Chapter 89

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"......Haa. First, tell me the details."

"The participation condition is intermediate adventurer. This is a request for a mass extermination battle where all adventurers who accept the request participate. The content is the extermination of about 30 monsters around the dungeon. There is no reward for participating. You have to cover your own transportation costs.

For each monster defeated, you will receive 30,000 yen. The contribution points for completing the request on 'Narou' will be given according to your contribution. The more you defeat, the more points you get.

You are free to handle the materials you strip from the monsters. Oh, and on the day, Ichiboshi will set up a temporary shop, so you can sell them there♪"

"......Is there anyone who will participate in this request?"

According to Shu's explanation, it's all disadvantages.

The only benefit is that you get an additional 30,000 yen for each monster defeated, aside from the materials.

However, selling the materials from a single werewolf can earn you around 10,000 yen.

Getting 30,000 yen just for defeating a monster much weaker than a werewolf is quite a deal.

With the material value added, if you can defeat monsters normally, the income performance is high.

However, if all adventurers who accepted the request participate, depending on the number of participants, you might not even get one monster per person.

If you can't defeat even one, you'll definitely be in the red.

Furthermore, the points for ranking on 'Narou' are given according to the number of monsters defeated.

To Seiki, it seemed like a request with little appeal.

"Are you not going to participate?"

"Of course not. While I will go to Asahikawa, for a request like this, it's much more profitable to dive into the dungeon instead."

Currently, Seiki can earn over 10,000 yen just by defeating a single werewolf.

It's more profitable to prepare his body and dive into the dungeon where he can earn a steady income, both financially and in terms of combat experience.

Moreover, he can earn more points on 'Narou' by completing multiple material delivery requests simultaneously.

Unfortunately, there are no material delivery quests for the monsters in the 'Garage Dungeon' on the 'Narou' request board right now...

(Why are there no werewolf material delivery requests in Hokkaido, specifically in Ichiboshi? It's strange...)

"Could the reward not be higher?"

"It's impossible. The money comes from the local government."

"I see."

If the local government is the client, it makes sense they can't offer much money.

The local government's budget comes from taxes.

They can't quickly move a large amount of money that exceeds the budget set at the beginning of the fiscal year.

If they take their time, they can move large sums of money.

But this is a matter of urgency.

They can't afford to wait for the supplementary budget to be compiled and approved by the council.

A stampede is like a natural disaster, but since it doesn't always happen, it's difficult to prepare on a large scale.

The budget is not infinite.

They have to allocate it within limited resources.

If there's a possibility it won't be used, they prefer to allocate the budget to places where it's definitely needed.

However, the monsters need to be dealt with urgently.

If they leave the monsters outside and people get hurt, they'll be criticized as incompetent.

With the minimum amount, as much as possible...

This is the reason for the low reward this time.

"Think of it as a contribution to society and participate?"

"But..."

Seiki shows his reluctance.

Then Shu lets out a deliberate sigh.

"The team leading this request is Team Aerial."

"Hmm?"

"This time, the decision that no money will be earned just by accepting the request was made by Kagemitsu."

Seiki owes a lot to Aerial, especially Kagemitsu.

He helped Seiki with the rare species extermination in the Garage Dungeon.

(Although Kagemitsu said he was just paying back the favor for the destruction of the 'Chikaho' Monster Parade and the rare species extermination...)

If Kagemitsu is leading the extermination battle, Seiki wouldn't mind participating...

"By the way, the names of the adventurers and teams who rank 1st to 3rd in the number of monsters defeated will be posted on Kagemitsu's blog later."

Shu's words, with a sly smile, made Seiki's ears twitch.

"Being 1st in the number of monsters defeated means you're the strongest among the gathered adventurers. It's the ultimate appeal to companies. Plus, it's very noticeable—"

"I'm going, Kuren. ...With all my might. I'll aim for 1st place!!"

* * *

Seiki, who left the dungeon and went to a hot spring, and then accepted a request with little appeal, was not at all disappointed.

On the contrary, he was filled with more determination than ever.

Because if he becomes 1st in this extermination battle, he might stand out.

His strength will be reflected in the rankings, and he will be recognized on Kagemitsu's blog, which has a high number of views.

This is a rare opportunity to increase his presence.

Seiki couldn't help but be excited about it.

After preparing for the expedition, Seiki started his car.

Kuren was in the passenger seat, while Ria and Esta were in the back.

Ria and Kuren had been having a fierce, silent battle over the passenger seat, but Ria had agreed to take care of Esta.

Reluctantly, Ria gave up the passenger seat to Kuren and got into the back, looking dejected.

"Kuren, just to be safe, don't use any magic in Asahikawa, okay?"

"Yes. ...But—"

"Even secretly is not allowed."

Kuren probably intended to use magic secretly when no one was around.

Seiki preemptively warned her, and Kuren looked sad.

If no one is watching, using magic might seem fine, but it's only a possibility that no one is watching. Conversely, someone might be watching.

No matter how much you check, you can't eliminate the possibility of missing something.

Seiki, who used to work at a printing company, understood this well.

How many times had typos appeared after multiple checks and printing...

Human judgment is not absolute.

Sometimes, you might take actions that you can't explain later.

Using magic in an ambiguous situation is dangerous.

"Then, I won't be of any use..."

