Chapter 151: Baby vs. Adult
"…The score seems to be increasing too well."
Maybe it was just my feeling. In the process of investigating, my festival scores improved quickly. Whenever the spirits mobilized to find the missing elf men, regardless of the action, it was recorded as my achievement. Yet, they didn't do much in particular.
Breaking windows with strong winds and sneaking in? Digging a tunnel in a basement? Although they caused more inconvenience than help, the spirits cleverly escaped by pretending to be innocent like naughty kids. Rather than frowning, the victims smiled instead, and a miracle occurred in that the score didn't go down but rose.
This city was home to elves who were favorable to spirits, and that also played a major role.
▷ Score: 11354
▷ Ranking: 79
I was 86th place in the morning, but I jumped to 79th place while eating lunch at a restaurant to relieve my fatigue from the investigation. How did this happen?
I couldn't stop what I was doing. I headed to the kidnappers' hideout discovered by a million spirits. Did she think no one would ever find this place? No defenses were put up other than a crude trap. Moreover, my luck skill was Grade S. An awkward trap posed no threat to me. Even if I didn't try to avoid it, it wouldn't affect me.
I heard a voice from inside.
"From now on, call me Queen. Understand?"
Behind it, the arrogant voice of a woman from men.
"I have someone who promised me our future."
"Don't do this. I have a wife at home."
"Why are you doing such an uncivilized thing?"
There was nothing more to hear.
Bang!
I raided the site, kicking down the solid iron door. Handsome men, whose hands and feet were tied, laid on the floor in a row, like piano keys, with their pants and underwear down. And there was a woman in front of them. It was better not to spread prejudice that the evil woman was a great beauty or an ugly old woman.
She was a human woman who could be seen anywhere. Her body and face were extremely ordinary. Yet, at a level, she would occasionally hear compliments that she was cute when she smiled broadly.
"W-who- huh?! A real hero?!"
The woman was surprised to see me.
"Hmm. You're not so bad to immediately recognize me as a hero."
"About that, your name tag…"
"Ah! Right."
I forgot that I had a name tag from the dormitory. I felt good because it was rare for someone to recognize that their opponent was a hero before I introduced myself, but I returned to my original state at once.
The kidnapper spoke again.
"An S-Class…"
She immediately recognized the meaning of the rainbow-colored name tag. I am the only S-Class hero on the Festival Continent! This time, knowingly, a smile was drawn on my lips. It meant my long career wasn't in vain. I was a little bit proud.
"Right! I am the only S-Class warrior on this continent! So you should think that It is an honor to have a private audience with me like this."
"Yes. I know it is an honor for me, and I surrender. Sob, sob!"
"…Hmm?"
I was preparing to suppress her by giving her a herniated disc from this day forward, but I stopped because the woman suddenly burst into tears.
"What did I do to make you cry?"
"You are an S-Class hero. It was my wish to have a conversation with a real hero at such a close distance. Sob, sob! Even if I die now, I have no more regrets."
The arrogant self-proclaimed queen in front of the elf men had just disappeared. Now there was only the woman who could be seen anywhere. The reason why a normal person commits a crime wasn't complicated. If you lack in appearance, you will speak ill of others. If you lack money, you will steal. If you lack strength, you will use violence. If you lack women, you will go to the mill. If you lack men…
It's usually like this.
"…Really?"
Crack.
There would be no complaints because she said she had no regrets if she died now. The woman did a beautiful turn as she fell like a broken doll.
▷ Score: 11504
▷ Ranking: 78
I got 250 points as a bounty. However, I wasn't convinced that I could leave like this.
"Thank you! Hero!"
"I'm alive! I'm alive!"
"I believed you would come, hero!"
"I thought I was going to die like this!"
The elf men, still lying on the floor with their arms and legs tied, started to thank me. I also repaid them.
"Argh?!"
"Ugh-!"
"Uhugh?!"
"Kuargh!"
I gave them each a herniated disc as a gift. Then, instead of stimulating directly between the 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae in the lower back, I kicked their flanks quite far from the spine. As the esoteric explanation suggested, it was a difficult skill that only a master beyond a certain level could do.
Think of it as an honor!
I spoke solemnly, glancing at them in turn as they whined.
"The kidnapper bitch is indeed a problem, but the seducer is also at fault. Think of this hero's advice whenever your back hurts in the future."
And I turned around without hesitation. The annoying and cumbersome cleaning of the scene would be taken care of in the City Hall.
▷ Score: 11304
▷ Ranking: 80
My score went down by attacking the citizens who were legally just victims, but I didn't care. If those elves remembered even a little bit of my advice later in their lives, they would have less to grieve about.
Crack! Snap! Whing! Slap! Sling!
Earth, fire, wind, water, and mind. The five spirits whispered to me the location of the other kidnappers. There seemed to be no time to relax and rest today. The level of the kidnappers was almost the same, so the time taken to search for them was similar.
"What are the other heroes doing? Tsk, tsk."
Although it was a competitive relationship for ranking, the current situation in which competition itself wasn't possible was no good. Can't I enjoy the festival properly? I wish they tried a little bit harder. With that hope in my heart, I diligently beat my feet to meet the second kidnapper.
