How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 15

18. Becoming a Mercenary (4)

“Heh! As expected, electricity works wonders on these guys.”

As long as they don’t stick to me, they’re no match.

I immediately started gathering the Slimes.

There’s always something to salvage after defeating a monster.

I carefully poked at the dead Slime’s remains with my sword.

“Ugh……”

Just looking at the sticky goo clinging to the sword makes me want to gag, but I have to suck it up.

It’s how I make a living.

A hard object snagged on the tip of the sword.

I carefully dislodged it and pulled it out.

A hard mineral with a purple glow.

A magic stone.

‘It’s small, but if I collect enough, it’ll pay for food. I have to recover them.’

It’s also proof that I’ve defeated a monster.

The remaining Slime magic stones were swept away by the water; I only managed to salvage about three, but oh well.

After collecting a total of four magic stones, I started heading out along the main path again.

‘By the way, according to the receptionist’s information, there are definitely other monsters besides Slimes……’

Slimes alone aren’t enough to prove my worth.

I want to take down at least a Goblin.

Feeling a bit let down, I moved forward.

I noticed a commotion near the passage leading to a side tunnel.

“……Stop.”

I dimmed the wisp’s light, leaving only a faint glow.

There’s something there.

Fortunately, the sound isn’t getting closer.

It doesn’t seem to have noticed me.

‘It’s probably a monster……’

When I listen closely, I can hear several different cries mixed together.

The somewhat violent sounds make me wonder if it’s a fight for dominance.

If so, it’s a perfect opportunity.

A chance to reap the rewards.

“……Sandman, it’s your turn. Put them all to sleep.”

I summoned the spirit of sleep, Sandman, and sent it to lull the noisy creatures ahead into slumber.

If they don’t fall asleep, it means they’re reasonably strong monsters, and I’ll retreat.

Fortunately, it quickly became quiet.

-……Everyone, sleep well.

“Yeah, that’s great.”

I chuckled to myself, pleased, and happily received the report.

If they’re asleep, there’s nothing to fear!

As expected, when I cautiously went to investigate, there were a number of monsters lying on the floor.

First, I switched to the dimmest light setting and identified the monsters.

“……Goblins and Ratmen?”

They’re definitely the kind of creatures who would live in a sewer.

In particular, Ratmen, those rat bastards, are practically the mascots of the sewer.

It seems that two types of monsters, Goblins and Ratmen, were engaged in a power struggle.

Looking closely, all the monsters have minor injuries.

‘Let’s deal with them quickly.’

There are five Goblins and four Ratmen.

This is a number that I couldn’t handle alone if they weren’t asleep.

‘Let’s finish this quickly.’

I can’t afford to stab them to death one by one.

I borrowed Undine’s power to create water arrows in the air.

‘Go.’

The water arrows flew silently and pierced the monsters’ necks.

Then, I channeled electricity through the water arrows.

It’s a trick I’ve practiced many times on beasts.

This is more than enough to stop their breathing in an instant.

The monsters twitched violently and slumped.

Neither Goblins nor Ratmen have resistance to electricity.

‘Now, let’s just recover the magic stones and get out of here.’

These types of monsters have magic stones near their hearts, so they’re not hard to find.

I quickly cut open the chests of the monsters with a dagger and pulled out the magic stones.

Just as I was about to extract the magic stone from the last monster.

-Squeak!

A faint, unpleasant cry unique to rats.

“I knew it!”

At the same time as I took out the magic stone from the last monster and grabbed it, I immediately ducked my head.

The moment I ducked, sharp claws grazed over my head.

I rolled low on the floor to create some distance.

“……There was another one, huh.”

A lively Ratman is glaring at me and approaching.

The Ratman is a head taller than the others.

It seems that he wasn’t asleep because he was outside the range of the sleep wave.

Did he smell something and come?

-Chirp!

The Ratman rushes towards me.

His main weapons are claws and teeth.

It’s simple, but it’s scary because being bitten by those teeth can tear off chunks of flesh, and those teeth and claws are full of germs.

Thanks to my lowest-grade regeneration, I have some resistance, but it’s best not to even get scratched.

I’ve already thought of a way to deal with it.

“You’re just a rat!”

I positioned the wisp in front of me and focused my energy.

“Wisp! Maximum brightness!”

I closed my eyes and covered my face with my arms as I gave the order.

Paaaaat!

The wisp glowed blindingly.

The maximum brightness of this thing is so powerful that if you look at it directly, your vision will blur.

For monsters adapted to dark places like this, this level of light is something they might only see once in their lives.

Of course, the effect is even stronger.

-Screeeeeech!

Yeah! You must be suffering!

“Yeah! The light must be painful!”

On the other hand, I can still make out shapes in this light.

The Ratman’s claws are flailing wildly.

I didn’t miss the opportunity and poured electricity on him.

Pajijijijik!

Blue electricity struck the Ratman.

But he just screamed and tumbled, without dying.

His vitality is something to acknowledge.

“So what?”

Then I just have to keep hitting him until he dies.

I raised my sword and struck down.

Rats should be beaten to death.

Pow!

I felt the sensation of smashing something, and the Ratman fell to the floor again.

I forcefully stomped on his head to prevent him from getting up and stabbed my sword into his neck.

The sword tore through the leather and flesh.

He couldn’t scream anymore and died.

“……There’s no more, right?”

There’s no sign of any more coming.

I decided to extract and collect the magic stone from the fallen Ratman and leave.

It was enough for the first day of sewer patrol.

You have to know when to quit.

I retraced my steps and returned carefully and quickly.

‘They’re not chasing me, right?’

I was convinced that there was no sign of pursuit and finally relaxed my shoulders.

Then, I finally checked my appearance and sighed.

The sword is sticky with black blood and fat, and my clothes are dirty from rolling around on the floor.

