Chapter 93

Riding on top of Esta, Rea must be thrilled to be able to move so swiftly at will.

Behind Rea, who was shaking the leaves excitedly in search of monsters, Kiran was carrying two Kir Rabbits.

Her heart was now being crushed by anxiety.

It wasn't anxiety about the monsters.

Estaré had already subdued two Kir Rabbits, and it was practically an instant kill.

Therefore, there was no worry at all about being attacked by monsters and getting hurt.

What Kiran was anxious about were the other adventurers.

Those who saw Estaré at the starting point were fine.

They would surely realize that these were monsters tamed by Seihi.

The problem was with those who hadn't seen them.

(Why does Seihi always do such things...)

Kiran muttered resentfully in her heart about Seihi's outrageous actions.

Seihi's unexpected actions were nothing new.

Binding Rea to Esta was just the beginning.

Even if she were to concede a hundred steps, this was still something Kiran could smile and forgive.

(Other adventurers would probably shake their heads, though.)

However, the plan Seihi came up with to protect Rea and Esta from the sudden attacks of adventurers was the worst.

(Why does Seihi install it in such a terrifying position!)

What Seihi installed to protect Rea and Esta was a mask.

A Noh mask, which, according to Masatsugu, was "one of the strongest" in terms of reducing presence.

The Noh mask can appear to be angry, crying, or laughing depending on the angle.

Rea was holding this eerie white Noh mask dear.

From a distance, Estaré looked like a Noh mask with countless legs sprouting from under its chin, running around on the ground.

Moreover, due to the Noh mask's ability, it had a slightly shadowy presence.

Honestly, it was overkill.

What troubled Kiran was that neither Seihi, Rea, nor Esta had any ill intentions.

Without any ill intentions, it was very difficult to criticize them.

If an adventurer who hadn't seen Estaré at the starting point stumbled upon them in the forest...

(I hope they don't get hurt emotionally.)

Apart from that, Kiran was plagued by another anxiety.

If things continued like this, she might become one of the "Seihi and his terrifying companions"!

She had to avoid that at all costs...

Kiran, feeling a growing sense of crisis, pursued Estaré.

Just then,

"Roar!!"

A bear suddenly appeared from the bushes.

It wasn't a monster, but a brown bear living naturally in the forest.

The brown bear stood up in front of Kiran, raising its paws in a threatening manner.

Despite the sudden attack, Kiran wasn't surprised at all.

She had been aware of the bear's approach through her detection ability.

It must have been very hungry.

A brown bear, naturally sensitive to human sounds and smells, was approaching straight toward her.

The bear sniffed and glared at Kiran with sharp eyes.

Occasionally, its gaze would shift to the Kir Rabbits. It seemed the bear was more interested in the Kir Rabbits than in Kiran.

"Haa..."

Kiran put down the Kir Rabbits and readied her staff.

She couldn't use magic in a place where there might be observers.

Estaré, who was ahead, glanced at Kiran.

But she turned her gaze away and continued moving forward.

It seemed she had no intention of helping.

But Kiran wasn't anxious or afraid.

She gathered her strength and raised her staff.

In the next moment,

the bear swung its sharp claws at Kiran.

Kiran dodged the bear's attack to the side.

As she passed by the bear, she swung her staff.

A warning strike.

A counterattack.

(I hope this attack makes it run away.)

Thinking this, she swung her staff,

—Paaan!!

The bear's head was literally shattered.

"Haaa!?"

Kiran was stunned by the unexpected result.

As she stood in shock, the headless bear collapsed, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Kiran didn't destroy the bear's head with her physical strength. She hadn't swung her staff with full force, and her physical strength wasn't that high.

The cause of the head-shattering attack was the power she had infused into her staff.

Kiran had infused her staff with the mental energy used in magic.

When it made contact with the bear's head, it exploded silently.

The explosion was powerful despite its limited range.

Even with the same amount of energy, a normal spell wouldn't have achieved this level of power.

This attack was Seihi's idea.

If you hit a monster with a staff infused with mental energy, the attack's power might increase slightly.

Before the operation started, Seihi suggested this to Kiran, who was anxious about not being able to use magic.

