Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely

Chapter 96: Encounter

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The Sacred Mountain located on the north of Flowtier ー the Altohern Mountain.

 

Although this area is farthest from the frontlines, the Magic Corruption in the upper regions of the mountain are thick enough for Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures to appear and is subsequently labeled as forbidden territory.

 

Because it is also the precious water source of Flowtier, you are not allowed to enter the mountain region without explicit permission from the Governor.

 

“ーーSEIYA!!”

 

And in the mid-region of the Altohern Mountain, Ashley lets out a roar as he swings his large broadsword.
The heat-reddened blade cuts the Frost Ogre diagonally and splits it into two.

 

As he cuts through the Demonic Creature’s body, the wounds are being cauterized and a slight burnt smell of flesh fills the air………and in a short while, the Ogre’s body turned back into Corrupted Magic and evaporated.

 

Ashley: “Fwew.
ugh.
How was that, Master?”

Ricardo: “……hm.
If you can swing that well in actual combat, there are no issues.”

 

After defeating his opponent, Ashley turned to Mr.
Ricardo, and Mr.
Ricardo nodded in approval once to him.

 

Cyril: “Oh wowー, it was one on one, and he defeated it so elegantly.”

 

Jend: “Yeah, even though the difference in our sword skills is not that much…….I wouldn’t be able to win against an Ogre that easily.
I wonder what the difference is?” Watching from afar, Cyril voiced her admiration, and Jend followed with agreement and doubts at the same time.

 

Even though Ashley was testing his moves, he defeated the Ogre in less than 3 minutes.
Undoubtedly, it was an impressive show of skill.
If this was not a training and an actual battle, he may have slain the Ogre with the first strike.

 

Ferris: “I was a little worried since he was fighting to test out what he learned over training…..and I thought he would get hurt in the process, but I guess that wasn’t the case at all.”

 

Ferris also lets out a sigh of relief.

 

…….today, we are doing a Designated Quest from Mr.
Ricardo.
[To confirm my disciple’s training results, I would like the Party to come with us to the Altohern Mountain and remove any unnecessary distractions].
My Party is currently here in the Altohern region for this reason.

 

Ashley did not have direct permission to enter the mountain, but Mr.
Ricardo made a request to the Governor to allow the exception just for one day.

 

It’s not quite…….abuse of authority and status.
He got the paperwork done and submitted, and any Adventurer can technically ask for permission like this.

 

And typically, an Adventurer with no history or trust with the Flowtier City would not be able to gain approval so quickly, but Mr.
Ricardo has been serving tirelessly for several decades in the City Military, and he had built up his trust and relationship with the Governor as the Head of Military.
Gaining approval from this standpoint was all too easy.

 

And the Master and Student both walked over to us.

 

Ricardo: “Well, thank you everyone for today for accompanying us.
Because you took on the other Ogres and Winter Wolves, my undisciplined pupil was able to test out the fruits of his training.”

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Ashley: “I would like to thank everyone as well.
And especially Jend.
I only got to glance at your battle, but you’ve improved by leaps and bounds as an Adventurer.
………I would’ve expected nothing less from Henry who’s a Heroic Warrior, but the others are exceptionally skillful for their age.”

 

Jend lets out a small, embarrassed laugh.

 

The others are also equally embarrassed and proud of the compliment.

 

Ricardo: “Ah, Ashley.
They are all here for your sake.
You should have been focused on your opponent.”

 

Ashley: “Master, that’s not correct.
This isn’t a training match at the Dojo.
Even if I’m fighting, I need to be aware of my surroundings at all times.
If not, I could be isolated from the group and die, or I won’t be able to follow-up and help anyone who might be in trouble.”

 

Ohー yeah.
It’s as Ashley says.

 

Learning swordsmanship at the Dojo and fighting on the battlefield are two different things, and even further, the way the Military and Adventurers fight are very different as well.

 

Ashley: “And specifically with Ogres, they fight only using their brute strength, so I am fighting to match their strength, but it gives me the opportunity to spread my attention elsewhere as well.”

 

Ricardo: “……hm, I see.
Excuse me.
I will retract my previous statement, Ashley.
I spoke of something outside of my expertise and gave poor advice as a result.”

