"Is this finally the end?"
"No, apparently not."
Rei replied to Elena as she stood amidst the corpses of about ten Bandit Goblins.
In his grip was Death Scythe, the Blade of Condemnation that brought certain death, having just severed the limbs, torsos, and heads of their enemies. With the great scythe in hand, Rei fixed his gaze on a particular thicket near the oasis.
In the middle of a desert, such lush greenery was exceptionally rare, and he had sensed a lingering presence hidden within its depths.
"Guruuu."
Seto had detected it as well. The griffin let out a low, warning growl, its usually adorable, round eyes now narrowed into a sharp, predatory glare.
"I see. There is indeed a presence. Which means… we are likely dealing with the leader of this pack?"
Elena shifted into a combat stance, ready to lashes out with her Whip-sword at a moment's notice.
Their opponent surely realized they were on guard, yet it made no move to reveal itself, remaining perfectly still and silent.
A strange equilibrium held for several minutes. Eventually, Rei grew impatient with the stalemate.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"There's no point in waiting forever. Why don't we strike first?"
"…Indeed. That may be our best option."
They were here on a request to subjugate a Spear Frog Anomaly Species. They couldn't afford to waste time in a silent standoff. Elena was just about to agree that attacking through the thicket was the right move when—
"–!? Tch!"
Sensing something hurtling toward them from the brush at high speed, she reflexively lashed out with her weapon. Thanks to her extraordinary skill, the Whip-sword blade moved even faster than the incoming projectile, and she felt the distinct sensation of cutting through something solid.
She glanced at Rei, who had naturally sliced apart a second projectile with Death Scythe. Beside him, Seto had swiped a clawed foreleg through a third, crushing it instantly.
"This is… dirt? No, sand?"
"Looks like it. And not just ordinary sand, either. Look at this."
Following Rei’s prompt, Elena looked down to see a clump of sand shaped like a snake’s head tumbling across the ground, its form already beginning to crumble.
"A snake made of sand? A Sand Snake? No, that’s not right."
"Yeah. Even a real Sand Snake wouldn't dissolve into a pile of dust the moment it's killed. This was shaped by magic. Which means… Flying Slash!"
While answering Elena, Rei delivered a sharp swing of Death Scythe toward the thicket. A wave of force erupted from the blade—the same crescent-shaped shockwave Elena had seen many times before.
"Gyogyogyagayagagega!"
A voice far more complex than those of the common Bandit Goblins shrieked. Simultaneously, the sand at the creature's feet surged upward to form a protective wall. Seeing this, Rei’s lips curled into a smirk.
"Amateur."
The Flying Slash tore through the sand wall with almost no resistance, maintaining its lethal momentum as it struck the figure behind the barrier.
Seconds passed. The desert fell silent once more, save for the faint, metallic scent of iron rust wafting from behind the collapsed wall of sand.
"It seems you got it."
"Yeah. Seto, go check on it for me."
"Guru!"
Seto gave a short cry and hopped over the thicket and the remnants of the sand wall. In less than ten seconds, it returned to Rei’s side.
Clamped in its beak was the carcass of a monster nearly sliced in half by the Flying Slash. Seto dropped the body at their feet with a look of distaste, as if it had just bitten into something foul. While Goblin meat was technically edible, the taste was notorious; most wouldn't touch it unless they were on the brink of starvation. Seto’s reaction was perfectly justified.
"Sorry about that. Here, use this to clear your palate."
Rei pulled a few strips of dried meat from his Misty Ring. As Seto purred contentedly, Rei and Elena leaned over to inspect the fallen monster.
It was roughly one size larger than a standard Goblin, with the same sand-colored hide as the Bandit Goblins they had just finished off. The most notable difference was the wooden staff gripped in its right hand. This confirmed that the sand snakes and barriers had indeed been products of magic.
"Hmm. Since the Goblin species includes the Goblin Mage among its higher ranks, I suppose it’s only natural for there to be magic-users among the Bandit Goblins as well," Elena mused.
"If they're related, I guess we can call this a Bandit Goblin Mage. Though it’s a bit of a mouthful."
Rei picked up the creature's staff. It appeared to be a branch taken from a tree-type monster—likely a Treant—with a small gemstone embedded in the tip. He tried to channel a simple fire spell through it, but the mana conductivity was abysmal compared to Death Scythe. While the magic activated, it consumed dozens of times more magic power than his usual weapons would have required.
"It’s a magic catalyst, technically, but it's not much of a Magic Item. It might sell for more than the swords the others were carrying, but it's still a cheap piece of junk. Only good for a beginner, maybe."
