"...Haa."
Rei surveyed his surroundings and let out a weary sigh.
It was only natural. All he could see was a desolate wasteland, lightly dusted with snow. The sky was capped by a solid ceiling of clouds, and a biting wind whipped across the plains. It was a classic winter scene. In this frozen expanse stood Rei, his partner Set, and...
"Don't go sighing on me. I'm the one who wants to complain here."
"I'm essentially being forced to accompany you on this subjugation request, so I think I’m entitled to at least one sigh."
"Guruuu!"
Ahead of Rei and Rodos, Set was purring, frisking about the wintry wastes in high spirits.
(I always heard that dogs love to run through the snow while cats prefer to curl up under a kotatsu... but since Set's a Gryphon, I guess he doesn't count as a cat?)
The previous day, on a whim from Elk—the leader of the City of Gilm’s pride, the A-Rank party "Axe of the Thunder God"—Rei had somehow ended up tasked with completing a subjugation request alone with Rodos. Having intended to take a lucrative job anyway, Rei had followed Rodos to this wasteland several hours away from the city.
"Blue Caterpillar. A Rank C monster, huh," Rei muttered the name of their target, exhaling another cloud of white breath.
Blue Caterpillars. True to their name, they were caterpillar-type monsters that thrived in the cold and favored water and wind magic. They were notoriously ferocious carnivores with a particular craving for human flesh, making them highly dangerous. While their raw combat power was closer to Rank D, their sheer brutality earned them a Rank C classification. The proof of subjugation was the right antenna growing from their forehead, and the only harvestable materials were their fangs. For a monster of its rank, the profit was pitiful.
Rei recalled the details he had researched the night before after being pressured into the job.
Not many adventurers cared to take requests during this season, and those who did were usually desperate for funds to survive the winter. Under these conditions, almost no one willingly hunted the Blue Caterpillar—it was too dangerous for too little reward. For the Guild, Elk’s proposal had been a godsend.
"And we have to hunt at least six of them."
"What’s the problem? You took down an Orc King. A few Blue Caterpillars shouldn't even slow you down."
"I suppose. And the cold doesn't bother me much, either."
Rei glanced over at Rodos. The young man was bundled up, wearing a coat over his usual leather armor and a heavy robe on top of that.
"...I’m actually jealous of that. Not just the cold, but being able to move freely. I’m slightly sluggish from all these layers, so your equipment is honestly something to envy. By the way, is that robe for sale?"
"Not a chance," Rei replied, shaking his head immediately.
"Haa, figured as much. If I had it, I wouldn't sell it either. Well, let's find a Blue Caterpillar. Have you fought them before?"
"Just what I've read in books. You?"
"Not personally, but I've seen my Dad and Mom fight them. Though, they fought like A-Rank adventurers. They just wiped the floor with them, so it's not much of a reference for us."
"In that case, let's leave the searching to the expert."
Rei turned his gaze toward Set, who was currently chasing snowflakes as they began to fall again. Rodos nodded silently.
Normally, Rodos might have found the relaxed attitude of this one man and one beast unreliable and insisted on scouting himself. As a top-tier C-Rank adventurer, he likely could have done it. However, he deferred to Rei and Set because he respected their strength. Rodos was confident in his own abilities, but if asked if he could have slain the Orc King back at the settlement, he would have had to say no. The wall between Rank C and Rank B was formidable.
"Set, look for a Blue Caterpillar from above. They're giant blue caterpillars, so they should stand out."
"Gurururururuuu!"
Set gave a sharp cry and, using the momentum of his run, flapped his wings and soared into the sky.
Watching his partner fly off, Rei drew his Death Scythe from the Misty Ring. With his scout in the air, he needed to be ready for any ground-level surprises. Rodos followed suit, drawing his longsword and scanning the horizon.
"So. How many small fry do you think we'll have to kill before we find our target?" Rodos asked.
Rei shook his head. "With Set scouting, it won't take long to find one. The problem is the number. They don't usually travel in groups, so finding six in a row might be a challenge even for him."
"...Is Set really that good at scouting? He still seems to hate me."
Perhaps because Rodos had made such a poor first impression at the Orc settlement, the usually friendly Set refused to go near him. Even when Rodos tried to be amicable, he was ignored. At the very least, the Gryphon wasn't hostile.
"He'll come around. You just have to give him time."
"...Fuu."
Rodos knew it was his own fault, but being snubbed by the creature was still a blow to his pride.
As they spoke, a shadow fell over them.
"Gururururuuu."
Set descended, flapping his wings as he touched down.
"Did you find one already?" Rodos muttered. Set ignored him entirely, instead rubbing his head against Rei’s chest, practically demanding praise.
"Good boy, Set. You're the best. So, which way?"
"Guru."
Set looked toward their front-right.
