Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: High-Grade Weapon Material
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The next day.
"Alright. Shall we get going?"
There was no need to wake up early, so today I deliberately slept in until lunchtime.
After finishing lunch at the inn, I was getting ready to head out to the Jobun Plains? Or was it Jobeun Plains? Anyway, to that place.
*Clank.* The sword I had leaning against the wall made a sound as I grabbed it.
"…You brought it after all. That sword."
Luna, who was always one step ahead of me in her preparations, commented.
"Of course I had to bring it. This is my right."
It was the second sword from that weakling I ran into yesterday as I was about to leave the academy.
I had rightfully demanded and received it as compensation, based on my rights as a consumer.
Of course, the weakling had thrown a fit, saying he couldn't part with it, but in a battle between the seller and the consumer, the consumer was naturally the victor.
"…I've never heard of such a right."
"Luna. How many times have I told you? It's not that I'm wrong, it's the world that's wrong."
I mean, what kind of world doesn't have the seller compensate the consumer for their losses?
You have to reclaim your own rights.
"Enough about that. Let's get going."
"We just need you to be ready, Luke…"
"Ah."
***
There are various means of transportation in this world, but the most common one used by ordinary people was the horse-drawn carriage.
There were things like teleportation and wyvern riding, but teleportation was something you'd only see used by high-ranking nobles or when you fall into a trap later on, and wyvern riding was quite expensive, so we couldn't afford it right now.
Even carriages were divided into two types. There were wagons used by merchants to transport goods, and there were carriages that carried people to their destinations, much like taxis on Earth.
We were riding in the latter type of carriage, heading toward the Jobun Plains.
"My butt hurts…"
The rattling noise was a given, but the ride quality was the absolute worst. It felt like they had installed a butt massager on the unpaved road, the floor of the carriage bouncing and smacking my rear.
For me, accustomed to the cutting-edge marvel of science that is the taxi, the jarring downgrade was immense.
Of course, for the people here, this was probably normal, as Luna seemed perfectly fine… or not.
"What's that! Isn't that cheating!?"
"What are you talking about?"
"That tail, your tail! I'm so jealous! Give me one!"
It wasn't that she looked fine; she was using a trick all by herself.
She had her protruding tail neatly curled up and was sitting on it like a cushion. While her master was in agony, she alone looked comfortable.
"Next time, I'll have to bring a cushion or something…"
While there were more good things than bad about coming to this world, there were also many inconveniences.
The obvious lack of phones or computers, for one. Besides that, this world was severely lacking in entertainment.
Is that why people make a sport out of beating up monsters?
And the most inconvenient thing. No, something that went beyond inconvenience and truly sparked my irritation.
*Bzzzzzz.*
"Gah…! Dammit! Fucking mosquitoes!"
The public enemy of all humanity.
That goddamn creature I thought only existed on Earth was present here as well.
The road from the empire to the Jobun Plains was an unpaved path carved through the forest to avoid monster territories, allowing carriages and people to pass.
However, the dense trees lining the road were reminiscent of the mountains back on Earth.
It was fine when we started, but as time went on, mosquitoes began flying in from the forest one by one, and now they were brazenly buzzing around, declaring their intent to suck my blood.
I don't know if they're strong, but I wonder if this creature isn't the fastest in the world.
You know, even that one guy who could kill anything in a single punch couldn't catch a mosquito, right?
"Hmph. Hmph."
"Luke. Please calm down a little."
"How can I be calm in this situation!?"
If Gandhi were in my shoes, even he, a man of non-violence, would capture a mosquito and display a level of cruelty, dismembering it limb from limb while screaming, "Violence is the answer after all! Kiyaaaah!!"
"But hey, how are you so okay, Luna?"
"Hehe… Look at me closely."
She's just sitting there. What am I supposed to be looking at?
Is her logic that because she's pretty, the mosquitoes think, 'Oh my! So beautiful! I, a lowly creature, cannot possibly suck this person's blood!' and avoid her?
"Such a princess complex."
"…I don't know what you're misunderstanding, but I meant you should look at my surroundings, not me."
Ah.
She was the one who said it in a way that was bound to be misunderstood.
I leaned my upper body towards Luna and looked around her.
"What is this?"
I had to squint to see it clearly, but then I noticed a current of wind flowing around Luna's body.
