Chapter 275 - Arachne Hunt (1/2)

Arachne Hunt

Manager’s unnecessary information had made things a little awkward… Some people really needed to learn how to read the room…

“Seriously…”

“What is it, Asagi? You sound strange.”

“Uh, nothing.”

The shock of it all had caused me to switch to a Kansai accent. But I was fine now!

“So, we just need to kill this spider monster…no, wait. You guys are trying to get out, right?”

“Yes, that’s right…”

“Then you’re going the wrong way. Go in the direction that we came and it will lead you outside.”

“Damn it… So you’re saying we’ve been going in deeper all this time?”

That was an impressive skill in itself. A completely useless one. They were trying to get out. We were trying to reach the center. This is where our paths should split. However, killing this monster would put us all at ease. After all, it could attack us from behind.

“Then you should take this map with you!”

“Map? You’ve created a map already… Are you sure? This would be very valuable.”

“Don’t worry, the entire map is inside of my head!”

Lemon sure was brilliant.

And so Rex accepted the map from her and bowed his head and over and over again.

“To be honest, I was close to giving up. But I wanted to press on for their sake… Maybe I was reminded of that time when you helped us against the wyvern.”

“Well, I think most people would help someone in need who was right in front of them. I didn’t do anything special.”

“True… True!”

Rex said as he slapped me heavily on the back. While he had split up from the others, he still lived as an Adventurer. Even though his path had changed, his character had not. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Thank you so much, Mister Asagi. I have heard the stories about you.”

“Aye, they say you are a skilled Adventurer who is a weapons enthusiast.”

The plump and polite elderly man, Lime. And the wild and easy-going young man, Rerik. I turned to them and scratched my cheek as if to hide my embarrassment. What was this about being a weapons enthusiast?

“I’ve never seen that sword you have on your belt… It probably has a name. But I’d expect no less from someone like you.”

“Well, it’s definitely not a common weapon.”

“I had my share of good swords at my store, but this disaster crushed it all… It’s possible that some of them found their way into treasure chests here, but it would be nearly impossible to find them.”

“I couldn’t find a trace of my store either… Though, I did manage to save my money…”

People who lived in these towns were responsible for their own safety. But it was still hard to not be sympathetic. To think that something you worked so hard to build up could vanish like that… How much money had been saved up to build those houses? How many prized possessions were lost? I couldn’t imagine how it must feel.

“Well, I started from nothing in the first place. I can build it all up again.”

“Indeed. I have a fresh start as well.”

“…Huh. You two are awfully optimistic.”

It was almost shocking how positive they were.

“Both Lime and I used to be Adventurers. All I need is one sword and I’ll eventually have items to sell again.”

“Ah. So all of your products are from dungeons then?”

“Exactly.”

He sold things found in treasure chests. I see. In that case, he just needed to go dungeon crawling and finish quests and he would eventually be back in business.

“I have a lot of connections I made while traveling around, so I shouldn’t have too much trouble getting back on my feet. But until then, I think I’ll go back to hunting a little so I can save up some money.”

Yes, very positive. It didn’t matter how bad the damage was as long as you were alive. A lesson I could learn… I tended to get discouraged a lot. I would have to be more determined to get up and continue on. Besides, Daniela was with me. I could do it. And on the other hand, if Daniela ever fell to her knees, I would be there to help her up. We had decided to live together and support each other…

“Alight. In order to start again, let’s get rid of this thing that Rex fears!”

“Sorry to trouble you…”

“It’s fine. It’s the least we can do.”

“…Aye. Then I’ll leave it to you! I want to see you in action once again!”

I nodded at Rex and turned to Daniela and the others. They were prepared to go.

“We’re ready.”

“This is exciting.”

“I’ll fight too.”

“Alright then. Let’s go and hunt this monster!”

I couldn’t wait to see what she looked like!

□　　　□　　　□　　　□

The monster’s presence grew stronger as we left the room and continued down the passage. I could see that we would have to turn a corner a little bit farther on. That’s where we would likely meet it.