Sousetsuka

(Sorta) Harsh Training Starts

"Now then Reina, we need to talk about your future, are we on the same page?"

"...Yes."


The consultation began in the kitchen left with nobody else but us three.
She looks nervous, there's no need for that though.


"Relax. I'm just going to discuss and confirm something with you."

"C-confirm what?"

"What are you choosing as your Job, have you decided?"


She looked a bit downcast as she replied.


"...I still can't decide. With the Skills I have right now, I don't have a good Job to choose from when I come of age."

"Daggerist, Assassin, and Thief right?"

"Yes... Wait, eh? H-how come you know?"

"Keep this to yourself, I can see people Status. It's kind of like Appraisal."

"You can see Status but it's not Appraisal?"

"Yeah. Well, I'll tell you more later. This isn't about me."


To be honest, I think it's too early to tell her about Menu and such.
I'd like to trust Reina, but divulging this stuff to someone we just met today is kinda bad, I'd wait a bit until we know each other more.


"What if I tell you, you can have a new Job to choose from if you learn a new Skill."

"Eh...?"

"Your future is in your hands. So I won't force you to agree, but learning Offensive Magic Skill will allow you to pick an extremely minor but powerful Job. Why not give it a shoot?"

"Eh? J-just what kind of Job is it?"


Reina's face perked up when I uttered the name of the Job Menu informed me.
She seems really curious about it, can you even tell what kind of Job it is from the name alone?


"That's it! I want that Job!"

"O-ou... Do you have any idea what the Job is even about?"

"Honestly not the slightest bit of clue, but I was struck by this zappy feeling when I heard the name."

"Zappy huh."

"Struck yep."


The heck it's just an intuition then.
I mean well, I get wanting to cling on a new possibility when you're stuck with having to choose between questionable Jobs instead.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >

"Even if you failed to get that Job, you would have Mage as a new option if you had Offensive Magic Skill, so there's no downside learning it."

"Yes. But can I really learn it in just one month? Honestly, that's just not enough time..."

"I'm currently making an arrangement to get you learn the Skill in the shortest possible time. Your training will start the day after tomorrow at the earliest. It's gonna be quite rough, no two ways around it."

"E-eh, h-how bad is it...!?"

"Don't worry. You won't be hurt or tickled yourself, Reina. The training itself is gonna be really banal, you pretty much don't need to think at all."

"I-Izzat so..."


Oh she still looks kinda anxious.
It's really simple, I promise. It's nothing toilsome to you. To you, that is.



The preparations were complete two days later, and we went to the magic beast cave to start the training.
The way to learn Offensive Skill is super simple: have Reina equip the Skill-granting necklace we ordered and make her shoot the spell over and over again.
How the heck did they turn that Pepur Slime's core into such a small a necklace. Equipping this necklace allow the wearer to cast Earth Magic such as Stone Bullet. Apparently it's not applicable to Production type Job people though.
Alma and I would take turn refilling Reina's mana whenever she ran out, thus she should manage to gain quite a bit of proficiency even from day one.
I had her equip some random ring and told her that was how we share our mana.
She could reproduce spells from Offensive Magic if she knew how to do Mana Control, but even learning that technique alone would take time and it's too early for her to know that, so rejected.
By the way, shooting spell at nothing still raises Skill proficiency, but hitting a target gives much higher proficiency points.
Reina is presently shooting into a 15 cm hole over and over again.


"Umm, I'd like to ask something."

"What is it?"

bwosh

『.....Oo.....』


"Did you two dig this hole for my training?"

"Yeah. You might hit some unwitting people shooting randomly, y'see. So I asked Alma to dig out a really deep hole with Spirit Magic."

bwosh

『......Ooo........』


"...I'm sorry, can I ask another thing."

"What do you wanna know?"

bakyun

『.....Gaa.....aaaa......』


"I've been hearing some kinda cries whenever I shoot magic into this deep hole, what, what is that...?"

"Nah, you're just imagining things. It's, you know, the winds, yeah sometimes winds produce sounds when they blow through narrow slits."

Bam

『.....Gya! ....Gagaa.....!』


"No no no! There's definitely something inside this hole! What is it!? Just what's in there!?"

"You mind, you lose. Ah, I'm refilling your mana, it's running short."

