Training-Addicted Mage In A Progression Fantasy-Chapter 42: Another Partys Proposal

The Goblins barely reached Dave’s waist in height.However, Dave’s tense expression suggested he hadn’t anticipated facing so many at once.

Taking the vanguard position, Dave stood at the front.Karin was right behind him, while Linne stood beside Leon, arrow nocked and ready.

Leon was curious to see how three people would handle seven Goblins.He wanted to gauge their skills.

“Hup!”

With a loud battle cry, Dave charged at the Goblins.His intention to draw their aggro was clear.

“Kerrk.”“Kekerk.”

Some Goblins scattered at the sound, quickly forming a defensive formation.

They seem to have some intelligence.

Dave’s Greatsword swept through the air where a Goblin had been moments before.It shattered a wooden club studded with iron spikes and mercilessly cut down one of the creatures.

Powerful, but what about the follow-up?

His thoughts were quickly answered.

Dave swiftly stepped back, blocking another Goblin’s club with his Greatsword.The quick movement demonstrated his ample strength to wield the heavy weapon.

Not all six remaining Goblins focused solely on Dave.

Karin engaged one or two, stabbing with her dagger when openings presented themselves.Meanwhile, Linne prioritized taking out Goblins in positions difficult for Dave or Karin to reach.

Their methodical approach meant it took quite a while to deal with all seven Goblins.

“Linne!”

Dave shouted, while drawing the aggro of four Goblins.

One Goblin feinted a charge at Dave before suddenly rushing towards Linne.She hesitated, having been in the middle of shooting at another Goblin.

Leon raised his palm.

“Pluvia.”

A water bubble large enough to engulf the Goblin materialized, submerging the creature.

Gurgle-

The Goblin struggled futilely, unable to escape the watery prison before drowning.

Leon refrained from using any more magic.Dave’s party seemed to understand that Leon was observing their skills without interfering much, so they continued to fight diligently.

The last Goblin fell to Karin’s dagger.

Dave wiped sweat from his brow with his sleeve.

“Phew... I didn’t expect seven to appear out of nowhere.”“Isn’t that a good thing?”

Karin grinned as she cut open a Goblin corpse with her dagger.She extracted a tiny black stone fragment from inside.

“Is that a Magic Stone?”“Yes, it contains Magic Power... but it’s mixed with impurities, so it needs refining before use. It’s also used in making Artifacts.”

Leon raised his eyebrows and nodded.

So mages are the main consumers.

He understood that Mana Stones contained pure Mana and could be used as-is, while Magic Stones required refining.They seemed to be a lower-grade version of Mana Stones.

“So... since you’re 3rd Grade, you can instantly cast magic three times, right?”

Dave cautiously asked Leon while Karin dismantled the corpse.

He seemed familiar with the concept of Memorize.

Right, after three casts, the rest would require long chants for them.

As an Arcane Mage, Leon no longer needed lengthy incantations, but since they knew about Memorize, he had to play along.

Afterward, Dave’s party ventured a bit deeper into the area.

They mainly encountered Goblins, with occasional groups of Kobolds.

Seven Goblins at once was rare; most groups consisted of 4-5 at most.

After the initial battle, Leon stopped holding back to gauge their skills.He disrupted formations with water waves and swept away Goblins with wind blades.Each time, Dave’s party’s faces lit up with joy.They conserved stamina, and their hunting speed increased, allowing them to quickly gather the required monster corpses for the mission.

A minor issue arose for Leon afterward.After about three instant casts, he had to pretend to chant for extended periods.

“Source of life, flow according to my will...”

“Power of the free Wind, surround me...”

Even for an Arcane Mage, longer chants did increase precision, but the difference wasn’t significant.

Leon, who was capable of summoning nine Thunderbolts with a single word, felt frustrated.It seemed odd to chant at length when the magic could manifest its full power with just the activation word.

For instance...

“Powerful magic that can sweep away all enemies, descend.”

As long as he properly uttered the activation word afterward, the magic would manifest regardless of the chant.

“The Mage is preparing a great magic! Everyone, stay alert!”“...”

Needless to say, he never chanted like that again.

****

After dispatching dozens of Goblins, Leon realized they lacked any resistance to Mana.They also had no proper means of defense.

Will stronger monsters be different?

According to Kito, the place where she hid the Core was so perilous that even high-level mages couldn’t enter easily. Surely not all monsters would be this easy to defeat.

Even flying straight would take a week...

Out of the one-month time limit, after subtracting travel time to Crest and to their destination, only two weeks remained.Since Kito knew the exact location, it wasn’t a major concern, but they had to account for unexpected monster encounters that could cause delays.

I’m running low on nutritious fruit too...

With this in mind, Leon asked Dave about it.

“I’ve never heard of such a fruit.”

Dave, who was holding a greasy roast pork leg, answered politely.

They were having dinner together after finishing their hunt in the early evening.

After witnessing five Kobolds skewered by fire arrows, Dave treated Leon with much more respect.Leon didn’t mind, knowing he couldn’t change Dave’s attitude.

Perhaps they have it in a larger magic city?

Leon thought, though he didn’t have high hopes since he couldn’t find the nutritious fruit even in Widia.

Considering a potential three-week stay in the Beast Forest, they needed to bring substantial food supplies.While impossible to store in the Magic Orb due to the time difference, they could preserve some with Preservation Pottery.

“How was it?”

