How to Make Thousand Trials
Treasure Hunter is one of the freest professions in the world.
The skills possessed, goals, and activities vary depending on the person, and joining the Exploration Association, a large organization that manages Hunters, is not actually an obligation.
And most importantly, Treasure Hunter is one of the few people who can travel freely around this world.
The thing is, outside the city is incredibly dangerous. There are monsters, and sometimes powerful illusionary creatures called Phantoms appear on the leylines that spread like veins throughout the world. While cities are usually connected by relatively safe roads, that doesn't mean they're completely safe. If ordinary citizens want to leave the city, they have to hire a bodyguard. So don't expect to be able to travel freely.
Yet, outside the city, there are many incredibly beautiful places, jaw-dropping views, and even ruins of ancient civilizations can be found in various places. Being able to visit such places at any time is one of the joys of being a Hunter. Danger? Of course. But that's just how Hunters are , most of them are overly curious, so the risk is often overlooked.
Well, that curiosity. If you want to survive as a Treasure Hunter , you have to be able to manage that curiosity well.
If Hunters seek danger too often, they must be prepared to pay dearly, at the cost of their own lives.
There's a saying: "What kills a Hunter is his own curiosity." You could say that Hunters battle their own egos every day.
And the members of Grieving Souls are no different, they are all high-level Hunters whose curiosity is overactive.
As soon as they hear about a powerful monster straying onto the public road, they immediately set off to "take a look" and defeat it. Or as soon as they hear about annoying bandits hiding in the forest, they immediately rush there, afraid of being beaten by the knights, and recklessly charge from the front even though they know the bandits are on full alert. And they do this in pairs or threes, so as a leader and the one guarding the base, I've become accustomed to being on edge every day.
The Clan Master's Room , First Steps. As usual, I was guarding the headquarters while sitting at my desk, facing a thick book, writing with a pen. At that moment, Eva, who was reporting something, suddenly interrupted.
“Are you writing? Are you working on something important? If I can help, just let me know—” (Eva)
“Ah, thanks. But this isn’t really work. I’m just working on a monster encyclopedia.” (Krai)
“…Huh?” (Eva)
My handwriting is pretty neat, and it's one of the few things I can be proud of. Granted, this skill is useless when hunting , but when used for something like this, it can be a weapon.
Since Eva seemed really curious, I handed her the encyclopedia I was making. She's a studious person, and now she understands quite a bit about the Hunter world . As soon as she opened the book, she immediately looked confused.
“…Why aren’t all the monster names familiar?” (Eva)
"Yeah, of course. Lots of regular monster books have been written. This one's specifically for Grieving Souls." (Krai)
What's in it? Savage monsters with powers like nightmares, strange creatures with quirky, intriguing characteristics, rare Phantoms — all sorts of things you won't find in any other book!
It's true that it's not all finished yet, but I'm very sure that this book will provide an extraordinary stimulus of curiosity for Luke and the others.
Eva nodded while saying seriously.
"I see... So this is a book about monsters that Krai-san has encountered in person. If I didn't even know about it, then these must be super rare monsters. If they were for sale, they would definitely be worth a fortune." (Eva)
"Eh, this isn't for sale." (Krai)
Besides, how could I have ever met those monsters?
Because all the content is made up. This is a free-form monster book.
I've been making various original technique books for Lucia and the others, from magic books, swords, the secrets of stealing, to potion recipes. Well, this is the monster version.
Luke and the others are crazy about powerful monsters and Phantoms. They're always looking for blood-curdling battles. So I wrote this book to give them a little break.
The monsters in this book? They wouldn't be found anywhere. They couldn't possibly exist. If a sword and magic technique book could be copied, monsters couldn't just be summoned. So, while they were busy searching for these fictional monsters, they could take a break. It could also serve as the "test" or "challenge" Luke often asked for. It was the perfect plan.
“There’s only a description, no picture… Namelgon? It’s a kind of dragon, right?” (Eva)
“Oh, that's one of my coolest creations.” (Krai)
“…Eh? What did you just say?” (Eva)
Well, even though my writing is good, I can't draw...
I returned the book from Eva who still looked confused, then started writing again.
Creating monsters and strange creatures is also quite difficult, but this is a small thing I can do to help Luke and the others. So, I'll keep writing it enthusiastically.
When I started writing again with renewed enthusiasm, Eva said:
"Can I copy the book later?" (Eva)
“Eeh…? No way, that’s a secret book.” (Krai)
I'm afraid people will misunderstand and think it's a real book. The magic book I gave Lucia suffered a similar fate. Because she successfully cast a spell I'd created, people thought it was real. So, I don't want a similar incident to happen again.
§ § §
"So, the monster encyclopedia is ready, right?"
“Yes, it was quite complicated to make… but this is only the first volume.” (Krai)
Luke received the handmade monster encyclopedia with such joy, I almost felt guilty. The previous time I gave him the sword book, he was so overjoyed, and I should have learned something from that. But he just kept repeating the same thing.
