Mr. Glynn, a few days after I asked Dius and the others for help.

'I think it's time for us to do some hunting.

What do you mean by that?

　I was sitting in a chair in the living room, and I suddenly muttered to myself.
　My words were met with a response from Noor, who was relaxing nearby, petting his mofoot.

'You've been concentrating on requests and group building lately, haven't you?　It's kept us from hunting ourselves. Isn't this very much of a problem?

That's true, but...

　Ever since I finished the comp gacha, I've almost never had to hunt normally anymore.
　There was a step-up gacha along the way, but that was thanks to the labyrinth rewards.

　This shouldn't be happening, your awareness of gacha is low, too low!
　The remainder of the step-up, the rare species I defeated in the labyrinth and while guarding, and the magic stones I got in the past few days, I have nearly 100 of them.
　However, this level is not enough to make a good story.

''That's true. We haven't collected any magic stones by ourselves lately, we should probably focus on hunting. Even though we don't need to hunt to get the magic stones, it's not enough to rely on them.

'Yes, yes, that's Esther. You know it well.

'Huh, you don't mind if I get a compliment, do you?

　Estelle, who had been listening, joined the conversation and seemed to agree with me.
　d*mn, Estelle is the best!

　In fact, in the last few days, I've gotten a few of them, whether Dius and the others beat me or not, but not enough to rely on at this pace.
　I've only just started, and I originally thought it would be enough to get in as a bonus, so I don't have a problem with it.

　Apart from that, now that I've achieved my goal and have settled in, I want to go back to my original hunt and accumulate some magic stones in the meantime.
　I don't think there's a scary gacha anymore for those of us who have gotten over the threat of the comp gacha, but it would be better to have a lot of magic stones.
　It would be great if we could earn enough to say, "Let's play gacha every day from now on!

Well, there's a reason other than magic stones.

''It's sometimes unusual for Okura-san to have a reason other than magic stones.

What do you think I am?

　Sisha, who had finished her housework, also entered the conversation.
　Collecting magic stones is the main goal, but there was one serious problem here.

''So, about the reason.......I think it's time for me to level up.

'Oh!　You are finally motivated to do it!

Yeah, because it's not costing me enough.

...What?

　Yes, there was a problem with the party's total cost.

''You used cost reductions during Luna's time too. You haven't even hunted properly since then, so does that mean your level hasn't gone up?

That's what I'm talking about.

　I just barely avoided it when I was in Luna, but the cost of using it now is 76.
　And since my level is currently 63, the cost limit is 77.
　Because I didn't hunt well from the comp gacha, it's only gone up by 1.
　Even if a new summoner was released, it would be impossible to get it out.

Then, from now on, you'll be hunting for experience?

''Then we'll have to go to Mount Lemuri?

　Based on the current appropriateness of the game, it's just fine to deal with Lizardmen on Mount Lemuri.
　In the northern cave, it's very slow to try to level up, probably because of the level difference.
　So it's best to go to Mount Remri as Sisha said........

'That's where it seems easier to level up for now. But since we can go all the way to Queles, I think it's possible to find a new hunting ground. Maybe there's a place where you can earn magic stones and gain experience, just like in the northern caves.

　I haven't shown up at the new hunting grounds around Queles.
　So I think this is a good time to look for a new hunting ground.
　........And it's hard to deal with lizardmen because they just keep springing up and running at you.
　If you're on a forced march, keep coming!　But when it's not, I want to hunt with a lot of room to spare.

●

　We came to a place called Alde's Forest after the Adventurer's Association in Queles gave us a B-rank recommended hunting ground.
　Me, Noor, and Esther spent two days on the road, and after arriving, we used a beacon to call Sisha and Luna to the site as well.

'Luna, I'm sorry to call you out at this hour,'

I don't mind. I've been getting up early lately. I'll be fine.

　It's about mid-afternoon now, so it's not the kind of time Luna would go out.
　But thanks to her life of getting up before the evening these days, she seems to be able to be active even at this time.
　Well, I'm glad that Luna has started getting up early too.
　I didn't think letting her get along with Sisha would work for the better here.

