Summer vacation was drawing to a close.
However, I still had one final event on my schedule.
It was the long-awaited Environmental Research Club training camp. Even though it was called a "camp," there weren't many days left of the break, so we weren't going to spend a full week secluding ourselves in the mountains.
By the way, while Clarice's joining the club was a recent memory, Albert had also become a member. He had originally been learning weight training from the Club President, and in the natural course of things, he was recruited and joined over the summer.
"Evi, been a while."
"Ray! Sure has!"
We had gathered in front of Kafka Forest, our designated meeting point.
Everyone was dressed in camouflage gear. Naturally, the sleeves were long and sturdy. If you exposed too much skin, even a minor graze could lead to a nasty infection. Thus, despite the sweltering heat, we wore this heavy clothing for the camp.
"Oh, there he is..."
I followed Evi's gaze to see Albert. He was heading toward us with a large backpack on his shoulders.
"Albert. It’s been since the baseball game. How are you feeling?"
When I spoke to him, he offered a smile.
"Ray, and Evi too—it's been a while. My condition is... well, decent enough."
"Look at that bulk, though... you’ve really sculpted yourself this summer."
"Yeah! Even I’m surprised!" Evi added.
It was true. Albert's physique had undeniably grown larger. It wasn't a total transformation, but the thickness of his chest and the girth of his limbs were easily discernible through his clothes to eyes like ours.
He had clearly put in a staggering amount of training.
Albert's growth was remarkable. After our battle, he had changed significantly. He had cast aside his pride and conceit, choosing instead to face himself with earnest honesty.
He had always possessed talent, and he had always put in the work. But what Albert had lacked was the ability to keep striving without letting that talent go to his head. Having realized that a sorcerer's worth isn't determined by bloodline alone, he had single-mindedly confronted his own limits... and obtained it.
That overwhelming muscle.
Since Evi and I had been training much longer, we still had more bulk than him, but we were both filled with genuine admiration. We knew exactly how much blood-soaked effort was required to build a body like that.
"Albert. That is truly impressive bulk."
"Hmph. I'm still not at the level of you, Evi... or the Club President. But I intend to keep training with single-minded devotion."
As Albert gave a refreshing smile, I felt his atmosphere had become much softer—or rather, he was much easier to talk to than before. Apparently, he was even becoming popular with the female students.
While the three of us were busy praising each other's muscles, one more person—our other first-year member—arrived.
She had glossy, silk-like blonde hair tied up high. She was a girl who truly loved twin-tails and was loved by twin-tails in return.
Clarice.
She arrived carrying a backpack that looked a bit too large for her small frame. Like us, she wasn't wearing her usual short sleeves and shorts, but was instead dressed in camouflage fatigues. She wore a straw hat on her head... and looking closely, Siegfried, the Hercules beetle, was perched right on top of it.
"Clarice. You’ve been well?"
"Yes. Ray, it’s been a while. You too, Evi and Albert."
"Yeah! Long time no see!"
"I joined the Environmental Research Club over the summer. I look forward to working with you."
"Yes, likewise. As fellow newcomers, let's give it our all."
Clarice and Albert exchanged a handshake. With that, this year's first-year roster was complete.
In the midst of the introductions, Evi and Albert couldn't help but stare at Siegfried.
"Hey, is that..."
"Ah... is that a Hercules beetle?"
"Oh! This little guy is Siegfried! Say hello! Go on, Siegfried. Greet them."
When Clarice spoke to the beetle on her hat, he greeted them by vigorously bobbing his massive horn up and down.
I see. He seems quite attached to her. As expected of Clarice. She has the makings of a fine hunter.
"Whoa! That's amazing! Does he understand what you're saying?"
"Ah... this is fascinating. Did you train him, perhaps?"
"Hmm. Well, about that..."
Clarice proceeded to explain the details. She told them how we had come to this forest during summer vacation to catch insects and how she’d caught him. Then, when she tried to release him, he had followed her back for some reason.
