Volume 1 Chapter 8 In The Night Forest
"Well, I've worked pretty hard and managed to get a total of 15 gold coins."
As soon as I woke up in the morning, I made my way to a shop located in a less popular backstreet.
It was a shop that had everything from weapons to materials scattered about, and I couldn't even tell what kind of shop it was. While looking at the orc bodies and skeleton ogre bones placed on the floor, the middle-aged shopkeeper with a bearded face said so.
By the way, goblins cannot be purchased.
(This is quite different from what I heard...)
I had heard that ogre bones were sturdy and, furthermore, had magic properties due to being undead, so I thought they would fetch a considerable amount of money. But in reality, it seems that's not the case.
I don't have any plans to use the money I have right now, even if I have a lot of it, but when I sold the materials from the killing bears, I got a hundred gold coins.
Thinking about that, it feels a bit, or rather, quite cheap.
"When I say fifteen coins, I mean fifteen coins. If you have any complaints, feel free to go elsewhere. It doesn't bother me at all."
I felt like the shop owner had understood what I was thinking, as he said that with a smirk while crossing his arms, staring at my face.
Usually, adventurers can sell materials at a fair price through the guild.
Unless they have some kind of connection with merchants who have shops on the main street, that's usually how it's done.
But I can't use the guild.
Furthermore, this shop probably has little connection to the outside world.
It's just a guess, but they probably deal with things that wouldn't sell in a normal shop.
For example, stolen goods.
I didn't come here to sell such items, but basically, since only customers like that come to this shop, I have to assume they'll look down on me.
That being said, since I couldn't go to the guild in the end, I had no choice but to use this shop.
"Understood. That's fine."
"Then the negotiation is settled."
With that, the shop owner immediately began moving the bones and oak behind the counter.
(There are really a lot of items here, huh.)
As the shopkeeper smiles and carries packages, I gaze at the store's merchandise.
Suddenly, something catches my eye.
It's a jet-black overcoat.
It's casually hung on the store's shelf, so it's probably not all that valuable.
The fabric seems reasonably sturdy, and it comes with a hood that completely covers the head.
It's probably equipment for adventurers.
The condition seems quite good as well.
Come to think of it, I remember what an adventurer I met on the upper floor of the dungeon said about the appearance.
"What about that overcoat?"
As I point to the overcoat and ask, the shopkeeper stops his work and turns towards me.
"Huh? This black one? Well... it's just leftover anyway, so I'll throw it in as a bonus."
The shopkeeper exits from behind the counter, picks up the overcoat, and tosses it over to me.
"Is it okay?"
"What, don't worry about it. It's just some cheap thing that new adventurers would wear... Here's the purchase price. I'll be counting on you from now on."
The shopkeeper placed gold coins on the counter. There were a total of fifteen of them.
I put them into a leather bag and opened the door of the shop, heading towards the back alley.
Surprisingly, the shopkeeper followed me.
"Is there something else?"
"Huh? Today, I'm closing the shop and going to drink. With this, I won't have any financial problems for a while. Just so you know, I won't pay it back anymore."
While saying that, the shopkeeper started locking the doors of the shop.
"This town is overflowing with adventurers, so it's helpful. Thanks to that, business is easy."
"Did you come from another town?"
"Well, something like that. There are many dungeons nearby, so monster materials are easy to come by. Because of that, we're thriving. On the other hand, Cretia itself seems to be dangerous."
The shopkeeper mentioned Cretia, which is the name of the kingdom where this town, Voltana, is located.
"I heard that the King of Cretia is relying on the power of adventurers to exterminate monsters. That's why even S-Rank adventurers are given special treatment and get to meet him personally."
It is, perhaps, about Allen and Balzark.
In other words, they are staying in this town because they were asked by the King of Cretia to exterminate monsters.
However, I can assert that it is absolutely impossible for Balzark.
He would never easily accept just because the King told him to.
First of all, he is the kind of person who treats others like trash. I can't imagine him having the personality to help people.
If that's the case, is there something going on behind the scenes?
What could it be?
"Well, at least earn enough without dying. See you later."
The shopkeeper said, waving his hand as he walked down the backstreet.
(There's no point in thinking about it.)
But now, I have to level up.
I waited patiently until the streets became empty at night, and then I left Voltana and entered the nearby forest. It was to head towards the dungeon.
The forest was pitch black, with only occasional beams of moonlight piercing through.
"(Death)"
'Gwah!!'
Slaying the group of orcs that had gathered in the forest.
They must have been targeting travelers in the night.
During the day, I bought a decent portable lantern from the equipment shop and strapped it to my waist.
While a torch might provide better light, it would hinder my movements by occupying one hand.
Nevertheless, despite venturing deep into the forest, I hadn't encountered any significant creatures yet.
Perhaps there aren't many strong monsters in this forest, if the Killing Bears were just a rare sight.
Then suddenly, I heard the rustling of grass-like sounds coming from ahead.
It was getting closer.
Could it be a new type of monster?
In preparation to cast Instant Death Magic at any moment, I extended my right arm forward.
And then, something emerged from the darkness just ahead.
"Help! Someone!!"
There, standing, was a beastwoman with ears of a beast growing out of her head, a member of the wolf tribe.
The tattered clothes were illuminated by the lantern's light, with numerous scratches and cuts all over her body.
"Mon... monster..."
The woman was trembling, hiding right behind me.
She didn't seem relieved to have escaped.
(Is there something...?)
I looked around in the darkness, but I couldn't see any suspicious shadows.
'Grrr...'
No, it was there.
I heard a low growl.
There was definitely something nearby.
(Death)
I cast magic from outside the effective range.
The jet-black wave flew into the darkness and disappeared as if it had hit something.
It certainly hit, but it vanished.
In other words, there is an opponent ahead for whom Instant Death Magic won't work easily.
But the figure is not visible. It seems to blend into the darkness.
So now, I need to concentrate my mind, relying on presence and sound to search for direction.
(Should I give it a try?)
Using a new ability acquired from the skeleton ogre defeated in the dungeon yesterday (Quadruple).
"(Quadruple Death.)"
From my right hand, a larger wave of skulls than the usual (Death) was emitted.
If the effective range has quadrupled, it should reach far enough unless it's extremely distant.
'Hisss!!'
At that moment, a snake-like cry echoed through the forest.
Simultaneously, a vibration that seemed to shake the ground echoed, and soon the sound moved away from us.
(Strange. There should have been a definite response...)
Death should have definitely had an effect.
Yet the monster fled. Maybe there were several of them.
"Ah..."
The female lycanthrope who was hiding seemed to collapse weakly, so I caught her with both arms.
"Get it together, I'm giving you the potion now."
While speaking, I slowly open the bottle of potion in my hand and make her drink it.
"Ugh…"
After finishing the potion, she closed her eyes as if she had lost consciousness.
"I can't level up like this."
I can't continue fighting like this.
With that in mind, despite being concerned about the monster from earlier, I decided to carry her back to town.
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