Strange Grief Wants to Retire ~ The Weakest Hunter's Hero Dream

What was ahead of Sven and the others rushing was the half-baked and smashed huts and the hunters gathering there.

Three parties, including Talia, a familiar alchemist, welcome Sven and the others.

For a moment, look around and make sure there are no demons or phantoms. The signal I heard didn't mean a demon attack, it was a signal when I discovered something, just in case.

"Sorry, I discovered something that wasn't on the map..."

"No, I don't mind. I need a clue now."

Returning in a mild tone to a hunter who seemed slightly sorry, Sven turned his gaze to the half-baked cabin.

It's a wooden shed. The size is small enough to fill a few people, how long it's been in this place, the walls and the roof are corroded and half-destructed by the way, and you can completely see its interior from the outside.

It's not the size I originally used for my residence, but I guess it's been a long time since they stopped using it for this minute.

Sure, I don't remember being on the map.

When Gark gently touched the wall of the cabin, there was a slight rumbling sound.

"Hmm... remnants from when 'White Wolf's Nest' wasn't a treasure house?

The White Wolf's Nest is a treasure house. Levels aren't that high, but still, the average person - hunters, woodcutters, etc. - never get close.

Hunters can't bother standing in huts or anything, so this hut will have been built when 'White Wolf's Nest' was not a treasure house, but a well-populated hunting ground.

Peek inside through a half-broken wall. There was little in the room.

A broken desk with broken legs and a large empty crate without a lid is just left to an extent of sorrow. It is also exposed to windstorm and thinly dirty.

"Now you'd better still go wild... not even rainstorms"

"I don't know who made it, but the maps we publish in the Empire aren't perfect either..."

Return to Sven's words with the look of one of the investigators receiving a shoulder watermark.

For once, this is within the realm of the Zebuldia Empire, but the Empire does not grasp it until a cabin built on its own in the woods.

No matter what happens in town, even the great powers can't afford to investigate the demons and phantoms in detail.

And now, not if you're stuck in one of these huts with nothing.

Older investigators continue in a frustrating tone.

"In these woods, you found it well even though there was no way... well, it wouldn't have anything to do with this one. More than that, you should leave once you've found a clue. This is a case for the Knights to handle. You've accomplished enough work."

In an unspoken tone, the leader of the party, who informed him of the discovery of the cabin, made a nagging expression for a moment, but mouthed the investigator's serious expression.

This time, the hunters' purpose is to investigate. If the client acknowledges the accomplishment of the job, there is no doubt.

At that time Sven, who had narrowed his eyes and looked in every corner of the cabin, looked back and asked.

"Well... you guys, are you inside?

"? No, I'm not in"

"............... that's odd. There are footprints..."

I narrowed my eyes and Sven stepped inside the cabin with a serious look as everyone looked.

There's no need to go inside, it's a cabin with nothing. Not only is there no decent furniture, but I barely even keep myself in shape as a cabin.

No matter how adventurous the hunter is, there are things that interest him and things he doesn't hold. Even if there were a hunter who accidentally got to this place in this vast forest, he wouldn't think of trying to get inside, etc.

But Sven's enhanced vision captured the footprints left on its floor, even in the dark. That's not one thing.

Sven is not a 'bandit (sheaf)' but he has confidence in his eyes. Even at night, there's nothing wrong with seeing it.

Look around the room carefully. Just like when I checked from the outside, there's nothing in the cabin.

"Isn't that an old footprint?

"It rained a few days ago, didn't it? I can't believe how many years ago the footprints disappeared."

In the first place, Sven's skills as a 'Bandit (Sheaf)' are not that high.

Some of the hunters gathered were genuine 'bandits', but they all look at Sven with an indescribable look.

From the side, Sven's behavior would look ridiculous. But my instincts over the years have been saying something about this place.

Above all - it seems Klee was flying in the sky with treasure gear when she visited The White Wolf's Nest the other day.

It's hard to find this cabin in the bustling woods. But this is just a hypothetical story, what if it comes from the sky?

Sven has also heard of The Dark Wings of Night Heaven (Night Hiker). Due to its flaws in speed and lack of brakes, and poor manipulation, it is a treasure piece that has resulted in the death of the user.

If you are a concurrent user, it is impossible to find a cabin while traveling so fast and even discover the slightest footprint in it.

