Chapter 276: 276 Test

Deep within a forest where few human feet ever tread.

Rin, who had ventured ahead for scouting, concealed herself within the dense foliage.

Suppressing her presence, Rin peeked out from the brush and soon spotted the forms of monsters.

“Grrr…”

At the edge of Rin’s vision, several monsters were moving in the distance.

Bipedal creatures with the heads of beasts.

A pack of monsters known as ’Gnolls’ had formed a group.

After surveying the area from the brush and confirming there were no signs of other monsters, Rin quietly turned back.

Returning to the place where her comrades were waiting, Rin reported her findings to Ian.

“Five of them, they’re heading this way.”

Upon hearing that monsters were approaching, everyone grabbed their weapons and took their positions.

This was a light request taken after Lia joined to test the coordination with the new member.

Not just Lia, but Mika and Tanya as well were experiencing a D-rank request outside of the underground sewers for the first time.

Five Gnolls…

Mika, having no sense of how strong such monsters were, whispered to Lia.

“How strong are these Gnolls?”

“They’re easier to handle than Kobolds.”

“…And how strong are Kobolds?”

“….”

Lia, the only one with experience fighting Gnolls, answered the question, but she failed to truly resolve Mika’s uncertainty.

Come to think of it, they did say they had never been on a request outside of the sewers.

While Lia was pondering how to describe it, the monsters revealed themselves in the distance.

The moment they spotted the monsters, the monsters also raised their weapons high.

Beast-headed monsters walking on two legs.

Gnolls possessed a degree of intelligence and knew how to actively use tools; they all held plausible weapons in their hands.

One among them held refined equipment that, though rusted, looked man-made.

It was likely gear obtained from a traveler or an unlucky novice mercenary.

“Get ready.”

Upon the signal, Lia, the vanguard, stepped forward.

Rin naturally tried to take her place beside her.

“Ah, Rin, wait a second.”

Ian called out to Rin from behind as she was about to move forward.

“A few might slip through to the back, so Rin, stay in the center and protect Mika and Tanya.”

“Oh, escort duty? Okay.”

It was a somewhat sudden change for Rin, who had been the party’s sole vanguard until now.

Still, she had received theoretical training on various positions from Ian, so it wasn’t impossible.

Rin stepped back to a position guarding the rear where Mika, Tanya, and Ian stood.

“For now, let Lia handle the front alone.”

Lia nodded without much of a word and stood at the very front by herself.

In the meantime, the distance to the charging monsters had nearly closed.

Mika, watching the scene from the rear with Ian, spoke softly.

“Their numbers are a bit high, is Lia okay alone?”

“If it looks dangerous, use your barrier immediately.”

“Yes! Understood.”

Mika nodded and immediately prepared to cast her barrier magic.

Although she had practiced a lot until now, this was her first time using it in actual combat.

A tension different from when she fought monsters herself surged within her.

Mika gripped her staff tightly and watched Lia and the monsters intently.

The count was five…

The pack of beast-headed Gnolls lunged forward with savage growls.

When the distance became close enough for weapons to reach in just a few seconds, Lia, who had been waiting, lunged out first.

Lia’s skills activated the moment combat began.

Enchant Magic.

Surging mana enveloped Lia’s sword.

The manifested mana rose up, taking on a vivid crimson hue.

The fire mana Lia imbued overflowed along the blade as if it were truly burning.

“Grrr…!”

Lia’s sword swung toward the charging monsters, cleaving the one in front.

The lead monster thrust forward a crude shield carved from wood, but Lia struck down with her sword without hesitation.

Lia’s sword, activating [Steel Cleave], showed no sign of slowing down even after cutting the shield in two, slicing through the monster behind it as well.

Belatedly, flames flared up, and an explosive sound of tearing air swept through the vicinity.

The Gnoll at the very front couldn’t withstand the momentum of the attack and was sent flying as if hit by a carriage.

The monsters following behind stopped in their tracks, startled. Taking advantage of that opening, Lia’s sword swung immediately, continuing the assault.

Though the Gnolls, knowing how to utilize tools, wore crude armor, such things could not block Lia’s sword even for a moment.

Five times.

Lia’s sword, undulating with fire mana, swung while leaving wave-like streaks of light, striking down exactly five monsters without a single wasted move.

“Phew…”

“….”

“….”

There wasn’t even an opening for the members in the back, who were waiting to provide support, to do anything.

Lia, who had taken down all five in an instant, turned around and let out a small breath.

She regulated her breathing slowly, but the opponents hadn’t been at a level to even make her winded.

