Jigglypuff's Diary

Fifth Day

A night passed after getting rid of the horde of undeads. And when morning came, I once again made way for Cormi Village, battling the undead as I went along. As I got closer to the village, the atmosphere became gloomy like that in the previous labyrinth. It doesn’t have the same feeling of magic power being gathered, but it felt peculiarly stagnated.

After walking for a bit more, the walls of Cormi Village finally entered my sight. But instead of entering right away, I used the dark magic, Hide, and hid my presence. Then I climbed up a nearby large tree, and took a peek at the other side of the wall.

“Didn’t know Cormi Village would be so big. From what I can see, it’s square shaped, and each side is about 400 meters long. There are plenty of villages bigger than this outside the Great Forest of Shurus, but it’s still massive compared to the camps.”

This village should’ve been built sturdily, but after becoming an abandoned village, even its sturdily built gate has fallen. And although it should’ve only had one entrance, because the walls have also crumbled in some areas, anyone can now freely enter the village.

Weeds could be seen growing uninhibited past the village walls where undead jostled about freely. While above them, in the sky, were fraids of wraiths floating about as they pleased.

“…Horrible… To think it was actually because of the village that there were so many undead in the area.” [Ryouma]

After observing for a bit, I came to understand that the skeletons, the zombies, and other human-shaped undead would create traps, and then hunt preys which they would then bring to their village. It’s still morning, so they’re only hunting from time to time, but once night hits, they’ll probably start hunting vigorously.

The hunted preys are gathered in the centermost plaza-like area where it is then distributed, and then eaten. It wouldn’t have been strange for the undead to just eat as they caught, but for whatever reason, they’re gathering their food in one place first before eating.

And because they’re gathering their preys and leaving it in the village, undead would sometimes be born out of the pile of corpses. It’s not really all that strange for the corpses to turn undead though, considering the state of all those corpses.

“And because of that the numbers ended up that many; what a pain…” [Ryouma]

No matter how you look at it, that’s a lot of undead. There’s about 700 of them, and that’s only from what I can see right now. There should still be zombiefied small beasts that are hiding in the weeds, or in the fallen walls or in the shadows of other undead. And on top of their numbers, the undead that go out to hunt are also stronger than the ghouls as they are wearing armors and swords.

But if I were to honestly say it, I think it’s a doable fight. Only, their numbers are too great, so I’m worried I might run out of magic power and stamina in the heat of battle. Should I just whittle them down then? Or should I after all try to kill them all in one gulp?

After some time of strategizing, I finally decided to fight the undead during the afternoon when they won’t be able to show their full abilities. And in the case where I am unable to defeat them in one day, I will retreat, and hide within my Dimension Home until the night passes. Upon which, I will then resume my attack.

Aside from the fact that I have something to do in the village, it also doesn’t seem like it’ll be possible for me to avoid fighting the undead. So in that case, I might as well reduce their numbers here, and ensure a smooth retrieval of my inheritance.

And besides… no one in this world wishes for someone to turn undead after passing away. There are also people who considers turning undead after death to be a humiliation, so defeating the undead here can be thought of as a form of memorial service. And considering how it’s highly probable that the human-type undead here are the former residents of this village, it’s all the more reason that I can’t just leave them here like this.

Fortunately, I have the slimes to rely on, and I also have Remiri-san’s light magic to aid me. On top of that, I’ve also prepared a number of unique and improved anti-undead magic. And although I’d normally be anxious of running out of magic power because of the power and scope of my magic, I don’t have to defeat all of the undead in one day this time, so that’s not an issue either.

There are no humans who live in this sort of environment either, so…

“I guess I’ll throw ‘em a barrage of magic the whole day then.” [Ryouma]

As I muttered that to myself, I began the operation.

First, I jumped down the tree, then I closed in to the gate in one breath. There, I fired off two shots of Light Shot at the five undead that were keeping watch at the village gate. The undead keeping watch were all human-type, so they all vanished upon contact with Light Shot.

“’Holy Space’ ‘Light Shot’” [Ryouma]

I casted Holy Space by the gate, and then fired off a shot of Light Shot to restrain the undead that noticed me.

Being surrounded would be problematic, so to avoid that I casted that Holy Space to block the gate. Of course, I could still be surrounded if the undead exited the village from somewhere else, but I’ll just think about that when the time comes. For now, it’s enough that I’ve made it harder for them to surround me.

“Then once the undead have clumped up nicely… ‘Holy Flame Carpet’ !!” [Ryouma]

As I chanted that, a great, bright flame appeared from my hands. It turned into a ball of flame, and it shot toward the undead before me. The raptors that were above the ball of flame’s course, lost their lower bodies. And when the ball of flame hit the ground, the flames spread, and a great number of undead were burnt away. But the flames did not cease there as it caught onto the weeds, spreading the flame, and burning even more undead.

This magic is something I came up with after combining the intermediate flame magic I learned from Rheinbach-sama, ‘Flame Carpet’, and the spell, ‘Exorcism’ that was directly transmitted to me by Remiri-sama, on the way back home from the Town of Departed Spirits.

Flame Carpet is a kind of magic that spreads a thin layer of flame-attribute magic power to attack one’s foe. The flame birthed is a result of magic power, so it can be used even in rocky places with no flammable objects. But in a place like this one where flammable objects like weeds are growing abound, the effect is intensified.

I can easily visualize this spell by imagining the picture of spilled alcohol being lit up. Then on top of that image, I would imagine the light from the flames to have the effect of Exorcism, making this spell the first of my anti-undead area magic attacks. The downside to this spell is that it’s difficult to control, so one cast will consume up to 40,000 magic power, but its strength is unquestionable. And right now, that effect can be seen as all the undead within an area of 60m from the gate has been annihilated. Even the wraiths floating in the sky have been reduced to some extent.

It was already hard to combine two spells with differing attributes into one, but combining light magic with another attribute was especially difficult. I think I’ll investigate why after this. Oh, incidentally, I used the food of the grave slimes and the undead that they have stored in them as test subjects when I was making this spell.

“’Dimension Home’” [Ryouma]

I brought out some light slimes and grave slimes from the Dimension Home. Then as the grave slimes gathered the undead, I took a look at the situation.

I was anxious about the fire spreading due to the sparks, but it seems there weren’t any problems. That’s probably because the humidity here in the Great Forest of Shurus is high. As for the fire spreading inside the village… I don’t really mind. That aside, the fire catching onto the weeds here and burning it was a huge boon. Because now I can see the small undead easily.

When I saw undead coming again, I fired off my magic.

“’Flash Grenade’” [Ryouma]

As I chanted that, I fired off a ball of light toward the sky. Then I closed my eyes and covered them with one of my hands. In the next instant, the ball of light exploded, releasing magic power and light. The momentary light shot off by that ball dyed my closed sight in red.

The magic I had used just now might look no different from a normal Light Ball, but it’s actually a successfully improved version of the Light Shot. If I were to put it in simple words, it’s a bomb of light.

It explodes with light-attribute magic power, so it’s potent against undead. It may have a wide area of effect, but it’s magic power consumption is only half that of the Holy Flame Carpet, putting it at a consumption of 20,000 magic power points. Its downsides are that its effect can be weakened by hiding beneath the shade of a shelter and that the light emitted is too strong, so if you look straight into it, you’ll be blinded temporarily. One day, I plan to combine this spell with the wind magic, ‘Sound Boom’, to create the magic, Stun Grenade, but I’ll put that off for later.