But if that guy who was also certified to level 8... he might do it.

Unlike the walls, the floor didn't seem to deteriorate that far, and I barely even took Sven's weight.

frowning at the even smell of drifting. Really wild. Gold-eyed objects are naturally not big enough to create a hidden room.

Get down on the ground and check your footprints. Human footprints. But I don't know the details.

The table is also faded, and it doesn't say anything about it. From the way the cabin decays, it doesn't even look like a sign of slime wrecking.

Sven sighed, casually grabbing the abandoned crate and lifting it.

"... ugh!?

We can't even go into a small room together, and the guards who were watching Sven from the outside end of the line.

The simpler the gimmick, the harder it can be to spot. I don't normally think there's anything in a tiny cabin like this that's not a treasure house or anything.

It was under the box I lifted - a staircase leading down to the basement.

§

Down the stairs. There was an incredible expanse of passageways from the above-ground cabins.

The entrance was narrow, but just wide enough for a few people to be sidelined if you step inside.

The aisle was not particularly branched or anything, it just continued straight. I can't see the end.

The walls and floors are earthy but unnaturally strong enough, and a light tap makes a high sound.

Talia rubs its surface with her fingertips and looks up at Sven as if stunned.

"It's an alchemy. The potion I use a lot when making dirt golems - but I've heard of solidifying so much space..."

"... that's not normal at the time we're building these underground tunnels in the first place. Even the bandit Ajito picks a few more places"

Proceed to the back with due care to be able to cope with whatever strikes you.

The basement was quiet. Sven and the others. Only a line of walking hard footsteps echoes the confined space.

Unlike the outside, the interior doesn't look desolate.

The luminous stones installed on the ceiling meant that this passage had been used until very recently.

A bandit from another party who was leading the way frowns.

"... I can't hear you... I still smell you..."

The aisle stretched straight no matter how far, and without any branches, nothing like a room, but it was even long.

Simple structure, but I can't imagine the effort to dig all this passage underground. It would be difficult to use magic. At least it's not like making it out of insanity.

Vision is open and you don't have to worry about an ambush. No, this passage is not built for that purpose in the first place.

This is - hello...

While walking, Sven comes to one conclusion and frowns.

You were thinking the same thing, and the look was falling off Gark's face.

Low mouth count, just going silently.

And Sven and the others got to the bottom of it without ever waving the weapon they had set up.

A fine wooden door that was in the deepest part. What was ahead was a room with no philosophy whatsoever.

It's a room about ten meters in size. The ceiling is higher than the road we have come this far, and neither the walls nor the floors are soiled out.

It's underground, so there's no windows, but if you bring in household goods, you'll be able to use it as a living space enough.

The bandit man who was in charge of the enemy enters the room like he was baffled by an unexpected sight.

"What the...?

But there was nothing there. Without people, there's not even one piece of furniture.

No, if I'm being exact, there's a sign that something was there. There are signs that someone was using it until a few hours ago.

But now there's nothing.

Sven, who checked indoors as he entered the room, pounded his tongue in abundance.

"Huh... damn it! I had a bad feeling about that."

"!? Duh, what do you mean?

Sven distorts his face as if suddenly even the bitter bug chewed him up.

The gark that came in from behind is also stiff looking indoors.

The bandits are checking the room for hidden passages or something, but they probably won't find it. Those who were here are gone at least an hour ago.

Sven sighed deeply at Henrik as he looked up worried, scratching his hair as if to hide his frustration.

"I got away with it. Damn, this formation wasn't meant to kill that slime bastard! That slime was a stumbling block! I don't know. Oh, shit! I don't have too many tips! Awwwwwwwwwwwww!

White Wolf's Nest Anomalies

The slime that appeared.

Gark Velter inducted as reinforcement.

Bracelet on collar found.

A hidden room connected from an abandoned house.

And a thousand trials that were a lot better than usual.

All the information leads to the pieces of the puzzle as if they were going to fill up.

Ten or eighty-nine, there must have been a mastermind here that unleashed the slime. That, too, must still have been close by the time Sven and the others started fighting Slime.

This reinforcement from Klee is not meant to defeat Slime Mojo. It was meant to capture the mastermind.

I can handle the slime trick if I have one of the guards. I would have risked my life, but I would have been able to hold out for a while.

