Chapter 66

Feeling the light, I wake up. Opening my eyelids slightly, a blurry face floats into view. Gradually, as I become more awake, my vision clears.

I must have woken up early because I went to bed earlier. Riz is propping herself up on her elbows, chin resting on them, peering down at me.

"Good morning, Riz."

The usual morning greeting.

"Good morning, Hiro. It's a nice day today."

Riz smiles faintly in response.

The battlefield is influenced by the weather. On a clear day, there are no elements to consider that would arise on a rainy day. As I think about the battlefield while responding to the morning greeting, a wry smile naturally forms on my face.

"Ah, that face again. You make that face when something is wrong, you know?"

It seems my wry smile is not well-received by Riz. I soften my frown into a smile.

"No, I'm just relieved it's a nice day. I hope it stays this way until tomorrow."

"At this time of year, it's mostly sunny. Even if it rains, it's just a light drizzle."

Autumn weather, I hope it continues. If it rains, I won't be able to wear a coat and will have to fight in the rain... Even a light drizzle will make the ground muddy and my body cold. I pray habitually for it to stay sunny. Then I think, 'Oh, God, you do exist,' but there's no particular response.

After finishing breakfast, as I hand over the lodging fee to Tisha as usual, she speaks to me with an unusually serious expression.

"That person said such things, but I think it's difficult to protect people in a large battle..."

Tisha continues.

"So, first, think about surviving. If you can protect Riz, then... I'll leave it to you."

I feel she is speaking with a mother's heart, torn by the words.

Tisha, who has closed her eyes, gently embraces me.

"You're my child too. Please come back."

The moment I heard her voice, I hugged her tightly in return.

"Yes. I can't promise for sure, but I will come back with Riz. Here, to my home."

I have more reasons to return. Therefore, I can't afford not to.

I need to think more about how to return here. I reaffirm my resolve, pat Tisha's back, and let her go.

"Not yet. The main event is scheduled for tomorrow. I'll do my best today too."

While cursing myself for not being able to say anything more, I wave to Tisha, who is smiling wryly.

Riz and I head to the guild. We find Fia waiting for us as usual and exchange greetings.

"But, it's the same every day. The boss of the enemy is getting quite close, you know?"

In response to my question, Fia replies with a puzzled look.

"It should be fine if we don't get too involved, right? With this group? We can run away, so it's fine. It's fine."

She waves her hand and gives a carefree answer. Her usual response reassures me.

"Today, we won't get too involved, but we'll continue training for group battles. Let's be careful not to get seriously injured."

I tell the two of them.

While it's still okay, it's already dangerous. This is a fundamental rule of risk management, which I reflect on again. To avoid serious injuries and face tomorrow's battle, we must prevent the village from suffering casualties. What can we do today to achieve this condition? I think deeply as we proceed down the path to the forest with the three of us.

At the entrance to the forest, I sense an unusual number of presences. Until yesterday, there were only a few 'caution' targets at the entrance. Today, I can sense a considerable number of presences even as we approach. Most are moving around aimlessly, but a few are absorbing them and leading them somewhere. It's clear that the main force of the enemy is approaching, as I had heard.

A large group is pushing out and absorbing the surrounding groups. That's the kind of movement I sense.

"Fia, can you sense the presences?"

"An incredible number. The movements are complex, and I might not be able to grasp them all?"

Regarding 'caution,' I visualize it as a radar screen from games, with myself at the center and the surrounding presences as light points. I imagine displaying this map in a corner of my mind. It's the most understandable way to grasp the situation in front of me and the surroundings, as in first-person shooting games. I can display the screen by clearly thinking about perceiving it, and it disappears if I don't think about it. The frequency of perception is roughly every 10 seconds. It's possible to display it more frequently, but such precision is rarely needed in actual situations. I also want to allocate time for processing information to other tasks. It's impossible to consolidate so many thoughts at once.

Incidentally, when I casually asked other 'caution' users how they visualize their targets, I received a wide variety of responses. They vaguely sense presences and apply their experiences. When they sense a presence and see a goblin, they think, 'This presence is a goblin.' When it's a wolf, it feels like this. This process repeats, and the range of their perception expands with experience. They also estimate distances based on the target and their senses. This was a common point among those I spoke to. Without the game imagery, I might have grasped it similarly. I'm using a similar environment to digest the unusual sensation.

Additionally, humans can be targets, but in daily life, it's almost never used. For security purposes, I check the surroundings of my house while awake, but it's tiring to maintain constant awareness. Therefore, I don't actively use it except when it's necessary to track the positions of my companions and enemies during hunts.