Going back to the topic…

The Flash Grenade seems to have worked well as the undead, especially the fraids of wraiths in the sky, have had their numbers greatly reduced. I actually didn’t really know how effective the spell would be when I closed my eyes, but it looks like it worked well. I should probably think of a way to make a pair of sunglasses when I get back. I mean it’s not exactly a good thing to close one’s eyes during battle… as necessary as it may be.

As I was thinking that to myself, it suddenly hit me.

Wait a moment…? I was being cautious because their numbers were great, but now that I’m fighting them, it’s actually easier than I thought… There are undead, but they’re not attacking me that hard. Rather… they’re not really resisting much.

“…Could it be that they’re just many, but are actually really weak?” [Ryouma]

I took a look at them again, and I noticed that their movements individually were actually worse than the undead in the Town of Departed Spirits. On top of that, there weren’t any higher classes among them.

Somehow it feels like I got too fired up, and ended up striking against the air… I wasted my magic power…

After thinking that, I brought out the king scavenger slimes and the grave slimes, and had them proactively hunt the undead.

The result was just as I expected. The undead in the village were weak enough that it was enough for me to leave them to the slimes. I was using the undead in the Town of Departed Spirits as a standard, but it would appear that the undead there are far stronger than the ones here. It’s probably because the magic power there is thick that the undead there are so strong.

And although the intellizombies here are quite numerous, the memories they possess is a far cry from back when they were alive. They were probably brawny warriors back when they were still alive as they can still use short swords after turning into zombies and skeletons, but… they’re not much of a threat. Even the strong ones among them are only about as strong as ghouls at most.

And then there are even undead that won’t do anything unless you lured them out, and would just sit somewhere as if they were in their house. Surprisingly, those types were actually much more resistant to Attract Ghosts than the undead walking outside. I guess they’re much closer to wandering ghosts or bound ghosts than they are to magical beasts.

When I realized that, I shook off the thought of fighting them, and I decided to treat this purely as a form of memorial service to them. I decided to defeat all the undead here while praying for their happiness in the next world. Originally, I was thinking of defeating the undead here first, but I changed my mind. I’ll go ahead and get my inheritance first. After all, even if I got surrounded, it wouldn’t matter as the slimes are around, so I might as well deal with them later. I also want to spend more time for their memorial service, so finishing my business first will be best.

I walked toward the direction of my grandparent’s house. I do want to take a break, but if I’m going to be taking a break then I might as well take a break in my grandparent’s house instead of the public plaza.

Like this I walked toward my grandparent’s house while praying for the welfare of the undead in their next lives.

I had my slimes encircle me as we passed by a path overgrown with grass. We also passed over some bent spiked-fences. The fences were stretched around inside the village, so they must have been put up to stop magical beasts that have already invaded the village.

But in one side of the fences was a large building with traces of divisions and, although already mostly ruined, was a small house with many divisions. The spiked-fences were also there in the divisions of the small house, so I guess they weren’t put up just to stop invading magical beasts.

After a bit more of walking, I finally arrived to the western edge of the village. My grandparent’s house was situated somewhat separate from the other houses.

“So this is the house of the Sage and the Martial God… Although it’s not all bad, it doesn’t look like the house two amazing people would live in.” [Ryouma]

It might look somewhat big from the outside, but in the end, it’s a plain, square-shaped house with five chimneys.

Its walls are made out of rock, while its roof and windows are made out of wood. Overall, it looks like a house that was carved out of a rock. Chances are my grandparents used earth magic to create this house. Similar to the other areas of the village, this house has also been overgrown with weed. There are even vines twined around its walls.

The house looked worn-out, but when I touched it, its walls were surprisingly rigid, not moving one bit. It’s been left all alone for so long, yet it still feels safe.

I entered the building while keeping wary of the undead.

When I entered, the floors creaked. The floors were also made out of wood, so its deterioration wasn’t something unexpected.

“It’s probably a good idea not to be too rough here considering the state of the flooring…” [Ryouma]

As I muttered that to myself, I searched the house. For the meantime, it looks like there’re no undead here.

There was nothing at all in the building. Places that would normally be expected to have something were completely empty. It was as if a robber had gone in and ransacked the whole place. At most, the only things that I could find were broken objects.

“The closet should at least have clothes, so I guess the people here took it away after my grandparents died. Did they take even the beds too? They thoroughly emptied the place, didn’t they?” [Ryouma]

I muttered that to myself, reporting the situation out loud, as I walked through the house until I finally reached my goal.

“It’s here.” [Ryouma]

It was one of the rooms of the building. Inside, broken medicine cabinets and desks could be seen, along with three hearths with differing sizes lined up. It was my grandparent’s laboratory. This is the room where my grandmother, the sage, concocts medicine. Out of the five chimneys that could be seen from outside, three of them are connected to the hearths here. The remaining two are connected to the kitchen and the smithy that my grandfather uses.

I walked toward the middle hearth, the biggest of the group, and I took down the cauldron that was big enough for a plump man to fit into easily. I then scraped out the ashes and cinders that have piled up to reveal the bottom of the hearth.

When I did so, a circular outline with two ditches over its flat surface entered my sight. This is the entrance to the hidden area where my inheritance is.

As I inched into the hearth, I stuck out my hands into the two ditches, curving my fingers inside. Then reinforcing my body with qi gong, I pulled it up open.

The interior of the hearth’s bottommost area made a scraping sound as I pulled that circular outline up. And after I had brought it up all the way up my thighs, I was finally able to completely pull out that cylindrical stone flooring. When I left that outside the hearth, and took a look down the now open floor, what I saw was a wide passage underground.

It was dark, so I shot a Light Ball down.

“About 3 meters until the bottom, huh? The surrounding area down there seems to be completely made out of stone with dents here and there, so… there should be more than enough space for my hands and feet for me to climb down.” [Ryouma]

I threw a burning cloth down the passage, and I watched it burn until it completely burned up. After confirming that there’s air down the hole, I used wind magic to provide ventilation for myself, and then I climbed down it.

Gayn only gave me information up to this passage here, so I don’t know what to expect once I get down. He did however mention there being no traps, but…. just in case, I better proceed with caution.

When I reached the bottom of the hole, what greeted me was a normal passageway. I walked through the passage while lighting up the path with light magic. After a few seconds passed, I stumbled onto a wide room.

Inside were bookshelves packed with books, casks spilling with weapons, and boxes and pouches whose contents were unidentifiable from a glance. Then between me and all those things stood a stone table. On top of it was an object that resembled a thin book.

When I grabbed that object, and took a peek at it, I quickly found out that it wasn’t a book, but several letters all bundled up together. The first half of the letters spoke of the basic details surrounding the village, as well as the reason why they lived here.

My grandparents were widely renowned as great warriors and magicians, causing nobles and merchants from all over to pester them to work for them. They received all sorts of requests from legal to illegal, and my grandparents eventually grew sick of it.

Fed up with the ceaseless pestering of the nobles and merchants, they finally decided to run away. They searched for a place where they could easily get medicinal ingredients that at the same time could not be easily accessed by other people. And so, they decided to enter the Great Forest of Shurus where they later reached this village.

