Chapter 34
Sorry guys, I might not be able to translate the third chapter for the week because I was kind of busy and the next chapter is longer than this one. Also, for some reason, I made a mistake and it was 【Heat Source Search】, not 【Enemy Heat Source Search】. Don't really know where 'enemy' came from lol. Thanks for reading~
We start hunting. The key thing we are using this time is the【Heat Source Search】magic that Freya recently learnt.
This is a magic that color codes the surrounding heat sources and makes it visible to the pract.i.tioner. It's something I invented after using all the knowledge I got from healing many magicians.
I have always thought that the most important thing in actual fighting is having a good eye. No matter how strong someone is, if an enemy to use it against isn't found, there's no point of having strength. No matter how excellent someone's defensive ability is, if they take a sudden attack, they will die from a fatal attack.
There is no better surefire to win than reliably finding a faraway enemy faster than the other party. This magic is something I invented after concluding on that fact. Even if their presence erasing abilities are excellent, or if they can erase their sound or smell or even hide in a blind spot, erasing their body temperature is impossible. I am certain that【Heat Source Search】is the strongest searching magic. Right now, in Freya's mind, not only in front of her, but every direction is being projected into her mind. This magic is something that properly s.h.i.+nes in real combat. In reality, she has perceived an enemy 200 meters away and even knows that it's a type of orc from its silhouette. I make the raptor change direction. No, I should test out one more magic.
"Freya, I want to test out the other magic. Can you aim from here?" (Kearuga)
"Of course." (Freya)
Freya nods while br.i.m.m.i.n.g with self-confidence. Confirming that, I make the raptor stop running; for sniping, steady footing is necessary.
Freya extends her right hand. Freya has an ability called offensive magic (all), and it is an extraordinarily rare ability that lets the user use all magic attributes. Normally, magicians would only have an ability to use one attribute, such as offensive magic (fire).
Although outstanding magicians may have 2 attributes, like offensive magic (fire, lighting), as far as I know, Freya is the only all attribute magician (Furigana: all magic user). There are two strong points of being able to use all attributes.
The first one is that the most suitable magic for any situation can be used. For example, fire has the strongest offensive ability. It's the strongest among all the attributes for mana efficiency when using offensive magic, but of course, it has its weaknesses as well. There is the risk of spreading flames to the surroundings if it's used in a forest, and it can also lead to self-destruction from lack of oxygen or carbon monoxide poisoning if it's used in a cave. In addition, it's useless against monsters that have fire resistance. However, Freya is able to change to the ice attribute in the forest.
"O spear of ice…" (Freya) (TL Note: I feel so embarra.s.sed while I'm writing this)
With Freya's magic, a spearhead made from ice floats in the air. A cold wave leaks out from its sharp, pointed tip.
If it's the ice attribute, it can be used without caring about the surroundings in a forest. However, the ice attribute also has its weaknesses. The ice attribute is a type of magic that can be used for cooling or creating ice. In short, it has no power to fire a spear of ice. It's necessary to hurl it with the nil attribute. The nil attribute magic has extraordinarily bad efficiency. If a lump of mana had enough power to strike something, no one would be using attribute magic. The reason why people take time to convert it into their respective attribute is because that is the best thing to do.
Even if the power to push out fire attribute magic is weak, fire has no ma.s.s, so it flies well, and as long as it reaches, it can display it's offensive ability with just its quant.i.ty of heat. However, ice has ma.s.s, so the necessary power to fire it is a large amount. Just pus.h.i.+ng it with a lump of mana doesn't let it fly easily either. Unlike fire, for a lump of ice to have enough power to kill something, there's a necessary minimum speed it has to go at. Therefore, it's common knowledge for magicians that the cost performance of the ice attribute is bad.
"O bullet of wind…" (Freya)
However, to an all attribute magician, that problem can be solved. This is the other advantage. An all attribute magician is able to use two attributes simultaneously. It's fine to rely on another attribute to make up for the power of pus.h.i.+ng out a spear of ice. Compared with using the nil attribute to push it, a bullet of wind has several times of its power and beats it in speed.
"Merge together!【Ice Spear Wind Bullet】" (Freya)
Freya's magic completes and the spear of ice flies with speed exceeding sound. Concentrating mana into my eyes, I enhance my eyesight.
I concentrate my eyes to where Freya's magic flew to, and I can see two green giants. While being giants whose body length is over two meters, their whole bodies are a lump of muscle. Even for first-cla.s.s warriors, fighting them head on would be intense. The bulky wall of meat doesn't let a sword force through, and one hit from the orc has enough power for a certain kill. One of the orcs that are supposed to be such a formidable enemy has its head blown off. It's an instant death.