"It's not surprising that you can't grasp them all. There are many more today compared to yesterday. Can you sense the fleeing groups?"

"A few presences are moving away or stopping, but they become indistinguishable when they mix."

Most of the people I spoke to about 'caution' use it to vaguely grasp where their prey is, without seeking detailed information. Honestly, with a small sample size, I didn't know what the sensation was like, but the previous training was a good opportunity. This 'caution' skill is not suitable for tracking multiple targets, and such opportunities are rare. Most of the time, they either run away or take other actions once they sense a group. The importance of the information obtained from 'caution' is only truly understood after experiencing it. In the future, I want to convey the sensation to the two of them and standardize their methods. But for now, we have the immediate problem.

"Got it. I'll handle the tracking. Let's start by hunting in areas with fewer presences and spread out. We'll adjust to avoid being attacked by a group."

If our goal is to delay, reducing their numbers is essential. We need to reduce the sources of the groups we can handle and, if possible, strike the main force.

We set up a temporary base slightly back from the forest's edge and pull out a few at a time. Thanks to the recent training, we can handle the situation even without a surprise attack.

We drag and process small groups of one or two. After repeating this about 30 times, I could only sense groups of about 10. This must be the main force attacking, I thought, while keeping the 'caution' sensation active and moving around to confirm the surroundings. The intervals between the groups are relatively wide. In an open area, sound would carry, but in the forest, it's somewhat blocked.

"The intervals between the groups have widened. Let's try a hit-and-run. If it's too difficult, we'll retreat. In that case, I'll cover the rear. When I signal to retreat, move quickly back to the edge of the forest."

I explain the precautions and enter the forest. We check the roots of trees and unstable ground as we move towards the target group. In actual combat, we won't have time to check our footing. Occasionally, we trip over roots or fall into holes. I ask the two of them to check the ground and the combat area. They run around in the front, and I have them memorize the terrain through experience. Each time, I think this process would be more efficient without it, but the risk of injury would increase.

"We're about to make contact with a group. Let's consider this area as our base. We'll pull them in."

I tell them and leave them there, moving towards the group ahead. I move through the trees and position myself in front of the group. The group, seemingly surprised, confirms that I'm alone and gathers around, shouting. Good, this time it's easy. If it's not, they might just run away.

I confirm that the group is following and adjust the distance while moving towards the base.

"About 10 are coming right behind!"

As I say this and pass between the two, Riz goes first, followed by Fia. They strike and immediately retreat. The rest is the usual pattern.

After the extermination, I ask the two about the situation. I was concerned about the reports of goblins being strengthened during previous appearances.

"Difference in strength? No, I don't feel it... There are individual differences, but... I don't think there's an extreme difference..."

Riz tilts her head and answers hesitantly.

That's right. There's no standard for strength, and there's no answer. However, if there's no extreme difference, it's not a problem.

"Do you both think so?"

In response to my question, they both nod.

For now, I can forget about the reports of goblins being strengthened.

While thinking this, I continue to provoke and spread out the intervals.

As evening approaches, the groups gradually start moving deeper into the forest. Goblins don't move at night, just like humans.

We had already killed nearly 100. Thinking about rounding up the numbers and also for reconnaissance, we start a pursuit with the three of us.

We can tell that the groups in the deeper part of the forest are gathering. Honestly, I can't count them all with 'caution.' The numbers become vague around 30 or 40. The precision can be a double-edged sword. It's unclear if all of them will attack, but if the density is this high, there must be 300 or 400 in the deeper part. I feel that many. It's too dangerous to venture deeper.

We find and exterminate stragglers during our movement. By this point, the two of them are clearly accustomed, cutting down each one with a single strike. However, a head-on collision is different. We need to be more cautious to avoid overconfidence. We'll have a strategy meeting later.

We cut down the numbers and, using 'caution,' quickly run back to the edge of the forest.

After the meeting, we finish the appraisal at the guild.

Fia seems to be getting used to it and is no longer surprised by the amounts. However, I feel she might be forgetting that the current amount includes bonuses and that a large group is attacking. The current motivation is maintained, but I'm very concerned about what will happen after. At some point, I need to remind them of the reality.

A guild staff member stops us and informs us that Hartis wants to talk to us in the meeting room.

I wonder if they were waiting for us. It turns out they were informing all the participating members of the current situation. We must have taken too long, as we are almost the last. I tell the two of them to rest today and not to train to avoid fatigue, and they leave first.

Now, let's confirm the current situation.