This village was originally created by the country to be used in the expedition to reach the center of the forest and in the securing of additional resources. Because of that it was different from the other camps, and was not only used for resting. The country brought many armor and weapon craftsmen, doctors, and servants, making them all work hard in a large-scale construction to create a powerful base that would become the cornerstone in the expedition to the centermost area of the forest.

However, due to the many powerful magical beasts such as the undead snake living in the center, the plan was setback. The many adventurers and slaves that came with those adventurers, however, remained.

Owing likely due to the harsh environment, most of the people in the village were either craftsmen or servants. Then in order to make back the money wasted when the plan failed, the country sold away a part of the slaves along with the facilities and magic barriers to the adventurers.

After that, this village was officially used not as a village but as a stopping point for adventurers to collect herbs and medicines. The management was mostly done by the adventurers themselves in order to suit their own conveniences. Eventually, since even the people living in the village stopped needing to pay tax, the village was given autonomy.

After some time, powerful, but wicked adventurers started to gather. Each one had their own reasons, but regardless, people that sought refuge from the public eye started to gather. Many months and years passed, and the village eventually created its own laws and social classes.

A person’s standing was decided mainly by his strength. Matters such as lineage mattered not. But of course, that didn’t mean that a person could do as he pleased just because he was strong and managed to become the village chief. But if one could contribute much to the defense of the village or to the revenue of the village, then one would be guaranteed an uninhibited life in the village.

That also goes to mean that the weak cannot survive in the village unless protected by the strong. Due to this, the weak have no choice but to submit to the strong, and do all their bidding. When my grandparents saw that, they felt pity for the people with low statuses, and they started thinking of a way to better their lives.

But the village chief then has always been in a position close to the top of the hierarchy, and he considered the treatment of the lower classes normal. He didn’t think there to be anything strange with the way the villagers treated their lesser men.

The village chief and my grandparents could not come to a resolution, so the village chief said this: if you’re unsatisfied, then go and make a lot of money. If you do, I’ll consider doing something about the way the lesser people are treated. My grandparents agreed to that, and so my grandmother began her research on medicine, and she started treating the sick villagers, while my grandfather supported her.

Frankly speaking, I thought my grandparents lived a harsh life, but according to them, it wasn’t harsh at all.

According to the letter, my grandparents were stronger than anyone else in the village. And it reads here: “Money is easy to make. Just go to the center area of the Great Forest of Shurus, and collect some herbs. Then for the testing, well… there were plenty of subjects.”

There probably wasn’t a place more suited to my grandparents as this place here. Not only is it possible to hide away from the public here, but it’s also easy to get medicinal ingredients.

“…They made medicines and even took care of the people. They must have been nice people… although they do seem to be a bit different from normal people though.” [Ryouma]

That’s about it for the first half of the letter. The rest talks about their will.

Reading the letter, it reads: to the person who is reading this now –– …well, to make things short, they’re saying that they will be giving me everything that is in this room.

The things in this room are all near the end of their life span, so they can’t really be used anymore. But the money here along with the other things are all things that they acquired in their adventures together as husband and wife. These things all have sentimental value to them, so they hid it here, and did not want the village chief to find it. For some reason though, they could not dispose it.

They hoped that someone who was not affiliated with the village would find these things. Several lines in the letter also mention that the magic tool inside the box here in the room is something that they found in some ruins.

“Teagle-san, thank you. I will carry on your legacy. Melia-san, as well, thank you. I will be sure to continue the research that you have left. May you two find peace in your sleep.” [Ryouma]

I spoke those words after I finished reading the letter. Then I faced toward the letter and the inheritance, and I offered a silent prayer.

After which, I then took all of the inheritance in the room, and I stored them all within my Dimension Home. I’ll check the contents later. 

The Fourth Day

Today, I am walking again within the dense forest. The surrounding area all look the same, so it’ll be a disaster if I ever get lost… Fortunately, I have no problems with water thanks to my water magic. And there’re even greens and magical beasts that can be eaten around here, so there’re no problems in that regard.

As I was thinking those sort of things to myself, I suddenly felt the presence of humans from ahead.

There’s a person here? In a place like this? Moreover, alone? Hmm… but then again, I did come here all by myself, so I guess it wouldn’t be too strange for there to be another person aside from me… I wonder if it’s an adventurer who came here to collect something.

I approached the presence I felt while keeping my guard up. When I did, a man wearing an armor made of tree appeared before me. His body was covered in wounds all over, and blood was incessantly flowing out of him as he laid unconscious. A corpse? But just as I thought that, the man groaned.

“Ugh…” [Man]
“Are you still alive!? ‘Light Ball’!” [Ryouma]

I fired a shot of Light Ball toward the man. It’s to ensure that the man is not an undead-type magical beast. There are cases of corpses becoming undead and wraiths possessing bodies, so I have to check first before I try to save him.

From the looks of things, the man doesn’t seem to be able to talk, so this is the fastest way of confirming things.

The Light Ball I shot went straight for the man, but the man didn’t show any changes. And since he neither vanished nor show any signs of pain, I guess that means he’s human.

“I’ll save you now!” [Ryouma]

I ran toward the man while keeping wary.

“Are you alright? Can you hear me?” [Ryouma]
“U-Ugh… [Man]

I called out to the man as I ran toward him to confirm whether he was conscious or not, but all I got in response was a groan. In any case, healing comes first!

“’High Heal’ ‘High Heal’ ‘High Heal’ ‘High Heal’” [Ryouma]

I casted healing magic all over the man’s body. The bleeding from the man’s feet were especially severe. Like this the man won’t be able to walk, much less fight, right? For some reason, no matter how much I casted healing magic, the bleeding wouldn’t stop.

In any case, I better transport him to the Dimension Home first, and have the heal slimes help. And if anything, the Dimension Home is at least safe.

As I thought that, I held the man, and was about to bring him to the Dimension Home, but–––‘

“!?” [Ryouma]

As I was about to use Dimension Home, the moment I stopped focusing on the man, the man’s body suddenly crumbled.

The bones throughout the man’s body suddenly vanished, turning his body extremely soft. And suddenly, the man took into him the arms that I was holding him with as he threw his leaned toward me with his chest out.

“Pshaw!” [Ryouma]

I was surprised for a moment, but I quickly gathered myself, and calmly responded by wrapping my body in electricity. As a result, the man who had tried to swallow my arms into his body was electrocuted, and he stopped moving. In that instance, I recovered my strength and shook the man, no, the something that looked like a man, into the ground, and then I kicked him.

That something that was kicked, crashed into a tree, and then crumbled. Continuing, I unsheathed my katana, and clad it in flames. Then with a stroke, I cut the something from its right leg all the way to its left armpit.

But that “something” didn’t seem to be fazed by it, and instead it tried to run away. The “something” that was before me did not possess the same regenerative abilities that the undead snake possessed, so instead it tried to run away by throwing away its lower body, and using only its arms to crawl away.

Then in the next instance, that “something” lost its human form, and it transformed into the form of a small Take Ostrich.

“Ah!?” [Ryouma]

The “something” ran with a speed comparable to the real Take Ostrich, but unfortunately for it, I had no plans of letting it go. If I ever had such thoughts, it disappeared just now!

“’Barricade’! ‘Bind Ivy’!!” [Ryouma]

With the wood element magic, I controlled the plants in the surrounding area, and created a wall, blocking the ostrich. And with another wood element magic, I tried to capture the ostrich with the vines. The result: success. These two magic make use of the surrounding greens, so it’s difficult to use in places with no greens. But here in the Great Forest of Shurus? It’s quite easy to use.

