Chapter 407

407 People Preparing for Winter #5

The defeat of the sea monsters in the South Sea was reported in the newspaper.

The date was two days ago.

It seems that in the Gaia Continent, people are rejoicing over the opening of new sea routes.

Looking at the hopeful articles about trade and tourism with Ideope Island, it seems the food shortages on the jungle islands full of pink-haired people may be somewhat alleviated.

The commerce and transactions with the ports of the Dark Island might also experience a revival.

Of course, there will be problems with the island, which was previously quite isolated, now engaging with the outside world, but the warriors of that barren island, accustomed to survival, are high-level and strong, so there probably won’t be any significant chaos.

Anyway, the end of Ideope Island’s long isolation was a joyful event for me, who had established a shrine there.

This means that Chicorita, previously only found in the Holy Land region, will now be able to expand into the Hoenn region, Sinnoh region, and Kalora region.

They will surely look adorable.

However, on the other hand, I wasn’t entirely delighted with this fact.

Because it was now certain that Gloria, who had been briefly tied up, would soon approach me.

It was supposed to take at least a month.

According to Hippolyte, “Thanks to the cooperation with the Shrine Knights, we were able to resolve the job quickly.”

Sviul, that must be it.

Even if they were monsters large enough to create giant whirlpools in the sea, they couldn’t withstand a group of strong individuals.

That means I have less than a week until I reunite with Gloria.

If she rides something like a dragon like me, it might not even take a day.

She’ll probably challenge me to a fight as soon as we meet.

Recalling that powerful monster makes me feel dizzy.

Of course, with my current improved stats, I won’t be easily defeated like before.

Still, I wished I had more time to get used to this new body.

“The problem is my overwhelming strength.”

I was practicing by kicking eggs and noticed that my strength stat, which had exceeded the max level to reach 16, is now finally showing its full power.

Due to my relatively low endurance and agility compared to my strength, my body had been putting a sort of limit on itself to prevent self-destruction.

However, once the other stats caught up, that limit was lifted.

Of course, this is just my conjecture, but there’s no other way to explain my current state.

“Hassan, I’ve been waiting for you!”

Just then, Luna came up and snapped me out of my thoughts.

Here in Mars’ Guild, where I haven’t visited in a while, I was waiting for Luna in the garden, when she appeared, having finished her errands early.

“Are you done with your business?”

“Yup! I did the updates for the first time in a while, and cleared all the matters since the last time!”

Luna looked unusually happy. Then, narrowing her brows slightly, she started to laugh mischievously like a villain hatching a sinister plot.

After teasing for a while, Luna finally opened her lips and shouted loudly.

“Hassan, don’t be surprised! I’m going to tell you something amazing!”

“Something amazing?”

“My Karma value has reached an impressive 32! This means I’ve earned the qualification to be promoted to Silver Tier! Cha-ching!”

With a “cha-ching,” Luna handed me a small scroll-like object.

『Name: Luna Noxdotti

Strength: 9

Agility: 14

Stamina: 9』

There, numbers measured by the guild’s Karma detection device were clearly written. Indeed, if you add up those numbers, they easily exceed 30.

The standard for promotion to the Silver Tier is a total score of 30.

Of course, I already knew Luna’s level, but I decided to act quite surprised, as reactions are important in romance.

“Amazing! It has increased a lot!”

“I used to struggle with mere temple cleaning! And now I’m a silver tier! Isn’t it surprising? Everyone was shocked! People asked me questions, and I was breaking a sweat!”

Luna herself seemed to hardly believe her own growth. It feels like just the other day she was scrambling around with Dr. Malco and the old professor during the goblin attack.

It’s astonishing how quickly Luna has become this strong.

“With this growth rate, besides Hippolyte and Hassan, there’s no one else but me! Could I be a demigod? Hassan, could I possibly be a demigod? Everyone has been asking me that!”

A demigod, eh.

Luna seemed to have reached an answer regarding her identity and existence. However, Luna is not a half-man-half-god demigod.

Upon closer examination, the ancient beings that embody magic and the foundation of the world—night, darkness—are Luna herself, aren’t they?

Luna is not a demigod but simply a god.

An unaware swan who thinks it’s a duck.

