Chapter 37

7/17 This is the 7th post of the day.

"Hey! Looks like you made it back safely."

"It was my first expedition, so I was quite tired... but the monsters were weaker than I expected, which surprised me."

"Hahaha! I told you, you'd be fine. That place is just a bit more dangerous than Palmela. The only real danger is the Air Mantises' magic. So, how much material did you get? About half a large basket, right?"

"The monsters were weak, but the view was too good for me. I couldn't place the basket anywhere, so I slowed down in the second half."

Ultimately, after forcing down the portable food, I couldn't increase my kill count much in the second half.

It wasn't because the food was so bad that it made me sick or anything.

Well, it was pretty bad, but the materials were heavy, and I couldn't move around freely over a wide area.

The parts I needed to kill, like the Air Mantis' head and the Poison Mouse's tail, weren't that heavy, but the Poison Mouse's head was quite heavy, and I had to kill a lot of them, so my shoulders and waist were heavily burdened in the second half.

The magic stones were small individually, but they were still stones, so they added up to a significant weight.

When the basket was about a third full, I gave up on running around with it, and after hunting all the enemies around me, my efficiency dropped dramatically.

"That place is just grass, monsters, and a few rocks—no proper trees grow there... So, people usually bring a dedicated porter. You saw them, right?"

"Yeah, every party I saw had one."

The four parties I saw at first, and the ones that appeared later, all had someone like Potta in Jin's party.

They carried the basket, took on all the materials, and increased the amount of materials and rewards obtained in one expedition.

"But Loki, you did this solo, right? That's more than enough. Normally, a 3-4 person party would only get the basket half to two-thirds full. It's rare to see someone come back with a full basket."

While Rody checked the materials, I thought to myself:

(I guess it's solo for me...)

I don't think I'm overworking myself, but I was the only one running around the hunting grounds.

It's not like in a game where monsters conveniently respawn nearby.

After clearing the area, I had to move to where the next group of monsters was.

Even if I hired a porter, it wouldn't be very useful if they couldn't run around the hunting grounds.

But... from what I saw of Potta, it's clear that running around with a basket full of materials isn't very practical.

So, if I hired a porter, my experience points would decrease, and my rewards would be halved, making it a waste of effort.

Moreover, other parties seem to be cautious, or they're content as long as their daily expenses are covered.

From what I could see, they were hunting monsters at a leisurely pace.

People who have been hunting in the Locker Plains for years probably don't push themselves, and it's natural to be cautious given the risk of fatal injuries from Air Mantis magic.

It's the same in the real world.

In a stable life, after doing the same thing for years, people tend to do the minimum required and avoid increasing their workload or taking on more risks.

(And it comes down to whether or not you have a goal...)

I can check my status screen, so I know how many more kills I need to level up a skill.

I can set a goal like, "If I keep this pace, I'll level up in X days."

But for people who can't see such things, it's like feeling around in the dark.

The goddess said that effort isn't quantified, so people can't judge the returns on their efforts.

Even if they hear that effort leads to growth, without knowing how much effort is needed for clear results, people won't be motivated, and even if they are, it's hard to sustain.

In that sense, the ability to see the status screen is a great skill for maintaining motivation.

"Alright, that's it. You killed 21 Poison Mice, but one of them had its poison sac cut, so no reward for that one. The other 20 are all A-rank materials. And you got 4 Air Mantises. Check them."

Rody handed me a wooden board.

"Sure enough, that one didn't work. I kind of expected it, though."

"You hit the poison sac in the cheek. It's impossible to fix once it's cut. Was it the first one?"

"Yeah, yeah. It was much slower than I expected, and my aim was off."

"Once you start feeling the Poison Mice are slow, you might think Lulub is easier, but it's not. It's not just about speed, so it's better to hold off for now."

"Orcs are definitely more about power, right?"

"Yeah. With your build, you'll be blown away no matter how much you defend. The Locker Plains are different, so don't think it's easy. The death rate is the highest around here."

"Whoa... I won't go until I'm strong enough. I don't want to die."

