The northern town is actually quite small. Well, it is too big to be called a village, so everyone has agreed to make it a town.
There are multiple buildings here. The driver told me that the Office's station was on the left side of the windmill. He pointed at the windmill, which can be seen all the way from here. I thanked him and walked towards the windmill.
The town is pretty big up close. Aside from the fact that there aren't that many people here, it's not bad for a living.
The Office is actually nearly the same size as the other buildings. The insides are pretty much like the Office at the kingdom. The diner, the receptionist, even the mission board.
There aren't that many people at the diner. Only two groups of people are sitting at the table. Is this place deserted or what?
I walked to the receptionist that currently has an empty line. The receptionist, a middle-aged man, is reading his book while his right hand is holding the cigarette.
"Excuse me."
"Hmm?"
He didn't even look at me. His eyes are focused on the book right in front of him.
"I wish to know about the encounters at the hill. I heard an adventurer has fallen victim."
"Oh yeah, those things."
He is still reading.
"Emm... I think you should ask those guys over there. They know more than me."
He pointed at the guys at the diner. I knew right away that this guy won't entertain me any longer.
"Is that so?"
I turned my back on him and walked to the group of adventurers. One of them notices me and pat his friend to turn around.
"Excuse me. Are you all aware of the encounters on the hill?"
"Yes, we do."
The person who answered is holding a cigarette. Everybody else just looks at me with sinister eyes, and the others don't mind me at all.
"Will you be able to tell me anything?"
"Hmm. A hundred Jules."
"Excuse me?"
"A hundred Jules a night, darling. Take it or leave it."
The other adventurers laughed.
...
I really don't want to trouble Klane. She was the one who told me that I needed to come here.
I really don't...
If I continued and followed my… will, she would wound up in trouble. I can't do this. For Klane. I just simply turned around to the second group without hurting them at all.
It felt like the back of my neck nearly exploded. I have to hold down this bloodlust, or else those guys will get notified.
The second group is also chatting. Their armour is slightly better than the other group. There are only four people in this group. The guy with the cowboy hat at the end of the table noticed me. He put down his drink.
"Excuse me. Are you all aware of the encounters that have eaten a victim on the nearby hill, lately?"
"Oh that. I think a high ranked group of adventurers is already on it. You won't have to."
The guy with the cowboy hat answered. So the Blue ranked adventurers have already gone ahead, huh?
"I am here to aid them."
"You are? Oh, then I can give you a little info about it."
"Tell me."
"Please, sit."
He pointed at the empty chair next to his friend, and I sat down on the chair. This better not be another prostitute joke.
"So? What do you wish to know?"
He asked, and it seems like this guy is legit.
"Let's start with a location."
"It's on the bottom of the hill. Near the cliff. The adventurer who died was doing a gathering mission in that area. Poor guy. I even got to talk to him before he died."
"Hmm. Anything regarding the monster?"
"Nothing much. All we know is that it's large enough to destroy a group of trees in one attack."
A group of trees in one attack? That thing must be massive.
"What about the type?"
"They said it has hard scales. Arrows don't really penetrate them."
"So, it's a reptile."
"Probably."
I thought about it for a while. It couldn't be a dragon, otherwise the people here would already notice it. What reptile is 'that' big...
Then I remembered.
"The guy who was killed. What happened to his body?"
"It didn't come back. He probably got eaten whole. The monster was very big after all."
"I see. Where are his friends?"
He pointed at the guy next to him. I didn't realize it, but the guy next to him was shivering heavily.
He... must be the survivor of that encounter. What an unfortunate guy...
"What's your name?"
First, I have to calm him down.
"R-Roney."
"Roney. My name is Rize. I'm here to hunt that giant monster."
"Oh... But, why? The high ranked adventurers are already on the spot..."
"If what I'm guessing is correct, then they won't be able to find it no matter how hard they look."
"Huh?"
"What are you saying, missy?"
I ignored the guy with the cowboy hat.
"Tell me. When that thing took your friend, what did your senses tell you?"
