Gathering Information Is Common Sense For Monster Hunting, Part 1

Let’s make today a rest day—

Since Misha said that, I was at the inn that day.

…Hmm, could I call it an inn? Actually, it was a slightly nice inn. The kind lower-class adventurers could not stay at. Since we had saved up money in Piptat, we had splurged a little, thinking we could afford a bit of luxury.

In the first place, it was not a small room for one person.

There was a large living room with a boom! and two fairly spacious private rooms with a boom! boom!

I rented this place together with Misha, and we each used a private room as our own.

“If we’re in the same place, I can fluff Nyankoromochi anytime!”

That was because of Misha’s theory.

That Misha had gone out early in the morning and was not here now.

I called out to Nyankoromochi, who was staying behind with me.

“Nyankoromochi, want to eat?”

“Meow.”

I took Nyankoromochi with me and went out into the living room.

I approached the refrigerator in the kitchen.

Since this was an expensive inn, it had a refrigerator. As the name suggested, it was a box for cooling and preserving things.

The magic stones obtained from defeating monsters realized its function as a power source. Magic stones were consumables, and when they began to lose power, you had to throw in a new magic stone.

The magic stones we adventurers gathered were useful to society in ways like this.

I took chicken out of the refrigerator.

“Wait a little.”

I cooked the chicken in a frying pan, cut it into bite-sized pieces, plated it, and placed it in front of Nyankoromochi.

“Meow!”

Nyankoromochi let out an excited cry and began eating ravenously.

The one receiving more benefits from the refrigerator than us was probably Nyankoromochi. Since we could stockpile meat, its diet had become richer.

Incidentally, this chicken was also top-grade.

Nyankoromochi had been taking care of us, after all…

“Thanks, Nyankoromochi.”

I stroked Nyankoromochi’s head, but Nyankoromochi kept eating meat as if it had nothing to do with that.

As we were idly spending time like that—

“I’m back.”

Misha returned.

“Welcome back. Where did you go?”

“Ehehehe, just a little research.”

“Research?”

“About Largorin and the fire dagger for defeating it.”

“Ooh.”

As expected of Misha. Just by saying it vaguely, she had gone and researched it for me. I could only be grateful…

“Okay, okay, sit down, sit down!”

I sat facing Misha at the living room table.

“Then, about Largorin.”

“Yeah.”

Other than the information that it appeared on that mountain, I still knew nothing.

Misha began speaking while looking at her notes.

“The Ice Guard Largorin—its appearance is moving plate mail made of ice. It holds a large heavy shield in its left hand and a war hammer in its right hand.”

“So it really is ice.”

“But it’s different from ordinary ice, and it’s ridiculously hard. For now, its specs are like this.”

“Its defense power is way too high…!?”

Normally, defense power was lower than attack power.

As a warrior, with the skill Sword Saint and Fighting Spirit Lv3, my attack power was “1172.”

The limit when incorporating Sword Soul Peerless and War Cry was “1683.”

Technically, if I slammed my maximum firepower into it, I could break through its defense power, but—

Sword Soul Peerless was a skill that “sacrificed my own defense power to push up attack power,” and “in my case, the number of target attacks was only four.”

There was no way I could finish it off—

“There’s no chance of winning this…”

I tilted my head.

“With this strength, it’s B-rank? Isn’t the ranking weird?”

“…Named monsters are set to be stronger, but technically, they’re balanced, and Largorin’s back is weak.”

“…It went down.”

So that was why it could be killed with a single Backstab from behind.

“Largorin also knows its back is its weak point, so apparently it won’t let you take its back that easily, though.”

After that, Misha continued as if singing.

“The guard Largorin, who served the Ice King and Queen. His hammer was peerless, his shield an iron wall, and his armor diamond-hard. To protect the king and queen, he held off one hundred enemies, but the comrades who protected him perished, and he fell to a blade from behind.”

“…What’s that?”

“Largorin’s lore.”

“Lore?”

“Named monsters have lore. Like a background. Their abilities are set according to that background.”

“Huh.”

…I see. So that was why its back was weak.

I changed the topic.

“So, what’s this ‘Special Ability: Snowfall Barrier’?”

“It’s a special ability Largorin has—when Largorin awakens, snow falls along with the Snowfall Barrier. Enough to pile up, too.”

“Oh, I see.”

Then Misha wrapped up her explanation of Largorin like this.

“And Largorin appears for one week around late August—in other words, two months from now.”

“…That’s summer… Hm? Didn’t you say snow falls when Largorin awakens?”

Misha grinned.

“Right. When snow falls in summer, that’s the sign of Largorin’s awakening.”

Snow in summer, huh…

That really was quite a stylish production.

“Thanks, Misha… What I understood is that if I clash with it from the front, I have no chance of winning.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Right. It’s not like there’s absolutely no way. If I fire a Backstab into it with a fire dagger strong against ice, then—!”

Even I might have a chance.

“Nishishishi! That’s right! But what if that doesn’t defeat it?”

“…We run away with all our might!”

We looked at each other and laughed.

It was nothing to be ashamed of. Hit it once, and if it was impossible, run—that was what adventurers were like.

“As planned, I’ll focus everything on learning Backstab, then.”

“And then we need the fire dagger.”

Misha flipped a page in her notebook.

“Around here, it has to be the Flame Tiger Brennen Tiger after all.”

My attack power as a warrior, including skills, was 1172, and my defense power was 756.

…It was a higher-ranked opponent, but with support from Nyankoromochi, who was about as strong as me, apparently, and Misha—

“We can win, right?”

“Nishishishi! Misha-san thinks we can win too!”

“All right… Once I level up a little more as a scout, I’ll return to warrior and try hunting it.”

“Sounds good!”

Our policy had been decided.

After that—we just had to get stronger.