Chapter 151 - 150: Joining Forces
It was now the sixth day of the Monster Hunting event.
In the preceding days, neither the first nor the second squad had much real combat experience against Demons.
Although there were no absurd scenes like Leiden blowing poison mist into his own team during his first battle,
mistakes stemming from a lack of coordination still happened frequently.
This inevitably led to injuries.
Marvin hadn’t brought any Empowerment Mages, so he had stocked up on plenty of Healing Potions before setting out. To avoid any mishaps, they drank a potion whenever someone was injured.
Over the past few days, their stock of Magic Potions had been significantly depleted.
However, the squads’ improvement was also obvious. At the very least, when facing Demons, they could now quickly calm down, react, and come up with tactics.
The original purpose of the Monster Hunting event was being fulfilled.
"If you went to the Adventurer’s Association now, you’d be skilled enough to handle some one- or two-star Junior-rank missions."
Instructor Marvin patted Philip’s shoulder in affirmation. "You’ve done well."
"Thank you for the praise, Instructor Marvin." Philip grinned happily, his face beaming with pride at the acknowledgment.
After eliminating the last Goblin Community blocking their path, Marvin’s group continued onward.
They had now reached the edge of the Hengduan Mountain Range and were climbing a rugged mountain path.
’I wonder if Lena and Manlin have arrived yet...’ Marvin mused to himself.
But soon enough, his question was answered.
As they crested the final ridge, they saw a thin wisp of cooking smoke rising from a saddle between the peaks not far ahead, swaying in the evening breeze.
It was undoubtedly a campfire from a campsite.
...
Half of the sun’s afterglow had already sunk behind the ridge, leaving the sky in a state of twilight between day and night.
The biting mountain wind howled past. Nights in the Hengduan Mountain Range were much colder than elsewhere.
The squads led by Lena and Manlin had already settled in. The group had chosen a sheltered cave as their campsite; it was so spacious inside that after a little tidying up, they didn’t even need to pitch tents.
At the cave entrance, two large bonfires kept the cold at bay.
It had to be said, their luck was incredibly good.
Even in such a desolate, mountainous area, Valles and Zelir had managed to catch three rock sheep, each one plump and tender.
When they dragged their prize back, everyone in the camp cheered for them as if they were heroes returning triumphantly from battle.
"The heroes have returned!" Yanni’s eyes lit up, and she didn’t hold back her praise.
Seeing the bare rocks and sparse vegetation outside, she had already resigned herself to eating dry rations for dinner.
"Look at you drooling," Bev said, gently poking Yanni on the head.
These past few days of Monster Hunting, though filled with hardship and danger, had not been unkind to their stomachs.
Thanks to their superb hunting efficiency, they feasted on different kinds of wild game every day. It was quite a treat.
Gray once again took up the role of chef. After skinning and bleeding the three plump rock sheep, he sprinkled them with spices.
He decided against butchering them, instead skewering each one whole on several large branches and setting them to turn slowly over the bonfire, roasting them whole.
On the other side of the camp, Marcus was quietly maintaining his Battle Saber and Shield.
During their earlier battle with the One-Eyed Giant, Marcus’s Composite Shield had been shattered by a single punch.
Fortunately, he’d brought a spare Steel-Faced Round Shield, or he would have been left without equipment.
In truth, Marcus wasn’t too heartbroken about the old Shield. The Mage’s Guild had promised to cover all equipment losses, so he could collect compensation for it when he returned.
Valles wiped down his Longbow, Moonlight, with a clean linen cloth, then began to wax the string to prevent it from stretching and softening due to moisture, which would reduce its power.
Isaac was organizing their supplies. After washing the ferns they had gathered, Bev, Yanni, and Mili skewered some to roast over the fire and used the rest to make soup.
Leiden and Riley squatted beside Gray, helping out by occasionally adding firewood or giving the spits a turn.
When it came to cooking, Gray was the expert. He tended to two of the whole roasted sheep, while Zelir looked after the third.
Amidst this unspoken, shared busyness, the Mages’ arrogant attitude toward the common Adventurers had largely dissipated.
Outside the cave, Lena and Manlin stood side by side, gazing out at the sea of clouds churning in the valley below.
The sky grew darker by the moment.
Suddenly, Rivaya, who was on lookout duty, stood up from a high rock.
"Someone’s coming."
Lena and Manlin followed his gaze.
At the far end of the winding, rugged mountain path, the glow of a Lighting Skill appeared, flickering in the darkness.
The light grew closer, and soon, the figures of the newcomers came into view.
It was the first and second squads, led by Instructor Marvin.
"Marvin!"
Lena raised her voice, calling out with a laugh, "I thought you wouldn’t be here until tomorrow."
Manlin also smiled in welcome.
"We rushed as much as we could and finally made it today."
Marvin breathed a sigh of relief. "What about you? When did you arrive?"
"Just this afternoon. A little while before you."
