Chapter 279

Translator: Kell | Editor: Weasalopes

Back from the Hunt

『What is all this?!』

Dream Maker’s gates opened twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening . Ordinary citizens had permission to venture out of the walls as well, so they could gather fruits and go hunting, provided they were strong enough .

The fishing industry, which used the large river behind the city, was more prosperous . Animal meat, however, was understandably expensive, as hunting in the forests carried with it the risk of being killed by monsters .

『Did that masked guy from Primeval do this?』the gatekeeper asked .

Even members of the expedition squad were baffled . Their wagon, which normally only contained a few carcasses, was filled to the brim . One glance and one could tell they hit double digits .

『Y-Yeah… We found it strange, but the fact is, we found these by the side of the road and there was no one else nearby but that guy . 』one man said, pointing at the masked man curiously gazing at the wagon and their portable firearms .

『He looks so puny, though . 』

『I know, right?』

『What’s going on here? Close the gate already . You know you can’t just leave it open for so long . You guys are getting careless . It’s probably why that Yamamaneki attacked . 』

A lone soldier came strolling from the direction of the city . The armor and cloak he wore were clearly different from the others .

『L-Lord Gin!』

The gatekeeper and the expedition squad saluted . Soldiers had ranks as well, and judging from their reaction, the man who just arrived ranked higher than them .

『Whoa! What is this pile of meat?! Were you guys always this strong? Oh, there’s even a Spit Deer! These things are nimble . I’m impressed you brought one down . 』

『Well, apparently it wasn’t the expedition squad that killed it…』

『What?』

The gatekeeper pointed at the masked man .

『Oh, I see . That makes sense . 』Gin said .

『You know him, Sir? Oh, right . You were part of the voyage to the west . 』

『We spent quite a lot of time together on the ship . 』

Gin was one of the three men that Hikaru was fishing with . Only the elite were chosen to be part of the navy’s voyage towards Vireocean . Gin, Dolan, and Zuzun, were in fact, among the best .

Gin started walking towards Hikaru . 「Silver Face . 」

「Hmm? Oh, Gin . I want to get in quick . Is the process gonna take long? It’s getting dark already . 」

It wasn’t as though Gin could speak Hikaru’s language, however .

『Uh… you can go ahead . 』

「Hmm? I can go in?」

『Go . 』

「What about my catch? Are they worth anything? I want to sell them . 」

Hikaru formed a coin with his thumb and forefinger .

『You want to sell these? You’ll get quite a lot of money for them for sure . I’ll drop by your place later . 』

「You’ll come by later? Okay . See ya, then . 」

Gin waved his hand, watching Hikaru go, and let out a sigh .

『Who is that guy?』a member of the expedition squad asked .

『I have no idea . All I know is he’s crazy strong . A word of advice: Don’t ever piss him off . Some idiot might underestimate him just cause he looks small . If that happens, you warn him . Or else…』

Gin told the gatekeeper and the expedition squad how Silver Face sunk a whole ship and finished off the Yamamaneki .

『Haha! Come on, Sir . You’re kidding… right?』

『I wish I was…』

『He’s that powerful, huh…』

The expedition squad looked into the distance, while the gatekeeper seemed doubtful .

『There’s still carcasses left out there . We couldn’t load them all . 』

『For real?! You already have more than enough in there . 』

『Come nighttime, monsters drawn by the smell of blood will eat those . What do we do?』

『I don’t know… Just let it be, I guess . 』

『Are you sure about that, Sir?』

『No one is allowed to go out in the forest at night . That’s the law . Monsters are way stronger at night . I suppose we’ll just give Silver Face a bonus to make up for the ones we couldn’t pick up . 』

I’m sure the higher-ups will fork out some, Gin thought .

『Just to make sure, you guys did pick up the valuable ones, right?』

『Yes, Sir!』

『Good . We’re having a party tonight!』

Silver Face brought them trouble, but more food should be celebrated . Gin returned to town, humming along the way .

Hikaru returned to their room to find all the other members of his party already there . The good thing about the place was it had the typical amenities of an apartment—one could take a warm shower even . Lavia and Paula, however, didn’t know how to use it .

