Harmless A-Rank Monster

“…Very well. However, this is a little unexpected… It just barely held together. …Would you ever use magic that was even stronger than that?”

“I would… Would it be better if I didn’t?”

“Sorry. You better take the armor off before using stronger magic. There are no materials in this world that can stand the power of this slime.”

“Right.”

Apparently, I would have to remove the armor if I wanted to use Hellfire of Death or Hellfire of Obliteration.

Thankfully, they were not attacks I ever had to use in a hurry, so it wouldn’t be too hard to have the slimes take the armor off and put it in storage.

With that considered, I paid the master.

Just seeing how fast the slime had become was enough proof of the armor’s value.

“Thank you. This was a good purchase.”

“And thank you for allowing me to do such good work. …It may not be able to withstand the full power of your slime, but it’s still the best armor I’ve ever made.”

And with that, we shook hands.

When I let go, the master opened his mouth again.

“Since your still in town, you might as well take these and go hunt more Lesser Fire Dragons—”

Just then, the ground started to shake.

At the same time, there was the sound of an explosion coming from the volcanic mountain.

“Did it erupt!?”

“No…this is different.”

The master said as he looked towards the mountain.

There was a thin pillar of smoke rising from it.

“…But there’s smoke coming out. Doesn’t that mean it’s erupting?”

“No, it’s a Fire Dragon. And not the lesser kind.”

He said with a note of familiarity in his voice.

To him, the appearance of a Fire Dragon was not a rare thing.

But perhaps this was related to the odd behavior of the Maneater Bass.

“What rank are the Fire Dragons?”

“A-Rank. …They may be one of the worst A-Rank monsters to go up against in a proper fight. But they won’t come all the way to our town as long as no fool tries to pour water on them. They usually leave within 3 days. It’s really nothing to worry about.”

I see.

Once they reached A-Rank, they were similar to natural disasters.

Still, if they didn’t come down here and left in 3 days, then there was no reason to fight it.

In a way, they were safe monsters.

As for getting angry when having water poured on them, that was just like the Lesser Fire Dragons.

“You are not allowed to go near the mountain when a Fire Dragon is around. Besides, once they leave, Lesser Fire Dragons also disappear for a while. …It’s a good thing I got those gemstones while I could.”

So I had acquired them just at the right time.

They probably forbade people from entering in order to avoid having any Adventurers upsetting the Fire Dragon and causing it to attack the town.

As long as the guild put out the order, then no Adventurer would dare go there.

…However, I had a bad feeling about it.

“Hey. Do they actually put up any blockades around the mountain?”

“Guards are positioned on the roads to drive people back, but that’s it. It’s much too large to set up a blockade. …Surely you’re not thinking of sneaking inside?”

In other words… If the Blue Moon of Salvation snuck in and poured water on the Fire Dragon—they could make an A-Rank monster attack the town.

Just a little water could mean the death of the entire population.

As destroying populations was their favorite thing, it was the perfect opportunity.

“…No, I wouldn’t do that. But I was just wondering.”

“If you think you can sneak in now and hunt a few more Lesser Fire Dragons, I wouldn’t advise it. You should consider them all dead once the Fire Dragon has appeared.”

“Yeah. I’m going to lie low.”

And with that, I left Master Gaiger’s armor shop.

And then I turned to the Proud Wolf and slimes, who were wearing their new armor.

‘I want you guys to surround the volcanic mountain.’

‘…Surround the volcanic mountain?’

‘Yeah. We’ll create a barrier around it so that the Blue Moon of Salvation cannot get in. …But also, be prepared to run if the Fire Dragon gets close.”

It would be impossible for humans to surround the mountain.

However, with intelligent slimes that came in immense numbers, and with the great mobility of the Proud Wolf, I should be able to stop the Blue Moon of Salvation from coming and provoking the Fire Dragon.

…Well, I was just being cautious because I had a bad feeling. It was more than likely that nothing would happen at all.

‘Understood!’

‘Okay!’

And so the Proud Wolf Carried the slimes and ran off in the direction of the volcanic mountain.

As this wasn’t the first time they had made a security net while being carried by the Proud Wold, they shouldn’t have much trouble doing it.

‘The Proud Wolf’s so fast!’

‘It’s because of the collar!’

They said as they started to surround the mountain.

At this rate, it wouldn’t take too long to complete.