When I Cleared the Death Game World, I Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble Even if They Talk About Doom Flags, I'm Actually Immortal. - Chapter 23

The fallen Land wolf lay completely motionless.

It didn’t seem to be playing dead.

As Lior stared at the Landwolf, the adventurers who had been attacked approached.

“Whoa… That’s insane… The Land wolf’s body is completely shredded.”

“Yeah, that swordsmanship was incredible…”

“Can that really be done with just swordsmanship? Honestly, I’d believe it more if you told me magic was involved.”

The adventurers appeared to be a trio.

A roguish scout with a mischievous air. A handsome swordsman with a serious demeanor. A nervous-looking mage.

They seemed to form a well-balanced party.

Despite being adventurers, they were fairly young—probably just a little older than Lior. Most likely around the same age as Ren. If this were Japan, they’d be high schoolers.

(A three-person team… But typically, parties are formed with four members. If I can communicate well, maybe they’ll let me join…!)

Ren, whom Lior had met at the guild, had advised him to find companions as soon as possible.

Joining this trio wouldn’t disrupt the party’s balance.

Moreover, having saved them from a monster should have left a good impression. The key now was handling the conversation well.

With a racing heart, Lior stepped forward and spoke to the adventurers.

“Um, are you all okay? Any injuries?”

“Yeah, thanks to you, we’re all safe.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

The swordsman seemed to be the party’s leader.

He stepped forward and offered a friendly smile.

“Still, I can’t believe it. You actually managed to take down a Land wolf, an evolved form of the Stone Wolf.”

“Oh, it wasn’t that big of a deal… Um, what exactly is an ‘evolved form’?”

“You don’t know about evolved monsters? They’re creatures that have survived for a long time, accumulating magic power and transforming.”

“Ah, I see… Thank you for explaining.”

A faint memory resurfaced in the back of Lior’s mind.

Right, there was a system like that in Last Quest, the game of this world.

Evolved monsters were rare spawns, but defeating them yielded valuable materials.

If he recalled correctly, materials from evolved monsters could be used to craft weapons about as strong as the ones found two towns ahead.

(Good, my memory’s coming back. If only I could remember more about the game’s storyline too…)

Just as Lior was reflecting on this, the scout narrowed his eyes at him sharply.

(What? Is he in a bad mood?)

No, maybe he just had a naturally sour expression and was simply scrutinizing Lior out of curiosity.

“You’ve never heard of evolved monsters? …Wait, are you a rookie?”

“Ah, yes. I just registered as an adventurer this morning… I’m still E-rank.”

“Wait, so you really are a complete beginner? You’re not some race that looks young, like a dwarf?”

“Ah, no, I’m ten years old.”

“T-Ten… and you fight like that…?”

The swordsman’s expression faltered. His cheerful smile stiffened.

His two companions also averted their eyes awkwardly.

However, the uncomfortable silence quickly dissipated, and the swordsman’s smile returned.

“In that case, is this your first time dismantling a monster? Oh, do you happen to have an item box?”

“N-No way! Someone like me could never own one.”

“Haha, yeah, I figured.”

An item box was a special magical tool.

It looked like a small crystal and could store anything except living creatures.

A highly convenient artifact, but due to the rarity of the materials required to craft one, only high-ranking adventurers or powerful individuals owned them.

“Alright then, we’ll need to dismantle the Landwolf right here. I’ll teach you how it’s done.”

“Thank you so much!”

The swordsman drew a knife from his waist and approached the Land wolf’s corpse.

“The most valuable parts of a Stone Wolf or an evolved Land wolf are its claws and fangs. As long as you take those, you’re good.”

“Oh, the request form also mentioned retrieving the claws and fangs.”

“So you came here after seeing the request too, huh? Well, most Stone Wolf hunting requests involve gathering claws and fangs. Since Stone Wolves consume minerals, their claws and fangs are strengthened. The blacksmith I know says they turn into a kind of special alloy.”

“Huh, interesting.”

With practiced ease, the swordsman skinned the Land wolf’s corpse and extracted its large, sharp claws.

He stored them in a leather pouch at his waist.

The scout and the mage also began dismantling the Land wolf.

“Wait, but the request form specified Stone Wolf materials. Are Land wolf claws acceptable?”

“It’s fine. In fact, they’ll probably be more appreciated. Land wolf claws supposedly form an even higher-quality alloy. The reward might even be increased.”

“That makes sense…”

“Also, Stone Wolves are classified as D-rank monsters, but Land wolves are C-rank. Reporting this kill to the guild will likely earn you recognition.”

“Really?! That’s great news…!”

Earning more money was always a plus.

But more than that, gaining recognition from the guild was even more exciting.

With a low rank, only low-difficulty requests were available. Fighting nothing but weak monsters would get boring.

Raising his adventurer rank quickly and facing stronger enemies was exactly what he wanted.

“Haha, so you want to raise your adventurer rank too?”

“Of course! You’re all aiming for a rank-up as well, right?”

“Well, we are… but it’s not that easy. I really want to catch up to Ren-chan already, though.”

“Oh, you mean the A-rank adventurer?”

“Huh? Even a newbie like you knows about Ren?”

“Yes. I met him at the guild, and he helped me out. Some other adventurers tried to stop me from becoming one since I’m just a kid… but Ren convinced them to let me.”

“Ren-chan convinced them…?”

“Yes. He told them, ‘He’s stronger than he looks, so he’ll be fine,’ and praised me.”

“I see…”

The conversation came to an abrupt halt.

The swordsmen silently continued dismantling the Landwolf.

Lior could only stand there and watch.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

After successfully dismantling the Land wolf, Lior and the three adventurers returned to the guild.

Naturally, they ended up walking together. Since they were carrying the Land wolf materials, Lior had no choice but to follow along.

The guild was slightly more crowded than in the morning. They lined up at the reception desk, waiting for their turn.

When their turn finally arrived, the swordsman stepped forward.

A sharp-eyed woman with glasses sat at the reception desk.

“Good work. Are you here to report a completed request?”

“Yes. The three of us successfully defeated a Land wolf.”

“………………Excuse me?”

Lior’s mind went blank.

The swordsman had just said, “The three of us.”

That three referred to the swordsman, the scout, and the mage.

Lior’s name wasn’t mentioned anywhere.

“That’s impressive! For D-rank adventurers like you to take down a Landwolf…”

“Yeah, we barely made it out alive.”

“Seriously. If he hadn’t held out at the last moment, we’d be dead.”

“Oh, don’t forget my magic played a big role too!”