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

Chapter 254

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Chapter 254 – Study Session

“Alicia? I brought you something!”

“Oh, Loki-kun. I’m in the middle of something. Wait a moment, please.”

“Okay.”

I lit a fire in the rest area that had been set up in the vacant lot and laid out some food on a stone table.

For some reason, I visit the upper plateau every day to check on things.

Its appearance changed day by day, and now it was settled. Alicia was the only one active there at the moment.

She was in the final stages of building a log house and had started working on the roof.

She looked more like a craftsman in work clothes than a healer. Even with her awkward posture, though, the things she was making were starting to take shape.

As you would expect from a goddess with a level 10 Construction skill.

I don’t really understand, but she seems to be getting the hang of it.

“Phew, sorry to keep you waiting.”

Alicia wiped the sweat from her forehead with her arm and gave a dazzling smile.

“No, no, it’s almost done. It looks completely different from when it was leaning at first.”

“Fufu, I want to build a nice house, after all. I’m learning techniques from not only the Demon King, Zeo-san, but also from the people who visit the church.”

“Oh, as expected of a goddess! Hey, that reminds me. Didn’t some people use ‘nails’ too?”

“Nails? That’s… I don’t think I’ve heard of that before.”

“Huh? They’re thin iron rods that you hammer into wood to fix it in place. Maybe they don’t exist in this world yet?”

Nails are the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to carpentry, and since Zeo is a demihuman, I thought he was using traditional methods.

Iron products, such as swords and spears, are common, so nails should be available somewhere.

“Could it be something common on Earth?”

“I think every house uses them, except in very special cases. Hmm, maybe information is limited in some areas. I’ll ask the people who helped me in the town I showed you the other day if they can make some.”

“Please do!”

Hmmm.

If they’re not widely available, it might be worth asking around.

It might be hard to make spinning screws, but someone could probably make nails.

Whether they’ll be worth money is another question.

“Anyway, I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more.”

“It’s okay. I understand what’s important to you, Loki-kun.”

I’ve said it from the beginning, but I still feel really bad about it.

I still want to defeat monsters and become stronger.

Now that I’ve met Hans-san, a great role model, and realized how strong he is, I can’t just relax and build a house here.

All I can do is help out with small tasks at the end of the day. If I get a high-level Night Vision skill from the owl, I’ll probably go hunting at night whenever I have free time.

“Besides,”

“Huh?”

“It’s hard work, but I’ve learned that it’s really fun to be passionate about something.”

“I understand how you feel… Alright, for someone as hardworking as you, I’ve prepared this! These are delicious fruits that I picked from the monster tree!”

The monster trees in the southern B-rank area had several bright red fruits hanging from their branches, clearly meant as bait.

If you try to pick them carelessly, you’ll be restrained by the underground roots and impaled by the sharp branches. But if you defeat the tree, you’ll get the plump fruit.

At first, I thought it was a trap, but when I used Appraisal, the fruit was identified as “edible.”

My Appraisal level was too low to identify it further. However, if it were edible, I might as well give it a try. I cut one open, took a bite, and realized it was the sweetest fruit I had ever tasted. I jumped up from where I was sitting during my break.

It was certainly several levels above the high-quality Rapol fruit I had eaten at Bezart’s church in the past.

“Wow, this is incredibly sweet! It’s delicious!”

“Right? This fruit can only be obtained by defeating a B-rank monster. There’s plenty, so feel free to eat as much as you like. I wonder if the others will eat it, too.”

“Should I call them? It’s busy at the church right now, so Ria may not be able to move.”

“Ril needs to sleep a little longer to recover, and the other three have already left on their journey.”

This seemed to be the reason why Felin and the others were working so hard.

The preparations for the expedition were complete, and the goddesses had already begun to move.

“Yes, but they’re those three, so I’m sure they’ll come right away if you tell them.”

“Then I wanted to ask you about the things I need to buy. Is that okay? If Ria is busy, it’s fine to prepare them later, since I’ll be going hunting anyway.”

“Then please wait a moment.”

Alicia stopped moving, so I took out a wooden plate and began cutting the mysterious fruit into pieces.

In less than 10 seconds, a swirling purple mist appeared.

It looked like there were five of them.

“I heard there was some delicious fruit here!”

“Where’s the amazing fruit?”

“We came to eat!”

“I heard Loki-kun was here.”

“Maybe I’ll feel better if I eat some.”

“…”

Well, that’s how it goes, I guess, I said as I handed out the sliced fruit to everyone.

Since there was no other option, I gave Ril some raw unicorn meat.

