Chapter 21: Nomination Request

Two weeks have passed since we defeated the pseudo dragon. Nowadays, I’m completely living my life in the dungeon but recently, I’ve been trying to find a pastime.

“Hmmm… this is not going well”

Holding a hammer, I look at the completed hut. I tried to make something like a food storage in the miniature garden but it’s done a little clumsily because I’m not used to it. There are gaps everywhere and the door makes a creaking noise every time it is opened.

For my pastime, I intended to make something with a do-it-yourself method, but with things like this, I still have a long way to go. According to Erna, there are skills such as carpentry and masonry in this world so if I can acquire those skills thru Skill Picking, I can learn the technique sooner.

However, I feel that it is not a pastime...

“Shinichi, until when should I smoke this?”

Erna asks while fanning the fan. In front of her is a square metal box, from which rising white smoke is being produced.

“Hmm… it’s now the right time I guess.”

I open the lid of the metal box and a large amount of smoke come out from inside and a lump of meat appears. The surface changed into light brown color and it is also glistening. Right, this is smoked meat.

“It looks delicious…”

Erna swallows raw saliva. Certainly, the smoked meat of the whole bird still drips its juice while white smokes are still drifting. I cut the meat with a knife and handed the wings to Erna.

“Whoa, it’s delicious! It’s delicious when you make it like this!”

Munching on her food, I feel like Erna got a little rounder…. Especially around her chin, I feel that it is so meaty, I don’t think it’s just my imagination…

“Did you get fat?”

She was so surprised and her body stiffen, Erna stopped eating the meat on her hand.

“I-I don’t know what are you talking about!…”

“Ahahaha”, she looks a little stiff while laughing. Of course, the cause was me. As I evolved into a homeless variant, I’m eating nearly twice as much as before. As the number of meals served increased, Erna’s diet also gradually increased.

“Err…It might be better to go to the town and get a request soon.”

“That’s right! I got fat because Shinichi won’t accept any request! This is all Shinichi’s fault!”

She says so but Erna does not let go of the chicken wings on her hand. Before I knew if, it seems like Erna turned into a gluttonous elf. Good grief!

I then move to the hut and put the hammer and utensil inside, I wrap the smoked meat in a leaf and pack it in my rucksack. This meat will serve like a bento because we’re going to town after this.Read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com

“Well, should we leave soon?”

“Yes.”

After Erna got up, she dusts off her robe with her left hand. She is now wearing a red robe. She also wears a red pointed hat on her head and a familiar cane in her right hand. Without any doubt, her appearance is that of a mage.

As she awakened as a Mage, she abandoned her adventurer’s style up until now and chose the Mage’s style. Of course, she longed for it for a long time so it’s no wonder that she feels proud because she can finally call herself a mage.

By the way, Mage’s robe color seems to show their rank. Beginner rank is yellow, intermediate rank is orange, advanced rank is red, special rank is purple and master rank is dark brown.Read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com

Each rank is decided by the maximum magic that can be used, and Erna can use advance magic so her robe is red. There seem to be various conditions regarding the master rank and as for the current Erna, even if she improves, she still can’t reach that.

The so called mages are quite profound.

When we came to the fourth miniature garden, we visit the Temple of Teleportation. When I put my hand on the stone plate, transfer points appeared in my head.

【Welcome to the Temple of Teleportation. Please select your transfer destination.】 ♦ Ground ♦ 5th floor ♦ 10th floor ♦ 15th floor 【 YES/NO 】

In fact, in the past weeks, we have found Temple of Teleportation on each floor. According to Erna, it seems that there are several transfer points in this dungeon and adventurers use these transfer points to move around. That’s why I took Erna with me and we searched for the transfer points.

It is troublesome at first, but it may be useful later. I chose the ground and transferred with Erna. My field of view changes and the dull ground appears before me.

Adventurers are lined up as usual in front of the Temple of Teleportation. While watching such a scene, I take out a letter from the small box installed on the pillar of the temple.

“Hey-, placing the mailbox in the pillar of the Temple of Teleportation is a little…”

Erna has an anxious expression while looking at the handmade mailbox.

“There’s no other way. We’re living in the dungeon and we won’t hear if the guild has trouble as we don’t have a fixed address. I couldn’t help but make a mailbox like this.”

“Yes, but… as the name implies, Temple of Teleportation is a sacred place you know.”

“Well, I don’t know that. I’m a homeless person who isn’t tied to anything.”

While saying that, I open the letter. The content was from the guild and I was asked to go to the guild as soon as possible.

I haven’t been to the guild for about a week so maybe it’s a nomination request. Nomination request is a request given by a requester to a certain adventurer.

Of course the rewards are also higher and the evaluation from the guild is likely to increase. Most adventurers will start to receive nomination requests from the intermediate level, and if the reputation is good, more nomination requests will come in.

It also seems that if you were mostly nominated, you will be able to choose a job and even quickly become a celebrity. Well, it doesn’t matter to me anyway.

“Let’s go to the guild for the time being.”

I decided to take Erna to the guild.

　◆◇◆

When we arrived at the guild we head directly to the counter. When I showed the letter to the receptionist, she immediately brought out bunch of papers, about ten sheets.

“These are the requests for homeless party.”

“Is it a nomination request?”

“Yes, because you guys defeated two pseudo dragons, nomination requests had been issued. What would you like to do? Will you accept it?”

I receive the ten sheets of paper and confirm the contents. It seems that all of them are requests to subdue monsters and unknown names are lined up. I then ask the receptionist a question.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)

“What happens to these requests if we decline them?”

“You don’t really need to accept the nomination requests. If you decline the request, it will be downgraded and will be posted on the bulletin board.”

“Even if we refuse, there are other adventurers who will be accepting it huh.”

