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

Chapter 162

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Chapter 162 – Lipsum Town

In this other world, the day ends after 24 hours, which is the same length as on Earth.

And the flow of the seasons is also the same as on Earth, although there is no calendar, so it’s just a feeling, but it doesn’t seem too different.

“(The sun is setting early… and it’s a little chilly up here…)”

In terms of size, it’s probably about three times bigger than Bezart?

On the way, I saw several villages and settlements, but they were on a completely different scale from the man-made structures I saw.

I think that’s the town of Lipsum.

After landing on the roof of the large building I had seen from the air, I put on a mask and descended to the side road.

This time, the landing site was quite close to the center of town.

As I was wondering which way to go, I turned around and saw an inn, so I took the opportunity to secure a room.

Before I could check if there was a bath, they started explaining the optional prices, like how much a bucket of hot water cost and how much a piece of cloth cost, so I knew there was no bath before I even asked.

After putting my things in my room, I wandered around the town.

After buying a large leather cloak at a clothing store that caught my eye, I went to the Hunters’ Guild in the same central area while looking for a place to eat tonight.

I needed to gather information for tomorrow.

As the counter was crowded with people exchanging money, I went straight to the reference room, which I couldn’t wait to see.

Smiling to myself at the large number of pages, I began to read the information about the nearby hunting grounds.

There were three hunting areas around Lipsum.

The F-ranked Pier Plain Hunting Ground, the E-ranked Calcum Forest Hunting Ground, and the D-ranked Biblons Marsh Hunting Ground make up a composition of hunting grounds that looks like a good environment for hunters starting out in this town.

It’s a world away from Malta, which is a hunter-killer that suddenly jumps from E-rank to B-rank.

However, I don’t need to go to the F-rank hunting ground of Pier Plain, so I’ll only go to two places this time.

Pier Plain is full of monsters I’ve already defeated, including Horned Rabbits, Goblins, and Funbees.

I went to Trann Forest in Mir to see if the skills I could gain would be different in a different location, but the results were the same as before.

Then, I’ll look for a place where I can efficiently gain new skills, and if I find out later that there are exceptions, I’ll come back after I’ve gained Spatial Magic.

The first two monsters I encountered in the E-ranked hunting grounds of Calcum Forest were.

Beeky Boar and Layard Fairy. The former is a boar, as you can see from the picture, and I can kind of guess what skills it has.

The problem is the latter.

The fact that it’s called a fairy gives me a certain feeling.

And the description says that it’s a pesky monster that heals the wounds of Beeky Boar and Orcs.

At this point, all I can say is, “Thank you, Fairy-san.”

I have finally joined the ranks of the healers.

And finally, the last D-rank hunt, Biblons Marsh, is just a normal swamp-like monster.

The four monsters that appear are all new to me and are described as Grow Hound, Myconid, Giant Worm, and Grey Ooze.

Looking at the illustrations, they look like a dog covered in mud, a mushroom, a steak from a restaurant in Malta, and something that looks like pudding.

These are the only impressions I can come up with, and they don’t really give the impression of having any useful skills.

The higher the level of the monster, the more likely it is to have high-level skills, so I’m really looking forward to the bonus status.

Fufufu… As I thought, it’s so much fun to look at the light novels in a new town.

I went to the reception desk in a happy mood, wondering which way to go first, and also looked at the request board.

Then, two wooden boards that I’d never seen before were hanging there as if to claim their existence.

“(Hmm? Red frame…?)”

The wooden plaque itself is the same size and material as the others.

However, it is framed with red paint or something, and of course, it stands out from the many requests.

“(The content―ah, it’s an urgent search request, as I thought.)”

The fact that something is highlighted means that it is urgent.

I knew that an urgent search request had been issued in Bezart before, but this is the first time I’ve seen the details of the request posted like this.

“Both went missing during the regular hunting request in the Biblons Marsh, one 6 days ago and the other 2 days ago…”

It seems that the missing people were in a party of 2 and a party of 3, and each of the survivors is rewarded 15 gold coins.

In other words, it says that the reward is about 150,000 beeke per person.

If you ask me if that’s expensive or cheap, I’d say cheap…

I suddenly look back.

There are many hunters waiting for their rewards, and guild members are smiling and talking to them.

There are also many hunters who have already received their rewards and are grinning as they place their coins on the table to share with their friends, and in the back of the dining hall, people are making so much noise that they can’t be heard over the din, so there is no sign of a depressed atmosphere in the guild at all.

Yes, this is everyday life.

Even if someone close to you goes missing, the days go by without incident, and the world is a carefree place where lives are forgotten.

