Chapter 17: Mutual Benefit
Against a pack of eleven Gray Wolves, we broke down the field shelter and used its panels as shields.
When the wolves rushed between them, we stabbed through the gaps; when they leapt over the shield wall, we cut them down with swords.
As Bord loosed an arrow into a startled wolf, the rest, realizing the fight had turned against them, turned tail and fled.
In the blink of an eye, five were dead, and two more were finished off as they writhed on the ground, half-dead.
“Well, Leon? We’ve gotten a bit faster, haven’t we?”
“How’s your mana usage holding up?”
“Hmm… feels a little lower, I think. But it’s only the fourth day since your lessons, you know.”
“Leon, what’s your Shield like?”
“Mine’s like a dome without a roof—about three meters high. But if you tweak your version a little, Bord, you could make one just like it in a single cast.”
“That one? How would I do that?”
“If you make it cylindrical, it can be cast as a single spell. Here, I’ll show you slowly.”
When the cleanup was finished, I asked them to open the space in front of the shields and whispered, [Ring!]
From the ground, a ring about three meters in diameter rose slowly, kicking up dust, and stopped when it reached about three meters in height.
I formed an opening and stepped outside. Bord poked curiously at the outer wall.
“This one’s made with you in mind, Bord. The height can be changed as needed, and the size is the same.”
“You can make something this big in one shot?”
“Sure. It uses the same amount of mana as my dome. Once it’s formed, you can make doors or openings for attacks without spending any more mana.”
“Openings for attacks?”
I gestured for him to step inside the sample shield, then showed him how to poke a finger into the wall and open a hole.
“You’re saying you made that without using mana?”
“You’ll understand if you try it with one of your own shields, Bord.”
“Come on, Bord, give it a try. If it works, our hunts will be much safer.”
Urged on by the others, Bord stood before one of his ice shields.
“Touch the shield, picture where you want the hole to be, and focus on the size at the same time.”
“A hole, huh…”
He touched the shield carefully and commanded, ‘Open a hole the size of a fist.’
At about the same speed the shield had formed, a hole appeared.
“Whoa, amazing!”
“And you didn’t use any mana?”
“Right. I didn’t channel any.”
“You really know a lot about this kind of thing.”
“My grandmother was a mage. She used to tell my mother all sorts of stories.
Unfortunately, my mother never received magic, but when I manifested life magic at nine and my mana was measured at twenty-eight, she passed those stories down to me. She said: Once you’ve created something, you can reshape it without mana as long as it’s your own. When you no longer need it, draw the mana out, and it will disappear.”
“So… you don’t have to wait for the ice to melt?”
“Try saying ‘Release mana’ to the shield. Once you get used to it, just thinking release will dispel it, and you can open and close holes the same way. That’s how I enter and exit my dome.”
I wondered if he’d realize what that implied—no need for shortened chants, no need for spoken commands at all.
As thanks for inviting me along, I’d teach him how to strengthen his ice magic, make it more efficient, and reduce the mana cost of his Ice Lance.
I’d learned plenty myself, after all—basics of moving through the forest, setting up camp, and methods of hunting large beasts that I couldn’t handle alone.
They’d even taught me how to blend into trees to hide my presence, plus fundamentals of short spears and bows.
And I appreciated that they never underestimated me, even though I was just a kid, and were eager to learn anything they could from me.
They also never gossiped about other parties or each other, even when we worked together. I liked that.
We ended up staying in the forest for nearly ten days, catching plenty of game before heading back to Rosenne.
At the city gate, I caught a glimpse—Olga had a Gold Card, and the rest all had Silver.
No wonder they were so skilled. They must’ve had a hard time looking after an amateur like me. I was grateful.
As we waited in the crowded guild’s dismantling area, someone yelled,
“Hey, kid! Get to the back of the line!”
I turned to see a scarred, rough-looking man with a nasty glare reaching for my collar.
I stepped aside, and others moved in to take my place.
“Um… please don’t take my spot in line.”
“Hah? You’re that scrawny wind mage, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, the one they call Breeze Boy.”
“You make a big face after hunting birds and critters, but here, if you can’t take down real monsters—”
“What business do you have with our companion?”
Olga’s voice was cold, and an unsettling pressure filled the air.
The men mocking me fell silent instantly.
“W–Wait, Strongarm… you’re saying he’s with you?”
“We spent ten days in the forest together. He’s got the skill to take down big game on his own.”
“Try looking down on that pretty boy, and you’ll get yourself hurt.”
“You’re noisy—go drink some ale until the dismantling line opens.”
“Or do you want to test us instead?”
The sensation that rolled over me—I’d never felt it before in the forest.
Was this what killing intent felt like? Cold sweat ran down my back.
The men who’d picked a fight with me were sweating, too.
