After Seneca had settled into her embroidery work, and Maiol had gathered her thoughts, they finally decided to fully commit to their roles as adventurers.

  First, they went to speak with Yulia. They decided to put the regur deliveries on hold and only take requests for materials when necessary. Since Seneca still intended to visit the apothecary regurly, Yulia and Seneca’s connection would remain intact, and it seemed unlikely that anything would cause inconvenience for Yulia.

  Next, Seneca went to visit Torga’s shop, where she had been receiving help with sewing. After expressing her gratitude for the recent work, she informed them that her schedule would become irregur for a while, and that she pnned to head to the capital next year. Although it was some time away, Seneca was struck by how sad Emily and the others looked at this news.

  Finally, they delivered their news to the orphanage. The headmaster responded nonchantly, saying, “That’s still a long way off, isn’t it? Do your best.” However, Sister Cire broke down in tears. Seneca had thought she might cry before going to deliver the news, but the intensity of Sister Cire’s weeping was so much greater than she had expected, it made her own tears subside. Yet, Seneca was touched by how deeply Cire seemed to care for her.

  After reporting to everyone around them, the two of them took up several quests suggested by Turia. Most of these were monster hunting and gathering requests. Turia had been assigning them monster hunts to help them gain experience and increase their rank to Copper.

  In the Baetica area, taking on a wild monkey or a fire centipede by oneself would definitely qualify them for the Copper rank test. Seneca was confident in her abilities, though Maiol was still a little behind, both in skill and experience. They both recognised that they were still cking in experience, so they had been travelling to various pces to train.

  Three and a half months passed.

  ...

  Maiol’s training steadily progressed. While she wasn’t entirely sure how close she was to a level-up, the amount of information she could detect with her [Detection] ability was steadily increasing.

  By now, she was able to narrow her detection range down to an area as small as her shoulder width.

  She had been training with magic orbs, which were created by compressing and polishing magic stones—rare gems often carried by powerful monsters. The orb she possessed was about the size of a marble but could easily be exchanged for a few gold coins. Her overprotective father had given it to her with the idea that, if ever they were in a crisis, it could be sold for money.

  As magic orbs were derived from magical creatures and contained a wealth of magical power, they were perfectly suited for Maiol’s training.

  At the beginning of her training, her precision was poor, and she couldn’t detect the movements of the orb even when it rolled across the table. But now, she could track even the smallest vibrations and movements with crystal-clear accuracy.

  This improvement in detection precision was also reflected in her combat skills. With enhanced crity, she could now sense the movements of monsters as if they were right in front of her, and she could perceive the flow of magical energy within them.

  For example, a Fire Wolf would begin to swirl magical energy in its throat seconds before it released fire, and a Wild Bear would concentrate magic around its cws just before unleashing its most powerful attack. This made it easier for Maiol to avoid attacks.

  When she secretly consulted Menon at the guild, she told him that a level-up was likely close, so Maiol decided to keep pushing forward on her current path.

  ,,,

  Half a month ter, Seneca and Maiol received a more challenging quest. The request was to gather a special medicinal herb that grew in a spring deep within the Baet Forest.

  Although both Seneca and Maiol had frequently accepted requests in the Baet Forest, they had never ventured as deep as this before. The difficulty level was high for a quest normally given to Iron-ranked adventurers, but Turia assessed that it would be safe for them considering Seneca’s skill and Maiol’s growing experience. Both of them understood well that stretching beyond their limits could easily result in life-threatening danger.

  After thoroughly preparing, Seneca and Maiol entered the Baet Forest, heading deeper into its heart.

  Whenever they ventured into an unfamiliar location, Maiol would frequently use her [Detection] ability to thoroughly check their surroundings. As they neared the deeper parts of the forest, Maiol detected a strange magical reaction.

  It wasn’t from a person or a monster. The magical density in the air appeared to be higher than normal, suggesting a magical energy buildup. Maiol suspected it was a magical reservoir.

  "Seneca, there’s a magical reservoir at the edge of my detection range. There’s no sign of monsters, but we should remain cautious."

  Seneca nodded and drew her sword.

  It was said that monsters sometimes mutated in areas with magical reservoirs, so they had to be careful. The cause of these energy buildups was unknown, and reports of them often vanished the following day, leaving little to investigate.

  Since the magical reservoir was located away from their destination, the two decided to make a slight detour to avoid any potential danger.

  ...

  Upon reaching the spring, the two of them quickly and efficiently gathered the target herb, the Labyrinth Grass, which had purple, bell-shaped flowers and was used as an ingredient for potent eye drops.

  While there were other rare medicinal herbs around, they kept their stay brief, knowing that the quicker they left, the better.

  Just as they finished gathering the herbs and were about to leave the spring, Maiol detected the presence of monsters.

  "Seneca! Two monsters are heading towards us at incredible speed! We need to run in the opposite direction, now!"

  Maiol started running, and Seneca quickly followed suit.

  "What monsters are they?"

  "I think they’re wild monkeys, but they’re far faster and more powerful than normal. It might be a mutated species!"

  "Do you think we can escape?"

  "No, we won’t make it! There’s an open area ahead. Let’s head there and hold our ground. Fighting in the forest would put us at a disadvantage."

