──Meanwhile, on the mountainside──
“Please run, Young Lady! We can’t handle the Dark Bear yet!!”
“How can I leave you behind, Old Man!!”
The girl readied her sword, glaring at the enemy before her while shielding the injured elder with her back.
Her carriage had reached the foot of the mountain just before dawn. To explore the mountain while it was still deserted, she had entered the mountain path with the Old Man.
They had followed the map as planned. However, the path had suddenly ended. The two of them had unwittingly wandered into the territory of monsters.
“That bastard! What does he mean by ‘a safe mountain with no monsters’? The map is a complete sham!”
“Right now, we need to get through this!!”
“I’ll be your shield. Young Lady, use your magic!”
Using a long-handled axe as a makeshift staff, the Old Man stood up. His left arm bore a grievous wound from a surprise attack by the Dark Bear. He had stopped the bleeding with magic, but complete healing would take time—time they didn’t have.
“GRROOOAAARRR!”
A bear, twice the size of an adult, stood on its hind legs. The monster’s gaze was fixed directly on the Old Man and the girl. There seemed to be no chance of escape.
“──The source is the crucible of heat. Like the lava that rises from the earth, let the breath of scorching flames be shown here!”
Recalling the incantation she had learned, the girl began to draw a sigil in the air.
“I’ll buy you time for your chant! You shall not pass, Bear!!”
The Old Man swung his axe. A solid sound echoed as the blade sank into the Dark Bear’s arm.
“GYAAAAAAAHH!!”
“Now! Get away, Old Man!”
“Understood!!”
“IFRIT BLOW!!”
Multiple flames erupted around the girl, surging toward the Dark Bear in a fierce onslaught.
“GRRROOOAAARRR!!”
“It’s working, Young Lady! Finish it off!!”
“Yes!”
The strength of Ancient Magic lay in its rapid-fire capability. As long as she could establish the magical ‘pass’, she could unleash the same spell in quick succession.
“GRROOOAAARRR!! GRROOOAAARRR!!”
Flames continued to manifest, incinerating the Dark Bear before them.
“That was a close call. Seriously, the information on that thing…”
“Be quiet, Old Man!”
The girl strained to listen.
“────GRROOOAAARRR. GRROOOAAARRR.”
She heard a growl. And it was close. The girl quickly reread the parchment in her hand.
“The evaluation of this mountain is A. Zero monsters. Even if there are any, they are low-level monsters. Safety rating AA. Ideal for the examination venue. A place with a good view. Feel free to visit at any time,” it read.
Yet, the Dark Bear was a C-rated monster, one that could only be fought by intermediate adventurers or higher. There was no way a place with multiple of those could be rated as safety AA. That was why she and the Old Man had come alone—
“Old Man! This way. We need to escape immediately. I can treat you while we run—”
“Young Lady!!”
The trees on either side began to shake. Two even larger Dark Bears appeared, their eyes blazing with fury as they raised their arms toward the girl.
“Ugh!!”
CLANG!!
She deflected the descending claws with her sword, but she couldn’t fully negate the bear’s strength. The girl rolled on the ground, coming to a stop against a tree.
One Dark Bear was heading toward her, while the other was approaching the Old Man.
“…Gah!”
As she tried to chant a spell, the girl suddenly coughed. She had struck her chest when she fell. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t use magic.
“Young Lady!!”
“…No.”
“GRROOOAAARRR!!”
“I still have things I need to do—!”
The Dark Bear swung its massive claws down, drowning out the girl’s scream.
Those claws sliced through the air.
“This mountain is teeming with monsters. There’s no way it can be used as an examination venue.”
“──Huh?”
Before she knew it, she was being held by an unfamiliar boy, soaring through the air. He was a small-framed boy with black hair and black eyes, likely around the same age as the girl. This boy had come to her rescue.
“…Ancient Magic for Boosted? But… how incredible…”
He had arrived just before the Dark Bear’s attack landed, scooping her up and leaping away. It was unbelievable—the girl thought. Neither she nor the Old Man, nor even the Dark Bear had noticed his approach. No matter how powerful the Ancient Magic for Boosted was, there was no way he could achieve such speed.
