71-061 In Search of Orcs

After lunch, we continued walking for several hours.

Normally, we would have been on our way home by now, but we hadn't made any progress in collecting the magic mushrooms.

I had found four pieces of kindling, but two of them had been completely eaten, one had only a few pieces over five centimeters, and the other had only a certain number of pieces.

This may not be ...... very efficient.

As I rested for a short break, Haruka looked into her backpack and sighed.

At this stage, with the medicinal herbs, it is probably about 40,000 Reais.

If you take into account the time off due to rain, it's certainly not a great deal of money for five people.

If you look at it on its own, it's not bad, but if you think about the future, it's .......

"Should we consider going out to catch the giant salamander?

Haruka then looks around at us.

The Great Salamander. If we can catch it well, we can make a lot of money.

I made a large magic bag yesterday, so I can handle several fish up to about a meter.

The only drawback is the distance to the hunting grounds.

I'd recommend orcs.

"Really?　I didn't expect that.

The one who gave a different opinion was Natsuki. I was a little surprised too.

Defeating the orcs was something Toya would say, and I thought Natsuki would rather avoid fighting.

There are two reasons. One is that we are not prepared enough for an overnight expedition, and it would be costly. The other reason is that defeating demons is one way to ensure safety. The so-called character level?　You should also raise your character level.

...... Yes, that's very convincing.

If Toya had said it, I would have disagreed, but not when Natsuki says it.

Yeah, isn't that terrible?

Because it's Toya.

Haruka and I nodded our heads, and Yuki nodded her head.

I'm sure you'll be able to understand that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this. You'll be able to find a lot of people who are interested in this.

It's hard for me to disagree with the idea of raising character levels, because I've thought about it too. I was thinking more along the lines of goblins for a while. ...... Toya, what do you think?

After groaning and twisting his head for a while, Toya opened his mouth with a slightly troubled look.

If I'm being honest, it's hard to tell. But based on the information I've gathered from the guild and the strength of the goblins and vipu bears I've fought so far, I think I can handle one by myself. With Natsuki, it would be much easier. With the support of the other three, it'll be easy. Something like that. Of course, from a strength analysis standpoint.

How many of them is too many to risk?

Up to three if we're all cool with it. Four is dangerous. If we want to have a margin of safety, I'd say two.

When I looked at Natsuki, she nodded her head, so I guess that was her decision as well.

Well, Natsuki's spear level is 4. If I lend her my spear, she can kill an orc in one hit. Or rather, I usually lend her my spear. I wonder if it will become Natsuki's spear.

I have magic, so it's reasonable to think of me as a party player, but it's a little sad.

If you take into account the uncertainty of other monsters invading the party, I'd say no more than two. I'm not sure if Nao's [Enemy Search] will help.

"So far, I haven't missed any.

I don't know if there are any enemies that can cheat the [search enemy], but so far, I've been able to identify them with certainty within the searchable distance.

In the event that you're not sure what to do, you can always ask your doctor.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I can find something.　Are all of you in good physical condition?

I'm fine.

Yes.

I nodded my head. I'm not tired at all because my luggage is light today.

It's amazing that my body doesn't get tired from walking in the forest.

I understand. Let's move deeper into the forest in about an hour. If we don't encounter any more, I'm afraid we'll have to turn back for the day. It's too dangerous to go dark in the woods.

Copy that.

And so, to increase our safety, we returned to our normal search area and started walking deeper into the forest.

It took us about 10 minutes to walk deep into the forest. There were three reactions to my [search].

Bigger than the goblin's reaction, but smaller than the vipu bear's. It's my first reaction.

"Three responses, about 80 meters away.

Orcs?

I don't know, but they're weaker than vipe-vears.

Can you avoid three?

We've decided to limit ourselves to two Orcs, so if the reaction is Orcs, we should avoid them, but we don't know yet.

"Let's just go check it out. If we don't identify them, we'll have trouble in the future, right?　If you have my [Appraisal], you can just look at it from a distance.

"That's true. Even if they notice us, we're weaker than vipu bears, so we should be able to handle them.

"Then let's proceed with caution. Nao, lead the way.

Yes, sir.

We changed our direction and went through the forest, and within a few tens of seconds, we could see our opponent.

Fortunately, they hadn't noticed us yet.

That's a hobgoblin, isn't it? They're stronger than goblins, but still not very strong. The magic stone is 600 rare.

Is that the result of your studies?

Yeah. Maybe. It's the result displayed in the appraisal, but that's because it was written in a document I read yesterday.

