The rock lizard’s armor wasn’t just ordinary stone that it had picked up and plastered onto itself. The rock lizard ate stone as part of its diet, and then after processing that stone, it secreted a layer of hard, dense rock through its skin.

As the rock lizard grew, so too did its armor. The rock lizard became stronger and could eat more and tougher stones to create better armor that would also weigh more. It was a never-ending process that eventually turned the rock lizard into a massive, hulking monster of impenetrable rocks.

Fortunately, the rock lizard Ackster had hunted was a young one who had just formed its armor. Otherwise, no matter how many bones Ackster broke, he wouldn’t have ever gotten through its armor and cracked its skull.

As Ackster started dismantling the rock lizard to the best of his ability, and he struggled to set aside the rock lizard’s skin and the armor of stone scales on the skin to access the meat beneath, he realized exactly how strong the rock lizard was.

Despite such a heavy layer of armor protecting its entire body, the rock lizard was still a smidge faster than Ackster.

Ackster had initially thought that his stats were in the same range as the rock lizard’s, but he had vastly underestimated the rock lizard and the weight of its armor. The rock lizard’s stats were probably up at B-rank or something. It was just that the armor weighed it down so much and restrained its stats until a D-rank’s stats were enough to compare with it.

If the rock lizard hadn’t carried its armor around, Ackster wouldn’t have lasted more than a moment against it. The rock lizard would have sprinted over as soon as it sensed Ackster, and before Ackster could have done anything, it would have torn him apart with an overwhelming amount of strength and the sharpness of its claws.

However, that was if it had been able to take off its armor.

After all, the source of the rock lizard’s strength and agility was the fact that it carried such heavy armor almost from when it was born. Well, the armor probably wasn’t as heavy as the one in Ackster’s hands from the very beginning. It grew with the rock lizard and became heavier according to how much weight the rock lizard could handle.

Ackster grinned.

The rock lizard had inspired him to add to his training.

Since the rock lizard became that strong by being covered in heavy weights at all times, why couldn’t he?

If he went about his daily business while being covered in clothes or an outfit made from the rock lizard’s armor, he would force his body to train, no matter what he did. Putting that kind of strain on his entire body would also put pressure on his bones. It wouldn’t be as direct as repeatedly hitting and breaking his bones, but it was enough, at least to start with.

The greatest thing of it all was that when he outgrew the rock lizard’s armor, he could just find another one. An older rock lizard would have scales of much denser stone that would weigh a lot more. And, in order to defeat those rock lizards that would provide him with the best training equipment, he would also have to get better at fighting, especially against well-armored opponents.

It was a perfect cycle of training.

Ackster had first planned to sell the scales since the dense stone was a useful material in constructing defensive structures or sturdy buildings. It was ill-suited for weapons or tools due to its weight. But, as long as the ground was solid enough to carry it, houses, fortresses, or walls made even from a mixture of it would become great defenses.

Although it was still currently peacetime, The Hero’s existence was proof that the world would be getting chaotic in the near future. Naturally, it was the opportune time to start reinforcing and shoring up the defenses, whether that be against monsters or other humans or civilized species.

The price would continue rising for things like the rock lizard’s scales and armor, so Ackster would gain more if he sold it in the future. But without an Inventory, it would be too much to carry it around and wait for that time to come.

However, now that he was going to get someone to turn it into wearable equipment, he wouldn’t have to sell it or worry about selling it later, though he could probably sell the equipment to someone like-minded once he had outgrown it.

Fortunately, the armor wasn’t the only valuable thing on a rock lizard.

The meat, which was basically only muscles and organs, was tough. The muscles had been put under constant strain for the entirety of the rock lizard’s life, and it was apparent just from how hard they were, even when relaxed.

Besides, Ackster would be eating it to make up for all the energy he had spent.

The only thing that would remain of the rock lizard would be its skeleton.

Although Ackster wanted to be able to eat bone since it was probably nutritious and could also lead to new skills, the rock lizard’s skeleton was definitely not a good starting point.

