Chapter 100

Tracing the trail of the Soldier Ants, we headed west.

About thirty minutes after passing the spot where we had defeated twelve Soldier Ants, we heard the sounds of battle coming from ahead. It seemed that other adventurers who had found the main force were attacking them.

To the south from our perspective, at the foot of the mountain, a group of over a dozen adventurers were battling nearly a hundred Soldier Ants. From above, it was clear to see the black ants moving like a swarm of insects feeding on prey. The adventurers, who seemed to be quite skilled, had swordsmen in the front lines, while the spear users were dealing precise damage from the gaps. There was also a heavily armored warrior with a two-handed axe in the front line, smashing through the hard heads of the ants. Occasionally, blades of wind and spears of light would fly from the rear, but they seemed to have little effect beyond a deterrent.

I muttered, "Impressive," and asked Lidi and Beatrice, "What do you think we should do?"

"Well, with this many, we won't be accused of stealing the kill, and besides, they're about to be overwhelmed by the Soldier Ants."

"I agree. There are too many. We should help them out."

The reason I asked was that in the past, when I thought they were struggling and tried to help, I was told to get out of the way. Objectively, they were clearly struggling, and without our help, they would have suffered significant damage. Still, they didn't want to lose the reward, and after being saved, they complained to us. Since then, I've started to ask for Lidi and Beatrice's opinions.

Our current position was about a hundred meters north of the battle. The Soldier Ants were focused only on the adventurers, giving us a perfect position to launch a surprise attack.

We quietly ran down the slope. When we were about fifty meters away, I noticed an ant with an unusually large abdomen among the Soldier Ants. It seemed to be the queen.

We got even closer, and Sharon and I stood on a rock. We then targeted the queen, who was at the center of the Soldier Ants, and unleashed a Firestorm. This time, instead of moving the two massive flames in a straight line, we made them spiral outwards in a clockwise direction. Sharon and I were in perfect sync, and the two flames drew beautiful spirals on the grass.

The Soldier Ants, unable to escape to protect the queen, were burned one by one. About twenty of them were flipped over, and another ten or so were moving strangely when the Firestorm dissipated.

By then, the ants were divided between the adventurers and us. Lidi and Sharon cast spells from the rock, while I went to Beatrice's side to protect them. Watching Beatrice's impressive spear skills, I tried to stab the Soldier Ants in the mouth with my sword. However, the range difference between the spear and the sword made me almost get caught by their massive jaws multiple times. In the end, I gave up on one-hit kills and focused on severing their legs. With the large number of ants, I used magic to enhance my strength, breaking their legs with powerful strikes. Bertram's sword, the dwarf blacksmith from Rasmor Village, was incredibly sharp, and with the enhanced strength, I could easily cut through their hard exoskeletons. Still, it took at least three strikes per ant, and I was often surrounded. Each time, Beatrice or Lidi would come to my aid.

(I'm still relying on them. I need to improve my sword skills, regardless of my magic.)

Magic relies heavily on imagination, but swordsmanship is almost impossible to perform beyond one's skill level. The results are directly proportional to the effort put into training, which is why my lack of skill is so noticeable.

By the time I had defeated four and Beatrice had taken down more than twice that, the Soldier Ants' attacks finally stopped. The adventurers, who had been fighting, were now under less pressure because the ants were also attacking us. There were still a few left, but we had practically wiped them out.

After finishing off the remaining ants, we took a breather. The adventurers who had been fighting initially were from three parties, totaling sixteen people. They were injured but had no fatalities, and the healers were treating the wounded. When we stood up, three adventurers from their party approached. It seemed they were the representatives for a discussion.

Beatrice, as our representative, handled the negotiation. I joined her to listen in. The adventurer from their party was Marion, a third-class spear user. He was a large man in his mid-thirties with a stern face and a massive build comparable to Beatrice's. He wore well-worn leather armor and wielded a halberd. The other third-class adventurer was Neville, a swordsman. He was a head shorter than Marion but still around 180 cm tall. He had a sun-tanned face with a smile and carried a slender longsword and a small shield, wearing armor reinforced with metal in places. The last was Emilia, a fourth-class swordsman. She was not particularly tall, with sharp, unhappy eyes and was in her thirties. She wielded a bastard sword and wore dull red leather armor.

Marion spoke on behalf of their party.

"Honestly, we were saved. We would have been overwhelmed eventually."

Beatrice nodded. "Yeah, it didn't look like you had many options left."

Emilia interjected, "We would have managed without help. Marion says we were in trouble, but we had it under control. Honestly, it was an unnecessary intervention."

Beatrice looked down at Emilia. "Really? From what I saw, you looked the worst off." She laughed through her nose. "So, because we interfered, you won't share the rewards?"

Emilia glared back, and the two female adventurers were on the verge of a fight. Marion quickly intervened.

"No, the rewards for the ones you killed are yours. We'll take the ones we finished off."

Beatrice, who had been glaring at Emilia, now glared at Marion.

"That's not fair. You want to claim the ants we crippled with our magic?"

Emilia glared back. "If we finished them off, they're ours. Neville, what do you think?"

Neville's smile faded, and he said nothing. Beatrice, in a frustrated tone, said,

"Then, we'll talk about this at the tavern. Is that okay?"

Marion said, "Wait, give us a moment," and started discussing with the other two.

I was exasperated. Despite the dire situation, their attitude made me more frustrated than angry.

(But, if they keep this up, no one will help them. Neville seems to understand, but he's being overruled by the other two.)

I nudged Beatrice to get her attention.

"Let me handle the negotiation. I'll make sure it works in our favor."

Beatrice nodded but looked unsure. Just as she was about to say something, Marion and the others returned.

"We can't give up the ones we finished off. You can talk about it at the tavern if you want."