"But I do mind! I can't concentrate at all!"


Reina seems really bothered with what's in the hole, but really it's nothing big.
Seeing as Skill proficiency rises better when you hit a target, we went out looking for a High Cave Bear and dropped it down the hole yesterday. The pitfall is so deep there's no way to climb it up, so it's super safe.
The sole exit is a small hole Reina has been shooting her magic to. The inside is quite cramped, so she won't miss. It's an automatic Skill proficiency machine. Very nasty if I do say so myself.
By the way, there's no deep meaning to me not telling Reina the truth. I just find her reactions amusing. lol.


"...Hikaru, time to change shift for mana supply."

"Ah, I'll leave it to you. Make sure that thing stays inside the hole."

"I knew there's something inside!! This is scary!! I wanna go home!!"


Looks like I won't get bored for a while just from watching this kid's reactions.
Ganbareina. Fighto.

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339 The Concern of Being too Smooth

It's the first prey I hunted. AKA a 'rabbit', though only I use that name in my mind.
It looks kinda like a rabbit yet kinda don't. That kind of vague animal.
This one seems to have lived quite a long life in this forest considering its build.

We got close to it, around ten meters. This is actually a bit too close for comfort.
There's no wind, luck is on our side. It won't smell us. There's no shrubs that could make a noise when someone shoot an arrow around either.
The coast is clear from here to the target, no trees blocking our view. The rabbit itself is looking in the opposite direction.
A picture perfect opportunity. Were I to miss this, it'd mean my hunting skill had truly deteriorated to the lowest point.
I'm not trying to set up an excuse here. It's been quite some time since my last hunting. Okay maybe not that long, but it's true that I haven't been hunting at all as of late.
I've completely forgotten the experience, I'm unsure I could hit this. As such.

"That's our prey, and you '1' will shoot it. Aim from here. Don't worry if you miss. I'll follow you up and kill it myself."

So I piled pressure on these kids to put what they learned into practice right away while simultaneously reassuring them.
By doing this, even if the second shot also missed, the responsibility would be shared between two people.

(...So petty. Even I acknowledge how petty I am being here...)
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
Thus, '1' obediently stepped forward and began to take an aim without any objection.
I contented myself by the fact that none of the kids asked me about me giving a demonstration first.
I had changed my mind after watching their hit rate during their practice earlier.
They're so good at this I suspect they would likely shoot better than me.

And sure enough, I was proven right. '1' exquisitely shot the arrow in one smooth motion.
It all happened so fast. Even I was dumbfounded at how smooth he shot.
And the result was utterly beyond expectations. The arrow flew and pierced deep right in the center of the rabbit's body.
In this situation where it's perfectly fine for him to fail. And yet he produced the best possible outcome, maybe he's really got the talent for this?
I could almost make out his confidence overflowing from his back.
None of the kids cheered at this incredible outcome. They're all quietly waiting for my orders.
I can't help but feel that they're too good to be true even. I mean where in the world can you find a band of kids this capable?

"A-alright! Let's drain the blood right away. Go retrieve it."

I pulled myself together and approached the rabbit to show the procedure.
And thus ended our first very smooth hunt.

I gave them an explanation on how to drain blood, from prep stage to the correct orders of actions.

"The first thing you need to do is digging a hole for the blood to pour in. Use a knife to carve out a path for the blood from the neck to flow there, and hang the body upside down."

I obfuscated terms such as carotid artery as I wasn't sure they'd understand.
I don't know how knowledgeable the kids are. Hence, I had to improvise on the explanations.

"Once the blood has completely drained out, bury the hole. This is done to block the smell of blood which could lure nearby beasts here. Though well, just think of it as better than nothing. Don't ever skip this step however."

Once the rabbit was done drained off, I stored it in a shoulder bag.

"Alright, let's go look for our next game. Just this much is nowhere enough to feed you all."

We've got six starving kids. This hunt is far from over. We went deeper inside the forest.

But of course, I'd get dragged in trouble after this. It's like an aftershock from all the calms.
It's not a bad one though. More a fortuitous one that also affords us more food.

