Joyful Farming Time!
Richel ultimately couldn’t break Albert’s stubbornness. Faced with his unyielding attitude, she had no choice but to enter Monster Land alongside Abel. That kind of stubbornness isn’t easy to crack. Well, a man needs a certain level of resolve to be attractive… No, that’s not it.
She had seen plenty of men like him before. That was why she knew exactly how to handle them. Once he experienced it firsthand, he would realize just how wrong his assumptions were. With that in mind, Richel brought Abel along and entered Monster Land with Albert. It could be dangerous, but they had agreed to retreat immediately if things looked bad.
It’ll be dangerous, but a little experience will show him just how perilous Monster Land really is. He was a sensible man. A brief taste of reality would make him see the error of his ways, and he would withdraw at once. She already knew Albert was strong from the time he sold her the orc corpses, and she was aware he possessed remarkable abilities.
But Monster Land holds far more dangers than orcs. Richel glanced at Abel and gave him a signal to help if things turned dangerous. Abel thought, I wonder if there’ll even be anything for me to do… while staying alert to their surroundings. Monster Land was perilous. Even so, he resolved to protect his client, Richel, no matter what. With each of them steeling their resolve, they stepped into Monster Land—and it didn’t take long for Richel and Abel to realize they had been mistaken.
Albert was already exclaiming, “Oh! There’s an orc over there… and now it’s gone?”
“Hah! There was a lizardman right there just now… and it’s dead again.”
“A troll over there… Ah, you’re draining its blood this time? As expected of Lord Albert.”
“There’s a red lizardman over there! That one’s dangerous! Red lizardmen are at least three times stronger than regular ones, but… it doesn’t matter, does it?”
They now understood he was far stronger than they had imagined. The moment a monster appeared, he would dash forward in a flash, swing his fist, and an orc’s head would burst. Even lizardmen with scales that deflected most attacks had their heads explode the instant they showed themselves. Fortunately, he seemed to know from experience that orc heads fetched a good price, so he finished them by severing their necks instead. Richel’s mind reeled.
“You’ll buy all the corpses we harvest here, right?”
“……Ah, of course.”
“I’ll handle the transportation. Oh, and I won’t charge for carrying them from Monster Land to the territory. I do have some business ethics, after all.”
Smiling brightly, he stored the monster corpses in his extradimensional space. His combat prowess was terrifying. To others, Monster Land was a disaster zone, a place so dangerous that approaching it was taboo. Yet Albert strolled through it as casually as if he were visiting a neighbor for tea.
“……Looks like I won’t have anything to do here.” Abel wore a hollow expression. As a mercenary, he had accumulated countless experiences. He was decent with a sword, but his true confidence lay in scouting and detection. His sharp senses, which could pick up enemies from afar, were second to none among mercenaries. That was why he had agreed to enter Monster Land in the first place—his detection ability gave him the confidence to sense and avoid danger before it arrived.
But now… He was already moving before I could even detect anything. That means his detection ability surpasses mine. In every aspect, Albert far outclassed Abel. The gap was so overwhelming that feelings like envy or jealousy never even surfaced. It simply felt as though Albert belonged to an entirely different world.
“Ah, over there!” At that moment, Richel pointed with her finger as if she had spotted something. “That area over there is the Iron Ant habitat!”
“Oh!” They had finally found the Iron Ant habitat. It was indeed deep within Monster Land. While locating it had been quite troublesome, that was actually fortunate.
If the iron ants’ habitat had been near the entrance of Monster Land…The territory probably wouldn’t have survived. In that sense, it was a relief.
“But will it be all right? Iron ants are much stronger than other monsters.”
“It’s fine. You saw for yourself—I’m strong.”
“I know you’re strong, but……” Iron ants possessed a different kind of strength from other monsters. It wasn’t their sturdy shells or their grip strength capable of crushing steel. It was their numbers. As creatures that lived in colonies, they moved in groups of at least dozens or hundreds. Even two hundred mercenaries had been forced to flee in terror at those numbers. Facing such overwhelming numbers, would Albert really be okay?
“Lord Abel, if anything happens, please help him.”
“Well…… I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but since it’s a request, I’ll do what I can.” Abel gripped his sword, refusing to let his guard down. Just then—
“Found it.” Albert spotted something and dashed forward.
“Ah!”
“W-wait for us!” Richel and Abel hurriedly chased after him.
[I’m detecting countless enemies ahead.]
Yeah, I can sense them too. His own perception picked up the presence of numerous monsters ahead.
[Their signatures are definitely similar to the steel ants from the other world.]
“Then their weaknesses should be the same.”
They pushed through the undergrowth and emerged into a clearing where countless Iron Ants awaited. Dozens of ants the size of a child’s head twitched their antennae in unison, all facing him. Albert grinned as if he had struck the jackpot.
“Oh! There they are. Man, this is a goldmine!”
They looked exactly like steel ants. The creatures seemed slightly flustered at the sight of Albert charging toward them, but he didn’t slow down.
“I came to farm some steel, you bastards!!!”
