Ash, age 20. An earth mage and a D-rank adventurer. He can't use large-scale attack magic and gave up on being an elite long ago. But he doesn't mind. Why? Because Ash has his two gorilla-style golems. With their muscular two-meter frames, they deliver double lariats and dropkicks. Whether it's magical beasts or skeletons, they blow them all away without question. The guild's whisper behind his back is 'Gorilla Guy.' Well, they're not exactly wrong.
His daily routine involves hunting deer-like
The Daily Life of a Golem Bastard - The Daily Life of a Golem Bastard and the Trio of Novices
The second floor of the guild was eerily quiet, unlike the first.
Dusty air hung stagnant in the stone corridor, and an old painting on the wall tilted ever so slightly. Ash didn't much like this place. Whenever he was called up here, it was usually trouble.
"[gentle]Mind if I come in?"
He rapped lightly on the wooden door, and a lazy "Come in" drifted back from inside.
The room was a mess. A desk piled high with documents. The edge of an old map tacked to the wall was peeling up. The afternoon light slanting through the window dimly lit a figurine on the shelf.
Behind the desk, the clerk Marco wore an expression that said he was finding it hard to speak. A thin man in his mid-thirties, always self-conscious about his thinning hairline. His complexion was poor, probably from doing nothing but paperwork and never moving his body.
"[sad]Ash, there's something I'd like to ask of you."
Ash leaned against the wall and turned his sleepy gray eyes toward Marco.
"[gentle]Is it trouble?"
"[laughing]No, no, nothing like that. I just want to ask you to do a little mentoring."
"[gentle]Mentoring."
Marco picked up a sheet of parchment from his desk. The Mutual Aid Society's seal was stamped in the corner.
"[serious]There's a trio of rookies from Karan Village. They say they want to hunt dea in the Perga Forest. But they're still E-rank, with almost no real combat experience."
Ash frowned.
"[gentle]So you want me to babysit."
"[laughing]Babysitting makes it sound bad. I just want you to accompany them as an instructor."
"[cold]I refuse."
An instant answer.
Marco scratched his head in dismay. The thin hair on his forehead fluttered.
"[sad]I figured you'd say that. But this time is a little special."
"[gentle]What's special about it?"
Marco lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret he didn't want anyone to overhear.
"[whispers]The Mutual Aid Society is involved this time. They're guaranteeing a purchase price for the dea you take down at thirty percent above the usual rate. And of course, they're adding eight silver coins separately as an instruction fee."
Ash's eyebrow twitched.
The purchase price for dea meat was eight to twelve silver coins per head. With a thirty percent increase, that would be ten to fifteen silver coins. Add the eight-coin instruction fee on top of that—
In his head, the calculation that Orca's daily stew would become three bowls—no, four—was completed in an instant.
(*Well, maybe it's not such a bad deal.*)
Ash looked up at the ceiling. Spiderwebs clung to the wooden beams.
"[excited]So? I think the terms aren't bad."
A look of seeping expectation had risen on Marco's face. It was this expression that made him feel like he was being tricked.
Ash let out a deep sigh.
"[cold]Tomorrow morning. Here, right?"
"[excited]Yes, here! Thank you, you're a lifesaver!"
Marco's face lit up.
(*I definitely feel like I've been tricked.*)
Ash turned his back and left the room.
As he walked down the corridor, he lightly swung the staff in his hand. The tip struck the floor with a tap-tap sound.
When he descended the stairs, the clamor of the first floor rushed into his ears all at once. Adventurers searching for requests stood before the bulletin board as usual, and at the reception counter, the new clerk Michelle was briskly handling documents.
Someone glanced at Ash and whispered something.
Probably calling him "Golem Bastard" or something similar.
Ash didn't care. It wasn't like that changed the taste of his stew.
When he left the guild, the twilight was dyeing the town orange. The bustle of the crowd flowed along the cobblestone streets.