"No, I don't think so."

Seiki contradicted Kuren's dejected words.

Kuren is currently active on the 15th floor of the Garage Dungeon. She usually fights with magic, but her physical abilities are equivalent to the 15th floor—far from low.

Moreover,

(I wanted to try something with Kuren, and this is a good opportunity.)

If it goes well, Kuren will definitely be useful.

Before the First Stampede, the distance from K-town to Asahikawa was about 100 kilometers. By local standards, it's a nearby town.

Asahikawa was the second largest city in Hokkaido and a core city.

However, it declined due to the aging population and the First Stampede, which drastically reduced the population.

Now, it only retains the remnants of its past prosperity.

Still, the number of people living in the city is incomparably larger than in K-town.

There are shops selling ingredients brought back from the dungeon, ready-to-eat food stores, and furniture stores scattered around.

After a 4-hour drive on rough roads, Seiki found the inn, 'Kamui no Yu,' which has hot springs sourced from the dungeon.

While Kuren was securing the room, Seiki carried in the luggage, crying.

(He enthusiastically stood at the counter, but no one noticed him.)

The rooms are separated for the male and female groups.

Ria and Esta don't count in the number of people, so they have single rooms.

The interior is like a business hotel, but since the purpose is not for tourism or relaxation but for hot spring therapy, there's no problem.

After carrying the luggage to the room, Seiki immediately headed to the hot spring with a yukata and towel.

It had been a while since he had been to a hot spring.

Seiki was excited.

K-town used to have a hot spring, but after the First Stampede, maintaining the equipment to pump the hot spring water became difficult, and the hot spring facilities in K-town are now closed.

Many hot spring facilities across the country have been closed due to maintenance issues.

However, Kamui no Yu, which draws its water directly from the dungeon, continues to operate as an active hot spring facility.

A natural rock bath with a waterfall.

The clear water had small bubbles floating on the surface.

A large wooden board was hung on the wall of the outdoor bath, listing the effects: "Bruises, joint pain, muscle pain, back pain, fatigue recovery, motor function disorders, and beautiful skin."

How effective it is, who knows.

In normal times, Seiki would have found the list of effects suspicious. He had never even paid attention to the effect and benefit signs before.

But now, Seiki was fixated on the phrase "motor function disorders."

"Hot springs can cure diseases, indeed the divine water. Amazing!"

The palm of his hand, how convenient.

If Seiki were in this state, he might even drink detergent.

A drowning person will grab at a straw.

Currently, Seiki was alone in the outdoor bath, having it all to himself.

It was a luxurious experience.

Seiki immersed himself up to his shoulders, sighing contentedly.

"Ah... ah..."

A blissful sound escaped from the back of his throat.

The water, at just the right temperature, seeped into his body.

Seiki closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the water flowing into the bath, and let himself be enveloped by the warm water.

After a while, he felt something circulating through his body.

It was like the feeling of blood flowing through dilated blood vessels after warming up a frozen body in the dead of winter.

"Is the energy that has solidified and couldn't be absorbed melting from the heat of the hot spring and starting to circulate...?"

Seiki scooped up the hot spring water from the source and brought it to his mouth.

It had a slight sour taste and a refreshing aftertaste. The water entered his body, warming his stomach from the inside.

He focused on the changes in his body again, but there were no further changes.

Drinking the water didn't seem to speed up his recovery.

If it had, he would have drunk the hot spring water greedily.

But it didn't seem to have much effect.

Seiki leaned back against the rock, immersing himself up to his shoulders.

A bath bucket glided past in front of him.

"......"

Inside the bath bucket was a red lump—Esta.

Esta was moving the bucket by paddling with her feet, only her legs visible.

"...Hey."

Seiki grabbed the bath bucket, and Esta, who was inside, reacted with a start.

She looked at Seiki and made a "Hehe" gesture.

"What are you doing?"

More importantly, how did she get here?

Esta, flustered by Seiki's gaze, tried to explain with her feet.

"You were worried and followed me? ...Haa. What if someone else sees you?"

No matter how much Esta was tamed, she was still a monster. If she were seen by ordinary people, it would cause a commotion.

Worse, she might be hunted.

Especially since this was not their home, K-town, but Asahikawa, where no one knew them. The worst-case scenario was a real possibility.

"Don't act on your own in the future."

When Seiki scolded her, Esta shrank and looked dejected.

It was a bit pitiful, but pity was unnecessary.

If he showed pity and lost Esta, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Esta was probably sent as an assassin to prevent Seiki from going berserk.

Kuren and Ria were women and couldn't enter the men's bath, so Esta was chosen for the task.

Not being able to do as he pleased...

Seiki couldn't help but sigh.

Still, being worried about to the point where Kuren, Ria, and Esta were concerned for his well-being didn't make him feel bad at all.

If no one was around to worry, there would be no worry.

Even if it felt annoying to be worried about,

Even if his free time was taken away,

That feeling was rare in modern times, and therefore precious.

Q: Why are there no werewolf material delivery requests?

A: Some perverted masked person delivered a ridiculous amount of materials.

* However, regular purchases are still available.

Q: Didn't you forget that Airu was previously featured on Kagemitsu's blog and got no reaction? Are you an idiot?

A: Never give up on dreams and hopes!