Rei sat there, agonizing over how to distribute the magic stones in his hands, until the insistent growl of his own stomach finally broke his concentration. He let out a long sigh and turned his gaze toward Set.
The griffon had already polished off the last of the orc meat. Despite having eaten several blocks of it, the meal seemed to have been little more than an appetizer for the hungry Set, who was now staring at Rei with expectant eyes.
"Fair enough. I’m not going to come up with any brilliant ideas on an empty stomach. Let's get some food in us first."
"Guruuu!"
Set let out a happy purr, likely remembering Rei’s promise earlier that they would have Gamelion meat for dinner.
Eager to eat, the griffon began scavenging for fuel, picking up dry branches with its beak or rolling fallen logs toward Rei with its paws. Rei smiled at the sight of Set expressing its excitement with its whole body and used a simple fire magic spell to ignite the gathered wood.
"Gurururuuu."
Set rubbed its body against Rei, urging him to hurry.
"Alright, alright, settle down. This is a seasonal delicacy, you know. We’re not going to eat it all today—we have to save some for later."
"Guruuu..."
Set flopped down onto the ground, looking up at him with a dejected expression.
Rei gave a wry smile. He was quite hungry himself after their recent travels, so he immediately set to work. He wasn't particularly skilled at cooking; the best he could manage on the road was making skewers or a simple stew using whatever vegetables he had in the Misty Ring. He pulled out metal skewers, a knife, and several containers of sauce he had purchased at the City of Gilm's processed food shop.
An ordinary adventurer’s camping meal usually consisted of nothing more than dried meat and bread, or perhaps a soup of wild herbs if they were feeling ambitious. Compared to that, Rei’s menu was incredibly luxurious. For Rei, however, having the Misty Ring had been his "normal" since the day he started as an adventurer. To any other observer, a dinner of Rare Species Gamelion skewers was an enviable feast.
First, he sliced the meat into bite-sized pieces, skillfully threaded them onto the skewers, and added a light dusting of salt before propping them up near the campfire. As the scent of roasting meat and sizzling fat began to waft through the air, he lightly brushed on the sauce.
A few minutes later, once the aroma of caramelized sauce filled the air, the skewers were ready. He laid them out on a plate taken from his item box. He left his own portions on the skewers but slid Set’s meat off to make it easier for the griffon to eat.
By then, Set was purring loudly in anticipation, and Rei’s stomach was practically shouting for its share.
"Well then... let’s eat."
"Guruuu!"
At Rei’s word, Set snatched up a piece of meat with its beak. Rei took a skewer and bit into a chunk of his own.
The first thing to hit his palate was the smoky fragrance of the charred sauce. Then, the rich juices of the Gamelion meat overflowed, followed by a deep, savory finish. The animal had clearly packed on plenty of nutrients for the winter; the meat was quite fatty, yet the moment it hit his tongue, the fat melted away cleanly.
"Hoh..." Rei murmured in surprise.
The flavor was a unique blend—the clean, lean taste of rabbit mixed with the richness of pork. The way it dissolved in his mouth reminded him of high-quality beef sirloin.
(Not that I’ve actually eaten sirloin steak more than a handful of times in my life.)
With a silent, wry smile, he took a bite of freshly baked bread from the Misty Ring to accompany the meat.
They spent the next thirty minutes eating, roasting more meat whenever they finished a batch. Finally, Rei let out a satisfied sigh. Set seemed equally pleased with the Gamelion meat, rolling onto its back and purring contentedly.
Rei leaned against Set’s warm flank for a post-meal rest, but he soon shook his head to clear the drowsiness. If he stayed like this, he’d be out in minutes.
"Alright, Set. Dinner’s over and we need to sleep to prepare for tomorrow... but first, the Gamelion magic stones."
"Guruuu."
Sensing the change in atmosphere, Set gave a small cry and focused on Rei.
"I’ve thought about it, and since I can fall back on magic in an emergency, I’ll take the normal species magic stone. Set, you take the rare one. Honestly, I don't think it makes much difference which of us gets which. As long as we're together, the result is the same."
"Gurururuuu."
Set gave a small nod of agreement, not wishing to be separated from Rei anyway.
"Good. Then I’ll go first. We’ll save the Rare Species for the grand finale."
Rei tossed the normal Gamelion magic stone into the air and slashed through it with a single, lightning-fast strike. The stone split in two and vanished into mist.
"..."
Rei waited for a moment, but the usual message did not appear in his mind.
"A miss, huh?"
"Guruuu."
Set let out a sympathetic cry and rubbed its face against him.
"Don't worry about it. I already learned Terrain Manipulation from the Dungeon Core, so I'm not exactly coming away empty-handed."
He stroked the head pressing against him, enjoying the soft fur, and then pulled the Rare Species Gamelion magic stone from the Misty Ring.
"The normal one was a bust, but this is a Rare Species. Based on everything so far, this should almost certainly grant a skill. Here, Set."
Instead of throwing it, he held the stone out to Set. The griffon narrowed its eyes happily and swallowed the stone in a single gulp.
An instant later, an announcement echoed in Rei’s mind.
[Set has learned the skill 『Poison Claw Lv. 2』]
"Gurururuuu!"
