Dark Fantasy’s Extra

A week had passed since we returned to the Order after hunting the Beast of Bone Fragments.

During that time, I had moved to a private room for 8th-rank hunters, and naturally, Hilde came with me.

The private room was slightly smaller than the shared dormitory for 9th-rank hunters where I’d spent the last 10 years, but it still had two rooms with a small hearth and shower.

Though Hilde was a bit disappointed that the water from the shower was still cold.

At least having separate rooms meant we no longer needed to take turns going outside every time we changed clothes.

And though small, having a hearth meant we could cook whatever food we wanted.

It somehow even made me nostalgic, reminding me of the studio apartment I lived in during my previous life.

“That’s enough.”

I said to Hilde, whose face had turned red.

“Puhah!”

She let out her breath roughly at my words.

“Hah, hah… That’s a new record!”

“Yes, 30 minutes and 17 seconds. Of course, holding your breath while sitting still is different from holding it while moving, but reaching this level in a week is impressive.”

During this time, I had taught Hilde various skills.

Mostly techniques for adapting to natural environments, like rope climbing, rock climbing, and breath-holding.

She had completely mastered climbing ropes and logs.

Even breath-holding, which was difficult to maintain for 2 minutes at first, she could now hold for over 30 minutes.

This miracle was possible because her body naturally grew stronger without needing to directly control magical power.

It took me 2 years when I first joined to reach that level.

But Hilde accomplished all of that in just a week.

Watching from the side, I felt both amazed and slightly afraid.

“This should be good enough now.”

“Good enough for what?”

“Our next Beast hunt.”

Hilde’s eyes lit up at the mention of Beast hunting.

“I’m ready anytime.”

“Then shall we go prepare?”

“Yes. I’ll pack my backpack first.”

Hilde seemed to have lost quite a bit of her sheltered nature over the week.

“Wait, there’s somewhere we need to go first.”

“Where?”

“Development Department. Workshop 3.”

“Ah…”

A week had passed since our promise with Zepetia.

It’s time to receive the equipment she made.

We left our quarters and headed to Workshop 3 in the Development Department.

*    *    *

“I’ve been waiting.”

Zepetia welcomed us in the workshop.

“Actually, it was finished yesterday, but then I realized I didn’t know where to find you.”

“As long as it was completed within the timeframe, that’s fine.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Anyway, what did you make?”

“Hehehe… Prepare to be amazed. Even I think it turned out really well.”

Zepetia took one of the pieces of equipment hanging on the wall and brought it to us.

“This is my latest creation, the ‘Obsidian Claw.'”

For a weapon named after obsidian, it was quite a crude-looking claw.

While the blade length was decent enough, it was still clearly a weapon for extremely close combat.

“You said the Beast was originally born from a tree, right? Perhaps because of that, this weapon easily twists plant fibers when it touches wood.”

“Twists plant fibers?”

Hilde tilted her head.

“Simply put, it embeds well in plants. Even in hard wood.”

“Oh, that’s exactly it. The hunter has good understanding.”

It was more that I already knew what effects it had.

The Obsidian Claw looked exactly the same as it did in the game from my previous life.

While its attack power isn’t bad, it’s not really used for combat but rather for its special skill ‘Tree Climbing’ attached to the weapon.

As explained, it could easily climb any tree, no matter how hard the wood.

Of course, it only worked on trees, not brick walls.

“Try using it first, then come back when you have time and tell me how it was.”

After getting the Obsidian Claw, we headed outside.

“Senior, where are we going now?”

“This time we’re going somewhere high.”

“High?”

“Why do you think I spent a week teaching you how to climb ropes and trees?”

“Don’t tell me…”

“Follow me.”

We grabbed our backpacks and left the Order.

This time we ran on our own two feet instead of riding horses.

“Um, do we really have to avoid riding horses?”

Hilde asked from behind.

“Of course riding horses is comfortable. But horses are unreliable creatures. They can’t defend themselves, need constant feeding… It’s much better if we run ourselves.”

While riding horses or carriages would be better for conserving energy.

But hunters usually go to dangerous places, and horses are easy targets for Beasts.

It’s difficult to fight while protecting horses, and while using them as bait might work, doing that too often would mean spending all our money on horses.

“It’ll be tiring and boring, but just keep running. Running to the destination is basic for hunters.”

“Yes…”

We ran or walked for nearly 12 hours before reaching a mountain.

“Oh? That’s…”

Hilde was slightly surprised by what she saw in the distance upon reaching our destination.

“That’s where we’re going.”

“I-I’ve never even heard of something like that existing.”

There was a massive tree at the center of the mountain range, with what looked like a temple building at its very top.

“It’s a place archaeologists or explorers visit at least once. While there’s still much unknown about it, and as you can see there’s not even a single village nearby, it’s not well-known among civilians.”

“No one lives here?”

“Because Beasts appear.”

“…!”

“Beasts regularly appear from that building up there.”

“What’s inside?”

“Don’t know. Since the Beasts are relatively docile, there was never a need for extermination or detailed investigation. Though they do kill people, they mostly just guard the building or occasionally come out to patrol the surroundings before returning.”

