The battle ended, and Rin panted heavily, sweat streaming down her face.
Part of it came from the tension of her intense focus earlier, part from the dull ache in her right arm.
Then suddenly, a sharp "crack" echoed through the quiet air, followed by Rin's startled cry of pain from her arm.
"Start healing your arm with 'Fast Heal'."
From behind Rin, another voice—her own voice—spoke.
It was, of course, the puppet 'Servant' approaching her.
The puppet moved so lightly that Rin hadn't noticed when it came near.
The sound from before had been the dislocated joint being reset by the puppet.
Sitting on the ground, Rin began healing the bruises on her arm herself.
Since the joint had already been set back in place, the remaining injuries could be healed quickly.
Her arm soon stopped hurting, leaving only a faint soreness.
Once her right hand could move again, Rin started gathering materials from the wolf.
Looking at the massive corpse, she saw it as a pile of money waiting to be collected. Her eyes sparkled with joy. (✪ ω ✪)
The wolf's body held many valuable parts. The most expensive were its magic crystal and pelt.
Next came its teeth and claws, which could also be sold.
Last was the wolf meat, the least valuable.
The crystal, teeth, and claws could be harvested quickly and easily.
Master even provided her with tools—pliers, clamps, a chopping axe—to aid in material collection, or interrogation if needed.
When Rin heard about the latter use, she couldn't help but break into a nervous sweat.
(゜ロ゜;)
Back at the wolf, the hardest task was harvesting its pelt.
Even for the skilled, carefully removing the hide without damage could take hours. Given the wolf's size, it would take even longer.
For someone like Rin, with almost no experience, obtaining an undamaged pelt was far harder than killing the wolf itself—virtually impossible.
Moreover, she wasn't sure she had the luxury of time, since she might need to leave suddenly for various reasons.
After all, this was the forest, not a safe place. No one could guarantee danger wouldn't strike.
A creature with a keen nose could easily detect the scent of blood and arrive quickly.
Thus, Rin treated the wolf as practice for her skinning skills, taking whatever she could rather than hoping for perfection.
While working, Rin couldn't help but ask:
"Master, where are you now?"
Indeed, Tris was nowhere nearby.
Only the puppet 'Servant' sat motionless like a block of wood.
Servant: "Just wandering around. You focus on playing with that wolf."
Still unmoving, the puppet replied.
Hearing this, Rin looked again at the wolf's corpse.
Even now, she found it hard to believe she had slain such a dangerous beast so easily.
Of course, her lack of skill had left her arm injured, but the fact remained: she had felled the wolf with a single strike.
She had expected a much harder struggle, not such a swift end.
After she voiced this thought, the puppet responded:
"In the books, how dangerous are D‑rank Magical Beasts?"
Rin: "D‑rank is considered highly dangerous. Basically, only those who can wield spiritual energy can fight them."
Servant: "Exactly. You can already use spiritual energy fairly well, so naturally, you could defeat a D‑rank beast.
This time was easier because Gray Wolves are truly dangerous only when hunting in packs. Alone, it's more like D‑ than D. Next time you face another D rank beast, you could still lose if careless.
And close‑quarters battles often end quickly. Only magic duels tend to drag on. In direct combat, everything can be decided in a single blow. Whoever takes the hit first loses. So remember—dodge and defend well."
Hearing this, Rin realized she couldn't be satisfied with this victory; she needed more training.
Still, she couldn't hide her joy—her ability had been proven. She knew she could truly fight now, not just be a burden.
In her delight, her small hands worked faster, eager to claim the spoils.
Despite the dirty, smelly task, Rin hummed cheerfully.
* * * * * * * * * *
Tris: "It must be hidden in this area."
While scouting the forest with 'Feathers', Tris accidentally discovered some faint traces on the ground.
Without special observation from above, it would be very difficult for anyone to notice those marks or recognize their similarities.
Following them, he found a peculiar location. Its uniqueness lay in its geography: concealed by terrain and trees, far from the forest's edge yet not too deep where stronger Magical Beasts roamed.
It was also far from the main travel routes.
This was unusual—adventurers camping in forests usually stayed closer to roads for safety and quick escape.
Sensing something odd, Tris carefully investigated with his puppet. Using Space magic, he soon uncovered a hidden cave entrance behind thick vegetation.
Tris: 'Ah, here it is.'
He was fairly certain this was a bandit hideout.
Why bandits and not cultists like before?
Because cultists would never settle for such a crude lair.
The cult near Dorn had hidden its base with powerful magic—nearly impossible to find without prior knowledge.
Even now, no one knows who was the first to discover that place, nor how they managed to find it to report.
Tris: "It's been so long since anyone contributed. Could today bring some luck?"
A little excited, Tris had 'Feathers' cloak itself with 'Light Bending' and infiltrate the cave.