In the evening, our new acquaintance never returned. We went to sleep, assuming he had simply forgotten his promise.
Akira and Raphtalia had gotten some rest and had also scouted out the local market prices.
After a day of rest, it was time to earn some money, which was now running dangerously low. Since we had paid for the inn a week in advance, we were left with just eight silver coins and some change. We could make money by selling the items dropped by monsters, but we decided not to rush. If we were completely out of funds, that would be another matter—but with what we had, we could still get by for a week without trouble.
The thing is, even the same Slime Pelts that I had accumulated over twenty thousand of (and Akira had about ten thousand more) could be sold for a copper coin each in the capital, or turned into energy via the Status system. This energy could then be used to enhance any grimoire, raising its rank and improving all its stats, including the mastery bonuses.
Each rank increase boosts all the grimoire or shield's stats by 20%.
There's another way to gain energy: resetting Mastery to zero and converting it into energy. But that's only possible after reaching 100 Mastery. In my opinion, that's a terrible idea. Each Mastery point increases the grimoire's primary bonus—in my case, magic attack and mana—by 0.5% of the base value. So at full mastery, that's a 50% bonus.
That option should only be used on worthless grimoires, and none of mine are leveled to 100 anyway. I never saw the point—and time isn't infinite, after all.
It's not a pressing matter right now, but in the future, all those multipliers will be what makes Heroes the strongest beings in this world.
Akira and I had already discussed it and concluded that it's too early for us to focus on that. Better to save energy for stronger shields and grimoires that we'll unlock later. Currently, the only grimoire I have that's really worth it is the Lightning Grimoire.
Simply put, the gains aren't worth the cost yet.
For example, upgrading the Lightning Grimoire (Lesser) from rank D to C would require 25,000 energy. At this moment, that's not worth it. A 1% mana cost reduction and a 3% damage boost for lightning spells… meh. On the other hand, one point of mastery gives me +1 to magic attack and +10 mana—constantly—because it's already mastered.
So Akira and I are rich paupers. Sure, we could get some quick cash, but doing so might cost us long-term. And the potions and other valuable drops should ideally be sold in the capital—a place we can't visit anytime soon. Especially after that incident with the guard.
According to Valit, there were already familiar monsters near the village: Rabbipires, Bigras, Egglings, and the like. But in addition to those, remnants of the first wave still roamed the region: spatial hounds and giant two-headed dogs. These were the real problem for the locals, as they frequently attacked people.
Two adventurers who had hunted near the village for years hadn't been seen in five days. Valit's group had gone to hunt these monsters.
We, on the other hand, decided to take on an even riskier job. A pack of two-headed dogs had taken over an old mine near the village, once used for extracting various ores. The locals had already requested help from the city to clear them out, but with the recent buzz around our summoning, it was either forgotten or ignored.
We got up close to noon and set off toward the mine, its location given to us by the same man at the inn's front desk. But before heading out, I had to stop my companions and go speak with the village manager about a reward for dealing with the monsters.
The manager turned out to be a reasonable man, and we agreed that our reward would be the right to extract as much ore as we wanted from the mine, without having to pay a tax when selling it. He offered us silver instead, but I refused. A hundred silver coins wouldn't make a huge difference—especially after I learned what ores were actually in that mine. Black iron and coal were nothing special, but the light metal ore used for magical armor and weapons certainly wasn't cheap.
The mine was close by, on a hill overlooking the whole village. An overgrown path led to it, clearly unused for quite some time.
"The manager said the mine was almost abandoned, but I didn't expect this," I admitted as we stopped in front of the entrance.
"What surprises you?" asked the Shield Heroine.
"Doesn't it surprise you that a mine containing light metal ore was just left like this?" Akira only shrugged.
A rusted gate stood open before us, jammed in that position. Pickaxes eaten through by corrosion, rotted ropes, and helmets lay scattered across the ground.
"What's that?" Raphtalia pointed to a small building near the mine entrance.
The annex was in better shape—but not by much. A massive rusted padlock hung on the door.
"Should we break it open?" the tanuki girl asked. "There might be something useful in there. No one's used it in ages anyway."
Instead of replying, I grabbed the lock and tore it off in one pull. It practically crumbled in my hands, covering me in rust.
"Let's check it out," agreed the Shield Heroine.
Akira was the first to go inside—we had long decided on our roles, and since she was our "tank," she always took the lead to intercept danger with her shield.
The inside of the building was in far better condition than the outside, though it was extremely dusty. We found four pickaxes, one of which was still usable. Akira picked one up, touched it to the stone on her shield, and it began to dissolve, absorbed into the shield.
"Oh, nice," she said, equipping the newly unlocked shield. It appeared as a small metal shield, about 25 centimeters in diameter, with two protrusions resembling pickaxes. "It grants the skill Mining when mastered."
I placed the two best-preserved pickaxes in my inventory and fed the last one to my grimoire. Then Akira handed me a rope, which the grimoire also reacted to. As a result, two new grimoires were unlocked:
Pickaxe Grimoire 0/10 D
Equipment Bonus: Magic Attack +2 (Unmastered)
Special Effect: Mining – Novice
Mastery: 0
Rope Grimoire 0/10 D
Equipment Bonus: Magic Attack +2 (Unmastered)
Special Effect: Focus
Mastery: 0
Only after seeing the skill on the second grimoire did I understand Akira's smile as she handed me the rope. The skill really was good.
