Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Weaknesses Can Be Found in Unexpected Places (2)
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"Ah, we only managed to catch nine today."
The C-Rank party 'Eclipse', active in Hassler.
This party, made up of two C-Rank adventurers who were both assassins, was somewhat famous for its unusual composition.
Of course, due to structural limitations, there were plenty of requests they couldn't take or ended up failing.
Still, they showed considerable skill in monster subjugations and PvP battles.
That's why they were thrilled lately.
The Adventurer's Guild had put up a huge bounty for troll subjugations.
"Hey, still, the subjugation bounty's pretty good these days. They're giving 100 brett per troll, right?"
A whopping 100 brett per troll.
Some might complain that it was too little for a D-to-C-Rank monster, but that excluded spoils like refined troll blood.
It was just the money you got for submitting proof of the kill.
"Man, if we sell the blood too, that's nearly 200 brett per troll."
For C-Rank and above, if they could hunt five or more trolls a day.
It was way more profitable than taking regular requests—just head to the swamps near Ode and hunt trolls.
Of course, that required the combat prowess to quickly finish fights with trolls.
And extracting refined blood took nearly an hour of waiting.
No special skills were needed—just make wounds on the dead troll's body and drain as much blood as possible.
Toward the end, a thick green liquid would flow from its wounds.
That was 'refined troll blood'.
Only this among troll blood could be used as the main ingredient in potions.
Anyway, since you had to wait an hour after each kill, the number of trolls you could hunt in a day naturally dropped.
In truth, Eclipse's combat power could take down nearly 20 a day, but during blood extraction, you never knew when the refined blood would come out, so combat was practically impossible.
"Still, we made about 900 brett per head today."
"Troll outbreak for the win, seriously."
They opened their bags and grinned down at their haul: glass vials of refined troll blood and the troll eyeballs pulled as proof of subjugation.
A bright yellow base with dark red pupils, and a texture tougher than any human eye.
It was a unique trait only trolls had.
That's why troll eyeballs were accepted as proof of kill.
"Oh, village ahead. Wanna rest there for a bit?"
Spotting the village, they headed there, thinking it perfect for a short break with their tired bodies.
It was a village they'd stopped at a few times before while escaping Ode Swamp.
Hassler saw people from the imperial capital coming down and countless subhumans and humans coming up from the southern great forest, but hardly anyone came this way—only the occasional adventurer fleeing Ode Swamp.
So the village hadn't developed much and remained rundown.
But it was still better than camping out, so Eclipse made their way there.
"Heh heh heh, welcome."
The elderly village chief greeted them and, for a small fee, prepared an empty house for them to stay in.
It wasn't luxurious, but it was livable enough.
"...Hm?"
But then they spotted something they hadn't seen before.
"Hey, that thing that guy's carrying."
One party member, Nero, pointed at a villager.
The other, Scott, looked closely at the man Nero indicated.
Just an ordinary village youth.
He stood at the stockade entrance holding a spear, probably on guard against monsters.
But at his waist hung something familiar yet odd.
"Isn't that a firebomb?"
Firebomb.
An item that had briefly trended among adventurers once.
Oil in a glass bottle, thrown with a flint striker.
But upper monsters C-Rank and above had thick hides—no elemental weakness meant a bit of fire did negligible damage.
And for low-rank adventurers, wasting a one-use flint striker was too much, so it was abandoned as a combo item.
So why was a villager carrying one?
And tied next to it was a grass-scent spray.
"Why tie a grass-scent spray to a firebomb..."
"Kek!"
"Keeek—!"
Suddenly, some kind of screech echoed.
"...!!"
"What the?"
Looking out at the sudden commotion, a pack of hobgoblins was charging straight at them.
It was an attack.
"Damn it, no rest for the weary."
Eclipse sighed deeply and drew their weapons.
Nero wielded poison magic, Scott a magic dagger imbued with bleed effects.
D-Rank hobgoblins were easy prey to butcher.
But then.
"Throw it!"
The guard at the village entrance suddenly grabbed what was at his waist.
The thing they'd seen earlier—the firebomb with grass-scent spray tied to it.
'Fire? Hobgoblins'll just ignore it and charge through.'
Even if it spread flames, they'd hesitate a moment then barrel on.
He shook his head thinking that.
"Yo, that throw's no joke."
The guard's throwing form was pro-level.
Like he'd been professionally trained in throwing techniques...
Whoosh!
As he thought that, the firebomb flew from the guard's hand.
Great form sent it arcing fast at a perfect angle.
Crack!
It landed right in the center of the charging hobgoblin pack.
