An endless expanse of rocky mountains—Zone 2, Baltor.
Ian, who had left Rundel and begun exploring Baltor in earnest, spoke in a flat voice.
“It really is barren.”
There were no common trees, not even weeds.
All she could see were jagged rocks.
Ian addressed Hakon, who was following behind her.
“How on earth do you live in a place like this?”
“Once you get used to it, it’s livable enough. We can hunt the flying beasts for meat, and there’s a small valley to the west where we can get water and crops.”
“A valley?”
“Would you like to see it?”
After thinking for a moment, Ian nodded.
A valley in a place with nothing but rocks.
She wanted to see that sight for herself.
However.
“This is… a valley?”
After arriving at the valley with Hakon, Ian had no choice but to doubt her own eyes.
A trickle of water flowing like a tiny stream.
Trees and weeds barely clinging to life between the rocks.
Even the pitiful crops growing in the shallow soil.
It was hardly a scene one could say an entire village depended on.
Yet Hakon’s voice was exceedingly proud.
“Not bad, is it?”
“T-This?”
“The stream has gotten a little weaker, but this is more water than we usually have in past years.”
Ian glanced at Hakon’s face.
She could find no sign that he was lying.
She couldn’t very well scold someone who sincerely believed that.
She let out a small sigh.
“Have you never thought about contacting the people down below the mountain?”
“I heard they tried a few times in the past, but they were blocked every time. After I became the Great Warrior, we didn’t even attempt it.”
‘Well, there seemed to be around fifty people in the village, so the number of people who can fight must be even smaller.’
The total number of people deployed when Ian fought the Zone 1 boss had been forty.
Perhaps it was because they were NPCs, but Ian figured that no matter how strong the warriors were, it would have been impossible to subjugate the Lord of the Forest with only a small number of people.
‘This isn’t what matters right now.’
Ian shook her head and erased her thoughts about Rundel’s way of life from her mind.
What mattered to her now was breaking through Zone 2.
And learning how to use the skills of two weapon types together.
“Anyway, tell me already. How exactly did you use a gauntlet skill at the end earlier?”
“It is not that difficult… but first, I should show you the weapons I use.”
“It’s a spear and a gauntlet, isn’t it?”
“There is a slight difference. Look here.”
Hakon showed Ian his spear and the gauntlet she had mistaken for a glove.
At first glance, there was nothing special about them.
But as Ian examined the weapon closely, she discovered something surprising.
“There are two gloves?”
“Yes. It’s a form that combines the glove used to grip the spear and the gauntlet glove.”
He gripped the spear and swung it.
A red trajectory danced through the air.
“When I’m normally handling the spear, I use the glove underneath.”
And when he lost his spear, or when he had to engage in extreme close combat.
“I put my hand into the gauntlet glove on top like this.”
This time, a purple light settled into Hakon’s gauntlet.
His fists moved quickly, as if he were shadowboxing.
“Then the fist you used back then was…”
“Yes. When you threw your sword, Savior, I rested the spear on my shoulder and switched to the gauntlet glove. As long as I’m not holding another weapon in my hand, the skill activates.”
Ian was dumbfounded.
“What kind of cheap trick is that?”
She had thought there would be some impressive technique, but according to Hakon, all he had done was switch which glove his hand was in.
Seeing Ian’s reaction, Hakon smiled.
“And the person who fell for that cheap trick was you, Savior.”
“That’s true, but…”
“In truth, it’s quite useful in actual combat as well. No matter how much you prepare, the battlefield is a place where you never know what will happen.”
Ian vividly remembered the hand that had struck her stomach at the final moment.
She had dismissed it as a trick, but it was also true that she had never imagined he might have a second weapon.
Ian couldn’t think of anything to say in response to Hakon’s words.
“Try it first, and you’ll change your mind. Do you happen to have any weapons besides your sword?”
“If you mean another weapon, I do have one.”
Ian thought of the staff she had received as a reward for achieving the highest contribution.
A sword and a staff. It was a combination that did not suit each other at all, but she took the staff out of her inventory.
“Can you use magic as well?”
“I just happened to get it somehow.”
Though she said that, Ian could use magic.
In Arcadia Online, one could use magic simply by equipping a staff.
She just hadn’t used it because of her proficiency and stats.
‘The magic I can use right now is fire and wind, right?’
The magic someone holding a staff for the first time could use was Fireball, a First Circle fire spell.
On top of that, thanks to the staff’s unique effect, Ian could also use Wind Cutter, a First Circle wind spell.
‘Should I try it once?’
Ian aimed the staff into the air.
Basic Magic Skill, First Circle Wind Magic.
Wind Projection.
“Wind Cutter.”
Ian’s mana drained away in an instant.
