The Great Forest of Ispleet, also known as the “Spirit Forest,” was a sea of trees that surrounded the city of Gilbadia. The forest was lush and bountiful, providing the city with great natural resources. Many monsters also resided in the forest, however, and would often threaten the lives of those who lived in the small villages nearby. A well-used highway also ran along the edges of the woods, and so the adventurers based in Gilbadia very often found themselves tasked with hunting these monsters. In fact, such jobs made up the bulk of requests submitted to the guild.
Between the Great Forest of Ispleet and the city of Gilbadia stretched a very large plain that was, predictably, home to some very large monsters.
“Graaaaaah!!”
“I’ve drawn it toward you! It’s up to you now, Master Luke!”
“Master Luke!”
“Sure.”
Zack and the other members of the Gray Wolf’s Claw Marks called out to Luke, who answered simply and calmly, despite the giant lizard pounding madly through the grass toward them.
These things always look huge up close, huh?
The monster that was bearing down on Luke was so large, it looked like it could easily swallow a human whole.
Pretty used to these things by now, though.
It was, in fact, quite common for the adventurers of Gilbadia to encounter giant lizards in the field, and Luke had defeated several already. They did have a difficulty ranking of B, however, and could pose a significant threat.
Sword or magic…which do I use to defeat it?
After a moment’s hesitation, Luke grasped the handle of his sword. It was not that the sword was more efficient at killing monsters—such rational considerations didn’t enter into Luke’s head. He preferred the sword, and that was his sole reason for choosing it.
The beast let loose another terrible howl as it drew nearer.
“Mwa ha…loud as ever.”
Luke kicked off toward the giant lizard, leaping up to the monster’s neck and drawing his sword in one smooth motion. There was a flash, and by the time Luke landed on the other side of the creature, its head was missing. He made it look so easy that the kill came off as anticlimactic.
“Great work, Master Luke!”
“All these things ever do is charge at you. I’m bored of them.”
“Ah ha…well, I mean they are huge, so it’s pretty scary when they charge like that.”
“Gah ha ha! I knew you could do it, Master Luke!”
“Well done!”
“Great work, as always.”
Two weeks had passed since Luke temporarily entered the Gray Wolf’s Claw Marks and began working as an adventurer. His swift promotion to A rank had been unprecedented, and he had a more or less friendly relationship with the other members of Zack’s party. The first three days were fairly miserable, what with Zack being constantly on edge, stressing over every word he said. However, despite the awkward start, it quickly became clear just how beneficial Luke was to their party. They could complete their bounties much more efficiently with him on board, and their overall income shot up as a result. Zack had worried that Luke’s presence would disrupt their formations, but strangely, that didn’t seem to be an issue at all. Zack still often felt more stressed than normal, but he decided he could hardly complain about any of it, considering how much money they were raking in. After all, he was perfectly capable of thinking positively when appropriate.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Er, so the field dressing and disposal…”
“I’ll do it, of course,” Luke replied quickly.
“Understood. Sippel—you, me, and Master Luke will handle the dismemberment. Qui Gong, Sufsasa, you two watch our backs.”
“Gotcha!”
“Understood!”
“…’Kay.”
What’s Master Luke doing all this grunt work for? This is the annoying part of this job that nobody likes doin’, Zack thought to himself as he took out a knife to dismember the corpse.
After a monster hunt was complete, the corpse had to be processed in several ways. The adventurers who’d made the kill needed to bring back proof of their work, along with whatever useful materials could be harvested from the body. Dismemberment also served to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. It was a very important task, but few adventurers relished the experience. Put simply, it was boring, irritating, and unpleasant. Some monsters required a deft hand with precise cuts, which was another reason that many adventurers loathed the work. Some hated it so much, they refused to take part in it at all and spent their own money to have the guild do it for them.
One big reason that Luke chose to do this grim task himself was simple arrogance. It was his way of demonstrating that there was nothing in this world he couldn’t do, no matter how grand or how menial. Moreover, every-thing about adventuring was new to him, and even the least enjoyable aspects seemed fresh and exciting. He was bound by nothing, and the life he led finally felt like his own. He hunted monsters, killed them, and earned coin in recompense. The simplicity of the entire process felt good.
“Hey, Zack!”
“Y-yes?!”
Zack’s voice cracked a little in surprise at the sudden call of his name. He was used to being around Luke, but something about the boy still made him cower.
“Y’know, I’m a bit curious,” Luke said. “Is there some reason that this party is called the Gray Wolf’s Claw Marks?”
“Ah…”
It was mild, idle interest on Luke’s part—a simple question that had popped into his head.
“Um…well, first things first, I guess. Do you know what a gray wolf is?”
“Of course. They’re D-rank monsters, no? Hardly worthy of consideration.”
“Well, when I was just starting out, a bunch of them, uh…almost killed me…heh heh,” Zack laughed sheepishly.
“What?”
“Gah ha ha! Sure did! You were on death’s door, man! That sure takes me back!” laughed the big man, Sippel.
“I was still an amateur back then,” Zack explained quickly. “Confident, but for no good reason. I let my guard slip, and the wolves almost took us all out. Take a look.”
“…”
Zack pulled up one of his sleeves and showed Luke the long scars on his arm.
“So the name’s like a warning, I suppose. For myself, y’know? I wanna make sure I don’t forget what I was like starting out. When adventurers get complacent out there, even for just a second, they can end up dead in the blink of an eye.”
“Hm, I see. I knew I liked you.”
“…Eh?”
Luke was already confident that Zack was a first-rate adventurer, and for better or for worse, the story had only increased the affection that Luke felt toward him.