Chapter 31: Dealing with the Spoils

“Hey, you lot who were mouthing off earlier—come over here and take a look at this!”

The dismantler called out to the men who’d been complaining before and threw a sharp comment their way.

“Compare your catches with this one. Hardly a scratch on them—each was taken down with one or two clean strikes. And look at the birds—no wounds at all, just a snapped neck. Come back and act tough once you’re at least half this skilled.”

The orcs stood out in particular—clean kills with just a stab to the chest or a single spear wound to the neck. The men fell silent, realizing the vast difference in skill between them. The same went for the killer dogs and black wolves—each slain with a single thrust or cut. They’d never guess that I’d just finished them off reluctantly after they’d already been knocked out cold.

“Remember this—adventurers aren’t judged by appearances.”

No one dared reply to the dismantler’s words.

I grabbed a mug of ale and sat at an open spot. A man at the same table struck up a conversation.

“Hey, first time I’ve seen your face around here, brother.”

“Yeah, first time in this town. Is it a good place to earn some coin?”

“Hah! Listen to the brat—drinking ale like he’s grown, then asking if it’s profitable.”
“Cut it out, you always talk down to others. No wonder everyone looks down on you.”
“What’d you say? He looks like some fresh Iron-ranked rookie, doesn’t he?”
“Idiot, take a closer look.”
“He’s wearing tattered clothes and only has a knife!”
“New in town, no party, shabby gear, one knife hanging from his belt—and you mock him as a newbie? You’ll die an E-rank at this rate.”

I couldn’t help but laugh—especially since the guy doing the mocking looked even worse off.

“What’s so funny?!”

“Your friend’s observation was just too accurate. Honestly, even to me, you don’t look like a Bronze rank.”

The man beside me burst out laughing.

Then the dismantler came over with the appraisal sheet, and I checked it.

• Chikki chikki Birds – 13 × 65,000 = 845,000 Dara
• Runner Birds – 15 × 38,000 = 570,000 Dara
• Green Birds – 9 × 26,000 = 234,000 Dara
• Red Chickens – 12 × 22,000 = 264,000 Dara
• Orcs – 3 × 83,000 = 249,000 Dara
• Big Elk – 1 × 38,000 = 38,000 Dara
• Medium Horn Boar – 1 × 53,000 = 53,000 Dara
• Brown Sheep – 1 × 56,000 = 56,000 Dara
• Prairie Sheep – 2 × 61,000 = 122,000 Dara
• Killer Dogs – 6 × 18,000 = 108,000 Dara
• Black Wolves – 8 × 31,000 = 248,000 Dara

Total: 2,787,000 Dara.

Satisfied, I thanked him, received my guild card, and tossed the payment slip into my magic pouch after flashing it briefly at the guy who’d mocked me.

“See? His rank’s higher than yours.” 

The man next to me teased.

“Leon, you good at hunting birds or something?”

“They’re easier than monsters and fetch better prices.”

“How long are you staying in town?”

“I was thinking of visiting the royal capital—just earning some travel money, so maybe for a while.”

“Could you gather more birds for me?”

“Those took around ten days to hunt, so not right away.”

“Got it. Bring them if you can.”

Truth was, I had twice that number still resting inside my magic bag. I wanted to offload them soon—time dilation inside the bag wasn’t ideal—but selling too many at once in this town would raise eyebrows.

“Hey, brother—birds, you said?”

“Yeah—Red Chickens and Green Birds. One goes for twenty to twenty-five thousand, so it’s easier money than most monsters.”

“Those are fast and hard to find. If the dismantler’s asking you to bring more, you must be pretty good.”

He shot a teasing “You’d better keep up” at the guy next to him. Unlike the rude one earlier, this man looked like a solo adventurer too, but well-dressed and unarmed.

Between this haul and what I already had, I was sitting on around 4.5 million Daras.
Now I had to decide—buy new gear and clothes first, or deal with the rest of the spoils?

After thinking it over for a night, I decided to sell the rest of my catches in the previous town, Heliant.

At dawn, I headed west along the Blange Highway and reached Heliant’s Adventurer Guild before noon. I told the old appraiser I wanted to sell wolves and was led straight to the dismantling area.

Wolves and dogs didn’t raise much suspicion, so from now on I’d use them as my “entry permit.”

I told the idle dismantler I had mostly birds, plus some dogs and prairie sheep. When I began lining up the Chikki chikki Birds, he nodded approvingly.

“Ho-ho, not bad. You’ve got skill, kid.”

• Chikki chikki Birds – 12
• Runner Birds – 17
• Green Birds – 11
• Red Chickens – 14
• Big Elk – 1
• Medium Horn Boar – 1
• Prairie Sheep – 3
• Horn Dogs – 8
• Fang Dogs – 7
• Carrions – 9
• Gray Wolves – 6

As usual, I handed over my guild card and went to the guild tavern. Sitting at an empty table with a mug of ale, I noticed a faint presence from the drunken old man at the next table.

