“I’m certain! There is a Demon in the forest!” Percy repeated with even more certainty. He retrieved the corpses of the corrupted Berserk Rabbits and pointed at them.
The Adventurers standing around the wooden counter heard Percy and frowned deeply. They didn’t believe the rookie’s words, but their disbelief didn’t block their smelling sense. The receptionists and Adventurers standing around Percy smelled a waft of the rotten, acidic smell coming from the corrupted Berserk Rabbits.
“There has never been a Demon in or anywhere near Raewood!” Tom responded, agitated, “You must be mistaken!”
Why don’t they believe me?
Percy cursed but gestured for everyone to wait a second before dashing to the library on the second floor. A faint commotion rang out from the second floor until Percy returned holding a thick book. It was one of the books he’d read when the town was in isolation. The thick wood creaked loudly as the book smashed onto the counter beside the Berserk Rabbits.
Percy ignored the creaking, opened the book, and turned the pages quickly. He nibbled impatiently on his lower lip while mumbling the lone hunter’s description as if he was afraid to forget something important.
“Oily, purplish skin…long claws, darkness oozing from its claws and the black oil, and a frail-looking – almost malnourished – body with abnormal strength…”
It took a while, but Percy found what he was looking for. He stopped on the page and tapped the creature’s image several times.
“I saw this one!” Percy declared, turning the book around for the receptionists to see.
“Archyeas, a Lesser Demon with humanoid built. Stretchy, violet hide, razor-sharp claws, and leathery wings… Be aware of its bloodlust, demonic powers, and drive to kill.” Olivia mumbled, her voice weakening as she turned pale with the last few words.
Percy pressed his lips together and studied Olivia intently. Her attention drifted to the Berserk Rabbits when she read the part talking about the Archyeas’ demonic powers.
“Just like any other Demon, the Archyeas’ body contains demonic power, which it can control freely. However, due to its evolution process, demonic power oozes from the tips of its claws. Pay attention to the claws. Once scratched, corruption will spread through your body. Ordinary Healers cannot heal a Demon’s corruption. Seek a Priest to survive,” Olivia said while scanning the Berserk Rabbit.
She looked at Tom, who’d paled when he saw the silverish veins underneath the Berserk Rabbit’s fur.
“That’s why Pascal didn’t get better.” He murmured, goosebumps spreading all over his body.
Olivia took a deep breath to calm her nerves, “We need to confirm this.”
She retrieved a small semi-translucent crystal with a bluish tint in its center and channeled mana into it. The crystal glowed faintly, but nothing else happened.
It was not until Merchant Erdwin barged into the Guildhall several minutes later. His head flicked to the wooden counter where more Adventurers had gathered around Percy and the receptionists.
“How may I be of the Guild’s service?”
They called Erdwin. Why?
Percy looked between the crystal in Olivia’s hands and the familiar merchant. He had many questions but didn’t say a word. Instead, Percy studied the merchant quietly.
“The bodies are worthless,” Erdwin said when he arrived before the Berserk Rabbits. Nobody had to tell him what he was supposed to do. It was obvious.
“To think I will see something like this in a backwater town in the middle of nowhere,” He chuckled, “Corruption as truly evi–...”
His expression changed the moment the words left his lips. The smile on his lips was replaced with a dead-serious scowl.
“Corruption? But there are no Rifts nearby…”
Tom caught that and nodded vigorously, the color in his face slowly returning, “That’s exactly what I thought. It must be a mutated monster, an Undead, or something like that!
“No. That’s nonsense,” Erdwin said, retrieving gloves from somewhere. Percy didn’t even notice where they came from. They were there all of a sudden. Merchant Erdwin touched the Berserk Rabbits’ corpses and looked at a few things. Percy had no idea what he was looking for, but the merchant nodded grimly.
“That is the corruption of a demonic essence.”
Tom paled again, his eyes flicking to Percy.
“Fuck.”
I didn’t want to be right about this either. Don’t look at me like that!
A Demon appeared near Raewood. The killer of the Silver-ranked Adventurers had been discovered!
