The Tutorial Boss Obtains the Demon Sword
A massive mountain ridge curved like a crescent moon. Inside the towering peaks stretched a vast, hollow plain. The northern range stood like the walls of a colossal fortress, guarding its heart. Not a single tree grew on the barren land overgrown with grass. There wasn't even a trace of common field beasts, let alone monsters. When the stark wind blew, the entire grassland rippled like waves.
Elena slowly scanned the plain from start to finish along the ridgeline of the mountains. Overlaying the map Uncle had given her, she reconfirmed the route they planned to search today.
"This is it, right?"
"Yeah. This is the spot."
When Elena asked, Mira nodded, recognizing the section they'd come to yesterday.
Elena walked along the mountain's edge on the plain's outskirts with her party, memorizing the terrain. The northern range was vast. It was called the "North" for the entire area—this was the only northern range around. They couldn't circle it fully in a single day, and combining scouting with searching made even half that impossible. They'd have to camp midway.
"One more time: we're hunting mana grass today too. Keep that in mind since we'll be slower, stopping for herbs along the way."
At Elena's instruction, the party acknowledged it. Hans and Duke scanned the surroundings for herbs as they went, while Mira kept watch for approaching monsters with her hunter-trained wide field of vision.
"He said to use this, right?"
Elena pulled a scent pouch from her belt bag. It was what Uncle had given her that morning. It looked like an ordinary pouch, but apparently it was a magic tool. Pressing it released a fragrance that tickled her nose. It smelled nice—familiar, somehow—and just inhaling it calmed her down. A strangely reassuring scent.
Elena gripped the pouch and channeled her mana through it. The aroma spread outward, and a faint glow emanated from it, forming a single beam of light stretching into the grass somewhere.
Following the scent, the glow brightened in a certain patch of grass.
"Found it."
She turned to her party.
"Over here!"
The group gathered to inspect the herb called mana grass. Duke, curious, spoke first.
"This is mana grass?"
"Probably."
Elena recalled Uncle's advice: Grab anything that reacts to the pouch. She carefully dug it up by hand, root and all, to avoid damage. As dirt gave way and the root appeared, she pulled it free completely—and the light beam from the pouch faded away.
Elena smiled, holding the mana grass. Duke stared at it thoughtfully.
"Looks like low-grade potion material. I've seen it before."
The petite girl that Duke had become pointed out its appearance.
"Close, but not quite. Mana grass isn't one specific type of plant," the elegant beauty Hans explained like an instructor. "It's a catch-all for ordinary herbs that absorb so much ambient mana they become unusually potent. Mana grass is rare on its own, so people snap it up whenever it shows."
"Oh."
Elena gasped in admiration. The others let out small exclamations too.
"How do you know that?"
"My family's herb merchants," Hans replied curtly to Mira's question.
"So the more we find, the better?"
"Won't be easy to spot. That's why it's valuable."
"No worries."
Elena flashed a sly grin.
"I've got what Uncle gave me. With this, we'll find mana grass in no time."
She confidently brandished the pouch and channeled mana again, spreading the scent. When it reached the mana grass, that portion glowed, guiding the way.
"Found another!"
"Whoa! We're gonna be rich!"
"Amazing."
"This shouldn't be this easy..."
Only Hans, who knew how hard mana grass was to track, couldn't fully celebrate. Amid the joy, awe washed over her.
This is A-rank level?
The magic tool from Eck had located mana grass effortlessly. Was this the rumored prowess of an A-rank? She was dumbfounded.
Elena wrapped the mana grass in cloth and stowed it in her bag.
"Let's find more."
The search went smoothly after that. Before the sun passed its zenith, they found three more roots. Each discovery had Mira whooping, Duke marveling, and Hans chuckling wryly. They all reveled in it.
"Elena, here!"
Mira waved from the fifth mana grass spot. A herb with bluish-glowing leaves rooted in a rock crevice. The pouch's light reacted especially brightly.
Elena reached into the crevice to carefully extract the root—
Rustle.
Mira reacted first. Her head snapped around as she yelled on instinct.
"Behind us! Monster!"
Mira's warning was nearly a scream as she nocked an arrow and fired blindly toward the presence. The arrow vanished into the waist-high grass—and the entire patch exploded as a monster burst out, charging.
"Kaaaa—tum!!!!"
A four-legged beast with horns curled like a crown atop its head barreled straight at Elena, smashing the rock with its head.
Boom!!
"D-danger! It's a B-rank monster! Crown Goat! Run!"
