Episode 12: Shadow

 

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So, we took on a request to subjugate a 'Black Wolf.'

 

Among wolf-type monsters, 'Wolf' is the weakest. 'Black Wolf' is considered the second weakest among wolf-type monsters.

 

The reason we didn't choose the weakest 'Wolf' is that it's too weak, and even non-adventurers can defeat it, so it wouldn't serve as a good reference.

 

In this request, my role is to supervise Milia, and Milia herself has to defeat the Black Wolf.

 

I will only step in if things get dangerous.

 

Milia has been given a temporary guild card by the adventurer's guild. The card has the inscription 'Black Wolf 0/1,' and once she defeats the target monster, it will change to 'Black Wolf 1/1,' marking her success in the test.

 

When I didn't remember my past life, I didn't think much of it, but now it really feels like a game.

 

By the way—

 

"Why did you choose 'Shadow' as your family name...?"

 

Milia registered under a different name as per my advice, but for some reason, she chose the same family name as mine, 'Shadow.'

 

"Was that a bad idea!?"

 

"No, it's not bad... But it's the same as mine. People who don't know the situation might think we're siblings or, worse, a married couple."

 

"That's fine with me."

 

"Eh...?"

 

I couldn't help but feel perplexed.

 

Well, there’s no harm in being mistaken for such. As long as Milia is okay with it, I don’t mind, but it does make me a bit self-conscious.

 

As we walked, we soon arrived at our destination, the foot of Mount Noble.

 

This mountain, located close to the capital, has weaker monsters at the lower elevations, and stronger monsters appear as you climb higher.

 

In 'Sieg,' it was a hunting ground frequented by everyone from beginners to advanced players.

 

The foot of the mountain is lush with trees and flowers, creating an enchanting atmosphere. While I had seen this scene countless times in the game, seeing it in real life was quite moving.

 

"Alright, let's quickly take care of the 'Black Wolf.'"

 

"Yes!"

 

Milia and I visually searched the surroundings for monsters.

 

However, we encountered a problem.

 

"Huh? There are no monsters at all..."

 

"Yeah... it looks like they've been killed."

 

Looking a bit further away, we saw the remains of monsters that had already been harvested for materials.

 

"Have other adventurers hunted them all?"

 

"Probably. With the way things look, I’m not sure if we’ll find a 'Black Wolf'..."

 

"This is bad. If we fail, there’ll be a penalty."

 

Although this world is just like 'Sieg,' monsters don’t respawn every few minutes like in the game. It usually takes days to weeks for their numbers to replenish.

 

That said, we can't just give up and come back another day, mainly due to financial reasons.

 

Recalling what we used to do in the game in such situations—there’s only one thing to do.

 

It’s a hassle, but we have no choice.

 

"We'll have to climb the mountain a bit. There should be some at higher elevations."

 

While the monsters get stronger as you go higher, making the effort less efficient since the reward remains the same, not completing the request would be meaningless.