I ride Artemis, the horse magic doll, all the way to the foot of the Minerva mountain range.
It’s been two months since I last used Artemis, and riding it through nature at high speed really feels nice.
Right after I get to the village near the foot of the mountain, I try to get the latest information on Kokkoro.
I know there have been frequent wyvern sightings in the past week, but it feels like rather than many of them being here, it feels more like it’s one that’s been coming and going.
Since it apparently has a bad temper, it’s recommended to me that I don’t fight it, and hide behind a boulder if I see it.
I’m also going to need a map and a compass in the Kokkoro Mine. I already have a compass, so I just buy a map from a merchant.
Incidentally, I pay for it with the money I earned from adventuring. I gave Ruby the money I made with her, but not the money I made in my new adventurer era.
Well, of course I didn’t.
“If you’re going to the Kokkoro mine, bring me ten kobold tails. I’ll trade you something very rare I have.”
The merchant says with a bright smile.
I wonder what this very rare thing could be.
Those just happen to be my target for this quest, so let’s get those ten kobold tails.
Then I stock up on portable rations and lantern fuel just in case, and I’m good to go.
The deadline is in two weeks, so there’s plenty of time,
I leave the village, and as I walk through the main road, the scenery gradually changes into a mountain range. And I also get to enjoy Till’s delicious sandwich while looking at all this nature.
Till really is a great cook. The seasoning on this ham sandwich couldn’t be better.
“Oh? What is this?”
There’s a small blue bag in the corner of the basket with cookies and a letter.
Apparently Iris made them with Till. It says she made them because she was bored, but I wonder how they taste.
I eat one, and it turns out the answer is very good.
But considering she used cookie cutters with the shapes of bears and bunnies just to amuse me, I can tell she really tried.
That’s the most important thing in a cook, feeling.
Despite the mountains not being too high, this is still a mountain range, so the distribution of monsters is somewhat different compared to forests and plains.
I see a harpy gracefully flying in the air. These are beautiful monsters with female faces and bird bodies. And they’re intelligent to the point of making clothes with magic energy fiber.
Their wings come in various colors, but the one I see now has green feathers.
They are classified as a type of fairy, and their magic energy melts into nature. Because of this, it’s hard to detect it, which makes them good at sneak attacks. It’s still not as bad as with pure fairies though.
Their numbers have dramatically decreased thanks to hunting by humans, so in the Kingdom of Merzelia, they’re a rare kind of monster that only appears in this Kokkoro Mine.
The issue is that their beautiful feathers fetch a high price, and since they look beautiful, they’re also sought after as love slaves.
This all means they’re wary of humans, and generally tend to avoid them.
And as I’m thinking about all this, three goblins appear from the side, and immediately attack.
Speaking of which, goblins appear pretty much everywhere in the western continent. Even I have to take my hat off to their vitality.
And, not really as a way to express how moved I am, I fire the highest rank spell Lightning Storm and blow them all away at the same time.
I look up at the sky, and see the harpy looking down with a dumbfounded expression.
I wave with a smile, and it screeches and flies away.
I walk past the crater, and keep moving.
Goblin, goblin, harpy, goblin. The ratio is really skewed towards goblins.
There should be dire wolves in this mountain path, but I haven’t seen one yet.
Are they shy? I wanted to tame one and pet it throughout the night, but oh well.
Speaking of which, the swordmaster of the Kingdom of Merzelia was also known to be a fluffy albino fox. This person’s name was lost to time, because this was over five hundred years ago, but they were known to be strong enough to take down highest rank monsters in one hit.
That’s a true master rank. I want to be a proper master rank like that one day.
I keep walking nonchalantly, until I feel a big magic energy reaction coming towards me.
It’s something classified as a sub species of dragon, a wyvern.
So this is that ill tempered wyvern.
In the village it was recommended to me that I should hide, but since it’s causing trouble for the villagers, I should deal with it here.
The wyvern notices me, and lets out an earth-shaking howl.
