Explorer was a job that consisted of entering a maze, hunting monsters and collecting mana stones. Ordinary people believed that fighting monsters was the biggest difficulty of this race. But when the explorers themselves were asked, the answers were completely different. There was the absence of light, not being able to sleep when you wanted, food that tasted like food, the accumulation of libido, being stained with sweat and dirty beds.
«Not so bad on the lower floors, where exploration periods are shorter. But the higher the floor, the harder explorers say these things become.»
«Hmm, I see.»
«Yeah. They say that it is normal for large clans, starting from the seventh floor, to take two to three months off after an exploration».
As someone belonging to this occupational group, it was completely understandable.
But... so what? What was the point, on the afternoon of the 22nd, to bring up this topic during lunch just when I was about to get some jerky? I wouldn't be saying this for no reason.
«If you want something, say it».
When I looked at her to get to the point, Raven responded with a voice full of determination. «Let's eat something decent today. Not dried meat, but a food that uses fire».
Huh, so this was his goal. Yes, she was a magician. I could have just said I wanted to eat something delicious today.
I thought about it briefly and responded: «Okay, sure».
«You may be the leader, but you should still ask everyone's opinion... Wait. How do you say?».
«I said yes».
«Oh yeah?» Raven's eyes widened as if she thought she was going to be rejected.
She was sure she knew how unreasonable that proposal was. This was not the fourth floor. There we cooked our meals every day and sometimes even roasted magically preserved meat, but the Great Demon Realm on the fifth floor was an open world structure.
«Can we really? If the smell comes out there is a high chance that we won't even be able to eat it because of the monsters».
«You... What do you want?»
«I mean... I've thought about it and I think I can solve the smell problem with magic». It seemed like this was what he meant from the beginning.
Anyway, when the decision was made to cook the food, Ainar, who had been nervously listening to the conversation, dropped his jaw. «This is a wizard...» She seemed impressed that Raven got my permission with just a couple of exchanges.
Now that we're on the fifth floor, I have to improve that too.
Actually, I was thinking about this part. The total exploration period was already one month. The team's stress level had to be taken care of. People tended to stick out their tips when they were sensitive.
«So, Miss Karlstein, please. Let me know if you need water or fire».
«Umm, so can you light a fire?»
«Is enough?»
Then our team's official chef, Missha, started cooking with Raven's help. The menu was tomato stew with lots of meat.
«Delicious again!!! Missha! You should marry me in the future!»
«What are you talking about? Miss Ainar, Miss Karlstein will live with me.»
«Um, I'm glad you enjoyed it, but you're both kind of ...» Missha interrupted herself and looked at me.
While the others ate, Mr. Bear and I stood guard. Until the three of them emptied their bowls, not a single monster appeared.
«Hmm, it doesn't really smell. What kind of magic is this?»
«I applied air control magic and combustion magic. Gather the smell in one place and burn it».
«Hmm, I see.»
Mr. Bear was delighted, saying that it was possible to have a decent meal on the fifth floor. Me too. To be honest, I was sick of beef jerky.
«Well then, you two can eat. Now we will stand guard».
Soon, we both sat down and poured ourselves stew. As a barbarian and a male of the Black Bear tribe, five minutes was more than enough. Until we finished, no monsters appeared. It wasn't just because of the effectiveness of odor removal magic.
The total number of monsters decreased.
It was something he had felt for the past few days, but the number of monsters on the fifth floor was much smaller than in the game. Of course, I had an assumption as to why.
Damn clan bastards.
In the Great Demon Realm, monsters regenerated in the mirrors located in each field and were released into the cannon. However, the clans had monopolized those areas to hunt down the monsters while they regenerated, so it was to be expected that fewer monsters would emerge.
Thanks to that, I found it soon.
I looked at the moss growing in the corner of the road and smiled. It was different from the other moss we had passed through. Its color was half red and half green, and a bead-sized black moss formed at the point where the two types meet.
