You can see the orange-yellow sky that indicates the afternoon, the sun has started to set.
Enzuu and his friends had finished cutting off all the lizard tails, they started to put the knives they used back into the small bag.
Each of them carried a small bag to carry everything they needed when hunting.
Leaves were scattered around them, leaves that came from large trees that had fallen due to the actions of the lizards that had descended in droves from the trees.
Eve who had finished cutting seemed quite interested in the leaf, she started to pick up a leaf that was near her. She looked at it carefully and held it up to the light.
"Hmmm... the tree leaves are so big," Eve muttered.
Her three friends who were tidying up their things seemed to hear Eve and they started to turn their heads towards her.
An irritated Rodurn seemed disturbed by Eve's actions.
"Heh, what are you doing with that trash. Throw it away quickly."
Hearing that, Eve immediately replied.
"Not polite!"
"Maybe these leaves can be sold at a fairly high price," said Eve with an enthusiastic face.
"What fool would buy that useless pile of leaves?"
Hearing Rodurn's words, it seemed that Eve started to think of something.
"Ahhh.. I have an idea"
Eve put the leaf down, then she started to pick up the lizard tails that had been cut off. She put 4 lizard tails on top of the leaf.
With the leaf size being quite large, it seems like it could fit 3-4 lizard tails.
"What are you trying to do Eve?" Barn asked.
"This way... this way.. then this way"
After placing 4 lizard tails on top, Eve began to fold the leaves and tie them with tree roots that were used as ropes. The leaves and lizard tails were tied very neatly.
"Tadaaa, this way we won't bother carrying the tail"
Eve showed it off by lifting it up, her face looking very enthusiastic.
"Wow, you're amazing Eve," Barn, impressed, said while stroking Eve's head.
Barn did it like someone who was proud of his little siblings.
Enzuu, who was observing, also commented on Eve's actions.
"You're really good at this, Eve."
"Yes, of course. Gehehehe," Eve said proudly while giggling.
In that moment, it seemed that there was one person who couldn't get into the atmosphere. Yes, that person was Rodurn, he looked quite annoyed seeing Eve getting so much praise.
"Just doing something like that, I can also do it if it's just folding!" Rodurn said very annoyed.
Rodurn started to take the leaves around him and put the lizard tail on top of it. He started to fold it and tie it with the tree roots until it was finished, it looked the same as Eve.
"Look at this! I can do it too," Rodurn said proudly.
But it seems the reaction of the other colleagues was not what Rodurn had expected.
"Umm Umm, very good," Barn responded with a nod.
Barn didn't respond with as much 'Wow' as he did Eve.
Enzuu just smiled a little at Rodurn and didn't say anything. His reaction was almost the same as Barn's.
Rodurn began to look displeased with their reaction.
Seeing the other two colleagues respond blandly, Eve started laughing at Rodurn.
"Nahahaha" Eve laughed while pointing at Rodurn.
Rodurn seemed annoyed by his colleagues' reactions, then he stood up and clenched his fists at them while shouting.
"YOU GUYS!!!!"
After Rodurn's shout, they began to laugh along with the noise of the forest.
.
.
After the discussion, they started walking back towards the city through the initial path where they entered the forest.
The city is Grosia, a small city located at the end of the country. The city has various facilities needed such as lodging, restaurants, markets, equipment stores and there is also an adventurer's guild. The city of Grosia is not as big and magnificent as the capital city but the city can be said to be quite strategic because it has adequate entertainment facilities, there is a city square filled with sparkling lights and there is a fountain in the middle. The city is also close to the beach which makes many people from outside the city come to visit this city.
Usually adventurers from out of town will stop by the city of Grosia for a vacation, some want to go to their hunting grounds and there are also people who just want to stop by for a moment to look around before going to their destination.
Enzuu and his friends are people who live in the city of Grosia, they stay and hunt every day there. Because the city is often visited by visitors from outside the city, it is common for them to see foreign adventurers who are active in the adventurer's guild.
