Chapter 53 – Tracker
As I sit up in bed in the morning, I turn my head.
What was it about yesterday’s sudden feeling of tiredness and sleepiness?
As soon as I woke up, I checked to see if there was anything wrong with my body, but I could tell that this feeling was not much different from the usual, except that there was still some physical sluggishness due to fatigue.
Hmm~ Yesterday, after I talked to Riste-sama using the Divine Communication skill, I got up from my bed to get my notebook and–
At that time, I suddenly saw a short sword lying by the side of my bed.
“(No way, is it because of this?)”
I immediately activated the status screen and found that my current magic power was 58/58 (+14), which was restored to maximum.
Then I picked up the fallen short sword, and it was 108/108 (+14).
So far, there is no problem.
On the other hand, it’s kind of nice that the magic power increased due to the grant being not only at the lowest value but also the magic power that can be used right away.
However, what would happen if, like yesterday, the short sword is used to force the user to increase the usable magic power and consume that magic power, and then the user gives up the short sword?
In other words, what will happen to my body if my magic power turns negative?
The result would be the sudden tiredness and drowsiness I felt yesterday, wouldn’t it?
“(I don’t want to try this now because it would ruin my whole day, but if I did this in the hunting grounds… I would suddenly fall asleep and die…)”
It’s super dangerous.
I thought I wouldn’t die on the Rocker Plains, but there is a pattern of death!
The fact that it was morning before I knew it, as if I had warped, suggests that I had been in a deep sleep-like hibernation since last night.
There’s a chance that if I got gnawed by a rat in this state, I wouldn’t wake up until at least the magic power escapes the negative…
I’ll try not to use the 50 magic powers granted to me unless it’s a big emergency.
I decided to wash my face, eat breakfast, and go to the Hunters’ Guild as soon as I got my lunch box.
Then I saw an unusual sight.
“Oh! It’s the first emergency request!”
I checked the request board before receiving my basket and was a little excited to see the first emergency request.
There is another wooden board under the permanent subjugation request, and since the number of hunters killed has been increasing, there is a possibility that the Poison Mice are proliferating.
Therefore, the reward for killing each one should be increased from 1,200 beeke to 1,500 beeke.
It is stated that the end date has not yet been determined and that it may end suddenly.
I confirmed the details with Amanda-san, and it seems that the total number of Poison Mice hunted by the hunters in one day is higher than usual, and although the crops have not yet begun to be damaged, measures have been taken to reduce the total number of Poison Mice early on.
It can’t be my overhunting, can it? I’m not complaining about the increased rewards.
It’s not something I’m going to go out of my way to say, so I’ll just keep my mouth shut for now!
So I picked up the basket from Roddy-san and went to the exit of the north gate of Bezart.
I bought two small frankfurters, which had become a habit, and headed for the Rocker Plain while jogging.
Along with the three guys from the guild who were following me for some reason…
▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽
After entering the Rocker Plain, I went deeper and deeper, hunting Poison Mice that came into view and Air Mantis that I sensed moving with Presence Detection.
At first, the basket was light, so carrying it on my back was no problem.
I just keep walking and moving.
Looking behind me, I can see Adent and the others still trying to keep up with me, even though their steps are already showing signs of fatigue.
“Hah…”
I can’t say much about it since I was being followed instead of leading…
Still, it would be nice if they would give me a break.
I don’t really want to be seen hunting a fixed point by making a stone pillar, even if it’s okay to be seen moving and hunting.
Still, I don’t have the option of stopping to be seen, so I pick up my pace so that I can’t be followed, and I move to an area where other parties are unlikely to enter.
“(Hah… hah… it’s just… realistically… impossible!…)”
Since I am moving around here while hunting, the weight of the basket is getting heavier and heavier.
On top of that, every time I hunt, I have to dismantle it and collect the magic stone, the proof of subjugation, and the materials, so there is no way I can just scatter the three guys who are just following me without doing anything.
I guess I am just getting used to it and getting stronger, and they are also active hunters.
When the basket was more than a third full, and there were no hunters around, I gave up and stopped.