Kiran thought it was worth trying.

So she tested it, and the effect was beyond her expectations.

"I need to be more careful..."

She had infused the staff with the mental energy equivalent to one spell, but it was too much for the bear.

Next time, if something like this happens, she would be more cautious about the amount of energy she infused.

"—Well”

Kiran, carrying the two Kir Rabbits, looked down at the bear. At that moment,

"Congratulations!"

"Kyaa!?"

A girl suddenly appeared behind Kiran.

Startled by the casual voice, Kiran quickly noticed something was off.

(I didn't detect her presence at all...)

Kiran, who had detected the bear's approach, hadn't noticed this girl's approach.

She instinctively felt that the girl was a skilled hunter.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Dracat!"

"Oh, ... Ah! From Aerial!"

"Yep. And this bear, it's actually a special target that gives extra points! Clap, clap! If you take it back to the starting point, you'll get a lot of points!"

"Ah, really? But why is it a bear and not a monster?"

"This bear, it just happened to kill a monster and got a taste for blood."

Kiran's spine shivered at the tone of Dracat's voice.

For some reason, she felt an indescribable something in her voice.

"Anyway, I'm off! Oh, and you have to take the bear back to the starting point for it to count!"

Saying this, Dracat hopped and disappeared into the forest.

"..."

What was that all about?

Kiran's eyes darted back and forth.

Dracat was like a storm.

For now, it seemed Kiran had killed the bear and earned a lot of points.

Of course, she would have to take it back to the starting point.

It was possible to carry the bear, but it would tie up her hands.

Kiran tilted her head, wondering what to do,

"...Hmm. Well, whatever."

She stopped thinking about it.

If Estaré was mobile, it wouldn't be a problem to carry the load.

Deciding this, Kiran grabbed the bear's leg and dragged it along.

***

Two archer adventurers were hiding in the forest.

They were blending in with the forest, their nerves on edge as they searched for monsters.

By blending in with the forest, it was easier to spot unnatural monsters.

Their style was to quickly spot monsters and eliminate them before they could engage in close combat.

These skilled scouts were currently trembling in fear, holding their breath.

They were doing so because they had seen a monster.

A plant with writhing flame-colored legs and a white Noh mask.

From the mask's eyes and mouth, plants sprouted and writhed, searching for prey.

The mask looked as if it had been absorbed by the plant. Depending on the angle, it looked like it was smiling, making it even more terrifying.

The mysterious creature had suddenly appeared before them.

It had slipped through their detection net.

Not noticing its approach until it was so close was a first for them as adventurers.

This alone made them realize how powerful the creature was.

The creature was probably aware of their presence.

It had ignored them!

What would happen if they fought...

They would probably be dead in less than a second.

The creature exuded such a sense of overwhelming power.

So they were trembling, holding their breath.

"Do you have any idea what that is?"

"......Yes."

One of the men had seen the mysterious creature before.

It was the masked man at the starting point before the hunt began.

The masked man, with a low presence and a combat style that seemed to be assassination, had become the only adventurer rumored to have tamed a monster.

"That man apparently parasitizes the tamed monster on his body."

"Parasitize!?"

"Today, it seems they were acting separately. ...Or maybe it's a split form."

The ability to parasitize a tamed monster on one's body and the ability to release it.

Such strange powers could be obtained in the dungeon, which wouldn't be surprising.

They were adventurers.

They delved into dungeons in search of the unknown.

Before them was a mystery.

Their blood as adventurers was strongly urging them to uncover the masked man's ability.

If the masked man's ability were revealed, it might help them progress in the dungeon.

As they were thinking this, a woman entered their detection range.

She looked somewhat gentle and seemed to be bad at sports.

She was probably an adventurer, but they didn't see her as a particularly strong one.

"That girl, isn't she a member of the masked team?"

"Seriously? A girl like that is the masked man's... sacrifice?"

"Who offered her up..."

The arrival of the girl, who exuded a peaceful atmosphere, eased their tension somewhat.

At that moment,

"Ah—"

A brown bear suddenly appeared from the bushes and attacked the girl.

Oh no.

We have to help her!

They readied their bows and nocked their arrows.

In the meantime,

the bear swung its claws at the girl.