**
Good and bad news came with the discovery of the Archyeas. Percy had only seen one Archyeas, and it was highly likely that it would have attacked Raewood if there had been more than one. They were brutal creatures who lusted for blood and battle. Raewood was left untouched because the Mayor and Guildmaster were too strong to deal with alone.
The bad news, however, was that there was a Demon in the first place. There shouldn’t be a Demon anywhere near Raewood or the entire region in the first place.
That was horrifying.
Still, the good news outweighed the bad news. It was possible to defeat a single Lesser Demon with the necessary preparations. At least, that was what Olivia tried to tell everyone. They had much better chances at locating and defeating Lesser Demon now that they knew what they had to deal with.
“We can remove the threat once we acquire some Artifacts with the necessary enchantments,” Olivia assured Percy, who merely nodded.
I don’t know about Artifacts, but I’m sure the Guildmaster will do something. He looked angry.
Percy never talked to Guildmaster Lexter, but he saw him once. A few hours ago, he saw a youthful man with a tomato-red face charge into the Guildhall. He didn’t look unique with short blond hair and dark green eyes, but everyone greeted him respectfully. The man talked to Olivia briefly before storming out of the Guildhall again. Percy found out the man was Guildmaster Lexter after that.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
It had only been a few hours since Percy found the Archyeas when the demon hunt began. Even the Guildmaster joined the demon hunt, which wasn’t further surprising. The Guildmaster was in fury when he heard what had killed his Adventurers.
The Guildmaster and his troupe returned late that night with bad news, to the citizens’ dismay. They didn’t find the Archyeas.
Percy didn’t go out hunting again after escaping the Archyeas’ fangs. Obviously, the Lesser Demon didn’t even see him, but Percy had other things to do after two successful hunts.
The first thing he did after reporting his find to the Guild was to bring the Berserk Rabbit carcasses to Butcher Kevin. Percy kept the corrupted Berserk Rabbits since Erdwin said they were worthless but made sure to give Kevin enough work until late into the night.
Afterward, Percy returned to his room, where he used [Consume] on the corrupted Berserk Rabbits. He’d expected something unique to happen because the Berserk Rabbits were corrupted, but nothing special happened. [Consume] worked like usual.
[11 Berserk Rabbits(Corrupted) have been consumed. 151 Prosperity has been added.]
This pushed his accumulated Prosperity to a decent number, which Percy checked with a smile.
『Percy 』
[Ego – Coin of Prosperity]
[Tier] – [Mortal-5]
—
[Empty]
『Coin of Prosperity』
Prosperity: 240
➛Consume
After consuming the corrupted Berserk Rabbits, Percy focused on his mana control until late into the night. He had to calm his nerves, which was easily achieved by focusing on mana. Training mana – or mana in its essence – cast a calming effect all over his body.
When Percy reached the butcher’s shop, it was late at night. He had heard from many that the shops were open until late today because nobody wanted to close their shops and go to sleep.
It’s not like the Demon will emerge from underneath your bed the moment you fall asleep.
Percy was unsure if he was the weird one for not being too worried about the Lesser Demon. He was sure the Guildmaster would find and kill the Archyeas soon. Still, it was nice to find Kevin still awake. When he saw Percy, the butcher was cleaning up, preparing to leave.
“Good job, kiddo,” Kevin said with a smile, “To think you would hunt 89 Berserk Rabbits in a day and discover the threat looming around Raewood. It’s amazing to think you were weak and barely able to kill three Berserk Rabbits two weeks ago.”
“You have changed. In a good way!”
Percy smiled wryly but didn’t say anything. He was not sure what to say.
Did I change that much?
He didn’t know. Maybe he did change a little. But Percy liked the current him better than the person he’d been in the past.
A thin smile blossomed on his lips.
“Unfortunately, your luck ends there. At least, for today,” Kevin chuckled, retrieving a bunch of pelts, paws, and crimson eyeballs alongside a coin pouch, “I cannot give you the same price for the rabbit meat. We’re having a surplus of Berserk Rabbit meat since everyone is hunting them. I know it’s annoying, but I cannot pay everyone the usual price if I want to make a living.”
