Chapter 55 of 100

Chapter 55

10 min read2,576 words

7/23 This is the second post of the day.

"Wow! This is the Locker Plain!!"

Jink and his two companions had returned to the Locker Plain in no time, despite the various obstacles.

The three of them marveled at the vast expanse of the landscape.

It was like a group of children on a field trip and their chaperones.

Even though it was the same as when they went fishing, it felt like old times, and there was no point in worrying about it now.

"Well, from here, you can easily spot the monsters, right? The brown ones scattered around are Poison Mice. For now, just take them down, and if you sense the presence of the hard-to-see Air Mantises, prioritize them."

"Amazing view... We hardly need to look for enemies here."

"Maybe because I worked hard, there are fewer monsters around here. If you want to hunt more, go deeper, but if you prioritize safety, hunting around here should reduce the frequency of facing multiple monsters at once."

"Then, let's start practicing around here!"

"The Poison Mice are just a bit faster than Horn Rabbits, so take it easy and attack their sides. Try to keep their heads intact for materials."

"Got it! Meisa, Potta! Let's go! Don't get separated!"

"Got it! Leave the dissection to me!"

"I'm with you!"

And so, the three of them began their trial hunt.

I followed a short distance behind the group, keeping an eye on them.

With the [Detection] skill, I could confirm the information about the Air Mantises, so there shouldn't be any unexpected issues.

Poison Mice don't have any instant-kill attacks, after all.

As they approached their target, the Poison Mouse seemed to notice them and raised its head.

(About 3 meters away...)

Just as I was observing, the Poison Mouse began its attack when Jink took about 10 steps forward.

With his usual graceful movements, Jink dodged the Poison Mouse's lunge and slashed its belly with his knife.

With such poor defenses, the Poison Mouse was now on its last legs.

"Next, cut off the head to retrieve the magic stone, and slice off the tail to finish it."

"My turn!"

Meisa, despite her somewhat awkward movements, stabbed the knife without hesitation.

At 10 years old, she was far more capable than I was when I first started.

The dissection took about 2 minutes, and the materials were placed in Potta's basket.

"Phew. Just as Loki said, it's not that difficult. I was scared of these things..."

"At first, any monster can be scary and make you cautious. By the way, this should be around 6,000 bekes? That's about 2,000 bekes per person for three of you."

"Really!? Better than the Palmera Great Forest!?"

"Yeah! We might easily surpass our previous rewards!"

"This isn't heavy at all! I can handle more!"

"Right, based on your previous rewards, hunting five Poison Mice should be about the same or even more."

"Seriously?"

"Jink! Keep it up! I'll do my best with the dissection too! Let's keep going!"

"Even if you hunt 20 more, I'm fine!"

"Alright... I'll give it my all!"

With that, Jink moved on to the next target, approaching it without stopping.

(There's another Poison Mouse nearby, but I think they'll be okay...)

My worries were unfounded.

"Wow! The bow!"

I couldn't help but exclaim.

I knew Jink had a bow on his back.

He had mentioned wanting to use it before, and I gave him the church coin to use for a successful prayer.

He drew an arrow from his quiver and released it without much delay.

The arrow hit the side of a Poison Mouse that hadn't noticed them yet.

The other Poison Mouse approached Jink, but he dodged its attack and stabbed it in the belly, quickly finishing it off.

(They've already taken down three in less than 30 minutes. At this rate, they're faster than other parties. They're really talented...)

"The bow is amazing! Is there a skill that improves accuracy?"

"Yeah, it's still difficult at longer distances, but at this range, I almost never miss."

"So, you're finally using the bow and knife combo you've been dreaming of."

"But the bow consumes a lot of arrows. I tried it this time to see how it works, but in situations where the knife is enough, it's better not to use the bow unnecessarily."

I glanced at the arrows, which seemed well-made, so they were probably not homemade.

That means arrows are consumables.

Without extra money, they should be reserved for higher-level monsters or emergencies.

"Still, I think using it like this is good. For example, when you're fishing and other monsters might be drawn in, or to disrupt an Air Mantis's spell if you can't reach it in time."

"Ah, that's a good idea. But it's best to take it down before it starts casting."

While talking with Jink, Meisa had finished the dissection of the two Poison Mice, and the group naturally moved deeper into the plain.

They seemed to have plenty of room to spare, and I was ready to help if an emergency arose, so I wasn't worried.

(Ah, I see an Air Mantis... Will they notice it?)

It would be pointless to say anything, so I just watched the Air Mantis, hoping they would notice.

With Jink's [Detection] skill at level 2, the Air Mantis was still out of range, so none of them seemed to notice it. They were focusing on the nearby Poison Mouse.

"Alright, let's go for that one next!"

"Okay!"

"Got it!"

Jink approached the target Poison Mouse, but—

"Wait! It's an Air Mantis! I'll take it down first!"

"What about this mouse!?"

"I, I, I'll handle it!"

(They noticed it in time. With [Detection] level 2, they should be able to avoid surprise attacks from Air Mantises. ...But, in this situation, they're still weak.)