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Simple, or Luxurious

I opened the magic tool store's door and went inside.
The name might make you imagine it's like a witch's store offering magic beast materials or cursed equipment for sale or something, but it's just a normal store inside.
Well, looking shady would discourage customers stepping inside.
Compared to this, Daijel's magic beast mat store was far more witch-like... No, she probably made her store look like that on purpose cause she didn't want customers coming.
A blond shopkeeper came out to greet me. Unlike that Dasomething guy, this young man's demeanor seems to match his good looks.


"Welcome, am I correct to presume this is your first time in our store?"

"It is, we'd like to order a magic tool using a magic beast material we have."

"Certainly. What manner of material is it?"


I pretended my bag to be an Item Bag as I took the mat from my Item Screen.


"It's a core of Pepur Slime, I would like an equipment that grants Offensive Magic Skill made using this."

"Oh, an undamaged core is it. We can make a high quality magic tool with this... Although, presently it may not the best of time."

"Eh, why?"

"Maldania magic store from Daijel has just ordered a huge amount of earth magic ore from us, I am unsure what they're trying to create. We currently don't have enough ore to produce your request."

"Ah, right I recall seeing a commission about it at the guild, so they went all the way here huh."

"Yes, as such we must unfortunately ask you to wait for our stock to be replenished before we could process your order, would that be satisfactory?"

"How long till you can get more stock?"

"I believe it should take around a month or so. We truly regret having to make you wait."


Reina is coming of age in a month. We won't make it in time like this.
Maybe I can negotiate with him.


"Excuse me, how many earth magic ore will you need to make a magic tool with this core?"

"It varies but for your specific request, one piece of rank B magic ore should be enough."

"I have a few rank B magic ore on me right now, could you use them to process our order right away?"

"Eh, do you really? How many ore do you have?"

"Around three rank B ore and ten rank C ones."

"Is that right... We shall prioritize your order if you'd be willing to sell the ore. We'd like to have all the ore we can procure right now. I believe your order would take around two days to finish."


That's fast. No, I'm sure it'd have taken longer ordinarily, but he's willing to further accelerate our order for the ore.
Afterward, I sold all the magic ore for 29000 en.
And the cost for a necklace that grants Offensive Magic Skill is 30000 en. A bit deficit. Gununu.


Next up we went to mat store and had the High Cave Bear processed.
The fee being 10000 en was making me sweaty for our fund but since the whole thing would sell for 50000 en, it turned out ok. Damn, that boss bear's pretty pricey.
I never saw the mats fetching higher than the culling reward before this. Meat aside, I'm gonna use the fur for our equipment. Even the claws, fangs and meat alone fetch a lot anyway.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >

Our last stop is finally the inn. It's dark out already.
It's been quite a hectic first day, we did get lots though.


"Finally back here, oh man, I'm starving. Time to get to cooking."

"Kajikawa-san, you can cook?"

"Hikaru always makes our meals. His food is really delicious, just you wait."

"Eh, he's got Cooking skill even though he's a Combatant? C-could it be a Gift Skill you get when you reach level 50!?"

"No, I don't have Cooking Skill. I just can cook some simple stuff."


I'd have like to make her luxurious meal at least for the first day, but a Skill-less I am, I can only make simple home cooking at best.
I'll make sure not to fail at least, don't wanna betray her expectations.

The receptionist recommended triple room for 4000 en when we checked in. I said no already! Why'd you even think we'd stay in the same room!
The gazes from other guests were painful. I got odd glances even when I was just with Alma, felt like I got more now with Reina. Especially from the male guests, I could sense their murderous intent. Give me a break.

Now then, time to switch gear and get to the kitchen.
First I put a pan on low heat and put in the butter, I waited for it to half melt before putting in wheat flour.
I took the pan away from the flame once the roux bubbled, put in milk and got it back on the flame, then I carefully yet swiftly poured white sauce while making sure it wouldn't char.
Unlike with a gas stove, I gotta control the heat with firewood so adjusting it was quite a task. I managed to avoid charring though.
I boiled water on the next stove, and put in salted chicken meat, potato, carrot, bite-sized vegetable and finely chopped rock onion.
I removed the scum as it simmered, and put in the consomme-like powder once the ingredients floated. Lastly, I poured the white sauce, completing cream stew.
Thank goodness the white sauce didn't burn... Or else the taste wouldn't be right...

