Chapter 3: Promotion and Great Subjugation Mission – 04
After completing the aftermath, I returned to the town of Tolson.
By the way, it seemed that leaving the corpses of over 2,000 Goblins lying around was not an option. They had gathered them in one place and were burning them with magic and oil.
That task alone took more than half a day, and I truly felt the burden of Goblin reproduction weighing on me.
I took a well-deserved rest that day, and from the next day onward, it was back to the usual routine of F-Class Dungeons and training.
Two days later, when I visited the guild in the evening, I received the reward for the great subjugation mission along with the payment for the Rare Boss’s horn from Kisara.
“I apologize for the wait. We finally received a response from headquarters. It seems that it’s quite a rare item, and the buyout price is as follows,” she said, handing me a pouch containing 1,700,000 Rom. That was an extraordinary sum for materials from F-Class Dungeon monsters.
“This is truly appreciated. I had spent quite a bit preparing for the great subjugation, so this should allow me to make it to the city of Euron,” I replied.
“Okuno, you really are going to leave, aren’t you? I feel a bit lonely,” she said, her voice tinged with sadness.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, Kisara, I was able to start my journey as an adventurer on the right foot. I’ll return once I reach D-Rank, so I hope to see you again then.”
“Of course! I don’t think there are many who can defeat a Goblin King at E-Rank. I believe you’ll grow stronger, so please do your best.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best to stay alive. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
I bowed to Kisara and exited the guild.
That night, under the pretense of a farewell feast, I shared a meal with the four members of Ginrin.
“So, you’re really leaving, huh? It’s a bit sad,” Kaim said, unusually reflective as he sipped his drink.
Beside him, Meribe nodded in agreement, her eyes slightly misty.
“Honestly, it’s disappointing because Soushi-san was someone who brought a sense of calm and security. But it can’t be helped since he’s strong enough to defeat a King,” she added.
“I was honestly surprised by that. The King should have had quite tough skin, yet he crushed its head in one blow. That’s some incredible strength,” Ranan remarked, eating her meal with a calm demeanor, while Labelt nodded enthusiastically beside her.
“Thanks to Soushi-san, I realized I could wield a mace. I need to raise my strength skills and work harder,” Labelt said.
“Exactly. If you can swing a heavy mace, your power will increase, so it might be good to train by swinging heavy objects,” I advised.
“What kind of training is Soushi-san doing?” Labelt asked.
“I’m swinging a Dark Metal rod that I bought from the weapon shop,” I replied.
“Dark Metal? That heavy, useless metal?” Kaim interjected, intrigued.
“Yeah, that’s the one. I bought three of them and have been swinging them around and running while holding them,” I explained.
“Whoa, Soushi-san, you’ve been doing that? No wonder you’re getting stronger,” Labelt said, his eyes wide with amazement.
Ranan chimed in, “No ordinary adventurer could handle three Dark Metal rods. At that point, Soushi is already exceptional.”
“Is that so?” Kaim asked.
“Of course, high-ranking adventurers are different, but for E-Rank, it’s definitely impossible,” Ranan clarified.
“Then why can Soushi-san handle them?” Labelt pressed.
Meribe answered, “He probably underwent an ‘Awakening’ that gave him an aptitude for strength. Kisara mentioned that there are adventurers like that before.”
“Is that really possible?” Labelt asked, surprised.
“Even among ‘Awakened Ones,’ there are various differences. Even if they fight in the Dungeon, the speed of growth varies from person to person,” Meribe explained.
“Well, that’s true even for those who aren’t ‘Awakened Ones.’ Maybe you’re just a bit special, old man,” Kaim said, looking at me with a hint of envy. I felt a bit troubled by his sudden attitude, but I had to admit that it made sense that there would be differences in talent.
In my previous life, there were countless individuals I could never hope to surpass, no matter how hard I tried. If I had ended up on that side… what would I have done?
“…I did think it was a bit strange myself. If that’s the case, I’ll train even harder with that in mind,” I said.
“I’m really curious to see how that turns out. Hey, can I try holding Soushi-san’s mace? I want to know what kind of goal I should aim for in my training,” Labelt asked eagerly.
“Sure, go ahead,” I replied.
Labelt picked up the mace that was leaning against the wall. He swung it with both hands but stumbled slightly from the weight. The weapon shop owner had said it was meant for D-Rank strength, and it certainly seemed to be true.
As I began to feel this mace becoming lighter, I realized that I might indeed be an adventurer specialized in strength.