Chapter 69

(2)

4.

A Rank 1 Monster, Ground Spider.

This little guy is a type of spider that crawls on the ground without weaving webs.

And its habits are pretty similar to other spiders too. It’s extremely cautious and primarily nocturnal.

But there’s one key difference.

It’s the size.

Skitter skitter!

Eight legs flitting through the forest.

Every time the Ground Spider moves, the dense underbrush shakes along with it. I mean, it can’t be helped; its body is as big as a calf.

That’s why, despite sharing some typical spider behaviors, it’s classified as a ‘monster.’

Then, at that moment.

Stopped!

The Ground Spider came to a halt. Suddenly, it raised its belly high and started wiggling.

There’s always a reason for such antics.

Ground Spiders are sensitive to mana.

They can determine whether something is a predator or prey based on the concentration and flow of mana. The tail is the sensitive part that detects this mana.

A while later.

The little critter finished its evaluation.

[Kririk!]

A faint aura of mana, almost like smoke, with a weak flow that seemed on the verge of disappearing. This isn’t a predator. It’s mana emanating from prey.

No sooner had it finished assessing than—

Skitter! Skitter skitter!

The Ground Spider took off.

Kicking the ground and weaving through the underbrush, it finally spotted its destination far ahead. Soon, it caught sight of the prey as well.

“……”

A petite silver-haired girl.

The girl was staring blankly into the air with a blank expression. Not sure what she was doing there.

Just then, black objects entered the field of vision.

Other Ground Spiders.

[Kririk! Krik!]

[Kreeeek!]

The pitch-black Ground Spiders swarmed in from every direction, growling ferociously. The reason was obvious. They were claiming ownership of that prey.

But that was just foolish.

In the hunting grounds of this forest, the first to sink their fangs gets to lay claim.

[Kyaaaah!]

The Ground Spider opened its grotesque jaws wide.

Ready to sink its countless teeth into the girl’s neck and suck out her bodily fluids.

Yet at that moment.

Zing!

In the blink of an eye.

The girl suddenly vanished.

The Ground Spider’s jaws snapped at nothing but empty air, and confusion filled everyone’s eyes.

Where did she go? She was just right there a moment ago! As those questions dawned, suddenly, the Ground Spiders’ bellies began to tremble violently.

[……!]

The sudden sensing of powerful mana.

This mana felt like a definite predator as the girl disappeared.

Sensing danger, the Ground Spiders instinctively tried to flee.

But of course, it was already too late.

Whoosh!

With a booming sound slicing through the air.

A massive shadow loomed. A bare-chested Barbarian descended into the midst of the Ground Spiders.

KABOOM!

The earth shook with the monstrous sound. A shockwave erupted, sweeping over the surroundings. And that became the last memory of the Ground Spiders.

Crack! Splatter! Splat!

With the fierce shockwave, a fierce axe cleaved through the bodies of the spiders.

When the dust finally settled.

A horrific sight unfolded.

All the spiders were turned into mush. Not a single one retained its original shape. Ulan wiped the fluids off his axe and muttered.

“All taken care of.”

“Yeah, looks like it.”

From a bit further away, the silver-haired girl, Delia, suddenly appeared.

This battle was a hunting method the two had devised.

First, Delia, who could freely manipulate mana, intentionally let out weak mana to lure the monsters scattered around the forest.

Next, the hidden Ulan would come out and wipe out the monsters in one fell swoop, a simple yet effective method.

‘Though there’s an easier way.’

Delia could easily annihilate dozens of monsters with her 6-star magic, ‘Starlight Bombardment.’

And Ulan was no different.

Ulan had become quite adept at hunting monsters and demons. Simply letting them roam in the forest would wipe out most regular monsters.

‘But…….’

This time, that wasn’t an option.

Because Professor Stella was imposing restrictions due to their strength.

As a result, Delia promised to only use 2-star or lower magic, and Ulan was prohibited from using his aura, spirit, and mana.

Also one more thing.

Since this exam aimed to test their teamwork, they must work together to hunt the monsters.

This convoluted method of hunting monsters was for that very reason.

‘Still, it’s surprisingly nice.’

I was getting to spend more time with Ulan.

Delia smiled cheerfully.

Just then, as they were collecting the teeth from the fallen Ground Spiders for loot.

