66-056 Why do you earn money?

'I know it's been a bit of a long break, but I'm gonna start earning today!

"Oh!

We raised our voices at Haruka's call, and Yuki and Natsuki nodded.

You two may have to work a little harder now that the bonus item Dindle is gone, but let's work hard.

Yes. But to be honest, we're a little relieved.

Is that so?

Yeah. Because we've been living on the money that Haruka and the others earned all this time, right?　To be honest, it was painful. If we use the money we earn together to buy land and build a house, we'll feel more comfortable and it'll be easier for us to express our wishes.

You don't have to worry about that, but ...... yes, I understand how you feel.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

With only 100 rares a day to buy their own clothes, there was naturally not much left.

"Haruka, are you going to the forest?

No, let's just stop by the guild. They might have a good offer for us.

That's true. ...... I mean, we don't really take orders, do we?

If we could make money, we wouldn't have had to take the risk.

If you take a request and don't accomplish it, of course you will be penalized.

If you push yourself to avoid it, the risk becomes higher.

If you don't find what you're looking for, you're going to have to go deeper into the forest, even if it's something as simple as a collection request.

I'm not going to change my policy of not taking on too much, but now that there are five of us, it's an experience to take on a request that seems easy.

That's right. Oh!　By the way, Tommy said he saw Umezono at the guild.

"Plum garden ...... Oh, that's him. He'll be trouble if we run into him.

Yeah.

Mr. Umezono is the guy who copied you and ran away, right?

He's a bonus character.

I told you, copying skills is not a bonus character!　It's harmless in and of itself!

Yeah, well, he's useless.

If it weren't for my friends!　I think I'm done being useless.

"Is that so?　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.

I'm not sure what to do. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

Most of the skills are level 1 with 5 pts. If you do simple math, that's 20 skills.

If you're a human, you can't use magic if you don't have any qualities.

You'd have to copy all the skills the four of us can copy to make it worthwhile.

"Come on, come on, Natsuki, why don't you play with Yuki? It's a bit of a hassle, but I think it's better if Yuki or Natsuki scout the area first.

"If it's reconnaissance, should I do it?　It's a bit of a hassle, but I think Yuki or Natsuki should scout first.

Oh, that thing where you lose your presence.

It's pretty scary when they use it. They lose all sense of presence.

It's okay, right?　I'm sure you'll be fine. Tommy said he was pissed off when Diora told him she wouldn't be offering him a job for a while. He threw his job away.

"Isn't that from that time?　At the coffee shop.

Isn't that the one from the coffee shop?" "The one where he left and ran off. He seemed to have been working at that cafe. That'll get the guild a complaint.

I wonder how he's doing now that he's out of work. I don't feel sorry for him ....... He got what he deserved.

If he hadn't said that, I might have been inclined to help him out a little.

I'd like him to be at least as cute as Tommy. Not on the outside, of course, but on the inside. Plum Garden wasn't so bad on the outside either - was he that good looking?

It's possible that he took some appearance-related skills, but ...... it doesn't matter.

I'm not sure what to do. If we do meet, just ignore us.

Okay.

Okay.

I've been in the guild for a few days.

I hadn't been to the guild in a few days, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Fortunately, there were no troublesome people.

After a quick greeting to Diora, we all moved to the front of the board to look at the requests.

Thinking about it, this is the first time I'm taking a closer look.

It feels like a fantasy when I look at it like this!

I agree with you, but the requests are ...... less adventurer-like.

Most of the requests are for gathering, some are for escorting, but the direction we're heading is south, through the side of the forest we're avoiding. There are no escort requests to the east, where Sarstat is. Needless to say, it's almost safe.

Hmmm, you have no idea which one is the right one to ask for, do you?

"Yes. It just says, "Pick some." I don't know what the risks are.

That's the way it is with collection requests. It's all your responsibility. For escort orders, there are some rank restrictions.

I guess it's the adventurer's job to consider how much danger is expected when going to collect the requested items.

"Oh, there's a warning.　"There have been sightings of vipu bears in the eastern forest.

Is that ......?

Haruka and I both frowned at the flyer that Toya pointed to.

Natsuki and Yuki, who hadn't met it yet, tilted their heads in confusion.

"Is it strong?

Yeah, I felt my life was in danger.

"That much?

Yuki and Natsuki rolled their eyes at my honest impression.

