I grabbed my gun, but didn't aim. After all, it wasn't clear what those guys were looking for. Provoking them could turn an easily resolved issue into a catastrophe.
«What are you going to do?», Amelia asked.
«First, talk».
«Then I'll get ready».
«Clear. Erwen, don't go out unless I give you the signal».
After a few brief words with my companions, I stood in front to protect them from sight and we waited in tense silence.
Step step.
Finally, a group of fifteen adventurers stopped in front of our camp and the man who seemed to be their representative slowly advanced. «Looks like I don't need to wake them up».
«Start with the presentations».
«Haha, you don't need to be afraid. Nothing that worries you will come to fruition.»
Who says I'm afraid? I'm just trying to decide if I need to break your skull or not. Four rangers, two mages, nine hand-to-hand fighters and... no priests?
The fact that there were fifteen of them was quite remarkable. Since the six-person binding spell was created, the basic unit of any group was six. Which meant there was a chance that three more of them were hiding somewhere nearby.
«You are a very reserved guy. Let's calm down and talk for a moment. If we were here with bad intentions, we wouldn't be talking to you like that, would we?»
That remained to be seen. I looked at the group that was prepared behind him and then changed my gaze to look at the man. «What do you want? You should know that it doesn't look good to go into someone else's camp at night».
The man revealed his identity. «We are from the Hunter Clan».
«I've never heard of him.»
«That makes sense. To be honest, it is not a very famous clan. Recently, we've only been hunting for treasure on Fione Island, so we haven't been active anywhere else.»
«Treasure hunting, huh?» That's when I got a rough idea of why that guy had approached us.
«I don't know if you know it or not, but Fione is divided by six clans that each operate in their own territories. It is a measure to avoid unnecessary disputes».
«¿Y?»
«You are camping in the territory of the Hunter Clan. We want you to leave as soon as it dawns tomorrow».
As expected, this was a case of hunting territory control. All the adventurers went through this very often from the fifth floor onwards. He truly realized that the labyrinth was a world of survival of the fittest. His first impression wasn't very good either, but now he definitely didn't look favorably on him.
«I have never heard of the palace granting Fione's rights to any specific group».
«Haha, as clever as you seem, you sound pretty rigid in your thinking. Venturing out is not a textbook affair».
With that, the man said nothing more. He stared at me in silence. The next words that came out of his mouth would probably depend on the decision I made.
I didn't have to think about it much. «Don't worry. We were thinking of leaving when the sun came up». We were actually only here for the night, so I decided there was no need to try to dispute the rights to the hunting ground.
But did my answer make you think you were admitting defeat? «Haha, really? I guess we came for nothing. Thanks for your understanding». The slightly suspicious look he had given us turned into a more relaxed laugh. It seemed like he had come to the conclusion that we weren't dangerous, seeing that he refused to get lost and now he got like that. «But three is an unusual number. Did you lose any companions on the way?».
«That's none of your business».
«Don't be so on guard. I'm just trying to help. Things could get dangerous if a monster suddenly appears, right? If you want, we can lend you our camp...» He interrupted himself, then looked at Erwen and Amelia behind me.
Ha. This son of a bitch has a gift for pissing people off.
«Thanks for the offer, but I reject it».
«Really? But the two ladies may think differently, right?». Although I politely declined, the man was persistent and only backed down once Erwen and Amelia clearly said no.
«Me him», dijo Erwen.
«We can take care of ourselves», Amelia agreed.
«It's a shame. Our clan branch is located in Ravigion, District Eight. If your team dissolves and you have nowhere to go, come find us».
Ha, nonsense until the end.
«Come on, let's go back to camp!»
I could barely suppress a mockery as I watched him lead his group back.
«Sir, why did you hold back?»
«I can't start brandishing my hammer just because I'm a little upset».
«Hmm, can't you?» Erwen and I ignored Amelia's question.
«But if I had gone ahead, that crap wouldn't have been so rude!». Erwen didn't hide her anger or confusion at the way I handled things, but it was inevitable. This girl stood out wherever she went and the rumors spread quickly. I didn't want any information about us to leak to the outside world, no matter how trivial.
But it wouldn't be a good idea to say all that. «Thanks anyway, Erwen.»
"...¿Because?"
«You held back despite being so angry».
«That's because... you told me not to go out unless you said...»
«That's why I'm grateful to you.»
«Really...? It was nothing. I can do that every day...»
Instead of explaining myself at length, I limited myself to obfuscating the issue. After all, expressing the feeling was the most important thing.
«You've handled it surprisingly fast», Amelia commented.
«Why do you say it as if it were a surprise? It doesn't matter, let's go back to sleep. Tomorrow we have a long way to go again. Okay, Erwen?»
«Okay!»
After resolving the situation with the Hunter Clan in record time, we lay back down in our sleeping bags and continued sleeping. What could have been hours or mere minutes later, I heard a voice.
«Schuitz, wake up». Amelia shook me urgently to wake me up.
What, those bastards again?
¡whipping!
I jumped up and was going to grab the hammer next to me when she said: «Calm down. This time they are not people».
