"Mmm...? ...Nnn..."
As the bright, summer sun poured into the room, Rei sat up in bed.
He had been celebrating his promotion until late the previous night, and it had been nearly midnight by the time he finally returned to the inn. Considering the late hour, waking up while it was still morning was a stroke of luck.
After tossing his discarded clothes into the laundry basket, he pulled a fresh shirt from his Misty Ring and finished getting ready.
When he left his room and headed down to the first-floor dining hall, he found that while it was still technically morning, the rush was long over. There were almost no other guests left eating breakfast. However, the few remaining patrons of the Dusk Wheat Inn began to whisper among themselves the moment they spotted him.
"Hey, is that the guy in the robe? The one who reached B-Rank yesterday?"
"Yeah, no doubt about it. I heard it this morning from an adventurer I know."
"B-Rank, huh? I’d love to hire a guy like that as a guard if I could."
"No kidding. In a frontier territory like this, you never know what kind of monsters might jump you. Besides, even outside the frontier, having a B-Rank adventurer as an escort would keep the thugs and thieves at bay. It’d do wonders for a caravan’s prestige, too."
"...Still, with a face like that, I bet most people wouldn't believe he’s B-Rank until he shows them his guild card."
"You’ve got a point. Word is he was underestimated and picked on quite a bit when he first arrived in the city. Though, from what I hear, every one of those fools ended up regretting it."
The voices of caravan merchants and independent traveling merchants drifted to his ears, but Rei let the gossip go in one ear and out the other as he took a seat. As if she had been waiting for him, Lana, the landlady of the inn, approached with a welcoming smile.
"Good morning. It sounds like you had quite the night," she greeted him, placing a glass of cold fruit water on the table.
"Yeah, morning. Sorry to rush, but I’d like some breakfast."
"You were eating and drinking until quite late yesterday. Would you like something light, or the usual?"
"The usual, please."
"Coming right up. ...And Rei-san, congratulations on your promotion to B-Rank."
With a final congratulatory smile, Lana returned to the kitchen. Rei watched her go, then sipped the fruit water while waiting for his food.
Even as he waited, the ten or so people in the dining hall frequently glanced his way. Eventually, one of them seemed to summon his courage, standing up and walking toward Rei’s table.
"Excuse me... You're Rei-san, the adventurer who was promoted to B-Rank yesterday, right?"
Perhaps because of the weight of a B-Rank title, the man in his late 20s spoke with a polite, deferential tone, showing no signs of looking down on Rei despite the youth's teenage appearance.
"Yeah, that’s me. What of it?" Rei replied, prompting the man to continue while he sipped his drink and observed him.
He’s still fairly young. If he can afford to stay here at the Dusk Wheat Inn, he must be reasonably successful. A traveling merchant, maybe?
Rei’s internal assessment ignored the fact that he was much younger than the man before him. The merchant didn't seem to mind the blunt response and bowed his head.
"Actually, I was wondering if you might be open to a request."
"A request?"
"Yes. My name is Prisohn. I’m a traveling merchant, and I was hoping to hire you as an escort, now that you've reached B-Rank... What do you say?"
The moment Prisohn made his pitch, the other merchants in the room shot him sharp looks. Their gazes were a mix of annoyance at being beaten to the punch and respect for his initiative in outmaneuvering them.
"An escort job, huh? What are the specifics?"
"Oh! Well, if possible, I’d like to hire you for a while... about two months, ideally."
The moment he heard the duration, Rei shook his head.
"Sorry, but I can't take that."
"May I ask why? I haven't even discussed the terms yet... Is there something about me that is unsatisfactory?"
"No, it's not that. To be honest, I'm not particularly fond of escort duty anyway, but I have other business to attend to soon. I'll be leaving the city for a while."
In less than a month, the time would come for him to fulfill his promise to Elena—the promise made back in the spring to visit the Labyrinth City together. Since he would be leaving the city with Seto, committing to a request that spanned several months was simply out of the question.
