Reina stood in front of the Hunter Guild's request board and said, "Well, it's finally time to take on our first job as C-rank hunters! What should we do first?"
"It's got to be goblin hunting, of course!"
"โEโฆโฆโฆโ"
Reina's suggestion was apparently not well-received by the other three.
"Why goblins now! The reward is low, there's no sellable material, and the meat can't be eaten. They're just monsters for D-rank hunters to earn pocket money or practice on!"
"No, the work of a hunter starts with herb gathering and ends with goblin hunting!"
Mile did not back down from her stance.
"Goblin hunting is the first hurdle for beginners at F-rank, who can only gather herbs or hunt Horn Rabbits, to reach E-rank. It's a job that proves our growth!
Besides, how can you teach the characteristics and weaknesses of goblins to future juniors if you don't know them yourself!"
"Eh, aren't goblins' weaknesses their necks? If you cut off their heads, they die, rightโฆ"
"Cutting off the head would kill a dragon too! That's not what we call a 'weakness'!"
Mavis's comment made Mile unusually raise her voice.
"Anyway, we are C-rank, but our goblin hunting experience is limited to a single practice session at the training school, where the hunting grounds were secured and everything was set up for us. We just swung our weapons and cast spells. That doesn't count as having 'goblin hunting experience.' Reina, who was E-rank, might have experience, but Mavis and Pauline only had that one session.
Even if we've defeated Forest Wolves or Ogres, a hunter who doesn't have the basics down isn't fully qualified, and I think it will cause problems in the future...
Ideally, we should start with herb gathering, but we've already done that enough for our rest day earnings..."
Reina, who had a dissatisfied look, withdrew her objections when she realized it was for the other three and was convinced by Mile's explanation.
Indeed, unlike thinning for pocket money, the key to goblin hunting requested by villages is not the battle itself. It's the pre-battle investigation, thorough preparation to ensure no goblins escape, and the swift destruction of their lair to ensure the complete annihilation of females and young. If even a few escape, they will quickly multiply and harm the villagers, especially the weak and soft children and women.
"...I see. Then let's do it. Mavis and Pauline, is that okay?"
"Yeah, got it!"
"That's fine with me."
The two agreed, convinced by Mile's explanation.
The other hunters who overheard their conversation were impressed.
"Wow, she's pretty solid for a young one. C-rank hunters who just graduated from the school should join a mid-level party to gain experience, but since they formed a party of newbies, I thought they'd overestimate themselves and get wiped out quickly. But maybe they'll survive and grow after all..."
"That's right. They are the promising newbies everyone's talking about. The training school is doing a good job..."
"Hmm, I see... I heard that the 'Mithril Roar' intentionally lost to them as a joke, but maybe they did it to boost their confidence because they saw potential...
Or maybe they just gave them special treatment because they're all cute girls, hahaha!"
"โEโฆโฆโฆโ"
The other hunters were surprised by one hunter's comment but dismissed it, thinking it was just a twisted rumor and they hadn't seen the test matches directly.
"No..."
At the board, Mile's shoulders slumped.
There were no goblin hunting requests from villages, not even thinning requests. It seemed there were few goblins around the capital.
There were also few suitable one-day jobs nearby. They didn't want to travel far on their first day, and they hadn't prepared for camping.
"Then, how about we hunt orcs from the regular requests? There are various regular requests for ingredients, so we can hunt other prey too... We've hunted orcs before, so it should be fine, right?"
Mile reluctantly nodded at Mavis's suggestion, and Reina and Pauline nodded with a slight sense of relief, though they didn't particularly like goblin hunting.
(Goblins smell terrible when they burn... Orcs don't have such a bad smell.)
Indeed, unlike goblins, the smell of burning pork is appetizing.
"Can't get it..."
Reina slumped to the ground, her hands on the floor.
Mile, who thought she had seen this before, didn't say anything. She had started to learn to 'read the room' a little.
This forest was not the beginner's hunting ground for F to E-rank hunters, but a real 'hunter's earning ground' for D to C-rank hunters.
...Yes, 'one of the hunting grounds where the most numerous D to C-rank hunters go.' In other words, there were many competitors, and there were no profitable prey left in the shallow parts of the forest.
There were some small prey like Horn Rabbits and birds, but they didn't want their first prey as C-rank hunters to be the same as what they had hunted extensively at F to E-rank.
"Let's go deeper!"
The others nodded, sharing the same thought, and they continued deeper into the forest.
*Psh!*
Mile fired a pebble and returned with a Horn Rabbit.
Even if they wanted to hunt bigger prey, they might not be able to. Besides, if they did manage to hunt a big prey, they wouldn't want to miss out on smaller prey. With two silver coins, they could upgrade their dinner for four people.
Since the 'Red Oath' had no transportation restrictions, they didn't need to be picky about their prey.
"...But, that magic is so convenient..."
