Yuu Tanaka Read online

  arrows, firing them from under Miguel’s arm. They were almost close enough to graze

  Fran’s face. Not bad for an ambush. Following the archer, Dufaux prepared his attack.

  All the time they spent together was paying off.

  Dufaux’s sword flickered like a mirage thanks to his Illusion Blade—a skill that

  allowed him to mask his swordsmanship. It was a useful thing to have in close-quarter

  combat.

  However, it would prove worthless against Fran. She could feel his presence and the

  air. She broke the arrows in midflight with her bare hands and dodged Miguel and

  Dufaux’s attacks by a hair’s breadth. Then she jumped away from the circle of death

  and left the three cadets stupefied.

  They thought nothing could evade their highly coordinated attack. The three tried to

  land any kind of strike on Fran, but she dodged with ease. Once Gammod gave her the

  go-ahead, she kicked them all away, knocking every one of them out cold.

  The other adventurers could only watch in stunned silence. If that level of

  coordination wasn’t enough to beat her, they couldn’t imagine how they would land a

  hit. Even so, the sparring session continued. The second group ended the same way as

  the first, and we moved on to the third. It was a party of three: Wander, a Flame Mage

  who was as powerful as Dufaux; Red, the Shielder; and Riddick, the straight-man

  Lancer. Red was terrified, while Riddick looked the most prepared. Wander looked

  confident enough—although he was helpless against Fran in a one-on-one duel, he

  had a fighting chance now that he was in a group. His attitude was a far cry from his

  initial surrender in the solo match.

  He had a good reason to be confident. Get good enough with magic and you learn how

  to manipulate the path of a spell, making it very difficult to dodge. Red and Riddick

  drew Fran into position and the Flame Mage cast his spell.

  “Flare Blast!”

  He was serious, too. The spell was powerful enough to gravely injure a C-Rank and

  leave a mark that even Greater Heal couldn’t mend. And it wasn’t like Wander lost

  control. He smirked, knowing that sweet revenge was at hand. He knew exactly how

  much mana he had used. The whole thing made me want to crush him. We needed to

  leave something behind for Gammod, I guess, but Wander’s ego was about to be

  obliterated.

  “Flare Blast.”

  Fran fired the exact same spell back at Wander. They exploded and canceled each

  other out.

  “That can’t be! Flare Blast!”

  “Flare Blast.”

  “No… Fire Javelin!”

  “Fire Javelin.”

  “No no no no no!”

  Canceling a spell like that wasn’t as simple as it looked. You had to cast the exact same

  spell as your opponent and control it so that they met. That meant Speedcasting your

  opponent’s spell the second you knew what it was. It was a complex move and only

  possible if you knew the type and intensity of the opponent’s spell. Then again, maybe

  we only pulled it off because we were up against Wander. He didn’t conceal his mana

  output and took a long time casting his spells. Any skilled magician could have seen

  through his attacks. Fran wasn’t even that good at magic. This was the hidden cost of

  always casting spells in your allies’ shadows—Wander was only focused on magic and

  neglected his other skills.

  When he realized this, he lost the will to fight and fell to his knees. In the end, Fran

  responded by sending him flying through the air with a single kick. We thought the

  sparring session was over, but Gammod had other ideas.

  “What if all nine of them come at you at once?”

  “Hm? Sure, I don’t mind.”

  I swear Gammod was a Spartan drill sergeant, intent on breaking his cadets’ spirits.

  Fran had no reason to refuse, seeing as she had barely broken a sweat. The final match

  began. The rules were the same as before: Fran wouldn’t attack until Gammod’s signal,

  and if the adventurers managed to land a hit on her before that, victory was theirs.

  The whole thing was a wash, of course. The cadets didn’t manage to land a hit, even

  after chasing her for ten minutes. The initial barrage soon faded into half-hearted

  swings as it dawned on them they were not going to win. It was kind of sad.

  Fran wiped out the entire team by putting a tiny bit of effort into her attack. Gammod

  was caught in her fire spell, but he looked right at home. It wasn’t that powerful, really.

  The cadets should be strong enough to stand their ground, but they did nothing but

  scream. They needed more mental toughness.

  Gammod examined his unconscious pupils and thanked Fran. “That was a good

  sparring session. Thanks for coming.”

  “Hm.”

  “I just hope this motivates them to become stronger.”

  Gammod sighed. His smile disappeared when he remembered how pathetic the

  adventurers had been. “Gods, you won’t believe how hard they wanted to explore the

  depths of a Haunt.”

  “You mean the Crystal Cage?”

  “That’s the one. You’ve been there?”

  “Only halfway.”

  “See, even you only made it halfway.”

  The last time we went to the Crystal Cage was to collect some meat for the cooking

  contest. That was the first time we saw Forlund. It was quite a shock seeing him take

  down a B-Threat Thunderbird with little to no difficulty.

  “So they wanted to explore the depths?”