“Isn’t that quite suspicious? Why hasn’t it been properly investigated?”

“Lack of manpower.”

“Ah…”

It’s hard enough hunting Beasts near villages and cities where people live, let alone having the luxury to investigate suspicious buildings in such remote places.

“We’re going up there.”

“So that’s why you kept making me practice tree climbing.”

“Now show me the results of that training.”

“Yes! …But.”

“Hmm?”

“Did we really need to come all the way here?”

We did need to.

To get what will soon become Hilde’s main weapon, there’s something we absolutely must retrieve from this place.

“I don’t know anywhere better for climbing practice.”

I gave the excuse I had prepared.

“Anyway, let’s go. Take out the rope and that thing.”

“Yes.”

Hilde took out the rope and Obsidian Claw from her backpack.

“Wearing this on one hand should make it easy to climb.”

The Obsidian Claw allows easy climbing of any tree.

“What an amazing coincidence. Just when we need to climb a big tree, we get a tool that’s good at climbing trees.”

“Indeed.”

More planned than coincidence, but still.

This was probably intended in Blue Paper Moon from the start.

Even in Blue Paper Moon, no matter how good your climbing skill was, you couldn’t reach the top of this tree without the Obsidian Claw.

We entered the mountain.

While Beasts appear from the temple up above, none appeared on the mountain itself.

I wore the Obsidian Claw on one hand and stabbed its blade into the tree.

Though I already knew what would happen, the part where the blade touched really sank in like butter touched by a hot knife.

I drove a small iron stake into that hole and tested it by shaking.

The stake was firmly fixed and didn’t budge.

If I had tried to drive it in with pure force from the start, it would have consumed considerable strength and magical power.

“I’ll go up first driving in stakes, you follow after me.”

“Yes…”

Hilde’s response wasn’t very enthusiastic.

Standing right in front of a tree over 100 meters tall that she’d have to climb with just her body, her confidence seemed to have dropped.

Death from falling from heights.

A death you can’t resist no matter who you are.

“Don’t worry. I’ll tie this rope around both our waists, so even if you slip by mistake, I’ll catch you.”

I wrapped the rope around my waist and handed the other end to Hilde.

“B-but then you too…”

“You don’t think I can hold up one person? Don’t you trust me?”

“I do.”

Good answer.

Hilde wrapped the rope around her waist.

“And wear this on one hand, if anything happens immediately drive it into the tree to secure yourself.”

“Yes.”

Finally, after Hilde put on the Obsidian Claw on one hand, I started climbing the tree first.

The climb wasn’t particularly difficult.

Thanks to the item, I could easily drive spikes into the tree, maintaining a hanging position as I climbed.

“Following well?”

Around halfway up, I called out without looking down.

“Yes!”

“Keep looking up!”

“Yes!”

It’s better not to tell someone not to look down.

That might actually make them unconsciously look down.

Not long after, we quickly reached the temple.

Without the Obsidian Claw, we wouldn’t have made it even a quarter of the way yet.

“Hah… Good thing we trained so much.”

Hilde said.

“But who would build such a large building in a place like this?”

“Who knows.”

More precisely, the temple that was on the ground rose up.

The behemoth ‘Jack’ occupied a temple 500 years ago and used magic to make a giant tree grow beneath it.

And while Jack was eventually subjugated by Belle, the items he left behind still remain in this temple.

That item can be exchanged for a weapon used by a certain NPC, and that exchanged item is our final goal.

With just that, we can handle fights with Beasts and witches relatively easily.

Of course, it doesn’t mean guaranteed victory, but it greatly increases our chances.

“However…”

“Yes?”

“…I didn’t expect someone to be here before us.”

“…?”

“Over there, come out quietly.”

I spoke toward one of the temple pillars.

“Ahaha, you caught me.”

From behind the pillar emerged a small man wearing a dull, dirty golden helmet.

Though he wore a black cloak, he likely had armor underneath as well.

“Talk about timing, meeting hunters in a place like this.”

“Who are you?”

I asked, though I already knew his name.

“Ah, sorry. I’m an adventurer. Name’s Sancho. I was just hiding out of curiosity. I have no intention of fighting you.”

Sancho raised both hands.

Sure enough, he wore gauntlets as worn as his helmet, in the same dull gold color.

“By the way, what brings hunters to a place like this? You seem too few to be an investigation team. Wasn’t it usually teams of seven? Ah, of course you don’t need to answer. It’s best not to interfere with hunters’ business. For both our sakes.”

Sancho waved his hands dismissively.

“If you’re here looking for treasure, we might have to compete, but I’d rather we help each other if possible.”

He went inside the temple.

“An explorer, no, adventurer. Just like a story book protagonist.”

True to his introduction as an adventurer, Sancho is a character you meet in various regions.

While there are no events where you fight together, he was an NPC merchant who sold items and various consumables you couldn’t get from the Order.

And he was one of the most memorable characters in Blue Paper Moon.

“Let’s go in too.”

“Yes.”

I entered the temple with Hilde.