The following day, Elia decided to apply what she had learned from her previous session and returned to the abandoned mine for more training.
As for me, Lord Reinbach had asked me to accept a monster cull request being issued to the Adventurer Guild that day. Elia had suggested I go with her, but both Lord Reinbach and the Madam had opposed the idea.
Yesterday had made it clear that there was a massive gulf between Elia’s combat experience and my own. Our actual combat abilities were also worlds apart. They explained that having me there would not only make the cull inefficient but would likely cause Elia to rely on me far too much.
It was a fair point. I knew I wouldn't have been able to say no if she had asked for my help.
When I arrived at the guild, I was immediately summoned to the Guildmaster’s office.
"You're here, Ryoma."
"I was told you requested my presence. Is something wrong?"
"It’s nothing major. The butler from the Ducal House came by earlier to post a monster cull request starting tomorrow, and I wanted to confirm a few things with you. You went to the abandoned mine yesterday, right?"
"I did."
"Tell me what monsters you encountered. I also need to know the state of the tunnels. I heard the basics from the butler, but I want to gather as much intel as possible."
"I see. I personally fought Cave Mantises, Cave Bats, and Small Mice. Elia apparently defeated some slimes as well. We also spotted a Metal Slime inside. As for the condition, the place looks like it hasn't been touched in years; it’s overgrown with weeds. However, the structure of the tunnel I entered was solid, and I haven't heard any reports of loose ground or cave-ins elsewhere."
"Then it should be fine to let even the G-Ranks accept the request. But you really saw a Metal Slime?"
"Yes. I was acting separately at the time, but they captured it as a gift for me. I’ve already formed a contract with it."
"Now that you mention it, you’ve been collecting nothing but slimes, haven't you? I heard you have over a thousand."
"That’s right. Currently, I have 728 Sticky Slimes, 323 Poison Slimes, 211 Acid Slimes, 11 Cleaner Slimes, 3,033 Scavenger Slimes, 2 Heal Slimes, 1 Metal Slime, and 1 regular Slime. That’s 4,310 in total."
"You’ve gathered way too many."
The Guildmaster gave a weary, bitter smile, clearly not expecting the number to be quite that high.
"The Scavenger Slimes only reached that count because of the incident the other day. Because of all that waste, they underwent Division multiple times in a short period and exceeded three thousand. Slimes are easy because they can survive on almost nothing but water, but if these were any other type of monster, I’d have to work myself to the bone just to afford the feed."
"I see... Oh, right. Another request for cesspool cleaning came in. I’d like you to take it if you can."
I hadn't decided on my schedule for the day yet, so I didn't mind, but wasn't it a bit early for another round?
"It’s only been a few days since the last one, hasn't it?"
"The pits hadn't been cleaned for ages before you showed up. It seems a lot of people started thinking, 'We don't know when someone will take the job again, so let's put in the request while we can!' Some of them even threatened to file a mountain of complaints if we didn't come soon. The Town Office couldn't convince the people in the slums to help in the end. Apparently, some of the officials were forced to handle it themselves, but since they’re the type who have spent their lives looking down on others, the quality of their work doesn't even come close to yours."
"I see... Understood. How many units are there today?"
"All thirty. Can you handle it?"
"The slimes’ processing speed has improved since last time. If I use the whole day, I should be able to manage... especially since the volume per unit will likely be low."
"Then I’ll leave them all to you. The people in town won't stop complaining."
"Understood. Oh, what about the procedures for the abandoned mine cull?"
"Don't worry about it. You can handle the paperwork when you get back from today's work. There’s no limit on participants, and I’ll pass the word along that you're coming."
"Understood. Well then... Ah."
Before leaving, an idea struck me. I asked if I could buy the monsters defeated during the cull starting tomorrow to use as slime feed. The Guildmaster gave his permission immediately, and, feeling pleased, I headed to the reception desk to finalize my current job.
I learned that the receptionist’s name was Meilyne. She also informed me that because I was cleaning thirty cesspools—with each unit counting as a single completed request—I had met the requirements for promotion from G-Rank to F-Rank. The condition for the promotion was completing twenty requests of any type, so I was officially an F-Rank adventurer as of today.
By the way, the requirements for E-Rank were completing thirty or more requests and at least one cull. Between the ten surplus requests from my previous work and today’s job, I was on track to become an E-Rank adventurer as soon as I finished the monster cull tomorrow.
When I asked if rising one rank per day wasn't too fast, Meilyne gave me a candid answer.
"It is fast, but up until E-Rank, the monsters are mostly weaklings that any adult can fight easily. Most of the jobs are chores that anyone can do. That’s why this period is more about the guild observing the adventurer. We look at their completion rate and how often they take jobs to see if they’re the type to abandon a request halfway through, or if they’re reliable even if they don't work every day. If you work seriously, the conditions are practically just a formality. In your case, Ryoma-kun, you haven't failed a single request, and the people you helped the other day gave you a glowing review, so there’s no problem at all."
I was relieved to hear I had a good reputation, but Meilyne’s quiet mumble as I turned to leave stuck with me.
"Honestly, it’s much more helpful when people take chore requests like you instead of pushing themselves and failing a combat mission... But the rookies always look down on the manual labor..."
So most new adventurers hated the grunt work. I suppose that made sense for hot-blooded youths. I resolved to keep taking these jobs occasionally so I wouldn't betray the trust I had built.
With that thought in mind, I headed off to work.
The next day.
The second round of cesspool cleaning went off without a hitch. I had gone to bed early the night before, so I woke up at 5:00 AM feeling refreshed.