“I understand, and it’s totally fine. The bonus from the Guild will probably rebalance the losses made from the surplus of Berserk Rabbits on the market,” Percy shrugged and reached for the coin pouch. He attached the pouch to his belt and safely stored everything in his leather bag.
“Erdwin is still awake, right?” Percy asked hopefully. “He should be, but don’t expect too much money from him. Erdwin won’t give you the same prices as two days ago either.”
“I got it. Thank you for your hard work. Keep it up,” Percy said, turning around and leaving.
Kevin chuckled and shouted through the shop, “I’m pretty sure I should have said that to you, kiddo!”
He walked out with a smile and moved over to Erdwin’s shop while checking his finances.
[5x Silver Coins – Ordinary – 525 Prosperity]
[159x Copper Coins – Ordinary – 159 Prosperity]
[Iron Dagger – Average Quality – 171(216) Prosperity]
…
That’s not too bad. Kevin gave me 70 copper coins even though he said he couldn’t pay me the usual price. It is a little bit lower, but not as little as I expected. What now? The eyeballs should still be worth roughly as much as before. Since they’re used for potions, the Alchemists will always require more. Maybe if I say 1.5 copper per eyeball, he will agree? The rest…will probably not earn as much.
The real challenge was going to be Merchant Erdwin. The merchant had always been his biggest challenge to make a quick buck. Percy was still unsure if Erdwin wasn’t taking advantage of him even now, but the merchant was also why he was the wealthiest he had ever been.
Nonetheless, business was business, and Percy wanted to improve. He wanted to improve.
How low will he go?
Reaching the familiar alley leading to Erdwin’s shop didn't take long. His shop was only dimly illuminated, but that was enough. Percy found Erdwin seated behind his counter. He didn’t pay much attention to the surroundings and focused on something lying on the counter instead.
After today’s event, it was expected that most citizens would have a hard time falling asleep, but Percy couldn’t see any worry in Erdwin’s expression. If anything, he looked relaxed.
The bell chimed quietly, resounding through the silent shop when Percy stepped inside. Erdwin looked up in surprise but smiled upon seeing Percy.
“There he is, our town’s little hero,” Erdwin teased before his voice turned a bit more serious, “You have a good eye.”
Percy returned the merchant’s smile, “Does that mean you will give me a discount for today’s purchases?”
“Obviously not.” Erdwin laughed before gesturing to him to show what he had to sell.
“You know about the surplus of Berserk Rabbits, right?”
Percy had to suppress a heavy sigh. He nodded reluctantly.
“Don’t worry, I won’t make it too difficult for you today. I will give you eight copper for each Berserk Rabbit. I don’t mean their meat, bones, and the like. A pair of eyeballs, paws, and their pelt for eight copper coins per set.”
Adding the copper coins earned from the guild mission, the hunting bonus, and Kevin’s money, that’s about…11 copper coins for every Berserk Rabbit. That’s not too bad.
Percy expected a worse offer. Thus, before Erdwin could change his mind, Percy stretched his hand to accept the deal.
“That would be 89 Berserk Rabbits sets…That should be around…seven silver coins and a dozen copper if I’m not wrong,” He smiled, retrieving the Berserk Rabbits’ remnants from his bag. One by one.
Erdwin’s smile cracked, “You managed to hunt so many?”
Percy grinned in response and held his hand wide open.
“Don’t worry; You will get your money back in a few minutes,” he said, turning around to point in one corner of the shop. I think I’ll need some armor and a proper pair of boots.”
Percy spun back to Erdwin.
“How about helping your most loyal customer to stay alive? I’d love a nice discount!”
Erdwin chuckled but noticed how serious Percy was. He shot a short glance into the corner of the counter where a book showing the Archyeas’ image was displayed.
Percy noticed the merchant’s sudden motion, and his eyes glimmered victoriously.
I’m going to win this battle, Erdwin!