Chapter 19

This is the third update of the day. This update is in commemoration of entering the weekly rankings.

Also, I made minor additions to Chapter 18, including an apology from Lilithia. The flow of the story remains unchanged.

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In the twilight of the capital city, I and Lilithia were in a house near the city walls. It was the home of Dr. Falbour, who also ran a clinic. The house was quite secluded and very quiet.

The dungeon entrance was in the basement. The first floor had the entrance, waiting room, examination room, operating room, and patient rooms. There was also a kitchen, dining room, and bath.

The second floor had a study, office, and bedrooms. There was nothing particularly valuable. The only expensive items were the silver surgical tools. It seemed that all the important things had been moved into the dungeon.

Since it had been quite some time since Falbour became Helrich, dust had accumulated everywhere in the house.

Lilithia approached me, her habit rustling.

"Nothing seems out of the ordinary. What would you like to do, Master?"

"Right. Let's have the bodies in the basement transferred here."

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Suddenly, there was a loud knocking on the door downstairs.

"It hurts! Where are you! My body feels weird—fix me quickly!"

I tilted my head.

"That voice sounds familiar."

"Wasn't that the big man, Barial, who caused trouble at the Adventurer's Guild?"

"That guy... why is he here? ...Let's see him."

"Okay."

With Lilithia following, I headed to the front door.

When I opened it, I saw Barial, a large man holding his side with both hands. He widened his eyes when he saw me.

"Why are you here!"

"You—seem to be close to Falbour?"

"What! It's none of your business!"

"Is that so?"

I infused my fist with holy energy and struck quickly. Barial tried to dodge, but he was too slow. My fist pierced his abdomen.

He fell to his knees, rolling his eyes.

"Ow! That hurts, you bastard!"

I nodded in understanding.

"Did you, by any chance, assist in Falbour's experiments?"

"I don't know anything! —Ow, it hurts!"

Barial clutched his stomach and fell to the floor, writhing in pain from the holy energy. It was supposed to heal, but it was causing him agony. This confirmed my suspicions.

"You... have absorbed the power of a monster, haven't you?"

"What... —No, I don't know anything! Ow, it hurts!"

Barial writhed pitifully on the floor like a worm.

I had been a bit skeptical that the frail Falbour could capture so many monsters alone. This guy must have helped capture them in exchange for power.

Holding the sub-terminal, I communicated with the dungeon core.

"Transfer the bodies from the laboratory to the basement here. Then, seal off the connecting passage."

"Got it."

After that, I tied Barial up with rope and left the house with Lilithia. She looked up at me with a concerned expression.

"I didn't expect that he gained his A-rank status through human experimentation... What will you do now?"

"I've had the bodies transferred to the basement. I'll go to the Adventurer's Guild and report everything, including the diary, that Falbour became Helrich."

"Understood."

In the twilight, I headed to the Adventurer's Guild.

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When we arrived at the Adventurer's Guild, I immediately went to the counter and laid out today's harvest: medicinal herbs, bird and insect eggs, and the proof of the wyvern's defeat, along with the diary.

"This is the result of today's quests. —Also, the Helrich I defeated was this town's doctor, Falbour. It's likely the same Helrich who has been causing trouble in the capital. The evidence is in this diary."

The receptionist's eyes widened as she quickly took the diary.

"Really! —Let me see... This is incredible! Please wait a moment!"

The receptionist hurried away from the counter.

She returned quickly.

"We'll send an investigation team to Falbour's house! You mentioned that he revived a dungeon core and used it. Was there a dungeon?"

I was at a loss for words, but Lilithia quickly came to my aid.

"The revived dungeon collapsed during the investigation, but the connected basement is intact."

"Understood! We'll investigate the house immediately."

"Also, Barial may have undergone surgery by Falbour's magic. He's tied up, so please investigate him as well."

"Got it! —That's the completion of the quests! —Your cards, please!"

"Here."

I and Lilithia handed over our cards.

The receptionist calculated the rewards.

"Medicinal herbs, 42 pieces for 8,400 goats, quest completion 1,000 goats. Dream mushrooms, 5 pieces for 20,000 goats, quest completion 5,000 goats. Medicinal insect eggs, 8 pieces for 40,000 goats, quest completion 10,000 goats. Blue quail eggs, 6 pieces for 48,000 goats, quest completion 15,000 goats. Wyvern's fangs, horns, and tail for 460,000 goats, quest completion 150,000 goats. Helrich exploration completion 75,000 goats."

On the counter, 8 large gold coins, 3 gold coins, 2 large silver coins, and 4 silver coins were placed, totaling 832,400 goats.

I took the money and put it in a bag. My adventurer card had been upgraded to D-rank.

The receptionist said,

"Defeating a wyvern is impressive. Even Hero Marius is struggling with them."

"Is that so? Well, it's none of my concern."

I don't have time to think about that guy right now. Whatever I do, I need to establish a foundation with Lilithia first.

We left the counter and headed to the appraisal counter. The adventurers around us started murmuring.

"Next after Helrich, a wyvern?""That guy is amazing.""He's as good as the one who broke the crystal ball.""He's already D-rank, apparently.""His strength must be beyond A-rank.""It's enviable to see him active with a cute girl."

—It seems I've become a topic of discussion in the guild. But I didn't do anything that special.

We reached the appraisal counter and I placed the gems on it.

"Can you buy these?"

"Sure."

The appraiser put on a loupe and examined the gems.

"Since they have some scratches, I can offer 134,500 goats in total."

I looked at Lilithia, unsure of the value. She shook her head, her white habit rustling.

"I thought they would be worth more... Can you tell us the price of each one?"

"Sure..."

The appraiser explained, and Lilithia pointed to a black gem.

"I think the appraisal of this gem is incorrect. This isn't black onyx, but a crystal of dark magic."

"What! —Oh! Sorry! You're right! I rarely see dark crystals! The total would be 314,500 goats!"

Lilithia nodded, her silver hair swaying.

"Then, I'll take that offer."

"Sure!"

Three large gold coins, one gold coin, four large silver coins, and five silver coins were placed on the counter.

As I put the money away, I said to Lilithia,

"Let's rest now."

"Okay..."

Lilithia seemed to sense something, blushing slightly as she nodded.

We left the guild, holding hands, and walked into the night.

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Total money: 45 large gold coins, 31 gold coins, 14 large silver coins, 66 silver coins.

4,830,600 goats.

I've reached 16th place in the daily genre rankings and 53rd place in the overall daily rankings! Thank you for the bookmarks and star ratings! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

The next chapter will be updated late at night!

→ Chapter 20: Failure and Success