Chapter 17

The royal road of Uudon. It is a road that extends in four directions from the capital of Uudon. Thanks to this royal road, the survival rate of travelers has dramatically increased.

"Hey, why are we walking to Kama instead of taking a carriage?"

Normally, paying for a carriage ride is the common choice. The benefits of riding a carriage are speed and safety. Carriages are enchanted with magic to repel monsters, so weak monsters won't come near. A journey that would take 10 days on foot to the city of Kama can be completed in just 3 days by carriage.

"There are several reasons. The first is our own special training."

"Special training? Isn't it just training?"

"Training is over. From now on, we will undergo even more intense training... that's what special training is.

Nina has become quite strong, and my level has increased, adding more stats and skills, so I need to retrain to avoid struggling in battles with stronger monsters in the future. In fact, I had a hard time with just one Ogres (subspecies) in a mountain cave."

"Wait! You fought an Ogres (subspecies)?!"

"Just one hit and both my arms were broken. If it had hit my head, I would have died..."

"Wh-What!?"

Nina was surprised that Yuu had fought an Ogres (subspecies) alone, but even more surprised that he had been injured, as he had never been injured in battle before.

Nina, worried, touched Yuu's body to check if he was okay.

"Hey... What are you doing?"

"I'm just checking if you're okay..."

"I said both my arms were broken, but they've already healed.

And why are you touching and rubbing my butt?"

"Che! It's not like touching once a day will make it go away!"

She said this in a meaningless way and reluctantly removed her hand from his butt.

"Another reason is that the monsters get stronger as we get closer to the capital.

If we don't get used to the strength of the monsters while training, it would be ridiculous to die suddenly in a battle with a strong monster."

"Yeah, big cities are usually built near dungeons."

"Why are cities built near dungeons?"

"It's because the benefits are huge, of course."

While Nina said this as if it were obvious, the dungeons are where monsters spawn.

Unlike normal breeding, various types of monsters such as undead, devils, spirits, insects, dragons, and angels spawn infinitely, though the cause is unknown. Various weapons, armor, decorations, and magical items can be crafted from the materials of these monsters.

Furthermore, treasure chests also spawn within dungeons. While the phrase "treasure chests spawn" might sound strange, many adventurers have reportedly seen them appear right before their eyes. High-ranking dungeons can even produce items of national treasure level, and some adventurers have built fortunes that would take generations to spend from a single treasure chest.

"But you can still be attacked by monsters, right?"

"The benefits far outweigh the risks."

(I see, that's how it is.)

"Still, we haven't encountered many monsters."

"The royal road isn't called that for nothing."

That day, they didn't encounter any monsters until night.

"We'll camp here for the night."

"Food, food~♪"

They set up camp next to the royal road. Since they didn't have tents, they only had a campfire.

The food was dried meat and bread made by the grandmother.

"Stella's bread is really delicious..."

Nina, who was still struggling to recover from the loss of her grandmother, ate with teary eyes.

"Yeah, the bread won't last long, so we need to eat it by the day after tomorrow. After we finish eating, we'll start our special training."

"Wh-What! Training in this darkness?"

"Because it's dark, it will be more effective training, Nina. You can use your skills to the fullest."

"Mm... I've gotten stronger since the beginning. But Yuu's sword skills are..."

"Don't worry, I won't use a sword; I'll fight with my bare hands and magic."

"Bare hands and magic... no sword?"

I pulled out my longsword and showed it to Nina.

"Wow... It's so worn out... How much have you used it?"

As Nina said, the longsword was worn out from the battle in the mountain cave.

"We'll buy a new one when we get to Kama, so just hold on until then."

"Kama has equipment as good as the capital."

The city of Kama has a reason for having equipment as good as the capital.

The capital has A, C, and D rank dungeons. In contrast, the city of Kama has a B rank dungeon, "Enrio of the Corrupted World," and a D rank dungeon, "Gorgo's Labyrinth."

With two dungeons nearby, it is popular among adventurers, and the demand and supply have led to a concentration of equipment shops. Many adventurers debut in Kama, hoping to make a big success from the countryside.

