Chapter 230: Tuition Fee (6)  

Just moments ago, chaos erupted in the once-serene forest. Crackling! Swishing! Hissing! The screams of creatures frying in oil echoed through the night sky. A foul stench wafted from the burrow. Even those who barely survived were battered and bruised, covered in scalding oil from head to toe.

[Grrr! Grrr!]

[Craaang- Kkiing!]

[Kyaaaah!]

Agonizing creatures sprang from the burrow, fangs and claws bared. The eyes of wounded beasts were contracted, indicating that there was nothing in their field of view. Though they were only rated as a C+ rank monster for danger, their vigor and aggression were on par with higher-ranked monsters.

However…

…Swoosh!

In the presence of Vikir’s swift hands, all their aggression became meaningless. A blood red sword swiftly pierced the creature’s neck.

[Gruhk?]

The creature, having felt a sharp pain on its neck as it exited the burrow, paid no attention and charged forward without looking back. However, with a hole in its neck, it couldn’t go far and stumbled before collapsing, blood spurting vigorously from its throat.

Thud.

For a few seconds, a fountain of red blood sprayed from the neck until the creature, with hazy, lifeless eyes, fell limp on the spot.

Vikir, closely watching the burrow, continued to stab the necks of creatures leaping out with Beelzebub.

…Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud!

It wasn’t much work. Just once. Extending his arm with force, then retracting it.

With each monotonous movement of Beelzubub, creatures leaping out of the burrow collapsed in a pile in front of it.

Soon, all the creatures that had leaped out of the burrow were corpses, forming a vacant space in front of the burrow.

After wiping the blood splatter from his face and brushing aside his hair, Vikir remarked, “Looks like it’s mostly over.”

A gruesome scene of slaughter unfolded flawlessly, showcasing the precision and incredible expertise of the killing technique. Watching this, MiniPin couldn’t help but marvel, “…What exactly is this guy?”

“Why? Is this the first time you’ve seen someone hunt like this?”

“Of course, it’s my first time…”

Even as MiniPin finished speaking, more than ten creatures had already piled up outside the burrow.

MiniPin continued to collect the corpses piling up in a specific location and loaded them onto a cart. It was impossible to drag all of them with the cart they brought. They were clearly in a situation where they needed to request assistance from the nearby village authorities or guild.

Meanwhile, at this very moment, Vikir remained by the burrow, skillfully stabbing the necks of creatures emerging from it.

Then, at that moment…

[Grrrrrr……]

A disturbing sound emanated from the burrow.

As soon as MiniPin heard the sound, he shouted, “Boss, please evade! Something else is coming out!”

It was a Gnoll, but unlike regular ones, it was three times larger and had an unusual black-green fur covering its entire body. The fur was coarse like needles, and from its bloodshot eyes, thick, oily tears dripped down like sticky drops.

MiniPin shouted in panic, “It’s a variant of Gnoll called ‘Poison Gnoll’! It’s classified as an A-rank in danger, and its strength and speed are dozens of times greater than a regular Gnoll! Moreover, its teeth, claws, and fur contain a venom that can drive a person insane with just a graze!”

However, there was no time to elaborate on the explanation. The Poison Gnoll, unexpectedly bursting out by breaking the narrow burrow entrance, was swift.

“Hey!”MiniPin, wielding a greatsword, rushed towards Vikir.

It was to buy the client in danger some time to escape.

But…

[Thud!]

A small, dust-like object fell from above, blocking MiniPin’s life-threatening charge.

“…Huh?”

MiniPin stopped in his tracks with a bewildered expression. Understandably so, because as soon as this small dust-like object touched the ground, it immediately lunged at the Poison Gnoll right in front of it.

What was even more astonishing was that, after biting the neck of the menacing Poison Gnoll, the menacing poison gnoll foamed at the mouth, and fainted.

[Grrrrrr…]

The Poison Gnoll flipped over, expelled the contents of its body through its mouth and anus, then died with a painful expression.

“Uh?”

MiniPin, with a dumbfounded expression, alternated his gaze between Vikir and the Poison Gnoll’s carcass.

What kind of monster was this Poison Gnoll? If it appeared even once, a small village would likely be wiped out that day. A named monster that even several small hunting guilds combined couldn’t subdue. This one seemed to be accompanied by subordinate Gnolls, making it necessary for a large guild to mobilize elite forces to capture it.

…However.

“Well done, come back.”

When Vikir gestured, Baby madam quickly leaped back and slipped into Vikir’s sleeve.

[Hah, hah, hah…]

It seemed to be sending a gaze seeking praise…

Meanwhile, MiniPin, still struggling to believe that this tiny furball, who looked as if it could be killed by stepping on it once, had taken down the Poison Gnoll in one bite.