One more dish next. I'm finally making the long awaited fish dish!
I sliced up salmon-like fish and sprinkled salt and sake before leaving it for 10 minutes.
As I waited, I chopped pre-boiled egg, pickles we got from Keruna village, and rock onion, watered to reduce spiciness, all together.
Then I mixed them with vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar and mayonnaise which I didn't know was being sold in this world.
Mayonnaise is made from eggs, so I was worried about salmonella contamination and whatnot, but apparently there's this 'Hygienist' Job that sterilize, disinfect and clean eggs, thus there's nothing to worry about. Production type Jobs have super handy Skills, I'd like to reproduce them with mana control.
Once the tartar sauce was done, water should have left the cut fish along with the smell as well, I wiped the fish clean with a cloth. For this cloth, Hygienist also etc.
I seasoned the cut fish with salt and pepper, dropped it down wheat flour, coated it with egg, covered it with breadcrumb and left it for a few minutes. Meanwhile, I put an oiled pan on the flame.
Then once the fish got nicely glazed up, I threw it in the oil.
Man, the sizzling sound always makes me feel good. How the people around turned their sights at me all at once was kinda unsettling though...
I took the fish off the pan after about 1-2 minutes to let the heat settled in before frying it again on high flame for about one minute, fried salmon-like fish with tartar sauce done. Not to forget chopped cabbage.
Lastly, I added Arorice to complete our dinner. That took some time.


"It's done. Eat to your heart's content."

"Time to dig in."

"H-how are these dishes simple, they're so luxurious! C-can I really eat these all!?"

"'Course you can. Feel free to skip them if it's not to your liking but never worry about holding back. Besides, they're not that luxurious, are they?"

"They are no matter how you look at it! I mean, it's clear when you see reactions from the people here!"


Now that she mentioned it, the other guests do look kinda envious as they're staring our way.
...Are you saying the gazes I've been feeling whenever we eat were not directed to me or Alma, but the food?
Hmm, but this is just some simple home cooking though. Well whatever. Let's just eat.


"Mwu, this fried fish came out pretty nice. I wanted to put cheese in the glaze, but forgot to buy it."

"It's still really good. Goes well with this sour and salty sauce."

"This stew is so rich and melty, there's so many veggie and meat too, it's really really tasty! Am I going to die today!? Am I gonna die from bliss!? F-fugwu...!"

"What are you going on about. Ah hey, don't cry."


Is this even good enough to move you to tears? I'm happy to hear that but she's kind exaggerating... Or I guess not? I dunno what kind of life she'd been leading, but pretty sure she hadn't been eating well at least.
Eat nutritious food from here on, girl. Or else you can forget getting trained.
Ah, we have plenty of stew if you want seconds. Eh? Share it with other people because they look like they want some too? Nope, no can do. I didn't make enough to share with other.

After meal and clean-up, it's finally time to consult with Reina.
Now then, I think it's gonna be fine, but will she be receptive I wonder?

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338 Teaching Material

There weren't many arrows that missed their target. That was a surprise to me. There was nothing more I could teach them.
But while that's true for shooting at target.
That's not the truly what's important in hunting. No, it's how to conduct oneself in the forest.

(It's not simple after all. A forest is a collection of many complex systems. What you need to have if you want to read them is vague stuff like intuition and experience.)

Having the kids retrieve the arrows is partly my way to make them understand that it will be tough from here on.

"Well then, we'll now enter the forest where I'll teach you how to look for prey. I'm not experienced enough to hold the authority on this subject, mind. I'm only gonna teach you the basics, each of you gonna need to hone your own skills."

The kids attentively listened to me, completely still.
They're looking at me with a very serious expression trying not to miss a single word or a beat, eyes full of motivation.

(Man they're getting way too much into this... Give me a break... How lucky do you think you gotta be to actually get a prey on your first day... Well guess they wouldn't know.)
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
There were times we couldn't hunt anything for two or three days during my village life days.
Finding prey in a forest is far more difficult than knowing how to shoot a bow.

"Whether we'll find our prey or not today depends solely on luck. You've got to know how to focus, search and never letting your guard down if you want to have a better chance. You also need to brace yourself and know when to give up if you can't find a prey in the end. Otherwise... You might pay with your life."

