I stopped Rudy from advancing, as I needed Ocypete to focus solely on me for a clear shot. Using the Type 99 short rifle, I measured Ocypete’s flight speed and adjusted the sights for a test shot. Despite missing intentionally, I confirmed the flight speed was accurate, though Ocypete mocked my miss.
Ocypete dove and released Feather Bombs to try and immobilize me. Ignoring the bombardment, I lay on the ground to stabilize my aim. I targeted Ocypete’s left eye, hitting it on the first shot. This caused Ocypete to scream and change its trajectory. I quickly adjusted to hit its right eye.
Ocypete remained airborne despite its blinding. This prompted me to escalate my attack. Activating the TSS, I summoned a Type 91 portable surface-to-air missile system from my inventory. The missile system was equipped with a CCD camera for target recognition. It was perfect for defense in this world. I locked and fired the missile onto Ocypete’s back. The missile quickly caught up and struck the giant bird, which exploded in midair.
Ocypete’s scattered remains rained down around us. The battle was over. Rudy and Liese approached me and expressed amazement at my victory over such a formidable beast. Liese noted that defeating Ocypete typically required multiple high-ranking mages. This feat was quite significant, it seemed.
It was hard to enjoy the promise of a rank increase. The losses of Boy and Kinjar weighed on me, as did the acknowledgment of adventuring’s harsh realities. This experience underscored how important reliable companions were against the dangers inherent in this world. It was just like strategies found in FPS games, but with real-life stakes.
“Kinjar and the others were unfortunate,” Rudy said. “However, we survived and now need to report back to the guild and tell them what happened. This way, those who come after us will be better prepared.”
“That’s right,” Liese agreed. “First, let’s collect the harpies’ proofs of extermination and everyone’s belongings. Then, we can return to Monesia Village.”
We divided the tasks between the three of us and proceeded with the collection work. We retrieved twelve harpy tail feathers and two harpy cantado tail feathers. We couldn’t retrieve proof of Ocypete’s defeat, but we did collect several distinctive feathers that fell from where Kinjar had struck it with the Ray Blade. This would be enough to allow us to report its presence. Boy and Kinjar’s bodies were too damaged to recover, and nothing remained of Putei, so we buried what we could. We didn’t bother with collecting keepsakes. Although the harpies’ bodies could have been used for materials, it was getting late, and we needed to get going. So we buried them, too.
We spoke little during these tasks. We worked silently and only exchanged a few words when confirming what to take back.
“Is this everything?” Rudy asked.
“Yes, the sun has almost set,” said Liese. “If we go now, will we make it back to the village before the gates close?”
“Barely. Liese, Schwarz, let’s hurry back to Monesia Village.”
“Okay!”
“Let’s go.”
We returned to Monesia Village a few hours after sunset. The wooden gates were already closed, and there were no people in sight. In this world, villages, towns, and cities all had gates that opened and closed at set times to prevent the population from coming and going at all hours. If you arrived after the gates closed, you simply called out to the overnight gatekeeper stationed in the watchtower. He would open a small side entrance next to the main gate for you.
“Is anyone there? It’s Rudy, a C-rank adventurer, and his party. We’ve completed our quest and have returned. Please, open the gate!”
The gatekeeper responded and told us that we’d have to stay in the watchtower overnight, since it was past entry time.
“We can wait to enter the village until morning, but I need to speak with the outpost now.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll send someone immediately. Wait, are there only three of you? You were the adventurers sent to defeat the harpies, right? What happened to the other three?”
“That’s what I need to contact the outpost about. Rest assured, the quest was completed.”
“I see. Come in, I’ll send someone to the outpost now.”
It wasn’t unusual for late-arriving adventurers to wait in the watchtower until the gates opened. With no open shops or inns at night, adventurers had no business to conduct until morning. Liese and I sat on the floor of the watchtower’s rest area. We drank water and ate snacks while waiting for the guild staff. Rudy discussed the quest’s outcome with the gatekeeper.
On the way back, I asked Rudy and Liese not to mention my skills to anyone. To determine if I could continue as an adventurer, I needed to assess how effective my VMB abilities were in this world. Additionally, I required a large amount of attribute-free magic stones to maintain my use of VMB firearms. Without securing these stones, my Crystal Points would eventually deplete and I couldn’t fight.
Rudy and Liese invited me to join their party, but the differences in reward distribution, combat range, and my dud status made it difficult for us to reach an agreement. I wanted to prevent any word of my attack capabilities from spreading, as it would inevitably include my dud status. People often judged others harshly, and I worried that my disadvantage would negatively overshadow my strong abilities. I didn’t want to live a constrained life in this world, so I decided to keep a lid on it.
Rudy and Liese respected my decision. We agreed to report that the party had collectively defeated Ocypete, with Putei sacrificing herself to ensure its destruction. As Rudy conversed with the gatekeeper, a guild outpost staff member arrived. They likely already knew of Kinjar, Putei, and Boy’s deaths and Ocypete’s defeat, and were rushing to verify the details. We laid out the collected belongings, proofs of extermination, and Ocypete’s feathers in the watchtower. Rudy, the guild staff, and the gatekeepers discussed it all.
“Zzzzz.”
Liese had fallen asleep as we sat side-by-side on the rest area floor. It was understandable, given everything that had happened today. We were at the mountain before dawn, ran through the forest all day, engaged in that battle, then hurried back here as quickly as possible.
Her head gently rested on my shoulder. She showed no signs of waking. Watching her sleep made me sleepy, too. Rudy’s discussion had grown excited. Encouraged by the enthusiastic gatekeepers, Rudy was eloquently recounting our battle.
I hope he remembers to keep my secret. Ugh, today was truly exhausting.