"Over there, then. Now, how do we want to handle this?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean the kill. This request was supposed to help you stop being called a nepo-baby who rides on his parent's coat-tails, right? If so, you might want to take it down solo. My reputation is already established. If you hunt with me, people might just say you're leaning on me instead of your parents."
"Don't be an idiot," Rodos snapped. "I know why I was forced into this, but I'm not going to take unnecessary risks when I have a capable partner. You use the strength you have. If anyone complains about that, they're just jealous losers who don't know their own limits. I don't care about the opinions of people like that. Still, I guess my folks were worried about appearances. Or maybe they just wanted to clear the guild’s backlog since no one else wants to touch this job."
Rei looked at Rodos with genuine admiration. Despite his mother complex when dealing with Min, Rodos possessed a remarkably level-headed perspective as an adventurer.
"What's with the look? I know what you're thinking, but I've got plenty of experience as a C-Rank adventurer. I don't let personal feelings cloud my judgment in the field."
"Sorry. I honestly underestimated you."
"Hmph. As long as you understand. Let's move."
Rodos snorted, though he looked a bit smug as he started walking in the direction Set had indicated. Rei and Set followed close behind.
After about thirty minutes of trekking through the wasteland, they spotted something squirming in the distance.
It was their target: the Blue Caterpillar. It looked exactly like its name suggested—a massive, larvae-like creature with a blue body. But...
"It’s definitely blue... but that is a disgusting shade of blue," Rei muttered.
"Agreed," Rodos said with a grimace.
The monster’s color was a garish, sickly hue—a moist, oily blue that made one recoil at the thought of touching it.
The Blue Caterpillar spotted them. Eager for human meat, it began to contract and expand its body, closing the distance with surprising speed. Despite its appearance, the monster moved across the frozen ground like a racing car. Driven by its legendary ferocity, it didn't even seem to care that a Gryphon was standing right there.
"Does it seriously think a Gryphon is on the menu?"
"Given how aggressive they are, probably. So, how are we doing this?"
Rei was about to suggest a vanguard-rearguard split when he paused, looking at the Death Scythe in his hand.
"Rodos, I want to try something. If it works, we can take a lot of the risk out of this fight. You okay with that?"
"Hm? I can only work as a vanguard anyway. If you can make it less dangerous, go for it."
"Alright. Give me a second."
Rei stored the Death Scythe in his Misty Ring. In its place, he produced a spear with a shaft and head of deep forest green. It was the Thorn Spear, his reward for the relief mission to Baar.
"Just how many magic items do you have stashed away?" Rodos muttered, recognizing the weapon's quality instantly.
"I just got this one. It was payment for the Baar job. Now... don't miss your opening."
Rei channeled his magic power into the Thorn Spear as the Blue Caterpillar closed to within ten meters.
"Hmph. Who do you think you're talking to? Don't forget I'm still the higher-ranked adventurer here!"
"Then show me that strength... right now!"
Rei threw the Thorn Spear with his monstrous strength. It whistled through the air like an arrow from a master archer, the tip burying itself deep in the caterpillar's fleshy flank.
"Gumooooh!"
The monster shrieked as its body seized. Thick, magical thorns erupted from the point of impact, wrapping around the creature and lashing it to the ground. The vines burrowed into the earth, anchoring the beast. Every time it struggled, the barbs tore deeper into its hide.
"Now!"
Rodos saw the opening. He lunged forward, longsword held high.
"Gumoooh!"
As the caterpillar screamed again, Rodos suddenly threw himself to the side. An invisible projectile hissed through the air, narrowly missing him.
Rei reflexively dodged as well. A faint, shimmering distortion passed by his shoulder and dissipated in the snow.
(A Wind Arrow!)
"Watch out! It’s using wind magic!"
"I know!"
Rodos was already back on his feet, closing in on the trapped monster.
"Hyaaah!"
He swung his longsword with everything he had, but the blade struck a transparent wall just inches from the monster's hide, vibrating with a harsh metallic clang.
(A barrier? No, it’s a Wind Barrier.)
"Rodos! The wind—"
"I see it! I've seen Dad fight these things plenty of times! You did your part, Rei. Now it's my turn!"
He hopped back to dodge a desperate swipe from one of the caterpillar’s many legs, putting himself just outside its reach.
"A Wind Barrier is weak against piercing attacks, isn't it? My Dad would just smash through it... but I have a better way!"
Rodos centered his breathing and focused his mana. As the son of a master mage like Min, he had inherited a significant amount of magical energy. He lacked the finesse for complex spells, which was why he fought as a warrior, but he had developed one specific technique to channel his power.
"Fang Penetration!"
He lunged. His longsword, shrouded in a concentrated aura of mana, struck the Wind Barrier and shattered it like glass. The blade plunged deep into the caterpillar’s torso, the force of the impact tearing through the monster and showering the snow in dark, viscous fluid.