Chapter 43: The Next Step
Jend: “ooooooRAAAAHHH!!”
Jend swung his sword around with full force.
The blade enveloped in flame cut across a Griffin, and fire rose up from the wound.
There were 3 in Jend’s attack radius, but two dodges the attack and got away to the sky.
Teo: “No…...you don't!”
Teo fires off her arrows from behind them.
Her godly equipment only requires the string to be pulled back for an arrow to be set for firing. Now, she is able to quickly fire off arrows faster than any standard archer.
3 arrows pierce the body of one killing it, and the other suffered 2 arrows to its wings and falls to the ground.
I was right around where the wounded Griffin fell, and I quickly put it out if its misery.
Henry: “How are you holding up back there?!”
Ferris: “We’re fine over here!”
A few Griffin headed towards Cyril, but hearing Ferris’ confident answer, I let them take care of it.
Glancing behind, Ferris blocks two Griffins safely with her shield and counters them with her sword. Teo is next to her dispatching Griffins with her machete too.
And being protected by Ferris and Teo, Cyril cheerfully sings and completes her Spell.
Cyril: “{SWORD TORNADO}!!”
A wind spirals above in the sky.
Around 10 Griffins who were flying above us and were looking for a chance to swoop down were sucked into the vortex and shredded by blades made from wind.
………...I have to admit that that spell has both power and range.
The Griffins fall one by one from the sky. Jend and I finish off any with breath left in them, and we take a breather.
All the Griffins we could see in the area are now taken care of.
We continue our lookout for a little longer, but no more are appearing.
……….I really had very little to do in that battle.
Henry: “Good job, everyone! Let’s collect the drops and take a break!”
We all start collecting the talons and feathers from the Griffins and gather together.
We place all the drops in Teo’s bag, and start making the descent down the mountain away from the Griffins’ territory.
Cyril: “Fwew～...that was a little tiring…”
Jend: “Well, we got here first thing in the morning and hunted practically non-stop. I’m okay, but I’m surprised you held up this far, Cyril.”
Cyril: “Fufufu, Jend? Don’t think that I’m the same as I was before. I’ll soon show you the fruits of my training.”
Cyril puffs out her chest as she brags to Jend.
I don’t blame her actually. She did gain a LOT of stamina, and if it’s just transporting locations, she can keep up with us now with the [Sprint Boots]. She has thus far exceeded all of my expectations.
Ferris: “Teo, what about you? I know you’re strong, but you’re still a child.”
Teo: “Thank you for your concern, Miss Ferris, but I’m okay.”
Yeah, Teo’s body hasn’t fully developed, so she’s only above Cyril when it comes to stamina and strength, but she’s accumulated a lot of experience in the forest and mountains while doing the Cloudy Plains training. Apparently, she’s been hunting since she was 10, and she’s the second most as far as experience goes in this party. And because of that, she’s showing no signs of fatigue.
We descend the mountains and find an open field to take a break.
We make a campfire, boil some water, and pour some herb tea that is said to relieve your fatigue.
I actually bought these tea leaves for myself, but I offer it to the rest of the party.
Henry: “Ahhh～... so good. I know it’s a bit of an acquired taste, but I really like this tea.”
Cyril: “It’s a little too bitter for me….Teo, could you pass me the sugar?”
Teo: “Yes, give me one second.”
Cyril asks for the sugar, and Teo is rummaging through her bag and pulls out a bottle with the sugar inside.
Teo’s bag is a godly equipment, and we have many of our party’s belongings stored in there.
There’s ropes, potions, cloths, plates, silverware, and pots. We even have spices that won’t go bad.
………..if we ever split apart, there’s gonna be some nasty arguments over who gets what, but hopefully, we’ll be able to resolve that peacefully. I can even offer to buy it off her hands too if it comes down to it.
Ferris: “Can I have some as well?”
Cyril: “Yes.”
Ferris: “Jend, would you like some?”
Jend: “Oh, I'm okay. I like the taste of this tea too.”
Oh, Jend likes this tea too. There’s actually not a lot of people who can drink this tea as-is. Mostly because it’s treated more as medicinal tea.
Ferris: But it’s so hot inside the city, but so cool inside the forest.”
Ferris brings up a conversation topic.
Yeah, now that she mentions it, I thought it might be too hot outside to drink hot tea, but we’re all able to drink it without any issues.
Jend: “Why not come over to my place? We have magecraft artifacts that cools the temperature of the room.”
Cyril: “........air conditioning, huh? That thing is so expensive. Jend, you’re family really is well-off.”
Cyril makes a slight jab at Jend’s comment. But yeah, that artifact is not cheap, and a normal household wouldn't be able to afford it. Maybe if you rent a luxury hotel room, it might come with one, but not at an inn like the Bear’s Keg Inn.
Jend: “You live in the Governor’s mansion!”
Cyril: “Sure, they have it set in the living room, and the Governor’s room, but I don’t have one in my room.”
Teo: “........the Cloudy Plains Style has some Magecraft catered to daily living, so we are able to cool the room ourselves.”
Henry: “Oh, I’m envious.”
I remember now that Ageha used to use that when I was still in a party with her.
Since I don’t have anything convenient like that, I just sleep through it.
Henry: “It’s true. It’s getting so hot at night, that it’s getting tougher to sleep well.”
Cyril: “Right～ I hate waking up all sweaty. Maybe I’ll buy one too…”
Cyril shares in my complaint.
Henry: “Well, we definitely make enough to make a purchase without it hurting us now.”
Cyril: “But doing so will delay my goals for saving up for a new robe～”
Jend: “You got it tough, Cyril.”
Cyril: “......it doesn’t mean much from someone who won armor from Heaven’s Treasure Vault. I hope you get a jinx where you don’t get anything above uncommon.”