  “Yeah. Anyone’s free to explore the midpoint of the Cage, but entrance to some of the

  areas is restricted. Not that we have guards posted there at all times, of course. It’s up

  to each individual adventurer to know their limitations. Although folks who go over

  their limits have a nasty habit of dying.”

  Monsters of various threat levels spawned in the Crystal Cage. Adventurers did well

  to avoid areas that were far above their rank, but the whole thing basically ran on an

  honor system.

  “The higher the Threat Level, the more dangerous the area. But with more danger

  comes greater rewards. A lot of adventurers can’t resist.”

  By nature, adventurers were a reckless lot. They took on great risks in the name of

  great fortune and never once thought about the bad things that might befall them in

  the process. They might be able to defeat a powerful monster. They might be able to

  harvest rare herbs and materials. They might get lucky and avoid encountering

  anything too powerful. To them, bad luck was something that happened to other

  people. Adventurers readily bit off more than they could chew with that kind of

  mindset. Apparently, it was the same in Bulbola.

  “They’ve managed to clear the midpoint several times in the past.”

  Given the cadets’ abilities, that was certainly possible.

  “They’ve been pretty lucky so far. They’ve never run into tough monsters… That’s why

  they’ve been pestering me for permission to travel the depths. That’s the only place

  that has a barrier.”

  “I see.”

  “They’re after some precious ore that can only be mined in the depths. Probably to

  craft gear.”

  “So they don’t plan on fighting?”

  “Nope. If they’re confident with anything, it’s their ability to run away.”

  At least the cadets weren’t stupid enough to think they could beat a B-Threat monster.

  But I remembered that Thunderbird being pretty fast. I didn’t think we could’ve made

  it out without our teleportation spells. And the Thunderbird couldn’t be the only

  deadly creature in the area. Gammod arranged this sparring session to talk the cadets

  out of anything stupid.

  “They can’t run from a Thunderbird.”

  “Not to mention a flock of Storm Eagles.”

  “They can’t run from a Darkness Wolf like Jet, either,” said Fran.

  “Oh right, you have one of those as a familiar. How’s he doing?”

  “Sleeping in the shadows.”

  Jet had been asleep since early morning, showing no interest in the sparring match as

  he had no part in it.

  “You know… I have an idea.”

  Some time passed. The cadets regained their consciousness and stood in line.

  “Well? Have you realized how weak you are?”

  The adventurers looked at the floor, but I could still sense some discontent from them.

  They felt it wasn’t fair to put them up against a prodigy like Fran, and that it wasn’t

  their fault they lost. Gammod wanted to see if they had given up on exploring the

  depths, but they clearly hadn’t.

  “Alright, moving on to the next round.”

  “Whaaaaat?”

  “Are we still doing this…?”

  “Please, no more.”

  “Shut up and listen! This final round’s going to be a little different. Little lady, if you

  please.”

  “Hm. Come out, Jet.”

  “Woof!”
>
  The black wolf rose from the shadows at Fran’s behest. The mere sight of him was

  terrifying, and he had the decency to come out in his giant form to boot. The

  adventurers gulped.

  “This is Jet, Fran’s familiar. He’s a C-Threat Darkness Wolf. The kind that could just

  show up in the midpoint of Crystal Cage.”

  This was a big lie. A Darkness Wolf was a C-Threat, but Jet was a unique specimen and

  had grown far stronger thanks to fighting alongside us. If anything, he was closer to a

  B-Threat now—certainly not a monster that would spawn in the midpoint of Crystal

  Cage. But the adventurers didn’t know that, of course. Red checked Jet’s species and

  confirmed that the old man wasn’t bluffing.

  “If you can run fast enough to escape Jet’s claws, I’ll give you permission to travel the

  depths.”

  “You will?”

  “Of course. A man doesn’t go back on his word!”

  The rules were simple: the adventurers would start at the center of the training hall,

  while Jet would stand opposite the exit. If five of them managed to leave the room,

  they won. If five of them were knocked out, Jet won. Gammod decided that having half

  of them survive was more realistic than expecting all of them to make it out.

  The adventurers brightened once they heard the conditions. They were up against a

  single monster and all they had to do was get half of their crew out of the room. And

  so, the game of tag began.

  “Go!”

  “Raah!”

  “Come on!”

  Their plan was to sacrifice four of their party members so five could make it out. The

  fastest adventurers made a mad dash for the exit as Miguel tanked Jet head-on to buy

  them some time and Wander sent out volleys of fire arrows.

  “Ha ha! He’s having trouble fighting all four of us!”

  “And look at the size of him! He can’t be that fast!”

  “He can’t catch us!”

  Despite the fact that the advance team was inches from the exit, Jet didn’t move a

  muscle. The cadets smiled, convinced that they had this one. But it wasn’t as if Jet

  couldn’t move—he just had no reason to. His thick fur blocked all of Miguel’s attacks,

  and a swipe of his paw was enough to dispel Wander’s fiery arrows. Jet took a deep

  breath and let out a loud roar.

