The corpse of the red-skinned Goblin lay before Rei and Set. It was a rare species. Because Set had killed it in a single blow by snapping its neck, there were hardly any visible injuries on the body. Standing in front of the corpse, Rei fell into deep thought while gently patting Set.

(A rare species. Just as the name implies, they don’t appear very often. There normally isn’t much material worth stripping from a standard Goblin, but what if it’s a rare species? There might be some usable parts. Fortunately, time doesn’t flow inside the Misty Ring, so it won’t rot. I’ll store it in there for now and figure out if it’s useful by asking around the Adventurers Guild or checking the library later.)

Arriving at a conclusion, he touched the corpse and stored it inside the Misty Ring.

(Also, I shouldn’t submit its right ear as proof of subjugation. If people find out I defeated a Goblin rare species, they’ll definitely ask about the magic stone. I could make an excuse and say the stone was destroyed during the fight, but if I keep using that same excuse, it’ll quickly become suspicious. It’s better if I just pretend I never encountered a rare species in the first place.)

「Guru~……」

Noticing Rei was lost in thought, Set looked around their surroundings while enjoying the head pats.

The requirement for the request was to subjugate a minimum of 5 Goblins. Even though he didn’t cut off the right ear of the rare species, the request had already been easily completed since he had secured 9 ears from the normal Goblins.

「And we still have some time left.」

Rei muttered, glancing up at the sky through the thick canopy of trees. The battle with the Goblins had only taken a few minutes, and the fight with the rare species had been just as brief. Rei judged that it still wasn’t even noon yet.

For the time being, Rei had already paid the inn for lunch, but naturally, that only covered his share. Furthermore, a standard meal was honestly insufficient for Rei. Although his new body was small, it burned through a lot of energy.

「In that case, we need to hunt some monsters for Set’s meal and to supplement my own.」
「Gururu~!」

Set must have heard Rei’s muttering. That’s right, Set seemed to say as he gave a small cry of agreement.

「Alright then, let’s go search for some monsters.」
「Gururu~!」

「……We can’t find anything.」
「Guru~……」

Responding to Rei’s complaint, Set gave a small, sad cry.

Even though they had actively hunted for prey for about an hour after defeating the Goblin rare species, they hadn’t found a single monster.

However, in a sense, that was to be expected. This forest ran right alongside the main highway leading to Gilm, meaning the guild regularly issued subjugation requests here to ensure passing travellers and merchants weren’t attacked. The Goblins that Rei and Set had defeated should have originally been cleared out by those routine requests. However, because a rare species had taken over as their leader, the Goblins had taken shelter deep within the forest. Following their leader’s instructions, they had remained concealed, only launching quick hit-and-run attacks on people passing along the highway before escaping back into the depths.

(Come to think of it, the receptionist at the guild mentioned that groups of merchants and travellers had been attacked recently……but isn’t it a bit strange that those Goblins were armed with rusted long swords? Judging from the guild’s information, only the rare species should have been smart enough to wield a proper sword. ……Were they able to steal the weapons from their victims? Did they gather the loot and stash it somewhere, or did they just scavenge the weapons directly from the baggage?)

Though Rei pondered the mystery, he had no real intention of searching the forest for a hidden Goblin treasure stash since he wasn’t exactly hurting for money.

Right now, Rei and Set were far more interested in finding a monster to eat than finding a few silver coins.

Perhaps their wish was finally heard, as Set suddenly stepped in front of Rei, stopped, and stared intently at their surroundings.

「Guru~!」

Seeing Set’s reaction, Rei judged it was a monster, readied the Death Scythe, and waited for it to strike.

The very next moment.

「!?」

Something small and fast shot out sharply from the nearby bushes.

Rei reflexively swung the Death Scythe at the flying object. The severed object flew through the air and slammed heavily into a tree trunk with a wet bichari~ sound.

Rei instantly looked at the tree trunk to see what had attacked him. It was a long, dark red strip of flesh.

「Is it some kind of snake?」

Rei muttered quietly, but his question was answered a moment later by the creature that sprang out from the bushes. A huge frog, reaching up to Rei’s knees, revealed itself. Its skin was covered in a dark red, viscous liquid identical to the severed tongue Rei had just cut. It stared at Rei and Set with a completely emotionless gaze.

(A giant frog in this forest……there was an F rank subjugation request for Poison Toads on the board……is this the one?)

Rei didn’t sense any immediate danger as he analysed it in his mind. The next moment, the frog kicked off the ground, using its powerful legs to launch a silent, leaping attack right at Rei.

