Chapter 68

After Guy Jakes, Sharon's father, headed towards Rasmor Village, we decided to enter the northern forest.

From our house to the northern forest is about one kilometer. To encounter monsters, we need to go about two kilometers further in, but we can reach the monster area in about an hour, which is convenient for leveling up.

The area relatively close to the town we are going to is a hunting ground for young adventurers. This area is home to goblins and wolves that form packs, but since they are not particularly strong when alone, it is perfect for training parties of adventurers around level twenty, class seven.

However, extremely rare level five equivalent monsters, powerful level six ogres, and stray soldier ants sometimes appear, so we cannot let our guard down.

We cautiously advanced into the forest.

My equipment consists of a leather jacket and pants with a bastard sword. I still don't wear armor. This is partly because I am considering leveling up my evasion skill, but mainly because I think it would be a waste to wear armor during my growth period.

Ridi is equipped with a hard leather armor, a composite bow, and a short sword. Sharon, like me, wears a leather jacket and pants with a light dagger.

Ridi doesn't use her staff, but Sharon holds it just in case.

We each carried a backpack and cautiously entered the depths of the forest.

After seeing Guy off, we entered the forest around nine in the morning and have already been walking for about an hour.

Even though it is a deep forest, the scorching heat of midsummer relentlessly assaults us.

I sighed while drinking water from my canteen, lamenting my lack of stamina.

(I can't even handle this light equipment. At the very least, I want to have enough stamina to walk around in armor.)

As I was sipping water from the canteen, I felt a slight tingling on my neck accompanied by a faint rustling sound.

I signaled to Ridi and Sharon with my hand, stopped in place, and slowly began to be cautious of our surroundings.

(This feeling is the same as when there's an enemy around. Normally, Guy would have already spotted it, but today I'm the scout. I need to sense the surroundings...)

As I slowly looked around, I saw a giant centipede, a giant centipede, walking between the trees about fifty meters to our left.

The giant centipede is a monstrous creature about five meters long, with a shiny black chitinous exoskeleton, large fangs, and dozens of legs, evoking a strong sense of disgust.

Fortunately, the enemy hasn't noticed us yet.

I motioned for Ridi and Sharon to crouch without making a sound and discussed how to proceed.

"There's a giant centipede. It's a big catch, equivalent to level five, but it hasn't noticed us yet. We could launch a surprise attack, but what do you think?"

Ridi shook her head in response.

"That centipede is quite tough. I once fought it with my grandfather, Gowen Rockheart, and even he had a hard time with its toughness. Plus, it moves faster than you might think, so if the surprise attack fails, it will quickly close in on us."

Sharon, who finds the giant centipede disgusting, didn't say anything but pleaded with her eyes to retreat.

I nodded to the two of them and said, "Understood. Let's wait and quietly move away," while keeping an eye on the enemy.

The giant centipede slowly crossed about thirty meters in front of us, making a rustling sound with its legs. When it paused and waved its antennae, Sharon let out a small "Hiss," but it didn't notice us and disappeared into the forest.

I exhaled in relief and said, "It seems it didn't notice us," when suddenly, screams and curses erupted from ahead.

"Whoa! It's a giant centipede!"

"Front line, watch out for the fangs! Arrows won't work! Roger, you're too far forward! Fall back!..."

I listened to the voices and said to Ridi and the others, "There must be another party where the giant centipede went," and then said, "I'm going to help!" and tried to rush out.

However, Ridi grabbed my arm.

"Your magic won't work! And your sword, too! What are you going to do without a chance of winning!"

Ridi desperately tried to persuade me, but I was a bit hot-headed and shouted, "There must be a weakness! We can take down a level five monster!"

She shook her head frantically in response to my words.

"The weakness is fire! But its shell is tough, and a weak fire won't do it. So..."

I couldn't accept it, but I stopped at Ridi's desperate face.

Meanwhile, the angry shouts of the party being attacked continued.

(What's the centipede's weakness? Fire isn't powerful enough... Wind magic is deflected... Deflected? That's it!)

I came up with a way to defeat the giant centipede.

"Ridi and Sharon will use the Air Hammer to lift it. When its belly is exposed, I'll shoot a Flame Arrow. The belly's shell is probably tough, but it's better than the back. If it goes well, we might even be able to burn its legs..."

Ridi was still holding my arm, saying it wouldn't work, but I forcibly pulled it away.

"I'll do it alone if I have to! We might be able to save them. At worst, we can stop it and escape. If necessary, we can freeze it..."