…But it can also become an obstacle to me, so I need to be careful when I use it.

“Oops. You think I’ll let you escape!?” [Ryouma]

The “something” that was bound with ivy suddenly broke its form as it tried to escape. But seeing it attempt to run, I quickly contracted it!

The moment I invocated the contract, the “something” stopped moving. And a connection of magic power formed between us, indicating that the contract succeeded.

I brought it with me to the Dimension Home, and there I used Monster Identify to reveal the true identity of that “something”.

“Just as I thought… I had my suspicions when I saw it change its form from the upper portion of a man’s torso into a take ostrich, but from the looks of things, I seem to be right.” [Ryouma]

This is the result of the Monster Identify.

Mimic Slime

• Skills
• Mimic Lv10
• Mimic Memory Lv2
• High-Speed Movement Lv8
• Lure Prey Lv2
• Enlarge Lv7
• Compress Lv7
• Consume Prey Lv3
• Digestion Lv4
• Absorption Lv4

This thing is neither a human nor a take ostrich. It was able to trick me with its Mimic Lv10 skill, but there’s no doubt that it’s a slime.

“You fooled me well. I thought you were a real human until the moment you attacked me. Hmm… thinking of that time when you tried to use High-Speed Movement to try to run away as you turned into a take ostrich… could it be? Are you also able to copy the abilities of the opponent you mimic? The consume prey does seem like a skill a take ostrich would have…” [Ryouma]

As I thought that to myself, I ordered the mimic slime to transform into a take ostrich. After making it run around the Dimension Home, I was able to confirm that its speed was the same as a real take ostrich’s. Well this is amazing…

The Mimic Memory that accompanies the mimic skill is probably the skill that allows the slime to learn the skills of its target. At that, I wondered whether the mimic slime would be able to transform into something else, but unfortunately, it could only transform into either a take ostrich or a raptor.

The form it took a while ago as a man was apparently a one-time thing. It can’t transform into that anymore. There’s probably some sort of condition that needs to be fulfilled before it’s able to freely mimic.

As for the Enlarge and Compress skills, I was a bit surprised at first, but thinking about it now, the skills are probably for changing its size to match with its target. It is after all only the size of a basketball before mimicking. At that size, it could become a sort of portable magical beast, but there’s no way it’d be able to trick its enemies.

Lastly, there’s the Consume Prey skill…

“I take it this means that this slime is a predator, and not a prey.” [Ryouma]

Slimes are generally at the bottom of the food chain, and are always being killed by humans and preyed upon by other magical beasts. But apparently, this slime has been living in such a ruthless environment that it actually transformed from a prey into a predator. This is just something I thought of just now, but I think it might have something to do with the fact that it hunts and then eats its prey.

What’s strange about this slime is that it doesn’t have the Split skill that other slimes have. I don’t know how this slime manages to reproduce, but that’s not something I can find out immediately, so I’ll put it on hold for now.

In any case, I was surprised for a bit, but with this the matter has been settled.

I left the Dimension Home, and walked through the dense forest again. An hour passed, and I began to see an area where the trees have been knocked down.

“The lake’s close.” [Ryouma]

This trees that have been knocked down is proof that I’m close to the lake. Why? Because the magical beast that knocked this trees down is the Cannonball Rhinos. A large magical beast with the length of 3m. And as you’d expect, they live near water, and prey on fallen trees.

Incidentally, the Cannonball Rhinos is a B Rank magical beast, but unless you attack first, they won’t do anything. They do tend to get worked up during breeding season, but as long as you take care not to get too close to them and offend them, then they won’t attack. They’re generally gentle magical beasts.

As long as you don’t piss one off anyway. If you do, it won’t be funny. The greatest special trait of the Cannonball Rhinos is the skin and hair covering its body. These two things are so hard it makes one question whether the Rhinos is truly a living thing. Even magic is inefficient against it. In fact, if it’s only its defenses that we’re considering, then it’s definitely comparable to an A Rank magical beast.

Moreover, the Cannonball Rhinos is faster than its large frame would like you to believe. And after becoming an adult, it can even use the neutral magic, Strengthen Body.

A durable and heavy body coupled with a power that won’t lose out. And on top of all that, a magic power that further strengthens it. With all that put together, it’s charge is a thing to be feared. Take one directly, and you’ll definitely incur a life-threatening wound.

Note though that the Cannonball Rhinos does not only live in the Great Forest of Shurus. There are some lost ones that have also been spotted in other plains and forests. There were also some who had apparently broken some gates and walls in the past. It’s such that the Cannonball Rhinos received the nickname, “Wallsmasher.”

As I recalled that information that I researched in the past, the lake came into view.

…Although I say lake, the water is muddy. It might be possible to drink it, but for humans we’ll definitely need to boil it first. Not that it matters to me or anything since I can use water magic… As for the surrounding area…

“…There doesn’t seem to be anything. Good.” [Ryouma]

I was worrying whether there’d be Cannonball Rhinoses around, but fortunately that doesn’t seem to be the case. I should take this opportunity, and pass through this area as soonas I can.

“If I head directly east from here, I should make it to Cormi Village in 4 hours… Looks like I should be able to make it to the village today.” [Ryouma]

Using the compass I had prepared, I confirmed the direction, and headed east.

Along th way, I was attacked several times by raptors and blade rats. Naturally, I defeated those as I continued along my way.

The raptors don’t really matter much, but the blade rats are actually quite difficult to fight. They might look small and cute, but their attacks aren’t funny.

The blade rats spread their limbs and membrane part to glide through the air, but sharp, blade-like objects can be seen in its membrane part. With those, the blade rats fly through the air, attacking as they aimed for the carotid artery and throat.

No one should underestimate a magical beast just because it’s small.

As I continued to walk along while paying attention to my surroundings, the presence of living beings gradually decreased. Until eventually, I spotted the figure of a person.

“Another person… No, a zombie, huh?”

It might’ve been because of the sound of the grass being pushed, but the “person” responded, and it faced toward me. When it did, I saw its abdomen gouged out and its windpipe bitten off by something. Obviously, it wasn’t a person.

“’Light Ball’” [Ryouma]

I looked at the oncoming zombie with dead eyes as I shot Light Ball toward it. There’s no reason for me to wait until it got closer. The Light Ball I shot cleanly blew off the head of the zombie.

With this, the problem was easily solved, but…

“Shuraaaa!” [Undead]
“Hy–…Hyu…” [Undead]
“GARURURUu…” [Undead]
“’Light Ball’ Tch!” [Ryouma]

One hour passed after that. For some reason, the magical beasts that appeared were nothing but undead. The undead that appeared were the usual wraiths and zombies. There were also magical beast corpses turned undead, the beast zombies.

There were many kinds of beast zombie. Of course, there were raptors and blade rats. But there was also the C Rank magical beast, the Anchor Chameleon. It had the ability to change its body’s color to meld with its surroundings, while it attacked vital spots with the hard end of its long tongue. And there was also the Doping Bee. The doping bee has a body colored red and purple. It’s poisonous, and when I saw a zombiefied doping bee, I couldn’t help but break out cold sweat.

The doping bee is an A Rank magical beast. But unless its nest is attacked, it won’t go out of its way to attack humans. Its individual strength isn’t much either. In fact, its fighting prowess isn’t much different from that of a normal bee. At most it’s only really a pain to kill since it’s small and fast. And if one adequately prepared for it, then it’s possible to defeat them even as an E Rank adventurer.

