CH 11.2

Mount Baruni was a two hours long walk away from the town of Topas. The slope was gentle, and the paths were also well maintained for those who made their living by forestry work. Since it took little time and effort to reach the summit, it was also used as a training ground for 5th Rank adventurers.

Rogai was smiling. Even though the two had been trained by the Swordsman’s Guild, the actual battle would be an entirely different story.

The demons may not always attack from the front, and they could be in packs; Roma was still a rookie, but Litty was a complete novice.

If anyone was going to die, it would be that one. Litty was excited as if she was there for an outing, but Rogai was scornful.

“Well, let’s start here. I’m warning you, if you leave the mountain even once, you will be disqualified. And if I see any signs of cooperation between the two of you, the same applies. Of course, I will come to your rescue if you are in danger, but that will also disqualify you. Do you understand?”

“Yes! I understand!”

“Okay, Litty-san, let’s split up. We might end up being disqualified, but probably not because of the difficulties we might face.”

“You’ve got quite the toxic tongue, don’t you?”

Litty gave a sharp nod and ran deep into the mountains; Roma, on the contrary, appeared calm and disappeared through the weeds.

After seeing them off, Rogai finally blurts out.

“Phew! There’s no way those two can survive for three days! They would most likely end up as Wolf’s fodder while they were still sleeping! That training is only for parties…. when it comes to going solo, the odds are much different!”

If anything happened to the girls, his own position would be in jeopardy. He never thought of that. He was the type of man who behaved in a vicious but efficient manner. He could come up with countless excuses.

‘The head of the Swordsman’s Guild branch was a dumb old man. Again, he would probably let it slide.’

Rogai was optimistic about everything.

“Well, it’s a Low Rank hunting ground. I can spare some time to drink the liquor I’ve brought with me. I’ll just take my time and wait.”

Rogai sat down and pulled the cork out of a 30-year-old bottle of Sake with his fingers. He enjoyed the intoxicating smell, then took a sip and tasted the mellow flavor.

As if already feeling tipsy, Rogai started humming pleasantly.

***

An hour after entering Mount Baruni, Litty was looking for a place to camp. She searched everywhere, using all the knowledge she had acquired during the training and practical experience.

Finally, she found a place to make a base and started to prepare the camp. The visibility from the road was limited, and there was no sign of any demons passing through. However, from that location, she could see well.

Litty was grateful to the Swordsman’s Guild for the courses and practical training. Litty realized again that it was necessary to have knowledge for survival.

If only she had a little more money, she could have bought some demon repellent items. It wasn’t hard for her to get money, as she only needed to ask the old couple, but she didn’t as she felt that she would not be required to battle demons in practical skill assessment.

It was close to certain that Litty would need to spend her time here quietly so she felt that she should survey the surrounding areas closely.

Mount Baruni had a wolf-type demon called Gulf, which 5th Rank adventurers could deal with, but a pack of them was dangerous.

Litty was tempted to put her skills to the test but it would be foolish to go out of her way to find them.

The Gulf, in particular, often raided lumberjacks, and their population was high. The damage they do could sometimes become so severe that people hired adventurers to clean them up.

“Let’s see how the terrain is…”

After camouflaging her camp, Litty strolled around the area.