Go right more! Too far, dummy!
Jeez, Allen!
Stand up straight!
Are you my manservant or not?!
Of course...
I can't reach because you're such a shorty.
Then please try standing on my shoulders instead.
Good idea.
But I'll have your head if I slip and fall!
I'm THIS close to just throwing her off.
Get on your tippy-toes!
Okay.
Got it!
Ew, gross!
Well, they do say fruits that grow on high trees tend to be sour.
Hold on. Did you know it wasn't edible?!
As-if.
Come again?
No, milady. I had no idea.
Hmph! Whatever.
I want to cleanse my palate with a popo fruit. Go fetch me one from the market.
Right away.
Is that an... airship?
What are you, stupid? That's a magic ship. Haven't you seen one before?
A magic ship?
I did see some of the tools powered by magic stones that Pelomas mentioned,
like a clock and lights... but nothing like this!
Go to the market when you're finished, okay?
I slept great!
A world of difference from sleeping in those shitty net cafes.
That's the stuff!
Let's do it!
But first, breakfast.
Mornin', Allen.
Good morning, head servant, sir!
Aw, just call me Rickel.
All right.
So, are you getting along well with Lady Cecil?
Uh, yeah...
Sorta...
I see.
I can hear the pity in his voice...
Well, that's life as a manservant for you.
She wouldn't demand as much if you were only a hallboy.
Actually, I've been meaning to ask.
What exactly is the difference between hallboy and manservant?
Oh, has nobody told you yet?
The senior rank servants include: butler, housekeeper, valet, lady-in-waiting, head chef.
And the lower ranks are: coachman, cook, gardener, manservant, housemaid.
All of those are formally considered part of the family.
But hallboys are only occasional helpers,
so they don't count as being a member of the family.
Wait, family?
Servants are members of the family itself?
Yeah, of course.
Holy crap. No wonder Dad was crying tears of joy.
The baron was generous enough to make me part of the family.
Gotta be grateful for that.
I wasn't surprised by the simple meals we servants get,
but I guess the nobility doesn't eat much better, huh?
I wonder if the baron is one of those frugal types.
You've picked up the basics of being a servant quickly, Allen.
Thank you, milady. I owe it all to the kind teachings of my seniors.
My! What a wonderful answer!
His manners are beyond what you'd expect of a serf, aren't they, dear?
Indeed. And in spite of him being talentless.
Huh? Did he do some digging on me?
Oh my? You don't have a talent, Allen?
Heh!
Well, I happen to be a Wizardess!
Wizardess?
That's a two star talent. Pretty good.
And my elder brother Mihai is a Swordsman!
Cecil!
How many times must I tell you? Don't brag about talents.
Why am I the only one without one...?
Cheer up, Thomas.
You will attend Nobles College in the royal capital.
But I want to go to the Academy City like Mihai did...
I'm afraid you can't.
The Academy City is only for those with a talent.
My lack of talent is why I attended Nobles College, too.
But that's where I met your mom and started our family.
Don't let it bother you, Thomas.
Okay.
I'm sorry, Thomas...
Why do I get the stink eye?
Hey, Allen! You going out?
Yes. I have the afternoon off today.
This place is a whole new world compared to the village.
It's the Adventurer's Guild!
Pardon me, ma'am!
Can I become an Adventurer?
How old are you, young man?
I'm eight!
Well, I'm sorry. You have to be 12 or older to register as an Adventurer.
No, say it ain't so!
I'm doing the whole manservant thing out of respect for Dad,
but I refuse to give up on monster hunting!
Time to gather intel.
These look like bounties.
We've got horned rabbits,
D-rank goblins, and big toads.
C-rank orcs and armored ants
are worth 3 silver coins, eh?
Hey, rugrat.
This isn't a playground, ya know.
Sorry, sir. I'm leaving now. By the way...
why don't these bounties have a spawning location on them?
Cuz those monsters can be found most anywhere.
Hold up. When did I become your teacher, rugrat?
I'm just curious! So, how are monsters assigned different ranks?
Go home.
I will once you answer my question!
Fine. Monster ranks go up the further they are from town.
So the higher ranks live near the White Dragon Mountains.
He caved and told me!
There's a murdergalsh.
That's the monster Mash was named after.
Why hasn't anybody hunted this monster?
It's worth a lot of money and it even tells you the location.
Cuz that thing is strong as hell. Its speed makes it extra deadly.
Better to let the knighthood handle it.
