five members, the old warrior was needed. We could become closer by playing the grandfather and grandson role, and our bond would grow deeper over time.

‘I can give him a retirement fund and have him retire at the right time.’

It’d be ideal to take him with us all the way, but it wouldn't matter. He’d be the elderly member of our party, and like in movies, he was perfect for the wise old man role who would appear from time to time.

He’d give useful advice to the young members and ultimately play the role of bringing us together. That was the right way of using the old warrior before me.

I felt like it was worth talking to him, so I was going to approach him, but…

‘Hm.’

I didn’t think that this was the right way to approach him.

There had to be a reason why he was active on the frontlines despite his age.

He probably couldn’t find a permanent party because of his age, but Level 4 players weren't

that

strong that they could look down on a veteran like him. I was sure many parties preferred an experienced veteran like him to an energetic young player who could easily become a liability.

There was definitely a reason why he didn’t want to create a party. He didn’t seem obsessed with money or honor. I thought perhaps he was betrayed by his previous permanent party, but his mental fortitude wasn't so low that he would let something like that affect him.

‘Raymond Bolt.’

“Mr… Raymond Bolt…” I mumbled.

“...”

“...”

For now, I decided to leave.

After blending in with the people, I walked up to someone.

“Miss Equia,” I called out.

“Yes, Mr. Lee Ki-Young? Are you… done taking care of your business already?” Equia asked.

“No, it’s not that… I forgot I had other things to take care of. If you don’t mind, could I borrow your office?” I requested.

“Of course, but…” Equia answered hesitantly.

“I need to send Mr. William a letter,” I told her.

“

Hahaha

, then of course you can use my office. But… why aren’t you using the Communication Artifact…” Equia asked.

I still couldn't trust this city’s communication channel. There was a warp gate, so it wouldn't take long to deliver it to him.

“

Ah!

I’m sorry. Looks like I crossed the line. Please forget it,” Equia said.

“It’s fine. So…”

“Head right, and it’ll be the second room. I’ll have someone send your letter,” Equia informed me.

The goal was obvious.

‘I just want to be more thorough.’

[Dear Mr. William.]

'This must be the start of the letter. I’ll start with a nice introduction and thank him for his help. I’ll talk about the things I’ve been up to and then go straight to the point.'

[If you don’t mind, could you look into Mr. Raymond Bolt? He’s a Level 4 adventurer of the Adventurer Guild. Please don’t ask me any questions. I feel bad for constantly making requests like this… but I hope you’ll help me with this.]

[Wishing you endless joy and fortune.]

[Sincerely, Lee Ki-Young]

This had to be good enough. If I could, I would write more—like four to five pages more—but I didn't have the luxury of time, so the letter had to be short.

To be honest, I was just getting paid for things I had done for them. When considering the amount of consultation that I had provided for the Flower and Fertility Familia, this request wouldn't be a problem for him.

William seemed to have thought the same thing as me because his reply was faster than I thought.

[Dear Mr. Lee Ki-Young.]

'I’ll skip the introduction, the part where he’s expressing his gratitude and the things he’s been up to.'

[I’ll investigate the Level 4 adventurer, Raymond Bolt, and I will send you the details as soon as possible.]

[Wishing you endless joy and fortune.]

[Sincerely, William Froud.]

‘I hope he doesn’t take too long.’

I was sure it wouldn't take him long to investigate a Level 4 adventurer. It’d be a different story if Raymond Bolt had his own army or a hidden evil army, but from my perspective, large familias had their own information network. With that in mind, they'd surely obtain lots of information about Raymond Bolt in just a day or two.

If I were to hire a Level 5 ranger to follow Raymond Bolt, I would surely be able to obtain useful information about him. However, waiting for that information was kind of a waste of time. Of course, I could look for people in the meantime and accomplish the other tasks on my plate.

William's next letter arrived exactly five hours and thirty minutes later. I skipped all the parts that he had mentioned in his previous letter.

[It seemed urgent, so I sent you a reply as soon as possible. Here’s the information I found about the Level 4 adventurer, Raymond Bolt. I couldn’t figure out exactly when he was summoned here, but he has experience working in the large city of Zaun.

[Interestingly enough, he’s a player who wields a large crossbow and shield. It doesn’t say whether he signed a contract with a GENIUS or not, but he has experience working with the Shaded Sun Crown Familia.]

[The Shaded Sun Crown Familia was a prestigious mid-sized familia, but they disbanded after a major failure during an expedition six years ago. At the time, only six survivors, including Raymond Bolt, returned from the dungeon called the Tower of Pain.

[Exactly thirty-three people had died, and that expedition was the main reason why the familia ended up disbanding. Raymond Bolt went into hiding after that. He was missing for three whole years before mysteriously reappearing in Harizel.]

‘It’s pretty thorough despite the last-minute request.’

They were information I could find if I searched for it. I could look through the logs of the Adventurer Guild or make use of an information guild within the city. Anyway, I felt like I had an idea about why he preferred to work alone.

The expedition in the Tower of Pain had to be the reason behind it. He had lost all his comrades, who were like family to him, and I was sure he didn’t want to experience that again. He probably thought that keeping his distance was the best option, and he had to have decided that he would no longer make a permanent party.

It was also possible that other things had happened inside the dungeon.

‘The rest of the letter is even better.’

It contained a lot of information, from Raymond Bolt’s hunting grounds to the commissions he had accepted since arriving in Harizel. There were also miscellaneous pieces of information, like where he had purchased his equipment as well as his favorite meals. These were things I would never find out unless I followed him for a long time.

[Upon reviewing the commissions that Raymond Bolt had accepted, he often accepted commissions related to Felkan Village or commissions that required him to pass through that village. Felkan Village is a village located not too far from Harizel…]

[As a result, I found out that he’s been donating to the orphanage located in that village.]

‘This is it.’

I saw other information about him but only read the ones I found useful. I wasn't sure if the other pieces of information would be useful, but I thought that this was a start.

‘This is it.’

It had to be really hard to make a living these days, but the old man was kind-hearted. Was he even saving for his retirement? I couldn’t help but think that this was a good situation for me.

And a few days later…

“Hyung!”

“Hyung!”

“Oppa!” Over here! Over here!”

I couldn’t help but visit the orphanage at Felkan Village.

‘Volunteer work is my specialty.’

“All right, calm down guys. Can you wait for me?” I asked.

“Okay!”

“Okay!”

Obviously, it didn’t take long for me to meet the old man who often visited the orphanage.

“Grandpa!”

“You’re here!”

“You’re…” the old man said.

“...”

“...”

“I-It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I greeted.

I displayed my most innocent and bright smile as sweat rolled down my youthful face.