“Everyone calm down. Uruzaku, you can have it if you want.”
“No way.”
“That’s all Hugo’s money. There’s no need to give Uruzaku even 1 dahl.”
I placed four silver coins in front of Uruzaku and bid him farewell.
“As per our initial agreement, today is where we part ways, Uruzaku.”
“Why? It’s a natural demand for an adventurer, right?”
“Did you forget? I’m the one who hired you. I did say that I wanted you guys to form a party, but I never said I’d join. Also, I clearly stated at the beginning, ‘I’ll immediately drop you if you don’t take training seriously or if I don’t like you.’ Ever since you got your hands on that weapon, you’ve been slacking off in training, arriving late for gatherings, and grumbling. You’ve been warned by your comrades multiple times, but you haven’t even tried to correct it.”
As we entered the town, I took out the Short Spear I had been holding from my Magic Pouch and tossed it to him.
As a bonus, I chanted to remove the two attached skills (Enemy Search Skill, Short Spear Skill – Delete, Delete, Delete) and (Read…).
I made sure to confirm that the two attached skills had disappeared.
I’m curious to know what happens to the skills that improved while they were attached if they are deleted, but I’ll find out eventually.
“You can now easily defeat Goblins, so do your best.”
“Got it. How long are you guys going to keep listening to this guy?”
“That’s your bad habit. You’re greedy and start slacking off as soon as things get a little easier. I’ll follow Hugo.”
“I intend to hone my skills as much as possible before I get dumped.”
“I can’t work with someone who doesn’t understand Hugo’s kindness.”
“That’s right. Even if we were in the same party, there’s no doubt we’d argue if you were around. Let’s part ways now.”
He glared at me with a scowl, but I didn’t feel anything from being glared at by someone who flinches at Orcs.
“Do as you like!”
As I was comforting the awkward Harrison and the others, a group who had been listening to our conversation with interest stood up.
Thanks to that idiot Uruzaku, it looks like we’re going to have more trouble.
“Hey brothers, three Orcs, you say? That’s quite a lucrative story.”
“We want to get in on that, so tell us where you hunted them.”
“You’re all Iron Rank adventurers who just registered, but three Orcs, huh? That’s quite the boast.”
“Are you old geezers trying to pick a fight? Or are you just here to mooch? Which is it?”
“Iron Ranks are fearless, aren’t they? We’ll see how you do if we meet in the forest.”
“You seem to have a Magic Pouch, but this isn’t a playground for rich young masters.”
“You all seem to be proud of your skills, but are you stronger than the ‘Blood Stool’ party?”
〈Boo!〉
〈Blood Stool〉
〈Don’t say things that make the ale smell bad.〉
〈Hey! Someone’s picking a fight with Cat-chan.〉
〈Oh, wanna bet?〉
〈I’m betting on Cat-chan.〉
〈Hmm, I don’t know their faces well, so I’m not sure…〉
“Were you guys the ones who brought in the Orcs earlier?”
“Who are you? We’re talking here! Get lost!”
〈Ugh!〉
He took a magnificent body blow and collapsed.
〈You bastard! You’ve got guts!〉
Oh, great. Another fight has started.
They placed their hands on the swords at their waists and surrounded him, but the old man remained composed.
〈Oh, oh.〉
〈Even if they don’t know him, they’re really going for it.〉
〈Pick your fights carefully.〉
〈If you mess with Cat-chan…〉
“Guild Master, may I beat them up?”
When I looked towards the voice, I saw three people who looked like Guild staff glaring at the old men.
So, it’s the Guild Master.
“No… well, you see…”
“We were just asking where they hunted the Orcs.”
“You’re not fit for the Adventurer’s Guild in the Royal Capital. Disappear.”
At the Guild Master’s quiet words, they dragged the guy who had collapsed out of the cafeteria with a pale face.
“Who defeated the Orcs?”
How cynical.
Harrison and the other four all pointed at me at once.
Stop it. Didn’t you learn that you shouldn’t point at people?
“Hmm, you killed them alone?”
The four nodded in unison, but I’m the one being asked.
“I heard you’re Iron Rank, when did you register?”
“A little over two months ago, I guess.”
“Show me your Guild Card! If you have the skill to take down three Orcs in one hit, I’ll promote you to Bronze with my authority.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be Iron for a year after registering? Can the Guild Master really do that?”
I asked, voicing my doubts as I handed over my Guild Card.
“Can’t leave a skilled guy like you in Iron. By the way, where did you encounter the Orcs?”
What an inquisitive old man.
I used my eyes to tell Harrison and the others to explain.
While watching them awkwardly explain the location of the hunt to the Guild staff, I munched on my meal alone.
I think “eat when you can” is a universal truth, so I obediently followed that teaching.
〈I thought it was a tall tale, but it really was three Orcs.〉
〈And he did it alone.〉
〈They were making fun of ‘Blood Stool’, but they wouldn’t stand a chance.〉
〈But I’ve never seen anyone promoted by the Guild Master’s authority before.〉
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
When we returned to the campsite, I had them store everything inside their Magic Pouches, and we moved a little deeper into the forest to create a new campsite.