This guy's spilling all the beans!
What about this white dragon? It looks like the bounty has been available for a long time...
Jeez, what happened to you leaving?
Last question! I promise I'll leave after this!
Cuz it's too powerful. Enough to make ya wet your pants!
But there are huge deposits of mithril inside the White Dragon Mountains
and some people are itching to mine it.
So the reward's just been going higher and higher over the decades.
Oh, now I get it!
That means the mithril must be worth more than 1000 gold coins.
Raven!
Yo!
We're all done cashing in the bounty. Let's hit the pub!
Huh? Who's this little guy?
Not many people have dark hair and eyes like that!
I was learning about monsters from this nice guy.
Thank you so much, sir!
Just git, already.
I got the details on most everything I wanted to know.
Now I'm ready to tackle my next goal!
Brr, too chilly! But I can't let my hard-earned day off go to waste!
Gonna milk it for all its worth!
Halt, little fella!
Travel permit?
Here!
Sh-shucks, my apologies!
Didn't realize you were one of the Granvelles.
No problem!
Makes sense why they told me to hang onto this.
It's basically a free pass in and out of the city.
Open the gates!
Alright!
Wait, young sir! Don't you need a guard?
I'm free to go battle as many monsters as I want!
I've been waiting eight years for this day!
Let's gooooo!
Young sir!
And there he goes...
I shouldn't stray very far from town or else the monsters will be too strong.
I'll aim for some D-ranks around the 10 kilometer mark.
This looks like a good spot.
I'll start by testing the capabilities of my summon creatures.
Come on out, Hawkins!
Okay, Hawkins. Land here.
Now walk one meter to the right.
Nicely done! Good boy, Hawkins!
Hawkins has 150 intelligence right now.
That makes him smart enough
to understand my orders.
I didn't run into any monsters on my way here.
Pretty crappy encounter rate.
It's gonna be better for me to search for them instead.
Summon five more!
Use your Hawk Eye skill to find nearby monsters.
Wow! It sure is handy having them at my beck and call!
Let's try it out with another creature.
Tama, I choose you!
Okay, Tama. Come over here!
Huh?
Guess it can't understand me
with only 28 intelligence...
Whatever.
Well, Dogora. Time to put your gift to good use.
Oh, did you find some?
Great!
Come on, man. Where are the monsters?
I'll have to make my orders more specific next time. Like limiting them to a certain range.
Finally, some action.
Those must be goblins.
Summon: Tama! Five times!
And that's not all...
Another five makes ten!
My creatures can be summoned to any location that I can mark by sight within a 50 meter radius.
Tama! Use your claw attack!
Hell yeah! Easy-peasy!
Or not so much...
I haven't tested this one yet, but I'm betting it works...
Come on out, Papillon!
Powdaa, powdaa, powdaa, powdaa, powdaa.
I figured that powder ability would put them to sleep!
That wasn't enough to kill it, huh?
Yahoo! Defeating five of them earned me 1,000 EXP!
Wicked sick!
Efficiency is key when it comes to grinding EXP.
Even though one goblin doesn't give as much as a great boar,
they take less time to beat, so it's a way better deal!
Now we're cooking with gas!
Hey, Hawkins! Find more goblins!
Let me know if you see a group of five or more within a 3 kilometer radius of here.
Powdaa, powdaa, powdaa, powdaa.
Today I farmed: five horned rabbits and eighty goblins.
That's 16,050 worth of EXP, baby!
I leveled up twice!
This is the best day off EVER!
I got some valuable data on Papillon's debuff, too.
When used against goblins, it has about an 80% chance of inducing sleep.
It goes to show that even one summoned creature can be useful against a hoard of monsters.
I also learned a little about magic stones.
D-rank magic stones can't be used to create E-rank summon creatures.
Naturally, the inverse doesn't work, either.
I have to be mindful that there are situations where I might need my lower rank summons.
Okay.
The farming continues! Go, Hawkins!
What's the matter? The night is still young, guys!
Huh? Wait... can you not see at night or something?
What are you, chickens?!
Seriously?
I mean, I guess they're not owls...
Well, crap. I was counting on Hawkins to help me find my way back to town later.
So, in other words, I'm lost in the woods...?
HOW DO I GET HOME NOW?!
Is this what had you had in mind for iron balls?
Yeah, they're perfect!
It'll be 60 silver coins for the three.
Okay!
I wanted something with more oomph than rocks, so I ordered these.
