「So, this is the location of the new dungeon?」
Lenora nodded at Rei’s words.
「Yes. That is correct. But are you absolutely sure? You can hardly expect to earn anything from this dungeon, you know?」
Several adventurers had already gone to explore the newly formed dungeon near Gilm.
However, the materials and magic stones obtainable from the monsters inside were all worth very little. Lenora knew that almost everyone who went said they ended up operating at a loss, which prompted her warning.
Traveling to the dungeon wouldn’t cost anything if they walked. But regardless of what kind of enemies they faced, their weapons would wear down from fighting, and they could get injured if they took a hit. Because the dungeon was narrow, some had even damaged their weapons by striking them against the walls.
Considering all that, Lenora couldn’t recommend that Rei try to clear the dungeon.
Also……
「Besides, I don’t think Set will be able to enter the dungeon either, you know? The entrance and such are apparently quite small.」
「I’ve heard about that. Well, I’ll test it out just in case, but if he can’t get in, I’ll have him wait outside.」
「I was entirely sure you would go after Gamelions instead. As a representative of the guild, it would be much more helpful if you did, since we are short on Gamelion meat this year.」
Lenora herself loved Gamelion meat, and the fact that prices had gone up this year due to the low numbers hunted was not a very happy situation for her.
Of course, it wasn’t a lie that it was for the guild’s sake either.
「Well, it’s true that finding Gamelions wouldn’t be difficult for you, Rei.」
Beside Lenora, Kenny agreed with a smile.
Kenny had spoken with Elena a few days ago, but it didn’t seem like anything had particularly changed because of it.
Of course, Kenny herself had definitely felt something, but she didn’t let it show.
Because of that, from Rei’s perspective, Kenny was exactly the same as always.
However, her long-time bad influence and best friend, Lenora, sensed that Kenny’s demeanour was slightly different than before.
「Gamelions, huh. I thought about that too. But right now, I’m more interested in the dungeon. Besides, the dungeon apparently isn’t that large, so I might try hunting Gamelions after I challenge and clear it. ……I like Gamelion meat too, after all.」
「Understood. ……Most of the monsters that appear in the dungeon are low rank, and their strength is apparently nothing special. However, a dungeon is a dungeon. You never know what might happen inside, so please make absolutely sure not to let your guard down.」
「The first floor of the dungeon is made up of stone corridors, and the second floor is a cave. Both are narrow, making it hard to fight as a party. Is that right?」
「Yes. Depending on the location, there are many places where it would be difficult to swing your large scythe……the Death Scythe, was it? Please be careful. A dungeon is a dangerous place where a single moment of carelessness can cost you your life. Especially since you are solo, Rei. Even if you think you can keep going, please judge the situation calmly.」
「Yeah, I know. I’ll do my best with the Gamelions after the dungeon too.」
Saying that, Rei left the guild.
At this time of year, when it wouldn’t be strange for it to snow at any moment, most adventurers had naturally already finished their winter preparations, and many were enjoying a long break at the tavern attached to the guild.
Contrary to those people, there were also those taking on requests for one last push before winter truly set in.
The guild contained both types of adventurers, but both groups directed suspicious gazes at Rei.
Everyone here naturally knew how skilled Rei was.
If so, he should be making a considerable amount of money. Why would someone like Rei head to a dungeon that would only yield pocket change?
Though, from the perspective of the adventurers currently looking for requests, they had no complaints about a highly skilled adventurer like Rei not taking requests, as it meant one less powerful competitor.
Furthermore, even the adventurers who didn’t know Rei and had previously looked down on him had now heard from senior adventurers what kind of existence he was, and they had decided to avoid getting carelessly involved with him.
(Well, based on the description of the dungeon, I can understand why no one wants to willingly challenge it, so these gazes are only natural.)
While muttering to himself, Rei felt that he absolutely could not overlook this dungeon.
When he was in the Bestir Empire, the thing he looked forward to most upon returning to Gilm was Gamelion meat.
But right now, Gamelion meat was a secondary priority for Rei.
That was how much of a treasure trove the dungeon was to him.
(What kind of skills will Set be able to absorb if he eats the dungeon core…… I’m looking forward to it.)
Doing his best to ignore the gazes directed at him, Rei left the guild.
If it had been anyone other than Rei heading to the dungeon, they undoubtedly would have been bothered and gotten into trouble…… It was probably fortunate for everyone involved that there was no one foolish enough to pick a fight with Rei.
「……Ah, come to think of it.」
Leaving the guild and walking towards Set, who was surrounded by people as usual, he suddenly remembered something.
He still had the magic sword he had obtained from Noiz exactly as it was.
The image of a blacksmith with a scary face who looked like nothing more than a bandit at first glance crossed Rei’s mind.
「If I remember right, Pamidor’s shop shouldn’t be too far from here.」
Muttering to himself, he decided to drop by quickly before heading to the dungeon, and pushed his way through the crowd towards Set.
(I don’t mind since Set is enjoying it, but I’d appreciate it if things settled down soon.)
Set would never dislike anyone who approached him without malicious intent.
Also, because Set was a Griffon, he had an abundance of stamina, and since he hadn’t been born that long ago, he returned affection to anyone who showed it to him.
As long as Set was having fun, he felt almost no mental fatigue. Ultimately, the people doting on Set would be the ones to run out of stamina first.
Though, since adults also had issues with time, there were hardly any who played with Set for that long.
(Except for this one, though.)
Rei directed an exasperated look at Milein, who was happily watching Set eat a chunk of ham.