As for why a magical beast like that was classified as A Rank, well that’s because of the doping bee’s poison and mode of life. The doping bee’s poison has the effect of strengthening the body of magical beasts as well as making them go feral.

In exchange for its lack of power, it has the ability to strengthen other magical beasts with its poison. It’s a kind of magical beast that makes use of other magical beasts to protect their nest. I did wonder at first whether the berserked magical beasts would be a danger to the nests as well, but apparently, because of the poison, the beasts won’t attack their nest.

In addition, the doping bee’s needle and honey can be turned into various medicines, making them highly profitable. But because it’s not possible to go around the nests of doping bee’s without risking one to death at the hands of one of their guardian magical beasts, there’s not much of their needles and honey being sold.

Then again, they’re not even the sort of magical beast that lie in limited places, so it’s not even possible to plan ahead. Consequently, their nests and magical beasts that have been stabbed by their needles are rarely s

Because of that, adventurers rush in droves whenever a magical beast that has been affected by their poison is spotted. Speaking of which, the way to identify whether a magical beast has been affected by the doping bee’s poison is to look at their eyes and the place where they were stabbed. Their eyes should have an abnormal congestion in it. And the place they were stabbed should have a vivid violet speck on it.

The doping bees here have all lost their special abilities though. They’ve all been zombiefied so it’s not really strange. Even if they were still alive, their poison wouldn’t work on zombies. So in the end there’s still no problem.

“Right now, it’s the raptors who’s a pain and not the doping bees.” {Ryouma}

Zombie raptors have lost their intelligence and can no longer fight as a group, but their agility remains strong, making them faster than the ghouls.

The sun has also set… I guess it can’t be helped. I fired Light Shot in all four directions, quickly blowing away the undead in the surrounding area. And then–––

“’Holy Space’ ‘Dimension Home’” [Ryouma]

Using the Holy Space that I had directly learned from Remiri-san, I created a safe area. Afterwards, I brought out the light slimes and the grave slimes.

“I didn’t bring them out before because it would make our pace too slow. But since I’m not moving anymore, I decided to let them show their strength.” [Ryouma]

After that… well it turned into a fixed operation.

The grave slimes used Attract Ghosts to lure the enemies, and swallow them. While the light slimes dealt with the violent ones with their light magic. When non-undead magical beasts came around, I protected the slimes while subjugating all of them.

Dealing with the undead wasn’t a problem, but there were many amongst the undead that went wild. The undead here were much more resistant to Attract Ghosts than the ones in the Town of Departed Spirits.

I’m a bit concerned, but oh well. It’s already dark, so I decided to retire for the day.

I hope I can get to Cormi Village by tomorrow.

Third Day

I spent the night last night within the Dimension Home. When morning came, I exited it as soon as I finished my preparations. The place I came out to was the base of a large tree only slightly separated from the animal trail. When I came out, my back was facing the tree.

But as soon as I came out, I suddenly felt the presence of a magical beast, coming from the direction of the animal trail.

Unsheathing my sword, I paid careful attention to my surroundings. What came was a lone bird-type magical beast. It’s exterior looked like that of an ostrich. It ran at a terrifying speed toward me.

“Eh? Is this guy…” [Ryouma]
“Gegegegegegege!!!” [Ostrich-like Monster]

The bird-type magical beast ran toward me, but instead of attacking, it avoided me, and continued on the animal trail ahead. As the bird-type magical beast left me, I suddenly heard the sound of a great number of feet moving as the sound of branches and plants being crushed underfoot accompanied it. When I looked over I saw an astounding number of raptors.

“This early in the morning!?” [Ryouma]

The bird-type magical beast that passed by just now is a Take Ostrich. It looks like an ostrich, but it’s mode of life is  closer to that of a vulture or a hyena. That bird is carnivorous, but it’s power is weak. It can’t fly either. But in exchange for those two things, it’s been blessed with strong legs, allowing it to lead other carnivorous magical beasts around by using itself as bait. In doing so, it’s able to lead other magical beasts to kill other preys. After which, the ostrich would run away, and then come back later to grab the corpse.

“The trees are in the way, so I can’t know for sure, but… there should be over 50 of them. Not exactly a funny number…” [Ryouma]

While I calmly said that, the raptors were clearly agitated as they continued to run toward me. Their eyes were bloodshot and their fangs could be seen peeping out of their mouths. That herd of raptors neared me like flowing water. I could tell since a while ago, but it looks like these guys really have no intention of trying out any sneak tactics this time.

The pressure given off by that herd was terrifying. Any other adventurer would lose their calm before it, causing them to take too long to respond and die. According to my investigation from before, apparently the leading cause of death in these areas is the Take Ostrich.

“This number isn’t really something I can just laugh off. ‘Paralyze Mist’ ‘Spark Ball’ ‘Spark Ball’ ‘Spark Ball’ ‘Spark Ball’” [Ryouma]

I calmly casted an intermediate poison spell toward the rushing herd of raptors, followed with four casts of an original electric-type spell.

The Paralyze Mist has an immediate paralyzing effect on all bodies that inhale it, while the Spark Ball fires a projectile that affects the surrounding area with an electric attack.

The paralyzing poison mist caused the raptors’ movement to worsen, but it wasn’t enough to stop them in their tracks. But with their movement slower, they weren’t able to dodge the oncoming Spark Ball, and they were swallowed by the bursting electric shock.

“That took out around 30%, huh!” [Ryouma]

I cut down two more raptors as I said that. The number of raptors that have been knocked down by the magic is about 30%. Against humans, Spark Ball would deal plenty of damage, but against magical beasts, the power is quite weak.

Despite that though, the herd of raptors suddenly stopped in their tracks, and began to run away. I guess it must be because they suddenly lost 30 percent of their men.

After I was sure that the raptors were gone, I went to check the defeated raptors’ status with my magic.

“Ah, as expected…” [Ryouma]

There were still plenty of raptors that weren’t dead, but because of the effects of the paralyzing poison mist and the electric attack, they couldn’t move their body.

It would be problematic if they attack me once they recover, so I might as well finish them off here painlessly, and then recover their corpses.

“Still though… This place really is the home of beasts… to think I’d get attacked this early in the morning.” [Ryouma]

As I muttered that to myself, I left after making sure that the trees hadn’t caught fire because of my electric attacks.

After walking until noon, I found myself before a large rock where the animal trail ended. From here on I’ll have to move without a path to follow.

“There should be a lake southeast of this rock. Right, let’s go there first.” [Ryouma]

I walked as I read out the directions of the village written in the letter Gayn’s group had sent me. There’s really no path here, so I had no choice but to proceed as I cut down the vines blocking my way. From time to time, I met some treants too, so I cut those down too before moving on.

Then after three hours of walking, the journey became even more difficult.

“As expected, this really isn’t simple…” [Ryouma]

The ground in the surrounding area is all mud. So every time I took a step, the mud would swallow my foot all the way until the ankles, making it considerably harder to move. At the same time, the magical beasts would keep on attacking me without holding back.

And right now, there is a 4-meter-tall, brown-colored alligator glaring at me.

This is a Galmos Alligator, a C Ranked magical beast. Its strong jaw could easily tear through the flesh and armor of humans. Unfortunately for it, but right now, it can’t use that jaw it’s so proud of.

