12 Chapter 12: The Guild and First Dungeon

H: "Anya??"

A: "Yes~ I'm Anya~"

We entered the Guild house with the direction of Ceres only to find Anya in the reception.

H: "You're working here?"

A: "That's right~"

Anya replied with her usual bright smile that makes you feel bright and calm as well.

H: "Ohh… So you're not working in the restaurant?"

A: "Ah, I'm also working there. But whenever I have a day off there, I work here part time. Fufu~"

H: "Wow. That's admirable."

A: "Thank you~"

It's the usual Anya like she is when I first met her and how she is at home.

H: "Now that you mention it, it's a day off in your restaurant?"

A: "Yup~ Because of the celebration of the Twin Moon Festival, we took a three days off and today's the last. Some of the shops are still closed for the next 4 days~"

H: "I see. So that's why you made us tour the town. I was thinking of helping in the restaurant at least."

A: "Eh?? Really~?"

Anya's eyes glistened accompanied by another brilliant smile.

H: "Of course. It's one way of saying thanks for the lodging."

A: "I see~~! Your food was also delicious too~! Remembering the taste makes me drool…~ *slurp*"

This kind of smiles. These are the smiles I always wanted to see whenever I cook. I can even proudly say that I cook to see this kind of smiles.

T: "Eh? Hans can cook…?"

Tia placed her finger on her lips while asking us with a curious look on her face. It's cute.

A: "Yup~! When we met him, he cooked for us a Rice Cu… Cur…"

H: "Curry. And it was Curry Rice. Oh well."

I continued the word to remind her the name of the dish.

T: "C-Curry Rice… I haven't heard that kind of dish in my whole life…"

A: "Of course~! It's a food from his wor- Mm~?"

I hurriedly covered her mouth with my finger as gentle as possible to prevent her from spilling the beans. My heart almost jumped out of my chest when she was about to say the word. Good thing I remained composed while covering her mouth. I placed my other hand on my waist to look more natural.

Be more natural and don't let Tia catch on. Natural.

T: "H-Huh…? Hans?"

Natural!!

H: "A-A-A-A-A-Anya…? Wh-Wh-What are you trying to talk a-a-a-about?

Yep. Natural, right?

C: "*sigh* You're really a slime… Tia, it was a food from his hometown. An original dish that was only made there."

T: "I-I see! I want to try it…!"

H: "Ph-Phew… S-Sure. I will cook it for you when I have the chance."

T: "Really…?? Th-thank you very much!"

H: "*Thanks for the follow up, Ceres.*"

I closed my distance with Ceres and said so in a low voice no one but Ceres could hear.

C: "Hmph."

A: "Mmfmmmph~~~~"

H: "Ah. Sorry."

I forgot my finger was still on Anya's lips.

A: "Puah… S-Sorry about that~ Ehehe~ I almost forgot."

H: "It's okay, it's okay."

I laughed wryly at the sight of the apologetic Anya. I told them to keep it a secret as much as possible to prevent unnecessary suspicion or attention. They said that it's not really impossible for a person or thing from the otherworld to be summoned here, but I just want to be as cautious as possible until I gather enough information about this world.

H: "So what can I do for you, Sir Hans~?"

Entering work mode, Anya straightened her back and faced me with a serious face, not losing that smile of hers, of course.

C: "I told him to let the receptionist explain what the Guild does."

H: "I'm in your hands."

A: "I understand. Please proceed this way."

We went into a space where we can sit around without disturbing other adventurers. It looks like they're used to situations like this so when they saw us preparing, they provided space for us.

Anya then explained the activities of the Guild and the concern about its establishment.

A: "Every town that have prospered enough have built or created a Guild to help its community. The first Guild was built in the Kingdom under the rule of the first king after the Cursed Age. The secondary reason is to prevent the same problem that caused the struggle of the Humans to fight back the [Demon Lord's Army]. But the main problem was the appearance of the monsters."

H: ["There are a lot of terms I still don't understand. And I wonder when did Anya wear glasses and brought out a board and pointer all of a sudden?"]

