40 - challenger

And so it was decided that Thor and the three of them would attack the kobolds' cave.

But the story does not end there.

As Thor was about to turn on his heel, a deliberate voice came to his back.

"So you're the hidden hero of this town. I've been wanting to meet you, just in time.

The voice belonged to a red-haired woman who was making a racket at the window.

Thor turned around and took another look at her appearance.

She was at least fifteen years old, but less than twenty-five.

She has an eye-catching and well-defined face, but she seems to be aware that she is a beauty.

She is wearing a white loose-fitting blouse, tight-fitting leather shorts, and long leather shoes without a single stain.

The sword she wears at her waist seems to be quite slender.

The muscularity of his wrists indicates that he is a good swordsman.

She is a woman with money, good skills, and a strong sense of self-assertion.

And although she looks like an adventurer, she does not have a plate around her neck.

Thor decides that this can only lead to trouble and ends the conversation with a single word.

"If that's what you just said, it's a lie. I'm sorry."

"Oh, really?"

"Miss, that's probably a lie too."

"What? Really?　Which is it? !"

A brown-horned man standing behind me secretly whispered in my ear.

He was short, but his shoulders were broad, and his arms and neck, peeking through the gaps in his black armor, were surprisingly thick.

His face was somewhat childish, but the thickness of the horns on his forehead suggested that he was around 20 years old.

The red-haired woman glared at Thor, frowning at the man's advice.

She is a beautiful woman, so such a frown is quite appropriate.

"Well, okay. I just wanted to see the face of a man who would throw away his chance at fame.

Well, I guess we're done here.

Not yet. I heard you're taking on a dungeon. Then you'll have to fight us. Who will be the first to defeat the master of the labyrinth?

"That's impossible, my lady. It's a small dungeon, so we'll probably have to take turns."

"Oh, yeah. ....... Well, let me give you a head start.

"Thank you, I'm in your debt. Can I go now?"

"Wait, miss. Wait a minute, miss. That could lead to a third party winning. Besides, we are not yet registered adventurers, so we have no right to challenge.

If a large number of people enter the underground labyrinth, the presence of the monsters will attract more monsters.

Therefore, it is an ironclad rule to limit the number of people in your party.

And in the case of a small dungeon such as the cave of kobolds, it is customary to set the number of days for each party to conquer the dungeon.

"We're in trouble. Do something about it, Godan.

"Yes, then why don't you try to negotiate more?

"That's a good idea. See you soon, sober hero."

The redhead bows gracefully and heads for the counter again.

Thor gives a sympathetic look to Enna, the receptionist, whose face is drawn into a grimace, and steps over to the couch where Yuril is sitting and takes a seat next to him.

Moe, who has been lent a soft lap pillow by the quiet beauty, falls asleep with a drool dripping from his mouth.

Just in time, Sora came back from the counter.

"Yes, landlord. I mean, Mr. Yuril. I got your adventurer's card.

"Oh, thank you very much."

"I like the black frame, it looks mature."

Ulil looks at the black-edged plate handed to him sullenly.

His gray eyes were filled with a complex color that he could not see.

After a short pause, Thor spoke a few words of apology.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Yuril. I'm sorry it had to come to this."

"No, don't worry about it. It's not your fault, Thor.

Yuril gently caresses the child's cheek and smiles, his silver hair shaking silently.

Thor nodded his head at the child, and honestly expressed his feelings.

"I'll conquer the kobolds' cave soon and catch up with you, so please wait a little longer."

"Yes, I may look like this, but I have a long temperament, so I'll be looking forward to it.

The next day, Thor and the three others headed for the kobolds' cave.

They were followed a little later by ten miners.

One of the features of the dungeon is that various minerals can be extracted from the walls of the labyrinth.

This is said to be due to the fact that when the dungeon is formed from deep underground, the underground resources are pushed out together and come up to the surface.

However, even if this is a coincidence, the amount of the minerals produced is quite large.

Therefore, recent studies have suggested that they may serve as a kind of bait to attract people to the dungeon.

Miners working in caves have no way to resist monsters when they encounter them.

Therefore, it is necessary for adventurers to infiltrate and exterminate monsters around the area to be mined in advance.

However, the dungeon is constantly filled with a noxious air that spawns monsters several times in a short period of time.

In the Ogre's Cave, the hobgoblins begin to roam again in about two hours.

By then, the miners have finished their work and are ready to come out.

While the miners are inside, Thor and the others are left with nothing to do.

Although they would like to start the attack on the second layer, they may be defeated due to unexpected circumstances.

In such a case, the miners would be at risk of getting caught in the dungeon, so fighting was forbidden in the dungeon during mining.

In front of Thor and his friends who are taking a rest, miners are busily moving in and out of the cave several times.

Iron and copper ores were already forming a mountain at the side of the cave.

And for some reason, Moe was playing with a small pile of stones among the miners.

Thor sits up after confirming that Sora and the others have regained their magical powers.

The mining work would continue for another hour.

But there is still a lot we can do without going into the cave.

"Okay, let's go clean up the monsters around us."　

"Okay, Moo-chan, let's go."

"Mhm..." "What's up, man?　Tor-chan."

"Yeah, we'll hunt them down. And find me a boar if you can.

"All right, Inosie!　Moe will take care of everything."

The results of the day were 45 hobgoblins killed.

There were 22 goblins and one armored boar.

The armored boars were easily defeated by Thor, who had become accustomed to using the iron sword, and Sora, who was able to twist the sword effectively with .

Mu is now safely promoted to the bronze class.

The boar meat was cut into pieces, and the miners were asked to carry it away.

The ore could be left alone overnight, but the boar would be devoured if the goblins found it.

Monsters do not distinguish between dead and alive meat.

"The first day went well. We have fourteen days to go. Let's keep our heads up.

Yes, I'll do my best.

Moe will do his best!　To-chan."