They finally arrived at the adventurer's guild, they started to enter it. The atmosphere inside was quite crowded with adventurers, some were chatting, taking mission rewards, and some were just relaxing.
Most of the adventurers are adventurers from outside the city, not many adventurers who live in this city of Grosia. So many adventurers they do not know, the adventurers only chat with their teammates and sometimes form a party with other adventurers to complete missions.
Since they didn't know the other adventurers very well and there weren't many seats left, they headed straight to the reception area to collect their rewards.
Upon arrival, they put the lizard tails neatly wrapped in leaves. Each of them brought 2 packages of leaves, a package of leaves containing 4 lizard tails and there was 1 package containing 3 lizard tails for a total of 31 lizard tails and 8 packages of leaves.
"Oh... have you finished your mission?" asked the receptionist.
"Yes of course, those lizards are not a match for me, even though there is 1 person who has difficulty and participates very little in this mission," said Rodurn in a sarcastic tone.
"What is..."
Before Eve could finish her sentence, Enzuu immediately cut Eve off, which immediately made her change her mind about continuing.
"Yes, those lizards are no longer in that place, even though we didn't complete it according to what was written in the mission."
"Umm?? What do you mean by not appropriate?" The receptionist asked in confusion.
"We didn't exterminate the lizards as written in the mission, but we drove them back to the hunting ground. Because the number of lizards was so great, we couldn't exterminate them all at once, so we decided to just drive them away."
Barn explains what happened at the scene of the incident.
The receptionist listened to Barn's explanation carefully, and Barn began to continue.
"Since it was close to the hunting grounds, we decided to herd him there. That was the natural habitat of the lizards, so we thought it wouldn't cause much trouble if we returned him there. But it's true that we've driven away all the lizards that were in the mission area."
"Oh, so that's how it is," the cashier seemed to understand Barn's explanation.
"Yes, I'm sure it's no problem, as long as the lizards are no longer in that place and don't approach residential areas. So this mission can be considered complete," the cashier continued.
It was true what Barn said in the forest, the adventurer's guild only wanted the lizards not to approach the settlement and only wanted to expel them from the place. So this mission is complete and will not bring any problems.
"Thankfully it's okay, isn't it Barn-san?" Enzuu said to Barn.
"Yes" Barn replied slowly.
It seemed like Barn had something on his mind about that.
The receptionist's attention seemed to be drawn to the bundle of leaves in front of her.
"Ummm... what are you talking about?" Said the receptionist while pointing to the bundle of leaves.
"Ahh, these are lizard tails. We not only chase them away but also eradicate them as much as possible. We wrap them in leaves that are available in that area," Enzuu replied.
"Hummm... these leaves are really big. This is the first time I've seen leaves like this, maybe it would be good to examine them further," said the receptionist in awe.
"It's true, it's true, these leaves are really extraordinary," Eve said enthusiastically to the receptionist.
"But there are people who don't know and think these leaves are trash," Eve said while looking cynically at Rodurn.
Rodurn who heard that just clicked 'hum' and closed his eyes while turning his face away.
Rodurn got hit hard this time by Eve, he couldn't fight back like he usually did.
"There are a total of 31 lizard tails in these packages, each containing 4 lizard tails and there is 1 package containing 3 lizard tails," Enzuu explained.
"Okay, wait a moment. I'll confirm the mission and collect the reward." The receptionist started to go to the back to collect the reward.
While they were waiting, they overheard the conversation of other adventurers next door who were also collecting their rewards at the reception.
There were a total of 3 people guarding the reception, we took the place on the far left just like when we took the mission earlier.
It seems like the 3 adventurers are lower class adventurers who are still beginners in hunting, their group consists of 2 men and 1 woman. They only bring monsters that are on the outside of the hunting ground.
"Huummft... We've looked for small monsters all over the hunting grounds but we only found this many," said an adventurer wearily.
"Yes, that's actually where the monsters are," the female adventurer replied.
The receptionist who was listening to them seemed to understand and then encouraged them.
"Well, it's okay, don't be discouraged. Maybe tomorrow you will get better results. By continuing to practice and gain experience fighting more monsters, one day there will be a way," said the receptionist with full dedication.