"...I see. That’s a shame," Prisohn muttered with a sigh, returning to his table with a dejected gait.
The other merchants, having overheard the refusal, gave up on approaching him. They had hoped to at least make the acquaintance of a B-Rank adventurer even if they couldn't hire him, but the aura Rei projected made it difficult for anyone to strike up a casual conversation.
After that, Rei focused on his breakfast—nut-studded bread, bacon and vegetable soup, and an omelet—while planning his day.
The top priority is definitely the magic stone absorption for the Bicorn. I can deal with buying and selling the materials later; there's no rush on that. Now, where to do the absorption? Actually, if I’m in Gilm, there’s only one real choice.
Rei thought of a secluded clearing surrounded by trees that he had used for this purpose many times before. It offered enough space for his needs, and the dense foliage ensured that no one passing by would accidentally witness the process. It was the perfect spot.
By the time he finished his breakfast and his planning, he drained the cup of chilled tea that had been served with the meal. At the Dusk Wheat Inn, such luxuries were standard, but only because it was a high-class establishment. In the cheaper inns where ordinary adventurers stayed, cooling magic items were far too expensive; the best one could hope for there was a cup of lukewarm tea—unless, of course, someone knew water-system magic.
"Thanks for the food. It was great. I'm looking forward to dinner, too."
"Thank you, Rei-san," Lana said with a bow.
Ignoring the lingering, regretful gazes of the merchants, Rei headed straight for the stables.
"Man, it's been a while since we've been here... and it really is hot. Summer is definitely in full swing."
"Guruuu?"
Seto tilted its head and purred as if to ask, Is it?
Rei figured he couldn't expect a Gryphon to feel the heat the same way he did and looked around. They were currently in the wooded clearing he had thought of earlier. He complained about the temperature, but it was still morning, so it wasn't truly unbearable yet. Besides, since he was wearing the Dragon Robe—which regulated his body temperature—his complaints were more a matter of habit than actual discomfort.
"Anyway, we're here. Let's get this over with instead of standing around."
Rei reached into his Misty Ring and pulled out the Bicorn’s magic stone. Since it was from a Rank D monster, it was only a few centimeters wide, tiny compared to the massive stone he had taken from the Lemures.
"Seto."
Rei tossed the stone, and Seto expertly caught it in its beak before swallowing it whole. A moment later, the familiar notification echoed in Rei’s mind.
【Seto has acquired the skill: Poison Claw Lv. 3】
"Poison Claw, huh? Well, that makes sense given the Bicorn’s horns."
Those horns were coated in a lethal poison. When Rei had encountered the pack, he had seen them graze a Goblin; the creature's movements had slowed instantly before it was torn apart. It stood to reason that the skill would level up.
"Still, Poison Claw isn't something I can just test on a tree. I'll have to find some monsters to practice on later."
"Guru."
Seto purred and nodded in agreement. Rei smiled as he watched his partner.
"Guruuu?"
Seto tilted its head as if to ask what was wrong. Rei stroked its back and spoke.
"Nothing. I was just thinking how Fire Breath used to be your strongest skill, but now Poison Claw is at Lv. 3 as well. I only expected it to be a secondary skill, but with this much power, it could definitely become one of your main attacks. ...Though I still have no idea what the maximum level for these skills is."
Venting a sigh, Rei decided it was his turn and pulled another Bicorn magic stone from the Misty Ring.
"Alright. If Seto got a skill, the Death Scythe should be able to as well... Come on, give me something good!"
He tossed the stone into the air and swung the Death Scythe in a silver arc. The blade severed the magic stone, which vanished into motes of light.
【The Death Scythe has acquired the skill: Corrosion Lv. 2】
"Well... it’s true that poison and corrosion are similar in my skill set, but honestly, this feels like a dud."
Rei sighed. As an adventurer who primarily hunted monsters, most of his enemies didn't wear metal. Corrosion was useless unless his opponent wore metal armor or wielded metal weapons. Of course, some humanoid monsters like Orcs occasionally used metal gear, but the overwhelming majority of creatures relied on their own claws and fangs. It was only natural for Rei to be disappointed.