"That's the best attitude. Also, start thinking about forming a party. Some people go solo in the Locker Plains, but in Lulub, you won't make much money alone."

"Really?"

"The most valuable thing in Lulub is Orc meat."

"Ah, I see. The amount you can carry is the issue, so you can't do it alone."

"Exactly. You won't earn as much as in the Locker Plains, so there's no point in taking the risk."

"You're right... I'll think about it."

After saying that, I parted ways with Rody and went to Amanda's place, as it was my first day in the Locker Plains.

I could calculate the reward myself, but it's a hassle, so I'll just cash out today.

"Amanda, can you handle this for me?"

"Oh, that's unusual... Wait, these aren't from the Locker Plains, are they?"

"Yeah. I went to see what it's like today."

"Really? Did you finally form a party? Who with?"

"Huh? No, I went alone."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

"...Loki, do you remember what I told you? I said to think about forming a party once you start going to the Locker Plains, right?"

"Uh, yeah... I thought about it, and I'm still fine going solo for now..."

"Ha... Well, if you can hunt this much alone, I won't complain. But! Don't even think about Lulub! Start looking for a party now!"

"Rody just told me the same thing... About the rewards being lower, too."

"Exactly! Even in the Locker Plains, you're one of the few who goes solo. At least hire a porter so you can focus on fighting!"

"Um... Is there a porter who can run for a long time?"

"There's no such thing!"

"You're right... So, I'll end up going solo again. I have to run around the hunting grounds."

"...I'll do the settlement, so wait a moment."

Phew~ Getting caught by Amanda is always a hassle.

I went to the food stand and bought some skewers and cold fruit water.

While sitting and catching my breath, I noticed a party I saw in the Locker Plains today.

(A swordsman, a spearman, and a porter... a party of three...)

"Adeont, the settlement is done~"

The spearman stood up at the young receptionist's drawn-out voice.

It seems he's the party leader.

After receiving the money, he immediately returned and started dividing it.

Jink's group did the same, so this is probably the standard for parties.

"We got 124,400 Beke! Not bad today!"

"So... how much per person?"

"I had it calculated. 41,400 Beke per person, with a little left over."

"Nice! We can take it easy for three days."

"No, let's make it two days. I want to buy something."

"Alright, two days off, and we'll go again in three days. I want to save up, too."

"Can't be helped. Think of it as a chance to drink good wine."

(This is a good lesson...)

In my current life, 5,000 to 6,000 Beke a day is enough.

If I switch to a cheaper inn and eat more frugally, I could probably get by on 4,000 Beke.

If that's the standard for commoners, it seems people in this world aim for about 10,000 Beke a day.

There's no insurance or pension like in Japan, so there's some uncertainty, but if you accept that you'll die if you get sick and don't expect to live long enough to worry about old age, that might be enough.

"Loki, I'm done."

While I was thinking about this, Amanda called me, so I went to the reception counter.

"Today's reward is 155,900 Beke... It's increased even more."

"Right..."

"I'm being considerate and putting your reward in a leather bag, but it's best not to tell others. And return the leather bag when you have the chance."

"R-right... This is the third leather bag, so I'll return it later."

I only killed 4 Air Mantises because I focused on the easy-to-find Poison Mice.

Since it was my first day, I might be able to kill more once I get used to it.

To get this much reward with room for improvement...

The reward is incredibly high compared to Japan.

It's true that I'm risking my life, but even in my salaryman days, the risk of overwork was always there, so in that sense, it's similar.

(If you work hard, you'll be rewarded... What an amazing world.)

The downside is that even with increased rewards, there's not much to spend it on right now.

There's no entertainment, so the only options are equipment or food.

Well, that's fine.

Money is better to have than not.

Living on a tight budget is restrictive.

I have about 1,000,000 Beke in coins right now. I'll hide most of it under the bed at the inn...

Even so, this money should last me nearly half a year.

So, from tomorrow, I'll focus on saving.

Aim for... 10,000,000 Beke, maybe?

With this new goal, I headed back to the inn.

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