Reina, who had seen Mile's finger snap many times, said enviously.
"Your fingers might fall off, you know?"
"Grrr..."
Reina growled in frustration at Mile's usual response.
When Reina pressed her to teach the magic, Mile showed her how to bend a copper coin with her fingers and explained that only those who had trained their fingers specially since childhood could use this magic without their fingers being blown off by the force of the launch. She had to say this to avoid teaching her, as it wasn't actually magic but just finger strength.
*Psh!*
*Pch!*
While moving, they made some decent earnings, but the others found it boring since Mile was just firing pebbles. They continued deeper into the forest, seeking better prey.
After walking for a while, Mavis, who was leading, silently raised her hand as a signal. It was the signal for spotting prey.
In this party, Mavis was the front line. She was the tallest and had the largest body, so she could spot prey quickly. If someone else led, they would have to clear the way for Mavis, which would be redundant.
The main reason, however, was that Mavis was the only 'front-line specialist' in the party.
Reina and Pauline were back-line, and Mile was front, middle, and back-line.
At Mavis's signal, everyone stopped and looked ahead.
There they were.
Since they hadn't taken any specific requests today, there was no 'target prey,' but their intended target was orcs. There were three adult orcs.
"Mile, you've hunted them plenty, so let us have them!"
Mile nodded at Reina's whisper and prepared to observe in case of an emergency.
"I'll take down one for sure. Pauline, deal damage to the other two. When my magic hits, Mavis will charge and finish them off."
Pauline and Mavis nodded.
Reina and Pauline began their incantations in whispers and cast their spells simultaneously at Reina's signal.
"Ice Javelin!"
"Water Cutter!"
Reina, who was strong in magic but not particularly skilled in water or ice magic, cast a powerful ice spell, while Pauline, who was skilled in quick spells, cast two water spells simultaneously.
The ice spell hit one orc in the abdomen, and the two water spells hit the other two orcs, one in the abdomen and one in the shoulder.
The orc hit by the ice spell fell with an ice spike piercing its abdomen, but the two orcs hit by the water spells, though severely wounded, were not fatally injured. They hesitated for a moment but quickly regained their fighting spirit and searched for their enemies.
However, by then, Mavis had already charged forward with her sword at the moment the spells hit.
By the time the orcs noticed, Mavis's sword was already swinging down, cutting one orc diagonally.
Blood splattered as the orc fell forward.
Mavis avoided the fallen orc and swung her sword at the next one.
The sword cut through the throat of the orc, which was pressing its wounded abdomen, and the second orc fell to the ground.
"Did it... We did it..."
Mavis, who had just defeated an orc for the first time, was dazed with excitement and satisfaction.
"Behind you!"
At Reina's shout, Mavis turned around to see the orc that had been hit by the ice spell getting up and charging at her.
"Chh!"
Without time to raise her sword, Mavis slashed upward, cutting the charging orc.
Mile was ready to intervene if necessary but watched to see if they could handle it on their own. With her excellent dynamic vision, she judged that Mavis's attack would be in time.
And indeed, it was.
The orc was cut from bottom to top by Mavis's sword, and Mavis successfully avoided the charge.
...However.
*Crack!*
"โโโA...โโโ"
It broke.
Not Mavis's spirit, but her sword.
There was a reason the sword broke.
A one-half MV reason, to be precise.
Mavis was strong for a woman due to her special training with Mile.
However, what was more noticeable was the speed of her sword.
This naturally translated into greater power, and consequently, more strain on the sword.
The sword, which was already near its limit, was subjected to even more strain due to the slightly awkward position from which it was swung.
It broke as it was meant to.
It was inevitable.
"Immature..."
Mavis, who understood better than anyone that the direct cause of the sword breaking was the immaturity of her final strike, was deeply disappointed. Seeing her gloomy face and the broken weapon, the three others could only say one thing.
"โโโLet's go back...โโโ
In the evening, the four members of the 'Red Oath' were at a weapon shop in the capital.
They had cashed in all their prey at the guild and received congratulations from the other hunters for a successful debut as newbies.
Despite the good results, the four were still gloomy, and a curious hunter asked what had happened. Mavis showed her broken sword with a self-deprecating smile.
"โโโOops...โโโ
Swords are not cheap.
No matter how much they had earned, this made their day's earnings a significant loss.
The other hunters recommended this weapon shop, known for its relatively affordable and good-quality swords.
"The question is, should we spend all our money on a slightly better sword or buy a cheap one and save up for a good one later. What do you think...
Ah, Mavis, don't hold back. Make the best decision for the party.
The sword was already at its limit and was due for replacement anyway.
...Besides, the root cause was my boastful claim to finish the job. If the sword had broken a little earlier, Mavis might have died. I'm sorry..."
Indeed, a broken sword in battle can lead to death. They couldn't buy an unreliable sword just because it was cheap.