To others, Iron Ants were objects of terror—creatures you fled from the moment you encountered them. But Albert was different.
“Hand over that steel!!”
Crack! Albert casually smashed the head of the foremost Iron Ant with his fist.
[Estimated rank around C-grade. Weaker than the ones over there.]
[But there are a lot of them.]
Doesn’t matter. What about the steel? Can we get it?
[Yes, we should be able to obtain it.]
[It’s comparable in quality to the ones from the other side.]
[We’ll be able to get high-grade iron.]
Then that’s good enough. A smirk remained fixed on Albert’s lips. Monster Land was truly a paradise of natural resources. He had been in need of a lot of iron lately, and now he could obtain it by hunting monsters instead of mining. It felt like striking it rich. Was there a more perfect farming spot than this? This was a farmer’s paradise.
The ants twitched their antennae.
[These ones seem to communicate with their antennae just like the steel ants.]
[They appear quite flustered.]
The confusion lasted only a moment. The Iron Ants made their decision and began charging toward Albert all at once. A black wave surged toward him. Anyone caught in that death-bringing black tide would be torn apart, flesh from bone. Even the monsters of Monster Land feared it—yet a wide smile spread across Albert’s face.
Grin—
[Summoning Gluttony.]
A small slime appeared with a bouncy boing~. Just then, Richel burst through the undergrowth and shouted urgently, “Don’t smash their heads! Their antennae are worth a fortune! Their weak point is……”
“I know.” Ever the merchant, Richel was trying to maximize profit even in this situation. She had rushed to explain the Iron Ants’ weaknesses, but Albert didn’t need the lesson. He had already slain thousands—tens of thousands—of steel ants in the other world. The method was ingrained in his body.
“It’s the joints.” His sword flashed like lightning. Like an artist drawing white lines across black paper, countless strokes filled the air. The moment the picture was complete, the black wave vanished and collapsed.
Kiik…… Kieek……. Kiik……
The Iron Ants, their joints severed, writhed on the ground. Because they were a type of ant, they remained alive even after being cut into three pieces.
“Good heavens…… How……?” Richel covered her mouth at the astonishing sight.
“How did you know their weakness?”
“Well, I’ve killed a lot of them.”
“A lot……?”
“More importantly, is cutting them like this enough?”
“Ah! Yes, for harvesting the shells, this is more than sufficient!!” Richel’s voice was filled with excitement. At least dozens of Iron Ants lay neatly severed on the ground, ready for collection. Though their twitching bodies were rather grotesque, all Richel saw was money rolling across the floor.
“Unbelievable…… This is worth a fortune! Lord Abel! Help me!”
“Huh?”
“That sword stance isn’t for fighting! Hurry up and help me harvest! We need to split them open here and peel off the shells. Everything except the antennae and shells is useless anyway.”
“Ah…… Right……” Abel answered without thinking and followed her lead. The sword he had drawn to protect Richel had instantly become a harvesting tool. Gathering materials in such a dangerous place was something he would never normally do without guaranteed safety, but…… If that guy’s here, it should be fine. He had witnessed Albert’s martial prowess with his own eyes. He had known from the orc corpses, but Albert’s strength truly reached the heavens.
Is it even humanly possible to precisely sever only the joints in that situation? Abel imagined it for a moment. Could he do the same? He shook his head, returning to reality. Impossible. If you knew the method, you could defeat Iron Ants—but only up to about five at a time. The monsters currently littering the ground numbered at least 120 to 150. He’s a monster. Even an S-rank mercenary might manage to kill Iron Ants individually, but could they dismantle that black wave in this manner?
“Albert Legrian…… So the monster has returned.”
“Huh? Where are you going!?” Richel’s urgent voice made him look up. Albert was heading deeper into the Iron Ant habitat.
“Ah, this won’t be enough. I’m going inside to gather more.”
To anyone else, it would have sounded like he was simply fetching items from a storage room. To others, it was the gateway to hell, a place no one should ever enter. But to Albert, it was nothing more than the entrance to a warehouse full of iron.
“But…… if Lord Albert leaves……”
“Ah, don’t worry about that.”
[Summoning Gluttony.]
The small slime bounced out with a cheerful boing~. “Gluttony, protect them.”
Boing! Gluttony bounced once and landed on Richel’s shoulder.
“Oh my…… How adorable.”
“That slime will keep you safe. There’s no need to worry.” With those words, Albert headed deeper inside. Richel felt a twinge of unease about whether such a slime could truly protect them, but she chose to trust Albert. It must be some kind of communication tool. I’ve heard tamers can contact their monsters. She figured it was basically a summoning beacon. Watching the slime, Abel narrowed his eyes.
That thing probably isn’t strong either, right? It was a slime summoned by that monster. It couldn’t be an ordinary slime. Still, looking at its appearance, a strange confidence welled up inside him. Its soft, harmless-looking exterior didn’t give off even the slightest impression of strength.
I’m probably stronger than that thing. Its bouncy movements even seemed oddly cute.