This thing with a black body that’s many times bigger than me slowly lands, which causes another echoing sound.
Wyverns are high ranking monsters, so they’re pretty strong. But they also have a clear weak point. One zap with an electric attack, and they’re going down.
And so, I fire the same Lightning Storm I fired before at the goblins.
The wyvern lets out its final yell, and flops to the ground.
That was simple. This spell really is the fastest method.
“Lightning Storm really solves everything.”
I thank the almighty Lightning Storm, and keep going.
After an hour, I reach the Kokkoro Mine.
That took a long time. The mountain path is longer than I thought.
The Kokkoro Mine is known for its ore, so some people call it mountain, and some people call it mine. It doesn’t really matter to me.
Since people frequent this place, the entrance is well maintained.
I’m about to go in right away, but…
“Whoa, I need to check the values before going in.”
I stop, and look around for a measuring instrument.
There are usually measuring instruments in the entrances of mines.
These are guides for the next adventurers, so they need proper recording.
Also, there’s the danger of cave-ins, so high rank magic and above is prohibited.
It’s like how I couldn’t use fire magic in the Great Vidd Forest.
This rule is pretty harsh for mages, and puts them on the back foot against resilient monsters. That’s why swordsmen and priests do better here.
It says here the current date, temperature, and atmospheric pressure.
Apparently the last adventurer went in a week ago. It matches when the wyvern was first sighted.
But it’s all right. That thing is gone.
The path inside the mine is dark, to the point where I can’t see a few steps in front of me without a light.
I’m currently using Light, a type of common magic. As the name implies, this is the kind of beginner magic anyone with magic energy can pick up quickly.
It shines like a ball of light, and once active, it lasts for an hour, so it’s useful magic. Not to mention that it lights up the whole path.
I see the humanoid monster kobold. They walk on two legs, are covered in fur, and have the head of a dog.
They shed their tails every few years, and the discarded tail turns into a two meter long spear.
Not a normal spear either, but one with magic energy in it, so it’s popular, and a common sight in markets.
The kobold looks at me, and comes at me with spear in hand.
“Sorry kobold, but we’re in the age of projectile weapons.”
Before the spear can reach me, the mid rank spell Ice Cannon plunges into its torso.
Magic is stronger than spears is a wise saying.
Then I pick up its spear and put it in the Item Box, and deal with its body using wind magic.
I did way more of taking monsters apart than I would’ve liked in my previous job, so I’m good at it.
It takes me about three minutes to separate the fur, organs, and meat.
The fur and tail are materials, the organs are burned, and the meat will be food.
440→450/1000
It’s divided in the Item Box as one spear, seven pieces of meat, one tail, and one piece of fur.
The meat is separated because each part is stored as its own thing.
I love kalbi and sirloin.
I intend to give part of it to Isolte, as a thank you for everything she’s done.
Kobold meat doesn’t smell and it’s light, so it’s pretty popular. I’m sure Isolte will like it.
I cast Protection on the food inside the Item Box, and it should keep for about a month. Still, it’s tastier when it’s fresh, so I should deliver it soon.
I keep repeating this process, and about an hour later, I’m done hunting ten kobolds.
I’m attacked on the way out too, but I strengthen my body with magic and swing my fist.
My fist creates a shock wave that sends it flying and crashing into a wall. And then, the wall breaks, revealing a secret passage.
“I smell treasure.”
But this time I’m only here pretty much as a warm up to get myself back in the game, so there’s no need for me to enter this secret passage.
I’ll try going in next time. And I’ll bring a swordsman and priest too.
I use earth magic to cover it up again, and go back the way I came from.
Come to think of it, I didn’t retrieve materials from the wyvern.
Back in my old job, I didn’t have time to take monsters apart when the deadlines were close, so I ignored everything except my target.
But now that I’m an adventurer and have plenty of time, I can spend some of it on stuff other than my target.
I’m glad I became an adventurer…
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