However, it’s something I cannot say out loud.

“How does it look through Hassan’s eyes? Could I be a demigod? Can I become a god?”

“Hmm—”

I decided to answer Luna’s questions with just the bare truth.

“Luna, to me, you are not a demigod.” You are another possibility with a much more intense and powerful potential.

Of course, the rest of the story I can’t say out loud.

“R-Really? Then… Not a demigod… As expected…”

Luna’s spirits plummeted with my denial.

A brief silence passed between us.

I then asked Luna to change the mood.

“So, did you successfully re-register with the adventurer’s guild?”

“Y-Yeah! I accepted a commission to ascend to the Silver Tier! The detailed content is written on this scroll…”

With her dampened spirits, Luna perked up a little and spoke energetically.

“A silver-class promotion quest! Isn’t it fantastic? The content is also impressive!”

A quest to ascend to the Silver Tier. In simple terms, it’s like a level-up quest to determine if one is worthy of wearing a silver necklace.

I took the scroll Luna handed me and opened it. The words written on it appeared quite unfamiliar to me.

「10 Goblin Fangs

2 Hob Goblin Fangs

2 Black Mane Troll Fangs

1 Mountain Giant Essence

50 Elder Pine Stump Logs」

It resembled a recipe list but, having been somewhat experienced as an adventurer, I realized it was more like a bounty list.

Collecting these items is Luna’s level-up quest, it seems.

It’s a reasonable system—it’s beneficial for the guild to gather the necessary materials, and Luna can prove her might and skills. It feels a bit like doing game quests.

I used to play a lot of such quest-heavy games in the past.

There was a time when I enjoyed cultivating characters in RPGs, but at some point, RPGs started fading, leaving only instant-match games like fast food joints.

Why is it so? Has life become too harsh that everyone has grown tired of the patient grind of leveling up?

While I was lost in these nostalgic thoughts,

“Hassan, I, um….”

Luna began to stutter.

“Uh, you see….”

Luna always spoke her mind confidently, but when she starts to hesitate like this, it’s often because she’s about to say something very important.

She looked at the old crocodile leather sandals I bought her and at her protruding toes before stuttering a long while.

“Is there something you want to say?”

“Well, it seems that this time, for the Silver Tier adventurer promotion, it’s not just about gathering items… It’s also important to show that one has friendly relationships or connections with other adventurers.”

“Really?”

There was such a thing? I hadn’t known because I had leveled up haphazardly before. Luna added a few words.

“Looking at the materials, it’s clear that enemies like Hob Goblins or Black Mane Trolls are too powerful for me alone. So, if you don’t mind, would you consider joining my party?”

“Ah—So that’s what it is.”

“At least two silver-tier adventurers need to join me. I opened a guild, I can make potions, but I don’t know many other Silver Tier adventurers.”

Indeed, Luna seems to be making use of her connections to people like me. Reflecting on it now, every time Luna asked me for something, she would always find it difficult and embarrassing, from the very first time we met.

“Sure.”

“R-Really!?”

At my consent, Luna visibly cheered up.

“Hassan, considering you’re a god and quite busy, I didn’t think it would be easy to ask you. Really?”

“Of course, the profit-sharing will naturally be three parts for you, Luna.”

“T-Then, that’s fair. Yup Yup.”

“And three for me, and three for another Silver Tier adventurer, with the last one as one. Let’s go 3:3:3:1.”

“Really? Can I really get the same settlement amount as Hassan?”

I happened to be wanting a good, intensive workout myself.

Luna’s suggestion was a very good deal for me as well.

*

“This kind of picnic makes me very happy…! Once in a while, just relaxing without worrying about anything is also important…!”

The chilly wind whipped through a forest path.

To be more precise, it was a region of the logging site where Luna first built her shack long ago to gather wood.

Pahsuk, Pahsuk…

Dry leaves crumbled under Paranoi’s clumsy feet as she shuffled and stomped through the paths layered with fallen leaves.

Occasionally, she joyfully kicked a pile of accumulated leaves with her shoes.

Barask, Barask…

“The autumn leaves crunch like well-baked cookies…! Autumn is full of the sounds of delicious foods…!”