A: "The Guild's job then is to hire and train soldiers to be strong enough to fight off any signs of invasion that may lead to another Cursed Age. But for the past three centuries, the world was at peace aside from the monsters that continue to appear. Therefore, the need to train soldiers plummeted. Aside from the usual extermination squad sortied by the Kingdom, there was no need to risk oneself to train and be a soldier anymore. Have you followed so far~?"

H: "Y-Yeah…"

H: ["Except for the unheard words. Well I won't say that of course."]

But, I see. So the main problem, which are the monsters are dealt by the main force from the Kingdom. Therefore, even after the Cursed Age, there was no need to hire people for the war problem, neither for the monster extermination.

A: "But after that, there came the rise in demands for materials for manufacturing and industrialization. As you also know, some of the materials can only be gathered from dangerous areas where monsters roam. Also, after some time, there came the problem of growing number in population of monsters that causes problems here and there. The Guild then proposed to have the soldiers to hunt and gather materials for the mass and after some time. Those soldiers are now called [adventurers]~"

H: "So you mean, the adventurers' job is to hunt monsters and gather materials?"

A: "Yup~ But it's not that simple. There are monsters that are so dangerous we need to form a raid party to exterminate it."

H: "Hmmm… I see. Are those like that Chaos Wolf in the forest?"

I remembered the soft growl every time it breathes as it sleeps and the minister aura it releases.

A: "Yes~ But those kinds are only protecting their territory, so if you don't provoke them they won't cause any problems~"

So there are types that cause problems and need to be exterminated. And that's when the adventurers shine.

So they're like the patrol unit that cull monsters. I see.

H: "Say, what about the material gathering? Can't the one selling them be the ones to get them? Like what you two do."

A: "Ceres is quite strong so we don't need to hire an adventurer so we gather them by ourselves~ But there are places that are far worse in terms of danger so some merchants hire adventurers to help them with the gathering~"

H: "I see."

It would not also cost them too much if they gather them themselves instead of buying from the market. Anya also said that most people just buy from the market since hiring an adventurer is way much expensive than just actually buying them.

A: "They post [Quests] in the bulletin board right there~ The adventurers then will accept the quests. They will have register the quest here and they will be officially rewarded after they completed it."

H: "I get it. Thank you for explaining, Teacher Anya."

A: "Umu~ Very good~"

T: "Haha… Y-You're really in character, Anya…"

A: "I'm used to it. Fufu~ Do you want to try, Tia~?"

T: "S-Some other day?"

Anya returned her glasses in its case and pushed the board to where it won't be a hindrance. Perhaps there are some new comers who are taught like this if they want to become adventurers, that's why she came so prepared with teaching me about the basic knowledge in the Guild.

C: "We'll be returning then, Anya."

A: "Ah, Ceres. Wait a minute. Do you have something planned for today?"

As Ceres was about to turn around, Anya called out to her after cleaning up.

C: "None. Why do you ask?"

A: "There're some things I want to ask you to get in the dungeon. Is that okay with you~?"

C: "You don't need to ask. The usual, right?"

A: "Thank you~"

Dungeon?

H: "Say, what do you mean? Will she gather in the dungeon?"

A: "Yup~"

H: "I'll go too."

I say with the most serious face I ever had.

C: "What are you talking about, you slime? You don't even know what a dungeon is."

A: "Can I leave Ceres to you then~?"

H: "Leave her to me."

C: "Wha-? Anya??"

A: "Isn't it fine~? Hans is strong. He may be able to help you~"

C: "But… Being together with this guy… Tsk."

H: "Haha. I'm really hated~"

But I guess her being like that is not that bad. It's not like I'm enjoying it. I'm normal. But her being honest like that makes me a little bit happy.

T: "… I-I'm going too!"

A: "You are not, missus~"

T: "Ehh…? *sad*"

Tia was clearly dejected after Anya told her off. She's already like a mother to Tia now. Well Anya's fit for the role so it's quite good, actually.

H: "Right, Tia. It'll be dangerous. So leave it to me and Ceres, okay?"

I pat her head to cheer her up.

C: "Let's go, slime."