It seems like the motivational words from the receptionist didn't get through to the lower level adventurer.
"Yes, even so..." said the female adventurer.
"Yes, we've searched all over the outer area but we didn't see any other monsters besides the one we defeated," another adventurer continued discouragedly.
They were seen carrying 1 wolf and 2 slimes, they placed them on the reception desk to be exchanged for rewards.
1 lower class monster is valued at 5 silver coins, a middle class monster is valued at 10 silver coins and a high class monster is valued at 20 silver coins.
"T..don't worry, those monsters will probably grow back in 2-3 weeks, m...maybe" the receptionist argued unconvincingly.
The monsters in the hunting grounds would continue to recycle like the wild, but there had never been a massacre like this before, so no one knew exactly when the monsters would return.
"Or you can look for another hunting ground, maybe that would be better, right?" The receptionist assured them once again.
"Haaaah" They all sighed with a disappointed expression.
While we were listening to the chatter of the adventurers next to us, the receptionist seemed to have finished collecting the rewards from behind and was right in front of us.
"Well, this is your reward," said the receptionist.
Those who had previously been listening to the other adventurers' chatter, looked a little surprised by the presence of the receptionist.
"Aaahh.. so it's finished," Enzuu responded, a little surprised.
There are 4 gold coins and 22 bronze coins located in the payout area.
"4 gold coins and 22 silver coins, because the lizard is not classified as a low-class monster, so it is only valued at 2 silver coins. And 3 gold coins for completing the mission," the receptionist confirmed.
"Then we will take it," Enzuu replied.
"Yes, thank you for participating and always be careful when hunting," said the receptionist, signaling the end of their conversation.
Enzuu then took the coins, then they moved out of the reception area. They began to divide the coins equally, with each of them getting 1 gold coin, 5 silver coins and 5 bronze coins.
Because the adventurer's guild was already filled with other adventurers, they continued to move out of that place.
They finally left the adventurer's guild and walked away from the place.
"Lately, the adventurer's guild has been filled with foreign adventurers operating around here, so we haven't had a place to relax," Rodurn began.
"Maybe they saw the news that the hero party was in the vicinity, this attracted curious adventurers to come here to see for themselves," Barn replied to Rodurn's words.
"Yes even so, we are the only ones who have been here for a long time and have never even seen a warrior. What do they really expect" Eve said with a little disappointment.
"Bahahaha, that's because the hero doesn't want to see a brat like you," Rodurn mocked Eve.
"What did you say!! That's what I should have said," Eve said emotionally.
"But what Eve said before was true, what exactly did the hero do in this place? To the point of killing all the monsters in the area outside the hunting ground," Enzuu wondered.
Enzuu's words created silence between them which made the atmosphere not so good.
The city lights were starting to come on along the street as it was getting dark, the lights above them were starting to shine on them. In that moment of silence, Barn wanted to break the ice and started to suggest something.
"Since we've completed a mission that drained so much stamina, how about we eat some delicious food at the tavern??"
They seemed quite enthusiastic about Barn's proposal, but their enthusiasm immediately subsided when they remembered the results they had achieved today.
"Haah, I want that. But my pocket money says otherwise," Eve replied sadly and disappointedly while showing her money bag.
"Heh, if only someone had killed more, maybe they would have gotten better results," Rodurn seemed to be sarcastically saying to someone.
Eve, who heard that, immediately looked at Rodurn cynically.
"Don't worry, this time I'll treat you guys. You can eat as much as you want," Barn said loudly.
Their reaction was immediately one of joy, Eve who initially wanted to reply to Rodurn immediately changed her mind and looked very enthusiastic.
"Really Barn-san!!" Eve asked enthusiastically.
"Yes of course"
"You are really good" Eve immediately hugged Barn happily.
With Barn's tall and big body, Eve only reached Barn's chest.
Rodurn, who was also enthusiastic, seemed unable to wait any longer.
"What are you waiting for, let's go!!" Rodurn said excitedly.
