Chapter 12

"How much do you know about support roles?"

We had left the imperial capital and arrived at a nearby forest. This forest, dense with conifers, is home to many wild animals and serves as an excellent hunting ground for the hunters living in the imperial capital.

As we walked along the game trail, I asked a question, and Alma tilted her head.

"To be honest, I don't know much. They have low personal combat abilities but strong support skills, and their job is to apply these skills to the party, right?"

"In broad terms, that's correct. However, applying support is not the only role of a support role."

"What other roles are there?"

"Support has various effects. For example, I have a skill called Chain Plan, which is extremely powerful and can decide a battle in an instant, but it also has significant drawbacks. If mishandled, it could lead to the party's annihilation."

"That sounds scary."

"Yes, it's very dangerous. Therefore, we support roles must accurately assess the battle situation before applying support. However, if we only respond to the battle situation, the support we can use is limited, and it's difficult to fully utilize its effects."

"Then, what should we do?"

"The answer is simple. The support role should act as the party's command center and control the battle. By directing the battle to create the desired situation and applying the appropriate support, this is the true role of a support role."

Alma nodded in admiration at my explanation.

"That's interesting. Very interesting. But it seems really difficult. Just directing the battle isn't enough; you have to foresee what will happen far into the future to make this strategy work."

"Exactly. That's why there are only a handful of support roles who can fight properly. First, they lack self-defense capabilities, making it difficult to survive, let alone control the battle and lead the party to victory. It's a remarkable feat."

"But Noel can do it, right?"

"If he couldn't, he would have died long ago. — Alright, let's stop here."

We stopped at an open clearing deep in the forest. In the center was a mysterious cobalt blue lake, which seemed to be a watering hole for wild animals, as evidenced by animal droppings and footprints. Concentrating, I could sense the breathing of creatures hiding in burrows and underbrush.

"Alma, I want you to catch a certain mutant."

Mutants are the general term for plants and animals that have undergone mutations due to the influence of the abyss. They are dangerous, though not as much as demons, and hunting them is one of the explorer's jobs.

"The Iron-Horned Rabbit, a mutant rabbit with iron horns."

While rabbits are usually cute and fluffy, these have horns sharp enough to kill a person. They are also aggressive and will suddenly leap out to impale prey that passes near their burrows.

"Why do we need to catch an Iron-Horned Rabbit? Are we going to eat it?"

"We're not going to eat it. We're catching it for an experiment."

"An experiment?"

"Not only will you catch it, but I will also apply my support to you."

"You don't need support to catch an Iron-Horned Rabbit."

Alma looked indignant, as if she felt I was underestimating her.

"True, with your abilities, you can easily catch a dangerous Iron-Horned Rabbit. But what if I apply support?"

"It will make an easy task even easier."

"Do you think so? Support does enhance abilities, but whether you can use those enhanced abilities depends on the person receiving the support."

"Oh... I see."

Alma seemed to understand what I meant.

"Scouts have a skill called Speed Boost, right?"

"Yes. It doubles your speed, and it can be stacked. I can go up to five times."

Five times, huh? Impressive. C-rank explorers usually max out at three times.

"Could you use this skill from the start?"

"No. The speed increases suddenly, so you need extensive training to get your body used to it. Otherwise, you could tear your muscles or break bones."

"Even with your own skill, it's that challenging. With someone else's support, it's even harder to adapt. Moreover, my support affects not just speed but also strength. Therefore, training is necessary to adapt to the support."

In other words, the experiment is to see how long it takes for Alma to adapt to my support. Depending on the results, we can decide our immediate plans.

Even the former members, who were excellent explorers, took about half a month to fully adapt to support.

How about Alma?

While her individual abilities are outstanding, adapting quickly to support is a different matter. The more capable she is, the greater the changes from support, which could mean it takes longer to adapt. In fact, among the former members, the most capable, Lloyd, took the longest to adapt.

"How many Iron-Horned Rabbits can you detect in the vicinity?"

I asked, and Alma closed her eyes and listened carefully.

"Thirteen within a 200-meter radius."

"Then, we have plenty for the experiment. When you catch the Iron-Horned Rabbit, use Speed Boost. I will apply two supports, and you need to catch at least one within ten seconds. We'll do this three times, and the results will show how much training you need to adapt to the support."

"Understood."

"Then, let's begin the experiment."

Rhetoric Skill: Morale Boost.

The support I declared and applied activated Alma's body.

"How do you feel?"

"A strange sensation. Vitality surges from deep within my body, seemingly endless."

"First, I used the Morale Boost skill. Currently, Alma's physical strength, magic power, and their recovery rates are increased by 25% due to my support."

