Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 121

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Chapter 121 – Malta Hunting Ground Information

“(Ah… I’m so sleepy…)”

It’s been about five hours since I showed her the contents of the bag.

It’s already past two in the morning.

As I watched Riste playing with the cosmetics, her golden eyes shining in front of me, I felt a little regret that I had made a mistake in showing them to her today.

I usually get more than enough sleep.

So it’s no big deal if I go to sleep at 2 or 3 in the morning.

But today, I only managed to take a nap in the carriage in the morning.

Even then, the vibrations of the carriage were so strong that I was awakened many times, so the intense sleepiness was coming at me like a wave of attacks.

Deep in my heart, I want to shout, “Use your Mind Reading skill to read my mind!” but looking at the situation in front of me, I don’t think it’s the right time to use that skill.

“Is this some kind of powder? It’s color-coded, but is it supposed to be painted somewhere?”

I look at the case and see something square, color-coded into several different colors.

Being a guy, I’m not really sure what it is.

Riste seems to have a keen interest in cosmetics and has been firing off a lot of questions since earlier, but I can’t answer them satisfactorily, and it makes me feel frustrated.

“Hmm, if there’s a blueish color mixed in, I don’t think it’s blush, and it’s probably something you put on your eyes…”

“The eyes? You mean you change the color of your eyes with it?”

“No, no. You put it here…”

With that, I closed my eyes and pointed to my eyelids.

I felt like I was going to fall asleep right there.

“I knew that white powder was put on the face, but do people on Earth put on such vivid colors?”

“I wonder if there are similar things in this world. In the city of Bezart, I hardly ever saw anyone wearing makeup, but in Malta, there were some people who wore quite flashy makeup…”

“I see. It’s hard to understand if you only get your information from merchants.”

“It changes the impression of the eyes a lot. I think it changes a lot because Riste is probably too beautiful to begin with…”

“I-is that so…?”

“Yes… I think it suits you very well. Whether it’s good or bad, I think it gives you a kind of bewitching atmosphere that the other goddesses don’t have…”

“Bewitching…”

“Yes, yes… bewitching…”

“? …Loki-kun?”

“(A seductive Riste is too much…)”

“Lo-Loki-kun…?”

“Whoa! Sorry, I might have been a little distracted!”

“Oh, I-I’m sorry! I got carried away and forgot the time…”

“No, I showed you this because I thought you’d be most interested in it, so don’t worry about it. Anyway, we’ll meet at the inn tonight, and if you’re curious, I can explain as much as I know about it tomorrow and beyond.”

“Thank you. If I can see such wonderful products from Earth in person, I’m happy anytime.”

“Oh, but I might be changing inns, so I don’t know what to do…”

“Is there something you don’t like about this inn?”

“I was hoping for an inn with a bath. But since it’s full today, I might change to that inn if there’s a vacancy.”

“I see. By the way, are you going to hunt monsters tomorrow?”

“No, tomorrow―or rather, today. I’m planning to do some research and things I need to do in the city today. My goal is to get it all done today, right?”

“Then, would you like to work with me tomorrow? Of course, if it’s inconvenient for you not to be alone, I’ll just have to take it off.”

“Hmm? Yes. That’s fine with me.”

“Thank you. I’ll be back tomorrow around noon, so please just leave my shoes here. I’m sorry for keeping you up so late tonight.”

After sending Riste off with these words of apology, I rolled over on the bed and thought about tomorrow’s plans.

“(Tomorrow, I’ll first check the monster information at the Hunters’ Guild, and then after buying some shoes, I’ll meet up with Riste and check the results of the request at the Merchant’s Guild. Then there’s the accessories shop that seems to be in this town. I’d like to get two types of accessories with a bestowal as soon as possible, but the problem is whether or not I have enough money. Even if there is a high-level bestower in this town, if I request a bestowal, I definitely won’t have enough money… If that happens, I wonder how much I can make in the hunting grounds around here…)”

Even if I say that I’m checking my schedule, it’s only for a minute or two.

I was already at my limit, and sleepiness was calling to me, so before I could finish my answer, I fell asleep.

And then in the morning.

I was awakened by the sound of the bell, and after having breakfast at the inn, I thought calmly with a clear head after a second sleep.

“(Actually, I’m supposed to go on a date with Riste this afternoon, right?)”

Because I was too tired to think clearly, I agreed to go out with her last night without really thinking about it.

But when I think about it now, I realize that going out with someone is basically the same as going on a date.

I opened my duralumin case, took out a mirror, and looked at myself――

“(I’m lucky I haven’t grown a beard yet because of my age, but my hair is already long and shaggy… and my clothes are just a rag with lots of bloodstains on it. Am I really allowed to go around with someone of such high standing dressed like this?)”

I didn’t really care when I was with Felin.

In Bezart, many people were dressed similarly, and the atmosphere that Felin gave off naturally made me feel like “as long as it’s fun, that’s all that matters.”

But Riste is different.

She gives off an aura that makes you think she’s a member of royalty, so even if I’m just a squire, I think it would be bad to walk next to Riste like this.

“(It’s not like I’m short on money, and it’s possible that my skills are slowing me down, so maybe I should buy some decent clothes. It would be best if I could find a hairdresser or barber shop, but if not, I’ll probably get some scissors.)”

As I was thinking this, I looked at my watch and saw that it was already half past nine.

I decided it was time to go, so I made my way to the Hunters’ Guild with only my leather pouch of coins and my guild card hanging from my waist.