"Yes," they said simultaneously while raising their right hands up.
.
.
They had arrived at the tavern and occupied the most corner table in the back. As usual, there were also several adventurers relaxing in this place.
The waiter came to their table to take their order.
"Welcome, what would you like to order?" said the waiter.
"I ordered the roast beef with the fat on and a side of salad," said Barn.
"I just want meat and vegetable soup," said Enzuu.
"Ahh ahh I'll order meat and vegetable soup too," Eve said excitedly.
"Hehh.. you don't have your own opinion, give me grilled meat, fried fish and roasted chicken," said Rodurn while mocking Eve.
"It's really not possible, you shamelessly ordered that much yourself" Eve replied to Rodurn
"Barn-san himself said to order as much as you can, am I wrong?" Rodurn said without any guilt.
"Come on, this isn't the time to fight, let's enjoy this time to share and chat together," Barn tried to separate the two of them.
"Roast beef, 2 meat soups, roast beef, fried fish and roast chicken, done"
"Are you guys going to order drinks too??"
The waiter took their order and asked if they would like to order drinks as well.
"Yeah, give me a beer"
"Me too"
Said Barn and Rodurn.
"Ahh me too, I want a beer too," Eve said while raising her hand.
"You're not allowed to drink that yet Eve," Barn warned Eve.
"Stupid, a kid like you should just drink orange juice. Gahahahaha" Rodurn laughed loudly at Eve.
Rodurn's age is a year older than Enzuu and Eve, so he is already of legal drinking age.
"Okay, I'll just have strawberry juice," Eve said disappointedly and lethargically.
Enzuu just watched them with a small smile, he seemed happy with what they were doing right now.
"Then I'll just have a soda," Enzuu said.
"Okay, wait a minute. The order will arrive soon."
The waiter said that and walked away from their table.
They started chatting while waiting for their orders to arrive, Rodurn with his silly behavior always teasing Eve, and Enzuu who was watching them both. Barn who was always there to accompany them.
The orders finally arrived in batches, Rodurn and Eve's food was the first to arrive at their table.
"Wow... It looks delicious." Eve seemed to be drooling seeing the food.
When the food arrived, Rodurn immediately ate the food. Eve who saw that seemed unhappy.
"Hey.. wait until all the food arrives. That's so rude," Eve scolded Rodurn.
"Umm.. umm.. I can't stand looking at this anymore. Because of running around earlier, my stomach is rumbling," said Rodurn while chewing his food.
"Huuhh... even though earlier he pretended to be okay, but now look who's acting like a child," said Ece sarcastically.
Rodurn seemed to ignore Eve's words and continued to eat his food.
Until all the dishes are on their table.
They finally started eating the dish together.
.
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There was a happy smile on their faces, they had finished their meal and started walking back to the inn. Until they finally arrived at a three-way intersection.
"Then that's it for now"
"Yes, see you later"
Said Rodurn and Barn.
They took the road to the right towards their accommodation. Rodurn and Barn were staying at the same inn, so they headed the same way home.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Enzuu replied.
Eve didn't say a word and just waved her hand at them.
Eve and Enzuu started walking to the left after saying goodbye to their friend.
Actually Eve and Enzuu are not in the same lodging, but the road leading to their lodging is on the same lane.
They walked together in the light of the flickering street lights.
On the way Eve occasionally glanced at Enzuu. Enzuu seemed oblivious to Eve's behavior and continued walking forward.
Eve glanced at Enzuu once more, and this time it seemed that Enzuu began to notice her, and he turned to look at Eve.
"What's wrong?" Enzuu asked as he continued walking.
Eve seemed surprised that Enzuu noticed and asked her.
"Ahh itu.."
Enzuu is confused by Eve's behavior.
"T..thank you for earlier" Eve continued.
"Hmm??"
Enzuu seemed even more confused by Eve's words.
"Because you defended me in the forest earlier," Eve said, blushing.
"Isn't that the usual? I don't think there's a need to overdo it like this," Enzuu argued.
