First Named Monster Subjugation
──[Vampire Lizard].
B-Rank monster
It bites with sharp fangs, draining blood and mana.
Individual differences exist, but overall its scales are tough.
Weak point: the belly.
—
"Milfie, the belly! Aim for the belly!"
"Got it!"
—
[Demonic Swamp near the Royal Capital]
2.3★★☆☆☆ (5478)
C-Rank Adventurer
★★☆☆☆
The monsters that show up here are way too tough.
What the hell are these things?
D-Rank Adventurer
★☆☆☆☆
My leg’s stuck in the swamp! I-I can’t move!
B-Rank Adventurer
★★★☆☆
Seems like the weak points differ between individuals, but figuring it out is hard.
The materials sell for a high price, but it's a tough job.
F-Rank Adventurer
★☆☆☆☆
S-someone help! I’m sinking... uuuugh...
—
Milfie and I had been steadily expanding our hunting grounds.
We now had three Free Pins. We’d placed them in this Demonic Swamp and Demonic Cliff.
We kept one in reserve in case something happened.
"Come on now, be a good boy and show me your belly!"
A ferocious lizard lunged at me, but I kicked it with my right foot.
Then I stabbed it with a dagger.
This detailed information was thanks to a new skill I had acquired—[Guide Lens].
Until now, the information had been minimal, but now it displayed much more clearly.
Even dropped items were no longer shown as just [!], but something like [1 Gill].
The blade sank in with a squelch, and the lizard died.
Seems Milfie took hers down too.
We moved to a safe spot and started dismantling.
"This hide… goes like this?"
"That’s right. And there’s a tendon here, so cut it out clean and drain the blood. Monsters use mana as their power source, so bloodletting doesn’t take as long as it does with animals—that’s a plus."
"I see… But this is pretty gory."
"You’ll get used to it. Hang in there."
"Yeah."
I’d always left this work to her until now, but now I was learning from her.
I’d never done anything like this before. It was work that required strength and patience.
◇
"Alright, time to head back, meow."
"Yeah. I’m beat today..."
"There were a lot of enemies. Still, your movements have gotten better, Tabito. Guess taking down that Death General wasn’t just for show."
"It was me, but it also wasn’t."
When we returned to the royal capital using an Area Pin, I felt almost like I was returning home. I was starting to grow attached to this place.
Old man Rildo was still a good guy, and I’d grown friendly with the gate guards too.
We planned to move once we had two Area Pins set, but I felt like I might even shed a tear when we leave this place.
Just then, I noticed the town was unusually noisy.
"They're recruiting, apparently. Want to go check it out?"
"A Cyclops, huh. Annoying monster... but it depends on the pay."
"Heard the reward's pretty high. And they're in a hurry."
Burly men were rushing to the Adventurers’ Guild.
I’d seen some of them around before.
Guys who liked their money and often barhopped.
A Cyclops?
"Milfie, did you see that?"
"… Could be an emergency subjugation."
"Emergency subjugation?"
"Sometimes, a variant of a monster we call a 'Named' appears. When that happens, they gather soldiers and adventurers to take it down in large numbers. They're a lot stronger than normal ones."
So that’s what this was about.
"Let’s go check it out for now. We can gather info too. Who knows, maybe someone who knows me or one of your kind is there."
"Yeah. Depending on the reward, we might as well take it."
We moved out.
When we opened the Guild’s doors, the place was more packed than I’d ever seen it.
I wouldn’t call them all rough types, but most were well-equipped.
Pushing through the crowd, I called out to Karin, and she told us they would begin moving out for the Named Subjugation in a few dozen minutes.
Apparently, a Cyclops variant was blocking the road by a nearby river.
"Just for joining, you get a gold coin. That’s some serious generosity."
"Looks like they're really in a rush."
The reward was higher than we imagined.
When I asked why, I found out foreign diplomats were arriving tonight, and the threat had to be dealt with quickly.
They were prepared to take a loss to make it happen.
That explained why the adventurers were all grinning.
By the way, we were also eligible to participate.
"Milfie, what do you think?"
"I'll leave it to you. Even if the reward's good, there's still some danger involved."
"I see. In that case, would you mind sharing your opinion as an A-Rank adventurer?"
"… Right. Putting the reward aside, judging by the people around, most of them seem to be B-Rank, but with this many, I think it should be fine."
"Alright, then let's do it."
"Are you sure?"
We're just two people, but we make a party.
Milfie usually leaves the basic decisions up to me, especially since I'm the one with the guide map.
Our pockets are full for now, but who knows how long that'll last.
Most adventurers apparently blow all their money the same day they get their reward—on food, drink, or nightlife.
