Just the Two of Us
Kyaang! Kyaang!
Screams sliced through the forest.
A massive, bipedal dog head.
A monster with shaggy, unkempt fur.
A gnoll.
One gnoll crumpled to the ground, pierced by a bolt from the Sunogi.
The bolt had punched straight through the monster's heart.
"Over here!"
Lena's voice rang out.
I spun around.
Two more gnolls burst from the bushes.
Their red eyes gleamed in the darkness.
Thung-thung-thung. Thung-thung-thung.
The rapid-fire bolts tore through the gnolls' bodies.
No sooner had the first one fallen than the second dropped to its knees.
Surprisingly, Lena handled her Sunogi with skill, downing a third gnoll.
Her aim was sloppy, but even rough shots homed in on the gnoll and struck its heart.
"It's... truly an astonishing weapon."
With the fight over, she spoke in a calm voice.
Normally, anyone would panic at the sight of a monster, but she stayed surprisingly composed.
Her hands gripping the Sunogi didn't tremble at all.
"Are monsters supposed to die this easily? From what I've heard, they're full of wild ferocity and don't go down without a fight..."
Unlike her calm demeanor, Lena buzzed with excitement for a while, chattering about monsters.
It was all because the Sunogi pierced their bone and flesh so effortlessly.
Honestly, monsters shouldn't be this easy to kill.
Blame the weapon.
And I had no intention of hiding that fact.
"It's the weapon. There are only two like it in the world. I made them."
"Incredible. How on earth did you..."
"What do you think? Pretty useful, right? I was planning to sell them in the city. Thoughts?"
"It's more than useful... Ah! No, forgive me. How dare I presume to judge your possessions, Master."
"Hey, cut it out with the 'Master' stuff. I told you not to."
No matter how many times I said it, Lena just wouldn't listen.
All I could do was hope she'd come around with time.
But she's surprisingly good with the Sunogi.
Before we set off, I'd made an extra one and handed it to her.
She seemed to love it.
The awe in her eyes felt genuine.
Should work fine as a parting gift.
I inspected the gnoll corpses while lost in thought.
There it was—a mana stone.
Lucky break.
The glowing blue crystal extracted from a monster's body.
"This mana stone should come in handy."
I pulled it from the gnoll's corpse and tucked it into my space pouch.
The gnoll's thick, sturdy hide tempted me, but I let it go for now.
No tools to skin it properly, and hauling it would be a hassle.
Then Lena approached quietly.
"Um... how do we replenish the bolts?"
Her bolts must have run out.
Instead of answering, I raised my hand.
"Like this."
A few nearby twigs floated into the air.
Scrap metal pieces emerged from my space pouch, morphing in midair.
They transformed into bolts in seconds.
I was getting used to crafting something as simple as bolts now.
"Wha—how...? Is this magic too? Magic can do that?"
Lena's eyes widened as she asked.
She was genuinely stunned.
I'd shown her just to tease, and it worked perfectly.
"Yeah, magic."
"B-but none of the mages I've seen could..."
"You think you've seen every mage out there?"
Honestly, it was a stretch.
Even in my memories, no such magic existed.
It was a brute-force mashup of my hunter abilities and magic, skipping all the middle steps.
But since I—the user—said it was magic, Lena had no comeback.
Plus, it did consume mana, so it wasn't exactly wrong.
"To think magic like this exists..."
Her eyes sparkled.
She didn't look fully convinced.
More like brimming with curiosity, but she didn't press further.
"A few more days, and we'll hit a village."
Sunset was beginning.
Red rays filtered through the leaves.
I used my crafting ability again to build a shelter.
Trees and earth shifted on their own, forming a small hut.
"...I've never seen an ability like this. I never imagined you could make a shelter with magic."
"Told you, it's magic. Magic breaks the limits of imagination. Otherwise, it's just a trick."
I bullshitted my way through, half-excuse, half-philosophy.
Lena seemed mostly adapted now, staying calm.
But the curiosity in her eyes burned brighter.
Like she'd discovered a new world.
"You did great today. Let's rest. We need energy for tomorrow."
I spread out a blanket and lay down.
My body, worn from the fights, craved sleep.
She lay beside me.
Closer than usual.
The night air was chilly.
We shared warmth as we drifted off.
Cold winds howled outside the shelter, but inside it was cozy.
Inventor Proficiency Increased: 5% → 6%
Enchanter Proficiency Increased: 6% → 7%
Lena fell asleep quickly, but I couldn't.
