Chapter 11

Swoooosh

“Hmm. A rural village doesn’t seem like the best place to start a journey.”

They hardly sell any seasonings needed for cooking, there are no special products, and there’s no Adventurer Guild to register as an adventurer.

In a small village where it takes less than an hour to walk around, there’s nothing particularly interesting to do.

Originally, the plan was to gather some currency needed to live in human society in the first village before moving on, but unexpectedly, we ended up earning income from a beehive of rainbow bees.

Because of that, Mari and I decided to just rest in the rural village before hitting the road again.

“It’s a shame we can’t have French fries while traveling.”

“What? Are you going on about French fries again?”

“Hehe. But French fries are still the most delicious, you know?”

Well, simplicity is often the strongest.

Swoooosh

“…There’s nothing to do.”

“True.”

“Then, how about playing word chain with me?”

“No.”

“Sniff… I should’ve just stayed in the village a few more days.”

“Don’t say that! I was thinking the same thing! But I wasn’t going to say it!”

Swoooosh

Rumble

Flash

Who would’ve thought that just a few days after leaving the village, such a heavy downpour would start.

Even though reading the weather is a skill required for a hunter, I made this mistake not long after retiring from the profession.

By the time the weather looked suspicious, it had already been days since we left the village, so it was too late to turn back.

Judging by the shape of the clouds, it seemed like we wouldn’t be able to move at all today.

Honestly, if I were alone, I could’ve ignored this crazy rain and kept going, but the important thing is, this journey isn’t just me alone.

That’s right.

In my bag, there were several types of spices vulnerable to moisture that I had brought from the Lizardman Village.

Plus, Mari, who has weaker stamina than me.

I couldn’t risk exposing those precious spices to the rain.

I had sealed them tightly, but as my card game-loving friend from my past life used to say, “Nothing is absolute.”

So, as soon as Mari and I saw the rain pouring down, we stopped moving and took shelter in a nearby cave where the rain couldn’t reach.

“Hoo. Looks like we’re stuck here for a while.”

“Kurt! Look at this!”

“I said no to word chain.”

“No, there’s a path inside the cave!”

“What did you say?”

When I turned my eyes to where Mari was pointing, there was indeed a gap wide enough for a person to pass through.

The gap was surrounded by other terrain, so from a distance, it just looked like a plain wall.

“Don’t you feel the sense of adventure?”

“Hmm…”

If it were just nonsense, I would’ve brushed it off, but this time, Mari’s suggestion was quite appealing.

After all, we couldn’t move forward in this rain, and it was still too early to sleep, so killing time wasn’t a bad idea.

“There must be some incredible secret hidden in this cave! Maybe treasures from the long-lost Ancient Empire or a dungeon created by a reclusive wizard!”

“Nah, probably not that much.”

At best, it’s probably just some wild animals.

I almost said that, but seeing Mari’s sparkling eyes, I decided to let her keep her expectations.

Well, if she’s going to be disappointed anyway, it’s better to let her dream a little.

And so, Mari and I embarked on an unexpected cave exploration.

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“It’s longer than I thought.”

“This must be a sign that there’s an incredible secret hidden here!”

Contrary to our initial expectation of seeing the end of the cave after walking a bit, the cave was quite deep.

Of course, the winding shape of the path made it clear that it wasn’t artificially created, but Mari didn’t seem to notice and continued exploring with excitement.

Well, I guess it’s understandable.

She left the Elf Village dreaming of becoming an adventurer, but so far, all she’s done is walk through forest paths, except for a brief stop in a rural village.

It wasn’t much different from what she did in the Elf Village, so experiencing something adventurous like an unknown cave must be thrilling.

It’s like the excitement of a puppy seeing snow for the first time.

Grrrr…

“Personally, I prefer the relics of the Ancient Empire over dungeons. What about you, Kurt?”

“Shh. Quiet.”

“…Shh?”

At my words, Mari, not understanding the situation, put her finger to her lips and closed her mouth.

Yeah, I thought it was about time.

The cave was spacious enough for two people to walk side by side and quite deep.

A cave with such a location would be prime real estate for wild animals, like an officetel with a subway station and a large shopping mall within a five-minute walk.

It was suspicious that no animals had been seen so far in such a place.

Roar!

“Get behind me.”

Not a monster.

The creature that jumped out from the depths of the cave was a bear.

Indeed, bears are at the top of the ecosystem, excluding monsters.

They have no shortage of prime real estate.

The bear swung its front paw as if to eliminate the intruders of its den.

Whoosh

Thud

Growl?

Grrr

But the bear’s full-powered swing was blocked by my hand and didn’t reach my body.

Bears are strong, but they’re just ordinary animals, not monsters.

In a pure strength fight, I wouldn’t lose.

The bear, confused, tried to move its paw back and forth, but as long as I didn’t release my grip, it couldn’t escape.

“Hmm. Bear meat.”

Not bad, but it’s a bit tricky in this environment.

I don’t have the proper tools to remove the gamey smell, and smoking it for long-term storage isn’t ideal given the cave’s location and the weather.

Not to mention, there’s no smoking material.

So, we could eat it for a meal or two, but the rest would have to be discarded…

As a former hunter, I don’t like wasting food like that.

Plus, the most important thing is that my companion, an elf, doesn’t eat meat, so eating alone feels a bit off.

“Tsk. No choice.”

As a former hunter, I couldn’t hunt an animal I wouldn’t eat or process.

But a bear isn’t a life-threatening danger either.

After organizing my thoughts, I released the bear’s paw, and as soon as I let go, the bear turned around and ran away.

At least it’s quick to catch on. If it had tried to attack again, I would’ve really killed it.

“Wow. You’re really strong, Kurt. Are all Lizardmen that strong?”

“Well, I was the strongest in my village.”

And so, we ventured deeper into the cave.

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As expected, the bear we chased away earlier seemed to be the only resident of the cave, as there were no other creatures.

While occasionally admiring the cave’s interesting scenery, we continued walking.

“Kurt. I’ve discovered something amazing.”

“Wow. Really?”

“Maybe this cave… is just a naturally occurring cave with no hidden treasures!”

Wow. Finally figured it out.

I thought you’d catch on when the bear showed up.

Who would’ve thought you’d realize it only now.

“So, you must be very disappointed.”

“Hmm… It would be a lie to say I’m not disappointed at all, but it was still fun in its own way.”

“Glad to hear that.”

“We haven’t been adventuring for long, so I’m not in a hurry. I’d rather enjoy the adventure itself at a leisurely pace than rush.”

Grrrr

“…Are you hungry?”

“Hehehe… We’ve been walking for a while… How about we eat soon?”

“Yeah, it’s about time to eat.”

“Then, how about that rock over there? It looks like a good spot to sit.”

“No, wait a bit. I think a better place is coming up soon.”

I said as I walked, following the sensation I had been feeling for a few minutes.

And after walking a bit further, the scenery suddenly changed, and we reached the end of the cave.

There, something neither Mari nor I expected was waiting.

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