"...¿Which?"
Aren't they people? So what the hell...?
«Don't tell me...» I turned my head to look around and was finally able to see what I was looking for with my own eyes.
«Gigeek, gigig?» He was the only monster to appear on Fione Island: the Laplaitmimic, a rare rank four type.
It was a monster that, when killed, had a certain chance of dropping a numerical item. When he released an essence, it was rumored to turn you into billions. This monster also appeared in other areas, but there was no easier place to find than Fione Island. You considered yourself lucky if you saw him once in the course of a month. Of course, those probabilities took into account the entire island, not just one territory.
«...To think we'd run into this guy passing by.»
Yes, this is the romance of a good adventure.
«Schuitz, what are you going to do?» amelia asked in a whisper.
«What else can you do?» i replied.
Do you think I'm going to give this up because of those guys?
«Of course we should kill him».
«...I thought you would say that. I'll go wake Erwen up». Amelia headed to the sleeping bag next to her to wake Erwen up as well.
Late I realized something strange. «Wait, 'Erwen'? When have you gotten so close?».
«Now that I've spent some time with her, she's pretty cute».
Huh, the human heart could be so unpredictable. Was this the enemy-friend trope in action?
«...¿Linda?»
«I guess I don't need to wake her up».
Erwen sat up as she overheard our conversation, rubbing her eyes. «Wake up...? But what are you doing now?».
«There is a Laplaitmimic».
«...Really?» He jumped to his feet before his eyes locked on the box that was rolling calmly about twenty meters away from us.
«Gigigik! Gigigik?! Gigik!» As a non-aggressive monster, the Laplaitmimic only seemed curious about us and showed no hostility.
«Erwen, your role is important here since we don't have a wizard on our team».
«I know. You said I have to kill him all at once since there is no wizard, right?»
«Yes, otherwise it will hide immediately».
For reference, if this guy hid underground, it was safe to say he was gone. A fatal shot was critical here.
«Erwen, shoot as hard as you can. If possible, summon the spirit of darkness as well. Ah, you know his real body is the box, right? You can't shoot the stem just because it looks like a body...»
«Don't worry. I'll make sure I get it».
«Yes, I believe in you.» There was no choice but to believe in her in the first place. Erwen had the highest damage output of all of us.
«So... here I go.» Erwen slowly pulled the bowstring.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has launched Element Synthesis.]
Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and even Darkness-five elements combined into one and began to emit unusual energy. Of course, even while all this was happening, the Laplaitmimic remained completely calm.
«Gigik...?» He tilted his head as if confused by what he was seeing. That innocence evoked a biological feeling of guilt, but that was it. We were adventurers, after all. Our job was to beat both monsters and people for money.
Erwen finished concentrating and released the bowstring.
¡Wiiiip!
The arrow shot forward at such a fast speed that it was difficult to see it with the naked eye.
«G-Gigigik!» Only then did the Laplaitmimic get scared, but it was too late.
¡Kwaaaaa!
The arrow flew towards the Laplaitmimic's open mouth and exploded with an explosion.
«G-Gigigik...!» Surprisingly, he was still alive even though his box was shattered and his body in tatters. «Gigigik!» With his last bit of energy, he tried to bury himself in the ground, but Erwen was one step ahead of him.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has released Ruptura.]
As soon as the follow-up attack landed, the Laplaitmimic burst into hundreds of pieces.
¡Shaaaaa!
Soon, the pieces turned into specks of light and disappeared.
[You have defeated a Laplaitmimic. EXP +6]
As expected from a rank four monster, the XP boost was notable. It was a very pleasant feeling every time, but I focused on something else.
There is no... essence.
Well, the truth is that I didn't have much hope. You would have to be totally greedy to desire an essence on top of everything else.
Please at least 5000 or less.
Soon, two objects fell where the Laplaitmimic had been standing. One was a mana stone. The other...
«Is it a ring...?»
As I approached the loot, an incredulous laugh welled up in my throat. «Huh...»
«Schuitz, do you know that?».
Of course, how could I forget it? I almost died once because of this thing. It was No. 6111: Seeker of Destiny, the ring that that bastard Dragon Slayer wore in Larcaz's Labyrinth.
Not a bad object, but it's a bit disappointing...
«What kind of ring is it? If it works for an archer...» Erwen interrupted herself with a hungry look. She was never particularly greedy with things, but I figured even she coveted Numerical Items.
«It's hard to say if it's good for a specific type of adventurer».
«Hard to say?
«If I had to classify it, it is a magical detection type device. When something happens near you, you can discern whether it is positive or negative by the color the ring emits».
For reference, there were three colors: green, red and yellow. That's why it received the nickname Traffic Sign Ring.
«It's not bad to have one lying around, so it would be best to keep it instead of selling it».
«...Then can I use it?»
«You? But you already have many rings. I'll wear this one».
«Ah, okay. Okay! That would be the best, right?» With Erwen's approval, I put the ring on my finger without hesitation.
[The ring has detected your destiny].
It lit up immediately.