Chapter 97

"It's not just a slime."

It's a Gluttony Slime, which only inhabits the demon world.

Right now, it's small enough to fit in my palm, but it can grow infinitely by absorbing everything, being impervious to both physical and magical attacks.

However, the female staff member seemed to have no intention of listening to me at all.

"Besides, you're unemployed! It's true that there are some natural-born tamers who can occasionally befriend monsters even without the 'Taming' skill, but they sometimes mistakenly think they can become tamers because of that, just like you. That was just a coincidence. If you were told to tame another monster, you wouldn't be able to, right?"

She concluded this and then delivered the final blow.

"Besides, you can't participate in the Monster Battle without owning at least five monsters. So, if you can somehow bring three more, I'll consider hiring you. But I don't think you can do it."

"Ah, so I need five monsters."

After leaving the guild, I mulled over the information I had obtained.

It seems that other guilds have similar conditions.

I had been thinking of registering with the guild first, but it seems better to gather the monsters first.

According to the female staff member, monsters are sold in this city.

There's a huge market called the Monster Market where you can buy various types of monsters.

I decided to head to this market.

"…Hmm, this is almost like a monster town."

I couldn't help but exclaim.

An entire section of the city, surrounded by thick walls, is filled with countless cages, arranged like a residential area.

The cages seem to be designed to create the appropriate environment for the monsters, with some covered in dense trees, others with pools, and some with sandy grounds.

It appears that even non-tamers can enter, and I saw families visiting with their children.

Crowds gathered around the cages containing rare monsters.

"I've never seen this monster before."

In the back of a cage where many people were gathered, there was a wolf with fur as white as snow, and it was huge, about five meters long.

The sign on the cage read "Fenrir."

A legendary monster.

The price for purchase was also listed.

"Expensive."

The price was astronomical, far beyond my means.

"…For that price, it doesn't seem very strong."

I looked at other monsters, but they all seemed weaker compared to wild ones.

It felt like they had been defanged.

Later, I learned that most of the monsters sold here are born and raised in this city.

As a result, they have lost most of their wild nature, making them easier to tame but less combat-effective compared to wild monsters.

After thoroughly exploring the vast market, I didn't find any monsters that caught my eye, and the prices were quite steep.

"In this case, it might be better to catch wild ones."

I made this decision, left the market, and returned to the guild.

The same female staff member greeted me with a reluctant attitude.

"What, you're back again?"

"Yeah. There weren't any good monsters at the market. I was hoping you could tell me where to catch wild monsters."

Guild staff should have that kind of information.

"You're not often called audacious?"

"Hmm? I don't think so."

"…I see."

She sighed in exasperation and then said,

"Let me warn you, catching wild monsters is difficult even for professional tamers. Unlike the tamed monsters in the market, they will attack you without hesitation. That's why people usually hire adventurers or guards with the appropriate strength… Do you understand that?"

"That's not a concern."

"…I don't think any adventurer would take a request from an unemployed person like you."

I had no intention of hiring anyone.

She looked puzzled but then pointed with her chin.

"There's a bulletin board over there. It has information on where different monsters are likely to appear. You can use that as a reference."

So, I have to find them myself.

"Hmm, I see. Thanks."

I thanked her and headed to the bulletin board.

A map was pinned to the bulletin board.

It covered a wide area centered on this city, with different colors indicating the level of danger.

The areas near the city were low-risk and blue, becoming greener and more dangerous as you moved away, with mountains and forests being even more dangerous and colored yellow or orange.

The names of the main monsters that appeared in each area were also listed.

"What's this?"

I noticed a peculiar spot.

It appeared to be a plain, but from a certain point, the colors changed in perfect concentric circles.

The closer to the center, the higher the danger level, with the color changing from yellow to orange, then to a deep red, and finally almost black.

It was called the Great Bactuda Plain.

"So, if I go there, I'll encounter strong monsters."

I understood and decided to go to this plain.