Chapter 47

Easily shaking off Cavendish, we had about an hour left.

All we had to do was head to the base with plenty of time to spare.

While hunting the monsters along the way, we proceeded without any problems.

I saw other groups from a distance but passed by without getting close.

Just as the number of bug monsters I secretly caught was about to exceed 100,

Crack! Crack! Crack! Thud! Thud! Thud!

A loud noise echoed.

"Ah! Ohhh!!"

I could hear screams, but I couldn't see anyone. I got into a combat stance and looked around.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Thud! Thud! Thud!

A loud noise approached from behind, cutting down trees and causing the ground to shake.

Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!

"Help! Someone, help me!"

"Hurry! Just run! Don't stop!"

"Hurry! We're almost at the base! Hurry!"

Three academy students ran by, screaming, too desperate to notice us.

Behind them was a five-meter-long giant lizard enveloped in black mist.

"Oh, no, it's a Rock Lizard. Why is it in the middle of the forest? I hate how hard it is."

"Stop being so relaxed and get ready!"

Alshain was already in position, and Yegram cast spells from behind.

He cast Sleep, Paralysis, and Darkness spells one after another, but the Rock Lizard didn't stop. The movement-impairing spells had no effect, so he immediately switched to physical attacks.

Fire, wind, and lightning spells were all blocked by the hard scales.

When it got closer, I tried a spell I had just thought of.

"Hey!"

Boom!!

The Rock Lizard stopped, impaled by a giant stone spear that had emerged from the ground. It thrashed violently, but the spear, which I had imagined as a giant sword, pierced through the hard scales and didn't come out.

I smiled sheepishly at Yegram, who was looking at me silently, and watched Alshain and Diggory run up.

Yegram also cast ice spells to hinder the Rock Lizard's movements.

Alshain attacked from below, and Diggory circled around to the tail side, pulling out something from his bag and applying it to a knife before attacking the Rock Lizard.

The hard scales made it difficult for their attacks to land, and they struggled. Yegram's ice spells gradually drained the Rock Lizard's strength, but they lacked the decisive blow.

If we could just deal with those scales, the battle wouldn't take much longer.

I created a water magic orb in my palm, changed its properties to acid, and applied it to the areas Alshain and Diggory were attacking, peeling away the scales before changing it back to water.

Alshain and Diggory cut into the exposed areas, causing the Rock Lizard to bleed profusely. They stepped back from the thrashing creature.

The Rock Lizard's movements slowed, and it eventually stopped moving, possibly because Yegram's ice spells had frozen its blood.

The black mist had completely dissipated, so I returned the giant spear to its original form.

Thud!

The Rock Lizard fell to the ground. Alshain approached cautiously to check if it was dead, Diggory sat down, and Yegram let out a slow sigh and relaxed.

I flew over to the Rock Lizard and touched its hard scales. When I knocked on them, they sounded more like metal than stone.

I didn't attack it with acid all over because I had heard that rare monster materials could sell for a high price.

I didn't know if the Rock Lizard was rare, but I calculated that its hard scales could be processed into armor.

I wasn't in immediate need of money, and I had received a substantial reward for making the magic bag. I didn't need anything, and my life was taken care of, but as a former commoner, if there was a material that could sell for a high price, I would certainly do the calculations and hold back!

I had inherited a thrifty spirit from my grandmother!

I didn't realize that the three of them were looking at me with warm, amused eyes as I sat astride the Rock Lizard, nodding to myself.

Remembering the little time left, I stored the Rock Lizard in the magic bag, and Yegram cleaned up the blood.

If left alone, the blood could spawn new monsters.

As we started walking back to the base, we heard rustling sounds coming from the direction of the base, so we got into a combat stance and waited.

Crash! Our intelligent-yakuza teacher and a few unknown men burst through the bushes.

The intelligent-yakuza teacher, who apparently wielded a battle axe, approached us with a fierce look but stopped when he saw our relaxed state.

"Get back to the base immediately! There have been sightings of a Rock Lizard in this area! Return as quickly as possible while staying alert!"

"......"

"What are you doing? Hurry up and get back!"

"Actually, sir, we just defeated that Rock Lizard."

"Huh? No way, you couldn't have beaten it with that equipment."

"Ah, that's where Mr. Keita's magic came in handy!"

"......Really?"

He was very skeptical, so I pulled the Rock Lizard out of the magic bag, and the intelligent-yakuza teacher's eyes widened.

"......You're serious...... At least you're safe. Let's get back to the base!"

He started walking ahead.

We hurried to store the Rock Lizard and followed.

On the way back, the men who had come with the teacher asked us in detail how we had defeated the Rock Lizard.

They were adventurers hired by the academy during the exercise to ensure the students' safety and had been on standby at the base with the teachers.

Yegram, emphasizing my cuteness, explained the battle with the Rock Lizard.

Alshain chuckled, and Diggory pouted. By the time the explanation was over, we had arrived at the base.

Most of the students had already returned, and only a few groups were left.

We headed to the monster appraisal area set up at the base. As Alshain pulled out the captured monsters from the magic bag, the crowd around us became noisy, surprised by the existence of the magic bag and the number of monsters.

The intelligent-yakuza teacher, who had been watching, smiled wickedly and nodded at me.

It seemed I could also pull out the monsters I had.

Sure, no problem!

After Alshain, I pulled out a large number of bug monsters, causing Yegram's face to twitch, but I continued. The result was a mountain of over 100 bug monsters, and the crowd fell silent.

I added a few rabbit and fox monsters and finished with the Rock Lizard.

The appraiser from the Adventurer's Guild, who had been sent to the base, had a happy face at first but gradually became tense and was speechless when he saw the Rock Lizard.

The intelligent-yakuza teacher gave me a thumbs up with a wicked smile, and I returned it with a small thumbs up.

The appraisal was postponed due to the large number of monsters.

The remaining groups returned just in time, and we split into several carriages to head back to the academy.

Of course, I attached a homemade swing to the carriage, and everyone watched us with smiles as we returned.

After arriving at the academy, we dispersed to change and then gathered in the cafeteria.

When I returned to my room, Shelly was waiting for me with a bath prepared and clothes laid out.

I took a bath with Alshain and changed.

Alshain wore a beige shirt and loose navy pants, while I wore a fluffy cream-colored jumpsuit.

When Alshain carried me, it felt like he was holding a stuffed animal, and I laughed a little.

Shelly also joined us as we headed to the cafeteria.