I had to stop running to hunt with this weight.
“Hah… hah… how long are you going to follow me?”
“Zehah… fuhah… d-don’t get the wrong… idea…”
“T-That’s right… fuh… fuh… we’re just… moving to the hunting grounds…”
“I see… I see… fuh…”
“Phew… yes. Is your hunting ground still up ahead? Or is it somewhere around here?”
“Hah… hah… why do I have to… tell you that…?”
“Because it would be less efficient, wouldn’t it? If you want to hunt around here, we’ll go further, and if you want to go further, we’ll hunt around here. What do you think?”
“W-well… fuhah… It depends on my mood…”
Hah… This is not good.
If they are only concerned about the safety of a child, they should have fully understood what I can do on my own during my previous mobile hunts.
But if they still follow me and their goal is to be in my vicinity… I have no choice but to harass them.
But is it worth going out of my way to reduce my own reward?
So far, they’ve just been following me around, and they don’t seem to have killed any monsters.
It’s just too wasteful for them.
Do they have any other purpose?
No way, will they take my basket after I collect a bunch of them?
Looking at them they are about 170 to 180 centimeters tall.
Obviously, they are more than a head taller than I am now.
If they wanted to take it away from me by force, I could raise the basket up to almost 3 meters, but I feel like they could drop it by riding on one of their shoulders and poking it with a spear, and the possibility of being robbed increases greatly just because one of these people has acquired Earth Magic.
“(Is it okay if I add another one to make it almost 5 meters? No, but the balance is…)”
Although I was still uncomfortable, I didn’t want to lose my efficiency by being pushed around by these hopeless people.
At that time, I suddenly thought about the stone pillar I had made the other day.
Then I remembered the conversation I had with Riste-sama last night.
I stacked two stone pillars with a magic consumption of 19.
That means I used my level 2 Earth Magic twice to make a 3-meter stone pillar.
However, my Earth Magic is level 3.
In other words, it is one level higher.
I should be able to use magic with a magic power consumption of up to 29.
And the requirements that Riste-sama said are not in accordance with the skill level…
There are two keywords for the realization of level 1.
The success was ‘Generate a stone pillar.’
Three keywords for the materialization of skill level 2.
The success was ‘Generate a long stone pillar.’
And the failure was ‘Generate a long thick stone pillar.’
However, this request seems to be able to determine as many as five keywords if you think about it carefully, and if so, it would seem logical that it should originally be a level 4 skill to manifest.
Then…
I gave up and practiced my magic in front of Adent and the others.
“Generate a long stone pillar.”
“””Huh?”””
Rumble, rumble…
One of the 1.5-meter stone pillars I saw yesterday was created, and I placed a basket on it.
I also remember to take a large leather bag out of the basket, which is a must for fixed-point hunting.
And here comes the problem.
I muttered to myself as I looked at the ground where the stone pillar stood.
“Generate a deep, long, stone pillar.”
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
“””Eeeeeehhh!”””
…This is awesome.
Even though I created it, I am still surprised.
The newly created stone pillar alone seems to be almost 5 meters high.
So my basket on the stone pillar is so high that I can look up at it.
That’s about as high as the roof of a two-story house…
Also, I put the word “deep” in there, so it doesn’t matter if they kick it away or push it with three people; this stone pillar probably won’t be shaken.
I’ll have to dig to see how deep it is, though…
There is nothing more I can do, and I have to trust in the power of the level 3 skill.
First of all, based on their surprised reaction earlier, I don’t think the three of them can make a proper stone pillar.
Worst of all, if the three of them dig a hole, I’ll have to tell the guild that they stole my materials and ask them to do something about it.
Even if they don’t, I will report them for harassing me.
Satisfied with my work for now, I called Adent and the others.
“I’m going to go hunting now, so please do your best.”
Then I started running.
In my right hand is a short sword, and in my left hand is a large leather bag.
When this leather bag is filled, it will contain about a quarter of the material in the basket.
Now―let the fixed-point overhunting hunt begin.
