Chapter 60

“Four…ty-one!”

I pull the forty-first arrow out from a monster’s corpse.

This is it. This is the biggest hassle for a hunter.

Arrows are consumables, and unless I retrieve them, their numbers obviously decrease.

Sure, I have a massive stockpile in my inventory when checked through the menu screen, but I still want to conserve them. Besides, there are others around watching. Right now, I have no choice but to recover my arrows.

“What’s with that person… Monsters suddenly started falling from the sky…”
“They shot them down? From that high up?”
“Wait, where even did that person come from!?”

This marshland appears to be a frequent site for extermination quests—there were quite a few other adventurers around.

I may have caused a problem. Dropping monsters from above like that… it’s dangerously reckless.

“Everyone, I’m terribly sorry. I failed to consider the possibility that there might be people below. Is everyone alright?”

I spoke to the gathered adventurers.

“Ah, um… we’re okay.”
“Y-yeah, we’re good!”
“Actually, that helped us out. Those things dive at you the second they sense weakness. We’re always watching the sky because of them.”

Hmm. So that’s their behavior pattern.

In that case, this marsh must be their feeding ground—a place to hunt monsters lurking below.

Did the massive flying monster I’m after come here for the same reason?

“I see. I came here to hunt down a massive flying monster. Have there been any sightings?”

“Yes! That was me—I reported it to the guild three days ago!”

I see. Then I definitely need to hear more.

Sharing information with other adventurers is essential—especially in hunts involving search and pursuit.

“Would you mind telling me the details?”
“Sure thing! Since we’re in the marsh, let’s head to that dry patch over there.”
“Yeah, there are still a few Dive Condors circling. Best to move into the forest if we can.”

Dive Condor… so that’s what the monsters I took down were called.

I’ve collected the longest tail feathers from each as proof of subjugation—hopefully that’s sufficient?

When I asked about it:

“Wait, that was your first time seeing them…? Yeah, those tail feathers are the right part for proof. Can’t believe you actually took them down… You must be extremely confident in your marksmanship.”
“Yes, exactly. That’s why I accepted this quest.”

As we moved into the woods, they shared more details.

“Honestly, this is a relief. We saw the monster right around here.”
“Hey! I’m the one who’s supposed to give the report!”
“Yeah yeah, fine.”

So, right around here…

“This marsh spawns undead at dusk. We were out here around that time to hunt them. Then suddenly, the sunset disappeared. We looked up, wondering what was going on.”
“To add, Dive Condors have really poor night vision. They’re usually gone by dusk.”
“Right, so we weren’t watching the sky at all. But then it went dark out of nowhere, and when we looked up, this massive monster was blotting out the sun, flying straight for the marsh.”
“We ran into the forest in a panic, but it was aiming for us. Look over there—you see all those snapped trees? That’s where it chased us in a low-altitude dive.”

It looked like a small aircraft had crashed.

And it didn’t even crash—it just flew low and caused that much destruction. Far too dangerous.

Shouldn’t this quest be considered a high-priority threat by the guild?

“Turns out, we had lit some incense to lure undead, since we were doing a subjugation. That’s probably what attracted the monster. The guild thinks that as long as you avoid using the incense, you won’t be attacked. So they don’t consider it urgent.”
“That’s why undead subjugations are now banned here—lighting incense is also prohibited. But…”
“Since the undead are still increasing, the guild made a compromise. We were sent to install magic barriers around the marsh as a preventative measure.”
“I see… so that’s the situation.”

In that case, defeating the monster should be easy.

“Please give me some of that incense. I’ll finish this today.”
“Huh!? What are you planning!?”
“Light it, and lure it out. I can definitely defeat it.”
“Roger that!”
“Hey, don’t just hand it over! Wait a minute! There are other parties still in the marsh!”
“I see. Then I’ll wait until nightfall, when they’re likely to retreat, before lighting it.”
“But at night the undead appear too—”
“I can handle them as well.”

