Chapter 316: A Request from the Guild Master
After sending the completed Storage Bag to Mr. Jinpei, we returned to the Otherworld. Since then, we have resolved the issue of the bag’s small opening, which made it difficult to retrieve larger items. The problem stemmed from the fact that the enchantment was applied directly to the bag itself. Who would have thought that applying the enchantment to a loop of rope would solve the problem?
It was when I realized that using the Dimensional Box only required creating an entrance to access the Otherworld, rather than crafting something bag-like, that the idea struck me.
Now that the Storage Bag can be used for hunting, it won’t be long before Ivan becomes a D Rank Adventurer. The sight of monsters being pulled out one after another from a simple loop of rope was certainly bizarre.
“Finally, I can go to the Forest of Enchantment! I’m counting on you,” Ivan said, excitement evident in his voice.
Today marked Ivan’s first venture into the Forest of Enchantment.
“Yeah!” I replied enthusiastically.
Together with Ivan, who was gently patting Phonia’s head, we headed toward the Adventurer’s Guild. Recently, we had been going directly to the Forest without stopping by the Guild, but Ivan was diligent about accepting requests before heading out to hunt. While simply taking on requests would raise his rank, accepting additional quests would certainly expedite the process.
“Hehe, I’m going with Ivan-nii!” Phonia chimed in.
“Haha, I’m happy to be with you too, Phonia,” Ivan replied, smiling.
“I can defeat monsters now, so watch me!” Phonia declared proudly.
“Uh? Oh, right…” Ivan responded, his expression slightly awkward.
As we entered the Guild, some people noticed us and instinctively stepped back, as if the tide was receding. Since we hadn’t stayed in the same town for long before, this reaction was new to us. Ivan walked ahead, heading straight for the request board.
“Oh, Shu-san!”
As I waved Ivan off, a familiar voice called out to me. A woman with gray hair mixed with red strands approached, and I recognized her from our previous encounter. I couldn’t recall her name, but I remembered the party name—what was it again?
“Ah, you from that time. I’m glad to see you made it here safely,” I said.
“Yes! I just arrived a little while ago. This town really is the front line of the Forest of Enchantment,” she replied.
“Just getting closer, and the monsters that appear are getting stronger,” another man added, reminding me of the Kokushi Musou party. I could never forget that distinctive way of speaking.
“By the way, how long do you plan to stay in this town, Shu-san?” the woman asked.
“Well, we haven’t really decided,” I admitted. I was just curious about what the mountainous Forest of Enchantment was like.
“Probably until we get bored,” I added with a shrug.
We had only explored the shallow parts of the forest so far. I was thinking it was about time to venture deeper, hoping to find some good ingredients.
“I see… If we happen to meet in the forest, I look forward to it,” she said.
“Yeah,” I replied.
Just then, I noticed a Guild Staff member approaching us.
“Excuse me. Are you Lord Shu and Lady Rio, S Rank Adventurers?” he asked.
“Yes? That’s us,” I confirmed.
The members of the Kokushi Musou party widened their eyes in surprise at our response. At that moment, Ivan returned from the request board.
“The Guild Master wishes to speak with you. May I have a moment of your time?” the Guild Staff member requested.
“Hmm? What does the Guild Master want?” Ivan asked, voicing my own curiosity.
“It’s a matter that cannot be discussed here…” The Guild Staff member glanced at Ivan, his expression apologetic.
“If that’s the case, don’t worry about us. You can go ahead,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.
With that, I led Phonia toward a table inside the Guild. Nil seemed to think it would be boring to tag along with us, so he slinked over to the table and lay down, letting out a big yawn. I felt like I hadn’t even responded to the conversation, yet the atmosphere had shifted to one of listening. Well, that was fine.
“Shall we go then?” I suggested.
“Thank you. Please follow me,” the Guild Staff member replied.
“Are the number of monsters increasing?” I asked.
“Yes, that seems to be the case,” he confirmed.
In the Guild Master’s office, I learned from Tyran, the Guild Master, that the situation was indeed concerning. He was a lean, muscular man dressed in a Chinese-style outfit, with a shiny bald head that made it hard to tell if he was naturally bald or had shaved it.
“The shallow parts of the forest aren’t too bad, but we’ve been hearing reports from A Rank parties that venture deeper,” he explained.
“And you want us to investigate the Forest of Enchantment?” I asked.
“This town has experienced Stampedes from the Forest of Enchantment in the past. We are particularly sensitive to the monsters from there,” he continued.
I couldn’t gauge the scale of the last Stampede, but seeing the ruins scattered throughout the town made it clear that it must have been quite severe. If another wave of monsters surged toward the town, it would be disastrous.
“That said, we don’t really know the usual distribution of monsters in the Forest of Enchantment,” I admitted.
“That’s not a problem. As long as you can provide us with the current distribution, we can handle the rest,” Tyran assured me.
Since we were planning to explore the Forest of Enchantment for ingredients anyway, conducting a monster distribution survey would be a convenient side task.
“Hmm… In that case, I suppose we can take on the request,” I said.
“Ah, that’s very much appreciated,” Tyran replied, though he furrowed his brow as he continued.
“However, is it alright to agree before discussing the details and rewards of the request?” he asked.
“That’s fine. We’re not exactly in need of money,” I replied casually.
In fact, we were more concerned about having too much of it.