"So, I won't get tired easily?"

"Exactly. The next skill is the main one. Rhetoric Skill: Tactical Deployment. As long as Alma follows my instructions, all her actions and their effects will be increased by 25%. In this context, you can think of it as a 25% increase in all abilities."

I stepped back to give Alma a good start.

"Stack Speed Boost to its limit. With the support, even a fivefold increase will have more than a sixfold effect. When I say 'go,' start. The instruction will have Tactical Deployment applied. Don't worry; if you get injured, I'll heal you with a portable recovery potion."

"Understood. — But, just a moment."

Alma quickly shed her robe, revealing a white leather suit that looked like a leotard, with a provocative design that exposed her chest. The corset belt emphasized her large breasts even more.

At first glance, the suit seemed to offer no protection, but it was probably made from vampire skin, which can form a barrier when infused with magic. The design prioritizes mobility and breathability.

She wore long gloves on her hands and long boots on her feet. A large knife was sheathed in a holder on her belt. She also had a small item pouch and a case containing throwing needles.

Despite the revealing outfit, it was a typical scout's appearance, designed for agility and stealth.

"This makes it easier to move. Perfect."

I rolled up my left sleeve and touched the stopwatch button on my watch.

"Use Speed Boost when you're ready."

"Understood. — Speed Boost — five times!"

The moment Alma reached five times her speed, I shouted.

"Instruction! Go catch an Iron-Horned Rabbit!"

At that instant, a gust of wind swept through, and Alma vanished.

The ultra-high-speed movement, enhanced by Tactical Deployment, was so fast that it seemed she had disappeared, even though I was paying close attention.

The stopwatch on my watch ticked away in milliseconds. — Two seconds passed. Three seconds. Four, five, six, seven, eight seconds —

"Back."

The moment I heard Alma's voice, I stopped the stopwatch.

"Here, Iron-Horned Rabbits."

Alma returned with a gust of wind and threw the Iron-Horned Rabbits she had in her arms onto the ground.

"All thirteen. They're unconscious."

"Thirteen? You caught all of them?"

"Yes. Wait, was it supposed to be just one?"

"No, as long as it's more than one, you didn't break the rules."

"Good, I'm relieved. What about the time?"

"Eight point six seconds."

"Within the time limit. Great. Should we continue the experiment since I caught all of them?"

I chuckled at Alma's tilted head.

"No, the experiment is over. With these results, no training is needed."

She's really something. To adapt to support so easily on her first try is impressive. I feel silly for even conducting this experiment.

Is this what it means to carry on a legend...? I'm envious...

"Since no training is needed for Alma, our schedule is now free. I want to take on a job as a party."

"Wow, our first job. Diving into the abyss for the first time."

"Unfortunately, it's not related to the abyss. It's too dangerous to dive without a tank. The job we'll take is this."

I took a letter from my pocket and showed it to Alma. It had arrived via owl post this morning. The paper was of poor quality and had a slight smell of horse manure.

"Hmm? Let me see. 'To Noel Stollen. A bandit group has appeared near our Mintz village. We would like to request your assistance in their extermination. From the Village Chief of Mintz.'"

Alma, having finished reading the letter, looked up at me with a puzzled expression.

"A bandit group?"

"Yes, our first job is to exterminate a bandit group."

†

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Hunting demons is not the only job of explorers.

Treasure hunting, exploring secret realms, mutant hunting, and criminal hunting.

The first two are rare, but the latter two are common. Mutants and criminals, who keep appearing no matter how many are eliminated, are a threat to the good people.

Of course, the rewards for these jobs are less than those related to the abyss, but as long as you get paid, it's a legitimate source of income.

When the former members started, they didn't dive into the abyss immediately but took on small jobs to earn money and improve the party's skills.

These types of requests are posted directly on the bulletin board in the central square. The requesters vary, but most are from villages.

The lords, who are supposed to protect their subjects, are always slow to act. Waiting for the lord's help would result in the village suffering a major blow, or even being destroyed. Therefore, the villagers must hire explorers to solve the problem themselves.

The connection with the village chief of Mintz was made when we took on such a request. The request was to exterminate mutants. After completing the request, Lloyd, who is now a slave, promised to help if there were any further problems.

The village chief of Mintz, remembering this promise, likely decided that it would be faster to request our help directly to resolve the issue quickly.

I originally intended to send a letter of refusal. However, since no training is needed for Alma, we now have the flexibility to take on party activities.

The reward may not be much, but it's a good opportunity to test the new party's strength. We will take the price from the villains who trouble the good villagers.

In other words, everything they have.