I could easily imagine what I looked like.

Fortunately, my nose is already numb, so I can’t smell anything.

‘This request is definitely worth the money, but other than low-level mercenaries, it’s something to avoid.’

Let’s suffer just two more times.

Then happiness will come.

As I was about to loosen my stiff neck from the tension, I saw the name tag above my head flashing.

“……Huh? When?”

It definitely wasn’t there before I entered the sewer, right?

That means something must have happened after entering the sewer to trigger a change.

‘I want to check it!’

What could it be!

But it’s dangerous to check it here.

It’s better to check it in a safe place.

I tried to suppress my pounding heart and decided to prioritize returning.

* * *

I followed the path I had taken and went up the stairs, where I was able to reunite with the soldier who had let me in.

“Oh! You’re back, boy. ……Judging by your appearance, you’ve had a hard time.”

His expression hardened as he recognized me and tried to greet me.

He even took a step back.

Are you telling me not to come closer?

Yeah, I know. I smell, right? A lot, right? Tch!

Should I just hug you?

I took off my clothes near the well and washed them.

Even if I wash them several times, they’ll still stink, but I have a trick.

I can use the spirit water made by Undine.

Spirit water has a slight purification effect.

‘It also has a deodorizing effect!’

I accidentally found this out while experimenting with various things when I was training in the village.

I don’t know the principle, but washing with spirit water makes things cleaner.

I washed my sword and clothes with spirit water and poured it over my body.

After that, if I wash it a few more times with ordinary water, I can return to a somewhat human form.

As I wrung out the water from my clothes, I slowly tried to check the results I had been putting off.

“……So, what is it that you wanted to tell me so badly?”

I manipulated the name tag with my hand and unfolded the hidden items, and the sentences unfolded like last time.

“……Huh? I got points?”

I was surprised.

Influence points that I got after defeating Rudel last time.

It was a notification that I had obtained it.

I have to think about the reason.

“The action I took was…… I killed a monster, right?”

I can’t guess anything else.

Is it like experience?

But there are some aspects that I don’t understand.

‘The number of monsters I defeated is quite a lot. But it doesn’t match the number of points I got.’

That means that only some of the monsters I defeated met the conditions.

What is it?

‘……I got points for killing Rudel because he was a minor character.’

Then what about the monsters? Are the monsters also minor characters?

But the monsters’ roles are not visible.

‘But what if the monster appears in the original work?’

The number of monsters the main character defeats is countless.

Moreover, he defeated Goblins and Ratmen so much that they were like pebbles on the road.

‘If the monster I defeated was one the main character would defeat in the future?’

Especially that big Ratman.

There is a possibility that he will grow more and move his habitat.

What if he appeared in the original work through some means?

I gave influence by defeating him.

‘That means I don’t necessarily have to look for minor characters only.’

Actions can lead to results that generate influence depending on the outcome.

It’s a guess, but the possibility is high.

‘I can get points as much as I want!’

It’s not just monster hunting.

If my prediction is correct, I may be able to gain influence as a result of other actions.

Knowing that fact made me feel that today’s hard work was not in vain.

‘Okay. First, let’s get the mercenary badge quickly! Let’s execute the plan quickly!’

My motivation was naturally aroused.

I was itching to know that I could get not only money but also other things.

Originally, I was going to rest for a few days and carry out the request slowly, but is there a need to do that?

‘First of all, let’s try to get points while catching more monsters!’

Thinking that I might get points, even if it’s a small amount, I want to go back to that smelly place.

I smiled slyly and wiped the water off my sword.

* * *

After that, I went back and forth to the sewer twice more and carried out the sewer request.

I checked the results while catching monsters in an efficient and tenacious manner, as long as I didn’t overdo it.

As a result.

I definitely gained influence from some monsters, even if it was a small amount.

My guess was correct.

Not all monsters give influence.

But sometimes some monsters cause influence.

It’s not just strong individuals that do that.

Even weak Slimes sometimes caused it.

‘But this work is not efficient.’

I sighed as I glanced at the piles of magic stones.

I must have been blinded by the points.

Since that day, I’ve been catching monsters to the limit.

I caught monsters and used their corpses to lure other monsters and kept catching them.

‘I didn’t even do this kind of grinding when I was playing games……’

Is this what it feels like to keep hunting until the desired item comes out?

But if I keep doing this, my body will be the first to suffer.

‘I have to aim for another method.’

Anyway, I got what I wanted, even if it was a little, and I was able to solidify my assumptions.

And I think I’ll be able to get the mercenary badge safely, so let’s just say it went well.

I headed to the guild to report the results.

Dragging a bag full of magic stones.

As expected, the receptionist recognized me as soon as I entered and rubbed her eyes.

“Mr. Ailen? What is that?”

“It’s the result of the sewer relief request.”

How is it! Praise me!

But the receptionist’s mouth twitched slightly as if it were cramping.

“……Um, I’m sorry, but could I have explained it wrong?”

Originally, you just need to go around once and catch the monsters you see.

So the average number of magic stones you get is usually around 20.

There’s no reason to carry this much.

She seemed horrified that she might have conveyed the story incorrectly.

I immediately tried to clear up the misunderstanding.

“No. I just got lucky and ran into a lot of monsters.”

Is that lucky?

The receptionist is puzzled.

“……I don’t know, but I’ll check it anyway.”

I wanted to entrust the disposal of the magic stones to the guild.

The guild also exchanges magic stones for money.

It’s easier to handle these small things here.

More than anything, it’s more terrible to go back with that bag.

After reconfirming that there were no irregularities.

“Congratulations, Mr. Ailen.”

She smiled brightly and announced.

“Result confirmed. We have approved Mr. Ailen’s membership as a formal mercenary.”