But……

「Fool.」

Even if the frog possessed exceptional jumping power, it was still just an F rank monster. Rei calmly read the creature’s trajectory, stepped into its path, and swung the Death Scythe with a slight pulse of magic power.

「Gero~!?」

Once it was airborne, the Poison Toad had absolutely no way to alter its trajectory. One strike cleanly cleaved it in two. Split in half by the impact, the upper and lower sections of its body fell heavily to the ground.

「Gururu~!」

Set gave a sharp cry and immediately moved to eat the corpse……

「Set, stop!」

Set’s movement was halted by Rei’s firm command.

「Guru~……」

Why? Set seemed to ask as Rei pulled the 『Beginner’s Guide to Dismantling Monsters』 he had bought yesterday from the Misty Ring.

「This is most likely a Poison Toad. In other words, just like the name suggests, it’s highly venomous. Calm down, as it’s a bad idea to eat the meat of a poisonous monster.」
「Guru~……」

Though he accepted Rei’s explanation, Set still stared at the Poison Toad’s corpse regretfully.

The skin was clearly coated in a dark red liquid, which was obviously the poison. It appeared to be quite potent, too. Asking Set to keep watch over their surroundings, Rei quickly looked up the Poison Toad in the guidebook.

(The materials that can be harvested are the tongue, the poison sac located in the body, and the two hind legs. But……)

He compared the book’s diagrams to the severed remains on the ground. The tongue had been sliced off by the Death Scythe, and the main body was split completely in two. As for the tongue, because it hadn’t fully extended when Rei cut it, the base was still attached, but Rei could easily collect the severed portion. The muscular hind legs were in perfect condition since they were completely untouched. However, the most valuable material, the poison sac, had been ruptured when the body was cleaved in half, making it impossible to collect. The toxic liquid from the torn sac had already begun leaking into the Poison Toad’s internal organs.

「I can grab the tongue later, so I’ll secure the magic stone first.」

Muttering to himself, he carefully dug the magic stone out of the heart using his iron dagger, making sure not to touch any of the leaked poison. It was somewhat larger than the stones he had harvested from the normal Goblins. Using the same caution, he severed the two hind legs.

To be accurate, the guidebook noted that the hind legs were primarily purchased as food rather than crafting materials. Butchers who specialised in monster meat would carefully remove the residual poison and sell the legs over the counter. Because it was considered a high-class delicacy, the legs could be sold for a surprisingly high price.

Although it was impossible to salvage the ruptured poison sac, an intact one could be used by pharmacists to formulate a direct antidote for the monster’s venom. As for the tongue, it was generally used as material for crafting bows.

After storing the magic stone and the hind legs in the Misty Ring, he walked over and recovered the severed tongue that had fallen near the base of the tree.

Additionally, the official proof of subjugation was the webbed right forefoot. However, seeing the highly corrosive venom already starting to rot the limb, Rei narrowed his eyes and decided to leave it.

「So, as for the remaining corpse……what should I do with it?」

In the case of the Goblin corpses they had fought earlier, Set could eat them since they weren’t poisonous. However, the monster in front of Rei was a Poison Toad. It was literally the corpse of a highly toxic amphibian. Moreover, the poison sac had been ruptured, spilling venom everywhere.

「I wonder if I should burn it just to be safe, but……」
「Guru~……」

Hearing Rei’s muttering, Set gave a small cry of protest.

Set was worried that burning it would create a cloud of poisonous smoke. Understanding his partner’s concern, Rei nodded and stroked Set’s back.

「You’re right, burning it might just cause more damage to the area. Let’s just leave it as it is. Well, I’ve stripped the useful materials off it, so let’s hope the next monster we find is actually delicious.」
「Guru~!」

Set gave a short, agreeable cry, and the two of them continued walking through the forest.

As they walked, Set discovered some ripe fruit growing on a tree, pecked at it, and found it to be quite tasty. They munched on the fruit as they advanced, remaining cautious of their surroundings.

「Here we are……」

After advancing through the dense forest for a while after the Poison Toad encounter, they abruptly emerged into a wide clearing.

A large, pristine lake spread out before Rei and Set’s eyes. It appeared to serve as a communal watering hole for the local monsters and beasts. As proof, a beast heavily resembling a Fangboar was currently standing at the edge of the water.

「Guru~……」

Set pressed his face against Rei’s side, as if pleading for permission. Rei immediately understood what Set wanted to say. He clearly wanted to hunt the boar for his meal.

Scratching his head, Rei carefully examined the boar’s appearance.

The wild boar had massive, sharp tusks protruding from its mouth, and given its sturdy, heavily muscled build, it easily weighed more than Rei. This massive beast currently had its snout near the water’s surface, hungrily drinking from the lake.