 

Ashley: “No, thank you for understanding, Master.” Mr.
Ricardo has a plethora of experience as a Martial Artist and the Head of Military, but he probably hasn’t had a lot of experience running around as an Adventurer.
He retracts his statement immediately.

 

Henry: “Yeah, and Jend.
You were wondering why Ashley was able to defeat the Ogre so easily, but what Ashley was saying is the exact reason.”

 

Jend: “? What do you mean?” Henry: “Meaning, it’s……the way he divides his attention, I guess.
You always take any Demonic Creature very seriously and fight it without underestimating it……..but after you get used to certain opponents and learn how they fight, you’ll be able to distribute your attention more efficiently to what you need to pay attention to and what you can ignore.
That kind of stuff.”

 

If you take all of the complexity out of the equation and put it in its simplest form, it’s the difference in experience with fighting Demonic Creatures.
You can even say it’s the difference in experience of how many you’ve killed so far.

 

And well, this is something you gain naturally as you fight different types of Demonic Creatures.

 

Teo: “……I see.
It’s similar to some of the principles we learn in the Cloudy Plains Style.”

 

Henry: “Is it that [Once you take off one head, you can take off the next one better]?”

 

Teo: “Sister’s Ageha’s way of wording is terrible, but yes, that is it.”

 

Cyril: “Hmmmm…..I think I understand what you understand, but I don’t get it at the same time.”

 

Teo seemed to understand faster, and Cyril was struggling to grasp the concept.

 

But between a vanguard who has to swing their weapons multiple times and a rearguard who fires off a big Spell once, the understanding between combat will differ naturally because of that.”

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Ricardo: “Haha.
Then the differences between an Adventurer and a Martial Artist are more similar than they are different.
Yes, no matter how well you can swing a stick, a Sword Skill is only as valuable as the enemies you are able to cut down.
As a Martial Artist, you must get used to the sensation of cutting apart your enemies.”

 

Mr.
Ricardo agrees with a pretty violent metaphor.

 

And from the snippets I’ve been hearing from Mr.
Ricardo’s history and experience, I’m starting to develop some doubts surrounding his actual character…..

 

Henry: “Um, Mr.
Ricardo, by [enemies], you mean…..”

 

Ricardo: “……of course, I am speaking of Demonic Creatures.
A four limbed creature such as an Ogre is especially well-suited for practice.”

 

Wait, is he pulling my legs?! If you’re [practicing] on an Ogre, then what are you actually training to fight against for the [real battle]?!

 

But if I ask, I feel like I’ll learn something unnecessary.
I let my words slip a little, but I’ll just ignore his comments just now.

 

…….but well, it’s not like I haven’t fought against people either.
Though, I would never make it my end goal to fight against human beings.

 

Ricardo: “Well, we just got started.
If you all do not mind, I would like to have my disciple engage in 4 or 5 more battles………and if possible, I would like to also see Jend’s progress as well.”

 

Henry: “Yes, you have provided enough rewards for this Request, so we can continue to follow along.”

 

Alright, let’s look for some Ogres then.

 

<<<<>>>>

 

Since then…

 

With Teo’s scouting skills, we were able to find a total of 8 Ogres for the Single Blade of the Fire God’s disciples to fight one on one.

 

Ashley fought 5, and Jend fought 3.
Just as Mr.
Ricardo required of them, they were able to test all the Skills they trained the last couple of days.

 

The sun overhead had passed over us to indicate mid-afternoon, and in a short while, we will need to head back to the City.

 

Ricardo: “……..(sigh).
I see that it’s difficult enough to retain stamina at this age.
Even though I am just watching, just walking through this mountain was tiring enough.”

 

Mr.
Ricardo seemed disappointed at this realization, and this is probably one of the reasons why he chose my Party to tag along.
If he was younger, he could have taken care of the disciples themselves.

 

Henry: “I guess we are nearing the end.
Then since it’s a good opportunity, I’ll lure a big one here.”

 

Ricardo: “A big one?” Henry: “Yes, I’ll head up to the Upper-Region and catch a Giant’s attention.
Please wait around here for me.”

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Yes, I think this will be a good wrap up to the training.

 

Ashley: “……that ‘tactic’ you were mentioning before? Are you seriously going to do that, Henry?”

