Chapter 5
Question.
You've been paired in a team with two women you've barely met!
What should you say?
You’re asking ME for the answer? I wish I knew!
Unlike the morning's academic training, the afternoon's skill training was conducted in teams.
The three of us gathered in one place and, as if by agreement, kept our mouths shut.
Yesterday, we were all cheerful due to the heat of victory, but now...
It wasn't just me who felt uneasy; all three of us were busy thinking in silence.
Though I couldn't see their expressions or hear any sighs, I could feel the weight of everyone's thoughts in the air.
Haa... looks like it's up to me.
There was no one else to take the lead but me.
Hooded girl #1, Leaf, who was shy.
Hooded girl #2, Rei, who had no intention of speaking.
If I left it to those two, they probably wouldn’t even be able to lift a log off the ground, let alone carry it.
I never went to college, but here I am, experiencing group work.
"Well, since we're a team, maybe we could briefly talk about what we can do, what kind of magic we use. Honestly, yesterday's matches weren't enough to fully understand each other."
"Ah! That's a good idea!"
At the very least, Leaf's reaction was excellent.
And despite being shy, she had the courage to speak up when needed.
"I-I'll go first!"
Leaf raised her hand high, taking deep breaths.
"First of all, I'm a Spirit Summoner, and I have a contract with a water spirit."
"Oh, a water spirit."
My response seemed to encourage Leaf, as her voice grew even more enthusiastic, "I can do almost anything with water!"
"That's great. We won't have to worry about drinking water."
Finding drinking water.
It was surprisingly tough, you know.
There was a reason why thirst was a common cause of death for adventurers.
Supply was the most important thing, and water was the most essential of all supplies.
There was a reason why water-controlling elementalists were considered top-tier.
"Hehe."
Leaf let out a light laugh, seemingly pleased with my assessment.
But then, a voice cut through the warming atmosphere.
"But. Can you control it?"
"Pardon?"
"You said it's a contract."
"Ah... well, yes."
The reason Spirit Summoners were treated as lower class was simple.
They couldn't fully control their spirits.
It was similar to Devil Sorcerers in that regard.
The difference was that Devil Sorcerers lost control due to the price they paid rather than the power itself, while Spirit Mages sometimes lost control of their spirits, which were the source of their power.
A contract with a spirit was more like a friendship or partnership.
It was basically just, "Want to be my friend?" "Sure, sounds good!" That was about it.
It was far from a master-servant relationship.
Naturally, this means there were spirits who might ignore orders if they didn't feel like it, even after being summoned.
How frustrating is that?
Imagine placing a Spirit Summoner in the crucial role of dealing the final blow, only for the spirit to boycott because it's not in the mood that day.
The whole party would be wiped out.
It wasn’t for nothing that Devil Sorcerers and Spirit Mages were lumped together as lower class.
Even if it wasn’t always such a high-intensity scenario, spirits didn't listen often.
People often say fairies were capricious.
Spirits were the same.
Spirits were a type of fairy, after all.
"W-we're very close... so, it's okay."
Leaf, who had been bubbling with energy, suddenly deflated.
No!
Our team's only mood-maker!
At times like this, you need to change the subject quickly.
"So, what about you?"
"Me?"
"You're a Battle Mage, right? You must have a style."
"You saw yesterday. Unarmed combat."
Unarmed combat?
That's it?
I thought she just didn't need to show her full power yesterday, but unarmed combat was really her main skill?
"Unarmed? Without weapons?"
"Only weaklings use those."
Unarmed combat...?
You’re no better than a chimp at that point.
Only weaklings use weapons?
That's the kind of thing only psychopaths would say.
Sure, one could enhance their body with magic and wrap oneself in mana to increase their durability, but it wasn’t like that was some exclusive skill.
Naturally, people fight with the assumption of breaking through such defenses.
But wasn't it practically suicide to face opponents with swords or magic with nothing but one’s bare fists?
Just look at Arthur.
Arthur, who was also a Battle Mage, had a sword clearly visible at his waist.
I heard he was from a really prestigious guild.
Excellent Battle Mages used weapons.
It was just common sense.
"What about you?"
"Me?"
"You're a Devil Sorcerer, right? What kind of devil did you contract with? You can't talk about the price of the contract or the devil's true name, but you can at least tell us about your abilities, right?"
Rei seemed to know quite a bit about Devil Sorcerers.
She avoided the taboo words while asking for just the level of information that could be disclosed.
But the problem was me.
What should I say?
My current combat method was long-range fighting using magic bullet.
In contrast, my mobility was low.
One could say I was a fixed artillery of sorts.
While I was trying to figure out how to phrase it, Rei snapped, "What? You're the only one not going to talk?"
"No, of course not. It's similar to yesterday. Long-range mana projection."
Just as Rei had only mentioned her combat style, I briefly mentioned just the type of my ability.
"...You don't know how to use magic, do you."
Ahem.
Having nothing to say, I smoothly changed the subject.
"Well, our team balance is better than I expected."
"Is it?"
"Rei, who specializes in unarmed combat, can take the vanguard, while Leaf, who can handle various situations with water, can cover the rear. And I, focusing on firepower, can concentrate on attacks from the center."
Isn't this a pretty good formation? It's both orthodox and efficient.
Although the unarmed combat part was slightly questionable, if she was fighting bare-handed, she must have some defensive preparations.