“Here, Ril. This is the raw unicorn meat that Carla praised so highly and ate so much of. Zeo said it’s safe to eat, but if you don’t like it raw, you can cook it.”

“Huh!?”

“Oh, I want to try it too!”

“It’s red, so I’ll eat it too.”

Ril, you got really energetic as soon as you saw the meat, didn’t you?

I don’t really understand Ria’s criteria for deciding whether to eat something.

…Well, whatever.

Everyone is trying their best, and they still can’t contact Felza-sama. Even if the goddesses work hard, there’s no one to praise them.

At least I’ll do what little I can.

After that, we ate a normal meal and discussed how to set up the bath. I feel it’s my mission as a bath craftsman to do that.

Then, I asked if anyone had any shopping requests in town. Since there were six of them, I suggested it would be a good time to start.

“Well, since it’s a good opportunity, I’d like to start a study session now.”

“”””””Huh?””””””

Since no one seemed to understand, I placed the new books I had bought the other day on the stone table I had just cleared.

I heard a few muffled cries, but I didn’t pay them any attention.

“These are valuable resources for learning about the lower world. They’re really expensive, so please handle them with care. Now, everyone, take one book each.”

“”””””…””””””

‘Military Strengthening: Horse Breeding Methods.’

‘Continental Dungeon Travelogue: Volume 1.’

‘List of Magic Tools: Volume 2.’

‘Let’s Get a Cat.’

‘Who Do You Think I Am? I’m Romando!’

‘Auction Host Countries: Their Scale and Trends.’

‘Skill Level Verification: Farming Edition.’

These seven books, of varying thicknesses, are arranged as shown.

Some of the titles are so ridiculous that you wouldn’t believe they’re worth millions. But I’m the one who said I wanted all the books in the royal capital’s library.

I intend to add these to my collection.

“Oh, I want to read this!”

With that, Felin immediately grabs “Skill Level Verification: Farming Edition.”

Of course, that’s why I brought out the books.

Next, Feeril also…

“I think I’ll take this one…”

She picks up… Huh?

Unexpectedly, she picks up “Military Strengthening: Horse Breeding Methods.”

I thought that book would be more suited to Ril and that Feeril would choose “Let’s Get a Cat,” but… well, whatever.

“I’m interested in auctions.”

Riste picked up “Auction Host Countries: Their Scale and Trends.”

Ria silently picked up “List of Magic Tools, Volume 2,” so I also reached for “Continental Dungeon Travelogue, Part 1.”

After all, I hadn’t finished any of them yet.

I don’t like to stack up books I’ve bought without reading them, but since I don’t live in a dorm, I haven’t had the time.

“I’ll take this one.”

“Eh?”

I was definitely reaching for it normally.

But then Ril swooped in from the side and snatched the “Continental Dungeon Travelogue, Part I” I was aiming for so fast that my vision blurred.

Why was she so fast? Wasn’t she sick?

Now I’ve lost it.

“It might be nice to have a pet.”

Alicia grabbed “Let’s Get a Cat” as if nothing had happened.

“…”

I see. So it’s me.

‘Who do you think I am? I’m Romando.’

No, I don’t know you. Who the hell are you, Romando?

A glowing sphere appeared above my head. After I made coffee for everyone, we sat around the bonfire and read our books in silence.

I left four other books that I had acquired previously, so that those who had finished reading could read another one.

Romando… Hmm, a wandering noble?

He seems to have recorded his travels around the world, but from his writing, he comes across as someone who solved problems with money rather than as an adventurer.

A private carriage with a private coachman?

No matter which page I look at, there are references to how delicious a dish was in a certain country or how worth trying the local cuisine in a certain region is.

In fact, he even calls himself a gourmet.

I don’t know what era Romando is from, but I’m not familiar with any of the place names in the book.

Without knowing the regions, there’s no reference point.

As I muttered to myself, I turned the page and froze when I saw what was written:

“The white grains were a substitute for wheat, but they had a flavor that could not be replaced. This time, I ate them boiled, but I hear that in the East, they are steamed. I would love to try them someday.”

(The country name is… “Ortran”? Is that right? From the word “Domia” that comes after it, it seems like that might be the place name.)

“Excuse me.”

I felt bad for interrupting everyone who was quietly reading.

But I had to confirm this.

“Do you know if ‘Ortran’ is a country or place name?”

Surprisingly, Ril answered immediately.

“It should be near the Dwarf Kingdom. I know that area well. The name appears in this book.”