(They're being aggressive because they know I'm here. They've realized that I don't go to the tavern much anymore, so I can't spread rumors.)

I introduced myself, "I'm Zacharias Rockhart. You've probably heard of me," and joined the conversation. Emilia was about to say something, but I spoke first.

"We're claiming the ownership of the monsters we crippled with magic. Just because you stabbed a sword into a motionless ant, it's yours. Is that what you're saying?"

Neville looked away, displeased, but Emilia argued, "If we finished them off, they're ours."

"But, we might have already killed them with our magic. How do you prove it?"

Emilia snapped, "You're just a kid, stop being noisy."

I ignored Emilia and asked Marion the same question. Marion countered, "How do you prove a corpse? It's unfair for only us to have to prove it."

I had expected this. In a calm voice, I said,

"The ones we killed with fire magic have clear burn marks. We can prove it that way. How do you plan to prove you finished them off?"

Marion was taken aback. I seized the opportunity.

"Here's a proposal. The rights to the ants that took fire magic are ours. We'll take their magic crystals. In return, you can have all the materials from the Soldier Ants here. That's a fair deal, right?"

Emilia was still muttering, but Marion was silent, calculating in his head. To push him, I acted frustrated.

"If you don't like it, you can have everything! But in return, we'll report to the guild that you stole our rewards. If they check the orbs—magical devices that record crimes and identity—the guild will record that you stole someone else's reward. If you're okay with that, go ahead! Beatrice, let's go!"

I used the guild's rule against stealing others' rewards. It's a common rule, but it often happens, especially with veterans mistreating newbies. This rule is meant to prevent such behavior, and they must know about it.

Neville gave in to my words.

"Wait. I'm fine with the original proposal! Marion, Emilia, do what you want! But I won't team up with you again! Being saved by a kid is embarrassing enough. I have my pride, and I won't argue anymore!"

Marion conceded, "Alright, I agree." Emilia glared at Neville and Marion, then at me, but she looked away when Beatrice glared back.

"Let's confirm this. The dead ants in the middle with magic traces are ours. In return, all the materials from the Soldier Ants here are yours. Is that clear?"

Neville looked satisfied, Marion looked defeated, and Emilia looked unconvinced, but they all nodded.

"First, let's strip the materials from the ants we killed and collect the magic crystals. Someone come with us to avoid any disputes."

Marion said, "I'll confirm," and followed us. Beatrice muttered, "We're losing out. Really," but I ignored her.

We collected twenty-five magic crystals from the burned Soldier Ants. Thirteen more Soldier Ants had approached, bringing the total to thirty-eight. We then moved on to the queen, which yielded a large magic crystal.

After confirming the magic crystals, Marion was about to order the stripping of the queen. I stopped him with a hand.

"This one is ours. I said we'd give you all the Soldier Ant materials, but the queen is ours because we killed her."

Marion's mouth dropped open, speechless. Beatrice laughed and patted Marion's back. "That's the price for underestimating a kid." Marion looked like he wanted to say something but shook his head and said nothing.

He was probably frustrated, but he couldn't afford to argue and risk the guild checking the orbs. They had declared they agreed to my terms, and if checked, they would be accused of stealing.

I wasn't interested in arguing over a small amount of money. At the right moment, I laughed and said, "Just kidding. We can split the queen. We'll take a quarter of the appraisal value of her materials."

The four of them looked confused, but Beatrice put a hand on my shoulder.

"Typical Zach. I'm fine with that. But I'll report this to the guild, so don't try to cheat."

She laughed, and I nodded.

I was frustrated with Marion's attitude but considered the future. I wanted to show that I was shrewd by claiming the queen. However, if I ended it there, they would feel their pride was hurt and might hold a grudge. To avoid this, I showed magnanimity by giving in.

Neville and Marion would have nothing to say, but Emilia, who seemed greedy, might still be a problem. By reporting our success to the guild, the appraisal of the materials would confirm our contribution. The other adventurers would see them as ungrateful if they tried anything, and no one would support them. They would avoid teaming up with them, so they wouldn't risk it.

Neville had already declared he wouldn't team up with Marion, and he would likely spread this rumor in the tavern. Marion and Emilia would fear more rumors and stay quiet.

(But, it's a hassle. While I feel bad for the adventurers, we're not that desperate for money. If they hadn't said those things, I would have been fine with just a quarter of the magic crystals. Their greed cost them and us.)

In the end, the Soldier Ant magic crystals sold for 15C (15,000 yen) each, totaling 750C (750,000 yen) for fifty. The queen's magic crystal sold for 50C (50,000 yen). We also received 200C each for the fourth-class reward and 400C for the queen's bonus, making it 500C (500,000 yen) each, a very profitable job.

The Soldier Ant exoskeletons sold for 32C, and the queen's materials for 400C, giving us 100C each. Marion's group took the materials from about fifty of the nearly a hundred Soldier Ants, but they didn't even reach 300C each. It was clear how efficient our party was.

The fourth-class party we had traveled with had only killed five Soldier Ants. For a fourth-class reward, they needed to kill at least three each or an average of three for the party. They received no 200C reward and only the standard 10C per kill for sixth-class.

Beatrice commented on them, "It's good they made it back safely. I thought they would get seriously injured. Knowing when to retreat is a good trait, but not checking Zach and Sharon's skills is unacceptable."

According to her, it's important to gather information on potential party members. I hadn't done this, so I couldn't argue.

We've somehow made it to 100 chapters.

Thank you to all the readers. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

As I mentioned in the activity report, my work has become extremely busy. I'll be working on weekends and traveling during weekdays. This is expected to last for at least six months. To continue, I'll reduce the update frequency from every two days to once a week. I hope you'll continue to support me.