I hadn't heard the rest of the story until now, but apparently, he stayed by her side even at home. Supposedly, they even slept in the same room. Unlike other insects, he seemed to possess a level of intelligence that allowed him to understand basic words.
The insects in Kafka Forest do possess high intelligence. Due to magical factors, organisms that grow here can undergo unexpected changes. To begin with, monsters are simply living creatures that have undergone a violent transformation, so Siegfried might be a similar case.
"A good hunter is liked by living things... Surely that Hercules beetle has seen your potential, Clarice."
The Club President had appeared behind us without a sound. He praised Clarice in his low, gravelly voice. Clarice gave a happy smile at his words.
"Ah, um... Thank you very much, President!"
"Hmph... This year's first-years are a promising bunch."
Once the other members had gathered, we immediately headed into the forest. As we walked, the President announced the objective of this camp.
It was to suppress a Stampede.
A Stampede refers to a phenomenon where monsters go on a collective rampage. In places like Kafka Forest, where diverse species of monsters reside, these occur occasionally. They are natural phenomena that happen in cycles; Kafka Forest apparently experiences one every year at the end of summer. Our task for this camp was to bring it under control.
We were currently operating in a separate group from the seniors, moving as a first-year unit.
It was an orthodox four-man cell. Clarice and Albert were in the vanguard, while Evi and I acted as the rearguard.
The reason for this formation was that Evi and I, who already held hunter licenses, were accustomed to dealing with Stampedes. Evi, in particular, held a Silver license. The formation was designed to let Clarice and Albert gain experience by facing the monsters head-on.
As the four of us moved deeper into the woods, a rustling sound echoed from the brush, which suddenly erupted into a roar as a swarm of huge-type monsters burst out.
"W-Whoa!"
"Mmm... there are so many of them!"
Clarice and Albert naturally flinched at the sight of the massive creatures. I immediately called out to them.
"Both of you, run your inside codes!"
Roger!!
The battle began. Our opponents were Huge Spiders.
They were beetle-type monsters with a total length of about three meters. While sizes varied, that was the average. Their breeding cycle was similar to regular spiders, but they didn't produce many offspring at once, so their overall numbers tended to be low.
The problem was their sticky thread. It wasn't just web; it was a deadly substance infused with paralytic toxins. If you were caught once, it was over. You would be wretchedly consumed. Even among professional hunters, Huge Spiders were considered quite troublesome.
Of course, Evi and I could handle this level of opponent with ease, so we moved in to support the other two.
"Evi. As we planned, you take Albert."
"Got it. You’ve got Clarice."
Approaching Clarice, I gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Listen, Clarice. The Huge Spider's thread is the real threat. As you know, it’s full of paralytic poison."
"Yes..."
"That means you can't allow yourself to be caught. The basic strategy is to freeze their legs and stop their movement first. Since you’re skilled with magic, that will be your best approach."
"I understand!"
Clarice gathered the surrounding prima materia, converted it according to code theory, and activated her magic. She instantly froze the legs of the Huge Spiders lunging toward her.
Her precision is solid. And her mental strength to cast magic without folding in the face of such an opponent is excellent... She really will make a great hunter.
I calmly analyzed her performance. Regardless of gender, many sorcerers are overwhelmed by huge-type monsters and find themselves unable to cast magic properly. Even at the Academy, few could remain this calm before a swarm of Huge Spiders. Clarice had pulled it off on her first try. It was worthy of honest praise.
"Good. I'll take it from here."
I used my short sword to perform processing on the immobilized Huge Spiders. Because of the Stampede, they were agitated and let out low groans as they tried to reach us, but a single flash was all it took.
While I processed them one by one, things were going smoothly on Evi’s side as well.
"Oraaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
Evi concentrated prima materia into his limbs and proceeded to smash the Huge Spiders with his bare hands. Beside him, Albert was calmly cutting them down with his broadsword.
"Not bad, you two."
Working with Clarice, I finished off the spiders on our side.
"My muscles are burning!! Ooooooooooh!"
