The man at the delivery station seemed a bit off, but as expected of a professional, he seemed to have pulled himself together and properly processed the delivery.
The sales were as follows: 2 silver coins per Hornrabbit and bird, 8 silver coins for the fox-like creature thanks to its fur, and a whopping 8 small gold coins for the boar!
Since there were 5 Hornrabbits and 5 birds, the total came to 1 gold coin and 8 silver coins, equivalent to 108,000 yen in Japanese currency.
The boar made a big difference this time, but even without it, 28,000 yen would mean 840,000 yen if he worked 30 days out of 36 in a month. That's a high salary.
(Being a hunter is great!)
Mile left the delivery station, elated, but then he suddenly realized something.
(Ah, I forgot to exchange the herbs for money...)
Since the herbs were stored in the item box rather than with storage magic, Mile had completely forgotten about them. However, since the item box doesn't cause deterioration, he decided to exchange them next time.
Including the herbs, his monthly income would be 10 gold coins, exceeding 1,000,000 yen.
When he returned to the boys, they seemed a bit off.
Some were gaping, others were flustered... Just like the man at the delivery station earlier...
"Then, let's talkโ"
"Hey, you!"
Mile's words were interrupted by a man in his thirties who butted in.
"Can you use storage magic? What's your capacity?"
Mile felt a strong dislike for the man who had butted in so rudely.
"Please tell me."
He completely ignored the man.
"Hey, you!"
"First, why did you choose me among so many hunters?"
"Hey, listen, will you!"
"To be honest, I'm smaller than everyone else. Didn't you think I might be a hindrance?"
"Cut the crap!"
The man was getting angry, and the boys were flustered.
It was evening, a busy time at the guild, and there were many hunters, but this was just a minor dispute. Everyone was watching with interest to see how the newbie would handle it.
"Be quiet! We can't talk like this!"
"What... It's because you ignored me..."
"Huh? Were you talking to me? I'm sorry. I didn't expect someone to barge into a conversation without even greeting. I thought you were talking to someone I couldn't see..."
"You... You're messing with me..."
"Alright, fine. Anyway, I'll let you join our party. Work hard as a porter!"
"So, what are your main targets for hunting..."
"Hey, listen, will you!"
"You're so noisy. If you have something to say, wait your turn. However, I won't accept requests for loans or dates. I have the right to choose..."
"YOU!"
The man suddenly drew his sword and swung it at Mile.
Other hunters tried to stop him, but it was too late.
Clang!
Thud.
The scene froze.
Several hunters who had tried to intervene were frozen in place.
The man stood there, stunned, still holding the hilt of his sword, which had no blade.
Mile was still in the stance of having just swung his sword.
The blade of the sword lay on the floor.
...It wasn't broken. It had been cut off, the blade of the greatsword.
"Wh... What..."
Swish!
Mile lightly swung his sword and sheathed it.
A moment later, the man's iron armor split open.
"H... H..."
The man slowly backed away, turned, and ran.
Two hunters, probably from the man's party, hurriedly chased after him.
"So, what did you want to talk about..."
Mile turned to continue the conversation, but the boys just gaped, unable to start talking.
As Mile was getting confused, a hunter in his late thirties approached him.
"Wow, that sword... Where did you get it?"
(Ah, this is bad...)
The hunter seemed to have no ill intentions, just a genuine interest in the sword, but if it was considered amazing, he might be targeted.
"Well, I bought it at a store, a cheap one on sale..."
"There's no way! With that sharpness!"
(Hmm, what should I do... Ah, I know!)
"Can I borrow your sword for a moment?"
"Huh? Well, sure..."
The hunter handed over his sword, which Mile attached to his left hip along with his own.
"Can someone throw a copper coin at me?"
"I'll do it!"
One of the hunters, who had gathered around Mile with great interest, took a copper coin from his pouch.
"Here it goes! Watch this!"
Clang! Snap!
The sword was drawn at a speed that couldn't be seen, and Mile's left hand moved through the air.
"Here you go."
Mile held out his left hand to the man, on which lay a copper coin cut in half.
"Y... You're serious..."
The hunter stared at the copper coin, stunned.
"My sword... cut a copper coin..."
The man, looking disbelieving, stared at the half of the copper coin he had taken from Mile's hand.
"It's not the sword's performance, just a little trick, you see."
((There's no way that's possible!!))
All the hunters and staff in the guild screamed in their minds.
However, it was forbidden to pry into other hunters' pasts or abilities. They couldn't press for more information, so they focused their attention on Mile.
After returning the sword to the hunter, Mile was finally able to start talking to the boys.
"So, you mentioned a lack of offensive power..."
"Yes! Well, we have a swordsman, a spearman, a bowman, and two mages, one of whom can use offensive magic, and the other can use support and healing magic. When the enemy gets close, it gets tough. We need a nimble swordsman to protect the backline..."
The leader, who was trying to use overly formal language, was a bit awkward, but Mile understood what he was trying to say.
"Huh? But I'm a mage."
"EEEEEEEEEH?"
The boys and the surrounding hunters were shocked.
"But, your sword and that sword technique..."
"Even as a backline mage, there are times when the frontliners are taken out and the enemy gets close, or when you're attacked from behind. So, I thought it was necessary to have at least basic sword skills to protect myself. I'm not very good, though."
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Mile turned to see a frontliner, who looked like a swordsman, banging his head against the wall. Had he eaten something bad...?
While the frontliners looked gloomy, the backline mages looked relieved.
It was frustrating for mages to see storage magic, which very few could use, being casually used by a swordsman. On the other hand, it was satisfying to see an excellent mage with sword skills on par with a swordsman.
"Sorry... I thought you were a D-rank hunter like us..."
"Huh? D-rank? With a two-rank difference, it would be difficult, wouldn't it?"
Mile was thinking of various ways to decline without causing a fuss, but the rank difference was a good reason. Mile, who had thought the boys were E or F rank, decided to use this as a reason to decline.
"Two ranks? Ah, you're not C-rank but B-rank. With storage magic and those sword skills, that makes sense. Do you look young because you're an elf or a dwarf? I'm really sorry for the misunderstanding..."
"Huh? No, I'm just a regular, ordinary human. I just became a hunter yesterday, and my rank is F."