Far fewer adventurers arrived at the scene than had originally set out from the City of Emocion.
Many of the heavy-armor users had been left in the dust by warriors wearing leather armor, who prioritized speed, or by thieves and archers whose very creed was agility. There were even mages among the laggards, abandoned by their own party members simply because they were too slow on their feet.
However, many others had simply looked upon the creature’s colossal form—though none of them yet realized it was the Lemures—and given up, concluding there was nothing they could do.
The group that finally reached the battlefield consisted of those whose spirits hadn't broken upon seeing a thirty-meter monster capable of such massive leaps, those seeking information to protect their city, and those hoping to scavenge some leftovers. What they found was a giant monster that was unmistakably dead, its head mostly shattered, and a group of people crouching around the corpse. Rei and his companions were catching their breath, trying to recover whatever stamina they had left.
While most of the newcomers stood mesmerized by the gargantuan carcass, one adventurer approached the group.
"H-hey. You guys are the ones who killed this monster, right?"
"...Yeah, we killed it."
Rei was resting in a spot clear of Lemures blood and viscera, leaning back against Seto’s reclining form. He gave a small nod, and Egret and the others nearby followed suit.
The adventurer took a sharp breath as he looked at the Lemures’ body, then spoke again.
"If a monster this huge was approaching the city, we should have known immediately. Where did it come from? It’s not like it tunneled through the ground, right?"
"No. Until a short while ago, this thing was in the sea."
At Rei’s casual remark, the adventurer’s face went momentarily blank, as if the words didn't quite make sense.
He wasn't alone; many of the other adventurers listening in shared that same look of confusion.
They looked at Rei resting on the ground, and then at the dead monster nearly thirty meters long. The landscape around them was devastated, torn up by Rei’s attacks, the creature’s Water Breath, and the sheer impact of such a massive weight leaping repeatedly. After looking back and forth between the two several times, another adventurer finally spoke up.
"Then that means... is this actually... the Lemures?"
Rei had been obsessively targeted by the Lemures. If he had defeated a giant monster, its identity wasn't hard to guess. However, although they had seen ships being attacked many times before, a monster of this sheer scale was far beyond anything the adventurers of Emocion had expected.
Nearly everyone present turned their gazes toward the Lemures corpse in stunned silence. Then, a sudden noise broke the quiet.
"H-hieeeeeee!"
The adventurers turned toward the source of the scream. It came from a small man in his twenties with a crafty face.
He was screaming and shaking his hand frantically, flinging away a dagger along with the corrosive liquid that had splashed onto him. Although the liquid had only touched his skin for a few seconds, his hand already looked like it had suffered a horrific burn.
However, rather than concern, the onlookers watched him with exasperated expressions.
Most of them realized exactly what had happened. The man had tried to sneak away with some Lemures materials while no one was looking, only to pay the price.
"I should warn you, the Lemures can secrete corrosive liquid from its skin," Rei said. "If you touch it carelessly, you'll end up like him. ...Though, he’s an adventurer, I suppose. He let go of the dagger instantly, so the wound shouldn't be too deep."
The man’s companions rushed over to him and began dousing the burn with a potion.
As Rei watched, the pain in his own side flared up, but he realized it had already subsided significantly since the end of the battle.
As expected of a body made by Zephyle, he thought. Though, it’s a bit inconvenient if the wounds only heal after the fighting is done. Then again, in a war of attrition, maybe it’s a blessing?
A few other adventurers nearby watched the screaming man with grim faces. They had been eyeing the materials too, but now they felt glad they hadn't been the first to make a move.
"But how are you going to prove this is the Lemures?" the first adventurer asked.
He was implying that the Guild and the city's upper management wouldn't be convinced just by hearing that the creature off the coast had been forcibly teleported and killed.
"I know."
Rei had expected that. In reality, Rei was the only one who truly knew the teleportation had happened. He had told Egret and the others he possessed such a magic item, but to the residents of the city, a thirty-meter monster had simply appeared out of nowhere. Objectively speaking, proving this corpse was the Lemures would be a challenge.
"I suppose Seto and I could fly out over the ocean to see if the attacks have stopped... but that's not exactly definitive."
"True," the man replied. "The higher-ups won't be satisfied with uncertain circumstantial evidence. The most certain way would be to stay in Emocion for a while until everyone confirms that no more damage caused by the Lemures is being reported."
Rei nodded, seeing no other option. But then he looked at the man curiously.
"Why are you helping me out? I thought you were here for a share of the spoils, but that doesn't seem to be the case."
The other adventurers nearby nodded in agreement. Usually, when people arrived at a kill site like this, they tried to squeeze as much as possible out of the victor.
Of course, stripping a monster’s materials without permission, like the sneaky thief had tried, was forbidden. But if a formal agreement or contract was made, it was perfectly legal.
