Chapter 96: Sara and the others Training

“Wow, there’s an actual grassland! Master, why is there a grassland?”

“I don’t know. Just accept it as part of the labyrinth. Marco, you’ve been gathering information on adventurers, so you should have known, right?”

“Yeah, I knew it was part of the labyrinth, but seeing it for real is astonishing.” Marco nodded in agreement.

It’s a bit worrying how easily he accepts things without questioning, considering his initial attitude when we first met. But compared to his guarded and prickly demeanor back then, this is definitely better.

Sara and the others carefully scouted and battled, easily advancing through the fifth floor and reaching the grassland on the sixth floor. They had become strong enough to easily defeat slimes and goblins.

With the help of their spirit magic, the monsters were obliterated with a snap and a squelch. According to Sylphy, even airborne spirits can handle creatures like orcs without any issues.

However, there are limits to the magic’s power, so it becomes challenging when facing heavily armored enemies. In this labyrinth, it would be tough to handle trolls on the 16th floor, marshland lizards on the 26th floor, or the lizard-like creatures that make up the material for my armor.

Hmm. If we had a vanguard and played a turret role, it wouldn’t be a problem. But with only Sara and the others as spirit mages, it seems like they would struggle against trolls on the 16th floor.

“Master, are we going to subjugate the Roughbirds from this floor?”

“Yes. After that, we’ll gather herbs. Since it’s our first day, let’s return after subjugating ten Roughbirds. Remember, our goal is to defeat them cleanly. If we cut off their heads, it’ll be easier to hunt. Also, on this floor, we’ll encounter slimes, goblins, kobolds, and Roughbirds, so don’t focus only on the Roughbirds and let your guard down.”

Completing one request requires two Roughbirds, so it will take five completed requests to finish. By the way, gathering thirty herbs counts as one completed request. I wonder how many completed requests are needed to rank up? I’ll ask at the guild when I go to report.

But seriously, four thousand eltos for two chickens the size of me… Even if the edible parts decrease after disassembly, Roughbird skewers are quite cheap. And since the disassembly fee is deducted, even the parts I usually don’t take home can be turned into money. Will it increase our earnings a bit?

“Yes, Master.”

“Master, Uri is not good at cutting attacks. What should I do?”

“Hmm? Well, since our goal is the meat, aim for their legs or head. It’s fine as long as you defeat them without damaging the bodies.”

It’s a simple answer, but I’m glad to be able to answer their questions. It allows me to immerse myself in the role of a mentor.

“Bell?”

Oh, right. We made a promise to help me. Since the spirits haven’t had much to do as escorts, maybe I should ask them to gather herbs for us.

“Bell and the others, could you search for herbs?”

“Sure, we can do it!” “Kyu.” “We’ll find the herbs.” “Kukuu.”

“Great. Thanks. Oh, and this is for Sara and the others. It seems there are quite a few adventurers around here, so let’s avoid approaching other adventurers. It’ll only make things uncomfortable if we get too close.”

When I passed by adventurers in the cave, they blatantly avoided me once they realized I was an adventurer. I don’t think it’s a problem, but it’s important to be cautious.

They nodded in response to my caution, and as I watched Bell and the others eagerly take off, we decided to start exploring the grassland in earnest. Well, to be precise, Silphy and I are just watching from behind.

Mame-chan went on reconnaissance, walking towards the direction where there were no people. Oh, Mame-chan returned and suddenly stopped in front of Kika. This pattern means she found enemies.

“Oniichan, Oneechan, monsters are coming.”

“Understood.”

“I got it.”

Sara and Marco took defensive positions, flanking Kika as they cautiously moved forward. Oh, something is running towards us from a distance. I guess the visibility is higher in the grassland, making it easier for the enemy to spot us.

Last time I was here, I defeated attacking enemies quickly and directly, taking the shortest path. I didn’t pay much attention, but by proceeding cautiously, you can learn various things.

As we got closer, we could identify the monsters. Kobolds, huh… In light novels and such, there are cute versions of kobolds, but the kobolds in this world are far from cute.

They bare their teeth and growl menacingly, seemingly eager to devour humans as their drool drips down. There’s not a trace of cuteness. Well, it might be more merciful to defeat them without feeling guilty if they’re not cute in the first place.

“Marco, Sara, there are five kobolds coming. They seem faster than goblins, so be cautious.”

“Got it. I’ll aim for the two on the right, and Sara-neechan, you take the two on the left. Kika will be in the middle.”

Marco quickly gave instructions and prepared to face the kobolds. Waiting, huh… Since we’ve been fighting slow-moving enemies until now, it can’t be helped, but I wonder if he has developed a habit of waiting until they get closer before attacking?

Fukuchan and the others cast their magic, easily defeating the kobolds without any issues. Sara and the others finished collecting the magic stones, so I called them over.

“Everyone, I noticed something. There’s no need to wait for the enemies to approach.”

As I said that, Sara and the others looked at me with confusion before tilting their heads.

“Master, I don’t quite understand.”

“Well, you see, when you saw the kobolds running towards you from afar, you don’t have to wait until they get close. You can ask Fukuchan and the others to attack them as soon as you spot them. The range of their attacks is not limited, so it’s safer to defeat them from a distance. However, if the spirits move away, you’ll be defenseless until you summon them, so it’s better to have at least one spirit stay behind.”