I also handed the requests to Erna, she looked at it and selected one request.

“This should be good. We’ll take this.”

When I look at the request passed to me, the rewards are unusually high. The target is the so called wrapping spider, but somehow it feels suspicious.

“Hey, what is this so called wrapping spider?”

“It’s a large spider. It’s called like that because it wraps the prey it caught neatly, as if wrapping it.”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)

“Then how come the reward is so high?”

“Who knows?”

Erna shrugs her shoulders as if she really doesn’t know. Then the receptionist explained,

“That request came from a small village called Carne Village. In fact, we have received reports from the past that wrapping spiders are mass-breeding in that village. Many adventurers went to subjugate them but they didn’t return.”

“I see…. So that’s why I got this request huh.”

“…That’s right.”

Alright, I understand. I then return all of the request forms to the counter.

“I’ll be receiving all of them.”

“Are you sure about this? Do you think that 10 is a considerable number?”

“If there are people in trouble, why should I give it up?”

Then the receptionist sighed but nonetheless she has an impressed look.

“That’s great!…. As expected of the hero who saved the city…”

“R-Right…”

This…. I’m not good at such reactions so I didn’t like coming to town. After evolving to what I am now, the attitude of women towards me suddenly changed. Not only that, after we got rid of the pseudo dragons, the trend that they treat us (Homeless) as heroes started to emerge.

I mean I’m glad that we are being praised but somehow I feel like they’re praising us to the sky. From my experience, I know that at a time like this, if it gets into your head you’re in for some pain.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)

That’s why I’m troubled with the current atmosphere. When the receptionist tries to hold my hand, Erna uses her cane to remove the woman’s hand.

Her eyes were cold and icy.

“Shinichi, let’s go to the requested place.”

“O-Okay…”

Woman is a creature that I could not understand after all…

We rent a horse in the city and then we head straight to Carne Village. Apparently, Erna knows the location of the village.

“But this horse is difficult to handle. When I say “go” or “stop” it won’t listen.”

“Well that’s true, horses look at people properly too. Of course I’m as you can see.”

Erna ahead of me is manipulating her horse well.

The path that runs through the forest is endless, with vibrant green leaves swaying in the wind and the sunlight shining through the trees. The air was fresh and sometimes animals like rabbits were crossing the road.

“We will arrive at the village soon.”

“That’s good but the atmosphere here has changed…”

It seems that one way trip to the village is about one hour but as we go deeper into the forest, the atmosphere becomes suspicious and I can even see many white threads between the trees. This is probably already in the spider’s territory.

“Let me tell you this, be careful because wrapping spider is a magical beast that acts in groups.”

“I was wondering this for a while now, what is the difference between demon beast and magical beast?”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)

“Magical beasts are those animals that can use magic, and demon beast are those magical beasts with wisdom. When they became a demon beast they can speak our language so they are really troublesome opponents.”

Hmm, so they can speak the language here huh? That might really be dangerous.

Speaking of a beast with wisdom, if you look at humans, you can understand it. Humans have the power to defeat an opponent stronger than themselves. Humans evolved from monkeys and we even have superior wisdom to beat the king of beasts.

So it seems better to have enough caution with demon beasts.

“I can see it! That is Carne Village!”

There is a small settlement where Erna pointed. Although it is covered with a wooden outer wall, it can be seen that white threads are clinging to the roofs and outer walls of the structures.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)

“Are we too late?”

“I don’t know yet. Let’s get inside the village at least!”

We get off the horse and enter through the village gate. The village is small and I can see about fifty wooden one-story houses but there are no signs of life from any of those houses. The place was surrounded by a strange silence.

“Weird….It’s too quiet…”

“I can hear the spider’s footsteps. Be careful.”

Erna’s long ears are twitching as she holds her cane. That should be thanks to Hell Ears skill. I’m basically in charge of the search but her skill is superior. Thanks to that, she can find the whereabouts of the enemy before I notice.

“Gugyiiiiii!”

With an unpleasant voice, a white spider emerged from the roof of the building. It’s not just one or two. Nearly thirty spiders appeared in succession. They are about 1m in size.

“Shinichi!”

“Don’t worry. The fact that danger detection isn’t responding means that I am stronger.”

When I pulled out my sword, the spiders jump all at once. I activated the super sensation skill and the surrounding scenery turned into a slow motion and about fifteen spiders were slowly approaching me as if they were flying in the sky.

I then cut them off one after another and as they fall to the ground, they showed a grotesque cross section. It’s as horrible as a science fiction horror movie!

I immediately used appraisal on a spider corpse.

【Appraisal Result: Wrapping spider: A large spider with the habit of hunting in groups. There are poison in its fangs and as it bites the prey the poison pours in, it will then wrap its prey as if the prey was wrapped with a thread】

【Status】 Name:  Wrapping Spider Race:  Wrapping Spider Magic attribute:  Earth Magic:  Earth wall Skills: Thread Generation (Intermediate), Thread Manipulation (Advanced), Eyesight Enhancement (Beginner)

“Isn’t this a good skill? I’ll gladly receive it!”

I used Skill Picking and get the skill of the wrapping spider. Of course, all of them.

“Shinichi! There are other spiders left!”

“I know.”

The spiders on the roof sprayed threads when their hips turned to me.

“Flame bomb!”

The spell of a spider spread like a film is transformed into ash by Erna’s intermediate magic. Not only that, she fired fire arrow, which is a beginner’s magic in succession to surely kill the spiders.

“I killed thirty, but there’s still others out there.”

She murmured while looking at the spider’s corpse. The reason should be because spiders lay large numbers of eggs at once. If so, there would be at least a few hundred.

“Wait a moment… I hear a voice…”

Erna’s ears twitches and we walk to the source of the sound. Me and Erna stepped into a house.

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