Under their gazes, the man gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"Well, unlike many of the adventurers who came here today, I’m a native of Emocion. If a monster like the Lemures is gone, I’m more than happy."
"I see."
Rei was satisfied by the simple logic. He finally finished his rest and stood up.
Egret, who had also stood up, called out to him.
"Rei, the share of the reward is still the same as we promised, right?"
Despite his favorite pole-axe being destroyed by the corrosion, Egret seemed to be in high spirits. The reason became clear when he turned around—he was gripping a sharp fang nearly as tall as he was.
"...When did you get that? You're quite the opportunist."
Rei had always thought of Egret as a simple battle-junkie, but he nodded, impressed by the man's initiative.
"Yeah, no problem. As promised, you get priority on any materials that can be used for weapons. ...Still, after I blew its head apart, I’m surprised a whole fang like that survived."
"Oh, this? When the head exploded, it just happened to fly my way. ...To be honest, if it had been a few inches to the side, I’d have been in real trouble."
"Only you could laugh about that."
Rei let out a sigh, realizing that this mental fortitude was likely why Egret was a B-rank adventurer.
Egret set about hiring some of the other adventurers to help him collect the fangs scattered around for a small fee. Rei turned back to the thirty-meter corpse lying on the grass.
"Now, the question is how to dismantle this. I don't even know which parts are valuable, and we have to figure out how to peel back the skin without touching the corrosive liquid. And since I know the meat is supposed to be delicious, I can't let it rot."
It was a known fact in this world that higher-ranked monsters—specifically those with high magic power—had more delicious meat. Rei had no intention of letting this massive lump of meat go to waste.
Beside him, Seto was purring happily while looking at the carcass, but Rei felt a personal desire to taste it as well.
It’s long, so maybe kabayaki... no, it’s too thick for that. Besides, I don't have any soy sauce or sauce. Maybe shirayaki with just salt?
While contemplating his meal, Rei took a throwing spear from his Misty Ring to test the hide.
The surrounding adventurers moved back, not wanting to be caught in any accidental splashes. Rei swung the spear broadly, aiming to slice the skin with the tip.
"Tch. No good."
The moment the spearhead touched the corrosive liquid on the hide, it began to dissolve, shattering into pieces within seconds.
"Hey, Rei," Miroir called out from behind him. "I know the skin is a problem, but why not start the dismantling from somewhere without corrosive liquid?"
"I see."
Rei nodded, realizing she was right. He had been focused on skinning the torso and hadn't thought of starting from the neck, where the head had exploded and the hide was already torn open and free of the liquid.
"But if we do that, the skin as a material... well, it’s already covered in corrosion anyway. ...Wait? Maybe not."
A thought occurred to Rei. During the war with the Bestia Empire, he had used a firestorm. At the time, he had used barrels packed with scrap ore and blade fragments to increase the damage. If he could harvest the skin soaked in the Lemures’ corrosive liquid, he might be able to combine it with his flame magic to create something devastating.
Though, that would probably just create a cloud of corrosive smoke. I couldn't use it in a windy area. Maybe for indoor combat?
Thinking along those lines, he took a dagger for dismantling prey from the Misty Ring and tried to stab it into the neck area.
"A normal dagger won't cut it, either."
The tip sank into the hide, but it refused to pierce through. Even at the ragged edges where the head had burst, the blade wouldn't bite into the skin. He tested the dagger on the grass at his feet; it sliced through the blades easily.
"Then I guess I have to use this. I hate using it on monsters with corrosive or poisonous blood, though."
He sighed and drew the Mithril Knife from the sheath at his waist. Channeling magic power into the blade, he pressed it against the hide.
"There we go. That works. And the meat can be cut with a normal dagger, then."
He was relieved to find that while the skin required the Mithril Knife, the meat itself could be handled with standard tools. Rei turned to the crowd of adventurers.
"With a magic item, we can strip the skin. The meat can be carved with regular weapons. If anyone here wants a share of the reward, join the dismantling. I'll pay you twenty percent of whatever meat you carve as your reward."
"Make it thirty!"
"Forty is more like it!"
The shouts rose from the crowd immediately as they tried to haggle for a better deal. Rei glanced at Seto, who gave a small nod and a purr. Seto understood that if they paid out too much, its own portions would decrease.
"If you don't like the terms, you don't have to participate," Rei stated flatly. "But know this: if you join the dismantling, Seto will be watching from above. It will be guarding against other monsters drawn by the scent of blood, but it will also be making sure no one tries to pocket anything extra. If you think you can hide something from a gryphon’s eyes, feel free to try."
"Guruuuuuuu!" Seto let out a loud, piercing cry.
The adventurers quickly decided that twenty percent was a fair price. Some were hired as carvers, while others—those who had been hesitant to touch the beast—were hired as perimeter guards for a smaller cut of the meat.
It wasn't even noon yet. With a small army of adventurers at his command, Rei began the task of dismantling the monster.