Dodge!

Before the words could leave their mouths,

the girl's staff made contact with the bear.

—Paaan!!

The girl's simple staff shattered the bear's head.

"Huh!?"

"Wha?!"

Their shock was expressed as meaningless sounds.

The girl's attack was far from refined.

Yet, the staff in her hand shattered the bear's head.

A girl whose normal attacks were weak and who was using a restrained attack...

The result was far beyond their imagination and expectations.

"I need to be more careful..."

Hearing the girl's voice from a distance, they almost fainted.

"More" what!?

Could it be that even that attack was restrained?

That's an overkill on a bear!?

Their confusion only grew.

It was beyond comprehension.

While they were in this state, the girl, with one hand, easily dragged the bear, which weighed at least a hundred kilograms.

Seeing this, the men nodded at each other.

The mysterious creature.

The masked man's ability.

And the girl with abnormal firepower.

They were curious about how they had obtained their powers.

But if they pursued this curiosity, they would not find a snake, but hell.

There are worlds that ordinary people should not reach out to, no matter how curious they are...

The two men, who had witnessed the mysterious creature and the girl's battle, continued to blend in with the forest, trembling until nightfall.

***

"Uu... I have been defiled... I, I have been defiled..."

Hearing Chep's crying, Seihi sighed in exasperation.

When she said she had been defiled, it was not because Seihi had attacked her.

It was because he had understood her need to go to the Kamui Rock.

Chep was currently stuffed in Seihi's bag.

He would have preferred to carry her, but "contact with a man" and "lecherous eyes" were just too annoying.

If he left it to her walking speed, they wouldn't reach Kamui Rock even by nightfall.

When he forced her into the bag, Chep stepped on the dead Kir Rabbits inside, leading to the current situation.

To be precise, she was "dirty" rather than "defiled."

Seihi wasn't the type to discard the dead Kir Rabbits just because Chep was dirty.

This was essential for him to stand out!

No matter what happened, even if his life was on the line, Seihi had no intention of letting go of the Kir Rabbits.

He had to quickly finish Chep's business and get back to earning points!

With Chep stuffed in his bag, Seihi ran while expanding his detection.

Even while moving, he diligently searched for monsters.

Adventurers are a profession that kills monsters.

They do not respect the will of monsters.

No matter how well Chep spoke Japanese, she was still a monster. The action Seihi should have taken was to kill her, not talk or help her.

However, Seihi did not kill Chep.

It wasn't because he felt sorry for her.

It was because of a certain intuition.

The special salmon and Kamui Rock.

These two things alone had strongly piqued Seihi's curiosity.

Adventurers are a mass of curiosity.

They step into the unknown driven by their curiosity alone.

They risk their lives to satisfy their curiosity.

Seihi, as an adventurer, was acting to satisfy his curiosity.

Still, his intuition was more likely to be a misunderstanding at this point.

But even so, Seihi followed his curiosity.

Something might happen.

The anticipation alone was enough to satisfy Seihi.

He wanted to move as quickly as possible, but the terrain was too rough to increase his speed.

The trees in front of him blocked his path, and the roots protruded from the ground.

He wanted to move faster but couldn't.

It was frustrating and annoying.

In such a situation, what was the best way to move...

An idea for a method of movement came to Seihi's mind.

"...Should I try it?"

Seihi took a deep breath and reached out to a nearby tree.

"Alright, here we go!"

"Wh-What are you—"

Seihi placed his foot on the tree trunk.

In an instant, he gathered all his strength in the soles of his feet and leaped.

"Here I gooo!!"

Chep's scream echoed mournfully through the forest of Kamui Rock.

Seihi's body cut through the air.

The wind whistled past his ears.

In no time, his body reached the target trunk.

As soon as he grabbed the trunk, he kicked off and moved to the next trunk.

(I can do this!)

Seihi smiled.

Like a ninja, he leaped from tree to tree, moving as quickly as possible toward Kamui Rock.

Ignoring Chep's screams behind him...

Thank you very much for always reading.

The 30th of this month is the release date for "Let's Be an Adventurer!"

I would be grateful if you could purchase it. Thank you. m(_ _)m