The problem is how to induce it naturally...
While I was thinking this, some monsters appeared right in front: eight rank 6 Infernal Hounds. It was easy to think of them as wild dogs the size of tigers and with four eyes. Their entire bodies were engulfed in black flames as an extra.
«Grrrrrrrr!»
«Prepare for battle.»
Since we had been hunting these more than we could count for the past few days, we entered battle without any briefing. The battle took about ten minutes to end.
«So let's go further down now?»
Raven asked about the plan, and I pondered for a moment. It was still a long way from camping time. How could I make them stay in this place without it being strange?
Wow, if it weren't for deodorizing magic, we'd be fighting monsters right now.
As I licked my lips in disappointment, the black moss on the corner of the road disappeared.
...Eh?
It was as if something invisible had picked him up.
Is it already here?
I quickly gave orders. «Raven, I think there's something here with us».
«Excuse me? What...?»
«Launch detection magic».
Was it an effect of being harassed by the masked assailant on the fourth floor? Even with my instructions based purely on intuition, Raven did not hesitate to cast her magic. «Say Tanib Karsachi». The mana waves spread out in a circle. Raven's expression soon became serious. «There's something. It's in front of us».
«Is it a person?» I asked, pretending not to know, and Raven launched Track instead of answer.
Whoom!
A group of lights stuck to the air like clay. Soon, the lights faded and the figure of the marauder was revealed.
«...Hmm?»
It was a squirrel the size of a child of about six or seven years old. She was sitting curled up in front of the moss, gnawing at the black moss with her front teeth.
«Kyuu?» Feeling our eyes, the squirrel tilted its head.
«Oh...! It's cute».
«It looks delicious!» Missha and Ainar exclaimed at the same time.
Raven screamed excitedly below. «It's a Mila Roden! We have to kill him quickly!»
So you know how hard it is to meet this guy.
«Ahh, right... still a monster...» Missha raised her sword with a somewhat sad expression.
On the other hand, Mr. Bear loaded his crossbow with an arrow faster than ever. It was not just one person who recognized the value of the creature. «We're lucky to meet a Mila Roden on the first scan».
«E-wait. Distortion! I haven't used distortion magic yet!» Raven stopped Mr. Bear and quickly cast a spell. It wasn't just any distortion, but high-class distortion magic. Now, by capturing the target monster, there was a better chance that the corpse would remain intact.
«Kyu, Kyuut!» As soon as he was hit with distortion magic, the Mila Roden went into a frenzy. Maybe it was an instinct imprinted in his DNA. Most of their ancestors would have died from this.
«Abman!»
At the same time as my scream, the crossbow fired. However, as one of the few herbivorous monsters in the maze, Mila Roden avoided him with quick movements. I immediately lunged forward and grabbed his tail.
«Pee! Piiii! Pee!» The creature struggled and let out a scream. Doing this felt like I was hurting an animal, but hey, what can you do? This was the disposition of nature.
Slide.
Just as I reached out with the intention of squeezing his skull, Raven stopped me. «Wait! Can't we kill him as whole as possible? I have heard that the skin is sold at a high price».
Said like a true magician who sought rationality. I obediently agreed and grabbed Mila Roden by the neck and tail to tie her up. «Missha».
«Hey? Do I have to do it?».
«Your sword is the finest».
Ainar used a great sword and Mr. Bear's arrows were too big. My mace wasn't even worth mentioning. Since this creature was also a monster, it would be difficult to kill it cleanly with a normal knife.
«Stab his forehead.»
«Ugh...» Missha seemed reluctant, but in the end she drew her sword to give peace to the creature.
«Kyuu...» Mila Roden collapsed as if her energy had gone out. I swallowed and counted the seconds.
One two three...
Normally, that was the time it took for monsters to turn into light after dying.
«Bjorn! It's meat!»
The body did not disappear.