When I got back to Gimuru from the labyrinth, I spent two weeks resting and preparing. When I finally left, the trip southeast to the Great Forest of Shurus took me 17 days all in all. As of now, it is the 2nd afternoon since I’ve began to move within the Great Forest of Shurus.

The path I’m following is an animal trail. There is also a road here as there are adventurers that go through here, but it’s narrow and isn’t being maintained.

Just as the name, the Great Forest of Shurus, implies, the area here is full of trees covered by vines, making it difficult to see. This is probably the most difficult I’ve had when it comes to spotting enemies. There are just too many trees and thickets, and the shadow they cast makes it difficult to distinguish things.

“I’m still better off than most other adventurers though… Although this certainly is the most difficult trip I’ve made.” [Ryouma]

I’ve passed many adventurers along the way, but because they don’t have the Eternal Darkness insect repellant, they were all greatly affected by the insects and leeches of the Great Forest of Shurus.

The Eternal Darkness insect repellant is something that my grandmother developed when she was confined here. It’s not something that just anyone can get their hands on. It’s thanks to Gayn’s group that I’m able to have such an easy time here in the Great Forest.

For normal adventurers, they have to buy an insect repellant from the market. But those ones can only work on insects and not leeches. Moreover, the repellant can be diluted by sweat, so overtime its effect will wear off. And the adventurer will have to rub it all over his body again.

“And with an environment like this, it’s impossible not to sweat.” [Ryouma]

This sort of environment is comparable to a jungle. There are leeches and the humidity is high, so naturally, being in such an environment, it’s only natural to sweat. And all the adventurers I’ve passed by are proof of that. They were all sweating. On top of that, they had a unique stench from the mixing of their sweat and the medicine they are using.

I hope I don’t meet any more adventurers along the way. As I thought that to myself, I continued along.

For the record, it’s not because they stink that I don’t want to meet them, ok? I mean they do stink, but that’s not something that they can help. The reason I don’t want to meet them is because I don’t like the way they look at me.

The Great Forest of Shurus is a dangerous area littered with magical beasts over the D Rank. And in such a dangerous area, a kid like me is loitering. Naturally, whenever those adventurers see me, they’ll call out to me, warning me to leave before I die. I don’t blame them for thinking of me as a lost or reckless young boy. I mean given the situation, it’s only normal to think so, right?

The Great Forest of Shurus isn’t blocked by any sort of fence, so even low ranked adventurers can enter it. There’s no guarantee that one will keep their life while in the forest, so other adventurers will always scold low-ranked adventurers whenever they spot one. It’s because of that that I raised my Rank to C first before attempting this quest.

But even then, when I stopped by a village last night… Actually, rather than a village, I guess it’s closer to a base camp; Anyway, I was still told by many adventurers to go back.

Of course, in a situation like that, I decided to show them my guild card to prove that I was already a C Rank adventurer. But although it’s true that being a C Rank meant I had some power, it’s also true that there are differences in power amongst those in the C Rank.

Moreover, being in C Rank at such a young age caused many to become jealous. They tried to hide it, sure, but it still showed in the way they talked. There were also those who didn’t show jealousy, but the fact that my being a C Rank at this young age being a cause for many adventurers’ jealousy is undeniable. In fact, I was even jeered at this morning.

The jeers I got where when I passed by some adventurers when I left the village. I don’t know how many times I had to explain to them that I was eligible to enter this forest, but while I was explaining to them, we were attacked by some raptors. I worked together with the six of them to subjugate the raptors, but I ended up killing way more than they did.

Of course, I didn’t do something boorish like call them weak or anything as I do think that they could have dealt with the raptors even without me, but their pride was still visibly hurt. I didn’t want to bother myself with them, but the people that were hurt and the people that were comforting them all felt the same. I felt bad, so I just gave a few words to the people jeering at me and the people that were comforting them, and then left.

Can’t say I’m a fan of situations like those, but it’s impossible to be liked by everyone. Sure it doesn’t feel good, but it’s not something I can’t handle. Besides I don’t think I’ll need to endure much while in the Great Forest, so I just let it slide.

It’s not the first for me anyway. In my previous life I’ve had many situations like these ones. And back then I was able to ignore them. Of course, the situation then was a bit different in that instead of jealousy, I was looked down on, but my response is the same. Only the details are different.

Speaking of which, I’m currently a bit sensitive to negative emotions. As for why it’s because of the influence of the demon king’s fragments.

A person would get stressed whenever hit by negative emotions. And depending on how he receives it, he could resist it, throw it away, or even worry about it. That’s normal. I doubt there are many people who could afford not to feel anything despite being the target of another’s ill will.

But for someone who holds the demon king’s fragments, it’s a bit different in that that person is much more sensitive to the negative emotions of the people around him. It’s that heightened sensitivity that I find so exhausting. More than likely it was purposely made that way to weaken the heart, and speed up the corrosion.

I’ve already heard of this from Gayn’s group back when I met with them, and according to them, they’ve already repressed it enough such that it won’t affect the way I look at people or the way I speak. If it wasn’t for their help, the demon king’s fragment would have already affected my day-to-day life.

“Anyway, there’s not much point in thinking about this. It’s not something I can do anything about after all. More than that…” [Ryouma]
“Gyaa!” [Monster]

I calmly reached for the katana by my waist. In the next instant, a magical beast leaned out of the thickets on the right, sweeping with the claws on its forelegs.

With a step back, I dodged the claws of the beast. Then as I turned toward my right, I drew my sword. And in a flash, I cut off its neck and subjugated it. But I can still feel the presence of many magical beasts in the area. They’ve been hiding their presence because they wanted to take me by surprise, but after that last magical beast, they gave up on the ambush and stopped hiding their presence. Now they’re coming at me at full force.

“Gurururu…” [Monster 1]
“Gya! Gya!” [Monster 2]
“Gii!” [Monster 3]

The magical beasts that are attacking me right now are known as Raptor. They are a little smaller than horses and are similar to dinosaurs in their appearance. They run with their two hind-legs. And being a little smart, they prefer to hunt with surprise tactics or as groups.

The raptors are magical beasts known for their numbers as well as their many various species. But the kind of raptors that can be seen in the Great Forest of Shurus could be said to be perfect for the area. Their bodies are smaller than the others and the color of their hide is even green, allowing them to blend themselves with the surrounding like a natural camouflage.

But although I am currently being surrounded by 30 raptors, I’m not in any danger. I’ll just lop their heads off according to the order of their attacks.

The herd of raptors surrounded me, and attacked me both from the front and behind. But I only dodged them as I leisurely lopped their heads off.

As their heads flew one after another, their corpses gradually littered the surrounding area, piling up atop one another. When they realized winning wasn’t possible, the herd of dinosaurs scattered in all directions like baby spiders.

“Nine raptors before they finally ran away, huh? I guess their heads really are good.” [Ryouma]

If those were goblins just now, they would have attacked regardless of how many of their comrades died. Compared to that, the raptors were certainly smarter. Anyway, I should retrieve these piled up corpses now. It’s not good to waste the corpses of beasts.

“’Dimension Home’” [Ryouma]

While keeping alert of my surroundings, I used Dimension Home, and brought out the grave slime to have it retrieve the corpses.

After investigating the grave slime’s abilities, I found out that its Enshrine Remains skill is able to retrieve not only the corpses of undead magical beasts but even the corpses of the living. Moreover, it also has the effect of keeping the bodies from rotting.