That was how it went during my last hunt before leaving my village. Trying to hunt for a second game ended up with us encountering a magic beast.
If I don't warn these kids here, they might get desperate and find themselves in a twilight zone.

"Alright, let's go in. Follow me. Make sure to minimize making any sound. Pay attention to the surrounding shrubs. Look out for twigs and bumps below your feet."

I was surprised as we entered the forest. It's full of trees with edible fruits.

(What a rich forest... Yet I don't see a sign of anyone gathering here.)

Must be because the risks outweigh the prizes.
A forest this bountiful lacking traces of human hands could be due to the existence of dangerous beasts, or magic beasts.

(Wolves, or perhaps venomous snakes? Slimes... goblins, kobolds? Giant bloodsucking bats, or bizarre toads, man-eating plants... yeah, as if.)

We pushed through the forest while my mind was making fun of fantasy.
The lowest on the food chain must exist here to support such beasts or magic beasts.
And that's not exclusively small animals but also include insects and fruits.

The forest in my village was relatively safe. That can't be said for this forest, I have to keep their wariness level high.

(The plan hasn't changed. But we mustn't overlook danger. Gotta raise their alertness.)

Getting the wrong impression could directly lead to their death here.

"Look at this. On the ground. Footprints, and dung. These belong to a carnivorous beast. Stinky isn't it? It must have peed at a tree to mark its turf. Memorize what it's called. This is still fresh. Proof that a life threatening danger is nearby."

It's not a problem at all to me, but these kids would be helpless if they came across it.
Dying is a real possibility. They still yet to have the power or experience to stave off this kind of risk.
Thus, I consider finding this 'life-threatening danger' before our prey is a good thing.

"Do not overlook traces such as this if you don't want to die. Failing to do so might result in you getting eaten alive."

The kids went on to maximum alert level as they started to observe the surroundings.

"You feel how un-special you are inside a forest, don't you? The weak and the tardy make for a fodder to the strong here. Carve that fact in your heart."

Afterward, we took the opposite direction from where the footprint went.

Then after a while, I found very familiar-looking footprints down the ground.

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Painful Expenses Promising Future

We went straight to public bath once we got back at the town.
It's partly because of all the sweat we worked up in the cave, but also because it was clear how dirty Reina was once we got out in the open.
500 en per person isn't much at all... No, I guess it's a bit painful. Like when you lightly scrape your knee.
I would have liked to take a bath every day, but it's just not feasible economically speaking, so I have been coping with temporary shower at the inn. But Reina's so filthy a shower or two won't quite do it, leaving me with no choice.
We could've had a bath everyday if we moved to a bathroom-equipped rental house. But the circumstances don't really allow us to take it easy, and not like we can afford it...

I got in man's side while Alma and Reina went in woman's.
Umu, hot water really melts away your fatigue. It even feels like my body is lighter.
I couldn't recognize Reina at first when we were done bathing.
Her unkempt ruffled hair turned into straight lustrous blond, her skin lost all the filth turning into a fair one. She'd have looked like a beautiful girl, far cry from a slum kid if not for the rag she's wearing.
What a waste. She'd have been popular as a waitress in a restaurant with her looks... Though she'd likely end up in a certain establishment in the slum before that, so her dirty looks might have been intentional.
Reina was muttering with distant eyes, "Those were so big..." as she repeatedly touched her chest while looking at Alma... Well, uh, you've still got room to grow, you know?


Afterward, we went to clothing store to purchase Reina's clothes.
Can't have her in a rag forever, and now that she's neat and clean, she deserves nice clothes.
Also, I'd like to get Alma there too. I always brought her to dull stores like food stalls and equipment stores after all.
She's a girl and all, I'm sure she'd like to dress up too... And besides, I have no clue how to pick boots, dress and stuff for girls, I'd leave it to Alma.

Then, after waiting for quite a bit, the two came out of the stores to yet another surprise.
Reina is wearing a red blouse with frills down to elbow parts, a cream skirt, and stripped high socks with red boots, she's also got a big ribbon tied on her back.
Yup yup, it all suits her so well. Can't believe how much the impression can change just from clothes alone.
Alma has a simple black dress, black stockings and a hairpin to hold her bangs up.
Uwahoi. I almost blurted out weirdly.
I mean, it does look good on her but isn't it way too sexy? Especially the black stockings. Frankly, it's lascivious even. W-well, she seems to like it so all good... But I'm kinda worried if it'd attract some bad bugs.
All these easily cost us 40000 en... I get that it's a necessary expense, but man it hurts. As painful as stumbling down full force kissing the ground.


