Morning and afternoon alike, the days of practical training continued.
The practical training covered everything from physical conditioning to technical skills, and even specific attack methods for different monsters.
There were individual training sessions, mock battles, and even direct sparring with the instructors.
There were also specialized training sessions divided by job class, as well as joint training sessions.
For a party to work effectively, it was essential to understand the other job classes, and in tasks like escort missions or mercenary work, the level of knowledge and understanding of the opponent's job class often determined the outcome of the battle.
The girls' party was imbalanced, with many mages and few front-line fighters, so during party-versus-party training, they would team up with boys' parties or temporarily switch members.
Mile's party, however, could fight quite well on its own due to Mile's ability to handle the role of a swordsman and the high individual capabilities of each member.
Moreover, if there was too much practical training, fatigue would accumulate, so there were also occasional lectures.
The lectures covered topics such as herbs, edible plants, poisonous plants, the characteristics and weaknesses of monsters, and precautions to take. They also included general knowledge about the history of various countries, guild-related information, and even how to deal with nobles, covering everything comprehensively.
Ordinary hunters would learn these things through experience during their regular work, or by learning from senior party members and stealing techniques, often through trial and error.
Therefore, it took a long time to master all these skills, and many "dropouts" were common. Thus, it took many more years to grow into a full-fledged hunter.
...And before then, many would lose their lives due to repeated "failures."
Mile took notes on things she thought were important during the lectures.
Many others also took notes, but some, despite listening attentively, did not seem to take any notes at all.
When Mile, curious, asked others in the room, Reina explained with a bemused look.
"Of course, it's because they can't read or write."
"Huh? But if they can't read, they won't be able to read the posted requests..."
"The guild staff can help them choose suitable ones, and there are children who earn pocket money by reading the requests for them."
"......"
In her previous life, Mile was a book lover... or rather, she didn't have many friends, so her only entertainment was TV, games, or reading. Therefore, the concept of "not being able to read or write" was unimaginable to her.
However, she only thought it was a very sad and regrettable thing.
"Third Party Meeting!"
When Reina declared this again, Mile asked a simple question.
"Um, Meavis is the leader, so why does Reina always take charge?"
"......"
"Ah, sorry, forget I said that!!"
"The topic for today is about our next day off!"
Reina started speaking as if nothing had happened.
"As you know, we lack strength, training, speed, and most importantly, money!"
Reina's anguished cry.
"So, I think we should take on jobs as hunters on our next day off.
I've heard that monster hunting will start as part of our school training, and we'll get paid for what we hunt, but we can't afford to wait that long!"
Reina was already out of money, unable to eat anything other than three meals a day at the cafeteria, and her last ink bottle was almost empty.
In the world, such a state is described as "being in a bind," "rock bottom," or "having no more options."
"Meavis and Pauline have no hunter experience and registered as F-class only after coming here for practical training. Mile has some experience and is currently F-class.
But I'm E-class, so I can take on jobs dealing with monsters like goblins and orcs.
If there are extermination requests, we'll take them, and if not, we'll hunt horn rabbits or other animals. If things go well, we should earn about 3 to 4 silver coins per person."
"Huh..."
"What? Are you dissatisfied with something?"
"N-no, nothing..."
Mile was slightly surprised by the small amount of money Reina projected they would earn, but that was all.
That night, Mile lay in bed, deep in thought.
She was considering whether she should teach magic to everyone in the room.
Even if she did, she couldn't teach them the same way she taught Marcella and the others.
Marcella and the others had little innate talent and didn't live a life where magic was a matter of life and death. Even if she taught them a lot of tricks, they wouldn't become powerful enough to change the fate of many people, and they wouldn't often encounter life-threatening situations. So, they would keep the knowledge to themselves as promised.
However, the students at this school were different. Their magic skills were directly linked to their lives, not just their own but also the lives of their party members.