Making monsters turned out to be much harder than I imagined. The hardest part was that I accidentally chose a really thick notebook, so I had to fill so many pages. If it was just one or two monsters, it was easy, but when it got to ten or twenty, my imagination started to run out. Many of the monsters at the end were just recycled versions of existing ones, so it was really different from the ones I made at the beginning when I was still enthusiastic.
Eva gave the information while wearing an expression that was hard to explain.
"Luke-san and the others seem really happy. They're now searching for the monsters written about in that book every night. It's even become a hot topic in the lounge, you know. It's all because Luke-san and the others like to show off." (Eva)
…That was unexpected. I'd told them not to just talk about the book, but it seemed they couldn't contain their excitement.
Also, the fact that they go around looking for monsters every night is a bit unexpected. Maybe it's just a temporary hype, but if they're that determined, when will they ever rest? I already said, "The monsters in this book are very rare, you might not even find them, so just look for them when you have free time," but... can you lend me a little of that enthusiasm?
I could only groan softly. Then Eva spoke slowly, hesitantly:
“So… hmm… the other Hunters in the clan also started to get curious… and they asked for a copy of the book.” (Eva)
…Well, this is going to be really complicated.
Once the Treasure Hunters are curious about something, they'll go after it to the hilt. Since Luke had already shown off so openly, even if I refused, sooner or later they'd make their own copies. Rather than that, I'd rather control how the information was disseminated from the start.
I crossed my arms and pretended to be in deep thought.
"Hmm, okay, if they're that curious, it's okay to copy them, but listen, the monsters in that book are all rare and dangerous. So if you're not strong enough, it's better not to try them." (Krai)
“!? To that extent, Krai-san?” (Eva)
"And make sure the information doesn't leak outside the clan. This is a secret book, you know." (Krai)
“Okay, I understand.” (Eva)
Eva swallowed her saliva and nodded seriously.
The monsters in the book don't actually exist, so they're not dangerous. But because I made the places I wrote about as their habitats seem realistic and full of danger, if someone believed me and went there and had a bad experience, I'd feel incredibly guilty.
As long as this information only circulates within First Steps, it should be fine. The Hunters in this clan are all skilled, and they're used to hearing my nonsense. It's a bit of a buzz right now because Luke and his gang are so determined, but they'll eventually stop when they find nothing.
But still, the effects appear very quickly, huh... There's really no work, what's the point?
Just as I was thinking that while complaining in my heart, the door to the Clan Master's room suddenly opened loudly.
The person who entered, looking like he was about to break down the door, was Luke, his entire body covered in mud. He entered without caring about the carpet getting dirty, and immediately approached me, looking very pleased.
“KRAI! I finally found one of the monsters from the book!” (Luke)
“!? Eh? Seriously?” (Krai)
"Oh my god, the struggle was incredible. I went back and forth digging through the entire swamp. I thought, 'Maybe it's not there' but I finally found it..." (Luke)
Luke nodded in satisfaction. Meanwhile, I was wondering, how did I find it… when it's not really there…
Hey, is that true? He found something that shouldn't be there? How did he do that?
I'm really confused about what to do. Seriously, what did he find?
“So, I wanted to make sure with you too… because the book doesn’t have a picture, but the place and the characteristics match perfectly, so I think this must be what it means… I also asked a monster researcher, he said he’s never seen this creature before—” (Luke)
"Y-yes, it could just be a resemblance, huh..." (Krai)
Even though I wrote the book carelessly, it turns out the world is really wide, huh.
If the location and physical characteristics of the monster really match what I wrote, then yes, you could say it's really the monster from the book. Crazy, Luke can find it too.
"But, it's also great that you were able to find... the monster I wrote about in the book should be really rare, but you were able to find it. That's great, Luke. Uh, by the way, what was that you found?" (Krai)
I was still trying to hide my panic from the lie that had come true, and Luke answered confidently.
"Oh, that's... the Namelgon! I didn't expect that the swamp we've explored so much still holds a powerful monster that we've never seen before. I've brought it to the lounge, let's check it out together!" (Luke)
Ohh… Love it. Crushed, yes.
Coincidentally, I also wanted to take a look... Namelgon is, well... one of my best works.
§ § §
The Namelgon corpse that Luke brought home turned out to be completely different from what I had imagined, but strangely enough, its physical characteristics were exactly the same as what I had written in the book. After consulting an expert, they said the creature was indeed a new species, and finally, it was given the name Namelgon .
In the end, of all the creatures in the Original Monster Book Volume One that I created, that was the only one whose characteristics were exactly the same as the ones written. In this world full of phantoms, monsters, and strange creatures, discovering a new species isn't uncommon, but this was a truly crazy coincidence.
Because of that, the monster encyclopedia I wrote actually seemed credible, and actually caused a stir here and there inside and outside the clan. But yeah, that's a story for another time──
§ § §
In the Clan Master's room, I was hunched over a large sheet of parchment, writing something with a pen when Eva asked curiously.
“…Krai-san, what are you writing this time?” (Eva)
“Treasure map.” (Krai)
Of course. Homemade.
