Okay, Im off.

Good luck.

Ill be rooting for you from behind the treee.

Wont you be dead then?

When we parted, I couldnt help but butt in with Haruru, who made a rare joke.

Shes been smiling and laughing since a while ago. Maybe shes in a good mood.

Oo.. I forgot to tell you one thing .

Hmm?

Just as I was about to turn my body around to go, Haruru clapped her hands as if she had just remembered something.

Ive prepared a surprise for you Im sure it will be useful in the battle against the Moon Wolf. Please look forward to it.

Surprise?

The details are a s.e.c.r.e.t

What you mean by secret.

Its not wrong to call this surprise, but please dont tell me such a thing at the last minute

Oh well, you got nothing to lose, right?

That probably true, still.

Then its okay. Be sure to look forward to it.

I dont know what kind of surprises she had prepared for me. But I can tell that was something unrelated to her weapon.

I waved them off and left the workshop.

Just as I was about to, I noticed someone waiting at the entrance.

Yo.

Akagane, what are you doing here?

This is my workshop, you know. Mine.

I could only agree with her as she retorted me.

It is her workshop. Were the one who was using a part of their workplace that Akagane originally owned. It would have been stranger if we hadnt run into Akagane here because shes the owner.

Youre taking on Nocturne, arent you?

Yes, I need to, to lift my curse.

Hahahaha! Never did I expect that you would challenge a Named. You are indeed an interesting person.

Although she was laughing loudly, Akaganes eyes never smiled at all.

I dont know if it is because the Moon Wolf is their guardian, or she had another reason she couldnt say.

Sukuna, Take this.

??

Suddenly, Akagane threw something at me.

It was a small bag containing three small candies.

Take it with you. Theyll come in handy.

Whats this?

Thats a small elixir. Youve been doing us a favor by preparing firewood every day, havent you? Thats a gift from the housewives of this village.

.oh, thank you. Ill thank them personally after I win.

Thats the spirit. I wish you good luck.

She patted me on the shoulder and walked back to her workshop looked refreshed.

The name of the item I received was the [Oni-folks Tribe Elixir], a very powerful recovery item that would restore all of my HP in 30 seconds.

I wonder if I will be using this near in the future.

This is going to be a tough fight.

I got that feeling from Akaganes unusually serious behavior when she talked to me.

Are you all ready?

Yeah, Im good.

No problem.

In front of the village chiefs residence, A-chan and I nodded lightly to Hakuyos question.

By the way, Hakuyo is now using her village chief outfit, just like the last time we met.

Hakuyo, Kokuyo, Kohaku, and Hisui. All the NPC who has been interacting with me since I came to this village are now all present right here.

On the players side were A-chan, Himiko, and a hooded player next to A-chan. It was probably the helper that she had brought with her.

To be honest, I thought it was going to be Shuya, but judging from the height, it was probably a woman.

But I couldnt tell who she was because of the hood she wore a cloak to hide her face.

Hisui will guide you to the Moon Wolf. I cant let her take part in the battle, but she can show the way.

Its nice to meet you!

Yes, its nice to meet you.

I chuckle at Hisuis nervousness, and at the same time, Im relieved that shes the one who will guide us.

I toyed with the robot-like Hisui to relieve her tension, and Hakuyo only looked at us and nodded.

Hm, the members are all very strong. I was suspecting that you will challenge it alone, but then again, it wise not to.

Well, even I thought it was reckless to do that.

Still, if Im being honest, I think that you need six people to challenge it.

Its better to have three than one. Theres no use crying over something we couldnt have.

In fact, A-chan did a good job of finding a helper. Before this helper came, my heart was ready to fight with just the two of us.

Dont worry so much, Hakuyo. They wont disappear even if they die.

I know. But it would be tactless to say that much.

Listening to Kohakus words, Hakuyo closed her eyes in resignation.

Are you ready for this?

Yes.

I am!

A-chans tone felt a bit higher than usual. I guess she, too, was itching to fight against a strong enemy.

My helper only nodded quietly, but I could tell we were all set.

Very well. Then in the name of the village chief, Hakuyo, I will allow you to enter the forbidden land. The location is just north of the villages north gate, a place that would normally be easy to reach without guidance, but because of the need to deliver this jewel to the Moon Wolf, it is necessary for someone from the village to be there. Im sure everything will be fine, but please dont let anything happen to Hisui.

Im sure shell be fine. Shes not participating in the battle against the Moon Wolf, and her level is higher than any of us.

That just for insurance. You never know what might happen.

Ill keep that in mind.

Hisui, who had already reached a triple-digit level, was probably the next highest in terms of status in this group after me.

Thanks to my equipment, I have a 1.4x boost to my stat, so my total physical skills are probably higher than Hisuis, but Im sure Hisuis are higher in terms of HP and SP.

Its hard to imagine Hisui being in trouble with the monsters of the Lost Forest. But I guess it wise to let her guide us while we took care of her back.

Sukuna, wait a minute.

I was about to get down on the road since my talk with Hakuyo had ended, but Kohaku stopped me.

Ill lend you this.

Whats this?

Its a parting gift from me. I think youll find it useful. Youre such a brilliant child that I dont have anything else to teach you. Thats why, as your mentor, I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help, and this is all I could think of.

What Kohaku handed me was a pair of golden earrings in the shape of Houzuki.

Ive never seen Kohaku wear them before, though they seem to be an accessory.

Its a good luck charm that I always wore when I decided to challenge a powerful enemy. If you wear it, it will raise your status a little bit. It doesnt have any special effects, but at least it wont go to waste.

Are you sure you want to lend me something so important?

I am. I want you to win against the Moon Wolf and return it to me with your own hands.

I understand, thank you.

I put on the earrings and lightly bumped fists with Kohaku. I could see a bit of melancholy on her face.

I have to win. Im not sure why, but I felt the desire to win surging up from the bottom of my heart for some reason.

Seeing Kohaku and me, Kokuyo clapped her hands.

Oh? then I should give Arthur some parting gift, too.

eh?

Please take this you dont have to give it back. You can just use it up.

Kokuyo took out a cloth bag from her pocket (which she had obviously prepared); inside, there was the sound of jingling and scraping several hard objects.

What is this?

Its a strengthening pill sold at the apothecary in this village, with a few modifications made by yours truly. Each one will have an effective time for about five minutes, and you should share it between three people.

I will accept this gratefully. Thank you for this. I feel more ready.

Fufu, for the first time in over a hundred years, someone has come to challenge the Moon Wolf. This has brought excitement to everyone in this village. However, Im sure the challenger will come for every month from now on

Thats certainly bound to happen. If its a Named monster that always appears in the same place every month, its not surprising that players would be fighting over it. Thats why I dont think what Kokuyo says is wrong.

Even today, there is a possibility that such a group of players will appear. After all, Ive been streaming all my preparation to fight the Moon Wolf, and I havent bothered to cover any information.

Then, ladies and gentlemen. Lets go to Moon Wolf-sama.

Okay, Im off.

Im so excited.

Hisuis expression tightened as her tension had finally dissipated, and she urged us to leave the village to go to the Moon Wolf.