No problem. Hunters have a skill called “Territory Creation.”

I also have access to Intermediate Enchantment Magic.

Both allow me to apply attributes like Light, which are particularly effective against the undead.

Territory Creation lets me enchant the land around me for various benefits, and Intermediate Enchantment applies direct elemental enhancements with undead-specific effects.

With these, I should be able to handle it.

“You… what rank are you?”
“Emerald.”
“…To be honest, I think it’d take a high-tier party with multiple Ruby-ranked adventurers to beat that thing. I don’t think you can do it.”
“Is that so?”

Well, if you go by rank alone, his judgment is correct.

Only someone who has actually encountered the monster would understand its true threat level.

But then—

I drew four arrows from my quiver again and fired them into the sky.

And again. And again. And again—four volleys of four arrows each.

With inhuman speed and precision, the arrows vanished into the air.

And then—all of them struck. I took down every single Dive Condor circling above the vast marsh.

“…Rank has nothing to do with this. I say I can do it because I can.”
“Wh-What…?”
“The monsters… in the sky… in the marsh… they’re gone…”

How do you back up words that alone hold no weight?

For those who live by the sword, this should be proof enough.

“I’ll say it again. I can defeat it.”
“…Alright. I believe you. The other parties plan to retreat before dusk. Once you’ve confirmed the area’s clear, light this.”

With that, the man—likely the leader of this party—handed me a metal censer.

It was simple in design, but likely related to some faith or ritual against the undead. Its surface was adorned with symbolic engravings.

“You’re amazing, Sis! Well, we’re almost done with our assigned area, so just wait for about another hour!”

“Yeah, let’s wrap this up quickly.”

And so, I took the censer and spent the remaining time until the appointed hour in the forest, racking up uses of my ‘Observation Eye’ skill.

——————————-

At that same time, in the city of Lindblum, Melt was visiting the lower residential district where she had gone a short while ago, aiming to meet up with the trio of rookie adventurers.

The three of them had been assigned to patrol and guard this area today as a form of community service work, taking on the job for a modest wage.

“I wonder where the three of them are… Wow, all these buildings are homes? That’s incredible…”

Walking down a street lined with apartment complexes, Melt was once again surprised by the sheer population density and the bustling human activity of the area.

A place where many people lived. A space where lives were led. She was filled with joy that she was now permitted to enter such a place—and that she, too, lived in this very same city.

Technically, she lived just outside the city limits, but to Melt, that small distance hardly mattered anymore.

“A shared well… a plaza, and even a park. This really reminds me of my village…”

Long ago, back when many of her kin still lived in the village—

Though she was too young to clearly remember the details, she could still recall the peaceful times: children running through the plaza, adults chatting around the well.

That same atmosphere was flowing through this place now.

“Ah, there they are! Heeey, you three~!”

“Hm? Melt!”

“Whoa, what are you doing here?!”

“Wow, it’s so weird seeing you here, Melt-chan!”

Spotting the trio in a corner of the park, Melt hurried over to them.

“Great work today! You’re on guard duty, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Did you come to check on us?”

“Thanks! It’s part of our punishment, actually. We’re on patrol and surveillance duty for this area.”

“We’re actually from this neighborhood, so we were sent here since we know it well.”

“Oh, so you’re all originally from Lindblum?”

“That’s right. Though Grant moved to a farming village for a while.”

“Yeah. I came back to become an adventurer, and that’s when I reunited with these two.”

Hearing about their backgrounds, Melt felt a small twinge of envy for friends who shared a hometown.

“Kash and I have always lived in Lindblum. My family runs a contracted farm with a merchant guild.”

“My old man was a mercenary. He works at the mercenary guild’s front desk now.”

“Wow! So you three really know your way around Lindblum, huh?”

“Pretty much. That’s why we were picked for this job.”

“Well, when we were kids, we weren’t allowed to go near that side of town.”