Jend: “Hey! C’mon now! Your jinx really has some power behind it, so don’t say things like that! After I got the Blaze Blade, I only got Commons for a while after that!”
Jend was also saving up to buy some armor, but he recently got a [Wind Mail] which is an Uncommon-Rank armor.
Like the name says, it blows out wind from the armor. It’s a pretty strong wind, and he can blow away fire if he wants it to, but that’s just an added bonus since the armor itself was well-made.
……..when it comes to godly equipment, aside from the added bonuses and traits, the quality can vary greatly from amazing quality to complete trash. I haven’t heard of an equipment with great traits but was poorly made, but in some rare instances, you get an equipment with disappointing traits, but the overall quality of the equipment was exceptional.
Ferris: “Haha….I’m sorry too, Cyril.”
Cyril: “Oh, um, I didn’t mean you too, Miss Ferris. Besides, you both needed the armor either way.”
Ferris only had a sword and shield, but she recently obtained the [Oath Armor].
It raises your stamina, and it’s not the most exciting, but it’s still a very effective trait, and since Ferris didn’t have any armor, you can say that it was a lottery winner for her.
Teo: “I recently bought a better machete and leather armor, so I want a new magecraft artifact next.”
Cyril: “.......and Teo hasn’t had much luck with new equipment, but you’ve been getting a lot of stuff you can easily sell off for high prices.”
When you draw expendable items or precious metals, in those cases, the item is not restricted and can be sold. Those items actually remain even if the person who acquired it dies.
Cyril: “The only unlucky ones are Henry and I…” Henry: “Hーhey, hold up, Cyril. Yes, it’s true that I haven’t drawn anything good recently, but you have to look at the big picture for these kind of things. Like, my Nyoiten Spear isn’t quite a Legendary equipment, but it was a win for me.”
Cyril: “Ahhhhh～….I hope I draw something good soon….”
Gah, she’s ignoring me.
……...but yeah. I thought I was pretty lucky in my draws up until now, but looking at Teo and the others, I can understand how you can start feeling a little jealous.
When it comes to the Heaven’s Treasure Vault, that is one of the biggest topics talked about between Adventurers. And our discussion only got more heated after that.
Henry: “Alright, let’s get back to work. Let’s take down about 50 more Griffins today.” Cyril: “When we were with Miss Ageha, she got that many in one try～”
But no one collects and herds demonic creatures as well as she does. She’s just way too good at it.
But….well….
I realized this while we were talking about the godly equipment, but everyone is almost equipped enough for the next stage.
I better think about our next move now….since I’m the leader for now.
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In the Grandes Church library…
I had the Flowtier area maps and several books outlining the types of demonic creatures encountered in each area, and I tried to find something above a Griffin for our next target.
The biggest hunting ground in this area is the Flowtier Forest. There’s no doubt about that. The shallow parts of the forest are catered towards beginner adventurers, and the deeper parts of the forest are geared towards mid-tier adventurers.
The Central Mountain has a horde of Griffins. ……..but you only see Griffins here. If you have a solid way of defeating Griffins, then you can make money very efficiently.
There’s also very good herbs you can find there, so overall, it’s a great hunting ground. If you just want to make money, you can live here for the rest of your life.
But for an Adventurer who is going above the mid-tier, mid-class Griffin, this is just a milestone.
But the tier-ranking of demonic creatures is not absolute. There is compatibility with certain demonic creature traits, the terrain, the numberーーetc. etc… there’s countless variables that can affect how well you can fight with a certain type of demonic creature. For instance, I can fight a mid-tier, mid-class Griffin just fine, but I really hate fighting the lower-tier, upper-class Giant Spiders.
But if you want the Church to approve of you, then you need to be wary of each demonic creatures’ tier and rank.
…….so in short, for people like Jend who want to become Heroes of Legend, then he needs to go after higher-level demonic creatures, but…
Henry: “Crap….there is none……”
I look through all the information and mumble to myself.
At least around Flowtier, I can’t find any hunting grounds with upper-tier demonic creatures. If we want to move up, we’ll need to either relocate cities or “gain permission.”
……….hmmmmm, I have to think about this hard.
My party will function just fine without me.
Jend is the vanguard. Ferris is a vanguard and healer. Cyril has the fire power. And Teo can scout.
I didn’t plan for it to be like this, but this is a well-balanced party. I can do pretty much everything, but I’m mostly a vanguard and sometimes switch roles if I have to. Because of that, my position in the party is so fluid that you can flip it and also say that I’m not serving a concrete role either. Hence, if I leave the party, nothing really changes.
I’ve trained them a lot, and I don’t mind letting them venture out on their own but….
Henry: “But no……….not yet. They still have a ways to go.”
I’m not one to hesitate on parting if that’s what’s necessary. But for them, no matter how strong they are, they are completely lacking in experience. There’s still a lot to teach them about adventuring that is not battle-related.
So that leaves me with one choice.
Henry: “I guess we’ll go to Altohern, huh…”
The Sacred Mountain north of Flowtier.
Snow perpetually covers the top of the mountain, and according to legends, it’s a resting ground for actual dragons. Unlike the rest of Flowtier, there are many strong demonic creatures in that territory.
But this is also Flowtier’s precious water source. In order to enter, you need the permission from Flowtier's Governor.
……….but for now, let’s just see what the group says at tomorrow’s meeting.
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CREDITS
Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely
Written by Hisagushien
Translated by: ChonkyTranslator
Japanese Title:
セミリタイアした冒険者はのんびり暮らしたい
作者: 久櫛緑（ヒサグシエン）
http://kuontenrin.ehoh.net/
Original Source:
Book 3: The Flowtier Days