Chapter 71

"Phew... Phew... 'Fire, fly!'"

The Rigspider, whose hanging thread had been melted, fell, but before its body touched the ground, I sliced it in half.

"I get it!"

I swung my sword horizontally behind me, cutting down a Small Wolf that aimed for my back, and simultaneously stabbed another Small Wolf in the neck with the knife in my reverse grip.

"Phew... Ha... 'Form a hole!'"

I formed a small hole at the feet of the Orc that targeted me from behind the Small Wolves.

While the Orc was falling, I slashed the remaining three Small Wolves without caring about the damage, and as soon as the Orc tried to stand up, I thrust my sword into its neck, facing the last remaining Orc.

(If it's just one, I can save my magic power...)

Thinking this, I dodged the club that was swung at me and stabbed the Orc's feet with my sword. As its face naturally lowered, I thrust the knife in my left hand into its throat.

The Orc, spewing blood, lay down and convulsed. To make sure, I stabbed its neck deeply with the short sword, and the movement stopped, returning the forest to its quiet state.

Looking around, there were no more Orcs.

[Presence Detection] also showed no signs of monsters within 15 meters.

(I'll [Explore] the Small Wolves... None, [Explore] the Rigspiders... Two... Could these be the next ones?)

After confirming the enemy's position and the surroundings, I was about to head to the next target when—

Beep... Beep... Beep...

An unfamiliar sound in the forest.

I immediately recognized it as the whistle signal I had agreed upon with Mizuru, but I couldn't help feeling tense.

It couldn't have been more than two hours since we started hunting.

The monster-free zone wasn't that well-established yet.

Whether it would sound a second time—

But my worries were unfounded, as it only sounded once, and I felt relieved.

"Phew... Let's take a break and head back for now..."

Just to be safe, I took out my watch from the leather bag and checked the direction.

Passing through the monster-free zone I had already created, I headed south and saw the grassland about 100 meters away.

"Ugh! I'm so tired!"

The sense of relief when I reached the safe zone was immense, given how tense I had been.

I rotated my shoulders and waist, and looking around, I realized I had emerged from the forest about 300 meters from the river.

"Hey! Rocky!"

"Over here!"

The number of people waving their hands... Yeah, it's fine.

Everyone is alive, and from the fact that they are waving, it seems none of them have suffered fatal injuries.

"Is anyone hurt?"

"Yeah! No one is hurt, and we didn't even engage in any battles with monsters... But... Are you okay...?"

"Eh?"

In response to Mizuru's question, I tilted my head, wondering what she meant.

For some reason, as I got closer, everyone's faces were slightly tense, and Royce, the only woman, even took a step back when she saw me...

"You look fine, but you're covered in blood. Are you hurt anywhere...?"

When I was asked this by Alba, I looked at my body and saw that my arms, legs, and leather armor were stained with a large amount of blood, turning them a dark red.

"Ah... This is just splattered blood. I was in constant melee and didn't have the time to notice."

"......"

"Hehe... Well, I'll go wash up in the river first!"

I don't mind if the guys are a bit put off, but it stung my heart to see Royce, who looked to be in her 20s, take a step back.

I decided to prioritize washing off the blood before checking the materials.

---

It was a good thing it was mid-summer.

I was completely drenched, but with this sunlight and temperature, my clothes and hair would dry quickly.

Ah, being drenched in the river water is the best.

After taking off my leather armor, I rejoined everyone.

Even from a distance, I could see that each of their baskets was packed to the brim with materials.

"It's great that the baskets are full."

"Yeah... I still can't believe that Rocky did all this alone."

"I think I'll start calling you Lord Rocky from now on!"

"No, no! I don't understand what you mean!"

"To be honest, I thought we'd each get 150,000 at most, but this might exceed 150,000. It's more than just gratitude."

"Right. I can't even imagine how much it will be, so I'm really looking forward to it!"

Hmm...

To be honest, I don't know how much the contents of the baskets are worth, but—

But I do have some questions.

"Did you skin the Small Wolves?"

"Of course. They can be sold too."

"I know that, but..."

Looking into the gaps of the others' baskets, Mars and Royce, who were in the rear, had a lot of Small Wolf skins. Alba, Mizuru, and Zalsa, who were in the front, had a mix of Orc meat and Small Wolf skins. Enz, who was originally assigned to carry the load, had more Orc meat.

It seemed they just collected whatever they could get their hands on rather than being selective...

"By the way, where did you collect the materials?"

"About 100 meters into the forest along the river. There were three Orcs and a lot of Small Wolves, so I did the work and threw them in."

