Chapter 66

Summary of the previous chapter ------------------------------------------------------

We are going to make a magic bag.

We managed to add either 'lightweight' or 'time delay,' but not both.

"Although we took a bit of a break, we're going to start earning money from today!"

"Alright!"

At Halka's call, we raised our voices, and Yuki and Natsuki nodded.

"Even though there are two of you, it might be a bit tough without the bonus item Dindur, but let's do our best."

"Yes. To be honest, we feel a bit relieved."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We've been living off the money Halka and the others have earned, which has been a bit hard on our conscience. Now that we can earn money together, it will be easier to buy land and build a house, and we can express our hopes more freely."

"You don't have to worry about that... but I understand how you feel."

Yuki and Natsuki had tried to give us the money they had earned, but it was so little that Halka hadn't accepted it.

With earnings of only 100 rares per day, and buying clothes and other necessities, there wouldn't be much left.

"Halka, are we going to the forest now?"

"No, let's stop by the guild first. There might be a good request."

"That's true... Come to think of it, we haven't really taken any proper requests, have we?"

"We didn't need to take risks as long as we could earn money."

If we failed to complete a request, there would be a penalty.

If we pushed ourselves to avoid that, the risk would increase.

Even for simple requests like gathering, if we couldn't find what we were looking for, we would have to go deeper into the forest. Halka's decision not to take requests to avoid unnecessary risks was probably correct.

"Our policy of not pushing ourselves won't change, but now that we're five, we can take on some easier requests for experience."

"Right. Oh! By the way, Tomi said he saw Umeen at the guild."

"Umeen... Ah, that guy. It would be troublesome to meet him."

"Right."

"Isn't Umeen the one who copied and ran away?"

"He's a bonus character."

"That's why [Skill Copy] isn't a bonus character! It's harmless by itself!"

"Right, it's useless."

"Without companions, it is! I think I've moved past that, though!"

"Really? I don't think you've copied enough skills to make [Skill Copy] worth it yet."

"Ah... That's true. It's really tough to make [Skill Copy] pay off..."

Most skills are 5 points for level 1, so it would take 20 skills to break even.

Acquiring magic without aptitude requires 10 points, but humans can't use magic without aptitude.

We'd have to copy all the skills we can from the four of us to break even.

"Hey, Natsuki, stop teasing Yuki. It might be a bit of work, but it would be better if Yuki or Natsuki went to scout first."

"I can do the scouting. I have [Invisibility]."

Ah, that thing that makes you disappear.

It's quite scary when it's used, as you can't sense the person's presence.

"It should be fine. According to Tomi, Diora told him, 'I won't introduce you to any work for a while,' and he flipped out. He apparently quit his job."

"Was that the time at the café?"

"The one who ran off after leaving a parting shot. He seemed to work there. Of course, the guild would receive complaints."

Without work, how is he getting by? Pitiful... but not really. He brought it upon himself.

If he hadn't left that parting shot, we might have helped him a bit.

At least, we'd want Tomi's level of charm. Of course, I mean inner charm, not appearance. Umeen's appearance wasn't bad, but... what did he look like?

He might have taken a skill related to appearance, but... it doesn't matter.

"Let's go without worrying about it. If we meet him, we'll ignore him."

"Okay."

"Understood."

◇ ◇ ◇

It had been a few days since we last visited the guild, but it was peaceful as usual. Fortunately, there were no troublesome people around.

We greeted Diora briefly and moved to the board to look at the requests. This was the first time we had taken a thorough look.

"Looking at this, it feels like a fantasy world!"

"I agree, but the content of the requests... well, they don't feel very adventurous."

Most are gathering requests, with a few escort requests. The direction is south, which goes through the forest we avoid. There are no escort requests for the east, where Saarstat is, which is naturally safer.

"Hmm, I have no idea which one to take."

"Right. It just says 'bring this back,' but we can't tell how dangerous it is."

"Gathering requests are like that. It's all on your own responsibility. For escort requests, there are some rank requirements."

Considering the potential danger of gathering the requested items is part of the adventurer's job.

"Hey, there's a notice. 'Sightings of Vibe Bears in the eastern forest.'"

