Goblin and Kobold extermination. Come to think of it, my colleague had mentioned hunting goblins as well, apparently relying on Auto Mode to get the job done.
Up until now, the only monsters I had actually encountered were turtles and a slime that had the misfortune of being kicked to death while I was passing by. This would be my first time facing bipedal opponents. (Excluding that Great Turtle that braced its legs against the rocky mountain to stand up, of course.)
Man, I was looking forward to this. I wanted to see just how effective Tria's Unarmed Combat would be.
With that in mind, I spotted our first goblin in the grasslands! The moment it saw us, it bolted!
...Wait, what?
It was a standard green-skinned goblin, but for some reason, it was terrified. We hadn't even done anything yet.
Since we didn't have any long-range attacks, I decided to give chase. When I activated a dash, I caught up in an instant—actually, I overshot the damn thing. When I turned around, I could see the goblin’s features were contorted in sheer terror.
"What the... I look like the villain here! I mean, sure, I’m technically launching a raid on goblins who were just living their lives, so I guess I am the bad guy!?"
The goblin was so frightened its legs gave out, and it slumped to the ground. It had a cloth wrapped around its waist, but a quick glance revealed it was perfectly smooth underneath. At least I didn't have to worry about any mosaics; there wasn't any demand for that kind of detail anyway.
I had my doubts about how they managed to reproduce without any visible organs, but... well, it was a game, so I figured that’s just how it worked. Or maybe the developers just omitted the display. Because, again, it was a game.
I felt a little sorry for the creature, but I gave the order anyway. Tria delivered a kick! Thump. The goblin was obliterated. Rest in peace.
Once the goblin was kicked away, all that remained was a spray of blood splattered across the grass.
A single blow... damn. Well, Tria was Level 21 and was already capable of killing Young Turtles. Since I’d dumped every single SP into her Strength after that, it stood to reason her attack power would be through the roof. Looking at her stats now, her Strength had reached 352. It had hit triple digits—over thirty times its initial value. Her Unarmed Combat skill had already reached Level 7.
Of course it ended like that! Goblins were the quintessential early-game monsters. It seemed my hunch was right: those Young Turtles must have been Bonus Enemies. We’d really lucked out.
I wondered if there were any item drops. Then again, even if goblin meat existed, I had no desire to eat it, so it didn't really matter.
I noticed that the kill was recorded even without collecting any trophies; the goblin count on the Adventurer's Guild Card's quest data had automatically ticked up by one. Those cards were incredibly convenient.
Since kobolds were also supposed to spawn in these grasslands, I decided to hunt some of them as well.
In some games, kobolds were depicted as cute dog-like creatures, but... ah, there was one. It was covered in fur, so it definitely wasn't a goblin. It was a kobold. It looked like a scruffy, unwashed stray dog walking on two legs. "Alright, Tria, kick it into next week!"
I dashed forward, and as the startled kobold looked up, Tria delivered a punishing blow.
It felt like a hit-and-run; the kobold burst apart just like the goblin. Oh, maybe the hit landed at just the right angle, because the lower half of the body actually remained. The cross-section was covered by a mosaic, though. I wasn't sure if it would be useful for anything, but I tossed it into my Storage for the time being. It might be worth a few coins later.
Oh, that reminded me. I still didn't have any money. I wouldn't even be able to pay for an inn at this rate.
I had to grind this extermination quest until I at least had enough for a bed! "All right, let's do this!"
The elven Receptionist handled the registration for the Spirit-possessed that day.
One had to be extremely careful when dealing with the Spirit-possessed. Consequently, it was usually the veterans who handled them.
She hadn't expected two of them to show up as a pair, and she certainly hadn't expected them to take two completely different types of quests.
As evening approached, the Spirit-possessed who had taken the slaying quest returned.
The sight of the girl, unwashed and drenched in blood splatters, gave the Receptionist a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"I hunted exactly a hundred of each to keep the numbers even!"
"...I see. Good work. Um, let me check your Guild Card, then?"
"Sure thing!"
The girl handed over a Guild Card she had pulled out of thin air. The cards issued to the Spirit-possessed were special models; the slaying records for their active quests were automatically inscribed on the back. No one quite understood the mechanics behind it, but that was simply the way it was. This meant there was no need for them to submit physical proof-of-kill parts.
The Receptionist had never imagined she would be so grateful for that particular feature.
After all, they had really hunted a hundred of each. Two hundred monsters in total. If she’d had to deal with two hundred kobold tails and goblin noses, it would have cost a fortune just to incinerate them, and they would have buried her counter in filth.
"...Yes, I've confirmed forty quest completions. You've been promoted to E-Rank."
"Oh, sweet!"
The Receptionist placed the reward—five silver coins—on the counter. With a sharp clink like metal striking metal, the money vanished.
Apparently, the Spirit-possessed stored their money in some invisible space, just like their Guild Cards.
"Oh, by the way, I managed to keep a few of the lower halves intact, so I brought them back. Do you buy those?"
"I'm terribly sorry, but the guild does not purchase kobold or goblin remains."
"Too bad. I guess this stuff is just trash, then."
"! If you're going to dispose of them, please do so out in the grasslands! Do not leave them here!"
"...Okay!"
There was a story from a long time ago, in a different branch. Apparently, as soon as a staff member had said those words, the entire guild hall had been instantly filled with unsellable monster corpses. Even the incinerators couldn't keep up, and the place had allegedly become a hellscape of rotting stench and screams.
The Spirit-possessed truly were a hopeless lot.
"On another note... um, you really ought to wash yourself."
"Ah. So this isn't just an effect? I'm actually dirty... Got it. Where can I find a place to wash up?"
"There's a well nearby, and I can recommend a few good inns for you."
"Awesome, thank you!"
She wondered if the girl simply couldn't smell herself. Though, perhaps they just got used to it after a while.
"I'm back-ssu!"
Just then, the other Spirit-possessed returned. This one didn't appear to be covered in blood, though her hands were stained a deep green with plant juices.
"Oh, Tria-shi! Did you just finish up too-ssu?"
"Good work, Penpen. How'd it go?"
"I gathered exactly enough for the quest completions-ssu. Here you go, miss!"
The girl placed five bundles of Medicinal Herbs on the counter.
Is this one actually normal? the Receptionist wondered as she processed the five completions and handed over the reward. Another clink, and the silver coins vanished.
"Nice! That's a solid income. I've hit my payment goal for the week-ssu!"
"Good job, Penpen. I’ve still got some time tonight, so I was thinking of taking another quest. What about you?"
"Maybe I'll take another one too. Miss Receptionist, I'd like another quest-ssu! A gathering-type!"
"And I'll take a slaying-type."
"Wait... right now?" the Receptionist asked, bewildered.
It was already evening, and the sun was nearly gone. Apparently, for the Spirit-possessed, nighttime was not considered a time for rest.
"I see, so I can't take quests at night..."
"Ah. In that case, I'll just find a spot to set up my Home and grind some skills-ssu."
"Hey, Penpen, do you want these kobold and goblin lower halves? The guild won't buy them, so they're just trash, but if you have a use for them, they're yours."
"Oh! I can use those to just throw together random materials and fail a bunch of production recipes to grind my levels-ssu! I'll take them!"
"...Does failing on purpose actually help? With your skill levels?"
"The Organic Waste you get from failing is a great material for fertilizer-ssu! It makes the farm work go way faster!"
"...Please, do the exchange outside," the elven Receptionist whispered, unable to do anything but watch the two Spirit-possessed with a look of profound unease.