"I'm creating a breeze around my body to prevent mosquitoes from getting close."
Such a cheat skill exists!?
Insect repellents, mosquito coils, none of them are needed.
Magic truly is the best. To think it could so easily repel the mosquitoes that humanity, with all its advanced science, couldn't handle.
"But why are you the only one using it?"
"Because you didn't ask."
Is this girl crazy?
They say a dog's life is a good life, but it seems a slave's life is even better.
"…You just wait."
Gritting my teeth, I began capturing mosquitoes one by one and stuffing them into my pocket for later.
***
"That'll be 5 Copper."
"Here you go."
Right after arriving at the Jobun Plains, we paid the fare to the coachman.
Unlike Earth's taxis that use fuel and meters, this system used horses, so the cost was calculated based on the distance between the current location and the destination on a map. Such a detailed setting.
"Kiyaaaaaaaaaah━━━━━!!!!!!!!!"
"…Why are you suddenly like this?"
"That's the sound of me stretching."
"…?"
Ignoring Luna, who was looking at me like I was a strange person, I took a step forward and took in the view of the Jobun Plains.
The vast expanse was dotted with ashen-gray monsters, Rhino Horns.
It seemed they really were herbivores, as they were grazing on the grass on the ground. The sight was incongruous, their appearance completely at odds with their actions.
"Did they say these things will attack if we mess with them?"
"Yes… Even herbivores need a means of attack to survive."
The food chain, was it?
Even a worm will turn. Though they were herbivores, they must have developed a means of attack to survive when threatened, and that weapon must be that horn.
"It really looks perfect for making a weapon."
When you think of a rhinoceros, you imagine a sharp horn and a fierce charge, don't you?
The Rhino Horns before me looked the same, but the difference from a normal rhino was undoubtedly that blunt horn.
A large, thick, rectangular horn.
It was like looking at the un-forged form of the greatsword I was after.
"Luna, you think you can break that horn?"
"…I think it would be difficult."
"As I thought, right?"
I need it, but if it's that hard, how am I supposed to break it?
The method is simple.
"Let's just cut off the head and take it with us. The old man will figure out the rest."
"This time you're properly taking just the head?"
"The old man is better at butchering than me, and it's not a request, so what's the point of taking it to Adela?"
I took out the stakes and hammer I had prepared from my inventory.
These weren't ordinary stakes, but thick, long ones made of steel.
I drove them into a relatively flat patch of ground.
Humming a little tune, I wiggled my butt.
"You're full of energy for an unpaid job."
"Isn't that obvious? What's more fun than hunting?"
I did whine about the lack of entertainment, but in this world, more real than any virtual reality, hunting monsters couldn't be a better pastime.
A mobile game where you just throw money at it to watch your cute daughter grow? Don't need it! Who needs those graphic scraps! They could never beat heroines who have become real in 2D!
A VR game where the character mimics my movements? No matter how well-made the virtual reality, it could never be more vivid than this!
Adela says there are few requests because there's no money in it, but to think she's just chasing money without knowing this joy.
She needs to get a taste of being transported, just like me.
To Earth, where science is advanced and there are no monsters, since her world is full of them.
"Don't just stand there and play, Luna. You help too."
I threw a thick wire rope from my inventory to Luna, who was just watching idly while her master toiled.
"Use that to connect the stakes I've hammered in."
"Yes. Understood."
*Clang. Clang. Clang.*
The sound of the hammer hitting the stakes rang out continuously.
"Phew! Alright. All done."
"Luke. I'm finished as well."
"Great. Then shall we lure one over?"
*Moooooooooooooooooo━━━━━!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
Just as I was about to start luring one, a sudden cry broke the silence.
It was followed by a continuous thumping sound.
I stood up from my crouched position and turned my gaze toward the plains.
"What is that?"
"A Named Monster… It's a mutated individual. A monster that has evolved into a different form from the common type."
Thank you! Meddlesome Speedwagon!
The term "Named Monster" reminded me that such a setting existed in the novel.
However…
"That thing is a Named Monster?"
It just looked like a Rhino Horn with a different color.
It was like in an RPG where the developers, too lazy to design a new monster, just change the color of an existing one and call it new.
There wasn't a single ounce of effort in its appearance.
But separate from that.
"High-grade weapon material!?"
This was a great opportunity to farm better weapon materials.