Just like the rock lizard’s muscles had grown strong after living with the stone armor, so had its skeleton. After all, no matter how strong the rock lizard was, it would all be for nothing if its own skeleton crumbled under the weight of its body.

Unlike slimes, most living beings require the structure of a skeleton to move their body.

The skeleton was also the part worth the most on a rock lizard. It wasn’t heavy like the scales, and it wasn’t a source of possible food like the meat. The bones were still heavier than bones from lightweight creatures like humans, but the sturdiness more than made up for it.

So, in the hands of a decent weaponsmith, the bones could be turned into great weapons or shields.

With the money he got from selling an entire, almost-intact skeleton of a rock lizard, Ackster would be set for a while as long as it didn’t cost too much to custom order an outfit from the scales.

But before he could sell the skeleton or order his training equipment, Ackster would have to pick the skeleton clean from most of the meat and transport it all back to Ilto.

It was time for a feast.

Ackster used a small stick he sharpened with the teeth of the rock lizard to pick his teeth as he patted his bulging belly. With how injured he had been from the fight and how much energy he had lost trying to regenerate those injuries, Ackster barely had to injure himself further to stuff himself with the entirety of the rock lizard’s edible parts.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

He had managed to clean the skeleton of most of the meat, which meant it was practically ready for sale. He had also let the flayed skin hang to dry so it wasn’t as bloody. Ackster was practically ready to walk back to Ilto. He had even had time to feed Mio a little.

However, he was still taking a slight break to digest his food.

The rock lizard wasn’t that much bigger than him, but it was pretty long, especially with its tail. And without the meat and tendons and whatever to hold the skeleton together, it tended to fall apart.

So, he was thinking about how he was going to carry it all back to the city. Eventually, he decided to just cram the skeleton inside a large makeshift bag made from the scale-covered skin.

In reality, he had waited since it was going to be excruciatingly heavy to walk all the way to Ilto with such a weight. It was almost harder to endure and force himself to work while exhausted than it was to endure pain by now since he was so used to pain and had Pain Tolerance C.

But he couldn’t afford to be lazy. It would also be a good time to try out Iron Will and also get it some experience.

So, after a while, Ackster began walking through the field and back to the main road, Mio in his bag resting against Ackster’s chest and the large makeshift sack slung over his shoulder. It was large enough that Ackster was dragging it more than he was carrying it, which was a slight relief.

But the scales, regardless of direction, weren’t exactly made for smoothness, and it felt like Ackster was plowing the ground behind him. And when he looked, he confirmed that it wouldn’t be impossible to use this method when preparing a field.

He just hoped the farmers wouldn’t be too upset, considering he had subjugated the rock lizard for them. And he didn’t have to walk through too much of the field before he reached the road and ruined that instead.

The thought of trudging all the way back to Ilto while dragging the rock lizard’s remains behind him was exhausting enough. But doing it was even more so. But eventually, Ackster arrived at the city gates.

He was worried that he would attract attention, more attention than he wanted.

But it wasn’t strange for adventurers to come back with loot from prey bigger than themselves. It was actually very common since very few had upgraded their Nomis to have inventories.

What was surprising was the rumors around Ackster and the fact that he had defeated and carried back a rock lizard all on his own. Fortunately, only Jim and the guard captain had put any thought into Ackster. The other guards had just heard that there was an adventurer with brackets around their profession, which didn’t happen a lot.

But after letting Ackster through the gates, no one thought much more about it.

Walking through the streets with the rock lizard’s remains scraping behind him did get Ackster a lot of stares, but he ignored it all until a Guild employee got wind of a newbie dragging more than they could carry and came over to help.

“Hey there. Need a hand?”

Ackster didn’t recognize the man, but he did recognize the Guild employee outfit from the other Guild employees he had seen. And since he was dripping with sweat enough to create a puddle when he stood still, he nodded in between heavy breaths.

Refusing help would be weird, even if he wanted to train more, which he didn’t at the moment. He would gain more by selling the skeleton, getting paid, and commissioning an outfit of the rock lizard’s armor and using that to train instead.