Jink was the only combatant.

If they focused on one, the other would be left unattended.

However, I didn't want to interfere yet.

Potta was using his basket as a shield.

I didn't want to waste his courage, as it could be a chance for them to grow.

Jink—this is definitely a job for the bow.

More specifically, this is the perfect situation for the bow.

The [Charge] skill could work, but it would take time to return to the Poison Mouse.

If Jink wanted to take down the Poison Mouse quickly, the bow was the only option.

Whoosh—Psh!

A black mist appeared as the arrow pierced the head of the Air Mantis, which was already preparing to cast a spell.

Jink confirmed this, threw the bow aside, and quickly turned around, switching to his knife and assessing the situation.

He stabbed the side of the Poison Mouse that was attacking Potta's basket.

—The battle ended with a fluid, impressive series of movements.

"...Amazing. I was considering whether to help, but I'm glad I didn't. Potta, great defense!"

"Huff... huff... That was scary..."

"Potta, you did well! Are you both okay?"

"I'm fine! Potta protected me!"

"Right... Loki, do you think that was the right decision?"

"Yep, I think it was the right decision. But—ideally, Meisa and Potta should be able to join the fight in emergencies."

"..."

"Of course, you don't have to push yourselves. In the Locker Plain, the monsters are small, so dissection knives can be used as weapons. In the party we met, the baggage carrier had a small mace for emergencies. It's important to be able to defend yourself in a pinch."

"True... but..."

Jink, of course, wanted them to be able to fight, but he didn't want to push them too hard.

He looked at them with a thoughtful expression, but—

"Right... If we want to make a lot of money in the Locker Plain, it's necessary... There are no herbs growing here... I'll try my best!"

"I, I'll try too! I don't like cutting with swords or knives, but I can hit things!"

In such situations, it's best for the outsiders to stay quiet.

If it's too difficult, they could always return to hunting in Palmera.

Increasing their capabilities and earning more income is another option.

That's their decision, not mine.

If they ask, I'll give them the best advice I can.

—That's all I need to do.

"Alright, this is just a trial, so let's keep hunting monsters until the sun sets. Otherwise, we won't make new discoveries like today's."

"Right. Let's try different things while Loki is here! If anything happens, Loki will help!"

"Right! Let's do something reckless while Loki is here!"

"There's still plenty of room in the basket!"

"..."

I sighed, following the three as they moved deeper into the plain.

---

The sun was setting, and the Locker Plain was bathed in twilight.

As they walked back, they shared their thoughts on the day.

"I'm so tired!!"

"The basket is getting heavy..."

"Amazing... This is definitely going to be a huge reward..."

One of them was muttering to himself, but they were all clearly satisfied with the day's results.

Even with my encouragement, they had hunted a lot, filling about half the basket with materials.

It was about the same as my first day in the Locker Plain, so the materials should be worth around 150,000 to 200,000 bekes.

Divided among three, that's over 50,000 bekes each.

Compared to their previous rewards, this was a huge amount.

And they achieved this in just the afternoon.

If they brought lunch and hunted all day—

Their lives would definitely change for the better.

"You got used to it in the second half, right? Meisa even took down a Poison Mouse."

"But I stabbed it in the face!"

"That's because you close your eyes when you attack! Keep your eyes open and aim carefully!"

"Ugh! That's scary!"

"Idiot! It's better than missing and getting bitten!"

In the end, Jink had taken down one Poison Mouse, and Meisa had stabbed one in a random spot and been bitten.

Being bitten doesn't always result in poisoning, but Jink and Meisa both felt sluggish and took Poison Potions.

I was surprised to learn that they applied regular healing potions directly to the bite, but I pretended to know this to avoid being called out.

On the way back, if we find a tree, I'll demonstrate a level 1 wind spell like an Air Mantis might use.

If they see that a 10-meter distance doesn't even scratch the bark, they'll be more confident and take down more monsters.

As I was thinking this, Jink suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, Loki. Was the Locker Plain originally a ruin?"

"Huh?"

"There are mysterious stone pillars standing around."

"There are several in one place. They must have some meaning."

"..."

I have no reason to hide it, but it feels a bit awkward to reveal the truth when they think it's something special.

They'll find out soon enough if they keep hunting here.

"Ah, those... I'm the culprit..."

"?"

"I found the basket annoying while hunting, so I put it on top of the stone pillars where no one could reach it."

"???"

They looked completely confused, with question marks all over their faces.

"Basically, it's like this."

[Generate a 5-meter stone pillar]

Zzzzzz...

"..."

"See, if you put the basket up there, no one can reach it, right?"

"...How do you put the basket up there, and how do you get it back down... But, that's amazing, Loki."

"Magic!! Loki is a mage!?"

"I saw something mystical..."

"Not mystical, just magic. But, Jink, you should be able to do a smaller version of this, right?"

"Huh? Why me?"

"Because you have [Earth Magic], right?"

"No, I don't..."

"..."