Evi was rampaging with total abandon. His magic was likely based on the same principles as Ariane's, but since he possessed such overwhelming muscle mass, he didn't need much reinforcement from his inside code. It was a fighting style that was uniquely his. By adapting someone else's magic to his own strengths, Evi was proving himself to be a top-tier sorcerer as well. Those powerful arms were a nightmare for the Huge Spiders.
Behind him, Albert was putting in a valiant effort as well. He remained calm, processing the spiders in front of him without fear. Dripping with sweat, he acted as the unsung hero, mowing down any spiders that Evi missed. The roles seemed a bit reversed, but the unit was functioning perfectly.
Ten minutes later, we had successfully suppressed the Stampede in this sector.
"Haa... haa... I-It's over!"
"Yeah. It looks that way."
"Haa... I'm beat..."
"You really do have the talent, Clarice. You stayed perfectly calm and used your magic even in the middle of a Stampede."
"R-Really?"
"Yeah."
"H-Hmph. It's not like your praise makes me happy! B-But if you say so, then I guess I did okay! Hmph!"
Clarice looked away with her usual attitude, though her cheeks were slightly flushed.
Once the four of us regrouped, we met back up with the President and the seniors. Without a single casualty, this year's Stampede was brought to an end by the Environmental Research Club.
Afterward, of course, we all spent the rest of the time on intensive weight training. Doing squats and presses in the middle of the forest was surprisingly refreshing.
"U-Unyaaaaaah!"
In the middle of the group, Clarice—the only girl and the one with the least muscle mass—was giving it her absolute all.
We spent two more days in the forest before the training camp officially concluded. We left the woods carrying a refreshing sense of exhaustion.
"Man, that was a blast!"
"Yeah. You were really fired up, Evi."
"You bet! But look at those two..."
Evi and I glanced back at the same time. There stood Clarice and Albert, both looking like they were on the verge of collapse.
"Albert, are you okay?"
"Yeah... I'm fine. I just need some sleep."
Albert looked like he’d pull through, but Clarice was practically stumbling. Siegfried seemed worried, as he was gently tapping her head with his horn.
"Clarice, you alright?"
"No, this is bad. Like, seriously bad... This camp was insane... My whole body hurts... I think I'm gonna cry... hic."
Since she didn't usually do such intense training, Clarice was actually tearing up a little. I decided I should see her all the way home.
"Evi, Albert. You guys go ahead. I'll take Clarice back to her house."
"Got it."
"Understood. See you later, then."
After parting ways with them, I moved to Clarice's side, hoisted her small frame onto my back, and started walking.
"Wha—! What do you think you're doing?!"
"I'm taking you home."
"I don't need you to—!"
"But it hurts just to walk, doesn't it?"
"Yeah... the muscle pain is... ugh..."
"It’ll be tough until you get used to it, but hang in there. I’ll support you."
"...Thanks, as always. Ray, you're always... well, looking out for me."
Clarice’s voice was much calmer than usual. Though she had struggled at first, she eventually gave up and let her weight rest against me.
"Don't worry about it. Friends are supposed to help each other."
"Um... if you're ever in trouble, Ray... I'll help you too! So make sure you tell me! You're the type who tries to handle everything alone!"
"Yeah. I'll count on you when that happens."
"Yeah... you’d better!"
We continued our journey back in peace.
"Well then, Clarice. See you at school."
"Yeah. Thanks for the ride. Bye-bye!"
"Yeah. See you."
As Clarice waved a small hand, Siegfried bobbed his horn vigorously as well.
When I finally returned to the Academy, the rest of the club was waiting for me.
"Ray, you're back."
"President... everyone... what's going on?"
"We're doing one last set, aren't we?"
The President gave a shark-like grin, and the others followed suit.
"...You're right. Let's finish this properly!"
And so, the group known as the Muscular Monsters headed to the gym to work up one last refreshing sweat.
My conclusion from this training camp:
—Muscles truly are magnificent!