"C-can I really have these nice clothes? They're too good for me, we should return them and..."

"Not true, they suit you well."

"Don't worry and just take them. We're gonna train you to the point you can buy all the clothes you like before long."

"T-train me? ...I don't think you should expect much with my stats."

"We'll get to that after we have a discussion regarding that matter. For now just enjoy the shopping."

"O-okay..."
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >

This reaction just from a set of clothes. Just how low is her self-esteem.
She looks anxious from having to wear pretty clothes out of nowhere, yet happy all the same.
Reina put this dubious face when I mentioned her training, but you've got a lot potential, far more than you can imagine, you know?


"Alma, those clothes look really good on you too... If not a bit daring."

"? Do I look weird anywhere?"

"No, not weird, it's just a bit too, attractive and..."

"I gotta say, it's lewd."

"...!?"

"Ah hey..."


Reina, don't say it straight!
Hearing Reina's impression, Alma's face turned red as she blushed and tried to hide her front but that pose made her look even sexier. What do here, she's turned into a pheromone weapon.
Even her unconscious gestures are deathly charming, but it'd be a waste to have it changed... Oh crap, it feels like I've been charmed.
I mean even my State has become 'Charmed (Small)' (Object: Almatina)... Wait it's for real! This girl's dangerous!


"...Alma, I'm really sorry to say this, but could you get changed? You can bring the clothes with you."

"U-un... I suppose I shouldn't try to dress up when I'm not used to it..."

"That's not it. You're so pretty my State's been turned to 'Charmed'. Random men might come flocking for real if you walk around the town like that."

"R-really...?"

"Well, I sort of get it. Even as a girl, I think you look super pretty. In fact, I dunno how Kajikawa-san can contain the urge to attack you right here and now."

"!"

"I'm not that mentally weak, okay... Alma, quit staring dagger at me and go get changed."


She changed to her original adventurer attire afterward, but she looks kinda disappointed... Guess it's understandable as she doesn't have the opportunity to dress up usually. No, I won't attack you, stop staring at me now.
I should give them more time the next time we're shopping clothes... That attire was so good on her too.


Next up we went to buy spices.
They were selling powder similar to the one used in consomme soup, but it cost 4000 en per 200 gram. Though it's not as expensive as curry powder, it hurts. As painful as hitting your little finger on the edge of a drawer.
I also bought butter and milk, Rock Onion, potatoes, carrots, and cut fish at respective stores.
...We have now spent as much as one week inn charges during this shopping spree. Is this gonna be alright? The reward from that village commission is running out already...

Next, we went to the guild to receive reward for magic beast culling.
Oh man, hope the reward is up to snuff. I don't wanna go back to herb gathering again. I mean you don't get exp doing that, and the receptionist here might start hating me...
We went to the counter where the long red hair onee-san tended and asked her to check our Kill Log.


"We're back. Please check our log."

"Thank you for your hard work. Two Pepur Slimes, and...  37 Drain Bats? Eh, and one High Cave Bear... I believe it should be quite a tough fight considering your stats. You're really pushing it for your first day, aren't you."

"It was mostly Alma's, all I did was carrying the thing back."

"No, didn't you kick that giant bear really hard, you sent it flying..."

"That didn't really put a dent. A head-on clash was a no go, so you gotta use your head."


How Ground Shrink plus Pile Bunker combo attack only took 20% of its HP actually came as quite a shock to me. We only managed to defeat it without much trouble thanks to Alma's Spirit Magic pitfall.
But there's no guarantee it's gonna work on demons when they come raiding.
They're apparently as intelligent as humans, they can probably see through a trap or two.
If I don't develop a new high powered technique on top of leveling up, I might end up dead at this rate.
Guess I gotta train with Alma on the side too while both of us train Reina.


"...The total comes to 63000 en."

"T-that's quite a lot. Were those magic beasts such high prizes?"