"We'll buy equipment, of course, but what I really want is what Nina mentioned."

"An 'Item Pouch'"

"Right, right~ The Item Pouch has revolutionized adventuring!"

Nina was excited, and for good reason. The Item Pouch is a bag enchanted with magic that can hold an incredible amount of items. Additionally, the weight remains the same, making it an essential piece of equipment for adventurers.

"Alright, let's start the training."

We moved a bit away from the campfire and faced each other.

"Whenever you're ready."

In an instant, Nina's short sword approached.

With a whoosh, it passed by my face.

"Nina, you don't need to hold back. I can use healing magic if I get injured."

"Uu..."

I could tell Nina was holding back out of concern. I needed to show her that I was okay... I deployed about five Fireballs around us.

"What's that!?"

I launched one Fireball at Nina.

"Kyaa!"

"Nina, don't close your eyes. You're not used to magic. I fight monsters all the time, but I have less experience in human combat. This is training for both of us."

"Okay~"

Finally convinced, Nina got serious. She held a steel dagger in her right hand and a steel knife in her left. Her short sword skills are at level 3, and her dual short sword skills are at level 1. With the combined effects, I couldn't afford to be careless.

"Whoa!"

In an instant, Nina got close to me. I didn't have time to launch a Fireball because she was so fast. It was difficult to dodge without a weapon, and I started to panic.

"Critical Blow!"

Nina used her level 1 short sword skill, Critical Blow.

"Again, you vocalized it..."

I dodged the Critical Blow from her right hand and tried to warn her, but she immediately used another Critical Blow from her left hand, this time without chanting.

"Ugh!"

I barely dodged the full attack and launched a Fireball, but Nina had already put some distance between us.

"Hehe~ Surprised?"

Nina, looking smug as usual, was making me irritated.

"Hmm... Using the first attack as a feint for the second one, huh? Not bad."

Inside, I was jealous of a skill usage I hadn't thought of, but I didn't show it much and deployed dozens of Fireballs.

"Whoa!!"

That day's training ended with me chasing Nina around with Fireballs.

"Good morning."

"...Good morning~"

Nina was still rubbing her eyes, looking sleepy.

"Didn't you sleep last night?"

After the training, I couldn't sleep because I didn't put out the campfire and my 'Detection' skill had suddenly improved. The night is when monsters are most active, and my detection skill kept picking them up... I couldn't control the skill well, so I had to stay alert and couldn't sleep.

"The level of my detection skill has increased, and I'm still getting used to it. It's good to get used to it now."

"I have a detection skill too, so it's better for me to sleep."

"If you don't get used to it now, it will be hell when we get to Kama."

The city of Kama has a population of over 100,000, so if you're not used to the detection skill, you'll literally go crazy.

Nina, looking worried, walked beside me, but she reluctantly agreed when I told her it wasn't a problem.

A carriage passed by. There were about 5-6 people who looked like adventurers inside. The carriage stopped a few dozen meters ahead.

"What's going on?"

A girl got off the carriage. The men inside the carriage laughed and called out.

"Hey, Pott, come back!"

The other adventurers burst into laughter at this.

"...Fine."

The girl muttered, and the carriage drove away.

"What's a 'Pott'?"

"Even if you ask me, I won't know."

Ignoring the girl, we walked past her. She looked about 10-12 years old, with short blonde hair, a staff, and a robe. Out of habit, I checked her status.

Name: Rena Forma

Race: Human

Job: Mage

Level: 7

HP: 21

MP: 67

Strength: 1

Agility: 3

Stamina: 2

Intelligence: 23

Magic: 44

Luck: 16

Passive Skills:

Chant Speed Increase Level 1

Active Skills:

White Magic Level 2

Black Magic Level 2

Unique Skills:

None

(Hmm, a mage... but her stamina is way too low.)

"...You two."

"What is it?"

I should have ignored her, but Nina responded.

"...You're lucky."

"Nina, don't engage. Let's go."

"...I'm a genius mage."

"She's a mage!"

"Hey..."

"...I'll go with you."

We've encountered a strange person.