Adventurer’s Rumors

“Hey. Good morning.”

“Good morning? It’s already noon.”

“Don’t sweat it.”

“That’s exactly why you’ll never rank up.”

“Still, I came back late yesterday. Let me rest a bit.”

“Ah, the hunt for Himikwa, right?”

“That’s right. He’s not strong, but fast. Chased him for over half a day before finally taking him down at night. I was exhausted. Honestly, I’m impressive for being awake at this hour.”

“Keep bragging.”

“By the way, where are the Lucasso brothers today?”

“Ah. Heard there was an ogre spotted in the woods. They’re on a hunt mission.”

“Ogre? Unusual around here.”

“Right? Gilmas suspects a stray ogre drifted in from somewhere.”

“Still, odd. There’s no place around here where ogres should appear.”

None. Well, where it came from isn’t our concern. A rare target—by now, the ogre hunt’s already underway in the woods.

"Yeah, that’s why the guild’s so quiet."

"That’s right."

"You? Why didn’t you go?"

"Huh?"

"Why didn’t you go?"

"Troublesome."

"Hey."

"No, I used to hunt ogres regularly back then. Not like it’s new. So I figured I’d let the younger ones have fun."

"Sure, sure. Making excuses."

"Hey, so are we going now?"

"Impossible. If everyone’s already rushing in, we won’t make it in time."

"True. Bet on which party finishes it?"

"No. I don’t even know who’s participating this time."

"Members of Lucco’s group, right? Agilis, Kwass, Regen, and then—"

"Still not here?"

"Almost everyone above C-rank participated, didn’t they?"

"Overkill against a single ogre. Ah. Even that ogre’s kind of pitiful."

"Ogre D-rank, you know. If it were evolving, that’d be one thing, but I heard it’s just a regular ogre."

"What happens when an ogre evolves?"

"First stage: Fighter, Ranger, Shaman—three types. Same as goblins. Second stage: High Ogre. Third stage: Ogre General. Fourth stage: Ogre King. Reaching King status puts it at Danger Level B. Usually leads a pack, so depending on size, it can reach S-rank equivalent."

"Ah. Does appearance change?"

"Changes. Gets larger with evolution. A regular ogre isn’t much different from a human. Easy to tell apart."

"True of an A-rank adventurer. Erudite—"

Flattery won't get you anything. And you're the same A-rank as me, aren't you?

No, I’ve never left this town. Never seen an ogre.

Interested?

"Somewhat. When you say humanoid monsters around here, it's probably just goblins from the Demon Mountains."

"Goblins. Compared to those, orcs are easier to handle."

Goblins cannot be measured by simple status values. Location matters as well.

Encountering something while climbing a mountain—yes, that would be troublesome.

A nightmare experience, one must endure at least once—harvesting medicinal herbs only found in the Demon Mountains.

I’ve fled back that way before.

"That's correct. Creatures that gather in groups and are also fighters—fighting them would drain even the strongest life force."

It is fortunate that it only appears in limited regions of the Demon Mountains.

"Yeah. You know about the village at the base of the Demon Mountains, right?"

"Yeah. The one the Empire built to develop the Demon Mountains, right? I've never been there myself."

"It's been destroyed."

"Huh? Why?"

"Who knows? I only heard a bit. Some adventurers on a quest in the Demon Mountains found the village in ruins."

"Probably gave up on developing the Demon Mountains then?"

"Can't say. I only heard a few details. It's convenient for reaching the Demon Mountains, so losing it would be a problem."

"Can't be helped if it's already destroyed. I doubt it was wiped out by goblins, though?"

"Unlikely. That's the guy named Burymus stationed there—he's a capable soldier."

"Really?"

"Ah. That one’s at least the same rank as us—A-class, minimum. Might even be S-class."

"Damn. Guess imperial soldiers really are different."

"Guildmaster! Guildmaster, are you here!?!"

"Huh? What is it?"

"Who knows? It’s Lucasso, isn’t it?"

"Damn right. Hey! You weren’t supposed to be hunting ogres?"

"Goto-san, Negu-san! It’s terrible! It’s terrible!"

"Hey, calm down."

"What’s so urgent?"

"Calm down? How can I calm down! That one! That one!"

"That one?"

"The ogre! The ogre—it killed everyone! Everyone!"

"Hey, what happened?"

"Everyone was killed by the ogre!"

"What?"

"Wait. By an ogre?"

"Yeah! Not just any ogre! It wasn’t ordinary! Everyone—everyone’s dead!"

"Go get Guildmaster."

"Ah. Do it."