“I’m still a bit scared of it, honestly. I hear it has normal shops and even veteran adventurers go there, but still…”

From the way they spoke, Melt could tell there was another district they were talking about.

With Lindblum becoming her second home, she was eager to learn more about the city and pressed for details.

“What do you mean by that side? You mean the street with a lot of shops? I’ve only really seen the Adventurer’s Den properly so far.”

“Oh right, you’re still new here, Melt. Ever heard of the ‘Lowest District’ of Lindblum?”

“It’s an old part of town. We call it the Underside. It’s kind of like a black market, though thankfully the city council turns a blind eye, and a certain level of order is maintained.”

“But it still creeps me out. I’ve heard stories about veteran adventurers and mercenaries making high-end trades there—and there are rumors that stolen goods sometimes circulate.”

“That’s why the guild sends people like us to watch the entrances and monitor any suspicious activity.”

The existence of this “Underside.”

Melt couldn’t fully grasp what kind of place it was.

Still, the idea of a mysterious part of the city dealing in shady matters sparked her curiosity.

“So… how do you get there? I wanna go take a look!”

“What!? I mean, it’s not exactly dangerous, but still…”

“It’s not really a place a girl should go alone, you know? At the very least, you should bring someone like Same along…”

“Honestly, even we three rookies are nervous about going. We’re just Crystal Stone rank—we’d get looked down on for sure.”

“Hmm… and Same is out of town right now… I guess that means I’ll have to wait.”

And so, Melt stayed with the trio and joined them on their patrol duty near the park.

Their current assignment involved monitoring the entrances to the Underside throughout the city in response to recent incidents in Lindblum.

Of course, it wasn’t expected that rookies would be able to resolve such cases, but by increasing the number of eyes on the area and reporting anything to the Lindblum city patrol knights, they were still playing an important role.

While helping out with the patrol, Melt was walking around the park, keeping an eye on things.

Then, a child approached her.

“Big sis, big sis!”

“Hm? Wah, what is it? What’s the matter?”

For a moment, Melt didn’t realize that the child was calling her “big sis.”

In her mind, she didn’t think there was such a big age difference between herself and the child.

Of course, that perception had gradually been correcting itself over time.

“Big sis, is this tail real?”

“Fufufu! Impressive, right? Yep, it’s real!”

“Wow, it moved! I’ve never seen such a big tail before!”

“Fufufu, there—”

“Ahh! It’s fluffy—it tickles!”

Melt gently wrapped her tail around the little girl, playing with her like one would when comforting a child.

“It’s my pride and joy, you know. Fufu, fun?”

“Yeah! Big sis, are you an adventurer?”

“That’s right! I’m patrolling to make sure there aren’t any suspicious people around!”

“Suspicious people? What kind of people?”

“Hmm… let’s see… people who hide their faces, or wrap themselves in cloaks, or wear robes with the hood pulled all the way down… people who sneak around, I guess?”

“Hmm! Like that person over there?”

“Huh? Yeah… exactly like that person—”

The girl innocently pointed to the edge of the park.

There, in broad daylight, was someone moving stealthily toward the edge of the park, their face hidden under the hood of a robe.

“Oh… What’s your name, sweetie?”

“Mirko!”

“Then, Mirko-chan, I think it’s best if you head home now!”

“Aww! I wanted to talk more with the tail big sis!”

“I have to get back to work now. But I’ll come again, I promise. That suspicious person might be a bad person, you know! So you’d better go home while it’s still safe, okay?”

“A bad person? …Okay, I’ll go home!”

“Good girl. See you again, Mirko-chan!”

After watching the girl leave the park, Melt headed toward where the suspicious figure had disappeared.

Of course, not before calling out to the other three.

“No way… What should we do, Grant?”

“…Rikka, go report this to the patrol knights. Kash and I will follow. Sorry, Melt, can you come with us?”

“Of course!”

“Be careful, all of you! I’ll go report to the knights right away!”

And so, the three of them made their way toward the edge of the park—toward the entrance to the Underside.

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