Episode 7: Warrior Training Arc

  The scene rewinds to a year-long break for Seneca and their party.

  Seneca and her companions had arrived in the dense jungles of Nishiro.

  "Leave this to me!" Seneca’s booming voice echoed across the clearing.

  From the left, a swarm of army crabs began advancing, their pincers clicking ominously. Without hesitation, Seneca fired ten of their [Pin] into the foremost crabs. Each needle pierced through the heads of the ten leading crabs, and the pins froze mid-air, holding them in pce.

  Suddenly, the front crabs came to an abrupt halt, causing the ones behind them to stumble over one another. Seizing this opportunity, Seneca lunged forward, decapitating one army crab after another with swift precision. While most of the crabs in the front line had been cut down, more continued to surge from the rear, ensuring Seneca had no time to pause.

  Observing the scene, Maiol, who had been enhancing her [Detection] skill, shouted.

  “Prautia! Six Radish Onions are approaching from the rear! We need to handle them quickly! Gaia, activate traps for the Dark Slime Molds coming from the right!”

  Maiol’s voice carried effortlessly, perfect for command. The two recipients of the orders immediately sprang into action.

  Prautia swiftly advanced, eyes scanning for the Radish Onions. These pnt-based monsters were known for their fvour, and Prautia quickly recognised they would make for a delicious dinner ter.

  Maiol had recently prioritised pnt-based monsters for Prautia, for good reason.

  Prautia readied her dagger and activated a skill.

  With a resounding ssh, the stems of three Radish Onions were severed, leaving only the bulbous, round fruits behind.

  Thanks to the [Pnt Gathering] skill, Prautia was particurly effective against pnt monsters, and in some cases, could collect materials from them as she fought—truly killing two birds with one stone.

  "Prautia, four more Radish Onions incoming!" Maiol called out.

  "Understood!" Prautia responded.

  Gaia, meanwhile, was facing the sluggishly approaching Dark Slime Molds. Though not the most dangerous monsters, their acidic bodily fluids could be hazardous if left unchecked, and they were arriving in rge numbers.

  Using the nearby trees, Gaia quickly activated a trap she had set. A heavy log and rocks crashed down, burying the Dark Slime Molds beneath them.

  The majority of the slimes were incapacitated, with only a few remaining, unable to move.

  Having spent much of her time adventuring solo, Gaia had become exceptionally skilled at setting traps. Recognising this, Maiol had taken advantage of Gaia's growing talent, asking her to set up traps whenever their numbers thinned and their hands were full.

  Gaia had been honing her trap-setting skills in recent days, eager to develop her potential as a trap specialist.

  As Maiol continued her [Detection], she saw more troublesome monsters approaching.

  “Nina! A rge group of Sting Tortoises is coming from behind the Radish Onions! Deal with them! Fabius, there’s a gathering of Devil Mosquitoes to the left—do something about it!”

  While issuing these orders, Maiol released an arrow towards a Scarlet Caterpilr that was advancing from the front-right.

  “Meke meke!” came the strange reply.

  “Got it!” Fabius responded, eager to assist.

  Nina’s peculiar reply had become an expected part of the routine by now, as she often responded with such odd expressions.

  "[Impact]!"

  Nina activated her [Hammersmanship] sub-skill, smming a massive metal hammer into the ground with tremendous force. A shockwave spread out, cracking the shells of the approaching Sting Tortoises.

  Without hesitation, she swung the hammer down again, crushing ten of the monsters in quick succession.

  Fabius, meanwhile, was skillfully wielding his sword to cleave through the Devil Mosquitoes. Though the swarm quickly surrounded him, Fabius expertly used his shield to deflect their attacks, cutting them down without a hitch.

  Maiol, watching the pair, muttered under her breath.

  “Why does this always happen...?”

  ...

  After entering their long break, Seneca and their companions had spent an entire week travelling south from the capital.

  They had arrived at Nishiro’s dense jungles, a tropical rainforest renowned for its dangerous creatures and abundant wildlife. After much discussion, the group concluded that this location would be ideal for their training.

  While the monsters in Nishiro’s jungle were not particurly strong individually, they came in swarms, making them a formidable force when grouped together. By using monster-attracting techniques to draw them in, adventurers often found themselves overwhelmed by sheer numbers, forcing them into an exhausting war of attrition.

  Seneca and her companions believed that fighting in such conditions would be the perfect way to hone their stamina and teamwork.

  Seneca knew that they could not fight at full strength for an entire day, so there would inevitably be moments when the other members would need to endure and hold the line. This way, not only would their individual strengths grow, but their bond as a party would also solidify.

  Additionally, there was another bonus to their venture: the rewards for thinning out the monsters of the jungle were lucrative, with valuable materials that fetched good prices. Not only would this be excellent training, but it would also be a profitable endeavour.

  Thus, the four set their sights on Nishiro’s jungle.

  A rge campsite was set up on the outskirts of the jungle, where they would stay and continue their hunt.