The clang-clang of the hammer from the blacksmith's shop, as always. The lady at the vegetable stall shouting energetically, "Today's recommendation is turnips!"
Ash turned down an alley and headed for his usual place.
He put his hand on the wooden door.
With a creak, the smell of stew drifted out from inside.
"[excited]Hey, you made it!"
Orca's voice flew at him from behind the counter.
Ash sat down in his usual spot, at the very end of the counter. He leaned his staff against the wall and took off his worn-out cloak.
"[gentle]The daily stew. Large portion."
"[laughing]Something happened today, didn't it? Your face says 'trouble.'"
"[cold]Babysitting rookies tomorrow."
"[surprised]Huh, that's unusual for you."
Orca folded her thick arms and laughed.
"[laughing]Well, isn't it fine? Once in a while, having youngsters come asking for your teaching. It's a good chance to re-evaluate your own skills."
"[cold]It's just extra work."
Saying nothing more, he silently began eating the stew that was brought to him. As he carried the tender, falling-apart dea meat to his mouth, Ash's head was full of tomorrow's arrangements.
Morning came.
In front of the reception counter on the guild's first floor, three young people stood.
One was a large boy, carrying a big shield and sword on his back. His face was still childlike, and his new leather armor looked awkward on him. His brow was furrowed, probably from nerves.
Another was a petite girl with a bow on her back. Her chestnut hair was cut short, and she was glancing around restlessly with sharp eyes.
The last was the shortest of the three, a girl. She clutched a wooden staff in her hands and fidgeted with the hem of her white robe.
The receptionist Lina spotted Ash and waved.
"[excited]Ash, over here!"
Ash walked over slowly. The metal staff in his hand tapped against the stone floor.
"[serious]Let me introduce you. This is the party 'Eldo's Three Stars' from Karan Village."
All three turned to face Ash at once.
The swordsman boy stepped forward.
"[excited]I-it's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Dan, the leader! I handle the sword and shield!"
The moment he energetically bowed his head—
*Thunk.*
A dull sound rang out.
Dan's forehead had hit the corner of the reception counter head-on.
"[scared]Dan!!"
The archer girl and the healer girl rushed over in a panic.
"[angry]You idiot!? What are you doing!?"
Mira the archer smacked Dan on the head repeatedly.
"[crying]A-are you okay!? I'll heal you right now!"
Liz the healer raised her staff, and a faint light enveloped Dan's forehead.
Ash watched the scene intently for a moment.
(*This... might be tougher babysitting than I thought.*)
He muttered that in his heart.
"[sad]I-I'm sorry! I was nervous."
Dan apologized, his face bright red. A faint redness still lingered on his forehead.
"[gentle]Well, whatever. I'm Ash. An earth mage. I use golems."
After finishing his brief self-introduction, Ash pulled a sheet of parchment from his pocket.
"[serious]First, let's confirm the contract. The Mutual Aid Society is mediating this dea hunting instruction. The Society guarantees the purchase of the meat and materials from any dea we take down. In the unlikely event of injury during instruction, the Society's condolence payment system applies. Understood?"
The three nodded with solemn expressions.
Liz timidly raised her hand.
"[surprised]U-um! I heard that you can command two golems at once, Ash. That's amazing!"
As Liz spoke with sparkling eyes, Ash awkwardly averted his gaze.
"[gentle]I suppose."
"[excited]Golems are slow, but they're really sturdy, right? I think I heard that."
At Dan's casually spoken words, the air froze for an instant.
Mira and Liz hurriedly kicked Dan's legs.
"[whispers]Idiot, that's rude!"
"[whispers]Jeez, Dan!"
Ash smiled with just his mouth.
"[cold]Yeah, you're exactly right. They're slow, and they can't use flashy magic. That's precisely why I'm scraping by at D-rank like this."
He said it self-deprecatingly, yet somehow as if it truly didn't matter to him at all.
Dan turned pale and tried to bow his head again, saying "I-I'm sorry!" but this time Mira stopped him.
