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I guess this is what being lost for words feels like. I’ve seen many monsters and magic in this world already, but somehow this woman left an even stronger impact on me.

“Guess we’ll be working together for the day then.”
“Ah, right. Thank you for coming with us.”
“Thank you.”

Ophelia never showed up, even after the scheduled time. Only this female warrior came, with such a muscular body that it’s hard to tell if she’s really a woman at first glance.

She was a friend of my Mistress, so I don’t doubt her skill, but she looks a bit odd. She speaks about Ophelia with a lot of respect, but I feel like Jane is more likely to garner that kind of respect with her looks.

“I guess she won’t make it after all. Guess we’ll have to go without her.”
“Sure, I don’t mind that, though…”

I turn to the man who came together with Jane. He’s someone both Mir and I know well.

“Why is Danny here too?”

Danny, the man I had a slight altercation with the first time I went to the guild, he’s here carrying a large backpack behind Jane.

“Ah yeah, I heard what my new recruit did before. I don’t think it’s enough to make up for that, but I brought him as our walking trolley. Feel free to offload whatever you want on him.”

That reminds me, I think Danny mentioned being part of some clan before.

“Then are you in the same clan as Danny, Miss Jane?”

“Yeah, I’m the sub-master of the Soaring Dragon clan. Also, please don’t address me so formally, I’m not used to it.”

From what I’ve heard, clans are teams of adventurers, and are officially recognized by the guild if they submit an application. In simple terms, they’re a more corporate party.

I didn’t really pay them much attention so far, but I never expected that Ophelia would be friends with the master of Danny’s clan.

“Danny, did you know Jane was friends with my Mistress?”
“Of course not. You have no idea of the earful I got from Jane and the clan master after that.”
“You made trouble for Ophelia, so you deserved that. Even our master is indebted to her.”

Danny grumbles while looking to the side, and Jane responds by crossing her arms and sighing.

“Anyway, we should get going.”

We leave Bamel and head to the forest, arriving by the time the sun sets. There’s a full moon tonight so visibility isn’t too bad, but it’s always nice to have more light, so I cast Float Light.

“Oh, that helps a lot.”
“It’s just a simple spell.”
“By the way, have either of you fought in the forest at night before?”

Jane takes the lead into the forest, and asks us after a while.

“No, not yet.”
“Same here.”

Neither Mir or I have any experience hunting at night. We did experience fighting in a dark cave before, but that’s still different from fighting in the open.

“Okay then, there’s a few things you should keep in mind. One obvious difference is the reduced visibility, but there’s also nocturnal monsters that you rarely find during daytime.”
“Are nocturnal monsters different from the regular ones?”
“Yes, very much so. They’re completely different beasts.”

Jane narrows her eyes as she replies to Mir.

“These monsters usually live in the darkness. Their eyes, ears, and noses are far more developed too. Living in the shadows is all about striking prey undetected, or being struck from behind. Nocturnal monsters are extremely adept at being stealthy.”

All of a sudden, she swings down her large battle axe she carries on her back, and a gust of wind breezes past me and Mir. A moment later, a wolf monster stumbles out from a nearby thicket, its neck gushing blood as it falls lifeless.

“Did either of you notice it hiding there?”
“…No.”

I didn’t notice at all.

“Me neither.”

Mir is the same.

The wolf was hidden in the thicket’s shadows, but Jane somehow noticed its presence and struck first. She didn’t even need to hit it with her axe directly, just the pressure and wind unleashed from the swing were enough.

“The nocturnal monsters are already on the prowl, lower your guard too much and they won’t waste a second to kill you.”

I exchange glances with Mir and we nod, paying more attention to our surroundings.

“That’s why being able to see better helps too. Can you make the light any brighter, Natalia?”
“Yes, I can.”
“Do it then, though just a bit.”

I pour a bit more mana into Float Light, making it brighter and increasing our range of vision.

“”?!””
“Understanding the hunting methods of each monster is also important.”

With the brighter light, I saw many wolves surrounding us. I only noticed them now.

“Wolves hunt in packs. If you see one, that means there’s a lot more nearby.”

Mir unsheathes her Ghavial Sword, while I get Black Hawk ready.

“They’re Night Wolves. A single one isn’t much of an issue, but when they attack together as a pack they can be dangerous.”

The Night Wolves notice we saw them, becoming more wary. They all bared their fangs, and began growling.

“I’ll attack first, and then you follow up from behind!”

Jane’s axe cuts through the wind and sends a Night Wolf flying away. A low level monster can’t resist her powerful attacks at all.

“Yahh!”

Mir’s Ghavial Sword also slashes through their bodies, but they just roll back a few steps and return, showing they suffered no fatal wounds.

“Mir, your footwork is too slow, get used to the darkness and strike with confidence.”
“Got it!”

I shoot at Mir’s unsuccessful kill, finishing it off.

The Night Wolf yelps loudly and falls over. But the pack still doesn’t retreat. Rather, more of them lunge at us, as if prompted by the death of their fellows.

“Hmph!”

Jane continued attacking calmly at the onslaught of wolves, her skill befitting of the leader of a large clan. Any wolves that made it through her were met by Mir’s sharp longsword. Maybe more light will help then? I pour more mana into the Float Light, making it brighter.

“Ah, Natalia, dim it again. It’s better if your eyes get used to the darkness, or things will get trickier later.”
“Understood.”

I lower the brightness of the Float Light I just powered up, and fire a warning shot to a Night Wolf that was eyeing me.

“Ghyu-”
“Grarr!”