I want to take on as many jobs as I can and gain more experience too.
"Yeah. Let's do one more job."
"Got it. Then let’s go over our weapons and equipment again. Also, let’s set a meeting spot and a signal just in case we get separated."
Milfie before battle is reliable.
She’s usually kind of airy, but when the time comes, she switches gears and insists on double- and triple-checking our gear.
“If you can’t handle the basics, you’ll die easily”—that’s her motto.
That’s probably why she’s A-Rank.
"I get the meeting place, but what kind of signal are we talking about?"
"There are so many people here, who knows what could happen. Like, what if it's too dark to see anyone? I’d rather avoid friendly fire, meow."
It’s still a long way until nightfall, but she’s probably speaking from experience.
She tells me things I’d never think of myself.
She’s indispensable.
And just then, a tall woman pushed through the crowd.
Correction: it was Bridget, the S-Rank adventurer—also known as the plushie S-Rank.
"Oh, you guys came too?"
"Are you going too, Miss Bridget?"
"Yeah. I’ll be leading the way."
I didn’t expect an S-Rank to be here.
No wonder no one seems tense.
We’re basically being carried.
"Hey, they’re chatting real friendly with Bridget. Who are they?"
"Those two’ve been earning a lot lately. I hear one’s A-Rank and the other’s D-Rank."
"What’s up with that mismatched pair? How’d they worm their way in?"
We can hear you, you know.
Honestly, I’ve heard stuff like that before.
Word got around about me being the “luggage,” so I probably look like a small fry clinging to Milfie.
Not entirely wrong, but hey—I fight too, you know! Hmph!
"I’ll be moving up front with the soldiers. They say it’s a strong one. Be careful."
"Understood."
"Thank you!"
Apparently some royal soldiers will be coming too, though there won’t be many since most are busy guarding the diplomats and getting ready.
It might be inappropriate, but I kind of want to see Bridget fight.
She’s probably… amazing.
The briefing ended, and only the S, A, and B-Rank adventurers were included in the command structure.
Everyone else was sent out.
It’s kind of lonely, but I can always ask Milfie about it later.
We’ll be moving out soon.
It’s an area I’ve never been to before, so it’s a win-win.
Of course we’re going on foot, but that works for me.
I rode a carriage once and didn’t get any steps in.
No cheating allowed, huh?
"Hey, luggage boy. Don’t get cocky, you piece of trash."
Cyclops, huh? Must be big.
I bet it’s got one eye.
"Hey, you listening, leech boy?"
Oops—better get into combat mindset.
Hm? Who’s this guy?
"Hey, don’t ignore me, you D-Rank scrub. I’m C-Rank Gardus, got it?"
"………"
Before I knew it, a big guy was standing beside me.
He had a giant axe on his back, and two scrawny thugs with nasty looks tagging along like goldfish poop.
It’s a textbook case of provocation, but this hasn’t happened before.
Ah, right—Milfie’s not around.
Now that I think about it, we’re always together.
Having an A-Rank nearby probably makes people think twice.
The old me might have ignored him or brushed him off.
But I’ve learned something even in this short time.
Once adventurers are underestimated, it’s over.
I’ve heard people even get attacked in their sleep.
"Shut up. Unless you want to die before the mission even starts."
You have to act with confidence.
Gardus—what a dumb name—looked a little surprised. He probably didn’t expect me to talk back.
But he quickly recovered.
"You little… want me to kill you before we even fight the monster? You think just ‘cause you’ve got an A-Rank with you, you can beat me?"
Now that I think about it, I’ve never actually fought a person before.
And yet, my head is calm.
—Should I just do it?
But just then, the meeting ended and Milfie and the others came outside.
Noticing that, Gardus clicked his tongue.
"Ptooey. Weakling. Just don’t get in my way."
"Yeah, same to you."
Ugh, why do jerks like him even exist?
Probably trying to feel better about themselves by tearing others down.
"Tabito, what’s wrong? Something happen?"
"Nah, nothing. So, what did they say?"
"Seems like we’re moving fast. Normally there’d be more planning, but they’re gonna decide on the spot. We might get split by rank, too."
"I see. Don’t worry about me."
"Okay. Then let’s go."
And so, we joined our first named monster subjugation.
---
Milfie
★★★★☆
Emergency subjugation… I hope nothing goes wrong.
I have to protect Tabito.
Tabito
★★★★☆
Stay alert. Even if I’m separated from Milfie, I’ll do what needs to be done.
Ignore the jerks.
Gardus
★★★☆☆
Tch, that goldfish poop’s getting cocky.
I’ll take down everything myself!
What do you think about this chapter?
