Chapter 23

After that, we explored inside the "Hole of Dreams" for a while.

Even though the appearance rate of rare monsters increases due to Lucre being here, it's not easy to encounter a Golden Lanner.

However, the spawn routes and monster placements where Golden Lanners are more likely to appear are, of course, ingrained in the minds of "Magic World" players.

We should be able to hunt at least one... no, two of them today.

"Huff!"

I blocked the body slam of the box-shaped monster with my shield, quickly closed in, and then sent it flying with a "Blow Strike."

The purple box flew away.

"Alright, Lucre, let's escape while we can!"

"Y-Yes! I can finish it off, right?"

"Yeah, it's better to avoid unnecessary battles. It's not our target this time, and if we corner it recklessly, it might start calling other monsters."

The box-shaped monster is officially called a Toy Box.

When you deal a certain amount of damage, the box opens, and a devil with cymbals comes out, making a loud noise to attract its allies.

However, it's not very fast, so if you can destabilize it, it's easy to shake it off.

"Phew... Sorry, my pace is slow, making it a bit of a hassle."

"No, no, that's not it... But, are we really going to focus solely on the Golden Lanner? Elma-san's stability is amazing, and if we keep defeating other monsters like we did with the Patchwork Bear, we might be able to level up three more times today. We might even get some items during that time... Elma-san knows which monsters give good experience and drop good items, right?"

Indeed, from Lucre's perspective, it must seem that way.

By the time she had leveled up eight times in one day, it was already a huge gain for her.

It's natural to want to steadily level up and aim for drop items rather than chasing the dream of a rare drop that relies on luck.

However, in "Magic World," as long as you can defeat higher-level monsters, it's relatively easy to level up. With the right knowledge, it's not difficult to level up quickly at lower levels.

The fact that I can perform safe power-leveling with "Shadow Step" is also a significant factor.

This time, it's not that we're particularly lucky; it's just that many adventurers are inefficient in their leveling due to poor information sharing in this world.

"But if that's the case, there was no need to target this 'Angel's Toy Box.' If we just wanted steady item collection and leveling, there were plenty of better places. Besides, it's not easy to find them. We might only find two after searching for a whole day."

However, there's a good reason to target the Golden Lanner.

The optimal solution for our current leveling and gold-making is to continue hunting Golden Lanners.

We could keep coming from the nearby village to the "Angel's Toy Box" and hunt Golden Lanners until they run out.

"If Lucre wants to, I'll respect her wishes... but how about continuing a bit longer? If you want to hunt monsters while doing it, that's fine too."

Well, it's definitely a tedious task.

Lucre doesn't seem to think she'll easily encounter a Golden Lanner, and she seems to doubt whether she can defeat it even if she does.

My knowledge is also questionable.

During the Mad Head battle, there were moments when attacks that I could have easily avoided in the game were close calls due to fear of the opponent and my lack of sword skills.

The idea that "it's possible if you move with maximum efficiency" is something that shouldn't be blindly believed.

Regardless, it's important to respect the thoughts of your companions.

If you command them unilaterally based on your superior knowledge and level, you'll end up like my father or Klein.

"Ah! No, no, no! I was just saying. Of course, I'll follow Elma-san! I was just a bit curious, so I wanted to ask..."

"Is that so? Don't be too hesitant."

...I think the meekness from when she was treated poorly in Klein's party still lingers.

"Whether it's a hundred or a thousand, let's hunt Golden Lanners! I'll show you!"

"...It's good that you're enthusiastic, but if you hunt that many, the prices in Rondalme will go through the roof."

"Is the Golden Lanner really that amazing? I often hear about it, but I've never seen anyone actually hunt one."

"Yeah, that's why I'm focusing on it. But even with increased luck, it's not easy to encounter, so if you start feeling anxious or dissatisfied, just let me know..."

Right as I was saying that, we heard it.

"Kek, kek, kek."

A frog-like croak sounded.

Lucre and I turned around simultaneously, and from the corner, a golden-shimmering Lanner hopped out.

It was scratching its head with its front paws.

Oh, it appeared much earlier than I expected!

I thought we'd need a few more hours before the first encounter, but it seems Lucre's initial luck is quite high.

There's also a method to estimate luck by using luck-dependent skills about a hundred times, so if there's an opportunity, I might have Lucre try it.