Ch.257Kidney Equipment (5)

It had been just over three weeks since the chaotic operation to equip all intermediate-level personnel concluded with Droop’s mech test.

Even as the early autumn—which Father had described as the beginning of the war—was approaching, the village itself was sailing smoothly on the surface, allowing residents to safely go about their livelihoods without showing any signs of trouble.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that this accident-prone village went a full three weeks without any incidents whatsoever.

For instance, there was the increasing frequency of spies dispatched by the Adventurers’ Guild branch chief. The number of spies grew with each passing day, as if they didn’t care about being discovered, though most of them were merely empty shells without freedom.

There was also the mysteriously increasing number of adventurers, and the influx of outsiders, including merchants who gathered after hearing rumors due to our new exchanges with the Holy Empire—all of which honestly posed a threat in itself.

Most adventurers were potential highway robbers and thugs, while merchants frequently doubled as con artists and thieves.

It’s not that there weren’t any decent folks among them, but in reality, most had separate reasons that justified their exclusion.

However, the sheer number seemed excessive to attribute solely to the unexplored territory and exchanges with the Holy Empire. Indeed, the increased floating population of adventurers was clearly an abnormal situation.

So while I was investigating the reasons from various angles, the answer turned out to be nothing short of shocking.

Colland, the largest and most populous city in Baron Colland’s territory, was experiencing an unstable political climate, causing many people to flee.

Suddenly, the acting lord went missing, a stationed territorial army unit was “accidentally” annihilated, and amidst all this, the Adventurers’ Guild branch was observed continuously purchasing various supplies.

These included food ingredients suitable for long-term preservation, various metals and weapons, as well as materials perfectly suited for military supplies.

Honestly, since these resources are predominantly used by adventurers, it wouldn’t normally arouse suspicion. But the fact that they were buying in bulk during these troubled times made it obvious to anyone that something was being plotted.

To make matters worse, even when the Adventurers’ Guild headquarters, appalled by this unprecedented situation, issued a summons for the branch chief, the branch unilaterally ignored it, driving the situation further toward the worst possible outcome.

The sharp-witted adventurers and residents (mostly merchants or former adventurers) had already packed their bags and fled the city, and except for a few suspiciously clingy individuals, the city itself seemed to be gradually emptying.

Even the orphanage that used to buy bean meat from our village had evacuated beyond the area, indicating just how terrible the atmosphere had become.

The situation was so bad that, given the complex web of interests involved and the branch chief’s blatant movements, it was becoming a foregone conclusion that war would break out soon.

But the funny thing is, it’s not easy to check Colland in this situation.

Since the administration is outwardly functioning properly, even paying taxes regularly, there’s no justification to take over, and despite the dire circumstances, the Adventurers’ Guild is blocking territorial intervention by invoking their right to autonomy.

Of course, it would be problematic to set a precedent for secular power intervention in such situations, but standing defiant even before an inquisitor is truly exasperating.

Additionally, despite the imposition of an embargo, the fact that merchants engaged in smuggling because the other side was willing to pay high prices meant that trade sanctions weren’t effectively working—a rather significant issue.

So, completely separate from the powder keg situation unfolding there, our village was implementing a new initiative called the “Hunting Quest.”

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The “Hunting Quest.” This initiative, carried out under the pretext of hunting intermediate-level or higher magical beasts in the unexplored territory to collect trophies and improve skills, naturally concealed an intention to increase my power.

More precisely, it was an attempt to build strength before the subjugation of Colland in response to the terrible sense of crisis that had been growing recently.

The goal was to hunt intermediate magical beasts to obtain their genes, and through this, to begin my full-fledged power enhancement.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have gone this far, but with my intuition warning me more severely than ever before, there was no room for hesitation.

Even at the risk of pushing myself a bit, replenishing my body with as many genes as possible and maximizing my specs and class to the fullest extent possible was the best choice available now.

Anyway, this “Hunting Quest” was premised on me and my subordinates hunting intermediate-level beasts, and it would be even better if we could consume their meat to gain additional gene acquisition opportunities.

However, rather than recklessly hunting intermediate magical beasts, the focus was on hunting safely under a thoroughly calculated direction.

For example, even if magic-type genes were applied to me right now, it wouldn’t make much difference, so I’d typically go for physical system genes. But blindly absorbing just anything could potentially lower efficiency.

To put it bluntly, some genes come with significant side effects, so we need to consider that to avoid wasting opportunities.

Additionally, we need to prevent ecological imbalance from over-hunting intermediate-level beasts.

Rather than the obvious modern environmental concerns we’ve heard ad nauseam, it’s purely about preventing ecosystem collapse and monster overpopulation.

Especially since the overpopulation of magical beasts inevitably leads to monsters encroaching on human territories, preventing their excessive breeding is ultimately the biggest reason for humans to control these actions.

Thus, under this motto, the first target of this Hunting Quest was a group of Forest Trolls discovered in the woods.

This troll variant that inhabits the forest has skin resembling trees. While it doesn’t possess any special characteristics, it does have natural camouflage abilities despite its size.

Its body resembles trees, giving it natural camouflage, and its presence is dim. Combined with its large size, it boasts superior physical abilities compared to ordinary trolls.

Particularly, the fact that four Forest Trolls were moving together and occasionally descending to the outskirts of the unexplored territory was certainly not something to be overlooked.

Therefore, I set out to subjugate them along with my master, Hannah, and Gus.

The plan was quite orthodox: my master would scout ahead to locate them, and while he bought time with throwing weapons, Hannah, Gus, and I would engage with our weapons.

With our various enhanced weapons, the four of us were more than a match for mere Forest Trolls.

While I rode on Gus and overwhelmed two trolls simultaneously, my master easily dispatched one with a barrage of javelins, and Hannah also demonstrated her combat prowess by taking the lead.

Hannah, in particular, used her yew necklace, which grants the ability to apply curses based on killing intent to her body, to directly block the troll’s regenerative abilities.

Having dealt with the four Forest Trolls, we obtained a total of four types of genes, since troll meat was simply inedible.

Although I had already absorbed the prime ones—”Troll’s Brute Strength” and “Troll’s Regeneration”—the remaining ones were still quite useful in their own right.

The first was “Troll Claws.” A constitution-type gene that grants sharp claws with hardness comparable to steel.

As the primary weapon of trolls who lack even the intelligence to wield clubs, their effectiveness can somewhat rival the claws of a pureblooded werewolf.

The second was Hardened Skin. Originally a mediocre constitution type that moderately increases skin durability, but after combining with ogre hide, it raised bare body durability to the level of decent armor.

The third was Natural Camouflage. As the name suggests, it’s an ability-type gene for concealing oneself in natural environments. Although less efficient than the original possessor, it still offers modest advantages.

It provides bonuses for hiding in natural environments and occasionally allows one to slip from perception during combat in natural settings.

And the fourth was Troll’s Digestive Power. The ability to consume and digest anything with mass, which could be useful for emergency supplies.

Thus, although these genes might seem somewhat mediocre overall, each one was useful in its own way. I continued to engage in combat, leaving these behind.

After all, there were still many targets remaining for the Hunting Quest.