(It hasn’t noticed us yet since we’re about 100m away. In other words, the conditions are perfect for a surprise attack. A wild boar with large tusks……this must be the Fangboar I ate in the stew at the Dusk Wheat Pavilion.)

「Guru~……」

Rei nodded at Set, who was eager to rush in, and whispered his plan.

「Ready, Set? I’ll draw the Fangboar’s attention using fire magic. You use that opening to attack it from the sky.」
「Guru~!」

Leave it to me, Set seemed to say as he gave a soft cry and moved away from Rei’s side. He instinctively knew that if he took to the sky now, he wouldn’t be spotted by the Fangboar.

While watching Set quietly distance himself, Rei considered what kind of magic would be best to use.

(The primary objective is to make sure the Fangboar doesn’t escape. In other words, I need to completely restrict its movement. In that case……I see, the easiest method is to surround the area in flames.)

Watching Set silently flap his wings and rise high into the sky in the distance, Rei gathered his magic power and began an incantation.

『Flame, form a burning wall that scorches all that touches it with fire.』

Following Rei’s incantation, dense magic power was emitted, drawing a glowing crimson line in a wide circle directly around the Fangboar.

The crimson line even extended across the surface of the lake, completely ignoring the water that would normally extinguish it. The moment the Fangboar noticed the glowing ring, it kicked off the ground in a desperate attempt to escape.

『Ultra Flame Wall』

As Rei completed the incantation, roaring flames raced across the glowing lines, instantly forming a towering wall of fire that completely cut the Fangboar off from the outside world.

「Bururururu!」

Seeing the massive wall of flames suddenly erupt in front of its eyes, the Fangboar skidded to a halt. The panicked cry that leaked from its mouth sounded closer to a frightened horse than a wild boar.

「Burururu!」

The Fangboar ran about in absolute confusion, trapped within the ring of fire. However, the sheer heat of the flames was intense enough to scorch its fur every time it got too close. Because of this, it kept charging towards the edge before nervously retreating back to the centre.

How much damage would it suffer if it tried to force its way through the wall of fire? Because it was a wild animal, its instincts screamed at it to stay away. However, that brief hesitation was the Fangboar’s greatest mistake. If it had simply gritted its teeth and broken through the flames immediately, it would have suffered severe burns, but there was a high chance it would have survived. By hesitating, it allowed the true harbinger of its death to descend from the sky.

「Gurururururu~!」

Set swooped down from the sky with a sharp cry. By the time the Fangboar noticed his presence, it was already too late. In the next moment, the Griffon’s razor-sharp claws swung down and cleanly severed its head.

「Gururu~!」

Raising a proud cry of victory, Set immediately started tearing into the raw meat. Even though the Fangboar weighed well over 100kg, it was slowly but surely disappearing into Set’s stomach.

Rei cancelled the wall of flames, smiling wryly at his partner’s ravenous appetite.

Afterwards, Rei ate his packed lunch while enjoying the peaceful scenery of the lake. Although he felt his meal was a bit lacking compared to the fresh meat, he sat back and patiently waited for Set to finish his feast.

「Nine right ears as proof of subjugation. I would like them to be officially confirmed.」

Back at the Adventurers Guild in the city of Gilm, Rei pulled the right ears of the Goblins from the Misty Ring and handed them to the receptionist.

Since they had easily completed their objective for the day, Rei and Set had decided to return to the city once Set was fully satisfied with his Fangboar meal.

「Ah, yes. Let’s see, since one ear is worth 3 copper coins, that comes to a total payout of 2 silver and 7 copper coins. So, how was your very first request?」

Rei shook his head as the receptionist passed him his reward.

「There were plenty of Goblins, but I didn’t see any signs of a rare species. Perhaps that particular fellow is just really good at hiding.」
「Is that so……I understand. Could you please mark the general area you encountered them on this map?」
「Like I said, I didn’t actually see a rare species. Is it really okay to mark it based on my guess?」
「Yes. It’s still valuable input from an adventurer who was actively on-site.」
「……Even if I was on-site, today was literally my first day acting as an adventurer.」
「I find it very hard to believe that someone followed by a Griffon is just a normal G rank novice. Regardless, thank you for your hard work today.」

Nodding to the receptionist as she bowed politely, Rei’s first official day as an adventurer came to a close.

Additionally, because the Poison Toad’s tongue had been cut down the middle, the guild only paid him 5 copper coins for it. However, he received 2 silver coins for the pristine hind legs, and the Goblin magic stones sold for a total of 9 copper coins.

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