Seeker 245

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Chapter 245. Raid Briefing

In one corner of the Adventurers' Guild, 16 adventurers gathered. 

Gadol-san took a moment to survey the adventurers present.

"Let's confirm the details of the quest. The mission is 'Defeat the Killer Ants'.Anyone here who hasn't fought Killer Ants before?"

In response to Gadol-san's words, the three of us raised our hands.

Laughter erupted.

"Hahaha, total amateurs. Well, I guess us veterans will have to teach you."

"The tuition fee will be letting us borrow the girls for a night."

"Gyahahaha, you're crude, too!"

"You guys should stop inserting unfunny jokes all the time. It's incredibly unpleasant."

Kazane-san's absolute-zero voice froze the lively atmosphere.

After a brief pause, the male adventurers began to get agitated one after another.

"What, you amateur!"

"If you act all high and mighty, you're asking for trouble! Wanna get violated?"

"Don't underestimate adults, you damn brat!"

The noise erupted like a cage of monkeys,

But at least they didn't seem to come to blows this time. 

Gadol-san intervened to stop the commotion.

"I told you guys to cut it out. Don't make me repeat myself."

"Gadol. But you know..."

"You guys started the provocation. Show a little restraint. Your jokes lack any decency."

"Tch, got it."

The rowdy men reluctantly backed down. 

Once again, Gadol-san, with considerable leadership, managed to quell the situation. 

Well, maybe it's not that we're blameless... right?

After confirming that the situation had calmed down, Gadol-san sighed and continued the conversation.

"It's time to confirm the enemy's characteristics. Listen carefully, you three."

Gadol-san addressed us. 

I nodded obediently. 

Although I had studied in the Monster Encyclopedia, firsthand experiences from the field could be valuable.

"Killer Ants usually appear in large groups. In this quest, the estimated number is over fifty. In some cases, there might be over a hundred."

This point was already mentioned in the quest request, so I expected it. 

While the number was indeed high, I recalled facing similar quantities in the dungeons of my original world.

"In contrast, we have 16 people. Ideally, each person should take down at least three or four. Well, it's just a rough estimate, considering some might not be good at combat."

After hearing those words, voices from surrounding adventurers rose: "Ha, piece of cake," "I'll crush 5 by myself," "I'll take 6."

By the way, the regular Killer Ants' strength was comparable to the Gargoyles in the Dungeon Ruins floor of my original world. 

Considering we were level 25 back then, even for skilled adventurers in this world, people shouldn't underestimate them as mere small fry.

Additionally, there were higher-level types of Killer Ants, such as Killer Ant Soldiers and Killer Ant Mages.

"Be cautious of the higher-level types like Killer Ant Soldiers and Killer Ant Mages. Their strength is on a different level from the regular ones. Underestimating a group mixed with higher-level types can be fatal."

Upon hearing Gadol-san's words, the faces of the surrounding adventurers turned grim.

"Soldiers and Mages, huh... I really wouldn't want to tangle with them if I could help it."

"Especially Mages. They have both ranged attack magic and healing magic. Dealing with regular ones in the front is tough enough. They're seriously troublesome."

"The power of the Soldier's [Double Thrust] is no joke either. They're considerably tougher than the regular ones."

"Hey, do you have confidence in going head-to-head with a Soldier?"

"Wha— You idiot, don't underestimate me. It's a piece of cake. What about you?"

"Huh? You think you can't win? ... Well, I guess we won't know until we try."

"Hey, you guys, your voices are shaking!"

Words that seemed like anecdotes leaked out one after another. 

I made mental notes of the information.

The regular Killer Ants are giant ants with a crimson hue, about the length of a person lying down. 

On the other hand, Soldiers and Mages look entirely different, resembling Killer Ants in an upright walking posture, with one wielding a spear and shield, and the other holding a staff.

By the way, why do I know this without seeing the real thing? 

It's because there are illustrations in the Monster Encyclopedia.

Gadol-san continued the explanation.

"So, the one leading the swarm of Killer Ants, including those higher-level types, is the Killer Ant Queen. Whenever a massive group of Killer Ants like this appears, there's always a Queen at their base. The final objective of this raid quest is to defeat her. Any questions so far?"

I asked this and shook my head.

Gadol-san nodded and continued.

"Now, let's confirm the rewards. For each regular Killer Ant, you get one gold coin, while for Soldiers and Mages, it's five gold coins each. That's separate from the proceeds from selling magic stones. Additionally, as a reward for achieving the quest with the condition of defeating the Queen, each party gets 70 gold coins."

I raised my hand to ask Gadol-san a question.

"Regarding the count of defeats and the right to magic stones, it's based on the person who delivers the finishing blow to that Killer Ant, correct?"

I wanted to confirm this area to avoid trouble later on.

Gadol-san glanced around. 

The apparent leaders of each party nodded.

In response, Gadol-san answered.

"Yeah, for now, that's how it works. But blatantly snatching another party's achievements is obviously frowned upon. Regardless of the consequences, I won't take responsibility for that."

"Understood."

The rules seemed fine for now, but it didn't mean that following the rules granted free rein. 

There were still ambiguous areas, and if any trouble occurred, we would have to deal with it then.

After establishing various detailed rules, the raid left the Adventurers' Guild and set out from the capital. 

Our destination was a village where the swarm of Killer Ants had reportedly appeared.