Of course, making such a racket inevitably kicked up dust, and it’s only natural that Elfide, the noble elf mage, frowned.

“Miss Nymph, could you please stop? You’ve seen autumn leaves plenty of times.”

“Paranoi is a nymph born in the autumn, which is why autumn is especially dear to her…! It’s necessary to cultivate sensitivity to autumn and nymph qualities simultaneously…!”

“Hmph. Whatever.”

I suddenly wondered if this party was really going to be okay.

Our destination was deep within the logging area.

It was said that old pine tree monsters, the Elder Stumps, and a settlement of the Black Mane Tribe, a cluster of beasts, lived there.

Because of this, even Joseph, the logging site personnel, and veteran adventurers of the Bronze Tier usually stayed well away from deep inside the forest.

“Deep within the logging area are goblins, hob goblins, and troll bastards. They’re all quite terrifying creatures.”

Joseph vented about the monsters who had arbitrarily taken over and settled in his logging site.

The monsters are plotting to enslave humans and rule the world—that sort of delusional ranting about victimization was just a bonus.

Anyway, we need a lot of firewood before winter arrives, but with those Black Mane bastards around, it’s not easy! And recently, they’ve suddenly become quiet, which seems quite suspicious. There are more flies at the logging site too!

This Silver Tier commission was received from Joseph of the logging site.

“Get rid of those cursed beasts! If you succeed, I will certainly make a generous donation to your shrine, Hassan! It’s clear that those monsters are up to something nefarious!”

“Alright then, we’ll go check it out.”

And thus, Luna, Elfide, Paranoi, and I gathered together in this party for investigation and extermination.

Luna, for her Silver Tier quest—responsible for crowd control, supporting role.

I, having leveled up to level 45, decided to test my strength in actual combat—I’ll cover the frontline mainly.

Elfide, as the spectator of the Silver Tier and a party member—since she’s a fire mage, she’ll be the primary dealer and double as a joker card in case of emergencies.

And lastly, Paranoi—.

“Autumn it is…!”

—Paranoi seemed to have erratic mood swings lately, so we brought her along partly to let her enjoy the fresh air. Factually, she’s also in charge of the inventory.

So, here’s the completion of our party of four.

Though I considered bringing along Hippolyte or Antiope, they’re too strong. If they were here, we’d end up riding a bus, and I won’t have the chance to test my own strength.

Tubuk, jeobuk, Basurak…

As we walked along the forest path for quite a while, Luna said:

“I came here with Kalidur to hunt Stumps before. I remember that time. The leaves have all fallen now, so it doesn’t feel the same.”

Luna seemed to recall the first time she came to the logging site long ago. I, too, still vividly remember that time.

We battled some really strange tree monsters here. And this was the first place I met Paranoi.

“Crunch crunch autumn leaves, autumn nymph – swaying cosmos – tiny flower buds -.”

Back then, Paranoi wasn’t like this. Could it be that her head got injured from being hit too hard on the back by Kalidur?

Kalidur is a human weapon, so it’s quite plausible.

“Kalidur…”

Only Elfide grimaced slightly at the mention of Kalidur, the stalker who had come from Albrheim, but it was momentary.

Dalgeulak…

When we noticed bones and peculiar jewelry hanging on the trees along the way at the forest, filled with bare branches from falling leaves, we stopped our steps and became tense.

“It’s a beast’s mark.”

Luna displayed an unprecedented level of heightened alertness, but I was excited to test my strength right away.

“Alright, let’s see what’s ahead.”

[Author’s Note]

Mr. Nuo13! Mr. Tashiurd! Mr. Paranoi Allowance! Miss Sexylongem! Mr. Potetosever! And Mr. Ewaz who sent a king sponsorship coupon! Thank you for the sponsorship coupons…!!!

And there are many people who have sent manuscript fee coupons…!!! The difficult Thursday has ended and Friday has arrived…!!!

I support all the readers who made it through the toughest hump of the week, Thursday, to reach Friday safely…!!!

For that reason, I’ve cast Keng Keng’s voodoo…!!!

Though I cannot explain, this will surely be a voodoo for a delightful Friday…!!!

Keng Keng!!

People Preparing for Winter

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