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

Chapter 192

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Chapter 192 – The Northern Town of Savarina

The city of Savarina is north of Lagreath.

This northern trading city, with a snow-capped mountain range visible in the distance, is about the size of Malta.

Looking down from above, the town was neatly divided into several main streets, like a chessboard, and looked very livable.

I landed on the roof of a building in the center of the city and immediately checked what it was.

“Yes, yes, I’m getting the hang of it.”

If there’s an open space without a roof inside a building, it’s a Hunters’ Guild.

There had been a few times when I thought that and ended up in the courtyard of an inn, but this time, I managed to land safely in the Hunters’ Guild I was looking for, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Passing through the usual swinging door, I went straight to the reference room, the location of which I had roughly figured out… Hmm?

(There are a lot of people dressed strangely…)

Hunter guilds are pretty much the same in every city, but I felt a little uneasy about the people gathered inside the building. Still, I figured it didn’t matter what people were wearing.

I eagerly grabbed a reference book.

But soon, I let out a sigh and muttered to myself.

“Damn, not even here…”

Looking at the contents, I saw that an F-rank hunting ground and an E-rank hunting ground existed around Savarina and that the C-rank hunting ground I was looking for also existed in this city.

So, the level of the hunting grounds was as expected, but the F- and E-rank hunting grounds only had monsters I already knew.

It took me about four days to reach this town, passing through small towns along the way. Even then, I hadn’t encountered any new monsters, and the only thing that went according to plan was the mapping.

With this, all F- and E-rank hunting grounds north of the royal capital have been cleared.

Things are finally starting to get tough.

Still, at least there are C-rank hunting grounds; I thought as I flipped through the pages.

Hihi.

This time, it’s exactly the opposite.

I couldn’t help but laugh like someone else.

F-C Rank Combined Hunting Grounds: Beils Forest.

A vast forest that stretches out at the foot of the northern Abraum Mountains.

The entire forest is a giant nest of green monsters, with many goblin species inhabiting the shallow to middle layers.

The middle layer, in particular, is home to many settlements of varying sizes, so be careful, as you will often find yourself fighting multiple enemies at once.

Also, when higher-level monsters are present, be aware that the lower-level monsters will act in unison.

The Hunting Ground map is described as such, and the next page lists the names of some very interesting monsters.

Goblin Warrior, Goblin Knight, Goblin Mage, Goblin Rider, Goblin Archer, and more.

In terms of numbers, it seems to be a vast hunting ground where 12 types of monsters coexist, and besides goblins, there are also monsters like Forest Wolves, which appear in the illustrations with goblins riding on their backs.

(Fufufu, fuhehehe.)

I can’t stand to see that kind of information.

I don’t think I can show my face to anyone right now.

I want to go there. I want to fly there right now.

This place… This hunting ground feels like a huge bonus area to me.

The names of the monsters hit me so hard that I can’t help but think like that.

On top of that…

No, no, that’s not good.

First, take a deep breath and calm down.

If I rush in recklessly and die, Feeril’s giant thunderbolt will definitely hit me.

First, I needed to talk to the well-informed old lady at the counter who had all the information.

With that in mind, I suppressed my impatience and headed for the counter.

“Excuse me. I’d like to ask you about the hunting grounds!”

At my words, the old lady in front of me looked surprised, as if to say, “Eh? Why me?” and the pretty lady at the counter next to her looked at me with a “No way” expression.

I mapped the area around me, and since I had arrived in this city today, it was probably around mid-afternoon.

It was still bright outside, and maybe because it was a slow time, the counter was completely empty, but it seemed that my direct approach to the old lady was quite unusual.

That’s okay, isn’t it? People who have worked there for a long time probably have more information.

“U-um, what do you want to know?”

With this information, I interpreted the Beils Forest, which seemed so unfamiliar in my own way and made a simple map of the area in my mind.

“I see. So it’s about two days?”

“Yes. There are no well-maintained paths inside, so I’ve never heard of anyone reaching the middle layer in a single day.”

“The first layer is goblins and hobgoblins, which are a bit bigger… Once you get to the middle layer, there are even larger upper-level goblins, some of whom carry weapons, and if you get further into the middle layer, you might have to face an entire tribe…”

“But there’s no clear boundary, so be careful when you enter. I’ve heard a lot of stories about people being killed by stray individuals from the upper layer.”

“Ah, I can imagine that.”

“Goblins seem to become more intelligent as they get bigger and may call for reinforcements, so if you’re not sure, it’s safer to go to a fixed hunting ground like the Neujan Plains from the beginning.”

“Hmm…”

No problem so far.

If I think of it as a smaller version of Palmera, it shouldn’t be too difficult to understand.