Henry: “Well, if these guys can take out an Upper-Tier, Upper-Class, then it will benefit me in the future too.”

 

Ashley seems a little conflicted at my suggestion.

 

And yes, this is in a way, cheating, so I won’t deny that.

 

Ashley: “No, sorry.
It’s not something I should be complaining about.” Henry: “Yeah, no problem.
Alright, I’ll head out.” And with that, I ran up the mountain to the Upper-Region.

Cyril: “Henry, you be carefulー!”

 

I answer with a “yeahー” to Cyril as I wave back.

 

………but honestly, we’re already pretty close to the Upper-Region after looking for those Ogres already.

 

With just a little run, I arrived in the Upper-Region.

 

There’s not a distinct boundary or distinction between the mid and upper regions, but I use the perpetual snow on top of the mountain as a general guide to indicate that I reached the Upper-Region.
The temperature will drastically drop, and living up to its name, the Corrupted Ice Territory’s wave of icy cold wind hits me.

 

Henry: “[Fire] {Ignis}……….”

 

Because of my {Physical Enhancement}, I’m not that cold, but I don’t want my movements to get dulled, so I use the Fire Magecraft to ward off the cold.

 

But……..as always, because of this snow, scouting is a little problematic.
If I can find footsteps, it’ll be easier, but the wind will erase those quickly………….so for now, I head to an area with less snow.

 

Henry: “……….hm?” Something rose out of the ground.

 

As I was trying to figure out how I would find the Giants, a nearby hill suddenly rose up out of the snow.

 

A giant mountain of snow stood up……….or at least it looked like it did, and it immediately shook off the snow on its body.

 

What appeared was blue scales, golden eyes, wings that spanned up into the air, and huge jaws ー a beast that was bigger than the Giants.

 

Among all the Demonic Creatures, if you take out all the Highest-Tiers, it would reign on top.
With every heroic episode, you can say they almost always appear as one of the greatest enemies.
The symbol of violence and destruction.

 

………..a Dragon.

 

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[………..GRRRR]

 

It looked at the puny creature that woke it up ー in other words, me ー and locked its eyes on it.
From its closed jaws, I saw something like smoke start spilling out andーーwait, this is bad!!

 

[BUHAAAAーー!!]

 

The [Dragon’s Breath].
One of its principle, devastating attacks that represent its species.

 

At the Ice Dragon’s {Arctic Breath}, I hurriedly escaped from its range.

 

I avoided a direct hit, but the explosive impact of the {Breath} on the ground pushed me, and I rolled on the ground.
If it hit me directly, my entire body would have been frostbitten even with my winter armor and [Fire] {Ignis}……….but don’t estimate me too much!

 

Henry: “[Fire] {Ignis} + [Fire] {Ignis} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}!”

 

I took out my Nyoiten Spear from my side, and as I extended it, I poured my Magecraft Spell.
As I got off the ground, I threw it.
And I’ll clone it too!

 

[GAAAAAHHH!!]

 

It struck the Dragon’s scales, and the 10 Nyoiten Spear’s clones all stick……..but the Dragon’s scales are equally hard, and his muscles underneath are also unbelievably tough, so I wasn’t able to pierce it.

 

I draw the Spear back and click my tongue in frustration.

 

……..dragons individually pride themselves with strength that would overwhelm Giants.

 

They are extremely territorial, and they never live in packs.
Intellectually, they are closer to beasts.
They are also not so great at building Corrupted Territories……..and just because of that, they are classified as the same threat-level as a Giant, but in a head-on fight, they are several times tougher to deal with.

 

Their lifespan spans several hundred years, and for those who have stored a lot of Corrupted Magic power will be labeled as an [Elder] and are typically determined as a Highest-Tier.

 

I did want to hunt one in the near future, but I would prefer to avoid these kinds of random encounters.

 

……….receiving some damage from my Spear, it has now determined me as an enemy and continued to glare at me.
And the damage I gave it is recovering by the second.

 

Henry: “Fwew……….”

 

As the Dragon stood by to observe me, I reached into my pouch to drink down my Ability Enhancing Potions and drain it one by one.

 

[GUUURRRAAAAAHHHHHHH!]

 

ーーAs I downed my 3rd one, the Dragon leaps towards me.

 

Alright……it’s a little difficult, but let’s do this!