Chapter 376 - Treasure Hunter (4)

We held our weapons, but didn't aim them. We hadn't confirmed what they wanted yet. Provoking them for no reason could turn something easily resolved into a nasty complication.

"What will you do?"

"Talk first."

"I'll be ready."

"Good."

"Erwin, don't make a move before I give the signal. No matter what."

After that brief exchange with my companions, I stepped in front of them, shielding them both. How much time passed after that?

TRUDGE, TRUDGE.

The group of fifteen explorers stopped outside our camp, and a man who appeared to be their representative slowly stepped forward.

"Luckily, we won't have to wake you."

"Introduce yourself first."

"Haha, no need to be frightened. Whatever you're imagining isn't going to happen."

What was he talking about? Who said I was frightened? I was just deciding whether he was someone whose skull I needed to smash.

'Four ranged fighters, two mages, nine melee fighters, and priests... none?'

Still, the fact that there were fifteen of them was significant. Ever since six-person [Unity] became available, six had become the standard unit. It was possible the remaining three were hiding somewhere else.

"Quite the suspicious fellow, aren't you? Calm down and let's talk for a moment. If we'd come with ill intentions, would we be standing here talking to you?"

Well, that remained to be seen. After sweeping my eyes over the group waiting behind him, I turned my gaze back to the man.

"Enough. What do you want? Surely you know how it looks, prowling around someone else's camp in the middle of the night?"

In response, the man identified himself.

"We're members of the Huntsman Clan."

"Never heard of you."

"Understandable. Frankly, we're not a particularly famous clan. Lately we've been treasure hunting on Pione Island, so we've hardly been active elsewhere."

"Treasure hunting..."

Only then did I get a rough idea of why this guy had come to see us.

"I don't know whether you're aware, but six clans have divided up Pione Island, each operating exclusively within its own territory. It's a measure to prevent indiscriminate conflict."

"And?"

"The place where you're camping belongs to our Huntsman Clan. We'd like you to leave as soon as day breaks tomorrow."

Sure enough, they were restricting access to the hunting grounds. Something explorers got sick of dealing with from the fifth floor onward, and something that drove home the fact that the Labyrinth was a world where the strong preyed on the weak. My first impression of them had been bad enough. This certainly didn't improve it.

"I don't recall hearing that the royal family granted any particular group rights to Pione Island."

"Haha, you're surprisingly rigid for someone who looks like you. Since when has exploring ever gone strictly by the book?"

With that question, he fell silent. He simply stood there, staring me down. What came out of his mouth next would probably depend on my decision. I didn't deliberate long.

"Don't worry. We were planning to leave at daybreak anyway."

We really had only come to spend the night, so I decided there was no need to start a dispute over our right to hunt here.

But had he taken my answer as backing down?

"Haha, is that so? Then it seems we made this trip for nothing. Thank you for understanding."

The man, whose eyes had shown at least some wariness toward us, began smiling much more comfortably. Apparently, he'd decided we were nothing special. Otherwise, he would've fucked off instead of running his mouth like this.

"Incidentally, three is an unusual number. Did you lose some companions on the way here?"

"That's none of your concern."

"No need to be wary. I'm only trying to help. It could be dangerous if a monster suddenly appeared, couldn't it? If you like, we could let you use our campsite..."

Trailing off, he glanced at Erwin and Amelia behind me. Ha. This bastard really had a talent for pissing people off.

"Thanks for the offer, but we'll pass."

"Hmm, really? But mightn't the two ladies feel differently?"

Despite my polite refusal, he kept pushing. He only backed down after Erwin and Amelia firmly refused him themselves.

"No, thank you."

"We're perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves."

"A shame. Our clan branch is in Lavigion's District 8. If your team disbands and you find yourselves with nowhere to go, come see us."

Ha. This bullshit right to the very end.

"All right, back to camp!"

Barely suppressing an incredulous laugh, I watched him lead his group away.

"Mister, why did you put up with that?"

"I can't just start swinging my hammer whenever someone annoys me a little, can I?"

"Hmm, you can't?"

Erwin and I both more or less ignored Amelia's remark.

"B-but still, if I'd stepped in, trash like that wouldn't have dared be so rude...!"

Erwin openly vented her indignation, sounding unable to understand, but the decision had been unavoidable. She stood out wherever she went, and rumors spread easily. I didn't want any information about us getting out, however trivial. But saying that would be a poor move.

"Still, thank you, Erwin."

"... F-for what?"

"You held back even though you were that angry."

"Well... you told me not to make the first move, Mister..."

"That's why I'm grateful, and proud of you."

"I-is that so...? It was nothing. I could do that every day..."

Instead of explaining my perfectly valid reasons at length, I changed the subject. After all, wasn't easing her feelings what mattered most?

"That ended surprisingly quickly."

"Why do you sound so fascinated? Anyway, let's get back to sleep. We've got a long way to go tomorrow. All right, Erwin?"

"Yes!"

With that, I quickly wrapped things up, and we lay back down in our blankets to resume sleeping. How much more time passed?

"Schuitz, wake up."

Amelia woke me, urgently shaking my shoulder.

What? Don't tell me those bastards were back?

I sprang upright, reaching for the hammer I'd placed beside me.

"Calm down. It's not people this time."

"... What?"

Not people? Then what on earth...

"Don't tell me..."

