Chapter 88
The bear had completely disappeared.
Compared to how tense I had been, it was surprisingly easy to kill with just a single spell. As expected, it wasn’t much of a challenge.
“Yeah… I’m stronger, after all. Haha… don’t freak out. Don’t freak out.”
I cleared my slightly hoarse throat and took a deep breath.
Though a trace of tension remained, all fear had vanished without a trace.
Is this what they call ‘overcoming trauma’?
I felt a sense of pride, as if I had taken one step further on my own.
[Achievement Unlocked]
[Would you like to view the achievement? <Check>]
“Oh?”
As if acknowledging my efforts, the system window appeared. I immediately pressed the check button.
[Loading Achievement]
[Achievement Unlocked]
‘Conqueror of Fear’
─ Condition: Overcome inner fear for the first time
─ Reward: Increased fear resistance
“Fear resistance…? Is that even a thing? It doesn’t show up on the status window…”
The conditions and rewards were simple, but I was intrigued by this ‘fear resistance.’
Does it mean I’ll feel less scared when facing terrifying situations?
“If this were my past life, I’d probably just watch a horror movie to see if it actually works.”
Anyway, it’s something, so I decided to accept it.
“…Alright, then.”
The cave ahead was still shrouded in darkness.
From within, I could hear the distant howls of beasts.
Were there other kinds of monsters in there? Or was this area the natural habitat of bear monsters, like a monster forest?
“Not sure. I guess I’ll just have to go see.”
Most of the fear I had been holding onto was gone, and I had actually gained fear resistance.
No matter what came out, I wouldn’t be helpless like in the Imperial Palace forest.
Just as I was about to step back into the darkness with confidence…
[Event Quest Triggered!]
“Huh?”
The system window popped up again, making me stop in my tracks.
‘Event quest? Just like that?’
Curious, I displayed the quest information.
[Event Quest (New)]
‘A Gourmet Doesn’t Choose Ingredients’
─ Quest Grade: Rare ~ Epic
─ Time Limit: 1 hour
Do you know that you can obtain an endless array of ingredients from monster corpses? For one who seeks to explore cuisine, where the ingredient came from is irrelevant. Collect as many ingredients as possible within the time limit!
Failure will be converted into penalties as rewards.
Current reward grade depends on the number of ingredients collected.
└ Current Reward Grade: F
└ Quantity required for next grade: 0/1
“Wh…what the heck is this quest…?”
<If you stare into the abyss for long enough, the abyss will also stare back into you.>
“I…”
A famous saying from my past life, warning that one must be careful not to become the same monster while fighting monsters.
Even knowing this, I couldn’t stop myself.
“I… will become a monster.”
I couldn’t be satisfied with the present.
I needed more. More prey.
With shining eyes, I scanned the surroundings. There had to be plenty of prey further inside.
[This isn’t the quest I was given…]
“Shut up! You’re the one who made me into this monster…!”
From the darkness, I pierced the massive paw of a bear aiming at me with Holy Bolt.
The moment I shouted “Disassemble,” I swung my dagger with the clean, precise motions of a master swordsman.
─ Shing!
With a single flash like a streak of lightning, it disappeared in a blinding light.
I coldly stared at the materials that dropped to the ground.
“…No rest for me, huh. Just the way I like it.”
Raising my gaze, I stared into the darkness beyond.
In the pitch-black darkness, countless red eyes floated in the air.
“Prey coming to me on its own, how considerate of you.”
[…….]
This time, it was a group of bear monsters.
Seeing a dozen bear monsters together stirred no emotion in me—so different from how terrified I had been just an hour ago.
Of course.
Why should I fear mere ‘ingredients’?
Facing the bears, crouched as if ready to pounce, I adjusted my stance.
Then, in a resolute voice, I shouted:
“Come…!”
─ Raaaarrrr!!
The bear charged at me. I held divine power in one hand and a dagger in the other.
<THE MONSTER HUNTER ~The Saint Who Became a Monster~>
Now, it begins.
[Will not proceed.]
…To be continued.
About an hour earlier, when the event quest triggered, I still didn’t fully understand what it entailed.
“The quest grade is Rare ~ Epic? There’s even an Epic grade?”
I noticed this new grade.
So far, most quests had been ‘Normal’ or ‘Rare,’ with only one ‘Unique’ quest.
‘That was the quest to escape the monster-turned Veronica. Failure meant death.’
A bad memory made me frown. A spine-chilling quest.
“Maybe there aren’t higher grades than this, so the order might be Normal, Rare, Epic, Unique… Could there be something above Unique?”
Legendary, perhaps?
Unique quests already risked your life; legendary quests might risk the fate of the world itself.
“Well, technically, if I fail to lift His Highness’s curse now, the world ends anyway… haha.”
I let out a dry laugh and then got serious.
“…The main quest didn’t list grades, but could it be higher than Unique?”
[…….]
“Don’t suddenly show up and leave ominous ellipses.”
It wouldn’t explain anything, yet it made a fuss.
I felt I was closer to uncovering hidden truths but chose to ignore it.
Right now, I needed to focus on the quest with less than an hour remaining.
As I checked the quest window, the timer counted down in real time.
“‘Collect as many ingredients as possible’… from monster corpses? So I have to defeat the monsters to get the ingredients?”
While pondering, a growl came from behind.
“Wha—another bear!”
My heart jumped at the bear’s reappearance, but I calmed down quickly.
There was only one, and I had already proven I was stronger.
“…And I have to complete the quest anyway.”
I braced myself.
─ Grrr!
The bear charged!
“Holy Bolt!”
I cast a spell. The bear’s head got blasted, and it collapsed again.
“Alright, that was easy! Now… huh?”
Its body slowly disintegrated into dust, leaving no trace.
“Oh right, monsters leave no corpses when destroyed…”
Indeed, monsters didn’t leave corpses when eliminated.
I remembered thinking it was convenient when exploring the Monster Forest, as I didn’t have to deal with leftover bodies.
Imagine encountering a giant worm’s corpse in the Monster Forest. With so many and such large bodies, the path would be littered with giant worms.
‘Ugh, disgusting… I’d probably faint.’
Shaking my head at the thought, I refocused.
The important part: If a monster is destroyed, no ingredients are left.
“So, I shouldn’t destroy it. Hmm… maybe I can aim for the body or legs to immobilize it?”
While pondering, another bear approached with a growl.
“Like a tutorial, just one at a time. Thanks.”
Apparently, this bear wasn’t part of a pack. Sometimes there were lone monsters in the Monster Forest too.
I cast Holy Bolt again, aiming for the legs this time.
─ Guhhh…!
The bear screamed in pain, staggering. Its eyes still glinted with deadly intent.
I fired Holy Bolt again, piercing its waist. The bear finally collapsed.
“…It didn’t disappear?”
I worried it might vanish, but luckily, the body remained. Monsters do have weak points.
I scratched my head, watching the bear writhing in pain.
“I’ve defeated it… but now what?”
I pulled a dagger from my inventory.
Now all that was left was to get the ingredients from the bear. But…
“Isn’t all I’ll get from this bear just meat? Bear meat, huh.”
I expected something special from the quest, but all that could be obtained from disassembling the fallen bear was flesh and bone.
No, the real problem was even earlier.
“How am I supposed to disassemble a bear?”
Even in my past life, and now as a noble’s daughter, I’d never handled a beast. Much less a bear.
I’d hunted animals before, but disassembling them was never my responsibility.
Frustrated, I closed my eyes and finally called for assistance.
“System?”
[Recommend purchasing non-elemental magic.]
As if it had been waiting, the system offered a suggestion.
“Non-elemental magic…?”