She showed me the cover, which said, “Continental Dungeon Travelogue, Volume 1.”

Haha!

No way!

In other words…

Ortran is the best country in the world, where both “dungeons” and “something that seems like rice” exist.

By the way, I mentioned to Ril that this book is only about food, and sure enough, she was hooked. We successfully traded books.

As I flipped through the pages of “Continental Dungeon Travelogue: Volume 1,” which I was most interested in, I found that, as expected, much of the content struck a chord with me.

Since it’s a beginner’s guide, it starts with the basics of what a dungeon is, which is helpful for novices like me.

According to the book, dungeons are special places also known as the “land granted by the gods,” and, because of their nature, they are believed to have been created by the gods long before ancient humans existed.

Apparently, there are only three dungeons in the world. I was surprised that there weren’t more, but as I read on, I realized it wasn’t so unusual when you consider how special they are.

The monster-infested areas I usually visit have specific monsters that appear. Defeating them yields magic stones and materials that are essential for people’s daily lives.

However, dungeon monsters don’t possess magic stones, and their corpses immediately dissipate into mist, meaning that they have completely different properties than the monsters I’m used to fighting.

You can’t pick up magic stones or materials, so what’s the point?

It depends on the difficulty level of each dungeon, but the beginner’s dungeon, “Treasure-Rescue Labyrinth,” which is summarized in the first chapter, is described as follows:

◆”The Treasure-Rescue Labyrinth”

A 40-floor underground labyrinth dungeon located in Ortran.

A variety of monsters appear, but the main enemies are kobold armies armed with various weapons, which have been confirmed to exist on all floors.

In addition to floor bosses appearing every ten floors, the dungeon boss of the “Treasure Rescue Labyrinth,” the Minotaur, appears on the 40th floor. However, most adventurers will never see these bosses.

Bosses, or Guardians, revive within half a day, even after being defeated. They are said to have a high drop rate for rare items. Those seeking to defeat them must either negotiate with those stationed at the site or eliminate them.

◆Drop Items

Seeds: In addition to the seeds of vegetables, fruits, animals, and fish, there are extremely rare cases where growth seeds are dropped.

Minerals (Grades 10–6): Drop rates vary by grade but are reasonably consistent.

Items (Grades 10–6): Weapon and accessory drops within the target grade are rare, with extremely rare instances of enhanced drops and ultra-rare instances of special enhanced drops.

Skill Books: Depending on their type, color, and thickness, they drop from very rarely to extremely rarely.

Occupation Books: Depending on the type and color, they drop from very rarely to extremely rarely.

Fragments of Wisdom: They drop very rarely to extremely rarely. It depends on the number.

Additionally, hunters who use dungeons as hunting grounds are apparently referred to as “drop hunters,” and the books refer to them as “gamblers,” which is likely accurate.

After all, defeating a monster doesn’t guarantee that something will drop.

According to the book, the drop rate is around 50%, but most of those are things like nuts or small seeds.

Sometimes living creatures—such as animals or fish—appear, and hunters stay there to use them as food while collecting mineral fragments that occasionally drop. They aim for larger drops.

This is the lifestyle and livelihood of drop hunters.

Minerals are special and referred to as “divine gifts,” and even small quantities are extremely pure.

As a result, minerals range in grade from 10 (iron) to 6 (silver) and can be converted into a substantial amount of money if enough are collected.

However, due to the low drop rate, hunting “outside” tends to be more stable and profitable. In the end, they have no choice but to rely on rare drops.

That’s why they are called “gamblers.”

As for the actual drops of target minerals, they seem to drop if you keep going, but special enhancements, skill books, occupation books, growth seeds, etc., are rare.

These items, which appear to be highly enticing, are said to be extremely rare, to the point where it’s not uncommon for some to never be dropped, even after a span of 30 years of hunting.

(On the other hand, if they do drop, they can fetch billions, even in beginner dungeons.)

It’s just a guess, but I’d probably pour all my money into growth seeds.

If I could use a book to choose my occupation, I’d spend all my money on “Occupation Books” for advanced occupations.

As the name “Treasure Rescue” suggests, the dungeons in this world may be a kind of life-extension device with rewards.

It’s like Noah’s Ark, a place that provides seeds for when the seeds are extinct.

I wonder if there are humans among the biological species that drop, and why there are no armor drops.

As I tried to gather these questions to ask the goddesses in front of me…

Seeing everyone reading the books so seriously, I quietly shook my head, thinking, “This is dangerous.”

(Sigh… No matter how much money I earn in this world, it’ll never be enough.)

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