They backed away, then bolted from the dismantling area.
The oppressive air vanished with them.
“That was scary… what was that just now?”
“What was what?”
“That feeling.”
“That was what you’d call killing intent. You project your strength to avoid unnecessary trouble.
You recall the resolve and focus you had when facing the strongest monster you’ve ever fought—and direct that toward your opponent.”
“So that’s all it takes to do that?”
“Well, Leon, you’re nowhere near ready for that yet.”
“And it doesn’t work very well if your opponent’s got similar skill.”
“In your case, you could just tickle their nose with a breeze until they can’t stop sneezing — they’d be too busy for a fight.”
“That actually sounds more my speed. If anyone ever challenges me to a mock battle, I’ll just apologize and run out of town.”
“Nah, knowing you, you’d wait outside the gate, spin them around with your wind magic till they’re covered in nosebleeds, and then toss them aside.”
“Yeah, that sounds like something Leon would do.”
I couldn’t help feeling a bit insulted by that, but… best not to think about it.
It’s only a loss if you dwell on it!
When it was finally our turn at the dismantling counter, I said that my spoils were separate from Olga’s team, so they lined them up next to each other — and at the end, they added my enormous Black Bear and Horned Boar, saying it was a thank-you gift from Bord.
Olga’s side of the table was impressive too — Brown Bears, Black Bears, several kinds of Wolves, and even High Orcs.
The adventurers queued behind us couldn’t help but murmur in amazement.
After handing over our guild cards, we went to the dining hall.
It had been a while since everyone had a mug of ale, and their faces lit up with satisfaction.
“What about you, Leon? What’s next?”
“I want to build myself a cabin, so I’m planning to earn more hunting birds. If I can get another thirty or so, I should be able to buy something similar to what you guys have.”
“You’ll get it in no time.”
“Guess I’d better train harder so you don’t leave me behind.”
“Bord’s shield comes up fast now, and his Ice Lance packs a punch — that’s a real boost to our strength.”
“Show us your cabin once it’s done.”
The dismantler came back with the appraisal sheet.
Since we’d been in the forest for almost ten days with Olga’s group this time, the total amount was enormous.
Breakdown of Earnings:
- Chikki-Chikki Birds – 13 × 66,000 = 858,000 Dara
- Runner Birds – 17 × 42,000 = 714,000 Dara
- Green Birds – 11 × 29,000 = 319,000 Dara
- Red Chickens – 22 × 26,000 = 572,000 Dara
- Black Bear – 1 × 270,000 = 270,000 Dara
- Big Horned Boar – 1 × 95,000 = 95,000 Dara
- Medium Horned Boar – 1 × 55,000 = 55,000 Dara
- High Orcs – 5 × 110,000 = 550,000 Dara
- Orcs – 7 × 60,000 = 420,000 Dara
- Big Elk – 1 × 130,000 = 130,000 Dara
- Gray Wolves – 7 × 42,000 = 294,000 Dara
Total: 4,277,000 Dara, and just the birds alone made up 2,463,000 Dara.
Even though it was mostly for training, I realized the deeper parts of the forest were full of birds and great for earning money.
Still, I think I prefer wandering around the forest’s edge — less stress, more peace.
When I thanked the dismantler, he said,
“Leon, I’ve got a favor to ask. There’s a notice on the request board, but could you bring in about twenty more Chikki-Chikki Birds?”
“Twenty more?”
“Yeah. It’s a commission from the marquis. He wants fifty of them by the end of March.
Between what you’ve brought in and what we’ve bought from others, it’s still not enough. Apparently, they’re for a banquet.”
A banquet… so the marquis’s dinner party needs that many, huh.
Since it’s not a direct request, I can just hunt some as I find them.
“I can’t promise a number, but I’ll try to find as many as I can.”
“Great! I’ll pay top price, so I’m counting on you.”
“You could make a living just on birds, couldn’t you?”
“Easiest money ever — every adventurer’s dream.”
“Think we’ll be getting a guard request from the marquis soon?”
“Probably. Hard to refuse those, though. Still, if we’re in town, we’ll take it. Spring’s the season for big earnings, and taking noble jobs has its perks.”
“The marquis’s request?”
“Yeah, herb-gathering escort work.”
“The marquis’s people hire skilled gatherers to go deep into the forest, and we protect them.”
“Takes over a month, and the beasts get aggressive in spring — especially the ones with young.”
I waved goodbye to Olga’s team, who told me to show them my cabin once it’s done, then went to the counter.
I withdrew only 77,000 Dara for spending money and deposited the rest — 4,200,000 Daras in the guild.
That brought my total savings to just over 8,000,000 Daras.
A Rank 5–10 Magic Bag costs about 7,000,000, so I decided to save a little more before buying one.