“Th-thank you! Who are you!?”
“This time of year, Dark Bears are in their breeding season. I avoid their territory as well. The best course of action is to run if you encounter one.”
“…Huh? Ah. Yes…”
“Well, if you’ve already angered a Dark Bear this much, it might be too late.”
The boy set the girl down on the ground and readied a dagger.
“You’re good here. You two go assist that Old Man over there.”
“GYIYIYI!”
As the boy called out, four bats emerged from the forest, heading straight for the Dark Bear. Could it be… were they going to fight?
The Dark Bear was an intermediate-class monster, rated C in danger level. The girl and the Old Man could barely manage to fight it. No matter how many bats charged in—
BAM!
“GRROOOAAARRR!!”
The Dark Bear stumbled after taking a body slam from a bat to its jaw. Then came another hit to its temple, and another to its ear. The bats continued their relentless assault on the Dark Bear at incredible speeds.
“GRROOOAAARRR!!”
The Dark Bear’s body collapsed to the ground.
“No way… the bats are taking down the Dark Bear…”
“…Gah!? GAAAAAHHH!?”
Blood flowed from the Dark Bear’s head as it groaned. The bats’ wings and claws were like sharp blades, effortlessly slicing through the thick fur that protected the Dark Bear’s body. They avoided attacking the torso, as the Old Man was targeting that area with his axe.
“Remarkable! How delightful! To think I would be fighting alongside bats!!”
“Incredible. The bats are… coordinating with the Old Man…”
The girl watched in astonishment at the scene unfolding before her. The Old Man would swing his axe, and the bats would retreat, then charge in just as he finished his swing. The injured Dark Bear couldn’t even stand.
“Can you still use magic?”
Suddenly, the boy murmured.
“Please use fire magic one more time. I couldn’t see the last one well.”
“Y-yes. I still have some magical energy left, so if I restart the pass…”
“Let me know when you’re ready to fire.”
The boy took off running with his dagger in hand.
“──He disappeared!?”
The girl couldn’t help but shout. She couldn’t track his movements. It was too fast for someone using Boosted. There was no way a level 1 Ancient Magic could achieve such speed.
“──The source is the crucible of heat.”
Following the boy’s instructions, the girl began to chant the spell.
“GRR? GRROOOAAARRR!!”
The Dark Bear looked around, unable to pinpoint the boy’s location. He moved swiftly into the blind spot and plunged his dagger into the Dark Bear’s back.
“GRUAA!? ”
“…It’s over.”
The boy pushed the dagger deeper into the monster’s body. But it was shallow. While the dagger could slice through the Dark Bear’s flesh, it couldn’t reach its heart.
(It’s stopped moving. Now’s my chance!)
Just as the girl was about to activate her magic—
“I’ve reached it. ‘Freeze swiftly’!”
“GRROOOAAARRR!!”
Blood gushed from the Dark Bear’s chest, accompanied by a sharply pointed ice blade.
In an instant, the girl understood. That was a standard ice-type magic. The Dark Bear’s fur was strong enough to withstand both fire and ice to a degree. So the boy had injured the Dark Bear and then struck it with ice magic.
“Huh? Then my magic isn’t needed…?”
“No, the Dark Bear has strong vitality.”
The boy kicked off the Dark Bear’s back and waved at the girl.
“Just to be safe, finish it off! Make sure it’s clear that it was taken down by Ancient Magic!!”
“Y-yes! Activate! IFRIT BLOW!!”
As the girl unleashed her Ancient Magic, flames erupted, incinerating the critically wounded Dark Bear.
“And you, Old Man! Dick and the others, get away from that one and direct fire magic at the other one!”
“O-oh!” “GYIYIYI!”
“You there! Use fire magic on the surviving Dark Bear!!”
“Ah, yes!”
Following orders, the girl unleashed her magic in rapid succession. She directed flames at the Dark Bear that had been fighting the Old Man.
The Dark Bear, bleeding from its head and torso, couldn’t evade the magic.
I was engulfed in flames and collapsed.
Next time, Episode 12 is scheduled to be updated tomorrow evening.