Normally, in a crowded guild hall, you wouldn’t sense such things—but with so few people, even subtle presences stood out clearly.

The elf from the Apothecary Guild had called such people “spirit-attuned.”
He’d shrugged, saying there was no real benefit—but judging from this old drunk, that seemed about right.

Honestly, I’d like to see what someone with such “blessings” actually looks like someday.

The dismantler who brought me the appraisal sheet also asked me to bring more Chikki chikki Birds and Runner Birds if I caught any.

I told him I was just passing through and disposing of what I’d stockpiled, so I wouldn’t be coming back to this town for a while.

Satisfied with the numbers on the appraisal sheet, I thanked him and accepted it. 

Chikki chikki Birds – 12 × 65,000 = 780,000 Dara
Runner Birds – 17 × 38,000 = 646,000 Dara
Green Birds – 11 × 25,000 = 275,000 Dara
Red Chickens – 14 × 22,000 = 308,000 Daras
Big Elk – 1 × 123,000 = 123,000 Dara
Medium Horn Boar – 1 × 53,000 = 53,000 Dara
Prairie Sheep – 3 × 61,000 = 183,000 Dara
Horn Dogs – 8 × 22,000 = 176,000 Dara
Fang Dogs – 7 × 23,000 = 161,000 Dara
Carrions – 9 × 21,000 = 189,000 Dara
Gray Wolves – 6 × 37,000 = 222,000 Dara

Total: 3,116,000 Dara.

That put my total savings just over 7.6 million Daras.
It’s nice that there’s such a demand for birds wherever I go, but lately I’ve been attracting too much attention—seems like I’ve picked up a few hangers-on, like goldfish following scraps.

Before leaving town, I stopped by the market to stock up on food and cooking supplies—mainly salt and pepper.
Truth is, those two spices are plenty for me.
I’ve got no experience, sense, or skill in cooking, and if I start tossing in random spices, I’ll just end up with something inedible.

So, I’ve resigned myself to buying good food at the market or eating at taverns instead.

As I left through the east gate of Heliant before sunset, I noticed someone chasing after me in a hurry.

I turned toward the presence and whipped up a light [Whirlwind!]—kicking up dust in a blinding flurry.
If that didn’t make them back off, their next “lesson” would be an aerial tour they wouldn’t enjoy.

That night, while camping, I made a list of things I wanted.

First—a proper shelter.
Sleeping under a tarp every night was getting old.

Next, for when I visit magic tool shops or the Merchant Guild, I need decent clothes, boots, and maybe a short spear of magic steel like the one Olga used, along with a sharp knife.

Everywhere I go, I’m an unfamiliar face, so I need to look respectable enough not to be written off as a poor drifter.

Then there’s the Merchant Guild issue… I’d checked my balance at the Adventurer Guild—empty.
They say you can withdraw from the Merchant Guild if you have deposits at the Adventurer Guild, but if there’s nothing there, that’s useless.

I didn’t want to dip into my cash reserves unless absolutely necessary.

So, the cabin would have to wait.
For now, I decided to focus on hunting and saving up.

It took three days to get back from Heliant to Adele, where I headed straight for the Adventurer Guild.

On my second visit, just a quick word was enough for the staff to nod and let me through to the dismantling area.

This time, I didn’t have many birds, so I quietly waited at the end of the line.
A noisy group behind me started bragging about their latest hunts.

“Hey, brat—are you alone?”

“Yeah, I’m by myself. Why?”

“Then move to the back! If you’ve only got a couple of horn rabbits, go line up at the buy-counter.”

“Is that so? I’m fine where I am—I’ve got some bigger ones.”

“Oh-ho, big talk for a kid.”

“Leon, did you bring in a haul?”

The dismantler’s eyes gleamed with expectation—kind of scary, honestly.

“Just a few birds this time. The rest are a Big Horn Boar, two types of wolves, and some orcs. I’m lined up over here.”

“I see. Well, if you’ve got another big haul, let me know, alright?”

He started walking away—then suddenly glared at the guys behind me.

“You lot were pestering Leon, weren’t you? Maybe wait until you’ve seen the kind of game he brings in before you run your mouths.”

What a thing to say! Sure, it shut them up, but now their snorting was practically hitting the back of my head.

“Big Horn Boar, wolves, and orcs, huh? Let’s see it, then.”
“Yeah right. I bet what he calls a ‘Big Horn Boar’ is just an average one.”
“And his ‘wolves’ are probably prairie dogs at best.”

As usual, their comments stung a little—my looks don’t exactly command respect.
But I’d shut them up soon enough.