It does seem better to go with humans.
But how to lure them?
I’ve gotten somewhat close to Pandan, but the human called Jericho and the other adventurers seemed to avoid me.
First, I wonder how I can make a deal with Pandan…
It was then.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
Is it Pandan?
Maybe he’ll ask to have a drink since it’s boring.
I opened the door with some expectation.
But instead of Pandan, the adventurer called Jericho was standing there.
“Ah, um…”
He seemed flustered when I opened the door.
I thought he might have come looking for Helmut, but that wasn’t it either.
“I heard from Pandan that you’re heading inside the mountain range…”
‘That’s right.’
“Would you like to go with us? The Blade Pillar Zone is very dangerous.”
What’s this about?
I was thinking about how to comfortably go along with humans, but the human side proposed traveling together first.
==
The snake didn’t answer Jericho’s proposal easily.
That sharp gaze, and the purple tongue moving, shhhh.
Moreover, it’s a monster that can speak.
Jericho felt his hands and feet trembling for some reason.
But in the end, that night, the snake accepted the proposal.
A temporary alliance with the snake was formed.
I’m still not sure if that was the right choice.
“I shouldn’t talk carelessly about quests that haven’t been completed yet, but…”
The snake was suspicious.
Cleverly, it tried to confirm why the adventurers came to the Gray Mountains first.
“Actually, a few adventurers have already entered the Gray Mountains. They sent a letter requesting support, and we were on our way to help them.”
That was actually true.
“We’re just a support team, so we don’t know what quest they received originally. But we can guess roughly.”
Jericho spoke quietly.
“After passing through the Blade Pillar Zone, there are several ancient ruins. It seems they’re trying to find usable artifacts there.”
It’s a place where various artifacts are still being discovered.
“Ancient artifacts are very expensive items, and there are rumors that they’re meant to be gifts for the Emperor’s birthday. We don’t know for sure either.”
The snake showed a little interest.
Jericho’s coherent explanation might have moved the monster’s heart a bit.
When Jericho returned, the accompanying adventurers quickly asked.
“Did it agree to come along?”
“Yes.”
“Haha, that’s great!”
They were happy.
It probably wasn’t because the adventurers were eccentrics who could befriend monsters like Pandan.
“If we capture it and take it to the capital, how much money could we get?”
“Won’t the Magic Tower want to buy it?”
They smelled an enormous amount of money from the snake.
“Then those swords will be ours too.”
“But what’s that grass thing stuck to its back?”
“I don’t know, it doesn’t seem like much. We can just rip it off.”
At that moment, Jericho frowned and warned.
“Hey, you bastards.”
He glared at the adventurers.
“Think about the order of things. You know the quest is more important than that snake.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Let’s capture the snake too if we get the chance while traveling together.”
‘They seem to be looking for ancient artifacts.’
That’s what he told the snake, but it was actually a lie.
They were looking for something that, while not as precious as ancient artifacts, could be sold for even more.
And if possible, capturing that snake would be worth it too.
“Keep that safe.”
The adventurers had ‘that’ with them.
The thing wrapped in oilpaper and tucked into the side of their backpacks.
It’s an item borrowed from the Empire’s Adventurer Union.
While on the subject, Jericho checked his own item.
When he unwrapped the oilpaper, what came out was something like a long metal cylinder.
With a stock that could be shouldered and a trigger attached.
It was called an ‘Electric Net Gun’.
An item that showed innovative performance in capturing and subduing monsters.
Strangely, the snake knew about human artifacts and could even use swords, but it probably couldn’t even imagine what this was.
The gun is a recently developed item in the Empire, not something a mere monster would know about.
The net gun felt very reassuring.
“Don’t shoot carelessly even in dangerous situations.”
“Yes.”
The adventurers grinned.
==
‘Wow, there are guns here too.’
When I exclaimed like that, Pelerian looked at me.
“Guns? What’s that?”
‘That long thing they’re carrying. You know, the tool that fires bullets using gunpowder.’
“Are you talking about cannons? Cannons are very large and inefficient things.”
‘Guns are those cannons made small, old man.’
Judging by Pelerian’s expression, guns don’t seem to be common items.
Come to think of it, it might not be something that uses gunpowder.
I can faintly feel the aura of magic power too.
And it seems to be a net gun. One of the adventurers checked a large bullet, and there was something like a net inside.
Interesting item.
I should be cautious.
If they try to fire at me, it’s instant death for them.
“From here on is the Blade Pillar Zone.”
Pandan said with a grin.
That smirking face makes him look malicious too.
At this rate, Jericho and the adventurers behind him might seem more friendly.
After saying goodbye to Helmut, the adventurers and I arrived at the Blade Pillar Zone.
“Wyverns will come from the sky, and from here on we need to be careful of termites.”
Pandan said so.
Strangely, the ground of the Blade Pillar Zone was very white.
Curious about why, I scratched the ground with my tail.
‘Why is the ground white?’
“It’s because guano has accumulated for a long time.”
‘Gua…’
Guano is bat or bird droppings that have hardened and turned into rock.
So you’re saying this whole area is wyvern poop?
Suddenly, I didn’t want to crawl on the ground anymore.
I quickly jumped onto the shoulder of one of the adventurers.
“Hiiiek!”
The adventurer made a strange sound.
There was a burst of laughter, and Pandan took out a strange object.
There was a chicken in a round birdcage.
“We’ll use this to find the location of the termites.”
They keep worrying about termites, but what’s so scary about mere ants?
Pandan threw the birdcage forward.
Flutter flutter!
The chicken flapped its wings and crowed “cock-a-doodle-doo” in the cage.
And then an anomaly occurred.
On the white ground where there was nothing, holes opened up as if lids were being lifted, and something popped out.
“Quaaaack!”
Termites?
Are ants supposed to be as big as wild boars?
──────────────
[Hell Helmet Termite lv32]
[Traits]
[Ambush], [Swarm], [Pursuit]
──────────────
Large termites popped out of the ground.
Hmm, I should probably not get off the humans’ shoulders if I can help it.