　Now that we were all here, we quickly stepped into the Alde Forest.
　The forest was overgrown with tall trees with no gaps between them, and visibility was slightly poor.
　It's dark, though not enough to use a lamp, and it's gloomy, perhaps because of the high humidity.
　It's kind of a creepy place........

''So, what kind of demons come out of this area?''

The Adventurer's Association says there's a demon called Matango. And Trent is also present. Trent may be mimicking things, so be careful of the trees around you.

　It's like a demon called a matango that appears in this place.
　When I asked what kind of demon it is, I was told it's a huge mushroom, but what kind of a demon is it exactly?
　It seems that when you defeat a matango, mushrooms come out, and they're treated as ingredients for magic potions in Queres.
　Some people like them for their food, and there's a decent demand for them.

　Also, I heard that there are also torrents here.
　It seems that Matango is a higher ranked monster, but since it has mimicry, you have to be careful not to be caught by surprise.

''Whoa, there's a reaction.''

Trent didn't react until he attacked, so I'm guessing it was Matango's?

Maybe. I think it's moving I think it's time to look.

　As I was checking the map app as I went along, I finally saw a red dot.
　Trent doesn't move until he makes contact, so it must be a matango that says he's in this forest.
　I proceeded towards the direction of the response and finally saw the monster....

'Is it really a mushroom monster...'

If we kill them, we drop the mushrooms, don't we?　Tonight it's grilled mushrooms!

'Eh....'

　The matango we finally found was a slightly shorter than my height, a mushroom with a hat-like umbrella and legs growing out of it.
　It looked like a mushroom version of a smiter, and such an object was walking slowly in front of us.

　Seeing the demon, Nol started saying something about roasted mushrooms.
　Seriously, seriously........you're going to eat the mushrooms that this guy dropped.......
　And for now, let's check the status.

　------
Species:Matango
　Level: 55
　HP: 10,000
　MP:600
　Attack Power: 600
　Defensive Power:900
　Agility:25
　Magic Resistance:30
　Intrinsic Ability Nutrient absorption
　Skill Spore Spreading
------

　Is it slightly weaker than Lizardman?
　But it's unique abilities and skills might be troublesome.
　I don't understand what the term "nutrient absorption" means, but it seems to scatter spores as well, so I guess I should be careful when approaching it.

''Brother, is that thing high in magic resistance?''

No, it's not that high.

'Yes, that would be nice. Ei.

　After getting confirmation from me, Esther took out a light blue grimoire from her bag.
　Then, with a shout, she swings her staff down and a thin stream of water cuts the mushroom in half from the top of its head to its crotch.
　The matango, whose body was split into two halves on either side, collapsed as it was and transformed into particles of light.

　I'm sure you're aware of the fact that you're still using horrible magic.......but it looks like you're thinking about your surroundings when you're not using fire magic.
　I'm sure you're not going to be able to get away with it.

"Oh, it's a mushroom! It's a mushroom!

　Noor rushed to the spot where Matango had disappeared and returned happily with the drop item.
　In his hand was a long, slender mushroom with a hemispherical umbrella that was dyed bright blue.

''Ko, is this really edible?　That's a lot of color.

The color is clearly toxic.

　You're kidding me, this is edible?
　It's completely blue and I can only assume it's poisonous....

　I found another Matango while pulling on Noor who is about to eat such a mushroom.
　And again, Esther uses her earth magic and crushes the mushroom with a rock.

''Oh, this time a mushroom of a different color has fallen off, right?

"...what?　May I have a look at it?

You are welcome.

　When Nol retrieved it again, this time it was a mushroom that was dyed bright yellow.
　Looking at the mushroom, Esther noticed something and began to pick it up and check it while tilting her head to see if she noticed something.

''This mushroom, it seems to contain a lot of magical elements.

Oh, you mean like magic mushrooms?

'You could say that but in plain English it's like mushrooms with MP in them.

