"…Phew."
Just as with the first Gamelion they had slain in the grove, a massive geyser of blood erupted from the stump where the creature's head had been. Rei stepped back, wanting to avoid the spray of gore from the Rare Species Gamelion Corpse.
"Guruuu."
Beside him, Seto landed gracefully. It was the gryphon who had just delivered the lethal strike to the Rare Species’ skull.
"Well done, Seto. Your timing couldn't have been better."
Rei reached out and stroked the creature’s throat as he spoke his thanks.
"Guruu."
Despite being a gryphon with the upper body of an eagle, Seto rumbled with a contented purr, leaning into the touch like a cat having its chin scratched. Setting aside its massive size, the beast looked for all the world like a pampered kitten acting spoiled with its master.
"Hey—!"
As Rei continued to pet Seto, a voice called out from the distance. He turned to see Hasta and the four adventurers they had rescued running toward him from the grove, their faces flushed with excitement.
"Hey, hey, hey! That was incredible! I mean, I heard from Hasta here that you were the Rei everyone’s been talking about in the city, but you’re even stronger than the rumors say!"
"Exactly. I never dreamed anyone could take down a Rare Species with just one person—well, one man and his beast, if you count the gryphon."
Following the lead of the warrior-like man who had spoken when they first passed each other, a man in thick cloth clothing—an archer—joined in the praise.
"Seriously. I never thought I’d actually run into one of those rumored Rare Species," added a cheerful female warrior equipped with leather armor and a spear.
"No, really… I thought my life was over right here," finished a man about the same age as Hasta. He wore a robe and held a staff, marking him as a mage.
They each took turns showering Rei and Seto with gratitude. Amidst the chatter, Rei shifted his gaze toward the mage.
(Most mages tend to look at me and get a shock… but this guy is different. I guess his ability to sense Magic Power is just as low as mine.)
Rei dismissed the thought with a mental shrug and shook his head. "If you want to thank someone, thank Hasta over there. He’s the one who decided we should save you."
"No way! I did ask, but Rei-san was the one who actually fought it! I was busy enough just trying to defend myself against a normal Gamelion…"
As Hasta flustered under the attention, Socrus, the leader of the party, laughed and slapped the young man on the shoulder.
"Wahahaha! Look, there aren't many people who can handle a Gamelion on their own to begin with. Rei here is just a major exception." After a hearty laugh, Socrus’s expression turned serious, and he turned back to Rei. His three companions gathered close behind him.
"Thank you for the help. I’m Socrus, leader of the C-Rank Party Wind Blade. This archer is Uruipuka, the spear user is Jure, and our mage is Courtesy."
At their leader's introduction, the members of Wind Blade bowed. They knew they had narrowly escaped death; without Rei, they would undoubtedly be inside the Rare Species' stomach by now. Even with Hasta’s help, they would likely have only provided a slightly larger lunch for the beast.
"As I said, don't worry about it. However… since I’m the one who brought this Rare Species down, I assume none of you mind if we claim the carcass?"
"Eh? Oh, of course. But… are you sure you don’t want any other reward? Money, perhaps?" Socrus asked, caught off guard by the modest request.
Rei chuckled inwardly, knowing that asking like that usually invited people to demand more, but he simply gave a small shake of his head. "It’s fine. I’m not exactly hurting for coin."
Hasta, who definitely was hurting for coin, shot Rei a momentarily envious look before quickly turning away in embarrassment.
"But still, we can't just walk away after you saved our lives. I’d at least like to give you one of the Gamelions we caught, but…" Socrus gave a wry smile and shrugged.
They had been chased by a Rare Species, after all. Wind Blade hadn't had the luxury of dragging along their rental cart full of prey. Socrus sighed, grumbling that their catch was probably some other monster’s lunch by now.
"Come on, Socrus. Let’s just be glad we’re alive," Jure, the spear user, said to comfort him. However, her tone quickly sank as she thought about their return to Gilm. "Setting aside the meat, I just hope the cart is okay. That thing was a rental. If it's broken, we’ll have to pay for it out of pocket…"
Uruipuka and Courtesy looked equally grim at the prospect. Before the mood could darken further, Rei spoke up.
"Tell you what. If you absolutely insist on thanking me, just buy me a meal the next time we run into each other in the City of Gilm."
"…Is that really all you want?"
"Yeah. Besides, if you really have to pay for a broken cart, you should be saving your money."
"Well, that’s true, but…"
The members of Wind Blade readily accepted the proposal, entirely unaware of exactly how much Rei and Seto were capable of eating.
"Anyway, I’d heard the stories at the Guild, but seeing you in person… you really are something else. I can't believe you're only Rank D."
"Personally, I was more impressed by the magic," Courtesy added, offering sincere praise to Rei, who looked younger than him. "I could never produce that much power in a single strike with fire magic."
"Hey! This is no time to be standing around!" Jure suddenly shouted. "The cart! I hope it’s still there. Come on, let’s go!"
With a sharp cry, Jure gripped her spear in her left hand and grabbed Socrus by the ear with her right, dragging him toward the direction they had fled from. Socrus was forced to stumble after her to prevent his ear from being torn off.