Ackster nodded.

“Yes, please.”

The employee smiled and went over to the bundle. And then, after reaching his thin arms around it, he raised the bundle into the air. He almost brought Ackster along with it.

Ackster let go of the bundle, realizing he would be more of a hindrance than of help to the deceptively strong guild employee.

“Oop, sorry. Startled you there, didn’t I.”

The employee smiled as he walked up next to Ackster, carrying the rock lizard remains with ease.

“...Yeah. You’re stronger than you look.”

Ackster swallowed his disappointment at his own weakness and did his best to transform it into further motivation to work harder.

“Haha. I might not look it, but I was an adventurer back in my day.”

Ackster looked at the man with skeptical eyes. He didn’t look a day older than thirty.

“I’m Tosh, by the way. You?”

“I’m Dean. Thanks for the help, Tosh.”

“This is the rock lizard that just cropped up out in the fields, right? In that case, you have my thanks. My sister-in-law works in the fields. I wouldn’t want her to go out there with this thing around.”

“As an adventurer?”

“No. Farmer. She makes the greatest bread with the wheat she grows, you know.”

“I see.”

“Have you ever been to the market after harvest season?”

“No. I just got here, to Ilto, I mean.”

“Oh, really? Well, I hope you enjoy your stay.”

“Thanks.”

They arrived at the Guild without incident, and Tosh helped Ackster drop off the rock lizard remains at a desk meant for evaluating and receiving larger hauls, such as the one Ackster had brought back.

“Wilma!”

Much to Ackster’s satisfaction, the capable receptionist Wilma was in charge.

“Dean, right? It’s nice to see you back in one piece. Seems like you’ve been working hard.”

Wilma was slightly surprised that Ackster remembered her since most adventurers, especially ones she had only met once and who were coming back from a serious adventure, usually didn’t remember the receptionists’ names. Only regulars and veterans did that.

But she didn’t mind. If anything, the young man’s vigor was uplifting enough to put a smile on her face.

“A rock lizard, huh? That’s certainly more than enough to pay for borrowing a room last night.”

“That’s good. Oh, I’m not seeling the skin and armor, by the way, just the skeleton.”

Wilma looked at Ackster with a raised eyebrow.

“They’re not worth as much as the skeleton, but you can still fetch a pretty penny for them. Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Since Ackster was adamant, Wilma didn’t press further. Instead, she asked a nearby worker for help unraveling the bundle and inspecting the skeleton.

“A single injury to the head. That’s good. You’ll easily get more than the market value for the entire skeleton.”

She made a few notes on her notepad before looking at Ackster.

“Does fifty silver dragr sound good?”

Ackster scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

“This is actually my first time selling a rock lizard. But I trust your judgment. Fifty sounds good.”

Wilma had a slightly gentle smile as she retrieved and handed over a small pouch containing the currency controlled, regulated, minted, and issued by the Guild to Ackster. When Ackster took it, she winked as she leaned in a little.

“Wise choice. It’s a very good deal, considering the age of this thing. Our little secret.”

Ackster nodded with a surprised but happy smile.

“Thank you, Wilma. You guys get a commission from the adventurers you help, right?”

“Yep. But that’s not why I’m doing this. I just wanted to help you get back on your feet.”

Wilma worried that Ackster might have gotten the wrong idea, so she hurried to correct it.

Ackster smiled reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. I’m just going to repay this kindness. I’ll make sure to bring back the good stuff when you’re working.”

“Really now? And how do you know when I’m working?”

“I don’t. I’m hoping you will tell me.”

Ackster flashed a bright smile that he hoped fully brought out the natural charm his face objectively possessed.

“Alright. I get off at ten.”

‘What?’

Before Ackster could voice his question about the way Wilma had phrased her answer, she had already turned around to get someone to pack up the rock lizard skeleton and leave the armor to Ackster.

She turned back to Ackster, but before he could raise his question, Wilma spoke.

“Since you’re new here, I’ll handle the details. Just show up in some nice clothes, alright?”

“...Alright.”