Even if it's a memorandum effect, it's useful enough. I've only encountered a few of them now, but if the number of beasts and demons I encounter increases in the future, I won't be able to remember them all.

Let's take the lead for now. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that with Nao and Yuki.

I can use the Fire Arrow now, but I don't know how powerful it is.

As usual, you can easily use it by copying it from me. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. It's weaker than my slightly customized Fire Arrow, though.

I'll follow you, don't worry.

Then, from left to right, it's me, Nao, and Yuki. Even if we can't kill them, we'll give them a good chase, so Toya and Natsuki, when they come this way, take care of them.

Okay.

All right.

I nodded to Haruka and Yuki, and prepared the magic.

I nodded to Haruka and Yuki and prepared the magic.

But it was Haruka's arrow that landed first. The arrow hit the hobgoblin in the side of the head and went into its head, causing it to sway slightly and then collapse.

At about the same time, my magic blows off the top half of the middle hobgoblin's head, and Yuki's magic arrives a little later, enveloping the face of the hobgoblin on the right in flames.

If you fire them at the same time, you can clearly see that the order of speed is Haruka's arrows, my magic, and Yuki's magic.

I had imagined them to be more powerful, but should I use them with more speed in mind?　It seems to have been a little too powerful for the hobgoblin.

On the other hand, Yuki's magic is weak. On the other hand, Yuki's is not as powerful as the initial Fire Arrow I used in the beginning.

"Ugh, I'm the only one who got killed. ...... Oh, run!

The hobgoblin, which I had expected to be attacked and come at me, turned its back on me and tried to run, as if it had been scared off by the instant two of its friends were killed.

The next moment, he fell.

Yuki shouted.

The hobgoblin didn't even have time to get up, he was hit in the head by Haruka's arrow, and after scratching his head a bit, he stopped moving.

The hobgoblin had no time to get up and was hit by Haruka's arrow.

I'm not sure. It's hard to time it with a running enemy, but it's enough to hinder them from running.

It seems I caved in a little under my feet when I stepped out.

If the ground caved in just a few centimeters when you were trying to run, you'd probably fall. The power of the "Fire Arrow" was low, but the ability to immediately use magic at that moment was amazing.

Nao's magic is amazing. It's the same magic, isn't it?

But in this world, the name of the magic is only a guide.

It is not automatic when you cast a spell, so the power and consumption depends on the magic power and image you put into it.

It's better to have a fixed name for the spell and its effect, so that you can use it more consistently in battle.

I've never seen hobgoblins before. They don't seem very strong, do they?

"I don't know. For now, it seems that if you hit the right spot, you can kill them with one hit of Haruka's arrows. ...... For me, with the magic I just used, it would be about three shots in a row, or a few dozen with a break, maybe.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what you need to do.

In the event that you're in the market for a brand new pair of shoes or boots, you'll be able to get a great deal more than that.

It's a good idea. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea. I'll be looking for the hobgoblin's demon stone that I blew up. ...... Oh, there it is. It's lying on the ground. I was worried that it might be broken, but it's clean and intact.

It's a good way to blow off the head without doing grotesque work, don't you think?　Toya's having a hard time.

The only thing I can't get used to is collecting the magic stones. ......6 1,000 yen, 6,000 yen ......

He's trying to cover up his unpleasant work with the power of money. In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a number of things you can do.

I'm sure Toya's sword is convenient for the task, but it's impressive that she's taking the initiative and not leaving it to the ladies. If I were you, I'd use the ...... "Fire Arrow" to blow off the head and collect it.　The magic stone seems to be strong.

You can make a lot of money with hobgoblins if you get as many encounters as in the game, but it's not worth it when you consider the time it takes to collect the magic stones and search for them.

That's true. Especially the location is not good.

The location of the magic stone differs from demon to demon, but most of them are either in the head, like goblins, or in the center of the body, around the tail in humans.

Naturally, the latter is the easiest to retrieve. If goblins were of this type, profits would be higher, but normal goblins, hobgoblins, and other subspecies and higher species are all of the former type.

Orcs, on the other hand, seem to be of this type, but since they can be sold for their meat, you only need to kill two of them at most to return to the city.

It's not going to be easy.

The price is 18,000 yen for killing three animals. I don't want to go to the trouble of killing them, so I'll just avoid them if I can. Nao, can you identify them?

Well, it's possible once you get used to it, I suppose, but you'll probably make some mistakes for a while.

That's not an option. You know?

Yeah. But if possible, I'd like Nao or Yuki's magic to kill it. You know, to collect the stone.

Got it. Let's go then.

And so, we headed deep into the forest in search of the orcs again.