The head of the first sized spear had been fired at a speed exceeding sound. The destructive power of it is immeasurable. Above all, what's terrifying is that she can snipe with that precision and destructive power; one reason for the increase in accuracy of the sniping is【Heat Source Search】. Understanding the sense of distance from eyesight is
"Freya's magic is terrifying isn't it." (Kearuga)
"It's thanks to Kearuga-sama for teaching it to me! Until now, I hadn't ever thought of combining two different attributes together." (Freya)
"It's not really something you easily learn just from learning it though." (Kearuga)
Princess Flare. Although her personality is below trash, her talent as a magician is higher than first-cla.s.s. Because I knew that, I made her try out composite magic, but it was beyond my expectations that she would learn it from being taught for a few hours yesterday.
"It is just that Kearuga-sama's teaching method is good. You taught me the concept and the trick to it, so if I still can't do it, I am an embarra.s.sment as Kearuga-sama's attendant." (Freya)
Although she is saying modest things, she is shyly behaving like a spoiled child. I stroke Freya's head, and she blushes while leaning her body on me. Ever since she became Freya, she has become obedient and sweet. She would probably die with pleasure if it was for my sake. It's convenient because I always have the choice to use her until she breaks and throw her away like a tattered house-cloth. Just in case, I should take some safety measures though.
"I would prefer if you didn't tell people about composite magic. Similarly to【Heat Source Search】, it's a secret art that I invented." (Kearuga)
There's not even one magician that is officially able to use composite magic. The reason why the idea of combining two attributes that anyone could think of hasn't spread is because it was thought to be impossible.
In the first place, there are less than 20 people who can use two attributes in the whole kingdom. And out of that 20, there's only a small handful that have the mind capacity to simultaneously use magic of two different attributes at once. Furthermore, there's a trick to doing it, so the amount of people that are trying to do whatever they can is even less, and even if they do complete it, most of them would have concealed it as a secret art. The magician I coincidentally used【Imitation Heal】on also had it as his trump card.
"I understand. I will protect this secret with Kearuga-sama till the graveyard!" (Freya)
"That will be helpful. Even if you were to use it in front of someone, they probably wouldn't know, but obviously, if you tell someone about it, it would spread." (Kearuga)
There are various possibilities to composite magic. Just like this time's sniping from combining ice and wind, combining fire and wind can make an extensive storm of fire that thoroughly burns everything. Or even an extensive kill and wound scatter shot from exploding ice with fire. Just like that, I can think of as many uses as I want.
"Now, we should move to the next one. While running on the raptor, if we use my【Heat Source Search】, we can immediately find the next one!" (Freya)
"That's true. Let's do that." (Kearuga)
As Freya said, if she uses【Heat Source Search】while riding the raptor and moving at a high speed, we can find enemies in a range of several hundred meters. Moreover, it's not necessary to get closer to an enemy as she can just snipe in one shot.
It's an ultra-efficient and extremely safe hunt. As we started hunting, it actually became like that. Even in the first world, I have never experienced such a one-sided hunt which is this efficient.
I have understood after experimenting. Freya's maximum search range is 350 meters.【Ice Spear Wind Bullet】precise range is 300 meters. Furthermore, if she was to limit her【Heat Source Search】to sensing only one direction, it's possible to reach 500 meters. Similarly, if she shoots three【Ice Spear Wind Bullet】in one shot, she can aim from 500 meters away with a decent degree of accuracy. By the way, Freya can shoot one【Ice Spear Wind Bullet】in a second, and since her mana amount is outstanding, she can shoot a few hundred shots without having a change in complexion.
While continuing our hunt, cold sweat started streaming down. In just an hour, we have already killed 30 monsters.
It might have been a mistake to teach Freya the best eye,【Heat Source Search】and the long-distance precise shooting magic,【Ice Spear Wind Bullet】. It's too strong. She can find enemies further away than anyone else can and can kill enemies with an offensive power that's more overwhelming than anyone else.
There is no other strategy stronger than that. Depending on the way she uses it, Freya could even take on an entire army by herself. a.s.sa.s.sinating an important person is also simple. Even getting rid of the interferences for the execution this time would be easy. Just ceaselessly throwing【Ice Spear Wind Bullet】from 300 meters away would be enough to create a bloodbath. At the same time, if she gets her memories back because of something, I don't have any way of defending against that. … I will have to be even more cautious from now.
