Chapter 86: The Impoverished Viscount’s Second Son Searches for the Eye 8
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It’s a common joke among adventurers that the gods hate you when you try to get materials from monsters.
Basically, whether a monster drops materials or not is purely down to luck.
Whether you defeat a monster cleanly, or cut off the part with the desired material before finishing it off, there’s no guaranteed way to make it leave materials behind.
Conversely, if you obliterate a monster into tiny pieces like Erika-san does, it definitely won’t leave any materials.
Since whether a monster drops materials is basically luck, adventurer equipment that uses a lot of monster materials tends to be ridiculously expensive.
Now, more than ever, the loss of my Tool Shed back in the Demon Realm Forest stings.
Placing a hand on my hip where my Tool Shed used to hang, I looked at the nameless forest not far from Noel Jeun.
It doesn’t have an official name, but it does have a common one.
The Forest of Fools.
Seriously, it’s a perfectly fitting name.
Thinking about what I’m trying to do now, I almost feel exasperated with myself.
But still, I was confident.
Confident that everything would go well.
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There’s a monster called the Jewelhead Bunny.
It’s a monster that doesn’t appear in Faltar, where strong monsters often appear, but the actual variety of monsters isn’t that large.
It’s about the size of a human child. Although ‘bunny’ is in its name, its face closely resembles a weasel’s; the name is the result of the namer not bothering to hide the simplistic thought process of ‘its ears are long, so bunny should be fine’.
A jewel-like crystal is embedded in its forehead, and it has an un-bunny-like long tail, and blades that look like they’re made of jewels are attached to the tips of its long, rabbit-like ears.
Hence, Jewelhead Bunny. Also, it hops.
But the true origin of the name is different.
The Jewelhead Bunny is an incredibly rare monster in that you are guaranteed to obtain materials from it, in a world where monster materials are said to be all about luck.
You get it by now, right?
That’s right, this thing is guaranteed to drop a jewel.
“Damn it, another miss.”
I cursed involuntarily as I lopped off the head of my twentieth Jewelhead Bunny.
Having died from its head being separated from its body, the Jewelhead Bunny turned into an amber-colored jewel and sand-like Magic Stone Fragments.
In exchange for dropping a jewel, the Jewelhead Bunny doesn’t drop a Magic Stone upon death, and the Magic Stone Fragments are like sand, disappearing as soon as they form.
In other words, the only thing worth money you get from defeating this thing is the jewel it drops.
You might think it’s a good deal since it drops jewels, but unfortunately, it doesn’t work out that well.
Something that’s guaranteed to drop has no value.
‘Rarity is what drives people mad,’ as a friend from the academy used to say.
Apparently, that’s just how it is, even if the attacks from a Jewelhead Bunny’s ears or tail have enough power to easily lop off a person’s head.
But the reason I’m still hunting Jewelhead Bunnies is because I’m after the rare jewel it’s said to occasionally drop.
That jade-colored jewel is commonly known as the ‘Priestess’ Eye,’ likened to the eye color of a famous Maiden of Light from long ago.
But to me, it’s a jewel the same color as Erika-san’s eyes.
I’m sure it would look good on her.
If I’m aiming for something, this jewel is the only choice.
That’s why I came to this nameless forest where the Jewelhead Bunnies live, commonly known as the Forest of Fools.
Having a specific monster appear guaranteed in a specific area is a rather rare phenomenon; I suppose that’s Orclaugh for you, home of the Demon Realm.
As a result, this forest has become a place full of dreams for adventurers.
I entered the forest before the sun had fully risen, but now I can sense several parties of adventurers active nearby.
Since the Jewelhead Bunny isn’t that strong of a monster, even low-Rank adventurers can hunt it relatively safely if they form a party.
The amber-colored jewels, useless even as fuel for Magic Tools, are worth next to nothing, but if you get the jade-colored one, you can earn a considerable sum of money.
So naturally, there are plenty of people aiming for it.
As a result—
“Uwooooh, my armmm!”
—the arms, legs, or heads of adventurers who lack skill or let their guard down end up flying.
“The Forest of Fools, huh? Can’t argue with that name.”
I muttered, impressed by the naming sense of its unknown creator, as I heard yet another scream today.