"Yes, that's true, but at that time the situation was really not good for me and I was on the verge of breaking point. Maybe if it weren't for you, I really would have fought that savage brat," Eve said with an annoyed expression.
Enzuu had indeed predicted this, this was not like a prophecy or a vision of the future or anything like that, but just a possibility that would happen if you observed and read the atmosphere correctly.
For example, it looks around and as far as the eye can see there are no signs of the presence of a single cat. But you still tend to believe that a cat will come and approach you and sure enough, there is a cat that comes from nowhere to approach you. And you will feel 'oh right', because usually cats pass by around here, so there is a big possibility that a cat will be seen. By believing in a greater possibility that will happen, you will be able to guess what will happen in the future, there is a sense of pride if what you guess really happens, like you already know what will happen in the future, but it is not actually like that.
Enzuu seemed to start to understand, he just smiled and continued walking.
They arrived at the market entrance area, it was seen that the market stalls had closed their markets. They continued walking while being decorated by the lights and the moon, when they were walking, they heard a loud noise from their left.
"Bruukkkk"
Their attention was immediately diverted to where the sound came from.
It turned out to be the sound of a cart falling over.
There was a cart of fruits that had fallen and were scattered around the cart. And there were also traders who were trying to collect the fallen fruits.
Enzuu on the other hand just kept quiet and looked at the cart, he seemed not to care about what happened to the merchant.
Enzuu just stared from a distance and didn't seem to have the slightest intention of helping him.
Enzuu is that kind of person, he doesn't care about what happens to people around him, people he doesn't know or has no business with. Unless the person asks for Enzuu's help or greets Enzuu first, he will gladly help them.
And the same goes for the other way around, if it's someone Enzuu knows or is close to, he'll do everything he can to help them. He'll be the first to step forward.
"Hey," Eve said from a distance while waving.
Eve, who was previously beside Enzuu, without Enzuu realizing it, was already at the place where the merchant's cart had fallen.
Enzuu immediately became aware of Eve's scream and looked towards her.
"Come here quickly," Eve shouted.
"B...alright" Enzuu replied.
Enzuu then rushed to where the cart was, when he arrived there Eve had started to help return the fruit to the cart.
"What are you doing, quickly help," Eve said while whispering to Enzuu.
The merchant seemed pleased with their help and showed no signs of anxiety.
"Thank you, son," said the trader.
"Ahh, it's okay," Eve replied politely.
They started to transport the fruit together, until finally all the fruit was back to normal.
"Once again I say thank you, it might take a long time if it weren't for you," said the trader.
"Yes, it's not much," said Enzuu with a smile.
The merchant then continued on his way, he looked back and waved at them, Enzuu and Eve also waved at the merchant as he left.
When the merchant was out of sight, Eve seemed unhappy with Enzuu. It was clearly visible on her face.
"Haaaah.. you're always like that," said Eve.
"Hehehe sorry yeah" Enzuu replied
"Next time someone is in trouble, you should help them. I really don't know what you're thinking Enzuu" Eve advised Enzuu.
"I don't know why you helped me when we first met, I might not be the same as I am today if you weren't there back then" Eve looked seriously at Enzuu.
But Enzuu didn't seem to want to talk about it and he started to walk away.
Eve didn't seem to want to ask for more and started walking after Enzuu, the two of them walking together accompanied by the silence of the night.
They finally came to another T-junction, there was a straight road and a right turn.
"Eheeem,, well, see you later," Eve tried to break the ice and say goodbye.
"Ahh, yes, see you later," replied Enzuu.
Eve then turned right and continued walking forward, Enzuu continued to watch Eve until Eve was no longer visible.
Enzuu then started walking straight ahead until he arrived at his inn, and then he went straight into his room.
He took off his shoes, put down his bag, put down his equipment and took off his gloves.
Then he started to lie down on his bed.
"Haaahhh" Enzuu sighed.
He started looking at his palms, then he started to pull off the skin on his hands one by one. Enzuu had a habit of playing with his hands when he had nothing else to do.
Until finally Enzuu began to close his eyes and fell asleep.