“Captain. If you leave everything to me, you won’t be able to do your position test.”

“Sorry. I just wanted to see what your skills were like.”

“Testing skills on a D-rank request? Really?”

Lia spoke to Ian with a somewhat prickly attitude.

Perhaps it was because her employment conditions had been met through a loophole.

She’ll probably get better once we rise to C-rank… Ian thought that and let it slide without much thought.

However, Lia was adapting to the mercenary group better than expected.

Even if it was a D-rank group, there was no way she could be dissatisfied with such facilities and pay.

However, the fact that she reacted prickily toward Ian was… an unconscious attitude.

He seems so diligent now, but surely he’ll show his true colors to her someday.

Just like that night.

If he didn’t like her attitude, would he try to give her some kind of penalty or corporal punishment?

It was a manifestation of such unconscious expectation… no, suspicion.

“Next time, let’s try matching the frontline with Rin. Rin will take one monster…”

But Ian, thinking Lia simply had that kind of personality to begin with, didn’t pay it much mind. As long as she followed orders in battle, it didn’t matter.

Lia, still with a prickly expression, silently nodded and obediently followed his instructions.

＊ ＊ ＊

“I told you to pull it tighter.”

“T-Tighter than this?”

Mika pulled the rope with all her might.

Beside her, Rin unfolded a tent canvas with clumsy hands.

“Rin. Lower that side.”

“This side?”

“The other side!”

Under the instructions of Lia, who was watching the two, a tent was slowly but clumsily taking shape.

As the sun was about to set, a simple campsite was set up in a forest clearing.

Lia, who had been teaching the two how to pitch a tent step-by-step, surveyed the barely completed, clumsy camp.

It’s still sloppy, but it’s their first time, so it can’t be helped.

“To think you’ve never been camping once…”

The Ian Mercenary Group had only traveled to nearby places within a day’s distance when they were E-rank, and since becoming D-rank, they had only gone to the underground sewers.

In other words, no one had experience setting up a campsite.

This was the reason Lia had stepped in personally to set up the camp in front of the fumbling members.

Despite being close to C-rank, they were a mercenary group with strangely lopsided experience.

“Whew…”

Having barely finished the tent installation, Mika and Rin slumped to the ground.

“Do we have to do this every time we come out?”

“The sewers were actually easier…”

“Good job. You’ll get faster once you get used to it.”

It was a distance they could have returned to the city from if they hurried, but Ian decided to try camping today on purpose.

Until now, it didn’t matter if they only took requests near the city that could be completed in a single day.

However, the higher the level of a monster, the more they settle in deep, remote areas where human presence is rare.

As their levels rose further, there would be many cases where they would have to go on long-distance expeditions that couldn’t be finished in a day. The goal was to practice camping in advance starting now.

“This side is done too.”

In the meantime, the stew made by Tanya, who had been starting a fire and preparing dinner, was finished.

This was also their first field cooking experience, but unlike the clumsy campsite, it was a proper result.

Since getting her own kitchen, Tanya, who had been obsessed with various dishes, had prepared sufficiently for camping meals as well.

Rather, it would be more accurate to say she had been waiting for the chance to go camping.

Lia said it was better to just take preserved rations for a one-day schedule, but for Tanya, that was absolutely unacceptable.

“Now, please sit here.”

Everyone gathered in front of the campfire.

As the sun set and darkness descended, the light and heat of the campfire rose up and covered the small campsite instead.

Everyone received a bowl of stew handed out by Tanya.

“It’s my first time camping; it’s hard, but the atmosphere is nice…”

“Right?”

Mika muttered while warming herself by the fire.

Tanya, watching the pot boiling above with a satisfied look, also nodded.

You won’t find it so fun once you try sleeping in a tent…

Lia, listening to the conversation beside them, didn’t bother saying anything.

Sometimes there are things you only learn through direct experience.

“Captain. Would you like more?”

“I’m fine.”

“I want more.”

While looking over the members and handing out the remaining stew, Tanya saw Rin sitting quietly with her head bowed.

“Rin?”

Tanya called out to her, but Rin didn’t answer.

Rin was sitting silently with her head down as if lost in deep thought.

“Rin.”

“Oh… yeah.”

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you eating?”

When Tanya approached and lightly shook her shoulder, Rin finally snapped out of it and replied.

The stew in Rin’s bowl hadn’t decreased at all; the contents remained exactly as they were when she first received it.

Rin sat with a dark face, head bowed, then raised her head weakly.

She stole a glance at Lia’s face.

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