Chapter 53 – Tracker
As I sit up in bed in the morning, I turn my head.
What was it about yesterday’s sudden feeling of tiredness and sleepiness?
As soon as I woke up, I checked to see if there was anything wrong with my body, but I could tell that this feeling was not much different from the usual, except that there was still some physical sluggishness due to fatigue.
Hmm~ Yesterday, after I talked to Riste-sama using the Divine Communication skill, I got up from my bed to get my notebook and–
At that time, I suddenly saw a short sword lying by the side of my bed.
“(No way, is it because of this?)”
I immediately activated the status screen and found that my current magic power was 58/58 (+14), which was restored to maximum.
Then I picked up the fallen short sword, and it was 108/108 (+14).
So far, there is no problem.
On the other hand, it’s kind of nice that the magic power increased due to the grant being not only at the lowest value but also the magic power that can be used right away.
However, what would happen if, like yesterday, the short sword is used to force the user to increase the usable magic power and consume that magic power, and then the user gives up the short sword?
In other words, what will happen to my body if my magic power turns negative?
The result would be the sudden tiredness and drowsiness I felt yesterday, wouldn’t it?
“(I don’t want to try this now because it would ruin my whole day, but if I did this in the hunting grounds… I would suddenly fall asleep and die…)”
It’s super dangerous.
I thought I wouldn’t die on the Rocker Plains, but there is a pattern of death!
The fact that it was morning before I knew it, as if I had warped, suggests that I had been in a deep sleep-like hibernation since last night.
There’s a chance that if I got gnawed by a rat in this state, I wouldn’t wake up until at least the magic power escapes the negative…
I’ll try not to use the 50 magic powers granted to me unless it’s a big emergency.
I decided to wash my face, eat breakfast, and go to the Hunters’ Guild as soon as I got my lunch box.
Then I saw an unusual sight.
“Oh! It’s the first emergency request!”
I checked the request board before receiving my basket and was a little excited to see the first emergency request.
There is another wooden board under the permanent subjugation request, and since the number of hunters killed has been increasing, there is a possibility that the Poison Mice are proliferating.
Therefore, the reward for killing each one should be increased from 1,200 beeke to 1,500 beeke.
It is stated that the end date has not yet been determined and that it may end suddenly.
I confirmed the details with Amanda-san, and it seems that the total number of Poison Mice hunted by the hunters in one day is higher than usual, and although the crops have not yet begun to be damaged, measures have been taken to reduce the total number of Poison Mice early on.
It can’t be my overhunting, can it? I’m not complaining about the increased rewards.
It’s not something I’m going to go out of my way to say, so I’ll just keep my mouth shut for now!
So I picked up the basket from Roddy-san and went to the exit of the north gate of Bezart.
I bought two small frankfurters, which had become a habit, and headed for the Rocker Plain while jogging.
Along with the three guys from the guild who were following me for some reason…
▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽
After entering the Rocker Plain, I went deeper and deeper, hunting Poison Mice that came into view and Air Mantis that I sensed moving with Presence Detection.
At first, the basket was light, so carrying it on my back was no problem.
I just keep walking and moving.
Looking behind me, I can see Adent and the others still trying to keep up with me, even though their steps are already showing signs of fatigue.
“Hah…”
I can’t say much about it since I was being followed instead of leading…
Still, it would be nice if they would give me a break.
I don’t really want to be seen hunting a fixed point by making a stone pillar, even if it’s okay to be seen moving and hunting.
Still, I don’t have the option of stopping to be seen, so I pick up my pace so that I can’t be followed, and I move to an area where other parties are unlikely to enter.
“(Hah… hah… it’s just… realistically… impossible!…)”
Since I am moving around here while hunting, the weight of the basket is getting heavier and heavier.
On top of that, every time I hunt, I have to dismantle it and collect the magic stone, the proof of subjugation, and the materials, so there is no way I can just scatter the three guys who are just following me without doing anything.
I guess I am just getting used to it and getting stronger, and they are also active hunters.
When the basket was more than a third full, and there were no hunters around, I gave up and stopped.
