“Hah!”
“Ei!”
While the tunnel excavation work on the first mountain is underway, I’m venturing into the forest beyond.
It’s me, Asahi, Beatrice, Ryuga, and three Onmitsu.
The ones fighting are me and Asahi, while Beatrice and Ryuga are mostly just watching.
“There are a lot of Slash Momonga and Bomb Squirrels.”
“Yeah, I hate them both because they’re small.”
Slash Momonga fly between the trees, attacking with sharp claws, and Bomb Squirrels cast explosion magic on nuts and throw them. Both are small Monsters. They taste good, but the edible parts are small, and the fur is too small even for a handkerchief. You can only get low-grade Magic Stones from them.
I intercept the Slash Momonga that pounce at me with Nata, while using the Iron Needle Tree’s needles given to me in the village to take down the Bomb Squirrels attacking from afar.
“Annoying!”
Asahi, who throws needles like me, is having a harder time. Unlike Nata, she only has kunai, so the defensive area is smaller.
Even so, she fights and defeats the enemies… but the explosion sounds of the Bomb Squirrels attract insects, wolves, and other Monsters.
I try to defeat the Bomb Squirrels quickly to prevent the sound from attracting more Monsters, then defeat the Monsters attracted by the smell of blood… it’s endless!
“Asahi… let’s retreat for now.”
“King, I can still go on, masu.”
“If we go any further, we won’t be able to retreat.”
The more Monsters gather, the narrower our range of action becomes. Eventually, we’ll run out of places to escape.
“Understood, masu.”
As me and Asahi begin to retreat, Beatrice and Ryuga, who were watching, start to move. One of the Onmitsu stays to guard us, while the remaining members begin to eliminate the Monsters.
“S-strong.”
“They were strong to begin with, and now they’ve added physical enhancement.”
I feel like the strong ones are as strong as Dad, or even the top-tier hunters, the self-proclaimed “Old Geezers.”
“Unfair, masu.”
“You and I are still growing, so we can’t do it yet.”
According to the Unified Space Force law, physical enhancement cannot be performed on minors. Many of the tools I have are bound by such laws, and I can’t use some of them without ignoring those rules. Changing those settings requires qualifications or rank.
“Well, it’s certainly dangerous for minors.”
“Is that, so? Desu?”
“Growth inhibition, or something like that.”
I’m not really sure.
While we’re talking, the number of Monsters decreases rapidly. One of the Onmitsu is cleaning up the Monsters, so the smell of blood isn’t as strong.
The adults have cleaned up our mess. However, since it’s not really a hunt, we don’t chase the fleeing Monsters.
“We should have suggested the retreat sooner.”
“Really? Was I too late?”
“We spotted a Nose Centipede. You two should have retreated before the carrion eaters started gathering.”
“Ah, I see. That’s true.”
The fact that carrion-seeking Monsters are gathering is proof that the smell of Monster blood is quite strong. When those kinds of Monsters start gathering, the next to come are the strong Monsters that prey on those moving Monsters.
And Monsters prioritize attacking humans over other Monsters. Humans without Carapace, fur, or scales look like weak and easy prey.
Recently, I’ve been fighting with assault rifles and handguns a lot. I didn’t feel threatened by these kinds of enemies. If Dad saw this, I’d get more than just a knuckle sandwich.
“Asahi, you’re using too many needles. I’m not saying one needle per Monster, but try to conserve them as much as possible. And you don’t need to throw a needle at every nut from the Bomb Squirrels. Just avoid what you can.”
“Hah!”
Unlike the Onmitsu and warriors who received physical enhancements along with their injury recovery, Asahi is still at her base ability. Just like me.
Since training with the other members wouldn’t be beneficial, Asahi and I, who are at a similar level, are paired up to investigate and thin out the Monsters in the forest where we plan to build a road.
This “level” refers not only to combat ability, but also to knowledge of Monsters and the experience to use that knowledge. Compared to them, we are weak in those areas. There are quite a few Monsters I don’t know about.
Both me and Asahi are the type to move around quickly and attack enemies. I have higher attack power because of Nata, but in return, I use needles less frequently.
I’ve also been refraining from using magic other than Barriers, so that may have increased Asahi’s burden.
“Will they eventually start running away if we keep fighting for a while?”