H: "Roger. Hey, is that my nickname now? Hm… I should think of a nickname for you then. I'll think of a cute one."

C: "Shut it, slime."

H: "Do you have suggestions?"

We went off our way outside the guild

…

T: "I wanted to go with Hans… Really… Anya."

A: "Fufu~ You really like Hans, huh Tia~?"

T: "…~~!!!"

…

..

.

*rustle* *crack*

Stepping on some dry branches on the way, we are now in front in front of the entrance to the dungeon. It has a gate, huh?

H: "So this is the dungeon…?"

C: "Yeah. Just don't make my work troublesome."

H: "Roger that."

We are past the exit of Florensia in the east and after taking a carriage that leads adventurers to the mouth of the dungeon, we finally arrived.

There are a few other than us that are here and are readying themselves to enter.

Now that I take a closer look at them, they may be a party. There is a person who is instructing them and commanding them about their plans. He looks younger than me and have a face of a pretty young man. He has a long sword hanging on his waste that he keeps holding all the while as he instructs his party members. The other is a small boy with a large bag bigger than his whole body on his back, then a robed woman who has a huge staff, a man who is clad in leather armor with a dagger on his hand, and lastly another robed woman who holds a mace.

C: "We will enter the dungeon for gathering."

Guard: "Right-o. Please write your name here and the payment."

C: "Here."

Ceres gave a small pouch containing a few coins.

So there's a payment for these kinds of places.

H: "Is this still a part of Florensia?"

C: "Yeah. So the payment here goes directly to the funds of the town."

H: "Hmm… That's nice. Wait, write…?"

C: "Yeah."

Now this, I'm in a small pinch.

So far, I know I can speak their language well and I can understand what they are saying. But I haven't tried reading and writing so I can't say for sure. The signs in the town are mostly pictures or drawings so I haven't tested my reading skills, yet. Even when Anya was discussing the activities of the Guild, the board has only pictures.

Maybe it's safe to assume that the literacy rate in this world is different than that in my world?

Learning a language comes in steps. First you have to get accustomed to it by listening. It's the exposure that makes you get used to it. Second is speaking. After listening to the language, then comes the application. Third is the reading. Getting used to the letters or characters is one of the basics of understanding a language.

And lastly, the writing. After recognizing each letters comes the application or in other words the writing itself. These are the four basic skills in learning a language. It differs but that's how a person can learn a language.

But for me, I instantly learned it. I can speak and listen.

C: "Hey, you slime. What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to write?"

H: "Hmm…"

Yep. I can't understand a single letter.

H: "Sorry, Ceres. It seems I can't read and write."

C: "… It's fine. I'll write it."

H: "Thanks."

Hmm… It's kinda unexpected. I was sure she would take it and use it to insult me all the more. I guess she's not all just thorns to me then. I saw her writing and it turns out she really have a cute handwriting. Oh… So that's how you write 'Ceres'…

Guard: "Alright. I've received the payment and the signatures. But let me warn you first. The dungeon's monsters are growing fierce recently so I suggest you be more careful."

C: "Got it."

H: "Thanks, pops."

Guard: "Good luck down there."

The man who is probably on the middle age and wears an armor like those of the guards back in Floresia took off his hat and waved at us.

The adventurers with us followed after doing what we did earlier. But after a while they took a different path than us.

H: "Aren't they going to gather materials too?"

C: "Those are probably here to hunt monsters. You heard the man earlier. Maybe they accepted a quest to exterminate some of them."

H: "Hmm…"

Upon entering the dungeon, Ceres lit up a torch to lighten up the place.

The dungeon is like a cave after entering and continues to branch the further we go inside. There are no lights inside and the more you go inside the more it darkens. Even the silence is deafening, only our footsteps can be heard inside.

H: "So this is a dungeon, huh…?"

C: "You've already said that. And don't think of doing something funny in the dark. I'll kill you instantly."

H: "I won't. I already died so I know the pain."

C: "Ah…"

In an instant, a face of regret showed up on Ceres face and turned back to the former after a while. I guess she's concerned about my death at least. These kinds of small details in her makes it all the more apparent to me that she's a good person at heart.

