The First Ranked Monster Bloodline—【Gnoll Stalker】

Speaking of which...

The Monk remembered that he hadn't met Lynn's parents yet.

Could it be... that something tragic had happened to Lynn's family because of magical beasts?

If that was the case, it indeed wasn't his place as an outsider to pry or offer advice...

Lynn would have to work through that knot in his heart on his own.

Believing he had found the reason behind Lynn's “diligence,” the Monk looked at the young boy with a touch of pity and patted him on the shoulder.

The Monk then pulled five silver coins from his pocket and handed them to Lynn.

“When you buy gear, don't be stingy with your money. Spending an extra silver coin could mean an extra bit of safety.”

This was all he could do for Lynn.

When he first met Lynn, he had wanted to recruit him into his party.

Now, it seemed he had been overthinking things!

The Monk was already twenty-five. While not particularly old for an ordinary person, it was quite an advanced age for an adventurer.

Despite his years, he still hadn't become a class-holder.

Even looking ahead, he likely wouldn't see a path to becoming a class-holder anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Lynn, who looked to be only sixteen or seventeen, already possessed the strength to instantly kill a ranked monster.

Someone like Lynn would undoubtedly become a class-holder in the future.

Pulling Lynn into his party would only hold him back.

The Monk let out a sigh.

...

Lynn stared at the silver coins the Monk handed him, slightly stunned.

What was the meaning of the Monk suddenly handing him money out of nowhere?

Why did everyone who teamed up with him feel so strange?

Could it be that the problem lay with him?

Lynn fell into a rare moment of self-doubt.

Even though Lynn tried to decline, the Monk firmly pressed the coins into Lynn's hand and strode away.

Left holding the money, Lynn didn't know what to say. In the end, he could only call out to the Monk's retreating back,

“Let's party up again next time if there's a chance!”

The Monk smiled and agreed, but his feelings were somewhat complicated.

Adventure together again next time...

The Monk realized he was actually a bit afraid.

He feared that if he completed another quest with Lynn, he would develop the urge to abandon his partnership with Hal and Solon.

After all, adventuring with Lynn was simply too easy!

He only needed to handle the logistics. Everything else—whether it was planning before a battle or slaying monsters during one—Lynn took the lead.

If they adventured together again, he probably wouldn't be able to go back...

On the other hand,

Lynn had no idea that he had inadvertently stolen someone away from their team.

He stared at the commission board for a long time, finally finding a suitable quest—

【Quest Name】: Sewer Cleanup (Continued)

【Quest Number】: Wingen Town White Iron 1221138

【Type】: Subjugation Bounty

【Client】: Adventurers' Guild

【Quest Description】: It has been confirmed by the Guild that a Dungeon Slime is currently residing in the sewers. To prevent it from harming future maintenance and cleaning personnel, please locate and eliminate it.

Note: Non-class-holders should exercise extreme caution when accepting this quest!

【Time Limit】: 5 days

【Reward】: 25 silver coins

Was that Dungeon Slime actually still alive?

Then again, it made sense.

Even a class-holder would probably find a monster like a slime repulsive and avoid taking this quest.

However, this served as a reminder to him.

Lynn recalled his plan from a few days ago. At the time, he had decided that if the slime was still alive after a few days, he would slay it himself.

Now, the opportunity had arrived.

In two days, it would be the beginning of September. Mentor Gray had told him to find him then.

He wondered if Mentor Gray had prepared the focus material for the staff yet.

With a focus material, his spellcasting capabilities would improve further, and he might just be able to attempt to subjugate this Dungeon Slime.

“Lynn, you aren't actually planning to go after this Dungeon Slime, are you?”

Lupa had somehow snuck up beside him.

Lynn was slightly surprised. “You're still here?”

Lupa pouted. “Is that a crime?”

“Not at all.”

Lynn turned and left, not in a hurry to accept the quest.

If he accepted the quest and failed to complete it, he would be fined a portion of the bounty.

Until he was certain he could handle a Dungeon Slime, he wouldn't take the risk.

After all, a Dungeon Slime and a Gnoll Stalker were entirely different types of monsters.

The former was a thick-skinned, durable type, while the latter was a high-attack, low-defense humanoid monster.

As a Rogue and Mage who also had high attack but low defense, Lynn could kill the latter with ease, but he might still be lacking the strength to defeat the former.

Lynn needed to ensure his spellcasting ability reached a certain level.

At the very least, he needed to be able to cast Magic Missile twice in one go before he went after the Dungeon Slime.

He would wait until he got his hands on the focus material in two days.

Furthermore, Lynn still had to sort through his gains from this adventure.

He hadn't used the gnoll Bloodline Points yet, and he hadn't had the chance to test the detailed effects of Evocation Control either.

“Hey, wait for me!”

Lupa actively chased after him.

Lynn looked at the half-beastkin girl with some confusion, unsure of her intentions in stopping him.

“Lynn, where are you staying? The inn I originally booked is expired, and that place was terrible anyway. Why don't you recommend a new place for me?”

Lupa looked up at Lynn with wide, watery eyes.

“Sure.”

Lynn readily agreed to this small request.

Staying at the same place would make it more convenient to find her if he needed a Shield Guard for his adventures.

After adventuring together twice, Lynn had come to acknowledge Lupa's strength.

While she couldn't compare to an official class-holder, she was a standout among apprentices and probably wasn't far from becoming one.

Thus, Lynn led Lupa back to the Moonflower Inn and booked another single room for her.

Of course, Lupa paid for it herself.

Having gone a long time without enjoying a good meal, Lynn, whose coffers were overflowing once again, feasted to his heart's content before returning to his room.

As he left, he couldn't help but feel that both Lupa and the landlady, Aurora, were looking at him with rather strange expressions.

He couldn't wrap his head around it...

Lynn didn't dwell on it. After taking a bath, he lay on his bed, his heart filled with anticipation.

...

Opening the monster encyclopedia, as expected, the gnoll bloodline tree was faintly glowing, waiting for Lynn to personally light it up.

On the left was still the illustration of a gnoll and its racial description.

On the right was a bloodline tree with only three tiers: roots, trunk, and canopy.

Sure enough, the gnolls' bloodline potential was rather mediocre.

The strongest monster bloodline Lynn had encountered so far was actually still the goblin's!

Though its starting point was low, its ceiling was relatively high.

Lynn focused his mind on the bloodline tree, and a gray icon of a gnoll appeared before his eyes.

【Activate "gnoll" bloodline? Consumes Bloodline Points (gnoll) * 3. Current remaining Bloodline Points: 30】

【Activate "Gnoll Stalker" bloodline? Consumes Bloodline Points (gnoll) * 20. Current remaining Bloodline Points: 30】

Aside from the third tier, which he lacked enough Bloodline Points for, the first two tiers of the bloodline were ready to be activated.

With the stats right in front of him, Lynn naturally didn't hesitate. He activated both bloodlines one after another.