When we arrived at the top of the rocky hill, the forest was a complete change from the forest we had seen earlier, and we were greeted with a gray scene with no vegetation at all.
　The ground was basically flat, but there were some raised and lowered areas where it was uneven.
　In addition to that, there are countless rocks and stones of various sizes lying around, and even if you were to tell me that there is a demon in here, it is unlikely that I would be able to judge it at a quick glance.
　The scene was similar across the valley where the river was flowing, and it made me wonder how far the Lugen Valley extended.

'It's wide, but it's all rocky and bleak.

'But the view from here is good! Are we from that area?

It's very emotional to think of how far you've come from there. It makes me want to howl, "Yuck!

Stop!　What if a demon comes by!

　I stopped in a hurry as Sisha began to put her hand to her mouth like a trumpet.
　The top of the rocky mountain is bleak, but the forest and river landscape below, seen from here, is colorful and beautiful.
　It's like a desert and an oasis.
　I know that you want to do the standard thing of screaming when you climb a mountain, but you don't want to get in trouble for unnecessary demons to come and bother you.

You're still in good spirits, aren't you, Onii-san? I'm tired, can I take a break?

　I crouched down and put my hands on my cheeks as Esther looked at us. She looked very tired.
　And when I said I wanted to take a break, Luna, who had heard it, responded.

'Mm, that would be good. Break, break, break.'

You look terribly happy.... Well, I wasn't going to go hunting as it is, so get some rest.

　Luna gingerly sat down on a nearby rock and looked lively.
　It looks like there's still room for more.......as expected of a vampire, even if she's a young girl.
　I originally planned to take a break when we arrived at the rocky mountain, and it's just as well.
　I decided to stay where I was before advancing deeper and take lunch with the lunchbox that Nol had brought with her.

It's delicious. Rice on top of a mountain is the best food you can eat!

As usual, you eat a lot.

There's something special about eating with the scenery as a wanker!　I can't stop eating.

I feel like you always seem to eat just as happily, but...

　Esther is looking at Noor, who is flattening more and more sandwiches, with a dumbfounded look on her face.
　It's certainly good to feel good about eating food while looking at this view.......but I don't think that's what's going to make you eat or not in the case of Noor.

''Yum-um ... hmm, don't worry about the details.

'That too. Like Noll said, let's just enjoy the view while we eat.

　Esther nodded at a word from Luna, who was biting into her sandwich, and all three of us were eating, looking at the view below.
　I was about to get a slice and eat it too... but I noticed that Sisha was gone before I knew it.
　When I looked around, I saw him walking around and scurrying around the nearby rocky area, looking curious.

'What are you doing wandering around?　Here, have some of this.

Oh, thank you.

　I got another slice of sandwich and went over to Sisha's place and called out to her.
　

So, what's the matter with you guys?

'Oh no, my body is itching to get the gems from now on.... I was actually looking forward to coming to the Lugen Valley.

'Whoa, Sisha likes jewelry?'

No, it's not that I don't like it, but... it's kind of romantic, isn't it?

'Yeah, yeah, right. Comrade.

'What?　........oh, yes.

　Oh, I didn't know that Sisha felt as romantic as I did.
　I was so happy that I held out my hand, and he shook my hand in return despite my confusion.

''And yet this rocky mountain is huge, isn't it? There are rocks all over it, and it's going to be a pain in the ass to find Lupes Rex.

'I was prepared for it, though, because they said it was hard to discover at first. I didn't expect it to be this big, but...

　I knew it was a pretty big mountain before I climbed it, but I didn't realize the top of the rocky mountain was like this...
　There are many flat surfaces, so it seems easy to move around, but the back of the mountain is so wide that I don't even know how far it goes.
　And there were countless rocks lying around that seemed to mimic demons.
　They range from foot-sized to larger than my height.

''Huh........Did a cliff collapse occur there?　It's falling apart in a strange way, but...

Hmm?　 Isn't it the remains of a previous adventurer coming and fighting a demon or something?

　When Sisuha looked at the tip of his finger, he saw that a small part of the raised rock pile had been scraped away.
　The middle portion was missing in a semicircle, as if it had been gouged out by a strong force.
　As for its size, the semicircle looked to be more than four meters long.

''That seems highly likely. I'm wondering if the person who did that was a demon or an adventurer.''

'If a demon caused that to happen, was it Lupesleks who did it?　There's some cleavage and sharp edges, and I'd better be careful of my surroundings when I'm fighting.

　If they're adventurers, they've come this far, and they're probably as strong as or stronger than Dius and the others.
　Gouging out a rock seems pretty amazing but I wouldn't be surprised if they could do that much.
　If it was a demon that did it, it seems to be strong in its own right, so we should be wary of it.
　Even if you don't get hit directly, it's bad if you get blown off and fall off the cliff or get stuck in a sharp rock.

Now, I'm full, so I'll do my best to find it!

'It's great that you're motivated, but how are you going to find one of these guys?　Brother, do you think they'll respond to the map app?

'Unfortunately, he's not responding. It's like they're mimicking, probably with Trent.

Hmm, let's just hit them one by one, shall we?

It's going to be a slow and steady process.

　We finished our meal and started moving up the rocky mountain to find Lupes Rex.
　I had expected it, but I still couldn't see the red dot on the map app.
　I'm not sure I'll be able to hit these countless rocks one by one....
　We could ask Estelle to bomb them, but that would be a pain in the ass if they all start moving at once, so we'll have to consider it as a last resort.

　For now, based on the advice we got from the association, we're going to attack the larger rocks from a distance.
　However, there was no rock that started to move, and I began to wonder if it was really mimicking....

'Whoa!　What, what?!

There are rocks running around!

What a pain in the ass to run away from. I'll tell you what.