“Sorry about that.”

Suddenly, Ulan spoke up.

An unexpected apology. Did Ulan have anything to apologize for? Delia asked, puzzled.

“Huh? For what?”

“You like spiders, right? I should’ve left at least one for you to snack on.”

Ulan pointed at all the bodies scattered everywhere.

The spiders mush and unrecognizable. At this rate, finding something to munch on would be hard.

Realizing his intention, Delia shook her head vigorously.

“Thanks, but it’s okay.”

It wasn’t like she could eat them anyway.

The edible types of spiders were quite limited.

Among them, the ones Delia liked were honey spiders, gem spiders, and sugar spiders.

Once she relayed this fact to Ulan, he nodded with an intrigued look.

“I see. My knowledge has increased.”

Ulan always wore that expression when he learned something new. Watching him, Delia smiled gently.

It might not be a big deal, but she felt delighted that Ulan was thinking of her.

After they finished collecting loot.

Delia opened her heavy bag with a flourish.

“Not bad, the harvest is good.”

Inside the bag was filled with loot obtained from hunting monsters. They had collected over a hundred parts from Rank 1 monsters and dozens of loot from Rank 2 monsters.

“We can call it a day for hunting.”

Achieving this much in just half a day.

Delia smiled with satisfaction. With results like this, first place was practically guaranteed.

However, Ulan’s reaction was different.

“Already?”

“Yeah. We caught quite a bit, didn’t we?”

“Still seems insufficient.”

He looked as if this wasn’t enough for him at all.

Delia asked curiously.

“How much were you planning to catch?”

“About a thousand.”

“…… You don’t need to catch that many.”

Good thing she asked beforehand.

If it were Ulan, he might actually go through with it. With a sigh, Delia gently tapped Ulan’s arm.

“Anyway, let’s call it a day for now.”

“Hmm, understood. I’ll go along with your opinion.”

Surprisingly, Ulan accepted readily.

He looked up at the sky, mumbling.

“We might as well rest when it’s raining.”

“Huh? Rain?”

Delia instinctively looked up at the sky.

And at that moment.

Plop! Pitter-patter!

Raindrops hit her white forehead.

By the size of the droplets, it looked like a heavy downpour was on the way.

With the bag full of loot slung over his shoulder, Ulan spoke again.

“Let’s head back to camp.”

“Okay, got it.”

Delia nodded obediently.

From there, they moved swiftly. Soon, a heavy downpour engulfed the forest.

5.

When they first entered the forest.

Before diving into serious hunting, Ulan and Delia set up a base camp. They needed a temporary stronghold to survive three days in the woods.

Among various candidate locations, they ultimately decided on a naturally formed cave near a massive canyon on the outskirts of the Northern Forest.

The cave that had formed in the cliffside.

Perfect for shelter from the rain. There was no worry of rainwater pooling here.

The only problem was that the path to the cave was quite treacherous. Though it wasn’t an issue for Ulan.

“Hang on tight.”

No sooner had Ulan finished speaking than.

Delia quickly jumped onto his back. She wrapped her slender arms around his neck, securing them like vines, just to prevent falling.

After a brief moment, once everything was ready.

Delia suddenly burst into laughter.

“I look just like a cicada stuck to a tree.”

Feeling like she was clinging to Ulan like that. Ulan tilted his head, as if confused by what she meant.

“Heavier than a cicada.”

“…… Shush.”

She pouted and pinched his cheek.

But the playful banter was short-lived.

As the rain intensified, Ulan immediately pressed himself against the cliff’s wall. He deftly climbed the wall with his arms and legs.

Like a centipede crawling.

From a distance, it looked like a rather awkward sight, but the effectiveness was unparalleled. It didn’t take long before they reached their destination.

“We’re here.”

The moment they entered the cave.

Delia leaped down.

The dark cave. It was pitch black, so she turned back to look at Ulan.

“First, let’s get a fire going.”

To prepare for situations like this, she had gathered dry wood and leaves in advance. Ulan brought those over from the corner of the cave to the entrance.

Soon, Delia stretched out her hand.

Fwoosh!

Brilliantly glowing firewood.

This was a 1-star magic called ‘Starlight Condensation.’ Literally, it’s a magic that gathers the mana of stars to create strong heat and ignite a fire.