“(I think I’ll try hunting in the Biblons Marsh for now…)”

I don’t have a sense of justice that makes me want to find them myself.

It might be possible if it was two days ago, but if it was six days ago, it’s probably hopeless.

I can’t imagine that they’re still alive in an environment full of monsters.

However, if I’m going to go hunting anyway, I should choose the option that may increase my reward.

I looked at the other requests and then went to the crowded reception area to ask for information about the Biblons Marsh.

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

The next day.

It was just about the time the sky began to clear.

In the slightly foggy, eerie atmosphere, I couldn’t help but get excited, so I went to work at Biblons Marsh early in the morning.

It’s only about 5 minutes from the town if I use the Flight.

I haven’t had any breakfast yet, but if there are any Giant Worms around, I won’t have to worry about eating.

“Whoo-hoo! I’ve got the hunting grounds all to myself!”

I run around the marsh in my ordinary clothes, shouting and swinging my sword.

I cut down monsters indiscriminately as I see them.

I go to the places where I’ve detected monsters with Presence Detection and cut them down without hesitation.

I’m on guard for the first 10 minutes or so, and after that, I just work on collecting skill experience points and magic stones.

I was convinced by the movements of the Growhounds, which seemed to be the fastest here, and by feeling the mud kicked up by the Giant Worm’s Trample with my own skin.

Ah, even if I fall asleep in this hunting ground, I won’t die.

The only interesting thing was that the Myconid neither moved nor attacked; it just dealt multiple debuffs with its Spore.

I was worried about getting paralyzed or falling asleep, but the more I killed them, the more they gave me the two types of resistance: Paralysis Resistance and Sleep Resistance. So, the poisonous-looking Myconids had already become my favorite prey.

Before noon, I ventured into the depths of the swamp, where other hunters didn’t seem to go very often, and placed the oversized basket I had filled with only magic stones at a point with a good view and took a break to eat.

Thinking that I’d like to have a frying pan, I cut the Giant Worm meat and the Myconid, which was also listed as an edible ingredient, into palm-sized pieces and grilled them.

The Giant Worm is about 2 meters long.

It looks like the larva of a beetle I raised a long time ago has grown up and turned orange, so it should be as scary as it gets…

Still, it’s so delicious that you feel weak all over when you eat it.

If I were still in Japan, I don’t think I would have touched it, no matter how delicious it was, but I really feel like my spirit has become harder since I came to this world.

Even this mushroom is purple in places, and just by looking at the color, it would normally be a poisonous mushroom that you would reject and throw away.

But after roasting them and sprinkling them with salt, they are plump, crunchy, and delicious.

They look like shimeji mushrooms, but they are about 50 cm long, and each one has a solid umbrella like a shiitake.

After eating, I drink the water I made myself, and while putting out the fire, I also wash the mud off my body with the water.

As long as it’s daylight, I won’t feel cold, and if I run around again, I’ll be dry in no time.

But where have they gone?

I’ve been looking for the axe with my Investigation since this morning, but I can’t find it at all.

Last night at the reception, I checked what kind of party the missing hunter was at.

I guess there aren’t many hunters who are interested in research and rescue.

Since there was no receptionist making a rattle like an office lady, I waited for the counter to open while having dinner in the cafeteria. When I thought it was about time, I called out to the receptionist at random, and another receptionist who had been hiding jumped out from the side and told me about the missing person’s information.

――She was the receptionist who smiled and helped me earlier.

She told me everything she knew, including the job structure, names, genders, and heights of each hunter, the materials they usually exchanged for cash, and the tendencies of the monsters they usually hunted.

However, if they had been killed by a monster, it’s unlikely that Investigation would have found them by name.

The most likely scenario is that they have already been eaten and are in the monster’s stomach.

However, there are no monsters that big, so there is no need to worry about being eaten.

What both parties have in common is that they both have hunters who prefer axes.

So, whether they are alive or dead, I thought the weapons would be a good marker.

“If they fell into the swamps here and there, depending on the depth, the range of the Investigation wouldn’t reach them, would it?”

There are monsters that live in this area that seem to have the ability to pull people into the swamps.

A monster that is made entirely of mud and can switch between solid and liquid form using the Mudification skill.

Because of this, even if you think you’ve cut it in half, it will fight back completely unharmed, which can be a bit annoying.

Well, it’s mud, so even if it fights back, it won’t hurt.

I stare at the monster, which is about 20 meters away, trembling like a pudding.

“…Grey Ooze, did you do something?”

Of course, I don’t get an answer.

It’s as if it knows me and is challenging me, but it’s still shaking.

“Hah, I don’t know what the cause is…”

I muttered to myself and started running towards the Grey Ooze as if to start the second half of the game.

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