The Tough-Faced Owner of A Fluffy Cafe ~ The Strongest Mercenary Feared as the Headhunter, Living Leisurely Surrounded by Little Girls and Cute Monsters ~

Episode 049: Newbie Adventurers’, Encounter with a Monster

The Adventurers Guild in Farmrest.

Here, new adventurers are born and disappear every day.

“Your registration is complete. Here’s your guild card.”

“Thank you.”

On that day, another new adventurer was born.

However, this adventurer was too young, still just a boy who hadn’t reached his teens.

But that’s how it goes.

He was only 13, the minimum age for adventurer registration.

The boy received his card and left the reception desk behind as he turned back.

“Now we’re adventurers too.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Exciting.”

“We can finally go on adventures!”

As the boy contemplated this, another boy and girl approached him.

They were of the same age as the boy, newly registered rookie adventurers.

However, it was risky to act alone. So, they intended to form a party with their close childhood friends, a group of four.

The first was a mischievous-looking boy with tousled chestnut hair named Cain. He wore leather gear typical of a novice adventurer, with a longsword strapped to his back.

The second was a slender boy with blond hair named Hale. He wore robes and carried a staff, looking every bit the wizard.

The third was a girl with wine-red hair tied in a ponytail and big, assertive eyes named Corti. She wielded a spear and wore various protective gear suitable for beginners.

The last girl was a petite girl with brown short hair and cat-like hazel eyes named Iari. She showed her midriff and wore something akin to shorts, opting for an outfit that emphasized agility.

Each had their roles – frontline, backline, midline, scout or skirmisher – and they had undergone training and practice for this day.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s take on a request.”

“Sounds good.”

Iari pointed to the request board, immediately inviting her companions.

They set their sights on a request for gathering herbs in the eastern plains.

This area was where novice adventurers first set foot. With few monsters around, it was the safest hunting ground in the area. They decided on their first request without much hesitation.

“Ah, found some here.”

“And there’s some over here too.”

While Hale and Iari gathered herbs, Cain and Corti kept watch.

*Bokk!*

The ground in the plains bulged, revealing a pointed snout.

It was hairless, with a smooth, pink surface, resembling a newborn piglet.

“Mogu.”

“Bald Mole!”

Its true identity was a type of monster that lived in these plains, a hairless mole-like creature.

Though not a strong monster, humans were often attacked, resulting in serious injuries.

Cain and Corti prepared their weapons and went into battle mode.

“Moguu!”

“Heya!”

The Bald Mole hurled dirt like gravel, but Corti knocked it away with her spear.

“Hmph.”

“Mogu…”

While Cain approached the Bald Mole and thrust his sword to deliver the finishing blow.

Being suited for beginners, the Bald Mole wasn’t particularly fast, so defeating it was relatively easy.

They defeated several Bald Moles that attacked intermittently, gathered herbs, and easily completed their first request.

Afterward, they took on several more beginner requests, which they handled quite comfortably.

As they grew more confident, their ambitions grew. They wanted more challenging requests with better rewards.

It didn’t take them long to increase the difficulty of the requests they accepted.

“Hehehe. Bald Moles weren’t enough of a challenge. I’m looking forward to this.”

“Yeah, I want to swing this spear to my heart’s content.”

“Are you sure it’ll be okay?”

“I’ll scout ahead first, so no problem.”

And so, they accepted a request to gather herbs in the forest.

While the three were optimistic, only Hale, the wizard, was feeling anxious.

Unlike the plains, the forest had limited visibility, and they couldn’t see where danger lurked. There were more types of monsters and they were stronger than those in the plains.

As the one with the lowest physical combat abilities, if Hale was caught off guard, he would be in big trouble.

It was only natural for Hale to feel worried.

Iari advanced a little ahead, acting as a scout while exploring the forest.

“Haa!”

“Seiya!”

“Wind Cutter!”

Initially, they managed to do collection requests while defeating discovered monsters without any problems.

“Won!!”

“Uwaa!?”

“Yaa!!”

However, Forest Wolves, wolf-type monsters, began attacking not just from the front but also from other directions, putting Hale in danger of getting injured.

“Sorry, we’re surrounded…”

And so, the Forest Wolves, who had lived in the forest, were adept at concealing their presence. Their ability to erase their presence was even greater than Iari, who had undergone training and apprenticeship as a scout. By the time Iari noticed, they were already completely surrounded.

“Won!”

“Wooon!”

“Gaf!”

“Gururururur!”

After completely encircling their prey, the Forest Wolves, confident of victory, appeared and intimidated Cain and the others. It was enough to unsettle them.

Their adventure had just begun, yet they were on the verge of being eaten by wolves in such a place… Cain and the others couldn’t help but feel despair.

“‘Huh?'”

However, in the midst of such despair, the Forest Wolves surrounding them suddenly froze along with the forest itself, leaving them dumbfounded. It was such an unbelievable sight.

“Are you alright?”

Startled by the voice from behind, the four of them flinched. When they cautiously turned around, they saw a rugged man who looked like he could kill someone with his bare hands, and beside him, an equally fierce-looking wolf, larger and more ferocious than the Forest Wolves.

“‘Ahhhhh, monsters!'”

Their screams were inevitable.