H: "It's okay. I don't actually think more of it than an experience, anyways."

C: "… I don't know what you're talking about."

H: "Haha. You're nice."

C: "Hmph."

Ceres hasten her waling pace maybe in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. This cute side of hers is foul play. I followed her and catch up to her pace.

H: "It's just different than it is outside."

C: "The outside part was constructed as a measure to prevent the monsters inside from leaking out."

H: "I see."

The entrance to the cave is like a mountain that has a huge gate made of metal attached to it. Two guards are guarding the gate and a post is built right beside the gate where more guards are stationed.

H: "So what are going to gather?"

C: "Hm… Mushrooms."

H: "Oh, aren't there mushrooms in the forest?"

C: "Those are different types. These ones are special ones that we also use in one of our dishes. They're only found here."

H: "Oho~ I see. Any else?"

C: "Hmm… [Danberries]."

H: "Danberries?"

Another unheard term. I instantly learned the language here but I guess that only goes around the parts that are the same with my world. If the thing doesn't exist in my world then of course there's no way I would know about it.

C: "It's a type of berries that only grows in the dungeon."

H: "Ohh… There are a lot of things that grows only in the dungeons, huh?"

C: "Yeah."

We found ourselves in the first wide room in the dungeon. It's most likely 10 meters wide and 15 meters in length. There are a bunch of bushes and plants that grows along the side.

C: "We will gather the mushrooms here. I will do it for now. You go and watch out for monsters."

H: "Got it. … What kind of monsters by the way?"

C: "They're [Murburrows]. They have strong claws so be careful."

Ceres then went on to gather the mushrooms that are growing in the roots that crawls on the wall.

H: "No, I mean, how do they look?"

C: "*sigh* Just do your best."

H: "Umu. Leave it to me."

Guess it's up to me then.

I brought out my combat knife and stiffened my muscles to ready myself whenever.

H: ["Oh right, I have the Mana Detect skill."]

I focused my mind in my eyes and all of a sudden my eyes saw something incredible. The surrounding place is overflowing with mana that comes in different colors.

So now I can see the mana itself rather than detecting it. I guess it got stronger after using it a bunch of times when I was searching for Ceres. Mana looks like beads of light producing pale lights. They are floating about in the air like fireflies. It's quite a sight if I say so myself. I found myself in awe after being presented with the great spectacle.

But this isn't the time to be touched. I have to be prepared if a Murborrow appeared. I have to protect Ceres.

When I looked at Ceres I can see her mana flowing in and out of her, forming a cluster. The blue tint of her mana reflects in my eyes as I follow her with them.

But all of a sudden another cluster of mana inside the wall appeared. It's actually inside the wall and it's relatively small compared to the size of a human being but it has a shape of a mole.

Darn it, this is not the time to analyze things!

H: "Ceres!"

I jumped at her and pulled her in my back when suddenly the wall cracked open and a furry monster with huge claws attacked us.

Monster: "Grrrraaaargh!"

C: "Kya-!"

The attacking Murburrow swung its huge claws so I hurriedly used my knife to cut it down in swift.

H: "Ha!"

The blade passed through its skin easily, killing it instantly.

Its body dropped down to ground lifelessly and after a while, the body dissolves and disappeared and left a small bead which contains a swirling color. I picked it up and took a good look at it but it seems like it was just a normal bead at first look.

H: "Phew… That's it, I guess?"

For now, I'll just place it inside my pocket.

C: "Wha… What…?"

H: "Ceres? Are you okay? Did you get injured?"

C: "N-No… I'm okay. Th-Thank you."

I guess Ceres is weak with surprises as I find her dumbfounded about the situation that just happened. She even thanked me. Thanked ME of all people. That's certainly weird.

H: "No problem. Can you stand?"

I reached my hands but she just stood up by herself ignoring my gesture.

Yep. This is certainly Ceres.

C: "More importantly, how did you know that there's a Murborrow that will attack right there? You didn't even waste a single second to attack so it means you knew the position of the Murburrow."