"Ow! Hey, Jure! Stop it, that hurts! My ear! It’s going to come off!"
"Shut up! If the Gamelions have been scavenged and the cart is wrecked, this entire job is going to be a total loss! A deficit! Winter is coming, and it’s going to get harder to find work. If we don't make a profit now, we won’t last until spring! I am not doing a subjugation request in the snow like last year. We need to save enough to stay warm and well-fed!"
"I get it! I get it! Just don't embarrass us in front of strangers!"
"Wait up! Don't go into the prairie without my magic!" Courtesy cried, rushing after them.
Uruipuka was the only one left. She gave Rei a small bow. "I’m sorry, but I can't leave those three to their own devices. We’ll be taking our leave now. Thank you again for everything… and when Socrus treats you, please, eat as much as you like."
She gave him a mischievous smile before running off to join her party.
(…Socrus might not know, but it looks like that Uruipuka woman has a pretty good idea of how much Seto and I can put away. Not telling her leader is a bit of a devious move on her part.)
Rei chuckled to himself and looked over at Hasta, who was still watching the departing Wind Blade party.
"Well then. We managed to bag an unexpectedly massive Rare Species. Ready to head back to the City of Gilm?"
"Ah, yes. Given the size of this thing, we’ll get far more meat than we would from a normal Gamelion."
For Hasta, encountering a Rare Species had been a nightmare scenario, but thanks to Rei, they had secured a legendary haul. All things considered, he felt incredibly lucky.
(I’m so glad I reached out to Rei-san at the Guild…)
While Hasta was busy praising his past self, Rei began to Store the severed head and tail in the Misty Ring. All that remained was the massive body, which was still leaking blood from the neck.
"So… what do you want to do? Should we drain the blood here, or wait until we get back to Gilm?"
Hasta looked conflicted but spoke his mind. "For safety’s sake, we should put it in your Item Box and get back to the city. However… the butcher area near the diner is barely big enough for a beast this size. Draining it there would be a huge hassle. I’m sorry to ask, but could we do the Blood Draining here?"
(Well, it works for me. It gives me a chance to see if there’s a Magic Stone for Seto or the Death Scythe to absorb.)
Rei kept those thoughts to himself and looked at Hasta with a serious expression. "If that’s what you want, I don't mind. But the scent of blood is going to attract other monsters. You’re ready for that, right?"
"Yes. I might not be able to handle another C-Rank Monster like a Gamelion on my own, but I can deal with Goblins or anything in that range."
With that decided, Rei and Seto used their combined strength to flip the Rare Species Body over. They settled in to wait for the bleeding to finish.
"I have to say… I didn't think I’d actually run into the Rare Species people were talking about at the gate," Rei muttered. He wondered if he had accidentally tripped some sort of narrative flag.
"Me neither. But when I show this to my father, he might actually faint."
"Hey, the whole point of this was to get cheap meat for the diner. If the owner faints and the place has to close for a day, it’ll take you even longer to pay off that debt."
"Ah, that’s true. But knowing my father, even if he takes a day or two off, he’ll find a way to make it up through sheer guts…"
They continued to trade jokes and idle conversation, though neither let their guard drop. They were still in a region where monsters roamed.
Their ease was born of mutual trust. Hasta had seen Rei’s power firsthand, and Rei knew that Hasta was a capable D-Rank veteran. Most importantly, having Seto lying nearby, ears twitching as it scanned the horizon, provided the ultimate peace of mind.
"By the way, you mentioned Gamelion meat is good. What’s the best way to eat it?"
"Hmm. There are a few ways, but my personal favorite is simple: grilled with salt. You get the skin nice and crispy, and while the meat is a bit firm, it’s got a great chew to it. When you bite down, the juices just explode in your mouth…"
Hasta described the flavor with such relish that Rei found himself instinctively swallowing his saliva.
"That said, the most popular dish at our diner is the Gamelion Stew. Since they’ve stored up so much fat for the season, it melts into the broth. When you eat that with the vegetables… we have people who come back for three or four helpings."
"Both sound incredible."
"Hahaha. Well, the meat is already top-tier for a C-Rank Monster, and the fact that it's only available this time of year makes it special. Oh, I know! Once we’re back, I’ll ask my father to cook some of this up for you. Given how much you eat, I can't promise you can have everything you want, but I can definitely get you as much of that stew as you can handle."
"…Are you sure? You’re supposed to be using this to clear the debt."
Rei sounded uncharacteristically concerned, but Hasta just gave him a wide, sincere smile. "It’s fine! You took down a Rare Species. My father is going to have more meat than he knows what to do with. We only came out here hoping for one normal Gamelion, after all."
"I see. If you say so, I won't turn you down. And maybe we can use some Gamelion meat for that other dish I was telling you about."
"Oh, absolutely! Please do!" Hasta said, bowing his head in excitement.
As the scent of blood spread, several Goblins and Poison Toads eventually crept out of the brush, but Hasta dispatched them with ease before they could get close.