The mana gathered at the tip of the staff became a blade of wind and shot forward at high speed.
‘Not as bad as I expected.’
Most of the beasts inhabiting Zone 2, Baltor, were flying beasts.
For Ian, who happened to need a means of ranged suppression, wind magic was a fairly decent skill.
‘It looks easy to use, too.’
There was no need to attach it to a glove like Hakon had.
If she could just get something like a holster and attach it next to her scabbard, it seemed like she could use them alternately without much trouble.
The moment she tucked the staff into the strap of her waist covering, Hakon’s gaze turned to the sky.
“Savior, they’re coming.”
“I know.”
Soon after, a flying creature revealed itself and swooped down toward the two of them.
[Level 11 Baltor Bat]
A bat of enormous size.
Ian and Hakon each took their weapons in hand.
“I will take the lead.”
Hakon overtook Ian and charged at the bat.
The bat’s claws and his spear collided.
“Savior!”
“I know!”
Now that Hakon had stopped the bat’s movement, it was the perfect opportunity to land an attack.
Ian was already running with her sword lowered.
“Sword Rush!”
The place her sword aimed for was the wing.
—Shaaak!
A blue trajectory cut through one of the bat’s wings.
“Drive!”
Hakon immediately adjusted his stance, and his red thrust pierced the opposite wing.
—Kieeeek!
A clean combination followed as if they had been coordinating together for a long time.
The bat fell to the ground, scattering blood, and breathed its last.
But Hakon’s eyes were still gleaming fiercely.
“Be careful, Savior. More are coming.”
Just as he said, three more bats appeared and rushed toward Ian and Hakon.
Ian dodged the bat’s attack and cast a glance at Hakon.
“Are they always like this?”
“Yes. They move in groups, so you must stay sharp.”
The two stood back-to-back.
Looking at the swarm of bats surrounding them, Hakon said,
“I will take two. Please take the remaining one, Savior.”
“Wouldn’t it be better for me to handle two?”
“It is right for the stronger one to take two.”
“This guy holds a grudge more than he lets on.”
But thinking about it calmly, Hakon’s judgment was correct.
Unlike Ian, for whom this was only her second time, he was a Great Warrior who had lived in these mountains and hunted countless bats.
On top of that, since he had far more skills than she did, he would have an easier time responding to unexpected situations.
Ian nodded.
“Fine. I’ll finish mine quickly and help you right away.”
“Do not worry. I will finish first and go to you.”
“Ah, yes…”
The two immediately ran toward the bats they were responsible for.
The bat noticed Ian’s approach and flew up into the sky.
To a place she could not reach no matter how far she stretched out her hand.
If she had been who she was until yesterday, she would have had no choice but to stand there helplessly and wait.
But.
“Come down, you bastard.”
—Crunch!
Ian drove her sword into the ground and aimed the staff she had tucked at her waist toward the bat.
“Wind Cutter!”
A blade of wind rushed toward the bat.
The bat, unable to dodge in time, took Ian’s magic head-on.
Because of her low magic stat, it did not deal heavy damage, but the bat struck by the spell began to plummet.
She put the staff back at her waist, drew her sword, and leapt toward the falling bat.
Her sword came crashing down from above its head.
A blue trajectory fell toward the bat’s skull.
“Slash!”
The body of the bat, whose head had been deeply cut, convulsed violently.
And Ian did not miss that opening, immediately splitting the bat’s body and wing completely in two.
‘This method is actually really good.’
Ian had always longed for ranged support.
Seeing proof before her eyes that she could solve that problem, a smile formed on her lips.
‘It might be worth seriously considering magic.’
Ian turned around to check Hakon’s situation.
Unlike her, who had dealt with her bat, he was still in the middle of fighting.
Of course, judging by the situation, he was not in any real danger.
Even if she left him alone, he would probably have no trouble finishing them off.
But she couldn’t miss an opportunity to build proficiency and gain experience.
Ian once again aimed the staff at her waist toward the bats.
“Wind Cutter!”
Her mana vanished in an instant and became a blade that struck the bat.
And Hakon, not missing that opening, pierced the bat’s heart with his spear.
Ian smiled at Hakon.
“I told you. I’d finish quickly and help.”
“I had already caught it.”
“For something you’d already caught, it took quite a while.”
“This is my hunting method.”
“Ah, yes. I’m sure it is.”
Ian let out a hollow laugh.
In the meantime, with Ian’s support, they finished off even the last one, then turned their gazes beyond the horizon.
“Wow… more?”
“That is how they are. They gather and move in packs.”
This time, there were four bats in total.
They were flying toward the two of them with ferocious momentum, but.
“What are we doing this time?”
“I will take three.”
“…Let’s take two each.”
“Let us do that.”
Not even the slightest trace of tension hung between the two of them.