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

“(The size and number of books are the same as Bezart’s.)”

I called the guild’s receptionist and came to the reference room of the Malta branch, where I picked up one of the two books on a chain in the space of about two tatami mats.

Of course, I took the thinner one.

I have been looking forward to this book since yesterday.

If I can understand the monster, I can imagine what kind of skills it might have, and if I can acquire those skills, I can imagine what I’ll be able to do afterward.

Besides, there’s a B-rank hunting ground near Malta.

I wonder if I can defeat it with my current abilities.

Although I promised myself that I wouldn’t push myself too hard, when it comes to information about hunting grounds where strong monsters appear, it’s probably inevitable that I’ll be interested if I’m the kind of person who looks at information about future strategies in games.

“(Well, what kind of interesting information is in there?)”

When I opened the book, the first thing that jumped out at me was the information on the F-rank hunting ground called Pal Grassland.

As usual, information about the monsters appears, with illustrations.

Looking at it, I see that in addition to the familiar monsters Horned Rabbit and Goblin, there is a new species called Fan Bee.

From the illustration, it looks like a bee.

The material is also the stinger in its back, and I wonder if it is also a poison-related skill.

Well, this F-rank hunting ground is just a bonus.

If there is a new skill, I should probably get it up to level 3 and then move on to the next E-rank hunting ground.

Next…

I turned the page and couldn’t help but grin.

E-Rank Hunting Ground Voice Lake

The monsters that appear here are all new species called Hall Plant, Amber Flag, and Mud Crab, and it’s also the water area I was hoping for.

It’s not written in much detail, but I wonder if the person who made it is different from the person who made Bezart?

I can’t stop getting excited now, thinking that if I do well, I might be able to acquire Water Magic.

I’m sure this place will be easy to defeat, and I just hope there are monsters with high skill levels here.

There was also some very interesting information written.

“(Sometimes golden amber flags appear on rare occasions, huh?)”

Is this some kind of rare monster?

If something like that appeared, I think I’d be too excited to deal with it!

It’s common knowledge that monsters like that have rare skills…

I really want to see one!

…I’m getting excited all by myself.

First, I need to check the information.

Turning the page, I found information about another E-rank hunting ground, Corrado Forest.

Unfortunately, the monster composition here is almost the same as in Lulub Forest.

There are small wolves and rig spiders, and among the monsters I’ve hunted so far, there’s a new species called Snake Bite.

So, it also depends on the skills that this Snake Bite monster has.

If there are any skills I don’t have, I’ll probably have to raise the level to around 3 and be done with it as soon as possible.

Hmm.

Even from the information I’ve gathered so far, it seems that not all the monsters you’ll encounter in new hunting grounds will be new species.

So, as you kill the monsters in the hunting grounds, the rate at which you will encounter new species will gradually decrease.

I don’t know if I should be happy about this or not, but if that’s the case, even if I go to a new town, depending on the nearby hunting grounds, I might have to leave right away.

It’s a journey to find new monsters and new skills.

“(Fufu… Fufufufu… this is so much fun…)”

It’s really fun to plan and fantasize about how to get stronger.

It would be even better if I could go to a new hunting ground and find something rare and unexpected.

But that’s only if I can survive.

Phew.

Let’s take a look at the B-rank hunting grounds in question.

B-Rank Hunting Grounds Devore’s Great Pit

‘A huge cave located in the Green Zone in the northwest of Malta. It is known for the two types of high-ranking individuals that rule the area: the Soldier Ants, which are about 1 meter long and always move in groups, and the Killer Ants, which lurk and attack from hiding.

Although the monsters themselves are low B-rank, the difficulty level is much higher than normal B-rank hunting grounds, as you have to fight several battles in quick succession, and you are in a huge maze where no light can reach the inside.

In addition, there is a queen ant at the very end, which is recognized as a high-level A monster by itself. If the queen ant is defeated by someone, the difficulty will decrease because the rate of monsters appearing inside will decrease significantly for about six months.’

“(Wha, I see.)”

A nest full of meter-long ants… and a queen ant to top it all off…

There were many scenes in the game where I had to fight ants.

I would fish out the ants that were swarming around and defeat them all at once, but I don’t think I could do that in real life.

“(Alright, I think I’ll forget about the ant nest for now!)”

First, I’ll attack the other three hunting grounds.

After I look at the skills and stats I’ve gained as a result, I’ll think about it again.

After that, I went to the dismantling site that was attached to the same place as Bezart, and I called out to the people I saw.

They were busy, so they asked me while they were working, “What is it?” and my answer was, “I will be in your care here from tomorrow.”

While I was there, I tried to ask them for tips on obtaining a high price.

But…

“What? Go ask the hunters! I’m busy here! Can’t you see that?!”

I was shouted at with such force.

In fact, there were huge piles of frogs and crabs on the workbench, and behind them were several materials that seemed to be several times the size of the workbench, waiting to be dismantled.

“(There are four hunting grounds in this town, which is already crowded with people. I guess there are a lot of hunters here too, so it’s probably a lot busier than Bezart…)”

There are a lot of people working on the disassembly, so I don’t think Roddy-san was slacking off…

I understand now that they’re not going to teach me everything like they did at Bezart.

“(I guess not everyone is that friendly and polite. If that’s the case, I guess I’ll just have to learn as I go.)”

As a solo hunter with no acquaintances in Malta, it’s the only option I have.

I started looking for the next target, a shoe store while reciting the material information I had learned earlier in the reference room.

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