Her attack power seemed decent yesterday.
A chimpanzee was good enough as a tank, right?
It might even be better.
Also, the versatility of a Spirit Summoner, minus the spirit's whims, was beyond that of an Elementalist.
It was perfect for the rear position, which needed to handle the largest quantities of tasks such as long-range attacks, control, and ambush prevention.
Then there was me, with low defense and mobility, but guaranteed attack power and sustainability.
If I play the role of central artillery...
This might actually work out really well.
§
Yeah, right. As if...
Vanity of vanities, all was vanity.
Walking through the darkness, I was feeling the backlash of my vain expectations.
The exploration training was literally a rehearsal for Abyss exploration.
It was a thoughtful training designed to familiarize us with the Abyss in advance so we didn't get lost when we entered the real Abyss later.
The essence of this training was to create a training ground similar to the Abyss environment and have the trainees find their way to the destination on their own.
So, we entered the exploration training ground and were experiencing our team's biggest weakness in real time.
"How is it possible that not a single one of us can use basic magic..."
Basic Magic.
A general term for magic that anyone could use regardless of class, as long as they could handle mana, of course.
Any mage typically learned a few basic magic spells.
Things like light emission, purification, detoxification, detection, etc.
But surprisingly, not a single member of our team had learned any basic magic.
Without a single point of light, we were moving through pitch-black darkness, relying on senses other than sight.
"You didn't learn it either."
Rei's reproach came from the front, where she was leading in the most dangerous position.
Usually emotionless and sharp.
This time, her gruff voice carried a hint of embarrassment.
We're too slow because we can't see.
We were already slow without body enhancement, and now we were even slower because we couldn’t see squat.
But maintaining concentration was draining our stamina as well.
"Eek!"
With a strange scream, Leaf, who was right behind me, stumbled.
Did she trip on something?
I reflexively turned and caught the falling Leaf.
"T-thank youuu..."
"Be careful."
"Y-yes."
Leaf took a few steps, leaning on me like a toddler learning to walk, then let go.
If we're struggling just to move around… the future looks bleak.
"Um, we can get out of here, right?"
"The instructors will probably pull us out when time's up."
Leaf's anxious question and Rie's halfhearted answer.
They already seemed to have lost hope of succeeding in this training.
Is the absence of basic magic too big a problem...
But what's up with Rei?
While Leaf and I were struggling just to walk, how was Rei leading the way so calmly?
She didn't hesitate at the forks in the road either.
"Rei."
"What?"
"Are you sure we're going the right way?"
"Just focus on keeping up. You're so slow."
I had no comeback to Rei's scolding.
It was true that Leaf and I were slow.
"Does body enhancement improve your senses too?"
"I guess it probably does?"
"Leaf, can't you use it?"
"Well, I know how to use it in theory, but I'm not used to it..." Leaf said, embarrassed.
What was there to be embarrassed about?
I didn't even know the theory.
"But was the underground floor this big? We seem to have moved quite a bit, even if slowly."
"Oh, that's because the space in the underground floor is distorted."
"Distorted?"
"Yes. I don't know the details, but I think it might be the power of artifacts excavated from the Abyss."
Well, from what I knew, the current magic system couldn't handle space-time.
To expand space, one would need to harness the powers of the Abyss.
The mystery of the Abyss, which could even manipulate space at will.
My belief that the answer to returning to Earth lied there grew even stronger.
Maybe it was because my physical fatigue was somewhat alleviated by my psychological joy, but I belatedly noticed some kind of change that I hadn't been aware of until now.
It's gotten harder to breathe.
Earlier, I thought it was just fatigue, but this was different.
As if to drive the point home, Leaf muttered, "Haa, the mana, feels, a bit thicker..."
Leaf spoke in time with her steps.
Behind her voice, another voice echoed like an echo.
There's a spot where the pressure is especially strong, they say.
That spot Arthur mentioned.
If this is it...
Tap—
...What’s that sound?
The landing felt different when I take a step.
Instead of the uneven floor like in a cave, a smooth stone floor firmly supports my feet.
The moment I recognized the difference, I reflexively shouted.
"Rei!"
Boom!!
Along with the sound of collision from the front, mana friction scattered magical light.
The first glimpse of the interior of the underground floor.
My eyes, craving light, captured the scene clearly despite the brief moment.
The sight of something resembling a giant lizard striking Rei.
§
"What's up with them?"
Lindsay, the Alchemist serving as an assistant instructor for the Exploration Skills training, muttered with a bewildered expression as she watched Roman's team through a far-seeing magic spell.
The place where Roman's team was located was none other than what could be called a boss room in the underground floor.
It was a room housing a Rock Basilisk, a top predator of the Abyss's first layer.
"How did they get there... We even laid down a mana field to hinder perception."
What on earth happened in the short time she was away on other business?
Should she call it bad luck, or dull senses?
Or maybe it was just incredibly good intuition.
"Hmm... what to do..."
Lindsay tapped her foot, watching the far-seeing magic.
She had already made her decision.
What she was thinking about now was a plausible excuse and how to handle the aftermath.
"Haa, I guess I'll have to ask for help."
Lindsay got up from her seat and left the control room.
At that moment, the far-seeing magic was showing Roman directly aiming his fingers at the Rock Basilisk.