Chapter 53

7/22 This is my second post today.

"Please...!"

"You're still as stoic as ever... You should compromise sometimes. It's a struggle just to put this down, you know?"

As he said this, Rody put down the custom basket stuffed to the brim with materials.

When selling materials, I usually place the basket I carry directly on the counter at the disassembly site, but since the counter is too high to reach the contents, I've been using this custom basket every time.

By the way, this basket was made for me at a cost of 20,000 Bikes.

Since it's only used for hunting, I leave it at the disassembly site.

There are no scales in this world, so I don't know how many kilograms of goods this basket can hold.

But by feel, it seems to hold about 1.5 to 2 times as much as the large basket I used to use, so I think it probably holds around 50 kilograms.

When I think about it, I can barely jog while carrying this, so my stamina has definitely improved compared to when I first started.

Or maybe it's because the weight is definitely more than my own body weight, so my strength is doing a good job behind the scenes.

"Is this a new record? There are clearly more Air Mantises today?"

"Hehe, I hunted them specifically..."

"Can you even target Air Mantises for hunting? Never mind. Here, this is today's share."

"Ah, can I leave it on deposit...?"

"Idiot, don't you at least check? What if I wrote that it was just one Poison Mouse?"

"I trust you..."

"That's how you get tripped up."

"Ugh... I'll check... Poison Mouse 84, Air Mantis 31. I think it's fine."

"You seem completely uninterested in money..."

"Well, I don't really want anything. Ah, but I'm thinking of going to the Lulub Forest soon, so maybe I'll find something I want."

"Hmm... That's true. If you can hunt this many monsters from the Locker Plain, there shouldn't be any problem. In fact, you might even be able to hunt faster than the people who are already going to Lulub."

"I hope so. Well, you know. If you let your guard down, you might trip... So I think I'll take a day off tomorrow and gather information."

"Alright. If you have any questions, come ask me."

"Sure, thanks."

(Phew... This is what it feels like to have a weight lifted off your shoulders. The sense of relief is incredible.)

I then headed to the reception area, rubbing my shoulders.

There, Jink and the others were just dividing the money.

"Hey! Long time no see~"

"Hey Loki! I got a potion from the guild the other day!"

"Good evening, Loki. Thanks for the help in emergencies."

"Here he is! The big tycoon who set a new record on the Locker Plain! Thanks for the potion!"

"What's that supposed to mean!"

I asked the lady at the food stand for my usual iced water and listened. Apparently, the amount of materials I bring in is already well-known among the hunters in Bezart.

Well, it's hard to hide when you run into each other at the disassembly site.

I don't really care about hiding it, so I guess it can't be helped.

"You're famous! Loki is rich!"

"Since you can treat us to that much food, you must be amazing."

"Well, money is just a bonus. I still live on about 5,000 to 6,000 Bikes a day."

"Are you saving up to buy some amazing equipment?"

"No, I don't really need anything right now. It just keeps piling up."

"Wow!"

"I'm so jealous..."

"Hey, hey. Is the Locker Plain really that profitable?"

"It depends on how you do it... It takes a lot of time to move around. But the enemies are weaker than I thought. Just a bit stronger than in the Palmera Great Forest. What, you want to try it?"

"Yeah, after getting the Poison Potion, I've been thinking about it. So, just a bit stronger, huh?"

"Jink, do you have the [Presence Detection] skill? What level is it?"

"It's level 2. I checked with the coin you gave me before, so it should still be level 2. Ah! That's right! Skewers!"

"Ah, it's fine, don't worry about it. We're going to eat at the inn anyway. But level 2 should be enough. The Air Mantis's magic doesn't have a very long range, and I've never been hit by magic from outside the [Presence Detection] range. Even if you are hit, it shouldn't be a big deal at that distance."

"Is that so? I heard it cuts like a sword if it hits, so I was scared to go."

"I think you'll be fine, Jink... But there's not much to gather there, so Mei might get bored."

"Really? What should I do then?"

"Hmm... If you can disassemble, you could be the disassembler. That way, Jink can move on to the next monster quickly, right? Potta can still be the material carrier."

"I can disassemble too! It's a bit gross, but!"

"Hmm..."

I tapped my fingers on the table and looked up, thinking...

One suggestion came to mind.

"Just to confirm, do you really want to go to the Locker Plain?"

"Yeah, I want to try it out."

"I want to see it too!"

"Me too! If we can make more money, that's great!"

"Okay... Then, I was planning to take a day off tomorrow, but how about we go together to see what it's like?"

"Eh? But you said you were taking a day off?"

"Well, I was just going to gather information for the Lulub Forest. It won't take much time, so how about we leave after the noon bell? That way, we can finish our morning tasks."

"If that's okay, I'd like to ask you!"

"Sure! I'll feel safer with Loki!"

"I think I can carry the materials properly if it's just half a day!"

"Then let's try it out for half a day tomorrow. But remember, I'm just there to judge if you can continue going there in the future. I won't interfere unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Of course. It wouldn't make sense to just follow in Loki's footsteps."

"Yay! Ah! I need to borrow a knife from my dad!"

"I'll be fine as usual, right?"

"Potta, you'll be fine as usual. The load will probably be lighter than in Palmera. We won't be bringing back whole Horn Rabbits or anything."

After making the plan for tomorrow and helping with the distribution, I went to talk to Amanda.

"Amanda, I have a request!"

"What is it?"

"I'd like to get special permission to hunt E-rank monsters... Can you ask Yagoff for me?"

"Oh, you don't need that."

"Eh?"

"The guild master said it's fine to make you E-rank if you want it."

"Really...?"

"Of course. They wouldn't keep you at F-rank when you're setting records every day."

"If you had said that, I wouldn't have had to ask..."

"Who only comes here in the morning? Who can't tell you because of that?"

"Ugh... I'm sorry..."

I handed my guild card to Amanda.

It's true that I deposit all my money, so I don't come to the reception area at night.

And in the morning, it's always crowded with people competing for quests...

I guess it's my fault.

But it's good.

This way, I can go to the Lulub Forest and still cash in properly.

Even if I don't need to buy anything, it's better to have money, so it's good to be E-rank and able to take on regular quests.

Still, this world...

It feels like it's too easy to live a normal life...

I thought to myself as I received the iron card marked with an 'E', feeling no sense of novelty.