"Erm... It told me to run."
"No, idiot. I mean what can you tell from the monster?"
"Huh... It's... dangerous. And I couldn't move."
"True. Because that much pressure should be able to freeze a Red ranked newbie adventurer, just by standing near them."
"W-What are you saying??"
"Do you hear any hissing sound?"
The survivor immediately stopped. Like his whole... brain just stopped. Suddenly, he screamed.
"Aaahhh!!!!!"
"Wha-Oi! Calm down!"
"Aaaahhh!!!"
He kept on screaming and crying from the post trauma side effects. The guys next to him are trying to calm him down, but it's quite tough to do so.
"Damn it, lady! We have been trying to calm him down for the last hour-"
"Take it as a thank you gift."
I dropped a small bag full of coins on the table, then I stood up and left the group.
"Wait!!"
The survivor suddenly stopped screaming and crying, then he shouted at me.
"Please... Kill that... Bastard!!"
He shouted, and I turned my gaze to him slowly.
"Just sit and relax. I'll go save your friend."
And kill that giant serpent.
I continued my walk with that thought in mind. The guys in the first group looked at me with weird faces as I left the Office, and no one stopped me.
Hah... That was very emotional. To be in that guy's position, though... It must be very tough.
Now. Time to kill a giant snake.
I started walking to the forest. Right in front of me, a group of adventurers walked towards the building I just left. As I walk past them, I can hear their conversation.
"Well, if we can't find 'it' now, more people are going to die."
"Ahh, I know. Let's just wait for the backup to come first. Then, we can continue searching."
"Right. How many people is this backup anyways?"
"One? I don't know. Klane didn't really say in detail who this person is."
"One, huh? I wonder if they are really a backup."
The group finally entered the Office. I stopped my walk after listening.
Those are the high ranked adventurers I am supposed to be working with. They just came back from the search. Why the hell did they stop so early?
Should I call them?
No. I can do this. I don't need anyone else.
So, I continued walking. Meanwhile, inside the office, the group of adventurers that just came in sat down at a diner table. They sat quite far from the other groups.
"Hahh... I'm so tired... Gulp."
The lady who is drinking her ice tea is Cony. A Green ranked adventurer. Swordswoman.
Her short black hair was unorganized. Her sword was placed along with the scabbard on top of the table.
"Cony, easy on the ice. You could get sick if you drank it too fast."
The guy with the giant axe. The tanker, Barett. Green ranked.
His body was cladded in full shiny armour. Even his axe is shiny, not because they are new, but because they are polished every single day.
"You know I also want to get ice, but I forget I'm on a diet."
The group's archer. The best female archer in the Adventurer's Office. Valey, a Blue ranked adventurer.
She has long black hair, tied on the back. Her quiver was on the floor while her bow was put to stand from the table's edge all the way to the floor.
"Yeah, right, Valey. You are only a chicken away from being fat."
"What did you say!?"
"Guys. Save your energy. We still have to search it during night time."
The team's leader and one of the most capable magicians in the kingdom. Hod, a Blue ranked adventurer.
His long smooth light-blue hair was shoved backwards, leaving his front side clear. His blue eyes are cold and shivering, much like his magic.
"Yeah, are we really going to search during the night? That sounds tiresome."
"Yeah! And it's dark! I can't see in the dark, you know."
"Why are you guys whining?"
Everyone looked at the chubby tanker at one edge of the table.
"We can always ask the backup to do the search."
"And let them find the monster on their own? Do you want to let them die?"
"What...? No, I mean if that person is our backup, shouldn't they be strong as hell?"
"Barett. You know well we don't send people to their deaths."
"Hah... You're right. Sorry for saying that."
"If you guys are too lazy to search, you can stay here."
"No way! This place smells!"
She looked around at the people that were staring at her, and she regrets saying that immediately.
"Sorry."
"You should be."
Hod picked up an apple slice from his place.
"We will wait for the backup to come first. Then we will continue the search."
"Aye, sir."
Little do they know that the so-called 'backup' is already in the forest.