Read Novel Full Chapter 279
Chapter 279
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Chapter 279 – Various Goals
The next day at the base:
Lodge, Zeo, and Carla gathered at the detached dismantling site.
Everyone was quietly looking forward to the boss’s materials.
“By the way, Lodge, have you ever seen the real thing?”
“Only once, a long time ago. But it was just the skin after it had been cut up. Back then, I wasn’t even allowed to touch the materials.”
“Oh, I see. Well, then! Let’s get started! Here we go!”
With a thud, a massive dragon was pulled out onto the empty lot nearby.
It looked as if it had been summoned, but its neck had been cleanly severed. The fact that the head had been cut into rings the day before, making it shorter, was a secret.
“Whoa! This thing is huge!”
“It’s massive!”
“Hmm, it’s definitely one of the biggest I’ve encountered.”
“Huh? You’ve fought even bigger monsters, Zeo?”
“I’ve fought a few that were bigger than this. Among dragons, the ancient species can be twice this size or more.”
“I see. By the way, have you ever heard of a rotten dragon whose body melted away?”
I looked expectantly at Zeo, then at Carla, but they both shook their heads.
I thought there might be a connection, given the way he talked about it, but it seems like a different breed altogether.
Well, that dragon—or rather, that thing that was so huge that I ended up calling it a dragon—was way bigger than twice this size.
“Wh-whoa, whoa! Can I get right to it?”
“Ah, sorry, sorry. Go right ahead! Carla, you too, please!”
“Yay!”
Before I knew it, Lodge was waving his hands excitedly, and Carla was drooling beside him.
If things kept going like this, all the blood would be gone, but even if I secure it, I have no use for it anyway.
If necessary, I can secure it next time. For now, I’ll leave it all to them.
“Can they really cut it up?” I watched for a moment. Seeing Lodge use Body Strengthening to cut the hide, I figured it’d be fine without my help.
Then, I’d better get on with what I needed to do.
“Well, then. I’m heading out again. Take care of things here!”
▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽
I went to Rosberia and headed straight for the Hunter’s Guild.
I informed Guild Master Omri-san that I would soon be transferring my money withdrawals to Falmenta, and he agreed to draft a letter detailing my balance.
He asked for a little time, so instead of waiting around, I went to Quoitz to get the high agility stat for my Soul Armor.
While I was there, I carried materials to fill the gaps at the dismantling site. For this, I received a “You heartless bastard!” from the man who always waits at the reception desk.
Bathed in that most pleasant barrage of insults, I returned to Omri-san. Seeing the amount on the letter, I let out a strange “Oh ho.”
“Th-the digits… Um, it’s easily over ten billion, isn’t it?”
“Well, it is a dragon species, albeit a small one. Bringing in that much material daily makes it obvious, doesn’t it? Besides, it’s precisely because we have assets of this magnitude that we can request cargo transport from Loki-san.”
“Ah, yeah. There’s always the risk of someone running off with the goods.”
“For Loki-san, the benefit of doing something so petty is slim to none. As the client, there’s nothing more reassuring than that.”
Honestly, I couldn’t care less about stealing monster materials from here.
If the cargo is worth only 200 or 300 million, I’d haul it myself. It’s the obvious choice. I guess my sense of money is completely broken.
Well, even if I act like, “Hey, I’m actually loaded,” I’ll probably blow it all and end up dirt poor again.
Next up is the next goal.
Once I finish mapping Freyville, I’ll head southeast to the dungeon, the “Treasure-Saving Labyrinth.” Deciding what to do after that still depends on this guy, though.
“I’d like to confirm something: Where are the S-rank hunting grounds located?”
“Of course you would, Loki-san. Currently, there’s only one open S-rank hunting ground. It’s located in the Ionest Kingdom, a major power in the northeast part of the continent.”
“Hm? Now, you say? Was it different in the past?”
“I heard that one was swallowed up by the Velfrea Empire in recent years and isn’t open to the public. The other one is just written information. We don’t even know if it actually exists.”
“Ah, so the country forcibly monopolized it. How annoying.”
“As a guild, since our opponent is that empire, all we can do is hope someone liberates it.”
You might think, “What the hell are they doing with everyone’s stuff, dumbass?” But if it’s a country that can crush complaints with force, monopolizing it might be the smart play.
Clearly, it’s an act that would turn the entire Hunter Guild against them. It’s probably not something anyone in their right mind would consider.