"Even if it is cheap, it is still a Magic Item. Are you not interested in it?"
Knowing Rei was a collector, Elena was surprised when he tossed it into his Misty Ring alongside the other looted weapons and shields with total indifference.
"I only collect things I can actually use in a fight. I mean, I have the Dagger of Flowing Water, which only produces water, but even that's useful for camp chores on a long request. This staff, though? Not worth the effort."
"I see. Anyway, what should we do with the body? Since it wasn't in Pleiades' report, there's a chance it could be an Anomaly Species."
"Good point. Let's hide it for now. I'll check some books at the Guild or the library later. If it's just a normal monster, I'll sell the materials and stones. If it really is an Anomaly Species, I'll hold onto it until we get back to Gilm. Though with this many around, it’s probably just a regular variant."
"Guru."
Seto seemed to agree. It began using its beak to pile the Goblin corpses in a single spot.
"Thanks, Seto."
Rei patted the griffin’s back and looked to Elena. She gave a silent nod of approval to his plan. Rei then drew his dismantling knife and set to work, splitting the Bandit Goblins' chests to retrieve their magic stones. He left the internal organs intact for the time being; he wasn't sure which parts were valuable, but since the Misty Ring halted time, he didn't have to worry about them rotting.
"The leather armor is… mostly trash. Too many cuts." He peeled a piece of armor off one of the bodies.
"Given their size, only a very small adult or a child could wear these anyway," Elena added, helping him strip the gear. "There wouldn't be much demand. We might as well leave the damaged ones here."
"You're right. Let's do that. Even if my storage has plenty of space, I don't want to be a pack rat and carry useless junk. It makes it harder to find the stuff I actually need later."
(Though trash does have its uses, like when I need fuel for a Firestorm,) he thought privately. He quickly reconsidered, realizing a heavy stone would be more effective than a scrap of leather armor, and let out a small sigh.
"Hm? Is something wrong? We are discarding the armor, yes?"
"…Huh? Oh, yeah, go ahead."
Rei thrust his knife into the chest of the next Goblin. He felt the familiar resistance of flesh and widened the cut, gouging the magic stone out from the heart. As expected of high-ranking monsters, the Bandit Goblin magic stones were significantly larger than those of normal Goblins.
He worked through the pile with practiced ease until he finally reached the Bandit Goblin Mage.
"Hah, not bad."
The Mage's magic stone was nearly half again as large as the others. By the time he finished, about thirty minutes had passed. Had he been harvesting every possible material, it would have taken over an hour.
(Sticking to just the magic stones was the right call, given our real target is the Spear Frog,) he muttered. He used the Dagger of Flowing Water to wash two Bandit Goblin magic stones and the one from the Mage.
"Let's start with these. I'm not expecting much since a Goblin is still just a Goblin. Seto!"
He tossed a stone to the griffin. Seto caught it and swallowed, but… nothing happened. No announcement of a new skill played in Rei’s mind. Neither of them seemed particularly surprised.
Next, Rei attempted magic stone absorption with Death Scythe. The stone vanished into the blade, but again, there was no notification.
Finally, he looked down at the Bandit Goblin Mage magic stone. Since there was only one, a question remained: who should take it?
"Guruuu."
Seto rubbed its face against Rei’s arm. Rei knew that look—the griffin was telling him to take it for himself.
"Are you sure? This one might actually give a magic-type skill."
"Guru!" Seto chirped firmly. I'm sure!
Rei smiled and gave the griffin’s head a lingering pat. "All right, thanks. I'll take it then."
He stepped back as the woman and the beast watched over him. He tossed the stone into the air.
"Hah!"
With a sharp cry, he swung Death Scythe. The massive blade sliced cleanly through the magic stone. For a split second, he heard nothing, and he assumed it was another dud.
(Another miss, I guess? A Mage is still just a—)
Thump!
A violent surge of energy suddenly backflowed from Death Scythe into his body. It felt as if something was being forced into his very soul.
"Gah… ah…?"
It was a sensation he had never experienced since arriving in Elgin. His fingers went limp, and Death Scythe clattered to the sand as he collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest.
"Rei? Hey, what’s wrong?! Rei!"
"Guruuuuu!"
Elena and Seto rushed to his side, but he was deaf to their cries. He remained doubled over, his body racked by an internal storm he couldn't control.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
A raw, guttural scream tore from his throat, echoing across the oasis. A moment later, his vision went black, and he slumped forward into the sand, completely unconscious.