"Hmm..."

Toya pointed to the flyer, and Halka and I grimaced. Natsuki and Yuki, who hadn't encountered them, tilted their heads in confusion.

"Are they strong?"

"Yeah, they're dangerous."

"Really?"

At my honest reaction, Yuki and Natsuki's eyes widened.

"No, no, we're different from back then. Our skills have improved, and our weapons are much better. I don't think they're a threat anymore."

"True, the price is ten times higher... but are you sure?"

"Sure! Leave it to me. I've already assessed it!"

Toya said this with a cool smile. Is he really okay?

"Regardless of what Toya says, with Yuki and Natsuki joining us, we should be fine."

"Right."

Since we managed to defeat them a few days ago, as Halka said, we shouldn't die as long as we don't get careless. I'll focus on scouting. Yes.

"Hey, there's a request for 'Hunting Great Salamanders.'"

"Really?"

The notice says to freeze them immediately after killing them. The reward is 20 gold coins for 50 cm or more.

"Isn't a salamander dangerous? It's not something you'd encounter early in a game."

"Right, they'd probably appear in volcanic areas!"

And it's 'Great.' It sounds strong.

Just the name.

"Look closely. It says 'hunting,' not 'killing.' Maybe it's..."

"Isn't it a giant salamander?"

"They eat it in this world too."

That creature, now a special natural monument, was apparently eaten regularly in the past. The name comes from the meat smelling like pepper.

Eating something that looks like that... typical of the Japanese.

"Wow, calling it a giant salamander makes it sound so much less impressive."

"The name is so cool."

"Isn't it true that even if you throw it into a fire, it doesn't burn easily because of the mucus on its surface?"

"That's one theory. But the price is high, and it depends on where you can find it and how you bring it back. At 50 cm, it won't fit in a backpack."

We only made two magic bags yesterday, with 'time delay.' The other three magic bags are small enough to fit in a backpack.

So, if the prey is too large to fit in a backpack, we can't use the magic bag's benefits. Of course, we could cut it up, but that's not allowed.

"If we're going to target this, we need a larger bag."

"Right. We might need other things too, so it's good to buy them now."

"True. If we're going to target it, it should be after tomorrow."

"Let's consult with Diora first."

We looked at the other requests but didn't find anything particularly interesting, so we moved to Diora.

"Good morning, Diora."

"Good morning."

"I saw that Vibe Bears are appearing."

"Yes. It seems they are after magic mushrooms, which grow in the forest."

Magic mushrooms! What a dangerous-sounding name!

"Magic mushrooms?"

"Yes. They are the favorite food of Vibe Bears. They cause hallucinations if eaten raw but can be used as painkillers, so we buy them. However, they are rare because you might encounter a Vibe Bear when gathering them."

Not just the name, but they are truly dangerous.

Painkillers, considering they might contain narcotics, make sense.

"Where do they grow?"

"Are you going? I think you'll be fine, but please be careful. They grow on trees that have fallen 1-2 years ago, before other mushrooms start growing."

1-2 years, depending on the type of tree, is before it starts to rot. Growing on living wood... strong fungi?

"Sometimes Vibe Bears knock down trees for no reason, but some say they do it to grow magic mushrooms. It's a dubious theory, though."

No, there are ants that cultivate mushrooms, so it's not necessarily a lie. From our perspective, gathering magic mushrooms would make us crop thieves to the Vibe Bears.

If we were in their shoes, we'd say, "Think about the farmers' hard work!" But we are selfish, so we'll gather them quickly.

"Can we ask about the Great Salamander too?"

"Halka, you can use water magic, right? They live upstream of the river in Saarstat. The risk is low, but the profit is a bit uncertain."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's quite a distance, and after catching one, you need to maintain the frozen state with magic and return quickly. At 50 cm, you might be in the red, but catching a 1-meter one would be profitable. Of course, we'd like you to take the request."

It's far.

As a five-person party, we need to earn at least 15 gold coins per day to make it a decent job. Considering expenses, we'd want double that.

A 50 cm Great Salamander wouldn't be enough.

"Hmm, we'll discuss it. Thanks. We'll be going now."

"Be careful."