Ridi said, "Alright," and stood up.

"After Sharon shoots the Air Hammer, I'll shoot an Ice Arrow. You shoot a Flame Arrow to stop it."

The three of us quickly stood up and advanced into the forest.

"Gem! Fall back! Watch the timing and retreat!"

When we arrived at the scene, we heard a strong exhalation, followed by a desperate cry echoing through the forest.

About twenty meters in front of me, a young swordsman, who looked to be in his late teens, was caught in the centipede's powerful jaws.

Sharon was trembling and stood frozen at the sight.

"Sharon! Cast Air Hammer!"

At my voice, Sharon immediately began chanting the spell and released it after about ten seconds.

Although it wasn't as precise as usual, a mass of air exploded between the giant centipede's belly and the ground.

With a cloud of dust, the giant centipede was knocked sideways, releasing its victim from its powerful jaws.

Immediately after, Ridi's Ice Arrow hit the centipede's belly.

It didn't penetrate, but it stuck in a joint, causing the centipede to arch its body.

I was chanting the Flame Arrow spell as I watched this.

"O god of fire, ruler of flames, I seek the fierce flame of your spirit, and I offer the power of my life to you. Burn my enemy! Flame Arrow!"

A Flame Arrow about one meter long shot towards the centipede's belly, which was arching and writhing. Without waiting to see if it hit, I was already chanting the next Flame Arrow spell.

The arrow I shot hit the side of the centipede's body, burning two of its legs. However, the centipede continued to thrash violently without showing any signs of a fatal wound.

Before my second shot, Sharon's Swallow Cutter and Ridi's Light Arrow attacked the centipede.

They aimed for the joint in the belly that Ridi had initially injured, dealing damage.

Then, my second Flame Arrow was ready.

I carefully aimed and shot the arrow into the centipede's belly as it thrashed violently.

Although the aim was slightly off, I succeeded in widening the wound that was oozing body fluid.

To the stunned adventurers, I shouted, "Help the injured now!"

They snapped out of their daze and ran to the injured.

The centipede was still thrashing, but the movement of its legs behind the wound was abnormal. It seemed to have damaged its nervous system, and it could only scratch the ground with its front legs, unable to move properly.

"Ridi, tend to the injured. Sharon, provide support. Use Swallow Cutter to cut off the front legs."

I shouted and drew my sword from my back, engaging in close combat.

The centipede, injured in the middle of its five-meter-long body, raised its large head as I approached, showing its intent to attack.

I cast a magic combat technique on my legs and closed the distance in an instant.

Sharon's Swallow Cutter flew past me, slicing two of the centipede's right legs. The centipede lost its balance slightly from the impact.

I took this as an opportunity and, with the momentum of closing the distance, thrust my sword between the centipede's jaws with a loud "Tear!"

The centipede, not expecting this move, swung its jaws in the air after I pulled out my sword. However, it barely grazed me.

The centipede's jaws clattered, but it slowly stopped moving.

I cautiously kept my distance, watching the centipede. However, the centipede, with its movements becoming sluggish, slowly lay down on the ground, oozing a transparent body fluid from between its jaws.

By then, Ridi had reached the injured. The young swordsman had been bitten in half through his leather armor by the centipede's powerful jaws, spilling a lot of blood. By the time Ridi cast a healing spell, he was already dead.

I cautiously approached the centipede again and, ignoring its still twitching legs, thrust my sword into the joint behind its head.

The sword smoothly pierced the thin membrane of the joint, severing the nerves inside.

The centipede's head fell off, and it finally died.

As I confirmed the centipede's death, the adventurer I had saved—a young swordsman in his early twenties—approached.

"You saved me... What, you're just a kid!"

The man, upon seeing my face, shouted and then immediately apologized, looking embarrassed, and extended his right hand.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm grateful for your help. My name is Ian. I'm a level seven adventurer."

I sheathed my sword and took his right hand.

"I'm Zack. I'm not registered as an adventurer. By the way, if there are any injured, we can treat them."

Ian said, "Only Gem is dead. The others were just attacked," and shook his head sadly.

Ridi, who had moved away from the dead adventurer, joined our conversation.

Ian, upon seeing Ridi's face, involuntarily gasped but quickly regained his serious expression.

Ridi extended her right hand to Ian and said, "I'm Ridi."

While shaking hands with Ian, she said, "I'm sorry about Gem," with a slightly troubled expression, but then looked at him seriously.

"But it wasn't our fault. I hope you understand that we didn't need to intervene. If Zack hadn't said he would help, I wouldn't have helped you. Do you understand that?"

