Chapter 45 The Hardworking Regulars Struggle Once More
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Sis, Sis! Help me! This is so bad!” a shrill cry tore through the mountain air. “What in the world are you doing? You know what happens when you poke a Fire Rat nest, don’t you?!” “But, but, they just weren’t gathering, so I thought I’d grab ’em all at once! This is terrible! I’m gonna be burnt to a crisp!” Laika wailed, scrambling away from the horde. “Honestly, your A-rank Adventurer title must be weeping right now…” Tania sighed, her voice tight with exasperation.
The duo, ‘Tania of the Divine Bow’ and ‘Laika the Mad Dog,’ named adventurers, were toiling away on the mid-slope of the mountain north of the Canary Kingdom’s capital, Canarias.
Even in summer, the summit held snow. Their current mission, a collecting quest for ‘Fire Rat Pelts’ requested by Kento, was quickly devolving into chaos.
”Don’t dart around so much! It’s hard to get a clear shot!” Tania commanded from her perch. “How can you even say that?!” Laika yelped back. Luckily, the area was snow-free this season, so Laika wasn’t losing her footing. But massive, tumbled boulders were everywhere, and the Fire Rats were using them as cover for relentless, ferocious charges.
As they rushed forward, the small beasts scraped their fur against the rocks, releasing the magic they contained and erupting into balls of fire. These ‘Fire Rats,’ only slightly bigger than a baseball, were rocketing toward Laika from every direction—right, left, front, and back.
This fiery charge was their main tactic, their absolute lifeline, and it was enough to send even large beasts running. Though Laika was currently dodging successfully, it felt like only a matter of time before she was completely charred. But the party’s rearguard was none other than the great ‘Tania of the Divine Bow.’
”Shh…!” Tania hissed, drawing a short breath. “Sis…!” Laika gasped.
Nocking an arrow to her short bow, Tania, standing on a large rock, began dropping the Fire Rats one after another with short, sharp exhales. Laika, even as she dodged the onslaught, couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the sheer skill of her partner.
She spun to evade one from the back-right, another from the front, a third from the front-left. When two attacked simultaneously from directly behind and the upper right, she simply side-stepped, punted the rogue at her feet, and nimbly jumped onto a nearby boulder.
”Hey! If you don’t stay out there as bait, they won’t rush out! Don’t you dare take a break up there!” Tania bellowed. “Wha—?! That’s not fair, Sis!” Laika whined. “Just get back down! I’ll make sure to shoot down any that are actually lethal!” “Ugh! Don’t be mad at meee!” she pleaded.
With a pitiful sound, Laika jumped back down, and the Fire Rats immediately resumed their assault.
But once their rush timing was known, they were nothing more than targets for Tania. Arrow after arrow struck their heads, and they tumbled, lifeless, to the ground.
”Alright!” Laika cheered. As the number of charging rats dwindled, the situation became manageable for her, too. She pulled the dagger from her hip, and with breathtaking agility, she began to carve the Fire Rats apart as she dodged. The grace of her movement was captivating—unless you were Tania.
”Idiot! Who puts cuts in the pelts we’re supposed to be collecting?!” Tania’s voice cracked with fury. “Waaah! I said I’m sorry! But I can’t not cut them with my weapon!” Laika cried out. “Just spin around right there! That’s all you’re good for!” “No way!”
And so, ‘Laika the Mad Dog,’ the A-rank Adventurer, was forced to continue dodging the Fire Rats’ charges, all while on the receiving end of a relentless scolding, barely holding back tears.
* * *
Several minutes later, after most of the attacking Fire Rats had been dispatched, the two began the work of recovering the kills Tania had dropped.
They started by grabbing the back legs, lifting the creature, and then using a knife to slice the carotid artery in the neck. After draining the blood upside down, they gutted the animals and carefully peeled back the skin.
They’d use the leftover meat for dinner; Laika, being a Dog Beastkin, would happily devour the spoils. Tania mused that if they were careful, Kento would probably pay a premium for the well-prepared pelts. She began to lecture Laika, her eyes narrowed in stern contemplation.
”Hey, listen to me while you work,” she began, her tone measured. “Yes…” Laika murmured obediently. “Why did you poke the nest of something called a Fire Rat? That name is a warning, put there by our predecessors. It’s meant to be unforgettable, telling you the exact danger you face. Haven’t I always told you to pay attention to the names of monsters?”
”Uh, come to think of it…?” Laika trailed off. “‘Come to think of it?’ Don’t be a dunce! You totally underestimated a small monster, didn’t you?!” Tania thundered. “Hngh, s-sorry…” Laika whimpered.
”Honestly, you’re still terrible at collecting quests…” Tania sighed. “I know! I can’t handle these tedious, detailed jobs. I’m great at slaying quests or collecting things that are super obvious, though…” “I’ve told you countless times that makes you a half-baked adventurer! Study, study, study!” “Ugh… but I hate studying…”
Laika’s lack of focus wasn’t new. Tania had first met her when Laika had missed a Lesser Dragon sighting and had to be rescued.
Tania had been on her way to slay the beast precisely so careless newcomers like Laika wouldn’t get hurt. Laika, inspired, had followed in her footsteps, taking on every slaying quest possible, and her contribution to the guild earned her A-rank—a fact that both delighted and frustrated Tania.