After just a short while.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The campfire was quickly lit. The light was more than sufficient to drive away the cave’s darkness. The warmth was just right for drying their rain-soaked clothes.

After finishing her tasks, Delia approached her backpack inside the cave. She was going to change into dry clothes. But before that.

“…… You can’t look this way.”

“I won’t look.”

After hearing Ulan’s assurance.

Only then did Delia start to strip off her clothes.

Rustle! Slide!

The blouse, shorts, and socks.

Once all but her underwear was removed, her pristine body was revealed.

Her skin, so white it was almost transparent.

Her flawless body resembled a masterpiece of a craftsman.

She took out a dry towel she had prepared in advance and carefully dried her still-wet skin. After putting on a fluffy pair of pajamas.

She glanced back at the cave entrance.

What she saw reflected in Ulan’s golden eyes was him remaining completely still, staring outside. Delia narrowed her eyes.

‘He really isn’t looking.’

Though she should feel relieved.

A strangely peculiar feeling washed over her. A feeling that defied explanation.

But that moment didn’t last long.

Having accomplished her objective, Delia returned to Ulan’s side. After laying her wet clothes near the campfire, she poked Ulan with her finger.

“…… I’ve changed.”

“Is that so.”

“Now it’s your turn, Ulan.”

“What’re you talking about?”

“Your clothes. Aren’t you going to change?”

It didn’t matter that he was bare-chested, but his pants were already soaked in rainwater.

Just looking at it was uncomfortable.

On the other hand, Ulan remained unfazed.

“I can dry it while wearing it.”

“What? Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

“Not really.”

His nonchalant answer came back.

It made sense, considering that he had been through worse situations in his past life.

There were times he had been drenched in monster fluids for two whole days and nights during continuous battles, and he didn’t change his clothes then either. More accurately, he hadn’t had the time to do so.

‘Compared to back then……’

This was hardly uncomfortable at all.

The rainwater was, after all, just water. If he stayed near the campfire, it would dry eventually.

“I see.”

Delia nodded her head.

She didn’t quite understand, but if he was okay with it, it was fine. With her lips sealed, she sat down silently by the campfire.

“……”

Silence fell suddenly.

An awkward quiet enveloped the space.

The only sound competing with the pouring rain was the sound of it drumming against the ground. Unable to endure the awkward atmosphere, Delia cleared her throat.

“Ahem! Ulan.”

“Hmm?”

“Want a midnight snack?”

At the mention of a midnight snack, Ulan’s eyes lit up.

“Is there anything to eat?”

“I got some earlier, remember?”

When they first entered the forest.

While Ulan was scouting for a suitable stronghold, Delia had gathered various things.

Of course, all she had gathered were a few honey spiders, some stag beetle larvae, and a couple of non-poisonous mushrooms.

“Could you fill this up with water?”

Delia took out a small pot.

That much was easy. Grabbing it, Ulan collected some pouring rainwater and handed it over.

“Thanks.”

With a brief expression of gratitude.

She started cooking.

First, she placed the pot over the campfire and threw in all the honey spiders she had prepared.

Splash! Plop!

Next, she removed the heads of the stag beetle larvae and gutted them, then tossed them into the pot with the boiling water. Finally, she added the thinly sliced mushrooms and sprinkled in some salt.

“And it’s done.”

The swollen bodies of the spiders floated up.

The dried-up stag beetle larvae were now shriveled like sea cucumbers, and the mushrooms absorbed the broth just right. At first glance, it looked like a true bizarre dish.

But Ulan’s reaction was different.

Instead of looking disgusted, he gazed at the food with a look of familiarity.

“A Arpen Ranger’s absurdity, huh?”

“……!”

No sooner had those words left his mouth.

Delia’s eyes widened in shock. Truly surprised, as if she were jolted awake.

“H-how do you know?”

“I heard it.”

From Delia of his past life.

And he often made these dishes whenever he found himself having to camp in the woods. Most of his companions ate them without complaint.

‘Except for just two people.’

The Saintess and the Bard.

They refused to touch bug dishes no matter how extreme the conditions. They’d rather starve to death than eat that.

Those nostalgic memories suddenly hung in his mind.

When Ulan burst into laughter.

“Yeah, that’s right. This is a recipe I learned while living with the Rangers.”

