Monster Scholar

[Monster Scholar]

Who... Who are you?

Are you from the other

side of the space gap?

Say, are you a scholar,

soldier, or village

representative?

Oh, I'm sorry.

You don't have to tell

me if you don't want to...

Please go ahead and do

what you have to do.

Oh, me? Don't worry.

I'm fine by myself.

I'm Rumis Block, and

I'm working here on behalf of

the monsternomics academy

from the Schwarzwald Republic.

Botanist Terris Block is

my older twin brother.

[Rumis Block]

This place is freezing. Not only

that, it's deserted and too

quiet... Everything around us is

watching and threatening us.

You know, I didn't want to

come here...

In fact, none of us

wanted to come here.

I mean, no one knows

what kind of danger lurks

in this unknown world.

It was my brother Terris who

wanted me to come along.

He was selected first as the

botanist of the continental

expedition. He had to drag me

here 'cuz I didn't want to come.

I guess he didn't want to be

alone in this world far away

from civilization. Instead, he

decided to drag me here and

force me to join the expedition

so he doesn't feel lonely!

What's with that dirty look?

Why, do I sound like

someone blaming someone

else for the misery in his life?

I'm telling you, it's the truth.

There are people that want

to escape the expedition by

getting themselves sick on purpose.

I know it's too late to

complain now, but...

Every day I pray to God to

let me go back home safely.

That's the only thing that

keeps me going. Everything

around here is watching me.

It's suffocating, you know?

That's the problem.

We Specialists are required

to submit our study reports

to the expedition's leaders.

We are here to explore

and study this world.

I'm sure the management will

tell me when to go back, but

I don't expect it to be any time

soon. It'll be at least after

I submit my report.

I must tell you,

I hate this place!

It gives me the creeps!

Yes, I'm a monster scholar

But I've been afraid of creatures even when I was on the Midgard Continent...

No, but can't you see?

This place is totally new to me,

and everything is so unknown...

I may be a monster scholar,

but I'm afraid...

Of many things...

The president of United

Midgard Corporation has

asked me to find some

monsters that are edible.

But look outside. Look!

Do you see Mandragoras

hiding in the icy bushes?

Those are called Nepentheses.

Aren't they quite savage-

looking and intimidating?

They look as if they

want to sting me with

those sharp thorns!

Argh...

I'd rather starve to

death than study

those dangerous and

grotesque monsters!

I'm not going to go

outside of my tent.

Not ever.

No one can dare

venture through

such a threatening

environment!

I'm scared of this place.

But I'm not going to ask

my brother for help

He hates me.

If a Nepenthes

approaches me

with a smile and

speaks to me kindly...

*Sigh* I sound crazy, don't I?

...This is why I didn't want

to leave my lab...

[

Hey, take a look here...

These Nepentheses aren't

any more brutal or grotesque

than the ones back home.

...What's this?

Isn't this from

the Nepentheses?

That's right!

I took care of them.

It was easy, haha!

I can't believe you really

took care of them! Tell me,

who are you really?

Are you a soldier?

Captain? Or agent?

No, I'm just a wandering

adventurer. I've come here

to challenge this new place

and to help people out~

I... I see.

I've heard about adventurers

that have made positive

impacts on Midgard.

You're one of them, huh?

...That's great!

I think I've finally found

a silver lining. God has

sent me a savior.

And I think that's you!

Please, don't say you

don't want to help me.

Can't you see that.

I'm shivering in fear?

Please help me. Will you?

As I told you earlier,

I have an elder twin

brother, Terris Block...

He's a botanist. He's

extremely strong and

extroverted, unlike me.

I think he hates me because

I represent weakness, and

he is the complete opposite.

...Oh, that's not what I wanted

to say. I wanted to show my

discovery regarding the

Nepentheses to my brother.

I need a Nepenthes specimen,

but I don't have the tools to

make one, my luggage is still

on transfer. And it's not like

I've packed enough tools, so...

To make my specimen tools,

I need 1 Empty Bottle,

5 Holy Waters, and

30 Sticky Mucus.

You know what I'm.

asking here, don't you?

Help me, help me, please.

You call yourself a monster

scholar, and yet you're afraid

of practicing your expertise.

You're nothing but a coward.

I can take your criticism,

but I can't hide my true feelings.

Come on, you're a respected

monster scholar. You'll find

that the monsters in this world

aren't that different from the

ones in Midgard. Why don't

you see for yourself?

- Rumis didn't seem -

- to be convinced. -

- He shook his head in refusal. -

Thank you.

you've brought the materials.

While you were collecting the

materials, I've sent out soldiers

to catch a few Nepentheses.

Nepenthes looks extremely

similar to Mandragora on

the Midgard Continent.

Both of them must share the

same ancestor, but apparently

Nepenthes has evolved to

become stronger and more

aggressive due to this

barren environment.

I wonder how the ancestors

were scattered over

two different worlds...

Maybe they went through

the World Tree Yggdrasil?

Maybe it came along with

other creatures such as

Satan Morocc and traversed

through time and space.

The characteristics of this species are...

Oh, where are my manners?

I'm sorry if I bored you by

talking academic nonsense...

Let's talk about something

else, shall we?

Do you think...

My brother will be happy to

see this Nepenthes specimen?