I whipped my head around and scanned the area, soon spotting what I was looking for with my own eyes.

["C-creak, creak?"]

The only monster that appeared on Pione Island. The rank-four rare variety, Raffle Mimic.

* * *

Raffle Mimic. The very monster guaranteed to drop a Numbered item when killed, and whose Essence, if it dropped, could reportedly fetch billions of stones. It appeared in other fields too, but nowhere was it easier to find than Pione Island. Even so, one appearance a month was considered good—and that was across the entire island.

"... To think we'd run into one on a brief stopover."

Yeah. This was exploration. This was the romance of it.

"Schuitz, what will you do?"

Amelia asked in a near whisper, and I answered.

"What do you mean, what will I do?"

Did she really think I'd pass this up because of those guys?

"We kill it, obviously."

"... I thought you'd say that. Then I'll go wake Erwin."

Amelia headed toward the blanket beside us to wake Erwin, and I belatedly noticed something odd.

"Wait, Erwin? Since when did you two get so close?"

"The more I see her, the cuter she seems."

Huh. People's feelings really were a mystery. Was this what they meant by growing fond of each other through fighting?

"... Cute?"

"Seems I didn't need to wake you."

"Wake me...? More importantly, what are you two doing?"

"A Raffle Mimic appeared."

"... Really?"

Erwin, who had woken to our conversation and was rubbing her eyes, hurriedly got up and fixed her gaze on the chest rolling idly around about twenty meters away.

["Creak! C-creak?! Creak!"]

True to its non-aggressive nature, the Raffle Mimic showed only curiosity at the sight of us in the distance, not hostility.

"Erwin, your role is crucial here. We don't have a mage on our team."

"I know. You said that without a mage, we have to kill it in one go, right?"

"Right. Otherwise, it'll immediately hide underground."

For the record, once it hid underground, you could consider it gone. That made a one-shot kill crucial in our current situation...

"Erwin, hit it with everything you've got. Summon your darkness spirit too, if possible. Oh, you know the chest is its real body, right? Don't shoot the stalk just because it looks like its body—"

"Don't worry. I'll make sure I kill it!"

"Good. I trust you."

Not that I had any choice but to trust her. Erwin was, beyond question, the one with the highest single-target damage among us.

"Then... here goes."

Erwin slowly drew her bowstring. And at that moment:

「Erwin Fornacci de Tersia has cast [Elemental Synthesis].」

Fire, water, wind, earth, and even darkness. The five elements combined into one and began radiating an ominous energy. Of course, the Raffle Mimic remained perfectly calm throughout.

["Creak...?"]

The Raffle Mimic tilted its head as though marveling at this curious sight. Its innocence stirred a strange sense of guilt in me as a fellow living creature, but that was all. After all, we were explorers. Beating monsters and people to death for money was our profession.

TWANG.

Having finished concentrating, Erwin released her bowstring.

WHOOOOSH!

The arrow streaked forward too fast to follow with the naked eye.

["C-creeeak—!"]

Only then did the Raffle Mimic startle in terror, but it was already too late.

KABOOOOM!

The arrow slipped neatly into the Raffle Mimic's open mouth(?) and exploded with a deafening roar. However...

["C-creak...!"]

Amazingly, it was still alive, despite its shattered chest shell and body torn to shreds.

["C-creeeak—!"]

It mustered the last of its strength and began burrowing underground. But Erwin was a step faster.

「Erwin Fornacci de Tersia has cast [Rupture].」

As the follow-up struck, the Raffle Mimic burst into hundreds of flying fragments.

SHHHHH!

Before long, the scattered pieces turned into motes of light and vanished.

「You have defeated a Raffle Mimic. EXP +6」

The increase in EXP was unmistakable, as befitted a rank-four monster. It felt wonderful no matter how many times I experienced it, but my attention was elsewhere.

'No Essence... as expected.'

Well, I hadn't expected one. Hoping for that too would've been downright greedy.

'Please, just give me something at least as good as the 5000s.'

Two objects dropped where the Raffle Mimic had stood. One was a magic crystal. And the other...

"A ring...?"

I approached to inspect the loot and let out an incredulous laugh.

"Ha..."

"Schuitz, do you recognize it?"

Of course. How could I forget? I'd nearly died because of this thing once.

No. 6111, Fate Tracker.

The same ring the Dragonslayer I'd met in Larukaz' Maze had worn.

'It's not a bad item, but it's a little disappointing...'

"What kind of ring is it? I-if it's good for archers..."

Erwin trailed off, her gaze covetous. She'd never shown much interest in possessions before. Was a Numbered item tempting even for her?

"It's hard to say what type of explorer it's best suited for."

"Hard to say?"

"If I had to classify it, it's a detection-type magic tool. When something happens around you, the color it shows lets you divine whether it's good or bad."

For reference, there were three colors: green, red, and yellow. That was why I'd usually called it the Traffic Signal Ring.

"Having one can't hurt. We'd be better off keeping it than selling it."

"... Then, can I wear it?"

"You? But you're already wearing plenty of rings, aren't you? I'll just wear this one."

"Oh, yes. Yes! Th-that would be better, wouldn't it? Right?"

With Erwin's agreement secured, I slipped the ring onto my finger without hesitation. And at that moment:

「The ring has detected the character's fate.」

The ring lit up.