And then, again and again…
Threat D → Threat A
Punishment E → Punishment C
Deception F → Deception B
In the process of rescuing the elves, a skill proficiency that I didn't expect at all rose steadily. I was surprised to see that only the things that I didn't care about went up.
*
After completely clearing out the ignorant and weak kidnappers in Elf City, I immediately moved to collect the bounty. I only earned a few points by solving the problems inside the city. Though, that was because I lost quite a few points by punishing the kidnappers and the kidnapped elves.
But I wasn't disappointed. These results were expected from the beginning.
"That's enough if I collect the scores from now on."
Monster suppression: it was an achievement recognized even by foolish fantasy natives. Among the missions received from Boss K, all tasks within the city had been completed, and now only the bounty for hunting monsters outside was left. Of course, that was also my specialty.
"First, let's catch the evil dragon who is on a diet."
With a slight exaggeration, the elf race, which was little more than only skin and bones, had fewer calories even when eaten whole. Thus, they were popular among monsters as a diet food that replaced humans that were generally rich in fat and protein.
A monster that only eats little elves. Just looking at this, it sounded like a lame monster that preyed on the weak, but you would be turned into its snack if you underestimated it. Think about being on a diet. Aren't you starving because you have nothing to eat? The same went for monsters.
It was too strong to have any natural enemies, so it ate too much, and that's why it was now on a diet. Obesity was the source of all illnesses, after all. That means the monster that only ate elves was very strong.
It would be particularly dangerous when it was on a strict diet. For example, what would happen if you put a whole chicken in front of someone on a diet?
"Goooooool…!"
That person would be pretty pissed off. And to consume the delicious, whole chicken, that person would demonstrate superior abilities. I'd say I heard it described before as ravenousness!
Though I'm sure I'll regret it right after eating.
"It's too strong! We need at least twenty men, not five…"
"Hey, this is too much! Retreat!"
"What a healthy diet dragon!"
"Go away! I don't have anything to eat- hey?!"
This was at a hill a little distance away from Elf City. Five humans were fighting fiercely against a golden dragon. However, the outcome was already decided. Judging from the clean clothes of the humans, it seemed that the battle had just begun.
The golden dragon was massive. It was about the same size as the beloved Dragon King Noebius's palm. But how about its combat power?
"Gooooo-!"
A beam of golden brilliance fired in a straight line from its wide-open snout. Dragon's Breath. The golden dragon's attribute was light. Although it had the narrowest range of breath among all dragons, it possessed the best speed and accuracy.
"Kugh-?!"
One man predicted the attack in advance and quickly raised a shield to block the Dragon's Breath but promptly screamed. The light pierced through his shield and even his armor. The beautiful young lady who was running right next to him stopped and shouted some added commentary.
"The specially ordered mirror shield…!"
The warriors, who had obtained information in advance that the evil dragon was a golden dragon, had prepared to block it by reflecting the light. Their judgment wasn't bad; it also complimented their abilities.
▷ Race: Arch Human
▷ Level: 999+
▷ Job: Priestess (Beauty → Healing↑)
▷ Skill: Healing SSS Charm SS Stamina S Divinity S Cooking A…
▷ Status: Panic, Confusion, Enhanced, Blessed
The priestess lady, who kindly commented, quickly began to heal her fallen shield friend. However, the evil dragon, tired of dieting, was faster. The golden dragon, which descended with a sleek movement unsuitable for its chubby size, snatched the man up into its mouth.
Chomp!
It chewed and swallowed the armored man whole. It was a sight that represented how stressful his diet had been. This was because if it swallowed the finest equipment that wouldn't even melt in a dragon's stomach acid, it would suffer from hemorrhoids and stomach pain for a while.
Dragons with common sense were usually careful in peeling their prey before eating. And the more noble dragons didn't consume anything, including humans. For them, eating was like alcohol and tobacco.
I tried to pull out the Holy Sword Nucleon and the spirits.
"This might be a good opportunity, Green Cake."
When it came to his size or age, Green Cake was at a disadvantage to that evil dragon in every way, but children originally grew by being beaten. The dragon came immediately when summoned. Saint H, his trainer, was a bonus.
"Greeeeee…!"
"Goool-?!"
The green dragon let out a powerful roar. The golden dragon was engulfed in embarrassment instead of anger. The reason was…
"That guy, when did he grow up like that?"
Green Cake, whose race was still Hatchling (Baby Dragon), was about one head taller than the evil dragon, which was an adult Dragon. Saint H explained.
"Master, don't you remember? We had a barbecue last time."
"I remember, but…."
Even if you absorbed 100% of the meat you ate, you usually wouldn't grow to that size. The growth of children was truly magical.
Bang! Thud!
Green and gold collided in the sky. I thought that Green Cake would be beaten unilaterally…
"Gree!"
"Goooool~~?!"
The golden dragon's head turned around after being hit by Green Cake's tail. Then it plummeted out of the air.
Kwang-!
"…Did it lose energy due to its diet?"
An adult lost to a baby. I might have to reconsider the idea that a monster on a diet was strong.