Gark deals with Slime Mockingjay, looking for the woods in other members to capture the mastermind. That's probably the optimal solution for this one with a thousand changes in mind.

Wrong view. That slime sword was a mighty enemy. There's no way I can think of anything like letting one of my already retired former hunters fight.

Reasonably, it should have been better than the usual thousand trials. It wasn't even a trial.

Driven by the impulse of incompetence, Sven growls.

"Know what? Awwwwww! Hey, this sucks! I missed it! Mostly, I didn't hear there was a mastermind. Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah!

"Sven, calm down!

Marietta slaps him in the back and calms down Sven, who loses his cool.

Blue muscles appear on the head of the tattooed guard. Is it supposed to be a difference in experience that hasn't disturbed you like Sven yet?

"If that slime broom was made artificially, it's a pretty shitty opponent, one you should never miss. Shit, I don't have too many clues. I can't catch up with you right now!

Sven hadn't even imagined, such as the existence of a mastermind.

Treasure palaces and phantoms are the laws of nature themselves. It's even out of the imagination for hunters who have gained power beyond people's knowledge, such as putting their hands on it.

Perhaps they're amateurs. I'm not a hunter. I couldn't even erase my footprints. In relative terms, captivity shouldn't have been difficult.

But when you have to do it from a search, the difficulty jumps.

If we had created a massive stash room so far, the other person would be an organization, not an individual. And Sven doesn't even know who he is.

Impossible. That's not what we're gonna impose as a trial! This isn't you.

You understand Sven's words, the members of the footprint you followed from behind are bothering you.

That's when the room rocked. Gark grabbed the fist and slapped the wall.

To the roar, the blurring quiets. I pulled my fist through the wall and slowly Gark took a deep breath and said.

"... well, calm down. Now is not the time to rush. We're going back to town and we're going to question Klee. I don't know how far you know, but I need you to wash up and talk."

Yes. It shouldn't be over yet.

That man would definitely know about the person he missed as well. You can regret it afterwards.

"- Akasha..."

Sven, who was cursing and murmuring at a thousand changes in his brain, raises his face to that little voice.

It was Talia who raised her voice. Pale expression, scratching both shoulders as if to stop trembling, and his eyes staring at the center of the room - the empty floor of the hole in the big kobu.

"Akasha...... so!?

Gark's expression was clearly tense.

He looks down on a small alchemist with swordswallowing eyes as if he were an enemy.

The look on the faces of the two investigators had also changed. A look that looks no less serious than when I found my bracelet or collar earlier.

You're the first to notice the gaze directed at you, say it like an excuse as Talia panicked. But the voice was trembling.

"Si, Citrie said, before, just for a second. There's someone in the capital who's guilty of contraindications. There are people who repeat Mana Material's manipulation experiments, which are banned around the world. We must definitely stop -" The Ghost of Mourning (Strange Grief), "the biggest enemy."

§

Talia Widman became acquainted with the alchemist shortly after joining the clan.

Few alchemists are among the treasure hunters.

Alchemists require vast amounts of knowledge and research, because they lack direct aggressiveness compared to labor and cost.

Some hunters are often degraded by the Magi, and powerful alchemists who can jump the Magi will not try to become hunters because they have a job that allows them to earn more quickly and immerse themselves in research.

Talia has been a hunter for years, but she never met another hunter who studied alchemy.

The Beginning Footprints (First Steps) feature materials and equipment to complete such alchemy.

It is one of the decision-makers that the young party in which Talia is taking part is set to take part in the 'Footprint'.

"Footprints" had more amenities than Talia could have imagined. Materials, expensive instruments and rare catalysts, and even rooms were available to install them. Maybe even a top lab in the Empire.

And that was collected for an alchemist who belonged to only one of the clans.

Citrie Smart.

That is the name of the alchemist who once praised the name of everyone in the Empire, but disappeared at some point.

He is an alchemist and a hunter belonging to a leading party, but a name that is barely spoken of hiding in the shadow of the fame of other members.

Citrie, who I actually met, was gentle and humble, and a very smart girl.

Pink blonde hair was rarely cut short for a demon conductor, and she seemed so sorry to say, 'I'm cutting it because your sister said she wanted to stretch it',.