The Crown Goat turned from the shattered rock to face Elena's party. Mira, Hans, and Duke froze as their eyes met its. Duke thrust out her shield—man-sized for her tiny frame—but it seemed flimsy against a beast that pulverized stone. The goat scraped the ground with its front hooves, then lowered its head and stamped.
"Nngh...!"
Duke couldn't move. She braced her whole body, steeling for the impact—and the goat veered past her.
Drawn by the mana scent, it ignored Duke and targeted Elena.
Elena, witnessing the monster's explosive acceleration, threw herself aside. The gust from its charge raked her body, hinting at its power.
"Run, Elena! We gotta bolt! No prep against a B-rank—how could we beat it?! Elena?!?!"
Then Elena charged at the Crown Goat.
Uncle said it.
She'd gotten his assurance when he gave her the pouch.
Right now, nothing here can touch you.
The beast's eyes locked on Elena. It pounded the ground with all four legs and lunged. In an instant, it closed the gap—its horns whipping toward her.
No one saw the clash.
Elena would fly from the headbutt, helpless—and the frenzied Crown Goat would mount her. Ravaged by a beast, a human body wouldn't hold together. Mira, who'd endured it before, swallowed hard and squeezed her eyes shut at the impact. Elena next, then them. Terror locked Mira's limbs. Holding still despite knowing what awaited was her limit.
The newly female Hans and Duke faced their first time with a beast. Dislocated hips would leave them vulnerable to monsters all the way back to town... Delayed healing meant crippled lower bodies, whoring their way to survival. Hans might manage, but Duke? Her shrunken frame would burst internally just taking it.
"N-no..."
Past memories flashed in Mira's mind—the goat's eerie bleat as it violated her. She'd quit hunting after, but became an adventurer anyway, facing it again. She shook herself. Not again. Clutching her pale head, she confronted the scene.
The first sight: Elena and the Crown Goat back-to-back, Elena sheathing her sword. The goat knelt, collapsing.
"Huh...?"
Twitch. Twitch.
The Crown Goat gushed blood from its nape like a fountain with each gasp.
"A bit short."
Elena drew her sword again and stabbed the blade's tip into its throat.
"Eh...?"
Mira's trembling legs gave out, and she slumped to the ground.
Eh? It's over? Just like that?
"A B-rank monster?"
"Trolls were ages ago, and already...?"
"Elena, incredible."
"Gotta be at least this good if I'm learning straight from Uncle."
Blushing at the praise, she asked her party to butcher the Crown Goat.
"Lucky."
Elena picked up the miraculously intact mana grass from the rubble.
I watched Elena's party recede into the distance.
They'll handle it fine on their own.
Nothing in the northern range could threaten Elena now. Boss-grade A-rank monsters weren't common anyway, and they had fixed spots—easy to avoid with care.
I turned back toward town. Headed to Pila's Workshop. Knocked.
Knock knock.
Glass shattered inside with a crash, followed by chaotic clattering.
"W-wait a sec...! C-coming out now...!"
The door cracked open. Pila peeked through, eyes widening at me. Her disheveled pink hair trailed to the floor; her glasses sat crooked as she stared.
"I-I said I'd send someone...!"
The door slammed shut. Brushing and robe-shaking sounds, then it reopened. She adjusted her glasses and welcomed me—wearing the same ratty robe as always, always.
Unable to meet my eyes, she ushered me in.
"C-come in. I just finished the sealing and was about to call you."
A pile of parchment towered on the workbench, and beside it hung the demon sword Vitalia on a hook. The blade had returned to its original form. No trace remained of the boss mob's pulsing power that once parasitized it.
Pila fidgeted her fingers, head bowed.
"F-finished last night. Now just wake the demon sword, and it's done. Sorry. You have to do that part yourself, Eck. Sorry. We agreed it'd be all ready..."
I didn't blame her for the impossible, but she clearly wasn't satisfied.
"The soul's separated, though, so it's safe to use."
"I'll put it to good use."
I took Vitalia from the hook, gripped the hilt, and lifted. It felt like any sword, but I poured in mana. The awakened demon sword generated its own, overflowing its vessel. Filled with my mana, it bonded to my hand like it belonged there.
"In-incredible, Eck. You activated a demon sword with so little mana?"
Pila, who'd watched anxiously fearing failure, gaped, revealing her soot-streaked face in awe. She clapped and bounced.
"Amazing! Eck! Even A-rank adventurers struggle with that on the first try! Like swordmaster talent among nobles!"
Her face flushed with excitement.
"...."
Vitalia, the demon sword. It stole mana from foes and returned it to the user—perfect for my chronic shortage. Even without that, it was legendary. Finally mine.
Elena, I still have no plans to let you catch up.
With this, I could surpass Eck's innate limits.