The idea of calling for help is really interesting—it reminds me of ant hell from before and excites me.

So, the part I can’t imagine is from here on.

“How far do you have to go to get through the middle layer?”

“Huh?”

“There’s a shallow layer at the entrance and a middle layer in the middle, right? That means there must be a deep layer as well since there are mountains towering above it.”

“That’s right, but why would you go to the deep layer? Even relic hunters don’t go that far, do they?”

“Hmm?”

I just wanted to hear some information about the deep layer that wasn’t in the reference book, but now I hear something else that piques my interest.

What is it? Are they treasure hunters from another industry?

“Sorry, I just arrived in town today, so I have no idea what you’re talking about… Relic hunters?”

“Oh, sorry. I meant those people behind you.”

Turning around as she said, I saw the strange scene I had first noticed.

They were not farm tools. Several men were carrying shovels and rakes that looked like they were meant for digging, and next to them stood a soldier in plate armor that I had seen many times in the capital.

They didn’t seem to be there to catch anyone for doing something wrong, and they were just chatting casually, so it looked like they were part of a group—a party, even.

“This city is a bit special. Remains of an ancient civilization, supposedly destroyed in the past, have been found in the Northern Forest. That’s why the hunters who specialize in searching for these remains are called ‘relic hunters.'”

“Ah, I see. That’s right.”

Come to think of it, that’s true.

I’m all about hunting, so I thought a hunter’s job was just to kill monsters, but during the initial training, I heard that there are other jobs that aren’t hunting, like hauling wood and getting supplies.

So, there are hunters who don’t specialize in fighting.

They have all kinds of tools around their waists, which gives them a professional look. I wouldn’t do it myself, but there’s something about it that feels like a treasure hunt, and it piques my interest.

“By the way, why are there soldiers?”

“Of course. The artifacts that have been unearthed belong to the royal family that rules the land, so soldiers belonging to the kingdom accompany them for surveillance and protection. That’s why a certain number of soldiers are stationed here at all times.”

“Huh, so the country is responsible for this.”

“They’ve found magical tools that we can’t even make with today’s technology, weapons made of extremely rare minerals, and even books from that era made of metal.”

“Weapons and books too?”

“Those three items are the only ones the country buys at high prices, but apparently, other things like coins from that era also appear. The reason why they haven’t moved today is probably because they were trying to go a little deeper into the layers or into the middle layers. When they do that, they usually work with monster hunters like you who specialize in monster extermination.”

Personally, I find this quite interesting, but it’s the kind of content that would make Ria frown.

They’re probably near the guild entrance, trying to recruit hunters who might be useful for tomorrow’s operation.

I wonder how they’ll divide up the spoils.

There doesn’t seem to be much material to sell for money with the goblins, so aside from the soldiers, who will probably be paid, it feels like a high-stakes gamble—heaven if you find relics, hell if you don’t.

And yet, I haven’t even been approached by any of the parties doing this recruiting work.

I see, I see. Well, that’s fine! I wasn’t going to do it anyway!

Since I heard the reason why the ancient civilization in question was destroyed directly from the person involved, I shouldn’t get involved in relic hunting just out of curiosity.

By the way, I should warn the old lady to be careful with the magic tools.

If something dangerous comes out and is misused, this country will truly be the target of divine punishment.

“Oh, sorry, I got distracted. What about the depths? Are there any monsters there?”

That’s what I want to know the most. I eagerly return to the subject, but…

“I’ve heard that in the past, there were many monsters in the depths, such as orcs and ogres, which were collectively called green monsters.”

“H-hoho!”

“But that was about 20 years ago, I think. I don’t know because it was before I was born, but after a great stampede occurred, there was almost no information about monsters other than goblins. So rumors spread that there might be something there, and no one dared to go near it.”

“H-hoho…?”

“Hey, you should say something like, ‘You must have been born long before that,’ or something…”

The old lady made a fuss, but I was too busy to pay attention.

I felt like I smelled something.

But it also felt like it was very dangerous…

Hmm.

It’s vague, but it feels like there’s a reason for each of these things.

(Well, what am I supposed to do?)

Maybe I’ve filled my time.

I thanked the satisfied old lady for the information about the inn, showed her some money, secured a room with a bath, and checked my watch.

It was 4:00 p.m.

Yes, that’s right, it’s still 4:00 p.m.

That means… I have no choice but to do some light reconnaissance.

Since the only armor I have is the armor with holes in it, I decided not to think about exchanging it for money and just do a quick two-hour reconnaissance mission.

I started flying north, licking my lips impatiently as I measured the flight time to the mid-levels and gathered information on the monsters’ skills.

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