They should do some real damage!
I've gone monster hunting four more times since then and now I'm level 12.
Farming easy mobs for EXP while collecting better equipment.
The tried-and-true strategy for any game!
Allen.
We need to have a talk.
Yessir...
Allen. You have proved yourself a very capable servant over the past two months.
I've heard nothing but good things about your work from both Sebas and Rickel.
Thank you, milord.
However, I must know what you've been doing on your days off.
Huh?
You always leave bright and early, yet return well after dark.
Naturally, you're free to spend your time off however you wish.
But I want to keep abreast of your activities.
Yeah, it figures they'd get concerned.
I should be as honest as possible here.
I've been hunting monsters in the forests outside of town.
Hm? Why would you do that?
Because I'm the son of Rodin the Boar Hunter.
Hunting runs in my blood, milord.
Ah, I see.
Whoa. I just said that on impulse, but it feels right.
The apple never falls far from the tree, huh?
Fair enough, Allen. You are the son of a legend.
I suppose you can't help what's in your nature.
So, what have you been doing with the horned rabbits you hunt?
Hm? Horned rabbits?
Oh, I get it. They think I've been hunting E-rank monsters.
If you've been selling their meat to a butcher for money, then you must stop.
It could cause a scandal.
Sorry, sir.
Actually, I've just been throwing it all away.
Instead...
The Granvelle estate will purchase that horned rabbit meat from you
for one silver coin per bundle.
What do you say?
Wow, really?
This means I can hunt openly AND make money off the meat!
I gladly accept, thank you!
I want to farm at least 100 goblins today.
And maybe some horned rabbits to get more pocket money and magic stones.
About five should do it.
Hey. Did you find goblins? I'll go once I finish eating this.
What's wrong? You guys are acting weird.
Okay, I'm coming!
They're moving so fast. And leading me too far out.
I told them within three kilometers!
Run for it, Milci!
I can't! Not without you two!
Just do it!
I'll hold them off!
I'm here to help.
Dammit! Iron balls aren't enough to kill them.
I've seen these three at the Adventurer's Guild before.
That's a nasty cut. He's in trouble!
I can't use my summons in front of them. It's time to get my hands dirty!
You take the goblin with one hand.
A-all right.
I'm currently level 12. And thanks to my summon buffs, my attack and agility are over 300.
So I can take down D-rank monsters even without my creatures.
Next!
Raven!
He didn't surpass a Trial of the Gods...
Then just heal him!
I'm sorry, but... I don't have any MP left.
Oh no!
C'mon, Raven! Don't die on me!
He won't last the trip back to town.
I have some healing herbs that we can try.
Really?!
We'll pay however much you want! Please save Raven!
This is a "Leaf of Life"
that I made using Beanzie's ability.
I'm pretty sure it heals HP, but...
Raven!
Thank heavens! You're okay!
Rita... Milci...
Do you feel all right?
Any pain?
My wound...
Glad you pulled through.
It's you...
Looks like you have a wound, too, Ms. Rita.
Let's take care of that.
Is that a muellerze flower? Or some kinda leaf?
Such a strong healing item and you used two for us...
Don't worry about it.
It's not at all what they think.
Thanks for saving us.
You're the kid who I met at the Adventurer's Guild... right?
Yes. No need to worry about those injuries now.
So, I'll just be on my way.
Wait a second! At least let us repay you!
I owe you my life, kid!
Aw, jeez. I've gotta get back to farming right away if I want to hit my goal for the day.
Okay, then please don't tell anybody about me.
Sure thing. Let us know if there's anything else we can do.
Oh! Actually, I'm collecting magic stones.
Could you gather 100 E-rank ones for me?
I-is that really all you want?
Yes, absolutely!
Normies may not have any use for 'em, but those magic stones
are valuable to Summoners like me!
You got it. We'll have those ready for you in about a week.
Thank you. Farewell!
Bye-bye!
See you around!
It took about a month for Dad to fully recover after they used the muellerze flower on him.
But Raven healed almost instantly with that Leaf of Life.
Which leads me to conclude...
The muellerze flower recovers a certain amount of HP relative to the maximum.
It's a percentage-based healing item.
Whereas the Leaf of Life is a fixed-HP healing item.
And what's more, I only earned 160 EXP per goblin in that battle.
That's 80% of what I get when farming them solo.
So EXP isn't divided by the number of people when I defeat monsters in a party, huh?