"Freya, let's change our hunting method. It won't become training for Setsuna. I don't want Setsuna to just level up, but I also want her to pile up combat experience." (Kearuga)
"That is true. Sorry that you didn't get a chance to fight, Setsuna-chan. Setsuna-chan's prided ears and nose were not needed because of my【Heat Source Search】, and because of my 【Ice Spear Wind Bullet】, there was no need to even get close to the enemy. I am sorry for stealing Setsuna-chan's role." (Freya)
"… Freya's words are true. But it sounds like there's something more you want to say. It's frustrating that I can't say anything back." (Setsuna)
Setsuna said that while looking bored; it seems her self-respect was quite damaged. Setsuna is a warrior. I know how much the magic Freya was using right now is foul play, unreasonable and overwhelming. Therefore, her pride of being more useful to me than anyone else was wavering. I guess I should follow up on that.
"Both of you, even Freya has a weakness too." (Kearuga)
"Kearuga-sama, tell me. I can't think of any weaknesses. If we normally fought, I would be killed without being able to come near her." (Setsuna)
"I also want to know. I was so happy about my new power that I thought I was invincible." (Freya)
Setsuna and Freya look at me with serious eyes and listen.
"There are two, and the first one is that she won't be able to deal with multiple enemies attacking her from different directions in town areas where she can't get a proper line of fire. This one can't really be called fatal though." (Kearuga)
It's dangerous, but the reason why I said it wasn't fatal is because at the last moment, she can deal with it by releasing an extensive, powerful storm of flames around herself.
"Certainly, that is dangerous. Even if I can see all directions, the amount I can deal with each and every time has a limit. From that way of speaking, I am guessing that the other one is worse." (Freya)
"Ah, the other one is if an enemy you didn't know was an enemy got close enough till point-blank range. If they approach you while pretending to be an ordinary person, you would allow that person to come close. If you have a good sword arm like Setsuna, you would be able to deal with the enemy after they take out a weapon, but you aren't able to do that. Being able to see something and deal with something is different." (Kearuga)
A magician's natural enemy is always an a.s.sa.s.sin. They would come close without letting the other person realize who they are.
"That's how it is, so it's Setsuna's job to protect Freya from those sorts of people. Setsuna who guards Freya, the gun which holds the greatest eye, is just as important as Freya. And Freya who is entrusting her life with Setsuna wouldn't look down on you. Also, Setsuna and Freya should recognize her power; Freya is an excellent magician." (Kearuga)
The two nod and look at each other's faces. Both of them have a sense of rivalry, but they are normally docile. If I properly explain it to them, they should understand.
"There's 2, 3 more. Let's return after Setsuna hunts the main ones. Let's collect the monster's raw materials and meat on our way back." (Kearuga)
Inside a monster's body, there are things that can be sold at a high price. Furthermore, since I'm also an alchemist, I can even make them into medicine or drug ingredients. Poison made from monster ingredients are strong and hard to detoxify. I can even make poisons that aren't possible with normal ingredients. The poisons stocked up in the nails of one of the monsters we killed today, the moon bear, can even be made into a berserker potion, and some monsters also had ingredients for aphrodisiac. Also, eating the meat will be useful to increasing my talent value.
"Yeah. I understand. Now it's Setsuna's turn to show her power." (Setsuna)
Setsuna produces nails of ice. It's the fighting mode of the ice wolf race. I guess it means she's full of enthusiasm. And there was one thing I definitely had to say.
"Freya, Setsuna. Do you have the courage to eat an orc?" (Kearuga)
Every time, I check if the adaptable materials are in the monsters we defeat. If it's not the adaptable materials, the talent value won't raise even if I eat it. … Just in case, I had checked out the orc, but unfortunately, it was an adaptable ingredient.
"… If Kearuga-sama says to eat it, Setsuna will try her best." (Setsuna)
Setsuna said that with an extremely unpleasant face. Well, depending on the person, the psychological disgust to eating a monster similar to a human is strong.
"It is impossible for me. An orc is absolutely impossible, I mean, it is an orc you know!?" (Freya)
With a ghastly pale face, Freya was shaking her head with all her might. I understand how she feels.
"I see, if Freya is going to say that, I won't do it." (Kearuga)
Once I say that, Setsuna also nods with all her might. Even if I said that I won't choose my methods to become strong, there are limits after all. Like that, we finish our hunt and return to the town after bringing back plenty of souvenirs. There's no time until we carry out our plan. However, what I gained today apart from raising my level was big. Well, the hero of healing doesn't have much fighting power itself. There are also traps in the coliseum, so it's a safe and easy job. I guess I'll go and show h.e.l.l to the people who are having those kinds of illusions.