　Suddenly, the round, soccer ball-sized stone that my foot hit starts to roll around.
　Then, as if transforming away from us, the limbs come out and become bipedal and run away from us.
　It's a really strange sight, even after all this time, since the mushroom and bamboo monster had arms and legs, too.
　Luna threw a spear at the fleeing stone, so I have to check the status before it sticks.

　------
Species:Lapis
　Level: 10
　HP: 1500
　MP:0
　Attack Power:100
　Defensive Power:500
　Agility:40
　Magic Resistance:0
　Unique Ability Mimicry
　Skills None
------

　This is a very weak demon again.
　As soon as I confirmed it, Luna's spear stabbed through, and with a single blow, the stone pieces shattered and turned into particles of light.
　It was a hassle to climb up to this point, but the demons up there are so weak.......

'Is that the demon that drops the gemstone?　The drop items are.....

　When I went to the place where Lapis disappeared, there was a nondescript stone lying around.
　Eh.........isn't the gemstone in the rough going to fall?

It's just a rock, sir.

What, you're holding a rock?

Maybe it's unusual to drop a gemstone.

'Then we'll have to hunt more and more!　Now we're going to crush the barking stone!

I'm here for Lupes Rex, so be moderate.

　Gukunu, I thought the gemstone would fall, but I guess I'm not that naive.
　I'd like to hunt carefully until I drop it, but the purpose of coming here is the Demon Yuan Stone that Lupes Rexx drops.
　I've heard that it looks pure white and is large enough to hold with both hands, so it must be a large demon for that.
　If we're aiming for a rock bigger than our backside, that's what we should be aiming for.

　Then, while aiming for the largest rock possible, I started exploring with Estelle and Nolu and the others split up a little apart.
　Then we dealt with lapis of various sizes, and when we looked at their statuses, we found a difference.
　This is the status of the stone demon that I was dealing with earlier, a stone demon of about 1 meter in length.

　------
Species:Lapis
　Level: 40
　HP: 14,000
　MP:0
　Attack Power:600
　Defensive Power:2400
　Agility:50
　Magic Resistance:0
　Unique Ability Mimicry
　Skills Rolling.
------

　They just look the same, only bigger, but all the stats are higher and even the skills have been added.

'The demons here are all completely different in size. And even their strength is different.

'And it's all mimicking, we have to proceed with caution. I'll be more conservative with my magic.

'Yes. It would be troublesome if they triggered it and started moving all at once.

　I didn't know that they were demons that varied so much between individuals... the bigger they got, the more their strength changed?
　The things we drop are still stones, but the stones that fall are getting bigger in proportion to their size.
　If a gemstone falls from a large lapis, it could get bigger by that amount.
　I'm getting excited when I think about it.

　As I continued to hunt to see if it would fall soon, Nolu came towards me while shouting.

"Okura-dono, he's fallen!

"Oh, really?

Yes, sir.

　Noll happily showed me a reddish colored, fist-sized lump the size of a fist.
　The surface is rough to the touch.
　Oh, so this is a gemstone in the rough.
　You said it's good for food, but as far as you're happy with it, I guess Nolle was interested too.

"This is a gemstone in the rough?

No, it's rock salt!

'What, is that salt?　How did you know it was rock salt?

I was scared out of my wits, so I took a quick lick.

Oh, well...

　I knew that Nole was Nole.
　Do you usually think to lick it after seeing this?
　You've got good instincts in vain.....maybe it's just instinct.

'It really does go down to rock salt I was joking.

'This is motivating!　I'll get more and more!

'Totally ... Esther, see to it that Noll doesn't put anything weird in her mouth.

Yeah, I'm on it.

　Noll would be able to distinguish between what you can and can't eat, but I'm worried, so I decided to have Esther keep an eye on it.
　There's no problem since Sisha is there too, so I can recover even if my stomach is broken.......just in case.

　As I was hunting by myself, Sisha came in this time.

"Okura-san, Okura-san.

Hmm?　What's going on?

Phew, it's finally down.

Are you sure?　Let me see it.

Yeah, go ahead.

　Like Noll before, it's not jewelry again, it's something else.....
　As I was doubting this, Sisha opened her clenched hand after being a bit hesitant.
　And on the palm of his hand is a green stone the size of a fingertip.
　It's a little cloudy, but the inside is clear and shines in the sunlight.

'Whoa!　You're finally down!

''Ufufu, it's me. I don't have any luck with gacha, but when it comes to this kind of luck, I seem to have a lot.

　Maybe it's because I got the first one, but Sisha has a smug look of satisfaction on her face.
　Gugu, that's a bit frustrating.......but now I know it's really going to fall off.

''But with this gemstone, it's small and the color doesn't seem to match Luna-san. I'll have to find another gemstone........

What, are you going to give him a present?

Yes, it would be nice if I could make it into an ornament and give it to Luna-san.

　He wanted the jewelry for Luna, not for himself.
　As usual, Sisha's love for Luna doesn't seem to be going away.
　That person in question is poking at a rock with a spear at a distance, as if it's a hassle.......but....

''Why don't you give Esther-san a gift too, Okura-san?　I'm sure you'll be delighted to give me that necklace in return.

Well that certainly sounds like a good idea. Okay, I'm going to get into the spirit of the hunt.

That's the spirit!　If you don't find one to your satisfaction, we'll come back with you later!　I'd like to be very selective, too!

'Right. This time we're looking at Lupes Rex, and it's not a good idea to focus too much on that.

　Estelle gave me a magic light stone necklace before, so should I give her something in return?
　I can't spend a lot of time on it because the purpose of this time isn't jewelry, but Sisha said she's going to do it with me, so maybe I'll come hunting next time to carefully select it.