Chapter 76

"Hmm. Should we proceed east along the river, or should we also take action on the west side?"

After the man with the thread was safely released, I immediately told Alba and Mizuru which side we should attack.

I then checked on the current situation regarding the material collection, of course without interfering with their work as they continued.

I followed Alba and the others like a guard, listening to their conversation.

"By the way, is the material collection going smoothly?"

"It's not a problem. The orc meat has slightly deteriorated, but there are plenty of small items like magic stones and parts from defeated monsters scattered around!"

"That's true. The freshness of the orc meat... Well, we've been carefully selecting only materials ranked 'C' or higher for the past few days, so Loki doesn't need to worry about it."

"Hmm, I see. That means the number of people has increased significantly, but everyone is well taken care of, right?"

"Yeah, about that..."

Alba started talking, and the content was quite surprising.

As the first person we met said, there are currently four teams for material collection.

Eight parties that were hunting in the Rurubu Forest are participating in this material collection, excluding Feather's party, which is considered the strongest. This includes all E-rank hunters from the Bezart base.

Each team is placed about 100 meters apart, and they explore and collect materials while moving north, covering about 50 meters on either side. They mark their starting and temporary retreat points with weapons or magic.

The next day, they check these marks and the condition of the orc meat to decide whether to speed up their progress.

Hearing this, I was genuinely impressed.

It's incredibly efficient and suits my style.

Mars had a smug look on his face, so he might have come up with this plan. He seemed the most cautious and intelligent.

However, this raises some concerns.

"Is it safe to split the teams? We've encountered some monster reactions on the way here..."

Indeed, this is the point.

No matter how efficient it is, if people die, it's meaningless.

Well, I understand that for the residents of this world, it still has meaning, but as a planner, it's worrying.

"Don't worry, it's fine. For now, the westernmost and easternmost teams have more people."

"The first team has nine members to prepare for monsters crossing the river, the second team has six members from one party, the third team also has six members, and the fourth team here has ten members to prepare for monsters entering from the east. So far, there have been only minor injuries, no deaths. We are prepared."

"Ah, Mars' plan is working well. Everyone moves together when going to town or exchanging money, so there's no cheating."

"I see... It's well thought out. Impressive!"

Mars might get a bit too confident, but if they've thought this through, I have no reason to complain.

After all, no one has died in five days, which means it's functioning stably.

So, the next question is how to handle the hunting ground we discussed initially.

Let's confirm this first.

"Suppose we do the same thing on the west side of the river. I heard it's a different territory, but is there any problem?"

"Huh? No problem at all."

"What are you worried about? Whether it's a different territory or a different country, killing monsters is always appreciated."

"I see."

As expected, it was an unnecessary worry.

Then, it comes down to their preferences.

"So, to be honest, which do you prefer: continuing deeper into the east side of the river, or crossing the river to do the same thing on the west side?"

"It's up to Loki."

"If I'm honest, crossing that shallow river is no problem, and the west side is more convenient. But since we're earning from this, we'll leave it to Loki."

"Hmm..."

Even though he says it's up to me, considering the safety of the area and the risks of venturing deeper into the forest, they probably prefer the west side.

Alba didn't say it, but from Mizuru's expression when she mentioned the west side, I can tell they think the same.

For me, it's just a bit farther, and in a way, the distance and the hot spring situation are my whims.

Then, let's follow their preferences.

After all, I'm earning thanks to their cooperation.

"Understood. Let's do the same thing on the west side starting tomorrow. I'll eliminate everything from the river to about 500 meters west starting early tomorrow morning."

"If that's fine with Loki, that's great... Are you sure?"

"No problem. I wouldn't suggest it if there were any obvious issues."

"That's great! Entering deeper into the forest is scary... Mars!"

"Hey! I'm not scared! It just gets a bit exciting!"

"It's the same thing."

"I'm still fine, and you're scared."

"Call me the God of Cowards."

Parties are great...

No, no, that's not right.

I can only do this because I came alone. I can't forget that.

"Then, I'll hunt monsters further north today just to be safe. Please let everyone know when you return today."

"Got it. I'll tell them we're moving to the west side starting tomorrow."

"Go all out!"

At the same pace, it should take about four days to clear the area up to our current base on the west side.

During that time... I won't reach the level cap yet.

Then, should I return to the east side and move north, or try 500 meters further east from the forest entrance depending on the number of monsters?

While thinking about this, I started hunting monsters near the base.