"I see. Anywhere else?"

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

"Could it be that you filled the baskets and finished just there?"

"What... What do you mean...?"

Oh dear...

I guess I overdid it.

While it's true that expanding the range of movement increases the risk, the basic principle is self-defense, so I can't force anyone to do it. However, they came here for the 'big money.'

So, I should at least provide them with the information and let them make the decision.

"Simply put, wouldn't it be better to be selective with the materials? Orc meat sells the highest, after all."

"I understand that, but are there really that many Orcs around?"

"I don't know how many I killed, but I think I took down at least 20 Orcs."

"......"

"Everyone, the place where you collected the materials is where I first encountered the monsters. It's about 50 meters around that area. I eliminated the monsters in that area while moving to the place I just came from."

"Ah... What do you mean?"

"Leader... In other words, what Rocky is saying is that if we go east into the forest from where we collected the materials, we'll find Orcs mixed in with Small Wolves and Rigspiders, right?"

"That's right. You have five large baskets and one extra-large basket. If you only collect the most valuable parts of the Orcs, you should be able to fit about 4 to 5 Orcs in a large basket. An extra-large basket would hold even more.

So, the five large baskets you brought back should be almost entirely filled with the best parts of the Orcs. Then, you can fill the remaining space with smaller but valuable magic stones and other materials."

"Should...?"

"Assuming the meat is B-rank, it's worth about 60,000. So, just the Orc meat alone would be around 1.2 million Bikes. Add in the magic stones, other materials, and the parts you defeated, and it should exceed 1.5 million Bikes."

"...... (Swallow)......"

"Just to be clear, that's 30% of the total. So, if the total is 1.5 million Bikes, your reward would be about 1.05 million Bikes. Divided by six, that's about 170,000 to 180,000 Bikes per person. And I would earn about 450,000 Bikes from you guys carrying and exchanging the materials. It's a win-win situation, right?"

"We didn't even engage in any battles. To get such a reward... Is this a dream?"

"Chasing a dream is a good thing, right? Understand, Mars?"

"Yeah. A hunter is all about chasing dreams. I was wrong!"

They are definitely residents of this world.

They are willing to act quickly if there's a benefit, without much consideration for the risks.

So, there's nothing to say—no, I need to make sure they don't get too carried away and die, so I'll have them take more safety precautions.

"By the way, this result took about two hours. This means that in this amount of time, your baskets can be filled to a certain extent, even if you prioritize the exchange value. I plan to hunt for a full day while the sun is out—do you understand what this means?"

"Ah... I don't get it."

"Two trips... Two trips!?"

"Wouldn't we need to move even after it gets dark...?"

Considering the travel time, it would be quite tough, but if we create a specialized transport team, it might be possible, though it would be a very hard job.

"I think it would be quite tough, but if you want to, you can make two trips. Personally, I think it would be better to gather more people."

"People? Hunters?"

"That's right. There are other parties hunting in the Lulub. Why not invite them?"

"True. If three parties join, with about 15 hunters, we could overwhelm a few Orcs."

"In reality, the density of monsters increases sharply about 100 meters into the forest. But as we continue hunting, the density will naturally decrease, and you will need to go deeper into the forest."

"Hmm... With just six of us, we might not be able to handle unexpected situations."

"I understand what Rocky is saying. If we gather more people, our reward won't change, but we'll be safer. It's a choice we should take the lead on."

"Right. I'll call some acquaintances... Showing them this amount of materials will convince them."

"They'll all follow, drooling."

"I can't do much about that since I won't be returning to Bezart, so I'll leave it to you. I'll continue expanding the hunting area today, so feel free to start collecting materials from tomorrow without the whistle. The Orc meat won't last in this temperature, but the magic stones and parts will be fine even after a day."

"Got it. Will you come to check the materials from tomorrow?"

"That depends on the situation. If I see someone, I'll call out. It's better to share information about where we've cleared and where we'll target next."

"So, we should expect to gradually move deeper into the forest, within 500 meters east of the river, right?"

"Right. I can't say exactly how far we'll go, so if I need to, I'll come to the forest exit. I'll also let you know when I'm satisfied with the area."

"Understood."

"I hope you can continue for as long as possible..."

"Hehe... I'll end it when I get tired of it."

"Since this plan depends on Rocky, I can't help it. I'll make sure to earn as much as I can during this period."

"Right. Let's work hard without rest until then."

With that, the discussion ended. I watched the six of them head back into the forest to collect more materials and put my leather armor back on.

This way, my income will surely increase.

Well then... Let's resume the over-harvesting and look for a place to sleep.