"Why the heck are you here, newbie!?"
While I was completely focusing on what was right in front of me, I was completely caught off guard and turned around in surprise. There stood Bagas, wearing an astonished expression as if he had just seen a ghost.
"Why? For training, of course. I found several issues during yesterday's exploration."
"Even though you're drowning in debt? Or did you suddenly chicken out?"
"I didn't chicken out. I've managed to see some progress in repaying the debt, so I came here to train and become more capable of defeating monsters."
Yesterday, after defeating the Great Fang Bear, I went on to defeat four more monsters: one orc, two iron serpents, and one horned goat.
Orcs were monsters with thick skin, but the skin around their neck wasn't as tough. With a Wind Blade infused with plenty of mana, I managed to sever an orc's head in a single blow.
The iron serpents were easier than the orc. Despite their massive size and skin as hard as iron, they were extremely vulnerable to cold. When I released a chilly wind of -10°C, which even a human could only withstand for a while, they writhed in agony and died within a minute.
While it wasn't an instant kill, the agility of the iron serpents exposed to cold was lower than that of goblins, and their attacks weren't at all fearsome. The mana consumption was about a third of what I used against the orc.
The horned goat put up a bit of a fight. It had a high mana-sensing ability and noticed my attacks just before they landed. Its charges with sharp horns were lethal even against my current armor if they hit directly.
However, since its attacks were linear, I managed to evade while repeatedly using stone bullets to chip away at it. Since surprise attacks didn't work, I decided not to fight even if I encountered them in the future.
Considering the total from selling materials and rewards for subjugation, it amounted to just under a million gold coins. Taking into account the afternoon exploration and the test runs in the shallow parts, I could easily earn a million gold coins in a full day of exploration.
So, today I decided to refine my magic for addressing the issues I encountered in yesterday's battles. I didn't intend to master them completely, just to get them to a workable level today and then resume exploring tomorrow.
"It seems like you're even more capable than I imagined, newbie."
Bagas seemed to have slightly underestimated my abilities. However, his insight into gauging my strength with less mana-intensive training was quite impressive.
I had no clear understanding of the capabilities of other mages training in the training grounds. I could differentiate between amateurs and experts, but beyond that, I was clueless.
Humans who couldn't use magic like Bagas were supposed to have low mana-sensing abilities. Yet, I couldn't fathom how he was able to accurately assess my strength. It might be something skilled adventurers develop over time—being able to discern power through the flow of mana or behavior.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
Eight days later, I had repaid my debt. I debated whether to take a vacation, but I found the burden of having a debt unsettling, so I decided to pay it all off at once.
I was tired, but not to the point of overexertion. Especially after the seventh day, I was able to defeat every monster I encountered in a single strike. Thanks to my training and exploration, I had leveled up considerably.
Status
Name: Tachibana Haruki
Job: Mage
Level: 60
Skill Points: 0
Acquired Skills:
- Body Strengthening Lvl. 24
- Black Magic Lvl. 36
Since becoming an adventurer, my level had increased by 33. I distributed my skill points between Body Strengthening and Black Magic in a 2:3 ratio. While prioritizing Body Strengthening would have increased my survival capabilities by enhancing my scouting and escape speed, I decided to prioritize combat ability.
As a result, even the formidable Great Fang Bear, which required a battle of attrition at first, and the iron serpent vulnerable only to cold attacks, were both taken down with a single Wind Blade strike starting from the seventh day.
"Congratulations on repaying your debt."
"Thank you. It was all because of you, Bagas-san, that I'm able to earn money much faster than I anticipated."
"Well, I would've been happier if you had failed. I missed the chance to exploit a skilled mage like you."
Bagas laughed as he received the bag stuffed with a large sum of gold coins from me.
Now I was free from being debt-ridden. Previously, no matter how much money I received, I only felt relief as I moved closer to debt repayment. But from now on, it was different.
From now on, all the money I earned would stay in my pocket. Today, I earned 1.4 million gold coins. After using most of it for debt repayment and keeping only 50,000 gold coins, from now on, everything I earned would stay with me. Imagining that scene, I couldn't help but smile.
"...You always seem to have a smirk on your face in the training area, newbie. This isn't a playground, you know."