  On their first day, they entered the jungle without using monster-attracting techniques, aiming to familiarise themselves with the area.

  The first thing they did, naturally, was to use [Detection].

  As this was their first foray, Maiol used her [Detection] over a wide area.

  Countless monsters poputed the area—beasts, pnts, and many others.

  Among them, two figures were moving at remarkable speed, pursued by monsters.

  “What are they doing?” Maiol wondered aloud.

  She recognised the figures immediately.

  “Everyone, get ready. Nina and Fabius are heading towards us, and they’re being chased for some reason.”

  “That’s Nina, the hammer user, isn’t it?” Prautia asked, tilting her head.

  “Yes, that’s right. Nina and Fabius—both S-css. But we’ll discuss the details ter. They’ll be here soon,” Maiol replied, preparing herself.

  “Understood.”

  Prautia and Gaia readied themselves for battle.

  “Run!” came Nina’s distant, carefree voice.

  Maiol confirmed the two were close enough and called out loudly.

  “We’ll help you!”

  “Please!” Fabius responded, though he didn’t realise it was Maiol who had called out.

  At her signal, Seneca and Prautia sprang into action, their movements swift and fluid.

  Ahead, Seneca and Fabius were running side by side, with a slight gap between them.

  Seneca swiftly darted through the small opening between the two, her movements almost like a thread weaving through a needle, as she sshed at the enemies around her.

  "Huh? Seneca?" Nina blinked in surprise as the swordswoman, like a gust of wind, passed by her with incredible speed.

  Behind Seneca was Prautia, who was keeping a close watch on the front-line enemies. As she spotted pnt-based monsters, she overwhelmed them with her formidable attacks, swiftly eliminating one after another.

  "Nina! We’ll talk ter—let's focus on the fight for now!" Maiol called out, noticing Nina’s confused expression. Upon closer inspection, Nina's leather armour was in tatters, and her cheeks were smeared with soot.

  Nina fshed a bright smile, quickly drinking a potion before turning to rejoin the front lines.

  "We can chat after this!" she called back.

  Fabius, though his handsome face was also stained with dirt, wore an expression of calm determination as he plunged into the fray, his aura still one of refreshingly unshakable confidence.

  "Well then, shall we get started?" Maiol shouted, rallying spirits. Behind her, Gaia stood quietly, grinning with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

  ...

  After a gruelling battle, the group returned to the campsite, where Maiol spoke with Fabius to hear the details.

  "Our party's mission is to split into front and rear, focusing on honing our individual abilities," Fabius expined.

  "Nina was insistent on coming to Nishiro Jungle to test herself, so that's why we came," he continued. "Until yesterday, things were going smoothly, but today, Nina used a bit too much of the monster-attracting potion. The monsters began to swarm in overwhelming numbers."

  "We managed to hold out between the two of us, but eventually, we reached our limit. So, we had to use our strongest skills to escape, and that's when we ran into you."

  Summing up Fabius’s words, that was the gist of the situation.

  While Maiol and Fabius were deep in conversation, Nina and Seneca, it seemed, were reconnecting and rekindling their friendship.

  "Seneca, have you been well?" Nina asked, her eyes bright.

  "Yep! Very much so! Looks like you’ve had it rough though," Seneca replied.

  "Yeah, but it’s been good training," Nina responded.

  "Have you gotten stronger?" Seneca asked with genuine curiosity.

  "Mekemeke!" Nina chirped in reply.

  "Mekemeke!" Seneca echoed, a grin on both their faces.

  The two seemed to have hit it off perfectly.

  "Sorry to interrupt your team bonding, but if you don’t mind, would you consider joining us for a round through the Nishiro Jungle? Nina’s probably on the same page," Fabius proposed.

  Maiol didn’t think it was a bad idea, but she couldn’t make a decision alone. She looked over at Prautia and Gaia for their input.

  "Whether it’s four of us or six, we’ll inevitably run short on hands. I’m fine with six. The real challenge might be for you, Maiol, having to lead the whole group," Prautia said with a calm smile.

  "I’m indifferent, though with six, we could venture further into the jungle and collect more valuable materials," Gaia added.

  Listening to their opinions, Maiol paused to consider. It was true that, as the leader, the burden would fall on her. But, perhaps this was the kind of training she had been seeking. After a moment's thought, she made her decision.

  "Alright, then. Let’s do it. But, we’ll need to split up every few days for separate training. We can’t just keep fighting monsters day after day without burning out," Maiol said firmly.

  "That’s fair," Fabius agreed with a bright smile. "We’ll also use this time to improve our skills fighting together as two. I feel much more secure with everyone here."

  Fabius remained as cheerful and positive as ever, even after everything.

  Once the conversation settled, the group turned their attention to Nina and Seneca. The two were holding hands, spinning around in circles as if performing some kind of ritual. The other four could only watch in amused silence as they continued their pyful antics.