"Shall we try it?" she asked, nearly bouncing with anticipation.
I still wasn't sure what exactly we were trying—since the skill was passive and, from the description, it just boosted task focus and efficiency—but I followed her. On our way out, I picked up a greasy piece of paper, which turned out to be a map of the mine with ore deposits marked.
When we stepped outside, Akira extended her hand and shouted:
"Erst Shield!"
A large shield, formed of magical energy, appeared two meters in front of her.
I spent the next minute cursing, not caring that Raphtalia and Akira were right there.
"You got a different skill, huh?" Akira asked with a smirk, trying not to laugh as I calmed down.
"I got Focus. Also very useful. But come on, which of us is the mage?"
"But you, Pluton-sama, have offensive magic!" Raphtalia said, trying to comfort me as she patted my arm. Gods, what had my life become?
"My apologies for that little outburst," I said, exhaling.
"It's not a spell, actually—it's a skill," Akira explained. "And it has a cooldown of about ten seconds. Not that big, but I can't spam them one after another."
"Don't worry, it's fine. I just need to be patient and keep improving my spell."
Man, I felt embarrassed. But I was so sick of having no progress on that one spell. My only hope was that the improvement would be significant when it came.
"Alright, shall we head into the mine?" I handed her the map. She examined it with interest. "And really, Raphtalia's right. Your spells are incredibly powerful. When we fight as a team and someone can hold the monsters' attention, you have all the time you need to cast. Besides, you haven't even tested what Focus actually does for you. It might be really helpful..."
"May I ask a favor?" the girls said together. "Let's forget about that little incident."
"Sure."
"What incident?" asked Raphtalia, all innocent.
"Thanks. Let's go," I said and began chanting. "By the power of the Grimoire, I command: Reveal the laws of creation—Erst Light Wisp!"
A small glowing orb of light flew up from my hand. A spell I had specifically learned last night for exploring the mine. On my mental command, the Wisp began to float around Akira, lighting our way.
We proceeded into the mine, occasionally checking the map. Near the entrance, we found a paw print.
Judging by its size, the dog must have stood over two meters tall at the shoulder.
At first, the mine looked like a typical cave, reinforced with wooden beams. But it soon turned into a subterranean grotto. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and a quiet stream trickled out from a spring, forming a small waterfall. Faint sunlight pierced through a hole above, casting rays through the suspended dust and creating a magical scene.
But the most magical—and terrifying—thing was the three enormous dogs that we apparently woke up with our arrival. Two of them had two heads each, while the largest, which measured over two meters long even lying down, had three. It was, damn it, a cerberus! The only comforting thing was its general condition. A pool of dried blood lay beneath it, and a broken sword blade jutted out of its side.
"Back into the passage. It's too spacious here," Akira said calmly but firmly, slowly backing away.
Tearing my gaze away from the dogs, I noticed Raftalia trembling all over, tears streaming down her face.
"Mama… Papa…"
"Raftalia?" I called out gently to the frozen tanuki girl. Seeing that it was useless, I took her hand and began leading her back into the tunnel.
Once we reached the spot where only one of these beasts could squeeze through at a time, the dogs let out a long, eerie howl.
"Woo-oooo-oooooo!"
"Mama… Papa… N-nooooooooooooooooooo!" Raftalia suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs and collapsed to her knees.
That was the moment one of the beasts seized the opportunity to attack. One of the dogs lunged at Akira with its jaws wide open. A golden shield shimmered into existence in front of her, knocking the monster back a step. But it was clear the effort had cost her.
"Pluto, take Raftalia and run! I'll catch up!" Akira wheezed. "It's too hard to block them. They're stronger than we expected. Erst Shield!"
"By the power of the Grimoire, I command you: decipher the laws of reality—Erst Lightning Bolt!" I cast my spell instead of replying. Time was short. Raftalia couldn't move from fear—her legs wouldn't hold her—and we wouldn't get the chance to calm her down. Akira couldn't run either. I poured nearly sixty mana into the spell, targeting the monster trying to force its way into the tunnel.
As we had planned, the moment I began to utter the final words, Akira dropped to one knee to give me a clear line. It was like watching in slow motion—the thick arc of lightning struck one of the dog's heads and incinerated it. The beast's legs gave out, and it collapsed, its remaining head giving a short, raspy howl as it thrashed.
"Akira, if we kill this one, the second won't be able to squeeze through," I said quickly, encouraging her before casting again. "By the power of the Grimoire, I command you: decipher the laws of reality—Erst Lightning Bolt!"
While I launched the second "Lightning Bolt," the dog had recovered and lunged at the Shield Heroine with renewed fury.