Of course, it’s not to the point where it can completely prevent the corpses from rotting, but according to my experiments, it can at least keep a corpse that would normally take 1 or 2 days to rot, and extend it until 10 days.

Because of this, I’ll be able to retrieve the hide and meat of magical beasts and animals better.

“Grave slimes are really convenient.” [Ryouma]

I could also feed the corpses to the slimes, but preserving the corpses is best. Especially since retrieving the hide is easiest this way.

Preserving is possible by stripping the skin off the meat, then scraping off the meat and the oil, and then using the tannin from the plants to treat it. But although I know this from the survival skills I received from Kufo – although it’s just the basics of basics – the process is long and will take a lot of effort.

Back in the Forest of Gana, I lived there so I created a workplace so I could work without any hassle. But when I got to Gimuru, I started either giving the corpses to the artisans in the town  or fed it to the slimes.

But with the grave slimes, I can now put the corpses on hold for a much longer time, giving me time to hand it over to the artisans at its best condition. The grave slime is an extremely useful slime.

As I walked while thinking that to myself, the animal trail I have been following suddenly grew wider. And from the distance, I could make out a wall of rock.

“So that’s the next base camp… Well it’s just going to be a hassle anyway, so I guess I’ll just hurry on without stopping by.” [Ryouma]

I hurried my pace, and headed for the camp. This part isn’t really pleasant, so I want to get over it as soon as possible. I did also think of going around the wall, but the guards could mistake one for a magical beast, so there’s a tacit agreement between adventurers not to hide when near the base camp.

So in order to minimize my troubles, I decided to just go through the base camp as quick as I could.

Or at least that’s what I was planning when I headed for the base camp, but…

“Even if you are C Rank–––” [Adventurer 1]
“This isn’t a place for brats like you!” [Adventurer 2]
“–––Besides don’t you think it’s reckless for you to go by yourself–––“[Adventurer 3]

See? It’s such a hassle.

And so, when I got to the entrance of the base camp, I was stopped by three adventurers. No matter how much I tried to explain, they scolded me and tried to persuade me. Because of that we started gathering attention, and more and more adventurers came to take a look.

On top of their jealous and unhappy words, their gazes were painful. I wonder if I should just beat up these guys, and go my way…

As I was starting to think toward that direction, a loud voice suddenly resounded.

“Yer in the way! Quit blockin’ the entrance! And quit yer yapping! All of ya!” [Voice]

The owner of the voice was a big and brawny man nearly 2 meters tall.

“Glen-san…” [Adventurer 1]
“Get outta my way, and don’t block me.” [Glen]
“But this kid…” [Adventurer 1]
“Haah? Just leave him alone. Ain’t it common sense for adventurers to take care of ther own lives? Even if he dies it’s all on him. ‘Sides I’m no different from that lil’ brat there, I’m also on my own, ya know?” [Glen]
“But this kid can’t be comp–––“ [Adventurer 2]
“Look, I told you, whether that kid dies or not is on him! ‘Sides if ya actually opened yer eyes then maybe you’d have realized that he didn’t even have a single scratch on him. A brat that could get here without a scratch’s more than qualified.” [Glen]

At Glen’s words, the spectators suddenly seemed to have lost interest as they opened a path. Even the adventurers who kept pestering me kept their mouths shut. Great, it’s a chance! If I go now, I’ll be able to leave. Oh, wait, I have to go thank the guy.

“It was Glen-san, yes? Thank you very much.” [Ryouma]
“Haah? Don’t sweat it. Ya just so happened to be in the way is all.” [Glen]

As Glen-san left, I bowed my head again. Then I went through the exit on the other side. When I finally took some distance from the camp, I muttered to myself.

“If everyone was like that guy, it would be great, but… sigh…” [Ryouma]

That man called Glen-san didn’t carry an ounce of malice toward me. There are also people like that. People that aren’t jealous of me.

I’m always thankful for those kind of people and their words. Although we may have only passed by each other or stumbled upon each other in the camp, I still make sure to keep their words in my heart. Although from time to time, there are also people that try to meddle in my business who don’t have any malice. I don’t know if it’s because they’re good or because of their sense of justice, but whatever the reason may be, it’s certainly troublesome.

After that, I continued on my way as I fought the magical beasts that attack me. 

In the Kingdom of Riforu, stood a gaudy building. On its signboard ‘Riforu Kingdom Tamer Guild Main Branch’ was written. And a number of well-dressed people could be seen going in and out of one of the rooms of the tamer guild branch.

They are the branch leaders of the tamer guild of the slave demon practitioners and conjurers of the Riforu Kingdom. Right now, they are attending the meeting that is held once a year.

Amongst the attendees is the leader of the tamer guild branch of Gimuru, Matthew. At this time, a man walked toward him and spoke to him.

“Matthew, how about a drink with me and our friends?” [Man]
“But of course, Nejil-sama! It’s an honor for someone like me to be invited by someone of your stature.” [Matthew]

The man who spoke to Matthew is Zest Nejil. He is one of the nine members responsible for electing the guild masters of the tamer guild. Moreover, on top of the influence his position entails, he is also the person who recommended Matthew after receiving a bribe.

When Matthew saw him, he quickly humbled himself, and accompanied him with the people he had in tow to a high-class bar.

Matthew and Zest’s cronies enjoyed the luxurious food and wine, currying favor with Zest as they did. When more food and wine arrived, the conversation switched up a bit as Zest spoke to Matthew.

“Oh, right. Matthew, there’s something I’ve been wanting to speak to you about.” [Zest]
“With me, Zest-sama?” [Matthew]

Anxiety, distress, expectation, and fear mixed altogether filling Matthew’s heart.

“It’s only something I’ve recently been made aware of, but I’ve heard there’s an excellent demon slave practitioner at your guild.” [Zest]
“But, of course. I am always keeping a watchful eye over the progress of my juniors.” [Matthew]

Matthew replied with confidence. There are many demon slave practitioners under Matthew that can transport the ores from Gimuru’s mine. To Matthew, the mark of an excellent demon slave practitioner is one who can employ strong magical beasts. Which is why Matthew himself believed that his guild had many excellent practitioners.

“That’s all well and all, but from what I’ve heard this slave demon practitioner uses slimes to make a profit. Moreover, this profit isn’t just a meagre amount. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to get in on this little secret, how does this practitioner of yours make his profit? I’d really love to have the people of my branch follow suit, you see.” [Zest]

When the slave demon being a slime entered Matthew’s ears, the image of a young boy he detested immediately flashed through his mind.

(I was wondering who he was referring to when he spoke of an excellent demon practitioner, but he’s actually talking about that brat that can’t use anything but slimes!? To think even Zest-sama would hear of that… how aggravating. A blunder…)

“What’s the matter? Can’t you tell me how that slave demon practitioner is making a profit with slimes?” [Zest]

Although Matthew hesitated momentarily, he answered in the end.

“If it’s that practitioner you’re referring to; he’s using his slimes to eat the filth from clothes to operate a laundromat.” [Matthew]
“But that shouldn’t be possible. Dissolving the filth is possible, but the clothes would also dissolve.” [Another Guildmaster]

A guildmaster who was listening from the side as he drank said that.