The rank 7 Mila Roden, a squirrel who carried a mirror on her back, was listed as a rare species along with the Mimic because it was fucking difficult to encounter one.
«Haha, we have captured a very rare monster thanks to you, Mr. Yandel. Do you have experience with him, Mr. Urikfried?»
«It's also my first time. That's how strange it is».
Mr. Bear had worked on the fifth floor for a long time, but it was also the first time he had hunted one. Well, considering the nature of the monster it was understandable. It was a non-aggressive monster that had the ability to hide at all times. Furthermore, when detection magic was cast, it was not even within range. Practically, it was a monster that could only be encountered with heavenly luck, assuming you knew nothing about black moss.
If you wait here and use detection magic once, you can always catch one.
Of course, that was easier said than done. It took me over a year to fall behind on the fifth floor to learn this method. This was a game full of hidden pieces. I reviewed all the recordings with the conviction that there might be a condition for the appearance of Mila Roden and discovered that the moss disappeared from the ground in one of the recordings. At the time I thought it might be a mistake.
Perverted game.
When confirmed, it was not a bug but a hidden element. If you ran detection magic as soon as the moss disappeared, the chances of a Mila Roden appearing were 100%. Of course, whether distortion magic was successful or not was another matter.
«I guess it's beginner's luck. Even having success with distortion magic...»
«It is a high class distortion. Not just distortion.»
«Oh. True, high-class distortion...»
In the game, the distortion success rate of a Mila Roden was 20%. Even a high-class distortion rate was less than 30%, so I thought it would take at least three or four captures to come out.
«Could you pass it on to me anyway?» Raven asked.
«Do you know how to dismember it?».
«This is what I did every day during my apprenticeship».
The inert corpse was quickly dismembered into leather, intestines and bones by Raven's butcher knife. His skill was much faster and more sophisticated than Rotmiller's.
Wow, the experts are in another field.
«But what's so expensive about this guy?»
«Skin is in high demand for its rarity and tendons are used as magical ingredients. But... the true value comes from something else». Soon, Raven cut the mirror stuck to the skin of the creature's back and the carnage process ended. «It's this mirror».
«Mirror?»
«Yeah. It can't be taken into the city, but it can be very useful here». Raven then explained the purpose of the mirror in detail. I watched this, pleased.
Is this why a team needs a magician?
The process had become much easier. Before I had to explain everything from A to Z. Ugh, could I finally live like a normal barbarian?
«But you have good senses too, Mr. Yandel».
«Hey?»
«There's no way you felt Mila Roden's presence». Raven looked at me strangely, but the situation passed without suspicion. Since she herself went through something similar on the fourth floor, I guess she thought it wasn't impossible. That was all for this part.
«So how do you use it?». In the game, the mirror was simply mounted on the magician and a button was pressed. So what was it like in real life?
«Um, I'm not too sure either. That wasn't written in the book. Wouldn't it work if I injected some mana?».
«...Try it. Oh, before that, cast a binding magic first. Just in case.»
«Good idea.» After casting the magic, Raven held the mirror and closed her eyes. It seemed like I was injecting her with mana, but as a barbarian with no talent for mana, I didn't feel anything special. How much time passed?
Flash!
The mirror enveloped us in radiant light. When I came to, instead of the labyrinth full of darkness, we were at the top of a wide wasteland.
[You have entered the Mirror of Fire].
«Everything has changed like a crack!», was Mr. Bear's impression. However, this place was completely different from a crack. For starters, there was no guardian, and it was not shaped like a dungeon. It was simply an open world structure riddled with monsters.
«Go somewhere else, barbarian. This is the territory of our clan».
So, in other words, this area was the world beyond the mirrors that the clans were camped out of to gobble up the monsters as they came.
«Bjorn! Monsters come from everywhere!»
«Prepare for battle!»
[Field Effect-The Hidden World is granted. The mana stone drop rate is greatly increased. The essence drop rate increases slightly].
Let's get just two essences, no more, no less.