However, he reminded himself that he was heading to the Labyrinth City. There, he was likely to run into thugs who would underestimate him because of his age or target Elena for her beauty. Against human opponents, Corrosion would be incredibly useful. He used that thought to boost his spirits and shifted his focus.
"Well, I can't exactly test my Corrosion here, so let's check the lethality of your Poison Claw first."
"Guruuu!"
Seto nodded and crouched down, presenting its back to Rei. He hopped on, and after a short running start, Seto flapped its powerful wings and soared into the sky. The synchronization between them was perfect—the result of countless hours spent together.
"I wonder how much the effect has changed... The last time we really used it was back in the dungeon with Elena, wasn't it? Come to think of it, since Poison Claw is subtle, it's actually pretty safe to use even when others are around. As long as I don't let anyone watch the target suffer through the final stages, that is."
Currently, only Elena, Ara, the three members of the Scorching Wind, and the Lich Grimm knew that Seto was a unique, artificial lifeform. Rei couldn't afford to blatantly flaunt Seto’s unique nature in front of others.
"Guruuuuuu!"
As Rei pondered, Seto let out a sharp cry to get his attention. Following Seto’s gaze toward the meadow below, Rei saw a group of about ten Goblins.
"Goblins? ...Well, I saw what the Bicorn’s poison did to them, so they'll serve as a decent benchmark. I would have preferred something higher-ranked, though."
"Guru."
Seto purred as if telling him not to be greedy. Rei nodded, accepting the situation.
"Fine, let's do it. Start with King's Intimidation to freeze them. It’ll be a pain if they scatter while we're trying to test the poison."
Seto purred in acknowledgment and dove toward the Goblins crossing the meadow.
"Guruuuuuuuuu!"
King's Intimidation activated. The moment the Goblins heard that thunderous roar, every single one of them froze in place. A few of the weaker ones were so overwhelmed by the sheer shock that their hearts stopped entirely.
Seto swooped down on the survivors, its claws glowing with the power of Poison Claw.
"Guru!"
Seto’s physical strength was already immense compared to a Goblin’s, and with the boost from the Bracelet of Herculean Strength, its opening strike was a bit too effective. The foreleg crushed the Goblin’s torso instantly, scattering organs and bone across the grass.
Seto slumped its shoulders in disappointment. That hadn't been much of a test. It activated Poison Claw again and approached another paralyzed Goblin, but this time, it was incredibly gentle. It barely pricked the creature’s skin.
To the Goblin, it must have felt like nothing more than a needle prick. However, in less than five minutes, it began to writhe in agony. Three minutes later, it vomited blood and collapsed.
Seto tested the skill on the remaining Goblins. While results varied slightly between individuals, most succumbed to the toxin within ten minutes of being pricked.
Gazing at the corpses littering the meadow, Rei let out a small sigh.
"The toxin is definitely more potent now. It's an improvement, for sure... but I still can't tell exactly how much stronger it is just by killing Goblins."
Rei decided he would have to find a much stronger monster to truly test the limits of Seto’s new power.
【Seto】 『Water Ball Lv. 2』 『Fire Breath Lv. 3』 『Wind Arrow Lv. 1』 『King's Intimidation Lv. 1』 『Poison Claw Lv. 3』 (New) 『Size Change Lv. 1』 『Tornado Lv. 1』 『Ice Arrow Lv. 1』 『Optical Camouflage Lv. 1』
【Death Scythe】 『Corrosion Lv. 2』 (New) 『Flying Slash Lv. 2』 『Magic Shield Lv. 1』 『Power Slash Lv. 2』 『Wind Hand Lv. 2』 『Terrain Manipulation Lv. 1』
Poison Claw: Secretes poison from the claws, poisoning opponents wounded by them. Toxin potency increases with level.
Corrosion: Corrodes the target's metal equipment by striking it multiple times. Higher levels require fewer strikes to trigger corrosion.