"This is a regular delivery request." (Marcella)
Thud thud thud thud thud!
"This is a regular delivery request." (Marcella)
Thud thud thud thud thud!
"This is a regular delivery request." (Marcella)
Thud thud thud thud thud!
"This is a regular delivery request." (Marcella)
Thud thud thud thud thud!
"This is a regular..." (Marcella)
"...Wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait, waiiiiit!!"
It's been five days since Marcella, who had revealed her high-capacity storage magic, began delivering a huge amount of materials together with her companions. Finally, the guy at the delivery counter snapped.
"You guys, get your act together! The price of horned rabbits has plummeted!"
"A combat-proof operation gives a sense of security, right...?" (Mile)
Watching the commotion and sipping fruit juice in the food and drink corner, Mile muttered this, and the members of Crimson Vow nodded in agreement...
This time, Wonder Trio had narrowed down the prey they delivered to only horned rabbits. If it were normal animals that weren't monsters—like deer or wild boars—their numbers would plummet if they were hunted too much, and if things went badly, it could be that they wouldn't be caught around here for several years. Therefore, the only target they could choose were monsters, and among them, the one that was most likely to cause the guild to give up first was the Horned Rabbits.
It was the bare minimum lifeline for associate members under the age of 10 and the F-rank fledglings to somehow survive. This was horned rabbit hunting, which was a relatively safe activity, could be sold for a reasonable price, and provided the hunters with enough to eat. And then the price of horned rabbits plummeted...
It was fine for the village children and orphans who only hunted for their own food. Even if their population decreased a little, it didn't have a big impact because horned rabbits would continue to multiply. ...However, the sudden drop in purchase prices was a fatal blow to the budding hunter.
If this was just a crash of orcs or ogres, it would be fine. Those who hunted in that area could change their target to other prey, and if the party was that skilled, they would have enough savings to last them for several months. ...However, they were just starting out, earning a living by hunting Horned Rabbits while gaining experience and aiming to move up. This would be a fatal blow to them. They could not bear to be treated like this. It was only natural that the old man at the delivery counter, who was in charge of purchasing, and the guild master were pissed.
And so, Wonder Trio was taken to the Guild Master's room on the second floor...
"What are you guys planning..." (Guild master)
"No, we don't have any particular intentions, we're just a fledgling F-rank hunter who just registered, so we're just trying my best to hunt horned rabbits, you know?" (Marcella)
"…………" (3x guild staffs)
Upon hearing Marcella's reply, the guild master, the old man at the delivery desk, and the receptionist who was in charge of registering hunters for Wonder Trio all fell silent.
Indeed, what Marcella says was true. The requests that an F-rank party received were odd jobs in town, gathering medicinal herbs, and hunting horn rabbits. These were the three main requests that a novice hunter received. It was natural for people to pursue hunting horned rabbits, one of these animals, and it was not something that should be criticized or questioned.
In particular, out of the three, horned rabbit hunting was the most profitable, so those who had acquired the skills to move around in the forest and hunt horn rabbits safely would no longer be asked to do odd jobs or gather herbs for low-level potions. ...Rare herbs were a different story, as they were difficult to find, as their habitats were often far away and dangerous...
In any case, as a novice F-rank hunter, it was only natural for Wonder Trio to go hunting down Horned Rabbits, and there was no reason for them to be called out or criticized for it—Not even a little bit. That's what Marcella claimed, but...
"...There's a limit and common sense to everything!!" (Guild master)
The guild master yelled, while the old man at the delivery desk and the receptionist nodded obediently.
(Ah, I knew it…) (All WT)
And although they went along with Mile's proposal, Wonder Trio still felt that it went beyond their limits and common sense...
However, this was a "plan" that they were fully aware of. Seizing this opportunity, Marcella went on the offensive.
"For us F-ranks, this is the most efficient way to earn money and accumulate achievement points. We can safely hunt horned rabbits and bring back large amounts of our prey thanks to storage magic. There's no reason for us to have to earn a little money doing odd jobs in town and gathering medicinal herbs like other beginners, right?" (Marcella)
"…………" (3 guild staffs)
Of course, the guild could not give such unreasonable orders to the hunters, and they didn't even have the authority to do so in the first place. Then, to the distressed guild masters, Aureana came to the rescue.
"Now that I think of it, I recently heard a rumor that a rookie F-rank Hunter in a certain port town had achieved a special promotion of three ranks as a result of special measures..." (Aureana)
The casually muttered words caused the guild masters to scream in their hearts.
(Is that your aim?!) (3 guild staffs)
…they were trapped. The Guild Masters understood this without any room for misunderstanding.
Indeed, something similar happened in one port town quite recently. The incident was referred to as the "Special Promotion Incident" or "that incident", and the name of the party was never mentioned when it was discussed, so the guild masters did not remember the name of the party, having only seen it once on paper. No matter how rare their promotion might have been, it was still only C-rank. For a guild in the royal capital that had several B- and A-rank parties, and that had S-rank hunters who rarely returned but were based in this city, it was rare, but it wasn't enough to make the party's name resound throughout the country.
...However, the incident itself was so well-known that all those connected to the guilds in this country knew about it. The town's guild master had made the decision at the risk of being punished for the sake of the town, the guild, and the hunters, and was praised and promoted.
...Of course. If those who acted for the sake of the town, the guild, and the hunters without regard for their own detriment were punished, no one would follow suit. None of them were alone, they had wives and children to support, and they wanted to protect themselves and their positions.
...But was it really okay to fall for the tricks of a bunch of newbies so easily?
"…………" (3 guild staffs)
It was unbearable that something like a three-rank promotion happened so often. However, since there was precedent, the hurdles were much lower than for pioneers. Besides, even if they acknowledged this, they couldn't imagine there were any newcomers who could do the same as these guys. ...Especially since it required someone with ridiculous storage magic. Therefore, there was absolutely no chance of it setting a bad precedent and leading to a stream of copycats. No doubt it would end up being just a one-off incident.
But, was that okay? Was it really okay to make F-rank young girls skip two or even three ranks? Wouldn't that kill young people with promising futures?
"…………" (3 guild staffs)
A difficult choice. The guild masters had never expected that they would be forced to do so because of something like this.
Author's Note
Announcement! (^^)/
A novel illustrated by Sukima-sensei, who is the illustrator of the book version of my work, "I Shall Survive using Potions!" and the writer of the spin-off comic "I Shall Survive using Potions! Hanano and Lotte's Journey Together," was published on September 15th!
"The Path of a Physical White Mage ~ A solo support role, buffing yourself and specializing in attack to become unrivaled. Rear support? Violence is better than that!" Volume 1 (Hifumi Shobo)
The author is Sakuranomiya Amane.
Rumia, the solo punching white mage (support class), is born!
Interesting content and cute illustrations!
For now, let's search online and see the cover!! (^^)/