The slightly dripping eyes were gentle, always wearing plain grey robes, and they didn't look like awesome arm hunters.

Until then, he welcomed a new alchemist to a laboratory (lab) that existed essentially just for one person, even in a freely usable name.

Seems busy and Citrie was in the cranhouse for very little time, but Talia and Citrie soon became friends.

He taught a lot to the visiting Talia in horror of war. He even told me he was a friend.

I knew the bad reviews that spread a few years ago, but I soon found that to be a mistake too.

Citrie was a hard worker.

He was an authentic magician, pushing through every field belonging to alchemy and sometimes not even hesitating to experiment (of course, not illegal stuff) with which a magician skilled because of his difficulty and danger would also repel.

Its passion for the magic guide had overwhelmed Talia, who had pushed off the opposition around her and aspired to the path of the alchemist, and ironically, she could understand why Talia had terrible rumors circulating in Citri.

Perhaps that high passion and irresistible effort was one of the major factors that discredited her.

The citrie was too prominent.

The enthusiasm and talent for alchemy were so scary from the peers' point of view. And also, for that talent, Citrie was humble and too resistant.

He was such a person, like laughing and forgiving even when something was done.

Citrie affirmed that the cause of the bad reviews was premature. He accepted all of the sins bestowed on others and sweetened the hunter's greatest disgrace, which he said was a level down, which he would never receive if he was normally active.

The character was too gentle for a hunter, but if Talia were to name one true alchemist (alchemist), she would not hesitate to name the city.

Talia is not a Citrie apprentice. Citrie has not taken a disciple on account of his immaturity.

But it's essentially like a disciple.

I heard various stories.

From the content of the experiment I'm doing right now, about the paper on the study I read the other day. The contents of the treasure hall visited as a hunter, and what Talia needs to do in hunter as an alchemist.

And leaked very rarely - the 'enemy' information that the Citries are after.

Good hunters have a lot of enemies, but Citrie, the 'alchemist' among them, had a special lot of enemies.

She rarely spoke to Talia about her enemies, but Talia remembered the few words in detail because she had decided to help Citrine if anything happened.

Citrie is always alone. I don't have someone I can rely on because of the bad reviews I've received in the past.

So I thought I'd at least be on my side when something happened.

As a respectable fellow alchemist. And as one friend.

Underground room. The holes that were empty on the floor looked familiar. Chained to the cause of the slime identity and the anomaly of the "White Wolf's Nest".

No, I've always had a hunch. It was simply Talia's weakness that prevented her from saying so far.

I was scared. I didn't want to believe it. But this is how I got here. I have to put it into words.

Because that might help Citrie.

The body hair that Citrie was talking about, once carried out by a man at the apex of the Imperial Mage, was also finally studied.

A contra-indicating device that was strictly sealed at the bottom of the Academy in Teito and described in research material that only some high-ranking surgeons were allowed to view.

It must be the installation trail of an 'aggregator' that intervenes in the mana materiale flowing through the ground pulse and collects the mana materiale of an inherently unlikely concentration.

It's about mastering the laws of the world.

Even at the price of the ruin of the world, the largest sorcery Order ever assembled of mad wizards who craved full knowledge.

- "The Tower of Akasha".

Perhaps the only reason the installation trail was left was because no one would have noticed it in case it was found.

Talia hasn't seen the research material. I was just taught in my conversation with Citrine.

But right now, a city deeper than Talia's is not a treasure palace attack of high difficulty.

Bring to mind the names of the two Magic Instructors Citrine was mentioning in his brain.

One name that comes up easily after a little research, but the other is anonymous. But they're both just as dangerous.

I keep chasing him, but I still can't grab his tail.

That reminds me of a grin I felt sorry for somewhere.

It's the kind of enemy that that citrie's going to trick. It would still be very out of the hands of a low-level alchemist himself.

My throat was teasing me. Countless gazes await Talia's words.

Most of those eyes don't trust Talia's words. I guess the failure of the slime killer is pulling its tail.

Citrine said she could even say what she said.

The man is the 'worst' demon guide who can lead the world to ruin by craziness of knowledge.

And Talia shook her trembling hand and raised her plundering voice.

"The Great Demon Instructor, Noto Coclair and, Sophia. That's the name of the two of them," The Mourning Ghost. "