Hard Work Will Never Betray Me

As expected, there was a bit of a commotion, but it was resolved successfully (by force ), so I didn't feel too bad as I proceeded down the street. The warm, sunny weather was comfortable. The wind was calm, and it was a perfect day for an adventurer

　As I pull the cart with both hands, I keep a watchful eye on the area. This area was less than two kilometers from the city of Heitburg, so there were no demons to be seen, but there was nothing wrong with being cautious. Even on a busy road, stray goblins and slimes may appear. However, while goblins are one of the weakest demons, slimes are one of the weakest demons, and when salt is applied to them, they instantly shrivel up and become less active, so there is little need to be wary of them. They don't move very fast, and even if they don't have much fighting power, they can be defeated with salt, so merchant companies often keep salt on hand for self-defense.

　However, in the inland territory of the Farenheit Frontier Counties, salt is a rather precious  thing , so  i want to defeat them without using it as much as possible. This is not a recommended method of defeating them, as it may lead to salt damage in this land of prosperous agriculture.

　There are several ways to kill them, but the most reliable way is to roast them with fire. Any kind of fire will do. It can be fire magic, fire arrows, or torch fire. Anyway, if you attack them with a certain amount of heat, they will boil or evaporate and cease to breathe. I don't know if the word "suffocate" is appropriate in this case, since it is doubtful that they are breathing in the first place. ......

　There are many other ways to defeat a slime, such as crushing the magic stone that forms its core, or ripping all the mucus that makes up the slime's body from its core. However, the magic stone is the most expensive part of the slime's material, so it is safe to say that almost no adventurers attack the magic stone. The mucus can also be sold, but only at a slightly higher price than spring water, and since a large amount of mucus is already on the market as a material from slime cultivators, it will only end up being sold at a discount.

　However, other worlds are also interesting. It's said that different things come in different places, but I had no idea that slime cultivators existed. Slime is not edible, of course, but it can be used as a material for alchemy, to improve the soil, or to demolish buildings because it corrodes metal. In an unusual pattern, some people even keep them as pets. It seems that there are a certain number of enthusiasts in every world, and they like the emotionless, squishy feeling of them. I guess it's like a terrestrial version of jellyfish.

　 I must have gone about four or five kilometers. There are a few forests growing here and there, though they are sparse, and at this rate there are probably some low-ranked demons hiding there.

"Hmm, I guess it's time to raise the alarm."

　Non-attribute magic also includes a detection-type magic called "sonar. It is a C-ranked magic that emits a wave of magic power of a certain frequency and uses it like sonar to determine the enemy and terrain. I could use it, of course, but my field of vision was still clear enough, and there was no need to use that magic here. Slimes, which are hard to spot, are not a threat in this area, where there are no powerful demons to begin with, and goblins, which are a danger, are very conspicuous. The further we got away from the city, the more difficult it would be to find and the stronger the demons would become, but this area, with its many villages and settlements on the outskirts, was a safe zone.

　However, this did not mean that there were no demons at all. There are many goblins, and on rare occasions, ferocious monsters such as green boars. This is why adventuring is such a profession, and why the city still needs walls.

　After walking for a while, I spotted a small silhouette in the woods about 50 meters away.

　The size of the silhouette was about one meter, and there were three of them hiding behind a tree. They were goblins.

"There you go, ...... goblins. at. You're a million years too young to be trying to fool the humans.

　It is said that goblins have no intelligence, but that doesn't mean they don't think. Unlike slimes, goblins have brains, so it is not impossible that there are individuals who aim to deceive you in this way.

　 It is common knowledge that goblins hide in the shadows to take advantage of opportunities, and it is also  write in the demon books. Of course, such a game of hide and seek would never succeed, and the goblins of the world would always be attacked from behind and turned into a reward of 4,000 ells. What  unfortune creatures they are.

　Now, knowing that there were goblins in the shadows of the forest, I had no right to walk right in front of them, but what should I do? I could go through the woods and take them by surprise from behind, but I don't feel like going all the way through a forest full of trees and plants.

　Hmmm, that's too much trouble, so I'll just smash it head-on. It would be a shame to waste time worrying about goblins like this.

　After leaving the cart  , I tapped the knife in my waistband and walked toward the woods, conscious that I could pull it out at any time. I don't intend to attack with the knife, however. The knife was just a consolation prize. There was no way that a six-year-old could be a match for a goblin. Well, if I strengthen my body, that may not be the case, but in my case, I have a better means of attack.

"Gogya!"

"Gah!"

　As soon as I reached the woods, three goblins jumped at me with dirty squeals. The one at the far end was probably the  leader . It was a great opportunity for a surprise attack, but I couldn't handle them because they  call out to me and make noticed me . In a strict army, that would be an execution.

"Shock bullets x3!"

　Three hardball-sized "impact bullets" flew at the goblin's head with the speed of a major league baseball.

　Of course, there was no way for the goblins to avoid them, and before they could make a sound, the poor goblins' heads exploded and they were taken down .

"It was only for a moment, wasn't it ......? Now, let's get the proof of defeat to ............ Oh, shoot. I'm sorry.

　The goblin's proof of defeat site is the right ear, but perhaps my "impact bullet" was too powerful, and when the head exploded, the right ear was blown to pieces. This means that I can't prove that I killed the goblin.

"It's a good thing that the magic stone is safe."

　I had no choice but to plunge the knife into the goblins' chest and expose the area around the heart. One of the characteristics of a demon is the presence of a magical stone, a crystal of magical power, near its heart. This feature is not found in ordinary animals. The goblin's magic stone is of the lowest rank, but it is enough to activate any magical tool on the market, so it is sometimes sold like a dry cell battery. The price is not that high, so it sells well  in the general public.  . Well, that's why the price for buying one is not even 1,000 yen. ......

　At any rate, I shoved my hands into  their  chest and secured three magic stones. 3,000 ells is nothing to scoff at. It's enough to pay for one drink. I've never had a drink before, so I don't know what it tastes like.
　

It was probably because I was taking it easy like that. The next thing I knew, I felt the presence of many demons around me.

"I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not.

　I used the non-attribute magic "sonar" to check, and found about 50 goblins within a 100 meter radius.

　This means  i surrounded.

　I've said that goblins can't be a threat, but there are exceptions to that rule. That was the goblin swarm. Whose words were it that said that fighting is all about numbers?

　As I stood up to prepare for the goblin horde that was slowly closing the distance, I thought about how I would deal with them. I'm not going to lose. It's just that there are so many of them. It might take some time.

　--This is going to be interesting.

　Thinking like a battle junkie, I waited  for the goblins.