Set let out a triumphant cry. Rei smiled and petted his partner, proud to see him grow stronger.
"Poison Claw Lv. 2, huh? The Gamelion had venom in its fangs, so I guess that’s where it came from. Set, can you show me? And, uh, try not to scratch me with them."
"Gururuuu."
Set offered its right front paw and gave a low cry. The skill activated, and the tips of its claws turned a distinct shade of purple.
"Purple... it reminds me of that mist. Though that was paralysis. Alright, you can stop now."
"Gururuuu."
With another cry, the purple hue vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"It’s good that it’s easy to tell when it's active. Now we just need to see how potent the poison is. The Ogre we fought in the dungeon took about ten minutes for the poison to circulate... but given the size difference, it’s hard to compare. We’ll have to test it on a monster later."
"Guruuu."
Set nodded as if in total agreement.
"Well, that covers everything. Time to sleep. Set, I’ll leave the watch to you. We aren't in the frontier anymore, but monsters could still show up at night."
"Gurururururuuu."
Set let out a confident cry and lay back down. Rei moved to lean against a nearby tree, but Set’s tail reached out and coiled around his leg.
"Set?"
"Gurururuuu."
Set glanced at its own flank, then back at Rei. It was clearly telling him that it would be cold by the tree and that he should sleep against its warm body.
"I suppose you’re right. You’ve always been too kind for your own good. Won't I be in your way while you're on watch?"
"Guruuu."
Set chirped to dismiss his concerns.
"Well then, I’ll take you up on that."
Rei’s Dragon Robe provided plenty of warmth even in the snow, but there was a special kind of comfort in leaning against a warm, living companion like Set.
"Tomorrow, once we’re back in Gilm... let’s hit the stalls and buy everything that looks good..."
"Gurururuuu."
Rei drifted off into the deep, instant sleep of an experienced adventurer. Set watched him for a moment, then turned its sharp gaze back toward the darkness.
The campfire crackled nearby, the only sound in the quiet night. Set occasionally moved its head to pick up a piece of firewood with its beak and toss it into the flames, ensuring its beloved partner stayed warm.
The hours ticked by slowly. Just as the supply of wood was beginning to run low, Set’s eyes narrowed.
"..."
Moving carefully so as not to disturb Rei—who was using the griffon as both a pillow and a sofa—Set glared into the shadows. A few Orcs had been drawn to the light of the fire, but upon feeling the griffon’s piercing gaze, they realized that another step would mean certain death. They turned and fled into the night without a sound.
Set looked down at the sleeping Rei, satisfied that he hadn't stirred, and then closed its eyes halfway, relying on its hearing and sense of smell to track the surrounding area. Two more times that night, monsters approached out of curiosity or hunger, but all of them fled the moment they sensed Set’s presence.
When the morning sun finally began to peek over the horizon, Rei opened his eyes. The firewood was gone, and the fire had dwindled to a few glowing embers.
"Nn... Ah, good morning, Set."
"Guruuu."
Rei stroked Set’s back, stretched his limbs, and pulled the Dagger of Flowing Water from his Misty Ring to wash his face. He finished his morning preparations in minutes, shared a breakfast of sandwiches with Set, and got ready to depart.
"Hm? No monster carcasses. Either none showed up, or you scared them all off. I suppose if anything had actually attacked, I would have woken up since I was practically glued to you."
He glanced at the clear ground and climbed onto Set's back.
"Alright, I’d like to be in Gilm by noon. With your speed, that shouldn't be a problem."
"Guruuu!" Set cried, as if to say, Leave it to me!
Rei petted the griffon's neck, enjoying the smooth texture of its feathers, and looked up at the sky.
"I hope it doesn't snow too much today..."
The world was still dim in the early dawn light. It was cold enough that his breath came out in white plumes. It wasn't snowing yet, but he knew winter had truly arrived; it was only a matter of time.
"Well, if it gets bad, we'll just hunker down at the Dusk Wheat Inn once we arrive."
He knew he had a duty to report on the Magic Fever relief supplies first, but the thought of a warm inn was tempting.
Set took to the skies, flapping its powerful wings. Fortunately, they didn't encounter any aggressive swarms of Sword Bees this time. About an hour after leaving their campsite, they soared past the City of Abuelo. Rei nibbled on some fruit and passed pieces back to Set as they flew.
"Guruuu."
Set gave a cry, its gaze fixed on the horizon. It was still far off, and even with Rei’s enhanced vision, he couldn't see it clearly at first. But as the distance closed, the silhouette became unmistakable.
A massive wall loomed over the landscape. It was similar to the walls of the other cities they had visited, but being a bastion of the frontier, its scale and thickness were on a completely different level.
Gilm. The city Rei had first arrived at in this world. In many ways, his true home.
"Finally... I'm back," he whispered, a wave of relief washing over him.
Hearing his voice, Set tilted its wings and began its final descent toward the city.
【Set】 『Water Ball Lv. 2』『Fire Breath Lv. 2』『Wind Arrow Lv. 1』『King's Intimidation Lv. 1』『Poison Claw Lv. 2』(New) 『Size Change Lv. 1』『Tornado Lv. 1』