  “Awooooo!”

  The adventurers stopped in their tracks. They froze like stone statues with fear. Jet’s

  howl was imbued with Roar, Fear, and Shadow Magic. It inflicted lower level enemies

  with terror.

  “Ah…”

  “Eek…”

  “Woof.”

  Jet ignored the frozen adventurers and melted into the shadows. The cadets balked

  when the giant wolf reappeared at the exit, blocking their path to victory.

  “Bark!”

  Jet sent the five adventurers back to the center with a claw swipe and a shadow spell.

  I thought that would be enough to make them give up, but the adventurers still looked

  motivated. They thought they still had a fighting chance.

  “Come on! Together now!”

  “Gooo!”

  The adventurers coordinated themselves. However, Jet’s fur deflected all physical

  attacks, and he immediately regenerated from the few miraculous strikes that made it

  through.

  “No!”

  “One more time!”

  They kept trying, changing their tactics again. Slowly but surely, they managed to pull

  Jet away from the exit. Unfortunately, they only managed it because he was going easy

  on them. Miguel had taken on the role of bait, and Jet chased him. The direwolf could

  easily have secured victory by simply standing guard at the entrance, but he knew they

  couldn’t train that way.

  Meanwhile, Dufaux and four others rushed the exit. Their ears were plugged up with

  cloth in an attempt to lessen the impact of Jet’s roar. At this rate, the five of them would

  make it while the other four fell to Jet’s claws. They smiled, thinking they had won.

  Gammod sighed and shook his head. Once again, his pupils had underestimated Jet’s

  powers.

  “When will they learn…”

  “Grrr!”

  Jet wiped out the four decoys with a single shadow spell before they’d bought their

  friends a single second. The runners were visibly shaken, but they kept on running

  regardless. The exit was right before them, but in the end, they couldn’t outrun Jet. He

  chased them down with unbelievable speed.

  “I-Impossible…”

  “So fast!”

  They realized that Jet had been going easy on them. His actual speed and strength

  were off the charts. They didn’t know what to do. Running away was out of the

  question. All they could do was desperately try to fight back…

  They didn’t put up much of a fight. The first adventurer fell with a single claw swipe.

  The second was flattened to the ground with Jet’s paw. The third fell unconscious with

  a tackle, and the fourth with a tail swipe. Finally, a shadow spell pierced Dufaux’s

  abdomen, leaving him half dead. It had taken all of thirty seconds. If they were out in

  the field, they would all be dead. Anyone with half a brain could see that.

  “Jet wins!”

  “Awoooo!”

  Jet howled with delight. He hadn’t had the chance to go wild for a while.

  “That concludes the sparring session!”

  The adventurers looked haggard, even as their wounds were being healed. There was

  no way they could survive the depths of a Haunt. I hoped it would stop them from

  doing anything reckless.

  “Come here, Fran. Just leave the healing to Beth.”

  “Got it.”

  Gammod and Fran returned to his office, giving time for the adventurers to cool their

  heads. The Guildmaster was more than pleased with the results. He grinned, looking

  like he had gotten away with a horrible crime.

  “That was perfect. Sorry it took so long.”

  “It’s alright. I learned a lot today.”

  “Did you, now?”

  “Hm. Thank you very much.”

  Fran bowed her head in gratitude. At first glance, the express purpose had been to

  knock some sense into the pigheaded youngsters, but was that really all there was to

  it? Maybe he also wanted to advise Fran in the process. Don’t get cocky. There are

  people far stronger than you. You’re going to die if you stick your head where it doesn’t

  belong. Fran understood the Guildmaster’s intention and thanked him. Gammod

  turned away, slightly flustered. The stubborn dwarf would never admit it, but he’d also

  had Fran in mind when he scheduled the sparring match.

  “Whoa now, I didn’t do anything that deserves a thank-you.”

  “Hm. I still want to.”

  “You’re still young. Just take it slow.”

  “Loud and clear.”

  Fran took her reward, and we left the guild.

  We can finally look for that boat now.

  “Hm. Let’s hurry up and get it over with.”

  “Woof!”

  Well, you two seem awfully motivated for once.

  Were they still riding the wave of the sparring session?

  “We’re having Io’s curry for dinner tonight.”

  “Woof.”

  “And we’re not going to be late.”

  “Arf.”

  Fran and Jet nodded in unison. Their appetites were perfectly aligned. If we couldn’t

  find a boat, we wouldn’t make it to the orphanage in time. If that happened, they

  couldn’t eat Io’s curry. Therefore, we should find a boat as fast as possible! Perfect

  logic. I appreciated their motivation, but I didn’t want to get on any old ship. If we

  couldn’t find the right one today, we could leave it until tomorrow. I’d rather do that

  than have Fran sulk over missing Io’s curry.

  “Let’s go to the harbor.”