「Hikaru-sama, here’s the list of the stores that purchase materials . 」

Paula showed Hikaru a piece of paper after he had taken a shower . Paper was freely distributed in the market, and pencil was easy to procure as well . Nothing less to be expected from a culture originated by a Japanese person .

The pencil was a bit peculiar, though . The lead, which was stuck between chips of wood, had to be replaced when it became blunt .

Leather Dream Workshop — Buys any animal skin . Long-armed Squirrel and Snakes that are over a meter in length sell for high prices .

National Kitchen (Zagin) — Any plants and animal that can be eaten . Visit the store for details .

Iron Pot Don — Please sell Tipsy Bird if you catch one .

Fruits and Vegetables Distribution Association — Edible fruits and vegetables .

「They said if you sell to the stores directly, they’ll greatly appreciate it and buy at a higher price . If you don’t want to be bothered, the Provisions Department of the expedition squad can purchase them all for you . 」

「Wow, you got all this info in just a day?」

「Yes . I asked Miss Deena and she showed me to the Provisions Department . They told me everything there . 」

She managed to get the job done quick by going straight to the one responsible for food supply, Hikaru thought . While the country was built on the concept of complete self-sufficiency, the greater majority of food was actually brought from outside the city . Most of it was fish, and if they wanted meat, hunting was the only choice .

Hikaru learned one thing from venturing outside today—hunting was not for ordinary citizens .

「How’d things go on your end?」Lavia asked Hikaru .

「I found why the soldiers here are strong . First, the animals outside are extremely sensitive to danger and won’t let anyone get close that easily . You need to either snipe them from afar or be very silent when getting close . 」

「So like your Stealth?」

「I feel like it’s more physical . Maybe they’re trained on how to move without a sound . It’s quite impressive, really, given they don’t have the blessings from job classes . Second, each animal is humungous . 」

Hikaru came across a wild boar taller than him . He killed it, but the expedition squad couldn’t carry the carcass, unfortunately .

「The more aggressive ones charge in even towards a group of people . Soldiers have to coordinate perfectly to take their prey down in the forest where footing is terrible . They don’t just kill either . They had to make sure the meat’s flavor doesn’t go bad . A lot of skill is needed overall . 」

「That’s true… I suppose . 」

「If Vireocean or Ponsonia fought through ordinary means, they wouldn’t stand a chance . Of course, if they employed extraordinary methods, they can easily win . 」

「Extraordinary methods?」

「Magic . 」

「Ah . 」

The citizens of this country couldn’t use magic . With magic and job classes on their side, Vireocean’s navy should’ve had the advantage, but the enemy’s cannons turned things around . The weapon still had the drawback of not being portable . The expedition squad did have a portal guns, but Hikaru had no idea how powerful they were .

「You didn’t get hurt out there in such a dangerous environment?」

「Yeah, I’m fine . With Stealth, hunting animals is ridiculously easy . I also have my Sniping skill . 」

「Thank goodness . 」Lavia said, looking relieved .

「Oh, did I make you worry?」

「This is our first time in this continent . 」

「You’re right . I’m sorry . I should’ve returned sooner . 」

「Yes, you should have! Lavia was so worried about you, she looked outside the window every five minutes . 」

「P-Paula! Don’t tell him that!」

Hikaru felt relaxed as he watched Lavia blush . His Soul Rank actually went up by one during today’s hunt . Plus the point he got from killing the Yamamaneki, he had two points available to spend now .

Gotta save them . I still don’t know what kinda Skills I’ll need later .

Then a knock came at the door . Of course, Hikaru already knew they were coming .

『Hey there, Silver Face!』

Gin stood at the door with his casual attire, just a shirt and shorts . He tossed Hikaru a bag that clanged as he caught it . Oh, they already sold the spoils .

『Let’s go drinking!』

「Hmm?」

『Come on . What about you girls?』

「Hika— Silver Face . 」Lavia said . 「I think he’s inviting you to dinner . 」

Lavia was starting to learn this place’s language . Her dedication to reading was incredible .

「Oh… I guess we can go?」

「Sure . 」

「I don’t mind, but what about Drake?」

『I’m going! I’m going!』

Gin shrieked as Drake jumped out .

「Okay, then . Let’s all go . 」

They set out into the night streets of Dream Maker .