Chapter 175 – Precious Item.

“GAHhhh!”

“Ha! Did you see that? Straight in that stupid eye!”

A monster howled as an arrow struck its bulbous eye. Behind the cover of a boulder, a small party of three huddled together. Their weapons and armor were worn and battered, but their weapons seemed to be in good condition.

“Be quiet. It’s going to notice us, Rika!”

“Oh, sorry, Tally. I got too excited…”

Rika blushed with embarrassment as Tally scolded her. But the two didn’t have time to argue. The Lesser Mermlock they were hunting had already spotted them. With a shriek, it yanked the arrow from its swollen eye. Water spewed from its gaping, toothy mouth as it stumbled forward in a drunken charge, its one remaining eye twitching wildly.

“It’s coming!”

Tally squeaked, nearly tripping over her own foot as she drew a sharp-looking dagger.

“Don’t worry. I’ll draw its attention. Just hit it from the side.”

“O-okay. Oliver, be careful.”

Oliver, the third member of the group, leapt from behind the boulder. He held a spear in one hand and a small shield in the other. Slamming the shield with his iron weapon, he created a loud sound, drawing the monster toward him. His two companions ran in opposite directions, attempting to encircle the beast.

Slick, scaled limbs slapped wet stone as it let out another throaty hiss, frothing water and blood from its ruined eye socket. The remaining eye locked on Oliver, and the beast surged forward.

“C-come on then!”

Oliver shouted, trying to sound braver than he felt. His knees trembled for a moment, but he held his ground and braced for impact. The monster slammed into him, and he gritted his teeth. His body was pushed back, his spear wobbled, and his knees shook again, but he refused to give in. He took the hit as planned, drawing the monster’s focus while the rest of his party prepared to strike.

“Now!”

He shouted just as Tally rushed in from the side, dagger raised high. Her heart pounded in her ears as she darted toward the monster’s exposed flank. The cavern floor was uneven and slick with moss. Her foot struck a loose stone.

“Aah!”

She stumbled, not quite falling, but her angle was thrown off. The dagger glanced off the creature’s tough hide, leaving only a shallow cut that failed to draw blood. The Mermlock hissed in pain anyway, its head snapping toward her.

“Tally!”

Oliver reacted instantly. He lunged with his spear, driving the tip deep into the monster’s midsection. The iron shaft bent under the force of the blow. The monster shrieked and slammed into him with its shoulder, sending him crashing into the wall.

It was not looking good for the young adventurer. The monster loomed above him and lunged, trying to clamp its massive jaws down on his head. Just as it moved in for the kill, another arrow whizzed in from the side and struck its remaining eye.

“Now, stab it!”

Rika shouted as she struggled to notch another arrow to her bow. Tally lunged forward and stabbed at the monster’s back while it tried to devour her friend. Oliver finally regained his grip on his spear. With both hands, he thrust it forward just as the monster opened its mouth to scream in pain. His weapon was not the sharpest, but it was enough. The spear drove through the monster’s throat and delivered the finishing blow.

The Lesser Mermlock let out a final gurgling screech before collapsing in a wet heap at their feet, its body twitching once, then going still. Silence fell over the cavern, broken only by the rapid breathing of the young adventurers.

“We… we did it, we beat an E rank monster…”

Oliver gasped, lowering his weapon as blood and water pooled around his boots.

“That was so gross.”

Rika muttered, slinging her bow over her shoulder.

“But yeah, we’re one step closer now.”

Tally didn’t say anything right away. She stared at the monster’s corpse, her hand still tightly clutching her trembling dagger. Then, slowly, a small smile crept onto her face.

“We actually beat it…”

“Yeah.”

Oliver nodded, still catching his breath. All three of them looked up at their status messages. Their levels had all increased, bringing them much closer to reaching the threshold of F rank and stepping into E rank. The fact that they had managed to defeat an E-minus rank monster was proof that they had earned that progress.

“Let’s take it apart quickly before anything else shows up.”

Rika whispered as she stepped closer and gave Tally a pat on the back. The group nodded in agreement, and the two girls pulled out smaller knives designed specifically for field harvesting. They knew monsters were not the only threat. Other adventurers could be just as dangerous, so it was best to work fast.

“I’ll handle the gills. That’s where the glands are. You go for the claws.”

Rika said. They got to work, except for Oliver, who stood watch with his spear ready. Minutes passed. Oliver’s eyes narrowed as a strange flicker of light came from behind him.

“Uh… guys?”

He turned to Tally and Rika, who were frozen with their mouths slightly open. A faint shimmer pulsed beneath the creature’s ribcage. Tally reached in with a trembling hand and peeled back a layer of mucus-soaked skin. Her eyes widened further.

“Is that a water crystal? But are water crystals supposed to be this shiny?”

She asked, glancing at the others, who then leaned in to get a better look.

“That’s not a normal crystal. It’s a rainbow water crystal.”

Rika said as she grasped it and pulled it free. It rested neatly in the center of her palm and sparkled brightly in the dim cavern. They all swallowed hard. They knew exactly what it was, a rare and valuable variant worth a fortune. The chances of finding a water crystal were already low, but this was something far rarer. It was a drop that appeared only once in every five hundred water crystals, usually obtained from water monsters at the D or C rank level.

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“Quick, hide it.”

Oliver shouted as Rika’s hands trembled. Tally pulled out a small pouch and placed the crystal inside. All three let out a long sigh of relief as they looked around. The cavern appeared empty. No one seemed to be nearby, or at least that was what they assumed.

“S-should we head back?”

Tally asked, glancing around. The drop could bring them a large amount of money in a short time, but it could also put their lives at risk if other adventurers found out that a lowly F-rank party had something this valuable.