With Uruzaku’s personality, he would eventually try to use the campsite for his own convenience.
Also, if we left it open and accessible, it would be a problem if it became a home for Goblins or other wild beasts, so I drained the magic and destroyed it.
I told Harrison and the others to come up with a name since they would be forming a party.
At the same time, I told them that they would buy bows and practice the next time we went to town, and I showed them my Short Bow and demonstrated rapid firing.
I’m much worse than Hattie, but I’ve still attached the Short Bow Skill and practiced a bit, so I seem like an expert in the eyes of Harrison and the others.
“Are you talking about Short Bows? How much power do they have?”
“20-30m. It’s basically for small animals and close combat, but it’s fine for Orcs and Hornboars. Normal bows are powerful, but do you want to hunt big game?”
It was funny how the four of them shook their heads in unison.
“We’ll be satisfied if we can hunt Orcs and Wolves.”
“We’d probably die if we tried to hunt big game.”
“Yeah, we’d rather be perennial Bronze Ranks.”
“It’s important to know your own abilities accurately. If you continue to train, you’ll improve even more, and if you act as a party, you’ll be able to hunt things bigger than Orcs. Also, if you can tell that you can’t win, you’ll have a higher chance of escaping and surviving.”
They nodded seriously at my words.
I can’t say that too confidently since I no longer need to run away after I became able to use Earth Magic.
From the next day, we started practicing not only thrusting with the Short Spear, but also parrying, swinging, and bashing.
After reading Coke’s Short Spear Skill and attaching it to myself, I taught them how to handle it.
Once they get used to it, it will be useful in melees and against people.
While the four of them were practicing Enemy Search, I practiced using the Appraisal Skill on various grasses, flowers, and fruits at the rear.
(Appraisal!) [Grass]
(Appraisal!) [Flower]
(Appraisal!) [Leaf]
(Appraisal!) [Poisonous Plant]
I’m not getting very good results, but I won’t improve if I don’t practice, so I just need to keep practicing.
I also want to practice Healing Magic and Teleportation Magic, but I don’t have anyone to practice Healing Magic on, and I only have the opportunity to practice Teleportation Magic when entering and exiting the dome.
I told myself not to rush and worked hard to acquire them one by one.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
After finishing breakfast at an early morning stall, I headed to the Adventurer’s Guild, sold the accumulated Goblin Magic Stones, and then went straight to the adventurer’s shop to buy four Short Bows, 40 arrows, and 80 practice arrows.
Since this was the third time we had gone together, the shopkeeper was very friendly because we were buying in bulk and spending a lot of money.
This time, one Short Bow was 80,000 dahl × 4 = 320,000 dahl.
One arrow was 4,000 dahl × 40 arrows = 160,000 dahl.
Practice arrows were 3,000 dahl × 80 arrows = 240,000 dahl.
The shopkeeper was in a good mood and gave us the quivers and three bowstrings as a service.
The total was 720,000 dahl. I paid with 7 Gold Coins and 2 Silver Coins and left the shop.
“Hugo, is it okay to spend so much money on us?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just investing in you guys since you’re indulging in my hobby.”
I can’t tell them that I’m using them as experimental guinea pigs, so I’ll just say it’s a hobby.
Next, I plan to buy a Magic Pouch at the magic item store.
Even here, we were blocked at the entrance, but I grabbed a Gold Coin from my Magic Pouch and told them I came to buy a Magic Pouch, and they let us in.
At the counter, I asked the clerk to show me the lowest-ranked Rank 2 pouch and one with a time delay of about 30.
A 2-10 Magic Pouch cost 1.1 million Dala, and a 2-30 one cost 1.3 million Dala, so I bought the 2-30 one. Then, I (Read and Memorized) the 2-10 and 3-60 pouches that were on display: [Magic Pouch, Shock-Resistant, Blade-Proof, Magic Defense, 2-10 x 5] and [Magic Pouch, Shock-Resistant, Blade-Proof, Magic Defense, 3-60 x 10], respectively, adding to my memory.
I feel a bit guilty, like I’m copying a novel I want to read at a bookstore, but I’m not going to use it for business, so I hope they’ll forgive me.
As expected of Magic Pouches from a magic item store, the expensive ones had Shock-Resistance, Blade-Proofing, and Magic Defense enchantments.
As soon as I left the store, I immediately (Read and Memorized) the 2-30 Magic Pouch: [Magic Pouch, Shock-Resistant, Blade-Proof, Magic Defense, 2-30 x 10].
We stopped by the market to buy food and everyone’s favorite treats, putting them into the 2-30 Magic Pouch before leaving town.
Once we entered the grasslands, I gave everyone a Short Spear and handed the purchased Magic Pouch to Harrison.
The food will last for 30 days, and the Short Spears can also be stored in it, so I told them to put their belongings and any game they catch into it from now on.