I had to stop running to hunt with this weight.
“Hah… hah… how long are you going to follow me?”
“Zehah… fuhah… d-don’t get the wrong… idea…”
“T-That’s right… fuh… fuh… we’re just… moving to the hunting grounds…”
“I see… I see… fuh…”
“Phew… yes. Is your hunting ground still up ahead? Or is it somewhere around here?”
“Hah… hah… why do I have to… tell you that…?”
“Because it would be less efficient, wouldn’t it? If you want to hunt around here, we’ll go further, and if you want to go further, we’ll hunt around here. What do you think?”
“W-well… fuhah… It depends on my mood…”
Hah… This is not good.
If they are only concerned about the safety of a child, they should have fully understood what I can do on my own during my previous mobile hunts.
But if they still follow me and their goal is to be in my vicinity… I have no choice but to harass them.
But is it worth going out of my way to reduce my own reward?
So far, they’ve just been following me around, and they don’t seem to have killed any monsters.
It’s just too wasteful for them.
Do they have any other purpose?
No way, will they take my basket after I collect a bunch of them?
Looking at them they are about 170 to 180 centimeters tall.
Obviously, they are more than a head taller than I am now.
If they wanted to take it away from me by force, I could raise the basket up to almost 3 meters, but I feel like they could drop it by riding on one of their shoulders and poking it with a spear, and the possibility of being robbed increases greatly just because one of these people has acquired Earth Magic.
“(Is it okay if I add another one to make it almost 5 meters? No, but the balance is…)”
Although I was still uncomfortable, I didn’t want to lose my efficiency by being pushed around by these hopeless people.
At that time, I suddenly thought about the stone pillar I had made the other day.
Then I remembered the conversation I had with Riste-sama last night.
I stacked two stone pillars with a magic consumption of 19.
That means I used my level 2 Earth Magic twice to make a 3-meter stone pillar.
However, my Earth Magic is level 3.
In other words, it is one level higher.
I should be able to use magic with a magic power consumption of up to 29.
And the requirements that Riste-sama said are not in accordance with the skill level…
There are two keywords for the realization of level 1.
The success was ‘Generate a stone pillar.’
Three keywords for the materialization of skill level 2.
The success was ‘Generate a long stone pillar.’
And the failure was ‘Generate a long thick stone pillar.’
However, this request seems to be able to determine as many as five keywords if you think about it carefully, and if so, it would seem logical that it should originally be a level 4 skill to manifest.
Then…
I gave up and practiced my magic in front of Adent and the others.
“Generate a long stone pillar.”
“””Huh?”””
Rumble, rumble…
One of the 1.5-meter stone pillars I saw yesterday was created, and I placed a basket on it.
I also remember to take a large leather bag out of the basket, which is a must for fixed-point hunting.
And here comes the problem.
I muttered to myself as I looked at the ground where the stone pillar stood.
“Generate a deep, long, stone pillar.”
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
“””Eeeeeehhh!”””
…This is awesome.
Even though I created it, I am still surprised.
The newly created stone pillar alone seems to be almost 5 meters high.
So my basket on the stone pillar is so high that I can look up at it.
That’s about as high as the roof of a two-story house…
Also, I put the word “deep” in there, so it doesn’t matter if they kick it away or push it with three people; this stone pillar probably won’t be shaken.
I’ll have to dig to see how deep it is, though…
There is nothing more I can do, and I have to trust in the power of the level 3 skill.
First of all, based on their surprised reaction earlier, I don’t think the three of them can make a proper stone pillar.
Worst of all, if the three of them dig a hole, I’ll have to tell the guild that they stole my materials and ask them to do something about it.
Even if they don’t, I will report them for harassing me.
Satisfied with my work for now, I called Adent and the others.
“I’m going to go hunting now, so please do your best.”
Then I started running.
In my right hand is a short sword, and in my left hand is a large leather bag.
When this leather bag is filled, it will contain about a quarter of the material in the basket.
Now―let the fixed-point overhunting hunt begin.