Delia nodded along.

As if affirming his words.

“In Arpen, citizens undergo grueling training four times a year from the age of nine until they reach adulthood.”

Spring, summer, fall, and winter.

Once each season for about three to seven days, and that applies even to the royalty.

So during the years spent with the Rangers, she had accumulated various knowledge. This absurd cooking method was just one of them.

“So, I’m used to such situations.”

As she quickly gobbled down her midnight snack.

Delia finished sharing her past story and hugged her knees tightly. Then she began to speak again.

“Of course, I’m not as good as you, Ulan.”

No matter how much training she had gone through every year, she couldn’t compare to Ulan. After all, he was a Barbarian who was born and raised amidst the prairies and forests.

Just then, Delia gazed intently at Ulan, as if she wanted something. Then she spoke directly.

“I want to hear your story, Ulan.”

“My story?”

“It’s unfair for me to be the only one talking.”

Delia nodded.

She wanted to hear more about him.

To develop their relationship beyond mere friendship, they first needed to understand each other.

At that moment, a hint of a blush crept up her pristine cheeks.

Ulan’s reply came without hesitation.

“It won’t be very interesting.”

“Still, I want to hear it.”

A fierce stubbornness shone through her golden eyes.

He could feel her determination to hear his story at all costs. With that in mind, Ulan nodded, understanding that there was no escaping.

“I was born in a tribe on the prairie.”

Ulan’s past was simple enough.

Until he arrived at the Academy, he had just wandered across the prairies.

Maybe that’s why? Even his past stories bored most comrades of last life to the point they’d yawn.

‘Delia was no exception.’

So Ulan figured she might end up yawning again.

But surprisingly, Delia endured quite well and even reacted unexpectedly.

“The prairie goes on forever, huh?”

“Yeah. It takes over fifteen days on horseback just to reach its end.”

“No mountains in between?”

“Besides the eastern snowy mountains I mentioned, none. The rest is all plains or forests.”

As Ulan continued to respond.

Delia’s eyes brightened.

Unlike in the past life, she was showing a clearly different reaction that caught Ulan off guard.

“That sounds incredible!”

“Really? Is it that fascinating?”

“Yes, incredibly.”

Delia explained her reasoning.

The Arpen Duchy she grew up in was predominantly mountainous terrain. A vast prairie was something she’d never seen before.

“I want to visit it someday.”

“There are plenty of prairies on the continent. After graduating from the Academy, you can see as much as you want.”

Just after Ulan’s answer.

Delia shook her head.

“No, I’m not interested in other prairies.”

“What?”

“I’m only curious about Ulan’s home.”

Only interested in Ulan’s birthplace.

After finishing her answer, Delia began fiddling with her delicate fingers—a habit of hers when she felt nervous or anxious.

Just then, Delia turned to face him.

“…… So, can you take me there?”

Her face was slightly flushed.

Her eyes flickered like a campfire.

There was an oddly tense expression, too. With her gaze fixed on him waiting for his response, Ulan opened his mouth.

“It’ll take about two months to get there.”

“That’s fine!”

“The road is pretty treacherous.”

“I don’t care.”

Delia replied firmly.

Strong conviction radiated from her.

There was a resolute intent to go. Ulan was a bit taken aback that someone would want to go to his home so badly.

Quickly, he donned a serious expression.

“Alright then.”

With that level of determination, he had to accept.

He didn’t know what it was, but there was likely a significant reason for her fervent desire to go.

So he nodded enthusiastically.

“I’ll definitely take you there one day.”

The moment his words finished, Delia’s face lit up. She looked up at him with sparkling round eyes and asked.

“Really? Then can you promise me?”

“Of course. I promise.”

The response came without a hint of hesitation.

Delia beamed with satisfaction.

As the heavy rain poured relentlessly outside, the two chatted away comfortably.

From nostalgic childhood stories to trivial chit-chat. Their conversation continued until the fire’s flames began to dwindle.

With every shared piece of information, they felt like they were getting to know each other better. A warmth slowly blossomed in Delia’s heart as she smiled softly.

As the night deepened.

The first night faded away just like that.

And the next day.

The morning of the second day of the exam dawned.

It was the day that Noa had predicted the ‘Abyss Worshippers’ would attack.