Now, for the biggest problem...
Come on out, Hawkins!
Why did you ignore my orders?
I told you to find a group of five or more goblins within a three kilometer radius, didn't I?
Were you worried about those adventurers? Did you want to save them?
Oh wow. Are you actually sapient, buddy?
I was under the impression my summons were just for providing buffs,
using abilities, and following orders.
But there's more to it, huh?
Hawkins prioritized its own feelings over my orders,
and led me to Raven's group because it knew they were in trouble.
Hot damn.
Elmea made amazing summon creatures.
Sorry, Hawkins. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad.
I'll be more careful with my orders in the future, in case something like this happens again.
I'm glad to have you on my team.
Go left more!
Too far, dummy!
Why do you always suck so bad at this?
Well, excuse me.
Hawkins, go dump her in a lake for me, would ya?
If I may, milady, what do you even need jam for...?
To help me bake yummy cookies.
And that matters why, exactly?!
Because my elder brother Mihai is coming home next spring, silly.
Huh?
Who did that?!
Meow!
Oh, it's just the cat.
Back to sleep...
The Granvelle Estate
EPISODE 7: LIFE WITH THE GRANVELLES
TYPE:
GRASS
RANK:
NAME:
APPO
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
BUFFS:
MP +5, LUCK +5
ABILITY:
AROMA
TYPE:
GRASS
RANK:
NAME:
BEANZIE
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
BUFFS:
MP + 10, LUCK + 10
ABILITY:
LEAF OF LIFE
APPO'S ABILITY:
"AROMA"
FOR A 24 HOUR PERIOD
AFTER FIRST INHALING ITS SCENT,
MP RECOVERY TIME IS SHORTENED
FROM 6 HOURS TO 5 HOURS.
Notes on the Gravelles:
High rank servants:
Butler, housekeeper, valet,
lady-in-waiting, head chef.
Low rank servants:
Coachman, cook, gardener,
manservant, housemaid.
Hallboys are only helpers,
so they are not part of the family.
D-RANK
E-RANK
GOBLIN
HORNED RABBIT
5 COPPER COINS
1 COPPER COIN
D-RANK
GOBLIN
BIG TOAD
5 COPPER COINS
8 COPPER COINS
C-RANK
ORC
ARMORED ANT
3 SILVER COINS
Horned Rabbits, D-rank Goblins,
and Big Toads...
C-rank Orcs and Armored Ants
Worth 3 Silver Coins...
How Monsters Are Ranked!!
Ranks go up the further they are from town.
Highest ranks live near the white dragon mountains
B-RANK
MURDERGALSH
RANBA VILLAGE
200 GOLD COINS
A-RANK
WHITE DRAGON
WHITE DRAGON MOUNTAINS
1000 GOLD COINS
BIRD E
AGILITY +10, INTELLIGENCE +10
TYPE:
BIRD
RANK:
NAME:
HAWKINS
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
BEAST E
BUFFS: HP+10, ATTACK+10
TYPE:
BEAST
RANK:
NAME:
TAMA
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
BEAST E
HP+10, ATTACK+10
INSECT E
ENDURANCE+10, AGILITY+10
YOU HAVE DEFEATED 1 GOBLIN.
YOU HAVE GAINED 200 EXP.
YOU HAVE DEFEATED 1 GOBLIN.
YOU HAVE GAINED 200 EXP.
YOU HAVE DEFEATED 1 GOBLIN.
YOU HAVE GAINED 200 EXP.
D-RANK MAGIC STONES CAN'T BE USED
TO CREATE E-RANK SUMMON CREATURES.
THE INVERSE DOESN'T WORK, EITHER.
BE MINDFUL THERE ARE SITUATIONS
WHERE I MIGHT NEED
MY LOWER RANK SUMMONS.
MIRACULOUSLY FOUND HIS WAY BACK
THE HARDCORE GAMER DOMINATES
IN ANOTHER WORLD WITH GARBAGE BALANCING
ONE MONTH LATER
SIX MONTHS LATER
TYPE:
GRASS
RANK:
NAME:
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
BUFFS:
MP +10, LUCK +10
YOU HAVE DEFEATED 1 GOBLIN.
YOU HAVE GAINED 160 EXP.
YOU HAVE DEFEATED 1 GOBLIN.
YOU HAVE GAINED 160 EXP.
YOU HAVE DEFEATED 1 GOBLIN.
YOU HAVE GAINED 160 EXP.