As Leon took a bite of the plain stew, Dave asked.

“There was a reason you said you were confident in the 1st Zone.”“Is that so? Haha...”

Dave’s face showed pride at the moderate compliment.

“Ahem, we were surprised too.”“Really!”

Excited, Karin continued Dave’s awkward attempt to return the compliment.This time, Dave didn’t stop her.

“Actually, this isn’t the first time we’ve partied with a Mage.”Karin looked at Linne and asked.

“Didn’t the first Mage we met say he was an Apprentice 2nd Grade?”“Yeah.”“It was so different!”“I didn’t expect a single Grade difference to be this big.”

As Karin chattered on, Dave glanced at Leon before biting into his roast pork leg.

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He seemed hungry, chewing with his mouth full.

Feeling sorry for Dave, who was eating while remaining vigilant, Leon deliberately took another spoonful of stew.After subsisting on nutritious fruit, suddenly eating meat might upset his stomach, so Leon stuck to the stew.

The rich broth, deep with spices, was noticeable.Even that was too stimulating for Leon’s palate.

“As expected, the Mage... even eats gracefully.”“Karin.”“Are you saying I shouldn’t even mention that?”

Dave had previously stopped her from suggesting drinks after the hunt.Taking Leon, who didn’t look of age, for a drink was clearly inappropriate.

It’s not a big deal, but...

He was actually curious about the taste of this world’s alcohol.

But now wasn’t the time for such indulgences.

“Are we heading to the 2nd Zone tomorrow?”“Is that alright with you, Mage?”“The 2nd Zone has Gnolls and Lizardmen, correct?”“Yes, that’s right.”“If seven Lizardmen appeared at once like today...”

As Leon trailed off, Dave laughed awkwardly.

“That’s why we haven’t gone there. We can handle 2-3, but just in case.”

Considering the challenges they faced with seven Goblins, it seemed difficult for them alone.

However, Leon wasn’t opposed to venturing into the 2nd Zone.

He was confident it was possible.

Seeing how the Goblins fell to attack magic, he felt assured.

It seemed they lacked numbers rather than skill.With two more people of similar ability, the 2nd Zone would be manageable.

“Haha, well... we’re very close, and there’s also the matter of distribution...”

Was it about money?Leon didn’t quite understand.Wouldn’t adding two more people to tackle the 2nd Zone monsters be more beneficial?

It appeared they were more reluctant to let others into their party than others were to join.

Well, everyone has their reasons.

Leon decided not to pry further.He was planning to leave anyway.

“The reward from this mission will be...”“I’ll take an equal share.”

They had left all the monster corpses they hunted that day to the guild.The guild would handle everything for a fee.

Leon wouldn’t have minded receiving nothing, but such unconditional generosity might not be well-received.

Pretending not to notice Dave’s poorly concealed joy, Leon asked.

“What kind of monsters appear beyond the 3rd Zone?”“Well, really experienced adventurers... like Golden Adventurers, go beyond the 3rd Zone. I’ve heard from them that there are Orcs, Ogres, and even Trolls.”

All familiar names.

Leon thought, nodding before speaking again.

“How strong are Golden Adventurers?”“I once heard a rumor about an Apprentice 3rd Grade Mage and a Golden Adventurer getting into a fight... the adventurer got thoroughly beaten.”“Is the difference that significant?”“No matter how skilled a Golden Adventurer is, they can’t fly.”“...”“That’s not to say there haven’t been cases where mages were harmed.”

Dave spoke cautiously, watching Leon’s reaction.

“Since mages need to use Memorize... when that magic is exhausted, there have been cases where they were ambushed and killed. But...”

Dave smiled bitterly.

“Unfortunately, the mage was from the Magic Tower... the one who killed the mage disappeared soon after. It wasn’t confirmed that the Magic Tower was behind it, but since then, no one messes with mages.”

Considering the cunning nature of mages, it was likely the Magic Tower’s doing.Even in a free city, they couldn’t be touched easily, so they must have acted covertly.Leon could easily piece together the full story.

As Leon’s curiosity was nearly satisfied, Karin smiled and said.

“You can take a break and tour the city tomorrow. I’ll be your guide!”

Leon immediately shook his head.

“Let’s go right away tomorrow.”“Aw.”

She pouted in disappointment.

“Ka...”“Sorry for interrupting your meal, Mage.”

Dave’s attempt to caution her was cut short.Someone had suddenly joined their table.

A man with blond hair and tanned skin, with distinct features.His green eyes shone sharply, and a slightly crooked smile played on his lips.He was tall and wore light leather armor, bearing scratches that spoke of his experience.

He bowed slightly to Leon before looking at Dave.

“You’re going to the 2nd Zone tomorrow?”“Sengor...”

Dave’s face showed wariness as he looked at him.It was clear they knew each other.

“Lucky you. You always refused when I suggested merging our parties, but now you get to go to a place you’d never see in your lifetime thanks to meeting the Mage?”“That’s just your opinion.”“How do you expect to go to the 2nd Zone with just three people?”

Their words were sharp.It was evident from their brief exchange that their relationship wasn’t good.

After a moment of tension, Sengor suddenly turned to Leon.

“Mage, how about joining our party?”

The situation had shifted to Leon.Despite his rough appearance, Sengor made a polite offer to Leon.

“Our party consists of five members, and we can ensure your safety while you cast your magic. We can also treat you much better than this group.”