The oil-filled bottle shattered, sparking the flint on impact and igniting.
Standard firebomb so far.
'But hobgoblins won't go down to a little fire...'
Then the next instant.
Boom!!
"?!"
"Ugh?!"
A massive explosion roared.
A huge blast erupted in the hobgoblins' midst.
"Kreek!!"
"Kieeeek!"
Glass shards, stone fragments, and metal bits flew everywhere, piercing hobgoblin flesh.
The volatile spread from the blast ignited flames all around, engulfing the whole pack.
The hobgoblins fell into utter chaos.
Most were combat-incapable, and the survivors were dazed by the sudden boom and shock.
"Kreeck! Kieek!"
The rest soon fell to arrows from the village guards.
"......"
"......"
Nero and Scott could only stare dumbfounded.
'What... an explosion out of nowhere...?'
They scanned around for a hidden mage, but nothing.
It was clearly just a firebomb.
The only difference was the grass-scent spray tied to it.
'...Wait.'
Then Nero suddenly recalled the general store owner's warning: keep grass-scent spray away from fire or it explodes.
Away from fire, or it explodes.
A caution, but what if used in reverse?
"...Homemade bomb?"
"What?"
Thrown with a firebomb, the flames trigger the grass-scent spray to explode.
In other words... a homemade bomb.
Including oil bottle and rope, made for a mere 180 brett!
'Yeah, why didn't I think of it? Firebomb plus grass-scent spray should pack mid-tier explosion spell power. No, it did.'
Unlike standard explosion spells, it had physical shrapnel damage from metal and glass.
Might even outperform mid-tier blasts in power and range.
Enough to seriously hurt thick hides of C-Rank+ monsters.
Depending on the situation, wipe out a pack of five or six in one go.
If you asked C-Rank+ adventurers if they'd buy a no-mana, no-delay mid-tier explosion spell—stronger damage—for 180 brett?
'Of course. No, it's essential!'
C-Ranks and up earned 1000+ brett per party per day.
Compared to D-Rank parties scraping 500-600 brett a day from requests, bounties, and loot.
The money scale changes at C-Rank.
180 brett was easily affordable.
No, with that power, even recommend to low-ranks.
Budget for it.
One could cover C-Rank monsters.
'...This is kinda dangerous, isn't it?'
Even an ordinary villager could unleash C-Rank adventurer-level destruction with one use.
It completely bypassed the adventurer ranking system.
Like an enchanted magic weapon.
With one, you could trivially hit C-Rank power.
But far cheaper and simpler.
This might be... a game-changer invention?
"U-um, excuse me...!"
By then, Nero was already calling out to the village youth.
"Yes?"
"That thing... who taught you?"
He had to know.
Did villagers really invent it?
Or did someone teach them?
'If so, definitely an adventurer.'
Firebomb and spray combo.
Who else but an adventurer would think of it?
"Oh, the instant bomb? Instructor Kane taught us."
"...Kane?"
Unfamiliar name.
Nero prided himself on knowing all C-Rank+ adventurers in Hassler.
Never heard of Kane.
New arrival to Hassler maybe?
"Sounds familiar..."
Unlike Nero, Scott seemed to have a vague inkling.
But couldn't pin it down, clutching his head and groaning.
The youth tilted his head oddly and said.
"Huh? He came to Hassler as an adventurer instructor recently. You don't know?"
"Adventurer instructor?"
Nero vaguely recalled hearing about a new instructor.
Suddenly, Scott shouted.
"Ah, aaaah!"
"What?"
Nero turned, and Scott nodded like it'd clicked.
"Right, newbie instructor Kane! That Black Axe guy wouldn't shut up praising him. Said he's different from the other instructors."
"What?"
Karl, leader of Black Axe.
D-Rank adventurer, but respected even among C-Ranks for his skill.
Unusually serious and prepared among rough adventurers.
'He praised him that much?'
Strange.
Nero rarely saw Karl praise anyone.
"Plus those kids rising fast lately. The two pretty girls."
"Oh, D-Rank party 'Master's Grace'. Weird name stuck with me."
Sonya the healer-mage and Reina the spear user.
Newly minted D-Rank duo rising like comets.
Promoted recently, but expected to hit C-Rank soon.
And two attractive women.
Party name 'Master's Grace'.
Hard to forget.
"Their 'master' is Instructor Kane. He trained them from E-Rank."
"...Huh?"
Made instant bombs, praised endlessly by Karl.
And mentor to rising stars?
"...Kane, huh. Who the hell is this guy?"
Now they were curious.