You know, Nepenthes is a

plant monster, and that's

my brother's specialty.

Please deliver this specimen to Terris Block

He's near the expedition camp.

No, you won't have to sit through my brother's reaction... If it's bad.

- You have received a-

- Nepenthes Specimen -

- from Rumis Block. -

I need 1 Empty Bottle, 5 Holy Waters, and 30 Sticky Mucus.

You know what I'm asking here, don't you? Thank you in advance.

Did you deliver the Nepenthes Specimen to my brother Terris?

He's at the east of the camp.

...Welcome back.

Oh, you don't have to tell me what my brother said,

because someone from his side already came by. His report really impressed management, huh?

Yes, that's my brother......

...Anyways, one of the soldiers that captured Nepentheses for me has given me some interesting information.

Over the eastern bridge, he found a new type of monster.

According to his description, the monster is suspected to be a member of the long-haired Cat family. I'd like to see it with my own eyes, but...

As you know, I'm not yet ready to face any types of monsters in this world...

Can you escort me while I'm studying that species?

Please, I'm begging you!

Wow, thanks!

Then I'd better pack my stuff right away...

It won't take long. Can you please go wait for me over the eastern bridge?

Don't... Don't go too far from the bridge!

Oh.........

I'll pack my stuff and follow you. Can you please go wait for me over the rightward bridge?

- Rumis is hurriedly packing his stuff. -

......

Apparently, an extremely intelligent creature inhabits Ash Vaccum.

An explorer went over the rightward bridge to find some wood. In the darkness, something really big rushed at him from far away.

When he came back to his senses, there was nothing but a tricorn hat left on the ground.

The tricorn is woven in a way that was never introduced to Midgard, and its materials are also unidentifiable.

Does it mean another race of human resides here? Would they be fairies or something else?

What if they've detected us and tried to drive us away... Wah!

Even thinking of them send chills down on my spine! Can you please go check what kind of races reside at the end of the land over the rightward bridge?

I want to know if they're friendly or hostile to us.

Welcome back. Did you find out about them?

Well, let's see...

The owner of the tricorn hat

is a monster called...

Tatacho

The size of Tatacho is about...

Tatachos are usually sitting on the ground, but they roll around if their body temperature goes down too low because of the cold weather.

About that tricorn hat, I've concluded, based on my opinion about their appearance and their movement patterns, that it is not active or productive at all:

They are not intelligent enough to produce a sophisticated hat like that.

You now sound like me... I guess I've stained you with my academic manner of speech. Oh, I'm not saying it is bad, but...

Anyways, according to your conclusion, the hat must have been given to them by someone else, or they could have picked it up after another creature dropped it.

Thank you for such valuable information.

It's enough to write a report.

I should make a brief report and then submit it to management. Hopefully, a new monster scholar after me will do a better job in actually studying them.

There are many cold places in my country, the Schwarzwald Republic, but none are as cold as this place. This weather is freezing my senses, dulling my passion toward my studies.

I shall go back home faster than anyone else in this camp. I'm tired of this world...

...

I really appreciate it

I'll repay your favor as soon as I go back home.

I hope you'll make yourself known in Ash Vacuum with your great accomplishments.

Can you please go check what kind of races reside at the end of the land over the rightward bridge? I want to know if they're friendly or hostile to us.

Mr. Rumis! Take a look at this!

...Oh, hello.

I'm extremely frustrated. I feel helpless because I wasn't able to go back home last time...

I've found this horn from a monster in the Splendide Area.

That monster was very mysterious, and its body was covered with grass.

Ho... Covered with grass?

...I know you're excited, but that doesn't sound interesting to me. Sorry.

Let me take a look at the horn.

Hmm.

Uhmm...

Huh...?

...This is remarkable.

...This horn looks very similar to that of the Hillsrions that inhabit the Manuk area.

I wonder if they're related,

or if this is an evolved Hillsrion.

Ah, and there's the possibility of mutation caused by the environment.

...What do you mean?

Are you saying the monster has been mutated by environmental causes?

Well, that's possible, isn't it? Haha!

- You told Rumis what you've heard from Botanist Terris: some plants are already showing signs of mutation. -

Oh, that's interesting.

If such a device really exists, it's possible to cause abnormal growth to monsters by injecting them with special energy.

By the way, who came up with the idea of that device?

I have no idea. Haha!

I see...

Mutants caused by a man-made device... Then there might be more mutated creatures in addition to Tendrillion.

...Now I'm very curious.

But... I want to go back home... It's no use studying them if the management will order me to return.

I guess my brother really likes this place.

I mean, he's working so hard to figure things out...

Well, not everyone can live the same life.

I just hope he'll have a better understanding about me...

I don't know if people in Midgard will welcome me back.

Thanks to you, I at least have a few interesting stories to tell them.

If you're going to stick around here longer, please help my brother with his study.

I might want to come back later once this area is fully explored and developed...

- With a shy smile on the face, Rumis Block asked you to shake hands, and then turned around hurriedly. -

- You really hope that Rumis will be able to go back home. -

...I submitted the report to the management, but they have not yet ordered me to go back home...

...*Sigh* I guess nothing's as easy as I'd hoped.

- Rumis seems anxious and scatterbrained. -

When can I go back to Midgard...? *Sigh*