“Certainly, it would normally be impossible, but if it’s his slimes, then it’s possible.” [Matthew]
“Do you know how he’s doing it?” [Guildmaster 1]
“How is he training them?” [Guildmaster 2]
“Didn’t you say just now that you kept a watchful eye over your juniors?” [Guildmaster 3]

Sweat began to run down Matthew’s forehead as the questions were thrown at him one after another. As the questions poured relentlessly, Zest’s voice diffused the situation.

“Now, now, everyone. Let’s not all talk at the same time, or else Matthew will never be able to speak. Now then, Matthew. Mind telling us everything one by one?” [Zest]
“O-Of course!” [Matthew]

It was because Zest wanted to know how the slimes could reap a profit that he called Matthew here.

Matthew understood that, so he decided to try and trick Zest and the others as he spoke of Ryouma’s laundromat as if he was well-informed, twisting the story to suit his own conveniences.

“Actually, the slimes he’s using is a new variant. His slimes have a special trait that can dissolve the filth off clothes without dissolving the clothes along with it.”
“Special trait, huh?” [Guild Master 1]
“It’s not because of some sort of training?” [Guild Master 2]
“Where do you catch that sort of slime?” [Guild Master 3]
“If what you’re saying is true, then why aren’t there any rumors?” [Guild Master 4]

The people in the room stared harder at Matthew.

“Actually, that slave demon practitioner is still only a child, and since he’s a bit of a problem child, I’m actually at a loss at what to do with him.” [Matthew]
“…Continue.” [Zest]
“Ever since that boy has registered, he hasn’t done a single job. And under the protection of someone who discovered the slime, he kept the information, and monopolized it. Then he used the slime to make a killing with his laundromat. With all the profit he’s made, he just plays around nowadays.

I’ve sent him teachers (Ruffians) to help him change his lifestyle, but my feelings couldn’t reach him at all. And instead he hired body guards with the money he has made to send away all of the men I’ve sent to him.” [Matthew]
“You’re saying Gimuru’s guild can’t even discipline a kid?” [Guildmaster 1]
“Aren’t you just being lazy?” [Guildmaster 2]

Matthew was showered with criticism, but Zest only put a stop to it as he spoke.

“…I think I understand the situation. There are all sorts of people in the world. And amongst these, there are many that can’t be reached no matter how much effort one puts. I suppose that boy is like that. Still… being a guildmaster this isn’t something that can be ignored… Looks like you’ve walked into a disaster, huh, Matthew?” [Zest]
“Thank you, Zest-sama.” [Matthew]

When Zest spoke those words, the people criticizing Matthew stopped talking. But unexpectedly, Matthew couldn’t relax despite Zest’s questioning stopping.

If one were to put it in simple words, the man known as Zest is actually a cheapskate. He’s the sort of man who would accommodate someone bribing him, but will refuse to do anything when he can’t make a profit.

Zest actually never cared from the start whether a slave demon practitioner was good or bad, all he really wanted to know was a way to make money. But at the same time, although he’s objective was indeed money, it still can’t be denied that Zest is one of the few people in the tamer guild that has begun to see slimes in a new light.

Matthew and all the people around Zest are all aware of Zest’s attachment to money. It is, after all, the very reason why they were able to benefit from him so easily. Such a person couldn’t possibly give up on information that could possibly become a money-bearing tree. Because of that, everyone but Zest couldn’t help but be uneasy, waiting for the next words to come out of Zest’s mouth.

Surprisingly, however, the words to come out of Zest’s mouth next was completely different from what they were expecting.

“By the way, Matthew. A new town is being built at Gimuru, right? You must be busy.” [Zest]
“W-Well yes. In fact, we are always being pestered by people to lend magical beasts for transporting resources and goods. On top of that the mine also needs our magical beasts. Because of that we don’t have any margin for handling requests coming from places other than those two places.” [Matthew]

Although Matthew was suspicious at the sudden change in topic, he still answered. At his reply, Zest nodded as if it was exactly as he had thought.

“As expected. In that case, I’ll send some of my people to your branch. I’ll send them as soon as I get back to my branch. Please do accept them.” [Zest]
“Huh… In any case, I’m grateful for the help, but what kind of people will you be sending?” [Matthew]
“I’ll be sending you some of the more skilled practitioners from my branch, the Three Harken Siblings. You’ve heard rumors of them, yes?” [Zest]

Of course, Matthew’s heard of them. The others too, and they were quite surprised.

The Three Harken Siblings, as the name implies, refer to three conjurers that happen to be blood-related siblings. They have many C Rank magical beasts under them, and their eldest brother can even control a B Rank magical beast. On top of that, they even have experience subjugating an A Rank magical beast once.

Still, although these three are exceptional conjurers, they are problem children. Their behavior isn’t something to be praised. Moreover, while ambition isn’t necessarily a bad thing, these three tend to attempt contract with any magical beast they like regardless of affinity or rank, causing rampages to occur from time to time. They do, however, take measures to ensure everything is safe, so there’re barely any casualties from their actions, and even when there are, it’s mostly only injuries to themselves.

Although they haven’t caused any harm to the commoners, their past records and their subordinates have caused scandals, earning them Zest’s disfavor as he hated commotions. He may have let them off with only a warning, but there’s no doubt that these three siblings were trouble.

“But that’s!” [Matthew]
“What? Are you dissatisfied?” [Zest]

Matthew would definitely be grateful for extra help, but of course, that’s only true when the people he’ll be receiving are decent. It’s only a given after all that Matthew wouldn’t be willing to accept something that he knows to be a problem. Unfortunately, though, Matthew doesn’t really have a choice. If he is to go further in his career, he can’t go against someone as influential as Zest directly.

“N-No, not at all… Only, isn’t it a waste to use such exceptional people for nothing but transport?” [Matthew]
“They’ve gotten in over their heads a wee bit too much, so I figured I’d let these ambitious youngsters take a break for a while. And a job that only requires them to transport things should be perfect for a breather. Oh, and it seems you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not thinking of lending them. I am lending them to you, and you will accept.” [Zest]

As Zest said that, he looked over to the others, and said.

“If there is anyone amongst you that have any spare men, please do feel free to lend them to Matthew. It’s imperative that we help each other in times such as this.” [Zest]

When Zest said that, the people in the room suddenly started saying that they’ll be sending people over to Gimuru as well. Amongst the names that the others gave, names of people famous for their bad behavior and shoddy skills would sometimes come up. Today, Matthew had a great crowd of problem children pushed onto him.

When their business at the bar finally settled, Zest paid for the bar’s bill. But before he went back, he grabbed Matthew’s shoulder tightly, and then said.

“Well then, Matthew. You should continue to work hard from now on. I expect much from you, you know? But for now, I think it’d be better if you took a break along with all the people we sent you. I hear it’s been getting real busy lately after all.” [Zest]

As he said that, Zest left the bar with the other guildmasters. Matthew who was left alone there quietly went back to his lodging. There, he locked himself in his room, and held his head.

“Not good… Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! But at least he hasn’t completely abandoned me yet, next time when there’s something I should… No! I need increase the bribe I’m paying to Zest-sama! As long as I give him money, then the problem should somehow work itself out… But those people they sent me. They pushed all the problem children onto me. If something happens, the one who’s going to be held responsible is me! Shit!! No… I should at least act meekly…” [Matthew]

All alone by himself, Matthew began to think of a plan on how to break out of this predicament he had been thrust in. But to his dismay, the day passed with no good news…