Reina was dumbfounded at the sight of Mile, who appeared completely unharmed.
Mavis, meanwhile, approached, rubbing her side where she had been hit by the rock lizard's tail. It seemed that the force of the tail had been somewhat reduced by her sword, and she had managed to avoid a fracture by leaping back at the moment of impact. The damage from the bruise had been largely healed by Pauline's healing magic.
"…A secret technique from my family?"
"““No wayyyyyy!!”””
Of course, no one believed Mile's words.
And behind everyone, the rock lizard that had been so carefully caught was now completely roasted.
"Then, let's have a temporary debriefing session."
As usual, the debriefing session began with Reina taking charge. The traces of tears had already been wiped away.
Initially, they had planned not to eat until dinner.
However, after that battle, they needed a short break, and in front of them was a well-roasted rock lizard. They cut off a well-cooked part and used it as a light meal while holding the debriefing session.
"First, the failure of Mile's strategy. 'Lizards become sluggish when their body temperature drops.' There were indeed signs of this, but the tail's explosive power didn't change much."
"I-I'm sorry... Reptiles are supposed to become sluggish..."
Mile, shrinking, apologized in response to Reina's words.
"You don't need to apologize. We only intended to gain an advantage if it worked. Besides, it might have been because the cooling wasn't sufficient...
Anyway, we won't use that strategy again. Let's have Pauline use a different spell."
"Understood."
Pauline nodded at Reina's instructions.
"The problem is how to avoid the unexpectedly fast and powerful tail attack and bring down the lizard without damaging its body..."
The rock lizard from earlier was already in Mile's item box. Although it was well-roasted, its market value had plummeted.
However, no one blamed Reina for using fire magic in that situation. There were still plenty of prey, so no one was concerned about it.
"Um, maybe we should cut off the tail first?"
"No, if it were that easy, we wouldn't be struggling..."
"I'll do it!"
"Huh?"
Reina, suspicious, raised her voice at Mile's words.
"Even if you are fast, strong, and tough... Are you really sure you can do it?"
"Yes, probably."
"““...””"
"Alright. Let's try that next time.
But if it doesn't work, pull back immediately. There are other methods...
By the way, Mile, you still haven't explained how you managed to come out unharmed."
"U-Um, a secret technique from my family?"
"That's enough! Stop making excuses!"
In the end, Mile managed to evade the question by explaining that the force of the tail had been reduced by her sword, she had leaped back, and her light weight had helped her to be thrown away rather than injured. She had also used wind magic to create a cushion between herself and the rocks when landing. Fortunately, Mavis, who was nearby, had been too focused on her own injuries to notice Mile's actions.
Incidentally, Mile had already understood why she had been easily blown away despite her strength. No matter how strong she was, her weight of just over forty kilograms couldn't withstand the large kinetic energy.
"But, we almost had two people seriously injured by a rock lizard that can be taken down without injury by a few average C-rank hunters. Even if we tried to avoid damaging the body, it seems we still have a lot to learn. Maybe we were a bit overconfident..."
Reina's words were met with solemn nods from everyone.
They then decided on a new strategy and the spell Pauline would use next, and the four of them resumed hunting. Their expressions were serious, and the debriefing session seemed to have been effective.
"There it is..."
During their search for more prey, Mavis spotted another rock lizard. This one was slightly larger, about four meters long.
"Let's go..."
Reina and Pauline began their incantations.
Mile and Mavis drew their swords and prepared to charge.
"Water droplet condensation!"
"Freeze!"
Reina's spell created water droplets around the rock lizard, which then froze due to Pauline's spell.
"Now!"
This time, Mile and Mavis charged together. Mile led the way, swinging her sword as the rock lizard tried to strike with its tail.
The surface of the rock lizard was covered in a thin layer of ice, but its body was not fully cooled, and the speed of its tail had not significantly decreased.
However, that was not their goal.
Slip!
The rock lizard's legs slipped as it tried to strike with its tail.
Losing its balance and unable to generate enough force, the rock lizard's tail hit in the wrong direction. Mile, having learned from her previous experience that her weight was not enough to deliver an effective blow, compensated with speed. She swung her sword with all her might, and as she struck, she pulled it back to maximize the cutting force.
Unlike a typical Western sword, which is used to "cut through" with weight and force, Mile's sword, with its sharp and sturdy blade, could also be used like a katana.
Snap!
Literally, a single blow cut the rock lizard's tail off.
The rock lizard, seemingly not in much pain, appeared disoriented by the loss of its primary weapon and the loss of balance. It hesitated for a moment before turning to flee in the opposite direction.
However, Mavis had already moved into position and swung her sword.
Thud!
Though she couldn't sever the rock lizard's neck in one blow due to its tough skin, the strike was sufficient to stop its vital functions, and the rock lizard died.
"We did it!"
"Yeah, we did it!"
Mavis, who had been responsible for the difficult task of dealing with the tail, was satisfied with the one-hit kill. Moreover, the body of the rock lizard was unharmed, ensuring a full payment from the client.
Reina and Pauline, who had walked over, were also satisfied with the successful strategy and the coordination between the magic and sword teams.
"Alright, let's keep this up and move on!"
"““Yeah!””"
The hunt proceeded smoothly, and they continued to hunt rock lizards, along with other creatures like rock rabbits, rock wolves, rock snakes, rock badgers, and rock crabs.
They took turns dealing with the tail and neck, and occasionally Mavis would slip and fall on the frozen ground. They exceeded the client's request of five rock lizards and hunted a large number. The excess would be bought by the guild even if the client didn't want them. More was always better. Mile was even considering revealing to her teammates that her storage could keep the meat from spoiling, which would allow them to save the excess until the next rock lizard request and pretend to have hunted them together.
In any case, this ensured they could return home by morning. All they needed to do was continue hunting until it got dark. Everyone was in high spirits.
However, they had forgotten why they had taken this job and come here in the first place.
And then it appeared suddenly.
"R-Rock Golem..."
Reina muttered, seeing the monster that had suddenly appeared before them.
Indeed, the reason 'Red Oath' had chosen this job was not only to earn money by hunting rock lizards but also to test their limits and confirm their capabilities.
However, after struggling unexpectedly with the rock lizards, Reina and her team had realized they might have been a bit overconfident. They had focused on the task of hunting rock lizards and forgotten about the possibility of encountering stronger monsters.
The Rock Golem. For B-rank hunters, it took 2-3 people to defeat it unharmed. For top C-rank hunters, 4-5 people. For mid-level C-rank hunters, 6 or more.
However, this was only for defeating it unharmed. It could still be defeated with fewer people, but at the cost of several severe injuries or even deaths.
Reina had initially overestimated their abilities, thinking they could easily defeat a Rock Golem with four people, based on their victory over the top B-rank party 'Mithril Roar.'
However, after the unexpected struggle with the rock lizards, she had finally realized they might have been overconfident.
"…We're retreating!"
"Huh? Didn't we come here to fight the Rock Golem?"
Mavis, looking puzzled, asked, but Reina's decision remained unchanged.
"Please, just follow my lead for now!"
"…Alright."
Seeing Reina's serious expression, Mavis decided to follow without question.
In such situations, there was no time for arguments. Reina, with the most experience, was the most reliable combat commander among the four beginners.
However, things didn't go as smoothly as they had hoped.
"That's not possible..."
Turning at Pauline's words from behind, they saw another Rock Golem.