　Obviously it's not a normal mushroom, but a mushroom with MP in it........
　Maybe that's why it's an ingredient in a potion.

'So does that mean that if you eat it, your MP will be restored?

'I don't know. But assuming I do recover, I don't think I'm going to eat this...

　It's all you need to restore your magic.　How I imagined the mages of this world doing it.
　In fact, I think they're drinking it as an MP potion or something.................but I hate to think that this is in it.
　In the midst of this delicate atmosphere, Esther began to gaze at Noll.

''Nah, why are you looking at me?''

Do you want one?

When you put it that way, I'm not sure what to think.

You're lost...

　The mushroom in her hand, Esther asked Nole if she wanted to eat it as she held it out.
　Then she crossed her arms and groaned and thought about it.

　Normally, if someone asked her if she would eat such a mushroom, she would say she wouldn't eat it with an immediate answer.
　And yet, I can't believe she's hesitating... maybe someone like Noor would be the first to take a bite of something that wouldn't be considered food.
　It's not something that can be imitated.

　Then we found more and more matangoes, and we continued our hunt.

"This is gonna be great.

'Yeah. It's kind of funny how they change color depending on how they're defeated and who defeated them.

Mmmmm, my mushrooms are silver!　It seems to be very rare!

　He continues to collect mushrooms and the bag contains mushrooms of various colors.
　Apparently, these mushrooms change color depending on who defeated them and how they were defeated.
　When Estelle defeated them with magic, water changed to blue, wind to green, and earth to yellow. If she defeated it with fire, it would probably turn red.

　And the silver mushroom that Nol is now happily holding is the one that fell off when she defeated it.
　If you eat it, it's going to turn into metal.

''Okura-san's.......it's an indescribable color.

Ha, black and white look the strongest in the mix, don't they?

You're starting to get desperate.

　And the mushrooms I fell down on were ... gray.
　Sisuha is a pure white mushroom and Luna is a bright red mushroom.
　I'm the only one who's awfully halfway there, aren't I?　It's kind of frustrating.

I mean, this is no fun!　You're about to lose your purpose!

Oh, by the way, it was also for collecting magical stones.

'It should be time for a rare species to come out...'

　We've already taken down quite a few of them, so it's about time for the rare species to come out.
　As we were thinking this, something was coming towards us, shaking the tree with a rustle.
　As we were bracing ourselves for what was coming, what appeared in front of us was a mushroom.

　It's the same mushroom as the Matango, but it's more than twice as big.
　So this is a rare species...........................status check.

　------
Species:Matango
　Level: 65
　HP: 35,000
　MP:1500
　Attack Power: 500
　Defensive Power:1500
　Agility:25
　Magic Resistance:40
　Intrinsic Ability Nutrient absorption
　Skill: Spore Injection
------

　What's this?　Madango?　It's a complicated name.
　It's a rare species, so its status is high.
　And the skills seem to be somewhat strong as well.

　I tried to get ready to fight right away.
　But before I could, a red object flew overhead at high speed and pierced the Madango.
　It's not just a matter of time before you're able to get your hands on one.

　The pierced object is Luna's spear, and after a bit it turns into particles of light and returns to her hand.
　And soon she throws it again, and more windholes are added to the Madango.
　Concentrated fire from a long distance by Estelle and Luna I'm starting to feel sorry for the demon.
　Even though they have magic resistance, it's too miserable to have spears flying at them one after another while they're being stopped from moving.

''What, it's a rare species, but it doesn't respond well.

It's slow and big, so it's a good thing.

　In a few dozen seconds of time, Luna's spear finally stabbed through and turned the Madango into a particle of light.
　The thing that fell was a bright red-tinted mushroom that was more than twice its normal size.
　It's so easy to take them down..........................I don't have a choice, right?

　After killing the first rare species, I took down more and more like that, and so far today I've finished the hunt after killing 30 of them.
　Ahhh, I can't get enough!　After all, hunting for the magic stones that are being stored up seems to wash away the mind.