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Chapter 89 - The Path of Calamity 4. Countermeasures

"...Yuri, if you know that much, you must have some idea how to kill that monster, right?"

Guild Master Naval pressed him, and Yuri did indeed have an idea. ...Or rather, he had hunted one before. But... revealing that right here and now...

"...Well, I know the general methods."

"Yeah, that’s fine. In fact, it would be a problem if you taught us some unconventional method."

Yuri, who had hunted a Tyrantbot using a very unconventional method, had mixed feelings, but he nonetheless relayed the method described in his Anti-Monster Tactics skill.

"...It’s troublesome because it has the Stealth skill, but it’s an inherently aggressive monster, so it won’t just hide and let you pass. It’s bound to reveal itself and attack somewhere. So this is for after you’ve found it..."

After hearing Yuri’s explanation, the people in the guild held their heads in their hands.

Keep out of its arms’ reach. Immobilize it and surround it so it cannot escape. Its excellent dashing and jumping abilities mean a thin encirclement will be easily broken. Surround it from a distance, setting up obstacles like carts and water barrels to gradually narrow its range of movement. Entangling it with chains or nets is also an option, but they will be torn apart if not sturdy enough. Magic can be deflected, so attack from a distance with javelins or bows. Poison is another option. Its high metabolism means poison spreads quickly, but on the flip side, many individuals have a resistance to it. Incidentally, when they heard the type and amount of poison required, the group slumped over at the difficulty of acquiring it.

"No matter what we do, it looks like we’ll need a lot of adventurers... D-class, or preferably C-class and above..."

"If we’re talking about an encirclement, we’ll need at least twenty... no, thirty... preferably more than fifty people, you know?"

"We can’t gather that many people right away, and it’ll take time... Yuri!"

"Yes?"

"Do you know a way to do it with a smaller group?"

"...Even if you ask me that... This isn’t limited to the Tyrantbot, but if we launched a surprise attack... perhaps..."

Yuri’s words lacked conviction. He knew he could defeat it alone, but he had a strong premonition that saying so here would get him entangled in troublesome affairs.

"...A surprise attack, huh."

*

...The next day, for some reason, Yuri found himself in a carriage with the members of "Lucky Footsteps," heading toward the location where the Tyrantbot had appeared.

After hearing Yuri’s explanation, Naval had thought for a while before making several moves.

First, as the guild, he began assembling a Tyrantbot subjugation force by summoning nearby adventurers, keeping in mind the possibility of requesting cooperation from the territorial army. Second, he issued a nominated request to "Lucky Footsteps," the only C-class party currently staying in Laurenzen, and tasked them with searching for and harassing the Tyrantbot. This was intended to prevent further damage, and at the same time, he hoped they would either pin the Tyrantbot down until the subjugation force could be formed and dispatched, or drive it away with harassing attacks. And third, he had pleaded with Yuri to accompany "Lucky Footsteps" as an advisor. Adon, who knew Yuri’s value, and also understood the extent of the damage the Tyrantbot could cause, had a conflicted expression. Old Man Audel and Dona, of course, had opposed it. However...

(The meat is surprisingly tasty, and above all, it's the perfect ingredient for fermented meat...)

He had hunted a Tyrantbot only once before. The fermented meat he had made from its entrails was just so, so, so delicious. So far, he hadn't found any fermented seasonings in this merchant city, let alone miso, soy sauce, fish sauce, or meat sauce. If that was the case, he didn't want to waste an opportunity to get some delicious fermented meat...

And so, with that ulterior motive, Yuri decided to accept the request. As a non-adventurer, Yuri had no obligation to follow the Adventurer’s Guild’s requests, but what with the beginner’s training session, he felt it was probably better to maintain a good relationship with them. That sort of development was common in the light novels he had read in his previous life, too.

With that backstory, as Yuri headed to the front lines, the leader of "Lucky Footsteps," Kudol, spoke to him.

"...Hey, Yuri. This might be a long shot, but... you’ve hunted a Tyrantbot before, haven’t you?"

Having witnessed him effortlessly defeat the Greed Wolves on the way to Laurenzen, and having been shown the hide and gall bladder of an extra-large Gambit Grizzly, Kudol and the others couldn't shake the suspicion that Yuri had hunted a Tyrantbot. They understood that the Tyrantbot was an extremely dangerous monster, but they couldn't dismiss the thought that perhaps Yuri, who seemed to hunt Gambit Grizzlies on a regular basis, could do it. And, just as they thought...

"I’ve only hunted one once, you know? And even then, I only managed it with a surprise attack."

"Pulling off a surprise attack on a monster that ambushed ‘Red Sandstorm’ is amazing in itself..."

To the magician Katra’s voice, which sounded somewhat resigned and weary, the rest of the party nodded in agreement.

"There’s no guarantee it’ll work out this time, you know? I won’t know until I see it for myself."

"So you’re certain you’ll find it, then..."

For some reason, the scout Fray’s voice also lacked energy. As a strange atmosphere settled over them, Kudol tried to shake it off with a question.

"So, Yuri. We’ll leave finding it to you, but how should we fight it? ...In a way that normal people can do, that is."

Seeing the others nodding along once again, Yuri couldn’t hide his confusion. If even a bottom-feeder like him could hunt it, couldn’t anyone hunt it once they got the hang of it? He couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone at the Adventurer’s Guild was overreacting... He had kept quiet because it seemed like a hassle to speak up, but... it wouldn't be a problem if he just hunted it, right? As long as he wasn't caught by surprise, it should be fine.

"No, no, we can’t have you imposing your standards on us."

This time, too, everyone nodded vigorously.