The Otherworld Conquest Method of a Reincarnated Porter Chapter 34 Part 3
When I turn around, I see that Faye is holding his spear up to the wolf’s mouth. The other warrior is also blocking the wolf with his shield while repeatedly swinging his sword swiftly. He is unable to inflict any fatal wounds, but he is skillfully fighting the wolf while keeping it away from him. The wolf Faye is dealing with has numerous small cuts on its face. One of its eyes seems to have been crushed. Using instant step, I move into the blind spot of the wolf with one eye crushed, and swing my weapon-enhancement-infused sword down on its neck. I am unable to cut it off, but it’s probably a fatal wound. Faye then launches a follow up attack by thrusting his spear into the wolf’s mouth. The wolf lets out pained death throes. To finish it off, I swing my sword down and cut off its neck. We then move to assist the warrior fighting next to us and surround the wolf in a three-on-one formation. We beat the wolf with sheer force of numbers, and when I take a look at Keane and the others, that the battle there has just reached its conclusion.
「Oioi, I never thought you’d beat it faster than us. You did well, Faye.」
「It’s thanks to Sei helping me. If it was just me, I’d still be fighting.」
「I guess so. If you don’t have to protect the porter, battle becomes a lot easier. Alright, let’s dismantle them quickly. New groups of monsters might come, so never let your guard down, okay?」
As I dismantle the wolves, I appraise them and find that they are gray wolves with a rank of 8 to 11. Ninth-grade magic stones are worth two small silver coins per piece. On top of that, you can also sell their pelts and meats, so they seem a pretty lucrative hunt.
「But still, even though it’s not that far from the city, is it normal for such powerful monsters to appear in packs? Isn’t it much more dangerous than the labyrinth?」
「Well, I can’t say for sure which one is better, the labyrinth or the forest. Basically, in the labyrinth, you know that only monsters of certain ranks will appear at a certain stratum, so as long as you have the knowledge, you should be able to deal with them, right? The forest might certainly be for experienced people. From time to time, there are monsters that even we can’t handle, after all.」
「What kind of monsters are the most troublesome?」
「Hmm. I don’t think I can explain it in a few words either. Even if it’s just gray wolves or horned rabbits, if there are twenty of them, it’d turn into a life-or-death struggle, after all. However, if there is something you need to be particularly careful of, I guess it’d be bears and praying mantis. Bears are simply strong, and if they are a superior variant, they are pretty much out of your league. Since you don’t usually encounter them, you won’t even be able to tell if they are a superior variant or not. If you find one, immediately retreat. As for praying mantis, not only are they strong, you can’t sell their materials, so they’re not worth the trouble. For better or worse, you can sell the scythes, but even so, they’re not worth that much money.」
As I listen to his explanation, I end up putting all the meat and materials into my storage.
「As expected, looks like your storage capacity being four barrels is true. No, if anything, haven’t you put more than four barrels-worth of stuff into your storage?」
Crap. I was so engrossed in the conversation that I ended up putting the meat and ingredients into my storage without thinking about the capacity. Well, I bet I would be able to fool him somehow.
「No, it just barely fits. My storage is already full, so I’ll carry the rest. By the way, are we still going to continue the hunt?」
「Yeah, I guess so. We usually hunt as much as we can carry, after all. Today we’re going to continue just a little longer.」
We make our way through the forest again. Not only do monsters often gather at the riverside, it’s easy to dismantle them there, making it a convenient place. The other adventurers also share the same opinion. We encountered two groups of adventurers along the way, but we passed them without any problems. Unlike the labyrinth, the atmosphere here is not as bloodthirsty, which is a good thing.
I walk second from the back of the line. I hold my steel shield in my left hand and keep my sword in its scabbard. Then I sense a flow of magical energy from the root of a nearby tree. I am the only one who noticed it. As I take a closer look, I see a tanuki looking in my direction.
「Hey, Keane, there’s a tanuki.」
「What?! Where is it?」
「Look, over there….」
The next moment, I sense magical energy being fired from the tanuki. Even as I look at it with my eyes, I cannot see anything. As I quickly bring my shield forward, a strong gust of wind blows over, causing me to let go of my shield.
「It’s a wind tanuki! Spread out!」
As Keane shouts so, everyone moves away and forms a formation surrounding the tanuki. I hurriedly pick up my shield and look at the tanuki. Right now, it seems to be on top of the tree. Once again, I sense the flow of magical energy. It seems I am the only one who has magical energy perception skill. Keane nocks an arrow. I deliberately go in front of tanuki and hold up my shield. Wind magic doesn’t pack that much firepower, so I deliberately act as bait and let Keane shoot it down.
Sure enough, a gust of wind blows over, but if I know it is coming, I can deal with it. I lower my center of gravity and hold up my shield while using body enhancement. Aiming at the moment the wind dies down, Keane fires the arrow. The tanuki falls from the tree, where the warriors finish it off. We carry it to the river and dismantle it. When I appraise it, it turns out to be a wind tanuki with a rank of 9. I think this is the first time I have seen a monster that uses magic.
After dismantling the tanuki, we proceed to having lunch with its meat as we are. It has a distinctive smell, but it is delicious. I don’t know if it is because the meat is fresh or because I am hungry, but it tastes crazy good. While we are eating the meat, monsters sometimes come close to us, so we eat quickly, and when I think we will go hunting again, it seems that we will be going back for today.
「Nothing good comes from being too greedy, after all. Besides, although no one is injured in the fight against the wolves, everyone must have been pretty drained mentally. It’s also important to take no chances.」
After arriving at the Adventurers’ Association, we cash in the materials. All in all, it is about one small gold coin. And they will divide that among the five of them, huh. It seems that Keane and the others are renting a house for the duration of the winter only. It costs eight large silver coins a month, so they seem to be able to save quite a lot of money. As for me, in a month, I need one small gold coin and five large silver coins for lodging alone. On top of that, to embrace women, I will need around five to six small gold coins. Well, I am satisfied with this life, and I have no intention of compromising. If push comes to shove, I can sell my mithril-alloy sword and shield, but since I may never be able to get my hands on such items again, I have no intention of selling them in the foreseeable future.
「Sei. Next time onward we’ll split it equally among us, your share included. You did so well that I can’t believe you’re a rookie, after all. What do you say, do you want to work with us next time and onward too?」
「But of course. You’ll return to the village at the end of winter, right? I’d appreciate it if you’d allow me to work with you until then.」
「All right, it’s settled then. For tomorrow, give your body some rest. The day after tomorrow, seven o’clock in the morning, gather in front of here.」
It’s a dream come true to be able to form a party with them on an equal footing. I guess I should offer Irina some thanks.
As I head back to the inn, I make plans for tomorrow. I have automatic recovery, so fatigue is not a problem. Alright, let’s go around the first stratum of the labyrinth.
Tftc