Had to sort through the notifications first.
Just as I thought.
The proficiency levels in my status window.
They definitely rise the more I use the abilities.
I'd suspected as much, especially with the enchanter proficiency.
Stuck at 6% because all I did was craft that slave-binding ring?
I reflected on my past self.
Honestly, there was a reason I'd been stuck at 1st-class mage for years after becoming one.
Once enchanter hits 100%, I'll become a 2nd-class mage. But what happens at 100% inventor?
No such proficiency existed back in my hunter days.
It was one of the changes from blending with magic.
So I focused on that shift.
Make as much as possible... and vary it up.
Proficiency meant practice makes perfect—no big issue there.
I was just excited to see what 100% inventor unlocked.
* * *
After days of travel, we reached a hill.
A village sprawled below.
A small place, maybe a hundred souls.
A simple wooden palisade ringed the ordinary settlement.
But something was off.
Smoke rose from the entrance.
Screams echoed everywhere.
Just like a caravan under raid.
"That..."
Lena's voice trembled.
Dozens of bandits were assaulting the village.
The entrance was already breached; they were looting inside.
Villagers fled, but with no real fighters, resistance was feeble.
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue.
Counted the bandits—about thirty.
"Hmm, we can handle them..."
I pondered briefly, but decided fast.
Turned to Lena.
"Follow me."
She nodded silently.
Maybe from hunting monsters together, she didn't protest.
Her tightly pressed lips showed her tension, nothing more.
We crept toward the entrance, staying hidden.
Screams and clashes continued inside.
Spotted a bandit looting near the gate.
No hesitation—I aimed the Sunogi and fired.
Deliberately avoided a kill shot.
"Argh! H-help! Enemy!"
His scream drew eyes.
Eight bandits charged our way.
But Lena and I were already gone.
Thung-thung-thung. Thung-thung-thung.
Thung-thung-thung. Thung-thung-thung.
We revealed ourselves on the opposite side.
Bolts from our two Sunogis ripped through the bandits.
Weapons that pierced monster hide had no trouble with these low-tier thugs raiding a small village.
"Gahk!"
"Urk—d-dodge!"
"C-can't escape! Agh!"
Me and Lena.
Just the two of us.
We took their rear.
They panicked for a split second but didn't flee or hide.
Seeing our numbers, they charged like we'd make a fine meal.
Reminded me of kobolds, those bandit scum.
But in an instant, their eyes turned kobold-like too.
A chorus of screams.
Before they could react, all eight hit the dirt.
Twenty left now, give or take.
I replenished bolts using scattered swords and palisade scraps.
That's when it happened.
"Which bastard are you?!"
A booming voice announced a man's arrival.
Faint blue light shimmered on his blade.
That glow.
I remembered it.
An Aura User?
Looked like the bandit leader.
Unbelievably, an Aura User.
Aura was like mana for knights.
Stages: Aura Beginner, User, Practitioner, Expert, Master.
The blue light's steady, unbroken.
A thin coat of aura clung to his weapon without flickering.
Definitely Aura User.
Equivalent to about a 3rd-class mage.
Hence, unbelievable.
Why's a guy like this turning to banditry?
An Aura User could be a knight in any domain.
But here he was, a bandit.
Not your average thugs, then.
Could a 1st-class mage like me take on an Aura User on par with a 3rd-class?
No time to figure it out.
The apparent leader charged, swinging his sword.
So I did my best.
The optimal move right now.
Magic?
No.
Thung-thung-thung-thung-thung-thung-thung-thung-thung!
Why use anything else when you've got the Sunogi?
* * *
Damn it all, which bastard is this?!
The village raid was going smoothly.
A backwater dump like this couldn't escape our grasp.
Then suddenly, my men started dropping.
Bows? No, that's...
Bolts flying from afar.
Not one—dozens at once.
That many... a ranger? Elf? Never seen a weapon like that...
A ranger or elf in this boondock village?
Intel must be wrong.
I hung back for now.
But the enemies were just two.
A scrawny guy.
And one fine-looking babe.
Not forest rangers or elves.
The girl's elfin beauty fired me up.
"Keh-heh, go snap that guy's neck!"
I sneered mockingly and charged.
Just a twig-armed bow monkey at best.
Time to show him an Aura User's power!
Already picturing fun times with the girl—got me impatient.
But the world doesn't always go as planned.
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