C-Crap. It's not like I'm hiding the skills that I have but if there's a chance that this skill is something unknown here, I don't know what would Ceres do to me.

H: "U-Uh… I heard the sound."

C: "… I didn't hear anything though."

I averted my eyes to avoid suspicion.

H: "I felt the tremor in my feet."

I averted them once more.

C: "I didn't feel it."

H: "The goddesses whispered to my ear."

This time, I looked straight at Ceres' eyes.

C: "…"

Crap... My excuses are getting more horrible by the minute.

C: "Why are you lying?"

H: "… *sigh* Okay. I'll tell you. I just can't win against you."

C: "…"

Ceres was silent all the while but I can directly feel the bloodlust that she's emitting against me. Even the mana that is surrounding her is slightly moving in and out of her faster than they usually do.

H: "I have a skill."

C: "… Skill? Even though you're not an adventurer?"

H: "Yeah."

Hm? So adventurers can acquire skills?

Anyways, I should just be honest here. I don't want to lie to them after being so kind to me and letting me lodge in their house for free.

H: "Mana Detect. I can detect the flowing mana around a certain perimeter. That's how I saw the incoming monster even inside the wall."

C: "… Is that your Gift?"

H: "I don't think so. I'm not from this world, after all. I can't have a Gift, which is something that only exists in this world."

C: "… Then how did you get it…?"

H: "… I can't tell you."

C: "Why?"

The bloodlust got stronger and is even tingling my skin as she placed her hand on the hilt of her dagger.

H: "I can't tell you right now. But I will later. Even I don't know much about it myself. But I promise I will tell you about it."

C: "…"

Ceres glared at me with intensity that I almost thought that any minute now, I will be attacked.

C: "*sigh* I got it. I won't ask anymore."

H: "I see."

C: "However, I'm now keeping my eye on you more. I won't let an unknown entity roaming around Anya."

H: "I understand. Do as you please."

Thus the curtain to her interrogation falls and she continued to gather the remaining mushrooms. After seeing her returning back to normal and gathering the mushrooms I remembered something.

H: "Oh right…"

C: "What now, slime?"

I still remember that cute squeal in my mind vividly.

H: "You squealed, 'Kya-!' earlier, didn't you? It was a cute squeal."

C: "…!! … No."

I saw Ceres' shoulder perked and she froze in her place.

H: "Hmm~ But I clearly heard it when the monster suddenly appeared~"

C: "… I did not. Stop your delusions. There's no way I will do that."

H: "Hmmm~~ Really now~~~?"

C: "…"

Ceres turned my way and glared way much more frightening than she did earlier.

H: "Ah. I didn't hear anything. Yep. I didn't. Phew… I must be tired."

C: "Good."

Hahaha… I just can't win against Ceres.

…

..

.

After spending some time inside the dungeon. We stopped midway and took a rest in an open area much like the last one where we gather mushrooms. Ceres brought out a box made from woven of some sort of wood made into a thick thread. It looks like a basket with a cover.

C: "Anya made this before going to her part time work and told me to share it with you."

H: "I'm wondering if Anya didn't tell you to share it with me, you won't give me anything for me to eat."

C: "That goes without saying."

H: "… I must thank the Goddess later."

I took a mental note of that in my heart.

Ceres opened the basket and what greeted us are a kind of sandwiches perfectly arranged to fit inside equally.

H: "Ohhh!"

C: "As expected of Anya."

Ceres formed a smug face and looked at me.

H: "Why are you the one being proud of it?"

C: "Hmph. Shut up, slime. You can only have one."

H: "Hey!! I can't let that slide!! How can you just give me one of these godly sandwiches?!"

C: "Hm… Alright. It seems you understand your place. I'll give you two."

H: "…"

I couldn't help but droop my shoulders and sigh.

C: "I got it. I'll give you half of them. Tsk. This, slime."

H: "Awright! Thanks, Ceres!"

C: "Okay, okay. Just get whatever you want."

H: "Roger that."