No, no, no. We're different now than we were then. It's not like we're a threat. I don't think we're a threat.

Sure, it's a double-digit difference in price, but ...... are you sure?

Yeah!　I'll take care of it. I've already seen through him!

And then he smiles, trying to look cool. Are you sure you're okay?

I don't care what he says, Yuki and Natsuki are in there too, so there's nothing we can't handle.

Well, you know.

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

I guess I'll put some effort into searching for the enemy. Yeah.

"Hey, there's something called 'Great Salamander Hunting'.

Oh, that's true.

The warning says to freeze it immediately after killing it.

The warning says 'freeze immediately after killing.

"Salamanders look bad, don't they?　At least it's not an enemy you see at the beginning, in the game.

Yeah, they look like they'd come out of a volcanic area or something!

And it comes with 'Great'. And it's got 'Great' in its name.

Just a name.

Look closely. "Look at it. It says 'hunting' on it.　Not "defeat. Could this be the ......

Isn't that the giant salamander?

They eat it here too, don't they?

That creature is now a special natural treasure. They used to be eaten with gusto. Its name comes from the fact that its meat smells like Sansho.

It is indeed Japanese to eat such a ghetto-looking creature.

"Wow, if you call it a big Sansho fish, it's a big downgrade.

It's too cool a name.

I think it's because the mucus on the surface doesn't burn easily when thrown into a fire?

That's one theory. The price is high, but it depends on where you catch it and how you bring it home. If it's at least six inches long, it'll stick out of your backpack.

Of the backpacks in my possession, only two were turned into magic bags yesterday, with the addition of "Slow Time".

The other three magic bags are small enough to fit inside my backpack, but not too big.

In other words, if your prey is too big to fit in the backpack, you will not be able to benefit from the magic bags.

Of course, if you chop it into pieces, it will fit, but the way it's written, it's not good enough.

You'll have to get a bigger bag if you want to get this one.

"Right. You might need more than this, so you might as well get one.

That's right. So we'll have to wait until tomorrow.

I'll have to talk to Diora about it.

I looked at the other requests, but nothing really caught my eye, so I went to Diora's place.

Good morning, Mr. Diora.

"Yes, good morning.

I read something about a vipu bear.

Yes. It seems there are magic mushrooms growing in the area, and they're coming out to eat them.

Magic mushrooms!　Magic mushrooms! What kind of a name is that?

Magic mushrooms?

Yeah. It's a favorite food of vipe-bears. It's a mushroom that causes hallucinations when eaten as is, but it can be used to make painkillers, so we buy it. There's a chance you might run into a vipu bear when you go out to pick them, so they're scarce.

It's not just the name, it's a really bad mushroom.

It's also a painkiller, which is appropriate if you consider that it contains narcotic ingredients.

Mr. Diora, what kind of place does it grow in?

Are you going?　I'm sure Toya and the others will be fine, but please be careful, okay?　They grow on trees that have been down for a year or two. It seems to grow at a stage before other mushrooms grow.

A year or two, depending on the type of tree, is before it starts to rot. Is it a strong fungus that can still grow on fresh wood?

"Sometimes Weipu Bear knocks down trees for no reason, but some people say he does it to grow magic mushrooms. It's a bit of a myth.

No, there are ants that grow mushrooms in the world, so I don't think it's a lie.　From the point of view of a vipu bear, we who go out to pick magic mushrooms are probably crop thieves.

If it were the other way around, I'd say, "Think of the trouble the farmers are going through! But we are selfish people, so we'll just pick it.

Can I ask you about the Great Salamander?

I don't know if you can use water magic, Haruka-san.　The Great Salamanders are found all the way up the river in Sarstat. It's less dangerous, but a little less profitable, don't you think?

Is that so?

Yes. It's quite a distance, and after you catch it, you need to keep it frozen with magic and hurry back here. If we can catch a 50cm object, we'll lose a little money, but if we can catch a 1 meter object, we'll make a good profit. Of course, we'd like you to take the job.

That's a long way.

We're a party of five, so we need to earn at least 15 gold coins a day, which is not a good job for a working man. Considering the cost, I'd like to double that as a minimum.

For a Great Salamander, one 50 centimeter size fish is not enough.

Hmm, well, I'll discuss that with you. Thank you. I'll see you later.

Okay, have a safe trip.