Ian nodded and said,

"I'm sorry about Gem, but I didn't expect to be saved in that situation. If I were in your position, I would have definitely run away."

He then looked at his party members and said,

"If you hadn't come, there might have been more casualties... I intend to repay this favor someday."

Ridi said, "You don't have to worry about it," in a light tone but looked at me seriously.

"This time, it was just luck. Attacking a higher-level opponent is not just reckless but suicidal. You need to understand this."

I flinched at Ridi's unusually stern tone.

"I understand. I realize that not only I but also Ridi and Sharon were put in danger. I apologize. I'm sorry."

Ridi smiled and hugged me.

"I'm glad you understand... I'm afraid of losing you. So, please don't take unnecessary risks."

Her arms were trembling slightly as she hugged me.

(At that moment, I couldn't accept the death of a person. I didn't think about anything else as long as there was a possibility of saving them. Ridi must have meant that this was wrong. That's why she asked Ian those questions... about the death of a person... Come to think of it, this is the first time I've seen someone killed...)

I suddenly realized the death of the adventurer named Gem. The shock of witnessing someone being killed gradually hit me.

(Just a stranger, someone I didn't know. Yet, the death of a person is so shocking... If it were Sharon or Ridi, I can't stop trembling...)

Ridi, noticing my state, hugged me again, and my body's trembling subsided.

(If I were in this situation, Sharon would be even more shaken... How pathetic. I'm an adult, yet I'm so focused on myself...)

I turned to speak to Sharon.

She looked a bit sad that I was being hugged but didn't seem to be affected by the battle or the death.

I bowed my head to her and said, "I'm sorry. I almost put Sharon in danger. I need to be more calm."

She shook her head vigorously and said,

"Y-You looked cool... I wasn't scared. I believed that you would protect me..."

Hearing this straightforwardly, my face turned red. Sharon's face was also bright red.

As we stared at each other in silence, Ridi interrupted, saying, "Okay, okay. We're still in a dangerous forest."

"We've already collected the magic crystal. What do we do next?"

"Let's walk a bit further into the forest."

As we were about to enter the forest, Ian's voice came from behind.

"What about the materials? The giant centipede's shell can be sold for a good price."

I asked Ridi, "Is that true?"

"Yes, it should be worth about fifty C (50,000 yen)."

I couldn't believe we were leaving 50,000 yen behind and asked, "Then why not collect it?"

"Who's going to carry it? Our members can't carry it all. Besides, it's a hassle to disassemble it. The magic crystal and the reward are more valuable, so there's no need to do the extra work. Plus, I hate disassembling those insect-like creatures."

It seems the last part was her true feeling. However, her point makes sense. We don't know how long it would take to disassemble it, and during that time, we would be less vigilant. Carrying heavy items back to town would also be a waste of time. We're not fighting for profit. Of course, we need money, but the reward and the sale of the magic crystal are enough profit. It would be better to use that time effectively. Of course, if the materials were more valuable, we would collect them.

"We don't need the centipede's shell. If you have the means, feel free to collect it."

Ian looked surprised but said, "Thanks," and bowed deeply.

I was surprised by his low bow.

(Maybe it's because I saved his life, but can a ten-year-old kid really make someone bow like that? If it's a meritocracy, I can understand, but... Guy said that kids get picked on at the guild, but maybe I wouldn't have a problem if I went there?)

We parted ways with Ian and his group and headed deeper into the forest.

After that, we only encountered a horned rabbit, a medium-sized rabbit-like monster.

The horned rabbit is not particularly aggressive, but this individual seemed to be in a bad mood and attacked us. However, it only moved in a straight line and had no threatening attacks, so we easily defeated it.

This monster is equivalent to level ten, and its magic crystal is cheap, but its fur and meat are relatively valuable.

It weighed about ten kilograms, but we decided to carry it back in our backpacks.

We returned home and began to dissect the rabbit. Since the three of us couldn't eat it all, we decided to share it with our neighbors.

When we brought it to the house of our left neighbor, Mr. Littlefoot, he praised us with exaggerated actions for being the top and second in our class.

Mr. Littlefoot works as an administrator at the Tilia Magic Academy and knew about our admission.

"No, I was really surprised! To think that our neighbors would be the top and second in that academy! I actually wanted to congratulate you yesterday, but my wife, Helen, said that Guy would be back today, so we should hold off..."

He was so excited that it was embarrassing for us.

"Anyway, if you need anything, come to me. I don't have much power,