[Sandwiches. A simple snack made with a slice of loaf filled with vegetables and meat, joined together with either a pre-made cream or mayonnaise. It is a staple snack that can be eaten outside without the worry of having a mess around the place. If one will be having a pick-nick our lunch out, it goes without saying that sandwiches are the basic.]

I looked at the marvelous sandwiches once again and I thought I can see them sparkling in my eyes. The sliced loaf are carefully cut in perfect eyes removing the bread ears without cutting too much. The filling consist of crispy green leafy vegetables that looks like a lettuce, a red stuff that is sliced thinly that is almost the same as a tomato, and a meat that has a brown sauce covering it. There is one filling that instead of the meat, it has flakes of fish meat that is mix with some kind of a white cream. I don't know if it's mayonnaise or actual cream.

H: ["What healing powers… I'm just looking but I'm already being healed… What a fearsome cooking!"]

C: "*munch* *munch* Aren't you gonna eat?"

H: "Ahh! You've eaten almost half already! You glutton!"

C: "It's your fault for being slow."

I took one and bite a huge portion of it in one go.

H: "…!"

And in that instant… I saw heaven.

H: "…"

Well, not really.

H: "Gah! I was almost taken by angels. Damn it… This tastes awesome…!!"

C: "What are you talking about? Angels don't take people. They're living peacefully in the highest mountain in the world."

H: "Huh?! They're not in heaven?! Or not. What I was talking about is this sandwich! How can you eat it like nothing??"

C: "I know what you're trying to say. But my taste buds have already gotten accustomed to Anya's cooking."

H: "I see… I'm not jealous about how you can eat this everyday… Kuh…"

Ceres eats peacefully while munching the sandwich in her hand away like a hamster eating a sunflower.

H: "The bread is of course good but the moment I bite at the crispy lettuce-"

C: "Settuce."

H: "…. It gives a wonderful contrast from the soft bread! Then the slight sourness of the sliced tomato-"

C: "Fomapo."

H: "… Provides perfect balance with the sweet taste of the settuce! And lastly! The meat! What kind of meat is this??"

C: "It's made from the meat of the Horned Boar we caught yesterday."

H: "So it was the same with that smoked meat! Phew! This is definitely a perfect food to eat outside! How I wish I can eat it while being bathe by the warm sun and seating in a plain of grass!"

C: "You… You're character changes every time you eat, don't you. Rather, from time to time."

H: "Not really. But people always say that to me."

Ignoring Ceres comment I hurriedly picked up the other one and brought it into my mouth.

H:"… Kuh… Anya is trying to kill me with deliciousness…"

C: "… *sigh* Slime…"

I clutch my left hand into a fist trying to suppress my surging emotion from eating the godly sandwich.

We continue to eat peacefully while I keep getting a surprise attack from the deliciousness of Anya's sandwiches.

…

..

.

We resumed our dungeon exploring after resting for around thirty minutes including the time we were eating. We encountered some monsters, mostly Murburrows, along the way but Ceres mostly took care of them. She really is not trusted with gathering by Anya for nothing. She can handle some monsters all by herself even without my help.

All I did was just hold the torch for her. After she's done, she will get it back and continue our way. It's really clear that she's already accustomed around this dungeon. No unnecessary movements can be seen from her and it's like she's just replaying a playthrough of a game.

H: "How many times have you been here, Ceres?"

C: "Why do you ask?"

H: "Ah no. I was just thinking of striking up a conversation."

C: "Then don't ask."

H: "Well, I was also curious by how you look so used to dealing with the monsters here."

C: "Hm. I make sure to go here thrice a month to replenish our stock."

H: "Ohh. I see."

And the conversation halted once again.

I just can't seem to have a decent conversation with her now that I'm alone with her. Every time I try to speak up to start a conversation, she mostly only responds with "Yeah" or "Hm." I can feel how she really doesn't care much about me.

Well, I don't really mind since it's not like she's killing me or anything.

But I'm staying at their place for free and they even help a penniless person like me, giving me food to eat, so I at least want to get closer to her.

C: "Stop staring at someone's face so seriously. I'll poke your eyes out."