After getting ready, I found I still had plenty of time. A man's morning routine doesn't take very long; it probably would have been different if I were a woman.
I killed time by feeding the slimes and doing a few other chores before heading toward the Adventurer Guild. The place was swarming with people, and the street was lined with carriages.
"There are more people here than I expected..."
The carriages parked out front were all shared transports for the adventurers participating in the cull. I’d heard at the desk that I could ride for free if I arrived by 8:00 AM, but I hadn't expected such a massive crowd.
If it was going to be that cramped, I considered just running there as part of my morning exercise. The instructions said we just had to be at the mine by 11:00 AM.
As I was debating my options, a voice called out to me.
"Hey! Ryoma!"
"Oh! Jeff-san!"
It was Jeff. Looking closer, I saw Raypin and Cher with him as well.
"Good morning, Jeff-san, Raypin-san, Cher-kun."
"Yeah, morning."
"Good morning, Ryoma-kun."
"A fine morning, indeed. It seems Ryoma has accepted this request as well."
"I have. Are you all participating too?"
"We’re here on a designated request from the old man. This cull should be safe enough for G-Ranks, but he was worried that if a big one showed up, it’d be a massacre. So, we’re here to keep things under control. It’s not just Raypin and me; Miya and Asagi are here too, though they already headed out."
"We’ve had large requests before, but the turnout today is especially high..." Cher noted.
"That is only natural," Raypin explained. "Most of the monsters in this mine are manageable for G-Ranks, and the reward for a request from the local lord is quite fair. On top of that, there is an additional reward—however small—for bringing back the corpses of the monsters. For low-rank adventurers who struggle to make ends meet, this is the perfect opportunity. Even those who cannot fight can earn a living just by collecting the remains. No one would miss such a chance."
"I still wonder who it is, though," Jeff muttered. "Who’s the guy paying extra to buy up monster corpses? I saw the list; they’re all small-fry monsters that don't even have parts you can sell."
"The volume from a cull this size would be far too much for research purposes," Raypin added. "It benefits us, so I am not complaining, but it is certainly a mystery."
"Actually, it’s nothing that impressive. I’m just using them as feed for my tamed monsters."
Jeff and Cher blinked at me. "Ryoma-kun, you know who’s buying them?"
"Well, yes. I’m the one buying them."
"What? You’re the buyer, Ryoma?" Raypin's eyes widened. "I suppose that makes sense if it is for slime feed. Given the sheer number you keep..."
"How do you usually handle it? Feeding them, I mean," Jeff asked.
"It sounds like it would cost a fortune. I heard some tamed monsters can bankrupt their owners depending on the species," Cher added.
As we chatted, a new shared carriage pulled up. Since I was already with them, I decided to hop on and ride with the three of them.
A few hours later.
The carriage arrived at our destination. The coachman told us to check in at the temporary guild reception set up near the mine entrance. We reported our arrival and waited until 11:00 AM, when everyone was summoned to the main square.
"The participant count today is 264! For safety reasons, you will conduct the cull in parties of six! No fighting over prey! If you aren't in a party, I've already drawn up the groups, so check the list and gather up! Finally... make some money while the getting's good!"
Shouts of agreement rose in response to the Guildmaster’s blunt command. People began grouping up and disappearing into the various mine shafts.
Wait, was that it? I needed to figure out which group I was in.
Checking the assignments, I saw my party members were Jeff, Miya, Welanna, Mizeria, and Silia. It was a relief to be with people I knew, but I suspected the Guildmaster had pulled some strings for me.
I looked around and spotted Welanna leading the other four toward me.
"Welanna-san, I’m looking forward to working with you. Everyone else as well."
"Good to have you, Ryoma."
"Looking forward to it, nya."
"I look forward to working with you too."
"As your senior, I’ll make sure to show you the ropes," Mizeria said with a grin.
"Mizeria, you’re the last person who should be saying that," Jeff teased. "We only just saw each other, Ryoma, but good to have you."
"Hey, Jeff! That was uncalled for!"
"You’ve got the strength, but you’re as scatterbrained as they come."
"What did you say!?"
"Knock it off, both of you..." Welanna sighed. "Ryoma, just ignore them. Let’s talk strategy. What’s your weapon? Also, I’m sure you’re fine with Cave Bats and Small Rats, but have you ever fought a Cave Mantis?"
"I have. I usually use a bow, but I’m proficient with daggers and hand-to-hand combat as well. And then there's my magic."
"In that case, Ryoma, I want you to focus on the flying targets with your magic. In this group, you're the only one who can really use offensive spells."
"It’s not that we can’t use any at all, nya," Miya added, "but beastkin don't have much mana, so don't count on our magic for much, nya. Silia has a bit more than the rest of us, though..."
"I can only use Healing Magic, so please keep that in mind," Silia said apologetically.
"Jeff and I are hopeless with magic in general," Mizeria chimed in. "We gave up on everything except No-Attribute Strengthening and Hardening!"
"Don't lump me in with you! I’ve specialized in Strengthening and Hardening!" Jeff retorted.
"The result is the same either way, nya," Miya interjected. "Anyway, Ryoma, what elements can you use, nya?"
"I can use all elements, but I mainly use earth."
"All elements? That’s rare, nya."
"It definitely gives us more options. If you’re using earth, does that mean Earth Needle?"
"Earth Needle and Rock Bullet. For other elements that work well in caves, I can use the ice-based Ice Arrow and the lightning-based Stun Arrow."
"That’s more than enough. All right, everyone—let's move!"
And with that, the cull began.