Lina and I came back to the city around nightfall. We started searching for a room to rent and managed to find one comfortable enough for two people in nearly no time. Then we slept.
I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. I was really tired yesterday—that fight was a real hassle. Fighting against a completely different combat style... Some people would call that kind of fighting "dirty," but in a real-life battle, anyone will do whatever it takes to win. Including me, obviously.
So I got up. Lina was still sleeping. She was just as tired as I was yesterday, so I don't blame her, even though it's nearly noon. I decided to wake her up so we could go take on a mission. Since we're quite late, we can't do anything too time-consuming. So it's probably going to be a monster-slaying job—which usually pays a fair amount of gold.
And so, I woke her up and we headed to the adventurers' guild.
We decided to take a mission to slaughter 100 orcs. These creatures are basically goblins, but more advanced. They're about twice the size of an average human. Still really dumb—yet smarter than goblins—but they hunt in groups of 30 to 50. They also have a leader who's larger than the rest and at minimum an experienced master. The normal ones are around the level of a really good professional. They're quite troublesome in groups.
We went to a nearby forest—the same one we hunted those bandits in. The only reason I decided to stay in this city until I earn enough money is because it has everything I could need. Not too many adventurers, but a lot of missions—and plenty of hunting grounds. So we headed out.
It was around noon when we reached the forest. It's quite small, so we probably won't find more than five orc groups. Thankfully, we wouldn't need more than three or four. Along the way, we encountered multiple other monsters. We killed anything that could pose a threat. If it was harmless, we left it alone.
It was really cold, though—a huge disadvantage for me. The fog made it even worse, and it had just started snowing. That would make creating fire require more mana, and I don't think I can cast blue fire in this weather. I do prefer cold over heat, though. My magical element doesn't match my personality for some reason.
Lina didn't seem bothered by it, so I decided to ask her something during our usual casual exchange as we walked through the forest.
"Um… Lina, what do you prefer? Winter or summer?"
"Obviously summer. Who likes all this cold stuff? Ugh. We can't even see properly. Everything's just white and white—because of the snow, which is super cold. Though… it's kinda pretty. A bit."
"No way! Summer is all hot and sweaty. You can't even rest properly. That's way more annoying than a little cold. And in winter, everything looks super pretty—not just a bit. The clean white snow covering everything—it's aesthetic."
"I just really prefer summer for some reason. I can't seem to like winter. As far as pure facts go, yeah, winter is better. And I know that too. But… I don't really know anything," she said in a surprisingly low and weak voice.
Now that I think about it, Lina and I are really different. We have different ways of living, different ways of thinking, and different ways of seeing the world. Her way of believing everyone is kind and has a good side—it's awful. Unrealistic. It just gives people more chances to use her under the name of "kindness." And she knows that. Yet she still lives like that—and she's happy. Truly happy.
I really want to know more about her. As her friend.
Just as we were debating seasons, not paying attention to our surroundings, some orcs started attacking us. We got ready to fight in no time and backed off a bit.
"You take on the leader and try using just reinforcement magic," I told her playfully. "That'll be a hard challenge for you. But if you beat him, I'll treat you to dinner—anything you want. Sounds like a good deal, right? Heh~"
"Wait, really? Anything?" she said, excited.
I nodded.
"Thank you! I'm definitely beating the hell out of this big guy!"
And so I started killing the normal orcs one after another while she took on the leader. They just wouldn't stop coming. I'd been fighting for five minutes, and they still didn't end—at least 80 orcs total. Lina had been struggling with the leader a bit, but I believed she could handle it. I wouldn't mind treating her to an expensive meal. I want something good too anyway. So I really hoped she would win. I trust her skill at tricking people—she's barely master level in raw power, but her mind makes up for it.
After another ten minutes, I finally finished off the last orcs. Lina killed their leader, too. It was kind of funny how she did it—kicking his toes, then slashing him with her sword. She's a genius in traps and tricks during combat. I could never be sure of winning against someone like her. Her actions are so unpredictable.
Also, after I finished my fight, their fight still wasn't over. I decided to try watching a real fight without reinforcing my eyes—and realized I couldn't even see them moving. As for myself, I'm not visible to normal eyes when using my full speed. There's even a huge delay in sounds at that speed, so I've had to reinforce my hearing too. I usually have my eyes automatically prepped for battle and high-level observation.
After finishing the fight, we decided to head back to the city and claim our reward.
As we were leaving the forest, I spotted a human-like creature on a far-off tree. I recognized it instantly—an elf. Probably a wooden elf. They're one of the weakest kinds of elves, yet still dangerous. Known for being incredibly smart. They're not really hostile unless you enter their territory.
Wooden elves, as I recall, look just like humans—except for their long pointed ears. This one was too far away for me to make out details. Strength-wise, they're about equal to regular orcs. So I decided to ignore it.
But then—I felt something coming at me. An arrow.
I dodged it. It came from the elf. Am I in its territory?
Well then—they made a mistake by challenging me.
Lina noticed it too but didn't react—just kept walking. I, on the other hand, quickly headed in the elf's direction. It had a bow—something rare for a monster to have. But it looked basic, probably made by the elf itself. That was impressive. I decided to kill it, which was an easy task—just one slash.
But as I came back to Lina, she started scolding me. When I asked why, she said it was because elves always retaliate when one of their own is killed.
Guess elves are more merciful than humans.
And so, we returned to the city.
We entered the adventurers' guild and claimed our rewards. Just as we were about to leave, someone rushed in and shouted urgently to the steward:
"There's an emergency! The wooden elves have gone insane—they've taken over two villages in the last hour! We need a huge number of experienced adventurers right now to either stop or calm them down!"
Just as he finished, I felt a soft hand on the back of my neck—and heard someone whisper my name.
Creepy as hell.
Obviously, it was Lina.
She then said in a menacing tone:
"We're going to be part of this group. You better not say otherwise. Or else…"
I nodded slowly.
I think I really messed up this time.