H: "Right…"

And just like that, her guard's always up whenever she's with me. She won't even let me get close to her less than two meters. I accidentally tripped earlier and entered that two meter zone and I got a punch in the stomach I almost felt my consciousness fading. Ceres is stronger than she looks. That made me realize it more.

But that did not make me stop thinking how I want to get closer to her. The more I try to get along with her, the mysterious she sounds to me.

Why does she distrust me that much? Why does she hate me that much? Did I do something wrong? Or maybe she was done something wrong? To the point where she stopped trusting other people anymore.

I sometimes see her having a grim expression painted on her face whenever a guy gets near her. The more I look at her the more I want to know more about her.

??: "Kyaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

Then while I was lost in my own world, a loud shrilling voice was heard from somewhere inside the dungeon.

H: "Is that a scream of a person?"

C: "Seems like it. Come on."

Ceres ran towards the direction of scream so I followed.

Based from the volume of the sound, it wasn't that far from us and after a minute or two of running, we arrived at the source of the voice.

??: "H-Heeeelp!!!"

*crack*

??: "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"

??: "Maya! Tsk!"

??: "Leader?! What are we gonna do!?"

??: "Blessings of the goddess, Curea!!"

We entered a large room and found a number of people inside. They were the party we encountered before entering the dungeon. The leader of the party is looking at the spider grudgingly followed by the young man with a large bag and the guy wearing a leather armor with a dagger in his hands.

The girl who I assumed a magician have her arms locked in the mouth a monster. A three meter tall spider with spikes all over its body and a huge scissor like pincers that it uses to grab the magician.

The spider crunched the arm of the magician causing her to scream in a shrilling voice. I've heard a lot of screams when I was in the battlefield but this one is on a different league. The scream is accompanied by the feeling of fear and pain making a lot worse.

The other member casts a spell to heal the wounds of the magician but the spider is still isn't letting her go.

This is a grave situation.

Magician(?): "AAAAAHHH!!! Heeeeelp!!"

The expression of the girl is no longer of that of someone scared. She already fearing death.

Leader(?): "Maya!! Damn it! Let her go!!"

*clang!*

The leader used his sword to attack one of its huge legs to no avail. It seems like it's harder than it looks.

C: "Tch."

Then by my side, Ceres disappeared as I found her already running towards the huge spider.

I promised Anya to protect her so I can't let her go alone so I put all the energy in my feet and kicked the ground to give me a boost.

Ceres brought out her dual dagger and with a lightning speed, she cut off one of the spider's legs but it wasn't enough for it to let the magician go.

Is she using that Reinforcement Gift the robed man talked about? The hard exoskeleton of the spider was sliced like a tofu with Ceres dagger…

C: "Phew..."

She positioned herself again in a stance before jumping again towards the spider.

I brought out my combat knife and once again jumped from the ground with full force towards the head of the spider. This reminded me about the power I got from the Observer as I find my body so light. Then I raised the dagger high and used the strength in both of my hands to stab the head of the monster like smashing a nail. I heard a loud cracking sound as its blood sprouted everywhere from the spot that I just stabbed.

The magician was freed from its pincers and fell down to ground. The leader of the party caught her in time and found her unconscious.

The monster continued to rampage so Ceres dealt the finishing blow and cut all its legs. The spider fell to the ground after letting out a screeching cry and after a short while, it died. Now this confirmed it...

C: "..."

... that Ceres is very strong.

H: "Phew… That's it, I guess."

<Crush Impact skill acquired>

H: ["[Crush Impact]? Another skill, huh…"]

Was it from the attack I did earlier?

C: "Hmph."

Ceres got a towel from her bag and wiped the blood from her face and hand.

The spectacle was too surreal for me. Her pale face was covered with blood and she was there wiping it expressionless.

No…

It's more like her eyes are dead while wiping it. It's the first time I saw her like that I almost felt calling out to her.

Leader(?): "M-Maya!! Tch… Cecilia! Use [Curea]!!"

Cecilia: "Curea isn't working!!"

Leader(?): "Damn it!"

I heard the cry of the party.

H: "What's wrong?"

I hurriedly went to their place and asked what's happening.