But that’s precisely the kind of thing a cocky reincarnated person would casually do.
Well, I’m certainly in no position to talk.
Incidentally, the S-rank hunting ground mentioned in the literature reference apparently refers to the Northern Sea.
There’s probably no map yet because they couldn’t investigate such a vast area, and no plausible locations were found off the continent.
Is there an island? Or is something fantastical spreading out there?
My imagination runs wild, but even if I could go, it’s still a long way off.
For now, I’ll tackle each immediate goal one by one.
Oh, and while I’m at it, I should check this, too.
“Omri-san, do you know a dwarf named Lodge?”
“Lodge? You mean Lodge-san, formerly one of the ‘Five Master Craftsmen’?”
“I’ve heard he can craft S-rank equipment, so it’s probably him. I heard he was in this town until about four years ago.”
“Ah, then it must be him. That’s precisely when the group shrank to the ‘Four Master Craftsmen.’”
This had been on my mind for a while.
Lodge insisted on doing things his own way, and as a result, sourcing materials became difficult.
I could understand that much, but there was also talk of his shop being burned down back then.
He didn’t want to talk much about it, though, and all I knew was that it happened about four years ago.
The only option was to confirm with the Hunter Guild, the most neutral party.
I’ll cooperate with whatever they request, partly because I figured they wouldn’t just brush me off.
I’m not sure what Lodge thinks now, but setting fire to the place clearly crossed a line.
If the people who did such a thing for profit are still living it up now…
Then, please tell me everything you know about the people who cornered Lodge.”
“Understood. I look forward to meeting you again someday.”
It seems the Rosberia-exclusive deposit function will activate today. The transferred balance will cover the immediate cost of purchasing the “Book.”
Going forward, I should receive any income earned in Rosberia in cash whenever possible. That way, I can use it freely whenever the need arises.
After finishing business with the Hunter Guild, my next stop is the Mercenary Guild, which is also present in the Kingdom of Freyville.
I was told that the systems are shared across nations, with national-level management only. After glancing through the list of wanted criminals, I confirmed the details with the receptionist, who was quite pretty.
It seems that when you change countries, your reputation resets, too—except for certain specialized mercenaries. However, I don’t have enough free time to focus solely on mercenary work. As long as I get the criminal information and the bounty, anything goes.
“Hey, are you really going after this ‘Annihilation of the Bernald Family’?”
“Huh? It had the highest bounty, so I took it. Was that a problem?”
“No, the damage is extensive, so taking them out would be ideal. But the brothers leading it are former top-ranked mercenaries in this country, you know?”
“Huh… Well, now I’d definitely like to hear the details on that.”
“Huh?”
She probably meant it as a warning.
But, despite that, I was getting excited, so it’s no wonder she was taken aback.
“By the way, what were their original rankings?”
“I believe it was 25th and 38th.”
Looking up, I saw a large ranking board hung on the wall behind the counter.
As in the Kingdom of Waltz, it was divided into four columns displaying the rankings up to 40th place.
“Could you tell me everything you know about them? Their characteristics, special skills, and area of operation? If it seems doable, I’ll take it.”
“…Huh? Eh, um…”
The flustered lady brought over the documents and read the detailed information written there.
It seemed they primarily operated in the southwestern part of Freyville. Yet information about them had reached as far north as Rosberia, the northernmost region. Apparently, the damage was significant enough that the kingdom took it seriously.
(Take over the town?)
After hearing the lady’s explanation, I wondered if that was even possible.
When I think of the bottom-tier rankers, I remember the Beastman stalker who charged like a bullet. He was certainly fast, but if you asked me if I could have taken him down back then, I would say yes.
Now, I’m considerably stronger than I was then. So while 38th place is guaranteed, 25th place doesn’t really threaten me either.
Hmm…
As I thanked her and headed outside the Mercenary Guild, my thoughts raced.
“Might as well attack from the southwest, huh?”
Beyond that were only C-rank and D-rank hunting grounds, so I hadn’t decided which route to take for mapping. However, if I had another reason to go there, I wouldn’t hesitate.
Those large bands of villains have been causing trouble for about two years now, yet remain unchecked.
Honestly, that 30 million Beeke bounty feels a bit too low. Still, hoping for the “various achievements” that won’t show on the surface, I left Rosberia—the town that helped me grow so much.
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