"Erst Shield!" Akira's skill saved us again, buying me just enough time to finish the incantation before the beast's snout overcame her barrier. At that moment, Raftalia sprang out from behind me—right into the path of my spell. I barely managed to jerk my arm aside, redirecting the lightning into the ceiling above Akira's head. The explosion distracted her, and the dog managed to clamp its jaws on her shoulder. Its teeth pierced the armor, and blood began to flow. Akira hissed in pain through clenched teeth.
Raftalia rushed at the monster and started smashing its head with her sword like a club. It wounded the beast, but not lethally.
I ran to her, grabbed her hand, placed mine over hers on the hilt, and directed the blade into the monster's throat, yanking upward. The sword nearly decapitated it.
[Received: 2 silver coins; 28 copper coins]
[Received: Raftalia — 480 EXP]
[Received: Two-Headed Black Dog Hide]
[Received: Two-Headed Black Dog Fangs ×2]
[Received: Two-Headed Black Dog Bones ×4]
[Received: Two-Headed Black Dog Sword]
The messages confirmed the beast's death—its corpse now blocked over half the tunnel.
Once I realized the thing was dead, I let go of Raftalia and rushed to Akira, whose shoulder was still clamped in the beast's jaws.
"Hang on, girl. This'll hurt a bit!" I growled, prying the jaws open and pushing the head away from the Shield Heroine who had slumped against the wall.
"I'm sorry!" Raftalia sobbed, collapsing again and crawling toward the wall.
"Calm down, you idiot!" I snarled. Pulling a powerful healing potion from my inventory, I helped Akira drink it—only then remembering I also had a Regeneration spell.
Still, it couldn't hurt.
"By the power of the Grimoire, I command you: decipher the laws of reality—Erst Regeneration!"
Meanwhile, the second dog was trying to force its way through the gap between its dead comrade and the ceiling, whining, growling, and howling all at once. Raftalia's sobs and Akira's quiet hissing blended into the cacophony.
After pumping the Regeneration spell to the brim and adding our boosted healing potion—enhanced by our "Alchemy Boost" passive skill which not only strengthened all potions but also gave the drinker a one-meter healing aura—Akira's wound visibly began to close, the effects evident even through her punctured pauldron.
"I'm fine!" Akira rasped, her voice steady. "Kill the other one…"
I nodded and began the chant again:
"By the power of the Grimoire, I command you: decipher the laws of reality—Erst Lightning Bolt!" I targeted the head peeking through the gap. The beast tried to pull back at the last second but was too slow. Whether it was weaker or lower level than the first, the result was the same—the head was nearly vaporized, leaving only a charred skull.
The monster didn't wait for a second spell. As soon as it shook off the paralysis—a side effect of lightning spells—it retreated. After a moment, the corpse blocking the tunnel began to shift backward. The intelligent creature was pulling its fallen comrade out to clear the way, and doing it fast.
Akira and I locked eyes and nodded.
"Raftalia, calm down. No one's going to hurt you. We're here for you," I said, eyes on the receding corpse, calculating the timing. "By the power of the Grimoire, I command you…"
"Erst Shield!" Akira summoned a shield right in front of the dog charging into the tunnel.
"…decipher the laws of reality: Erst Lightning Bolt!"
At the final words, Akira canceled the shield. The lightning bolt vaporized the remaining head. Another corpse collapsed near the tunnel mouth.
[Received: 1 silver coin; 35 copper coins]
[Received: Raftalia — 320 EXP]
[Received: Two-Headed Black Dog Fangs ×3]
[Received: Two-Headed Black Dog Bones ×2]
I looked to Akira. She wasn't getting up yet, but the color was returning to her face.
The last beast wouldn't fit into the tunnel—and it wasn't moving.
How did it even get in here at that size? Could there be another entrance?
I felt a bit of relief and walked toward Raftalia.
She had already told me her story back when I was helping her level up by fighting small enemies… so I understood why she was in such a state, and why she couldn't control herself. When she had told me her story back then, she had trembled as if in a seizure. It had taken me a long time to calm her down.
She was born in a demi-human village near the coastal city. She had kind parents and good friends and lived peacefully. But one day, hordes of skeletons summoned by a Wave flooded the land. At first, adventurers managed to hold them back. But then beasts and insects joined in, overwhelming the defense.
The nightmare reached its peak when a black, three-headed cerberus appeared—crushing people like grass, ignoring all resistance.
Raftalia's village couldn't hold back the onslaught, and the people fled. But no one was allowed to escape. Anyone spotted by the monsters was slaughtered.
Raftalia ran with her parents until they were driven to a cliff by the sea. With nowhere left to go, her parents looked at each other, then gently smiled at their daughter. They softly stroked the trembling girl's head.
Despite her young age, she understood—they were going to save her at the cost of their own lives.
They pushed her off the cliff, hoping she'd survive.
And as she fell, she saw the cerberus pounce on her parents, tearing them apart…
When she came to, she returned to the cliff searching for them. By then, the adventurers and knights had barely managed to repel the monsters.
She walked through fields littered with corpses and finally reached the cliff.
There was only blood… and scraps of meat.
That was when she understood her parents were dead. Something inside her broke.
Before meeting Akira and me, she had been a real hero. She joined other survivors to try to rebuild her village.
But eventually, she was caught by slavers who broke her spirit through torture...