Cecilia: "Maya's not breathing!! I've been using Curea and all her wounds are already healed. I don't know other healing spells aside from Curea and Heal! And they both aren't working either!!"

The healer girl was in a complete mess as she told me the situation.

H: "Are you sure she doesn't have any wounds?"

Cecilia: "Y-Yes…"

Leader(?): "Th-Thank you for helping but wh-who are you two?"

H: "Save that for later. We need to do something about your friend first."

I leaned close to her nose to listen for breathing sounds but heard none, I hurriedly held her wrist to check her pulse then listened to her heartbeat on her chest. It seems that her heart is in a state of ventricular fibrillation from the sudden surge of pain.

H: "She's having a problem with her heart because of the shock. I'm going to conduct a CPR. Ceres ask the healer for more healing spells or any other spells.."

C: "What are you going to do?"

H: "Hurry."

I immediately conducted a CPR and pump air with artificial ventilation through her mouth. Then I continued the chest compressions to have her blood flow for the time being. When I was trained in the military, CPR is one of the basic first aids we have to learn.

But still this is just the first aid, I need to think fast. "H-Hey… What are you doing??"

C: "You healer there, is your only spells [Heal] and Curea?"

Cecilia: "I-I know some attack spells."

C: "What are those?"

Cecilia: "F-Fire b-bolt… W-Water bolt… And l–lightning bolt…"

I continued the CPR while Ceres continued to ask the healer.

H: "That's… It… Ceres… *inhale* *blow*"

C: "What do you mean?"

H: "The spell lightning bolt. Healer. Can you control it using the lowest output possible? *inhale* *blow*"

Cecilia: "I-I-I don't know!!"

H: "Then try it. Hurry."

Cecilia: "Y-Yes!!"

Rogue(?): "Wh-What in the world is happening???"

The man that was holding a dagger held his head while crying in confusion. The healer proceed to use the spell repeatedly releasing the lowest output of the electricity. And after a short while, she produced enough electricity that can be used.

H: "Alright. I want you to cast the spell using that output directly on the upper left and lower right side from her heart's position."

Cecilia: "O-O-Okay!"

She placed her fingers separately on the points I told her.

H: "When I say, 'cast', go ahead and cast them in an instant at the same time, got it?"

Cecilia: "G-Got it! Spear of the heavens…"

A yellow magic circle then appeared on her hands making it look like it is casted directly on the magician's body.

H: "Let's start. One, two, cast!"

Cecilia: "Lightning Bolt!"

Magician(?): "*thump*"

Alright, it's working. I continued the CPR and asked the healer to repeat the sequence.

H: "Again."

Cecilia: "Yes!! Spear of the heavens…"

H: "… One, two, cast!"

Cecilia: "Lightning Bolt!"

Magician(?): "*inhale!!!*"

The magician breathe in air with vigor. I checked her pulse and it returned close to normal. Her breathing is still a bit ragged but she should be fine for now. I think we did it a bit easier than it usually is, but I guess that's because we were using magic instead of ordinary means.

Leader(?): "Maya!!"

Rogue(?): "She's breathing!!"

Cecilia: "Uwaaaaa!!!!"

Merchant(?): "Thank goodness…"

H: "Phew… That's it, I guess. Healer, just in case, cast another healing spell."

I wiped the sweat from my forehead as I watched them celebrating.

C: "You, slime…"

H: "Hm?"

I saw Ceres astounded by what just happened so I raised a letter V with my fingers and smile at her.

The magician girl who was almost paling from her lack of oxygen and blood flow began regaining her color. She slowly opens her eyes to be greeted by their crying and smiling party members.

It seems like the person herself is confused about the ordeal.

H: "That was close, isn't it, Ceres?"

C: "Y-Yeah."

Ceres is looking at the party who are still celebrating the safety of their friend, especially the magician. I can see a hint of bafflement in her eyes. It's like she's seen something she can't believe.

H: "Ceres?"

C: "It's nothing."

I was once again drawn to her expression. Just what in the world goes through her mind?

…

..

.

Chapter 12 End