If she taught them a method to dramatically increase the power of their magic, they would definitely share it with their party members. When the party disbanded and they joined other parties, they would share it again.
They would teach it to their children and close friends. Some might even open magic schools for money, tutor noble children, or sell the knowledge to other countries...
First, the secret would not be kept.
Moreover, the mages at this school were already talented.
At this point, they already had significantly better mental wave output, clarity, and imagery than others, and they could cast powerful magic. If she taught them those tricks...
Thinking about this, Mile didn't want to teach the same things to the people in her room as she did to Marcella and the others.
However, she didn't want everyone to die immediately after graduation, and she wanted everyone to pass the graduation exam as C-class, not D-class.
What should she do...
Mile's worries continued until the early morning.
"Come on, let's go!"
On the next day off.
Woken up early in the morning, urged by Reina, and after a quick breakfast, the four of them headed to the Hunter Guild's capital branch.
Even in the capital, it was a branch.
Indeed, there was a central department that managed all the branches within the country, but since the Hunter Guild was an organization spanning many countries, no country claimed to have the "headquarters." There was no "head" in a specific location, so it couldn't be easily destroyed or taken over. Major decisions were made in cross-country meetings.
In exchange for the organization's safety and stability, there were many drawbacks, such as slow movement and difficulty in changing once-decided matters.
It was early in the morning, but the guild was crowded.
In fact, it was crowded precisely because it was early in the morning.
And one of the reasons was...
"Oh, those guys, the school boys!"
Indeed, everyone had the same thoughts and the same financial situation.
The F-class and E-class request boards were already ransacked, and all the good jobs that could be completed in a day were taken.
"We're late..."
Reina slumped, shoulders drooping.
"Well, there are always requests and material gathering, right!"
Encouraged by Mile, Reina finally revived, checked the prices of standing requests and materials on the board, and perked up when she saw that birds and horn rabbits were priced reasonably.
"Of course, in the capital, there are many consumers, so the meat prices are good. Let's go!"
The 12th class C group of the Hunter Training School was about to embark on their first real mission.
"Can't get anything..."
Reina slumped to the ground, hands on the ground.
To earn 4 silver coins per person, they needed to catch 8 horn rabbits or birds, or 2 foxes.
A large animal like a deer would be enough, but such luck was rare.
After 3 hours of hunting, it was almost noon, and they had only caught one horn rabbit and one bird. At this rate, they would only earn 1 silver coin per person.
Even if they worked hard for 4 more hours after lunch, they would be lucky to catch 3 more. For Reina, who was in the worst financial situation among the four, this was a matter of life and death.
Reina had overlooked something.
The capital had a large population, which meant a large number of new hunters and a high demand for meat.
This meant that most of the prey in the hunting grounds near the capital had already been hunted.
To change the mood, during the lunch break, Mile was thinking.
(Should I bring it up now...)
"What are you doing, you!"
"But it's lunch..."
While the other three were eating hard bread from the cafeteria soaked in water, Mile was pretending to take out a grilled meat sandwich and tea from her storage.
"Why is it warm!"
More than half was taken by Reina.
"Um, everyone, I have something I want to talk about..."
After finishing their meal and taking a break, Mile finally brought it up.
Everyone turned to Mile, and she continued.
"It's not just that it's hard to find prey, but the main reason we can't catch anything is that our magic isn't hitting.
Without an archer, we rely on magic for long-range attacks..."
"What! Are you blaming me!"
Reina interrupted, but Mile calmed her down and continued.
"Remember, I mentioned that I'm good at various types of magic. I think it would be good to pause the hunting for a bit and do some magic training..."
"Are you going to teach us?"
"Y-yes, I guess..."
(I might have offended them by saying I, a younger person, will teach them...)
Mile was worried, but...
"Come to think of it, you didn't use any magic at all, leaving it all to me.
Sure, panicking won't help, and a change of pace might be good. Let's try some practice."
To Mile's surprise, Reina accepted her suggestion straightforwardly.