"So we’ve successfully rendezvoused..." Marvin smiled.
"How was it? Did you run into any trouble along the way?" Manlin asked.
"No, it was all very peaceful."
The Mages in the camp temporarily put down what they were doing and came out to greet Instructor Marvin’s group.
Many of the Mages knew each other. They exchanged greetings and shared stories from the past few days, and the atmosphere in the camp immediately became lively.
"Instructor Marvin!" Zelir also went up to greet him.
Seeing Zelir, Marvin’s expression brightened with pleasure.
Zelir’s gaze swept over the people behind Marvin.
Compared to the Third and Fourth Squads, who had been able to constantly enjoy the Gains from Instructor Manlin’s aura, the members of Instructor Marvin’s first and second squads looked clearly more exhausted.
Everyone looked travel-worn and weary.
Suddenly, Harrison, the captain of the first squad, twitched his nose, his eyes slowly widening.
"Whoa... What’s that smell? It’s amazing!"
"It’s the rock sheep that Zelir and the squad’s Ranger hunted. They’re roasting now," Mili said, a little smugly.
"You guys can actually hunt in a place like this?"
An envious look appeared on the face of Philip, captain of the second squad. "We’ve been eating dry rations for days."
Accustomed to a pampered life, he had tasted no small amount of hardship during this Monster Hunting trip.
"That’s not all. Ever since we entered Gray Wood Forest, we’ve had roasted meat every day."
Leiden rubbed his hands together and chuckled. "Roast venison, roast rabbit, roast fish, plus fish soup and mushroom soup!"
The aroma wafting from the cave made the members of Instructor Marvin’s group antsy with anticipation.
After trekking through the cold mountains all day, they were already ravenously hungry.
The smell of food was an irresistible temptation.
"Alright, little ones!"
Lena clapped her hands to maintain order. "Put your things down and line up. Don’t rush, there’s enough for everyone!"
...
Inside the cave.
With the arrival of Marvin’s group, the once-spacious cave instantly became bustling with activity.
Thankfully, the three rock sheep were large enough that even with the total number of people swelling to twenty-seven, there was plenty for everyone to have a hearty meal.
Several more bonfires were lit, their warm light illuminating every corner of the cave.
Everyone naturally sat down in groups based on their relationships.
Zelir’s group consisted of the four squad captains, the three instructors, and Bev and Yanni.
After that were other students who were good friends, sitting together.
The circle of Mages wasn’t large to begin with; most of them knew each other by name.
In contrast, the two combat-focused Adventurer Squads had little familiarity or interaction with each other and sat together somewhat awkwardly.
But as long as Gray was around, there was never any fear of a lull in the conversation.
He quickly put his talents to use, steering the topic to adventure, women, and fine wine—subjects everyone could talk about with great enthusiasm.
"So,"
Lena tore off a tender leg of lamb and looked over at Marvin’s students.
"How did this Monster Hunting trip turn out for you? Did everyone get plenty of practice?"
"Of course, Instructor Lena!"
Philip seemed to be in high spirits. He spoke while taking a huge bite of rock sheep meat, his words muffled by the hot food.
"We wiped out a lot of Demon Creature Communities along the way!"
"Yeah, I never would’ve thought that fighting Demons firsthand would be so thrilling," Harrison added with a nod.
"Oh? Then tell me, what kind of Demons did you defeat?" Lena asked, intrigued.
"First, we cleared out a camp of Demonized Forest Apes on the edge of the forest. Then we moved on and eliminated Slimes, Kobolds, and a small Goblin Community!"
"And finally..."
As he spoke, Philip fumbled around in the bundle on his back and mysteriously pulled out a spherical object wrapped in cloth.
"Philip, not again..."
Harrison pouted with a helpless look on his face. "We’re trying to eat here."
With a dramatic SWISH, Philip yanked off the white cloth, revealing a skull the size of a watermelon.
"Look! This is the Giant Beast Dogman that I personally killed! I even cleaned its skull to keep it as a souvenir."
"Was all that fanfare really necessary?" Lena chuckled.
"What about you guys, Lena?"
Marvin picked up his fern soup and blew on it gently. "What Demons did your two squads wipe out on the way here?"
Harrison and Philip immediately perked up their ears, their gazes shifting over. Leiden seemed unconcerned, but the two of them were more interested in Zelir.
A genius who had become a Junior Mage at just sixteen and was said to be on par with Kane Rodri, he was a frequent topic of private discussions among the girls at the Guild.
Naturally, a sense of rivalry had started to grow in the hearts of the two captains.
’How has he performed during this Monster Hunting event?’
"I can’t quite remember all of them..."
Lena frowned in thought, then began counting on her fingers.
"I think it started with a Goblin Community..."
"Then there was a Giant Rock Golem, a colony of Cystic Poison Frogs, and we also ran into several Pseudo-Mantises in Moon Bay."