Since Fukuchan and the others can fly and cast magic, range is not an issue. When Bell and the others entered the undead nest earlier, they took care of the wraiths first. To be honest, if I ask them to defeat the monsters, I have a feeling they’ll take care of all of them.

Well, in that case, I need to be specific with my requests; otherwise, the materials might go to waste. The range within their visual range should be just right.

“So, are you saying that we could have attacked when we first saw the kobolds?”

“Yes. If you had asked Fukuchan to defeat the kobolds at that moment, she would have done it.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. Fukuchan can fly closer without being noticed… Let’s discuss what we can do together.”

Truly worthy of being called Master! Sara and the others looked at me with admiration, and I hid my inner thoughts, maintaining an atmosphere that this was no big deal. As a mentor, it’s important to uphold my dignity, which can be challenging.

“Yeah, the spirits can do more than what Sara and the others think, so I’ll say it again: communicate with them properly and build a good relationship.”

“Understood. Marco and Kikka, did you understand as well?”

“Got it.” “Yeah.”

“Great. Let’s resume our exploration then.”

———————

Sara and her team prioritized safety in their reconnaissance, emphasizing long-range surprise attacks before being detected by monsters. I hate to say it myself, but it was completely one-sided. If Fukuchan and the others can deal damage at a level where they can almost certainly land a preemptive strike on vital points.

Communicating with spirits in a careless and reckless manner can be quite dangerous. The fact that spirits are likely to dislike you because of that, but if you can persuade them skillfully, you can kill the monsters freely.

“It’s going well, isn’t it? This is the safest way we’ve fought so far. Should we try a different approach next?”

“A different approach?”

Sara asked, tilting her head. Maybe she doesn’t see the need because our previous battles have been going well.

“Yeah. The monsters we’ve encountered so far were mostly ones we could defeat in one blow, but as we go further, that won’t be the case anymore. So we need to train in tactics to adapt your fighting style against weaker opponents for those times.”

“Master, what should I do to adapt?”

“Well, I think it’s best to come up with your own fighting style, but as a hint… In Uri’s case, if you’re facing an opponent you can’t defeat in one blow, you could ask Uri to make the ground soft enough for the enemy to sink in, making their movements slower.”

“Make their feet sink?”

“Yes. If the opponent is massive, Uri might not be able to sink them completely, but if you make the ground unstable and slow down the monster’s movements, you’ll have more opportunities to attack, and you can safely defeat monsters that can’t be taken down in one blow. So from now on, let’s focus on not only defeating them but also learning how to use supportive magic.”

“I see… Using supportive magic. Understood, I’ll do my best.”

I take some time for the team’s strategy time. I’m a bit excited to see what kind of magic they come up with. As I leisurely observe Sara and the others, I see Bell and Rain flying towards us.

“Yuta, we collected lots of herbs!” “Kyuー”

Bell, floating in the air with a bunch of herbs, lands while riding on Rain. …Oh? Could it be that it looks like the herbs are flying?

“Sara, you can sense Bell and Rain, right? How do they appear to you?”

“It looks like the herbs are flying.”

“I see. Thanks.”

Just as I thought. It makes sense. They can’t fly quickly because they’re carrying the herbs… Well, it’s not a problem even if adventurers see it… Hm? Well, it’s probably fine. It might create some urban legends, but that’s about it. I don’t really care if I inconvenience adventurers.

It’s a problem to scare ordinary people, but there’s nothing wrong with a spirit mage having spirits fetch herbs in the dungeon.

“Yuta?” “Kyuー?”

While lost in thought, Bell and Rain have arrived in front of me. Well, I should praise them.

“Bell, Rain, you brought back a lot. Thank you.”

I express my gratitude, receive the herbs, and stroke them thoroughly.

“Kafu, Bell worked hard and found a lot!” “Kyu, kyu.”

“Yes, you did great. Thank you both. You worked hard.”

I pat Bell’s head while saying my thanks, then I also stroke Rain. I’m going to give them plenty of praise.

“Yuta, it’s about time to stop, don’t you think? After all, this is a dungeon, so you need to have a bit more tension. And even if you know there are spirits around by their presence, to Sara and the others, it probably looks like you’re making a big fuss alone.”

“…………Ahem. Well, our goal is within reach. Let’s resume exploring.

I regained my composure and straightened myself up after Silphy’s words. I quickly glanced at Sara and the others, but it seemed like they weren’t giving me strange looks. It looks like I managed to avoid a major blow to my dignity as their mentor. Thank you, Silphy. I bow my head to Silphy as a gesture of gratitude and resume our exploration.

***

“We’ve achieved our goal. Great job, everyone,” I say.

Sara and her team experimented with various fighting styles against goblins and kobolds, ultimately defeating ten roughbirds. We successfully reached our objective without any major issues, but it seems like there are some things they want to reflect on, as they discuss their points of improvement.

They’re taking it all too seriously, to the point where I don’t have much to say. Even the youngest one, Kika, listens attentively and occasionally offers her opinions. As their mentor, I should be pleased, but there’s a part of me that wants to caution them against becoming too complacent and putting themselves in dangerous situations.

“Alright, enough discussing for now. We can continue our conversation once we’re back at the inn. Don’t let your guard down during our return journey, as there will still be monsters around,” I remind them, urging Sara and the others to focus.

I lead the way back along the path we took to enter the dungeon, while they continued their conversation. It looks like Sara and the others will successfully complete their dungeon debut without any major issues. Well, that’s a relief.