"[gentle]Alright, let's go."
Staff in hand, Ash pushed open the guild door.
On the way to the Perga Forest, Ash began explaining things matter-of-factly to the three walking behind him.
"[serious]A dea's horns are imbued with magical power. If you take a head-on charge directly, it can easily snap a tree trunk. Their movements are simple, but their sheer size gives them incredible momentum."
The three listened with serious faces.
"[serious]When you finish it off, aim precisely for the vital points. If you carelessly damage the meat, the purchase price drops. The meat is a valuable commodity."
"[excited]Understood! We'll aim for the vitals!"
Dan replied energetically and jumped a step ahead.
"[excited]Ah, footprints! These are dea footprints, right!?"
"[cold]Hey, wai—"
Before Ash's voice could finish, Dan had started running.
"[angry]That idiot!"
Mira hurriedly readied her bow and ran after him. But perhaps too focused on something, she didn't notice the tree root at her feet.
*Thud.*
"[scared]Kyaa!"
"[surprised]Mira!?"
Liz tried to rush over, but this time her own foot caught on a stone.
*Bam.*
"[scared]Wahh!"
Losing her balance, Liz unluckily crashed into Dan's back as he was trying to stop.
*Thump.*
The two tumbled together and fell to the ground. A mud-covered pratfall.
"[angry]Hey, Liz! What are you doing!?"
"[crying]I-I'm soooorry!"
"[sad]I'm sorry too, for rushing ahead..."
As the three clamored and got up, Ash let out a huge sigh.
He lightly tapped the ground twice with his staff.
Then the earth swelled up, and two gorilla-type golems emerged. Their nearly two-meter-tall bodies lined up, creating quite an imposing sight.
"Whoa!"
"A-amazing... you're really controlling two at once..."
"So cool!"
The golems silently changed direction and began walking deeper into the forest.
"[cold]I'll leave the pathfinding to these guys. You three focus on walking without tripping first."
The three exchanged glances and nodded rapidly.
They had walked for about an hour.
The air in the forest gradually changed. The density of the trees increased, and the sunlight filtering through the leaves flickered finely. Thick layers of fallen leaves covered the ground, muffling their footsteps.
The golem ahead stopped dead in its tracks.
Ash raised his hand.
"[whispers]There."
Beyond the thicket, about thirty meters ahead.
Three dea were grazing. One was slightly apart from the herd, surveying its surroundings warily. Large deer with brown fur, standing a meter and a half tall. The tips of their horns glowed faintly blue-white. Proof of the magical power dwelling within.
"[whispers]My golems will pin them down. We'll drive one away from the herd. After that, you three take it down by yourselves."
"Understood!"
Their voices trembled slightly.
Ash readied his staff. The golem summoning mark on his left wrist emitted an earthen light.
"Go."
The two golems deployed to the left and right. They closed the distance in an instant and charged toward the dea herd.
*Thud-thud-thud-thud—*
The sound of massive bodies kicking the earth. The thicket shook.
The moment the dea raised their heads in alarm, the two golems closed in from both sides.
One threatened the nearest dea, while the other circled behind the herd to block their escape route. They moved in fine, quick motions, throwing the dea into confusion.
A single dea was ejected from the herd, running in the direction of the three.
"[excited]It's coming!"
Dan stepped forward, raising his shield. His hands were trembling.
The dea charged. The sound of hooves scraping the earth. The tips of its horns glowed blue-white.
"[scared]Uwaaahhh!!"
*Bam!!*
The shield bash connected. Shield and horns collided, and a tremendous impact echoed through the forest.
Dan's feet dug into the ground. He braced himself. His arms went numb, his face twisted.
"[excited]Now!"
Mira quickly circled to the dea's flank and drew the short sword at her hip.
*Slash.*
A single strike aimed at the tendon of the dea's hind leg. Its movements dulled.
The dea lost its balance and staggered.
"[scared]Dan, I'll heal you right away!"
Liz raise
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