「You’ve been here every day. Do you have that much free time?」
「I do. At the very least, there is no errand more important than being with Set-chan like this. Besides, we’ve already finished our winter preparations, so there’s no problem, right?」
「If you get too invested in Set, you’re going to run out of savings halfway through winter, you know?」
Even to Rei’s eyes, the ham Set was currently eating looked like quite a luxury item.
She was feeding Set ham like that by the kilogram, so the cost must have been considerable.
But Milein just smiled, not caring in the slightest about Rei’s words.
「It’s fine. If I run out of money, I’ll just earn more.」
If the adventurers who were desperately working right now were to hear her, their veins would pop on their foreheads.
The other people around her could only offer wry smiles at Milein’s words.
「Well, you can do whatever you want. But unfortunately, Set and I are heading to the dungeon now.」
「……The dungeon? The new one nearby?」
「Yeah.」
「Why go out of your way to do that? There’s no point in going to that dungeon, you know?」
Milein, finally turning her gaze towards Rei, asked curiously.
Among those around Set, those who knew the situation nodded in agreement with Milein’s words.
「Have you gone there?」
「Yes. Sulunin said he wanted to take a quick look inside. Though we ended up just fighting a few times and coming back.」
A sigh escaped Rei’s lips at Milein’s words.
He had been gathering information about the dungeon, but to think there was an information source this close by……he thought to himself.
Still, the stories he had heard from Lenora and a few people at the guild tavern and the Dusk Wheat Pavilion’s dining room certainly hadn’t been a waste.
Thinking that to convince himself, he prompted her to continue.
「So, how was it?」
「We mostly fought Goblins and Kobolds.」
「……Kobolds, huh.」
He had already absorbed a Goblin magic stone.
But since he hadn’t fought a Kobold before, he wondered if he might be able to get a new skill…… However, he then remembered that he actually had fought them at an oasis in Exil’s dungeon previously and his expectations were instantly shattered.
He had only fought Kobolds during that oasis incident, but he had fought Goblins countless times before, so his impression of the former was inevitably weak.
「Yep. Well, since even we managed, I think you’ll be fine, Rei. ……Ah, but.」
Milein’s words paused for a moment, and her gaze turned towards Set.
「The entrance is narrow, so Set-chan probably won’t be able to get in.」
「I’ve heard quite a bit about that. Having Set would make things a lot easier, though. If not just the entrance but the corridors aren’t that wide either, I’ll have to ask Set to wait outside.」
「Guru~……」
Set let out a disappointed cry.
His round eyes looked straight at Rei, but even with that gaze directed at him, Rei had no intention of taking Set into the dungeon.
He had the Size Transformation skill, but he couldn’t keep using it indefinitely.
Since the corridors were wide enough for some degree of combat, Set would probably be able to move…… but if any trouble occurred, it could result in a fatal wound.
「Apparently, monsters sometimes come out of the dungeon. If you can’t enter the dungeon even with Size Transformation, I’m sorry, but could you handle things outside, Set? I hear Ranga and the guards are stationed there, but just in case.」
「Guru~……Gurururururu~, Guru~」
Set hesitated for a few seconds, but ultimately nodded in agreement with Rei’s words.
「Actually, if Set-chan can’t enter the dungeon, wouldn’t it be fine for you to just go alone, Rei? I’ll look after Set-chan while you’re gone.」
Although she was showing her desires honestly, Milein’s words were also sound logic.
However, Rei shook his head in response.
「With Set, a journey that would have taken hours on foot would only take about ten minutes.」
「Guru~!」
At Rei’s words, Set gave a cry as if to say, Leave it to me!
Watching them, Milein muttered in disappointment.
If Rei had been trying to forcefully take Set along, Milein would have had a word or two to say about it.
But since Set himself was showing through his attitude that he wanted to go with Rei, there was nothing she could say.
「Well, I’ll give it a shot. If it really turns out to be so utterly unprofitable that nothing can be done about it, I’ll quickly come back and to hunt Gamelions instead.」
「……I’d actually prefer it if you did that instead.」
Since Milein was also based in Gilm, she naturally looked forward to Gamelion dishes at this time of year.
However, Gamelion meat was scarce so far, and the prices were set higher than usual.
「Then why doesn’t Scorching Wind go hunt Gamelions? You guys are a C rank party, so you can definitely fight C rank Gamelions.」
「True, if it’s not a request and just for us to eat, I might consider it……but considering it might end up being a wasted trip……」
Up until now, several adventurers Milein knew had gone out to hunt Gamelions, but almost all of them hadn’t even been able to find a single one.
Among them, a few lucky parties had managed to hunt some, but she strongly felt that even if they went looking for Gamelions, they probably wouldn’t find any.
In the first place, Scorching Wind didn’t have a thief.
The archer, Ekril, could do a passable imitation of a thief, but they were overwhelmingly lacking in a dedicated scout.
On top of that, Gamelions were fast, despite their massive size.
And since they were ferocious, it wasn’t rare for them to launch surprise attacks.
In a straightforward fight, Milein prided herself on having enough strength to put up a decent fight, but if they were hit by a surprise attack, it would be a different story.
The Gamelion’s high physical abilities, its ears that acted as blades, its sharp fangs, and its tail that was like a whip or a spear.
Their only saving grace was that they had no means of long-range attack.
「I fought Gamelions last year too, so I understand that much……they certainly were quite something in terms of strength.」
「Right? It would be a different story if they were the type to challenge you head-on.」
While they conversed, Set quickly finished the remaining food and got ready to depart. Rei gave a brief farewell to the people gathered there before leaving.
「Ah, Set-chan……let’s meet again later! Rei, if you bully Set-chan, I won’t forgive you!」
Milein’s voice echoed around them……but most of the people there just smiled wryly at her words.