“The squirrels and wolves probably will. But insects don’t learn.”
“I should make the Monster Repellent Sachet stronger for insect control.”
There are inevitably many insect-type Monsters in the forest. But the fact that there are no spider or scorpion types is a plus. Well, there are still three mountains left, so their territories might be divided among the forests.
So far, I’ve only seen A-rank Monsters at most. There aren’t many B-rank ones either. It’s fortunate that there are no S-rank ones. When I think about it, the Black Forest is really abnormal.
“It seems Adventurers are becoming more visible.”
“Yes. They appear to be Adventurers based in the Town of Solva.”
“Well, I expected them to show up eventually.”
Beyond the mountains behind us, past the forest, over the mountains, and past another forest. When we get to the next forest, we start to see Adventurers who have come from the Town of Solva.
I observe them from the top of the mountain with Watcher 8000, checking their abilities.
“There don’t seem to be any particularly outstanding individuals.”
“Yeah. The Monsters around here are C-rank, so they can be sold for a decent price, but there aren’t any Dungeons, so…”
There’s a Dungeon beyond the mountains on this side, but there’s no sign that Adventurers have come that far. Well, after getting through a deep forest and then crossing a mountain, the amount of luggage becomes quite large.
Without a Magic Bag, the only option is to work hard with a large group.
This forest is large and full of natural blessings, so I understand why Adventurers come here. We need to thin out the Monsters to some extent, and this is probably the main place to get not only meat, but also wild vegetables and mushrooms.
However, since it’s not a Dungeon, it inevitably lacks stability.
“Is the jackpot… a Unicorn, an Armor Bear, or a Lesser Wyvern?”
Among the Monsters we’ve encountered on the way to this forest, these were the ones that would lead to big money, according to my standards.
The Unicorn Horn, in particular, is traded at a high price as a cure-all. The Armor Bear was also bought at a high price when we delivered it last time. And then there’s the Lesser Wyvern. It’s a small sub-dragon, but it’s easy to process into armor, and it looks gorgeous and has high defense. It’s a popular item among nobles.
There may be other Monsters with values I don’t know about, but from what I’ve seen, these three are the most formidable and traded at high prices.
“I was surprised you didn’t know the value of the Net-Throwing Scorpion.”
“Yeah, I was surprised.”
Categorically, it looks like a freak, but I didn’t know it was so delicious. I’m surprised that the idea of eating poisonous Monsters exists outside of our village.
There are other Monsters that can be eaten, so that seems to be the main thing for the Adventurers.
On top of that, if a big one comes along, they make a lot of money at once, and if there are any requested Monsters, they defeat them. That seems to be the basic style of the Adventurers working here.
“There must be better-paying places.”
I have a feeling that there’s a place where Adventurers who have succeeded in seeking a fortune, or who have continued to earn money by repeating requests, go next.
A town with a well-paying Dungeon, or a city with a large population and many requests, like the domain capital we went to the other day.
The Unicorn Horn aside, the other materials aren’t enough to live on for a lifetime.
Still, it’s a fortune worth several years of work for someone who works diligently, so it can be called a jackpot, but if you want to aim higher as an Adventurer, you’ll use that money to improve your equipment.
“There are those who don’t know how to walk in the forest.”
“Don’t think in terms of your standards.”
You’re a family that has lived in the forest for hundreds of years. And the difficulty level is different from the forests around here, there’s no comparison.
“They seem to be mainly picking wild vegetables.”
“Aren’t they collecting herbs and mushrooms?”
“Herbs and mushrooms require specialized knowledge.”
There are specialized people for each. Even if amateurs try, the herbs will lose their Magical Power and the quality will drop, and mushrooms are difficult to identify in the first place.
Those kinds of things are what alchemists and hunters teach their children and disciples. And when they go to collect them, they just have Adventurers accompany them as guards.
“Adventurers of that level should be fine.”
“Indeed. Even if someone can cross the mountains, they won’t be able to reach our base. If they insist on aiming for it, we shall welcome them.”
There are too many things I don’t want them to see, like the Drones and the power plant.
“I might join up with Barbatos and try some Adventurer activities.”
“For information gathering, is it?”
“That’s the idea.”
Barbatos-san is registered as an Adventurer, after all.