"The reward for Pepur Slime is 3000 en each, Drain Bat 1000 en, and High Cave Bear 20000 en. You can get even more if you sell their mats."


Wao. Even this much is already enough to cover today's shopping expenses... No wait, considering the inn charges and what I have in mind after this, we might still be in the red.


"Oh and, you two have been promoted to Rank D with today's culling. Defeating a High Cave Bear should have been a Rank B's job, so your points went up by a lot."

"Eh, Alma aside, me too?"

"The Log indicates that the bear was defeated by a joint effort between Kajikawa-san and Alma-san, therefore both of you enjoy the rank up together."


But all did was just kicking that boss bear and throwing down a burning straw, so lame.


"...Will the day come when I can earn this much if I train."

"Yeah. You'd reach this point in no time at all as long as you put in the effort."

"It will be tough before you can level up, speaking of which, when is your coming of age?"

"It's in just around a month. I need to pick a Job before that, but with the Skills I have right now, none of the options looks strong..."


Well, not a lot of people probably know about the addition of a new Job if you get just one more Skill to that Skill Composition.
Seeing as she doesn't seem confident on her Job Selection, persuading her to instead take that Job might be easier than I thought.
To that end, we gotta head to a magic tool store next... Wonder if we have enough cash.

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337 Preamble

"Err, you're all going to learn how it feels to actually shoot an arrow now. Your target is the tree ahead."

I had the kids lined up and gave an explanation once we took quite a distance away from the gate.
After this, I'm gonna show them the real thing inside the forest. They've experienced pulling bowstring without an arrow.
Next up is to get a feel of it with an arrow. Each kid has a quiver with 30 arrows inside.
We're only entering the forest once they've shot those all.

"Alright, take your bow! Take an arrow! Nock it as I taught you. Pull! ...Do not shoot until you have made your aim at the target."

These kids still don't have enough strength. Especially after living in an environment that denied them nutrition. They're trembling trying to maintain the notched arrow, it's a pitiful sight.
Some couldn't keep it and let loose their arrow loose, some desperately tried to maintain their aim while trembling hard, and some took a deep breath and gave it their all to stabilize the arrow.

Once they all had taken shots, I called out to them.

"There's nothing wrong if you can't keep the arrow notched, that's normal when you still don't have enough strength built yet. Keep that fact in mind and try to quickly get your aim set."

This applies to '4' and '6'. Their frail physiques should make it hard for them to maintain the posture.
This problem will naturally resolve itself as long as they keep eating nutritious meals.
But we don't have time to wait for that presently.

"If your arrows don't fly as you intended, try to figure out why. Was it because of bad posture, not enough strength put into notching, or maybe the arrow hit your finger or the bow. If it still won't fly right with the same posture, put your 'quirk' into consideration before shooting the next one. Don't try to force yourself fighting it."

This advice is for '2', '3', and '5'. Once I gave that advice after watching their shooting, they started checking their postures, so that must be it.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
"Do not make unnecessary movements once you've shot. Taking a deep breath in the stance will make noise, which is akin to revealing your presence. Even the tiniest noise or movement may alert wild animals. Make it a habit to finish taking a breath as you set your aim."

'1' holds the biggest potential among them. In fact, he's way more talented at this than me.
These kids are so far above me at their age with bows. Why you ask?

(Despite the small issues, they all managed to hit the tree...)

At first I was going to let them learn how to gauge distance, from eight to nine meters away, yet they all hit, amazingly enough.
You'd expect their first practice would have arrows flying all over the place.
It was like that for me. The me who was well fed compared to these kids. I was so bad at it, I simply didn't have the talent for archery. Nevertheless, I kept practicing tirelessly until I got good.

(Looks like I won't have to take care of them for long at this rate... I hope so.)

I got a bit down after realizing my ineptitude back then.
But they won't be able to hunt well if they can't hit the target from a longer distance.
After all, there's no way you can get this close to prey. Wild animals just have that sharp of a sense. You gotta be able to kill them with an arrow just right outside this range.

"Alright, second volley, fetch your arrow!"

I shouted the order to resume the kids' training.

Previous Chapter

Idle Talk Aiming for Harem

<<It's nice that the king gave you equipment during the audience and all, but it's pretty sad how he didn't send anyone to accompany you~.>>

"Eh, it's all right. I can take it easy journeying alone, this is fine."

<<Plus you have me. Soloing the Demon King isn't a pipe dream with me around fufufu.>>

"...No, that's not happening."


A messenger of the king met me when I came out of the hero summoning altar.
Apparently the world saw two full moons as an omen of the demon king's birth as well as hero's summoning, so they hurriedly dispatched people to check on the altar on a short notice or so I was told. Thank you for your hard work.
Two moons are kinda a relatively common trope in isekai, but they seem to be signs for heroes and demon kings in this world. Wonder if there's any other meaning?


I think their security was a bit lax, I mean I was led straight to the audience chamber where the king was waiting. What are they gonna do if the hero turns out to be a serial killer or something. Oh wait, guess people like that don't get summoned in the first place.
So, the king ordained me to defeat the Demon King, gave me a Pass that'd let me enter all kinds of restricted areas, some equipment and fund before practically kicking me out, implicitly telling me to hurry up and beat this Demon King.
I mean it's not like they were rough housing me or acting high and mighty, but couldn't they at least, you know, give some pep talk or something.


<<The king of this country hasn't had much sleep as of late, so he was probably trying to cut it as short as possible.>>

"Really, but why? Is he insomniac?"

<<As an omen of Demon King's birth, magic beasts come out of their territories en masse destroying villages and towns, it's sort of like massive raids happening all over the places. People call this phenomenon 'Stampede'. The king is apparently super busy dealing with those.>>

"Stampede huh... So they couldn't spare someone as my companion because their hands are full."

<<As a matter of fact, this bout of Stampedes have destroyed many villages and towns already. I don't think he's lying about lacking manpower.>>

"The heck, things are already climaxing before I started my adventure. This world is harder than I thought."

<<Well, there are also towns that suffer practically zero casualty, but those are rare cases. Ordinarily, at least ten people would have died.>>


Looks like deaths are always hanging around the people in this world.
I can't afford to let my guard down and have a haggard-looking king tell me 'Oh hero, to think you died etc-' ...Hmm, I'm actually not too worried, maybe cause I get revived even if I die.


"Oh right, there's another Japanese man besides me right. Guy hasn't gotten himself involved in a Stampede, has he?"

<<...Apparently he has.>>

"Eh, is he okay? He doesn't have a Skill right, there's no way he could've fought a magic beast."

<<On the contrary in fact, the man killed lots of magic beasts like he was cutting butter... I can't seem to access the detail since part of the information is on lock down. I'm sorry.>>

"Hold the phone, what's the deal with that guy, like for real."

<<I'm just as clueless as you...>>
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >

It's like when you have this urge to see a terrifying sight yet don't wanna go near it...
Yup, let's just forget about this. Guy's way too ominous.


<<Incidentally, on top of Demon King bases spawning on every continent at the time of his birth, the demons have also begun full scale attacks and subterfuges against humanity, so I suggest you to get on to leveling and crush those bases pronto~.>>

"Hmph, what had those demons been up to before the Demon King got revived."

<<Who knows? There's never been a confirmed sighting whenever the Demon King isn't around, maybe they pop up the same time a Demon King is born~.>>

"But man, what's so fun about picking a fight with humanity anyway. Like, how do they go about it?"

<<Err, some make use of sealed off ancient weapons, some command a massive amount of magic beasts to attack, kinda like Stampedes, they do it with a variety of means. The only common point is it's all done for the sake of harming humanity.>>

"Geez, that all sounds so annoying. Can't build my harem right if I don't get strong enough to eliminate those pest, I'm gonna do this."

<<Just how fixated are you on this harem thing.... Well, I'm sure you'd have no issue on that front given your looks. It's so androgynous, I have a feeling only shota loving women are going to flock to you though.>>

"...Don't remind me again. I'm sure I'm gonna grow up into a hot guy in five years. Hopefully."


The idea of being chased around by older shota loving women scares me. Wish the god brought me here at my original age.
I won't ask for a harem right away but it'd be nice if I could meet a girl my age. Or at least someone 2-3 years older.
Now then, first I gotta go hunt some magic beasts and level up. This kinda feels like the early part of an RPG, wonder if everything's gonna be okay...

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