”I’m not telling you to read books like a scholar. Take on an escort quest with someone who is good at collecting, and learn their wisdom and knowledge. Adventurers, many of whom can’t read, pass on their lessons that way.” “Ehh… but lately, when I try to take an escort quest, people turn me down. They say they can’t afford the fee for an A-rank Adventurer or something…”
”I don’t care! Learn to negotiate! Collecting quests, which are requested constantly, often pay better than slaying quests, which are often sporadic. It’s fine not to care about money, but how are you even living?” “Ohhh, so that’s why I’m always broke! I never knew because I just took every slaying quest I saw. Haha!”
”‘Haha’ isn’t the answer, you muscle-brained dog-mutt¹!” Tania snapped. “That’s not nice, Sis! That’s discrimination!” “Shut up!”
Laika, who had advanced so quickly by pure combat prowess, missed out on the fundamental knowledge a low-ranking adventurer like Kento would have.
Tania realized she needed to be thoroughly retrained. Kento’s somewhat unique collecting quests would be a perfect training ground, and she continued her work, searching for the next teachable moment.
Laika, however, couldn’t stop the small smile from forming. She adored the strict Elf.
Since leaving her pack and coming to the capital, how many people had cared enough to really scold her like this? Plenty worried about her or expressed interest out of lust or simple affection, but only Tania, and the retired Tiger Beastkin adventurer ‘Aki the Mad Tiger,’ had ever made their words truly resonate.
”Hey, for prey like this, would chopping the head off have been okay?” Laika asked, interrupting the silence. “Hmm? I suppose so. A single, clean cut wouldn’t be bad. But in the end, it would still get covered in blood. The moment it turns into a fight, it’s already a failure.” “Ugh, it’s so difficult! How were you going to take them down, Tania-neesan²?”
”It’s not difficult, and stop fixating on killing them… I was going to set a trap, of course. I’ve already set a few, so we’ll go collect those later.” “A trap! Right! I forgot about those, I never use them…” “You came lightly packed, and you don’t even have a trap prepared…?” Tania questioned, aghast. “Well, the ones I set never catch anything anyway!” “So how do you usually—? Ah, right, you never take collecting quests in the first place…” “Yep. I just get someone else to do it, or I solve it with punching, kicking, and slicing?” “Haaa…”
Tania sighed at the cheerful, muscle-brained Laika, reminded of other adventurers she’d known. Some who pursued the purely muscle-bound path became legends, while others died reckless, early deaths. She watched Laika, who was still clumsily butchering the Fire Rat, wondering which path she’d take.
When Laika noticed the stare, she just grinned, a smear of Fire Rat blood on her cheek. Tania couldn’t help but laugh softly in return. Laika looked surprised, then returned to her work. This resilience, this inability to stay down, was the defining trait of the muscle-brained.
Tania knew her job was unchanged.
She would keep supporting Laika’s adventures however she could, keep scolding her, and keep pounding home the necessary knowledge of an adventurer, even if it felt impossible. After all, it might just save the life of this endearing Dog Beastkin junior someday.
—
Summary:
The A-rank adventurers Tania and Laika face a disaster of Laika’s own making during a simple Fire Rat pelt collection quest. Tania, the Elven master archer, has to cover Laika’s reckless charge after she pokes the entire nest.
The tension gives way to Tania’s signature scolding, highlighting Laika’s total lack of basic adventurer knowledge despite her high rank. It’s an exercise in tough love and deep loyalty, with the clumsy dog-mutt finding comfort in her mentor’s exasperated care.
—
Character Insight:
Laika, ‘The Mad Dog,’ is emotionally simple but incredibly powerful, achieving A-rank through combat alone. Her greatest vulnerability is her lack of general knowledge, and her greatest strength is her unwavering, dog-like affection for Tania, whose scolding she secretly cherishes as a sign of true care.
—
Behind the Scene:
This chapter establishes the core mentor-mentee dynamic, contrasting Tania’s professionalism (setting traps, meticulous pelt preparation) with Laika’s pure, brute-force approach (punching/kicking to solve problems). The Fire Rat scene is less about danger and more about setting up the lecture on the value of less glamorous, but more profitable, gathering quests.
—
T/L:
¹ muscle-brained dog-mutt: The original Japanese uses a term that translates roughly to ‘muscle-brained dog-mutt,’ highlighting Laika’s singular focus on physical combat and her Beastkin nature. ↩
² Tania-neesan: The suffix -neesan is an affectionate and respectful way to address an older sister or a respected older female figure, which perfectly encapsulates Laika’s feelings toward Tania. ↩
Notes:
• Tania – An Elf adventurer who, despite her race’s reputation for low sex drive, is secretly quite passionate. She initially seemed ‘wasted’ (emotionally dry) to her friend Raika, but was easily introduced to the pleasure-items sold at ‘Harvest.’ She is easily embarrassed and attempts to maintain a dignified facade, despite her recent, frequent purchases. She wears practical but light armor over a simple cloth tunic and short pants, highlighting her grace and agility. Her primary relationship is one of friendly senior-junior with Raika.
• Kento – The owner of the magic tool shop ‘Harvest,’ which discretely sells adult goods. He’s a former overworked, ordinary salaryman from modern Japan who was suddenly transported (isekai’d) to this fantasy world. He has dark hair and an unremarkable appearance, typically wearing a plain, slightly suspicious-looking shop owner’s clothes looks like Kazuma Satou from certain series. He has a minimal amount of magic power, enough to craft his specialty items.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply