Today was another day of monster subjugation, picking up right where we left off yesterday.
Since I had declared my intent to become independent last night, I felt I should do as much as possible while I still had the chance. My basic needs—food, clothing, and shelter—were already covered. If I ran short on clothes, I could buy more in town. Living in the abandoned mine meant housing was a non-issue, and as for food, I could hunt in new areas or supplement my supplies from the city. Of course, shopping required money.
My current assets included 700 small gold coins from the bandit subjugation reward, along with the 40 medium gold coins the bandits had been carrying. Combined with the earnings from my previous jobs, I had enough to live comfortably for the foreseeable future. In fact, it was enough to live quite lavishly, but money had a habit of disappearing once you started spending it.
If I took a guild request to clean cesspools, I could earn three medium silver coins—three thousand Suut—for thirty pits. That alone could cover a month’s worth of living expenses. Selling iron ingots and waterproof cloth to Serge-san was another lucrative option. I wasn't worried about being short on cash, but honestly, it felt like I was earning it too easily.
When I imagined a future where I continued like this, all I could see was myself rotting away. The Scavenger Slimes handled the cesspool cleaning entirely on their own now; there was no actual work left for me to do. If I relied on that as my primary income, there would have been no point in distancing myself from the Ducal House.
I needed to consider a source of income outside of adventuring. In the three years between arriving in this world and meeting Reinhardt-san, I hadn't spent a single Suut. Theoretically, I only needed enough to scrape by. If I aimed for 100 Suut a day, that would be plenty to live on and even put a little aside for retirement.
"Ryoma-kun? Hey, can you hear me?"
Oops, not good. I was lost in thought.
"My apologies, I was thinking about something. Did you need something?"
"I was going to say that daydreaming during a fight is dangerous, but..."
"You seemed completely checked out, yet you’re taking down monsters so effortlessly..."
"We haven't even had a chance to swing at anything!" Welanna complained.
"Ah, sorry. My body just moves on its own..."
"That's all well and good, but could you stop muttering about finances while you're indifferently slaughtering things, nya? It’s scary to watch, nya," Miya added.
"I'm truly sorry..."
I hadn't realized I was speaking aloud.
"About that muttering, kid. Are you short on cash? You were saying something about living expenses."
"Actually..."
"Everyone, assemble! Gather in front of the mine entrance immediately!" An adventurer came rushing toward us, looking frantic.
"What happened?" someone asked.
"A massive goblin village was discovered in one of the tunnels. They haven't killed anyone yet, but several G-rankers were injured."
"A goblin village... what a nuisance. They'll multiply like crazy if we don't clear them out now."
"I’m going to round up the others! Get yourselves to the entrance!" the man shouted before running off.
By the time we arrived at the mine entrance, a large crowd had already gathered. The Guild Master eventually stepped onto a raised platform to address the assembly.
"Most of you have already heard, but a goblin village has been found in the tunnels! We’re launching a mid-scale extermination operation immediately. We estimate about five hundred goblins. To minimize casualties, D-rank adventurers and above will lead the charge. Sort yourselves by rank and wait for orders!"
The Guild Master paused, scanning the crowd. "Ryoma, you here?"
"Right here."
"You're officially F-rank, but your skills are at least E-rank level. Since this mission will satisfy the requirements for your promotion anyway, I'm assigning you to the E-rank unit today."
"Understood."
"Any objections?"
No one spoke up. Yesterday's display had clearly left a strong impression on everyone.
"Good. Get ready. If you're short on supplies, come to me and I'll see what I can do. Once you're geared up, meet with your units and memorize the plan!"
After the ranks were sorted, an adventurer named Prolia was chosen to lead the E-rank unit. She took over the briefing immediately.
"Our objective is to support the F and G-rank units. We’ll be blocking the escape routes and cleaning up any stragglers." She pointed to a large map to explain the strategy. "The high-rank units will execute a pincer movement to flush the goblins out. Most will be killed there, but because of the sheer numbers, some will inevitably break through. We’ll be positioned at a deliberately weakened point in the perimeter to catch every single one that tries to flee. Since we’ll be overseeing less experienced adventurers, I’m open to suggestions on how to ensure their safety while completing the mission."
I raised my hand.
"Ryoma-kun, go ahead."
"I have a method I used back in the forest when dealing with large numbers of goblins. We can use Earth Magic to dig a deep trench between the nest and our position, then fill it with my Acid Slimes." I pulled a long pole with a knife attached like a scythe from my Item Box. "We can use tools like this to shove any approaching goblins into the pit. Once they fall in, they'll be helpless. As long as we neutralize the archers and mages with bows or magic, even those with little experience should be able to fight safely."
"I see... and do you have enough slimes to manage that?"
"I can provide them."
The strategy was deemed viable and adopted. I led a group of Earth mages to the ambush site—a narrow passage flanked by high cliffs. We set to work digging a trench four meters wide, fifty meters long, and three meters deep.
"Create Block!"
"Wow, that's fast. What magic is that?"
"It's just a sequence of Rock and Break Rock. It’s much more efficient this way."
I even taught a few others the trick while we worked. At the bottom of the trench, I created small alcoves where the Acid Slimes could hide their cores, protecting them from falling debris or weapons. Once they were in place, they began secreting a pool of highly concentrated digestive fluid.
"Can we test it?" an adventurer asked, tossing a Small Rat carcass into the pool. The skin sizzled and charred instantly; within seconds, the flesh dissolved, and the bones began to sink.
"Damn... that’s gruesome."
"Are Acid Slimes usually this dangerous?"
"Normally, their spit just causes chemical burns," I explained. "But when something is fully submerged, it dissolves everything down to the bone. The more they eat, the more digestive fluid they produce, so the pool will get deeper as the battle goes on."
"Note to self: do not fall in."
The logistics unit arrived with long wooden poles and the scythe-like claws of the Cave Mantises. While the claws weren't razor-sharp, they were sturdy enough to hook and push. I had my Sticky Slimes use their Hardening Fluid to fuse the claws to the poles. We also used the excavated soil to build handrails along the trench and elevated platforms for the archers and mages. Finally, I placed Physical Barriers on the platforms for extra protection, though I warned everyone that magic would pass right through them.
Prolia gave the final order. "F and G-rankers will use the poles to keep the goblins in the trench. E-rankers will guard the flanks and handle any close-quarters combat. Archers and mages, focus on enemy spellcasters and archers first!"
With the preparations done, we moved into a rest period. I found myself with nothing to do again, so I decided to double-check the slimes and the equipment.
"Excuse me! Do you have a moment?"
Suddenly being called from behind, I turned around.
"Ah, you’re from yesterday..."
The group of six rookies I’d helped were standing there.