A Gatherer's Adventure in Isekai (素材採取家の異世界旅行記)

So, with all that said,

could I ask you again to forge me some new harvesting scissors?

Hah! Thanks to that Ildrite you brought in,

the sword I forged won first prize!

I'll craft you a pair of scissors so perfect, nothing else can compare!

Are you finished?

Yeah. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

That is good to hear.

The sacred guardian of Lake Galeus, Hofvalpnir, or Puni-san for short.

After reviving from stone,

she decided to travel the world, and somehow that meant following me around...

Shall I perhaps crack a whip to make him work faster? Neigh.

No, we're not doing that.

He'll make them in his own time. That's more than enough.

I see.

Then let us eat buttered potatoes and soy sauce from the food stand.

You just ate those, didn't you?

Humans say it often, do they not?

"That was that. This is this."

Is this person really a benevolent divine guardian?

Hmm...? Is the child of Voldius perhaps too full to eat more?

Oh? I will be eating more.

Well, well.

The ones I ate earlier must have been an illusion.

Takeru.

Grit?

A festival?

Yes. Once a year, the guild hosts an officially sanctioned gathering.

The annual Material-Gathering Competition, where adventurers compete for bragging rights.

And we were hoping you would take part, Takeru.

A competition, you say? Then naturally my assistance will be required, yes？

Shh!

But honestly, gathering materials for clients is more than enough for me.

I understand, but this comes as a personal request from someone rather important.

Someone important?

Yes. The Lord of Belkaim, Count Belminant Lusellevach.

The lord, huh?

The festival is held under his patronage, and he specifically asked that you participate.

Man. If it's the lord asking, I can't exactly turn him down...

All right. I'll do it.

A few days later

Quite the crowd they've drawn.

All right, folks! Time to announce this year's challenge!

Yeah!

This year's request comes straight from Lord Lusellevach himself.

A gift to delight his lady wife after her recovery!

Your mission: collect Rainbow Sheep's Seven-Color Wool!

Huh. Never heard of that material before.

Rank doesn't matter. Anyone can get it...

if they're lucky enough to find it.

If you don't recognize it, then look it up yourself!

And don't go asking other people.

Networking with others is part of being an adventurer,

but this is a pure test of individual gathering skill.

If your knowledge or experience is lacking, then use public resources. Got it?

Need a ride? Then get a rental horse or hop on a shared carriage!

Meaning I am off-limits. Snort.

So it seems.

And, obviously, no help from your party.

If you win, the glory and the prize are all yours. Clear?!

Yeah!

Sounds like the Azure-Black Brigade is sitting this one out.

Well, at least they didn't ban magic. That would've sucked...

What's your move, Takeru?

If you use Gate, you could probably be back in half an hour.

Nah, I'm gonna pass on that.

Using weird magic and getting complaints later is way too much of a hassle.

I'd rather not stand out more than necessary.

All right, contestants, take your marks!

Bee, can you wait here with Clay and the others?

Ready...

Sorry, buddy. It's just that this is a competition...

Ah, it stinks!

Good grief. What a handful.

Little one of Voldius...

Oh? He settled down rather quickly.

Puni-san, what did you do?

I lent him a bit of my magic.

Between the tears and the sudden rush of mana, he must have tired himself out.

Sorry, Bee. I didn't mean to make you feel lonely.

I shall watch over the child of Voldius.

Go on without worry.

Thank you.

After that, I headed straight to the library, used my Busca spell,

and dug up everything I could on Rainbow Sheep.

Once I found where they lived, up the sacred peak of Mt. Tokorwana, I set off...

Before I knew it, I'd already reached the base of the mountain.

So, the Rainbow Sheep are somewhere near the summit...

Man, that looks like a pretty brutal environment up there.

Even so, it's been a while since I've gone off on my own.

Not having Bee here makes me feel way more uneasy than I expected.

He's probably even more anxious than I am. I hope he's not stress-eating...

A chubby, round Bee... Actually, that might be kinda cute.

I wonder what he's doing right now...

Enough moping now, little one.

A child blessed by divine protection has nothing to fear.

Besides, if it comes down to running, I'm far faster than your Takeru. Neigh.

No mere human could ever outrun a divine steed such as myself.

Very well. Would you like to see my full speed?

Sacred Hofvalpnir, please compose yourself.

Everyone knows your legs outpace all others. There's no need to prove anything.

Oh? Well... I suppose that's true.

Since you understand, I won't lose my temper.

And you, Bee, don't get so wound up.

There's not a soul alive who can dance through the skies faster than you.

Takeru did say, "If they start fighting, just compliment them." It worked... almost too well.

Still, how long this peace lasts is anyone's guess.

Takeru, hurry back.

These dumplings are way too good!

All right.

According to that book from the library...

Rainbow Sheep RANK D A rare herbivore that lives only in highlands. Extremely cautious; evades predators with swift movements. The meat is tough and not tasty.

m 0 0 l 230 0 230 150 0 150

They are "hard to capture due to their speed and cautious nature."

How should I... Oh, wait...

Luu-lu-lu-luuu! Luu-lu-lu-luuu!

Thank you, whoever from the Animal Kingdom or person from the northern countryside.

My dear Rainbow Sheep friends, I'd like to borrow just a bit of your soft, warm wool.

What is this? This is too cute!

Wow, so soft.

One at a time, one at a time!

What is that guy doing?

Th-That's insane...

I gathered way more than I expected.

A real flying dragon... This is the first time I've seen one.

Maybe someday Bee will look like that, too.

All right. Time to head back!

Hey, cut it out already!

Stop wiping your snot on me!

And the winner is the guy who brought back the most rainbow wool the fastest: Takeru!

And just like that, the material-gathering contest wrapped up with my victory. But then...

FB-rank? What's that supposed to be?

It's the title given to what we call "All-Rounders."

They're adventurers certified to accept jobs

ranging from the lowest rank, F, all the way up to high-tier B.

What makes them special is that the base reward normally fixed by your adventurer rank

shifts depending on the job's rank instead.

Base Rewards B — 1 gold coin C — 5 silver-white coins D — 1 silver-white coin E — 1 silver coin F — 5 bronze coins

So basically, I can keep taking low-ranking requests

from my usual clients for the same cheap price as before?

That's right.

Thank you very—

But if you deliver something way above the job's intended quality,

the pay is adjusted upward.

Giving a little extra value ain't a problem,

but if you overdo it and wreck the market prices, we've got a problem.

Sorry about that.

Master, could you maybe soften the way you say things?

Huh? Ah... Right.

What he means is that everyone wants to pay you what your skills are actually worth.

Huh?

It ain't just me.

Every staff member at Europa,

the folks over at Calisto, the clients all across Belkaim...

Even Lord Lusellevach himself.

Everyone's been waiting for your rank to go up.