  Maiol’s decision was quick and sound, and they managed to avoid a potentially catastrophic situation.

  "Their magical power is comparable to a kobold leader. Their physical abilities are much stronger than a regur wild monkey!" Maiol warned.

  "Got it!"

  The two of them pushed on, running as fast as they could. Seneca was faster, but Maiol kept pace.

  They had managed to escape a desperate situation, but the odds were still stacked against them. With their current abilities, they would be better off retreating if they faced two normal wild monkeys.

  As they ran, the two quickly formuted a pn.

  "Maiol, do you think you can distract one of them alone?"

  "It’ll be tough, but I think I can manage for a short time."

  At moments like these, neither overestimating nor underestimating themselves was ideal. And not being completely honest was even worse.

  "Alright, we’ll aim to make it a two-on-two situation!"

  As they ran, the trees began to thin out, and they were nearing their destination.

  "I wonder how they managed to find us from outside your detection range?" Seneca mused.

  "They might have better detection than me, or they were watching us from the distant hill. The spring was quite visible," Maiol specuted.

  "Ah, so they’ve got sharp eyes. We’ll need to focus on their physical abilities."

  "Yes, that’s the most dangerous part."

  After some brief communication while running, they arrived at the open area. It appeared to be empty.

  Maiol quickly notched an arrow and drew her bow. While the distance was considerable, she shot an arrow in hopes of distracting the monsters. Using the aerial view provided by [Detection], she predicted their movements and let the arrow fly.

  The arrow flew straight towards the left arm of one of the wild monkeys. Maiol thought it would nd a direct hit.

  The wild monkey dodged with surprising speed.

  Though it wasn’t injured, its pace slowed, which allowed Maiol to demonstrate that she was a skilled archer.

  "Well done," Seneca praised.

  "Yeah, it’s likely that they’ll be more cautious if the next arrow comes."

  "I’ll pull them in as much as I can. Once they’re close, it’s your turn."

  "Understood. I’ll charge, but I’ll be careful not to stray too far from you."

  With their earlier shot having disrupted the enemies' focus, the two moved in for a closer engagement. Their goal was to isote one of the monsters and improve their chances of victory.

  ...

  As they waited, Seneca’s sharp eyes caught sight of the two wild monkeys charging towards them. They looked far stronger than the usual kind.

  "I’m drawing my bow!"

  Behind her, Maiol readied two arrows at once.

  Seneca watched the movement of the two monkeys closely. They were charging at an arming speed.

  She judged that it would be best to fire at a distance.

  Her hands were slick with sweat, but Maiol’s skill was never in doubt.

  "Fire!" Seneca shouted.

  Maiol released the arrows, and the two wild monkeys split to avoid the incoming shots.

  Seneca dashed to the left and, following her lead, Maiol switched from bow to sword and shield, running to the same side.

  Maiol kept [Detection] active. Now that there were only two monsters, she could focus her attention more effectively—a skill she’d gradually mastered.

  As Seneca made her charge, the wild monkey on the left retreated. Seneca took advantage of this, leaping forward and slicing at the monkey’s side.

  Caught off guard, the wild monkey instinctively raised its right arm to protect its neck, allowing Seneca to sever its arm completely.

  A screeching cry echoed from the monkey.

  Meanwhile, Maiol kept a sharp eye on the remaining wild monkey’s movements. The creature, hiding behind its fallen companion, was trying to close the distance to Seneca.

  Maiol threw a vial of eye-dazzling powder towards the monkey's face, and it swatted it aside, retreating with increased caution.

  Seneca returned to Maiol’s side.

  "Maiol, that was close. It was a good thing we managed to sever its arm."

  "Yes, they’re cunning, but with your help, the situation is looking better now."

  The remaining wild monkey stepped forward to protect its wounded comrade, a strange level of intelligence in its actions.

  "Maiol, I think we may only be able to handle one at a time," Seneca said, beads of sweat forming on her brow.

  "I understand."

  Maiol steeled herself for what was to come.

  In an instant, the wild monkey with both arms intact unched itself at Seneca with brutal force. The two of them dodged in unison, but the monkey seemed to have locked onto Seneca as its target.

  It relentlessly pursued her, while the injured wild monkey slowly advanced on Maiol.

  The two monsters were clearly trying to separate the pair. Despite their efforts, the two had managed to stay together for the time being. But as the battle intensified, they were eventually forced apart.

  When Seneca realised it, Maiol had already disappeared from her sight.

  The wild monkey charged at her, swinging its fists and throwing itself at her with all its might. The attacks were basic but immensely powerful. If they connected, Seneca knew the consequences would be dire, so she was left with no choice but to evade.

  She realised that regrouping during the battle would be a challenge, and her only option was to focus on the fight in front of her.

  The wild monkey, having succeeded in splitting them up, became more cautious with its attacks.

  Seneca tried to find an opening to strike, but the wild monkey’s punches were as hard as stone, and her bde risked damage with every miss. It was a battle of endurance, but the question remained: could Seneca nd a decisive blow? She was smaller than the beast, and physically weaker.

  Despite her efforts, she couldn’t shake the feeling that victory was far from certain.