“Haa, I thought the days tormented by you were a nightmare… but now, it feels more like a dream. Is such a thing possible?”

“Since it’s reality, it’s your job to sell the organs and all the gnoll stuff.”

In response to Vikir’s casual command, MiniPin also nodded his head.

Then, MiniPin had to roll his tongue around as he counted the bodies of Gnolls and Poison Gnolls piling up in front of him.

“If we include the corpses inside the burrow, the number must be staggering. I can’t even count it properly. I may need to go to a big city and get the evaluation of several experts.”

“If there’s a bounty for each individual, we need to collect all the corpses.”

“Yes. For those who suffocated or died with a hole in the neck, we can probably strip the skin and sell it. Even for those fried in oil, it should be okay to sell just the bones. I’ll go in and check once the heat inside the burrow subsides.”

While the heat still emanated from the burrow, Vikir and MiniPin sat outside, collecting the corpses of Gnolls and Poison Gnolls, waiting.

During that time, occasionally, a few surviving Gnolls cautiously crawled out, only to be tidied up by baby madam waiting outside like a soldier on duty.

Eventually, when the heat inside the burrow subsided, MiniPin, holding a torch, crawled inside.

As he dug into the ground, advancing little by little, a surprising sight unfolded deep in the tunnel.

“Boss! You really should see this for yourself!”

Upon hearing MiniPin’s exclamation, Vikir also entered the burrow. What awaited them inside was a surprisingly unexpected scene, even for the usually composed Vikir.

Gold coins, bathed in oil, emitted a golden glow, filling the burrow. Under the flickering light of the torch, the gold coins cast eerie reflections and shadows on both sides.Even Vikir, known for his calm demeanor, was visibly taken aback. The sight of such a massive treasure could freeze anyone in place.

“…What could all this be?”

MiniPin turned to Vikir with a slightly frightened expression. However, Vikir remained nonchalant.

“It seems someone used this place as a vault.”

“What? But Gnolls… Oh!”

MiniPin didn’t finish his sentence, letting out an amazed gasp. As mentioned before, Gnolls had a tendency to collect shiny objects and pile them up in their burrows. Someone might have taken advantage of this behavior to stash illicit funds in the burrow.

“With so many Gnolls around, it’s unlikely that someone else would dare to steal from them. Natural vault keepers.”

“But who in the world would store their money in a Gnoll’s nest?”

“Well, who knows? But one thing is for sure.”

At Vikir’s words, MiniPin raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Soon, Vikir continued, and MiniPin’s expression turned pale.

“It must be someone confident enough to kill all the gnolls and take the gold..”

Someone with the ability to effortlessly eliminate all the Gnolls in this burrow, including the Poison Gnoll.

The scale of this lair was so vast that it even harbored a Poison Gnoll.

“…”

Trembling slightly, MiniPin gazed at the gold coins in front of him. An enormous amount of gold lay stacked like a mountain.

Clatter-

Vikir picked up a handful of scattered gold coins from the dirt floor.

“…No serial numbers.”

Coins without engraved serial numbers. In other words, these were unregistered currencies, produced by a mint but not officially distributed by banks.

“A law mandating the engraving of distinct serial numbers on banknotes and coins was passed by Damian Bourgeois, the director of the Department of Money Manufacturing. These coins appear to have been taken either before the law’s passage or shortly before the serial numbers were inscribed.”

“Are you suggesting that all of these are the results of a bank heist?”

“Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense.”

Vikir recalled recent news about a bank being robbed.

“…I see.”

In recent times, there have been reports of a mysterious entity destroying major facilities in Venetior.

“[Exclusive] Night Hound and his Atrocities… – Night Hound’s atrocities have gone too far… he attacked the academy… Inhumane and anti-national… During the festival, Night Hound destroyed major facilities within Venetior… The Venetior Imperial Bank…”

Vikir vividly remembered this article as he had written it himself. A villain who recently attacked the Venetior Imperial Bank, plundering it’s safe.

A mysterious terrorist, imitating Night Hound criminal actions to commit even greater crimes.

The moment Vikir recalled a disturbing name, “…!”

It cast a sinister shadow over reality.

Swiftly, something long and massive fell in front of Vikir and MiniPin as they exited the burrow.

“Boom! Boom! Boom! Crash!”

Startled by the unexpected explosion, Vikir stepped back. As the dust settled, a long and winding scar on the ground came into view.

It looked like the trail left behind by a giant serpent.

The grotesque marks were evidence of the presence of a formidable villain who now stood atop a twisted branch, observing Vikir and MiniPin from above.

“[Hohoho! Seems like little mice have crawled into my piggy bank?]”