Chapter 27: The Adventurer’s Profession
While Jin and the others were resting, the shift ended. Dan and his group returned to watch, while Albert and Cain came back in their place.
""Good work.""
Jin and Shelly greeted them, and the two replied properly in return.
"Man, standing watch when you’re not used to it really wears on the nerves."
Cain admitted, sinking into a seat opposite Jin. He took a long swig from his canteen and exhaled.
"Hmph. Weakling. I’m fine."
Albert snorted with smug pride. So this was the so-called problem child—arrogant by default, yet curiously natural about it. Jin noticed, however, that Albert also pulled out his own canteen in a hurry to gulp water down, which made the contradiction almost endearing.
"Pfft—kukuku."
Shelly burst out laughing, either remembering Jin’s earlier "cute" comment or simply thinking the same thing he had.
"What? What’s so funny?"
Albert frowned, eyeing Jin’s smile and Shelly’s muffled giggle.
"Nothing at all."
Jin answered smoothly in Shelly’s place.
"…Is that so? Hmph, fine. Anyway, this is the first time we’ve spoken directly. I’m Albert. I suppose I can allow you to get along with me."
Still talking down from on high, but after the earlier conversation, Jin found the boy more amusing than irritating. He was about to give his own name when Cain cut in first.
"Hey, Al! Jin-san’s older than us—you should show some respect."
"Why bother? We’re all rookies here. Same standing, same status. No need for polite speech between us, right?"
Albert brushed it off and looked straight at Jin.
"Heh. Fair enough. Then let’s drop the honorifics with each other. What about you two—Cain, Shelly? Fine by you?"
"I’m in favor. Amazing, Albert actually said something reasonable."
Shelly grinned. Albert muttered about what that was supposed to mean, while Cain sighed but agreed.
"Honestly, Al… not using polite speech and not being able to use it are different things. Jin—thanks for going along with this."
"Not at all. And good work out there, Cain. I look forward to working with you."
Jin smiled kindly, sensing how much Cain had probably endured over the years.
Then he turned back to Albert.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Albert. Well, let me introduce myself again. I’m Jin. Eighteen years old, maybe a little older than you guys, but pleased to be in your care."
"Hmph. Very well, I’ll permit it. For the record, Cain and I are seventeen. Leave the beast fights to us."
"I’m Cain," Cain added wryly. "Albert and I go way back—same dojo, childhood ties I can’t get rid of."
"Pff—kukuku. I’m Shelly. Childhood friend of Dan and Meg, all from the same village. We’re sixteen. Oh, and Rachel mentioned she just turned eighteen too."
Shelly, still chuckling, slipped in info about the absent members.
"So you’re eighteen, huh, Jin? With all that elder-like lecturing earlier, I thought you were just keeping yourself looking young when in fact you were way older."
Shelly teased cheerfully.
"Haha…"
Jin laughed it off. If only you knew—the truth is I’m probably older than your so-called elders.
"Oh? So those words really did come from age and wisdom, then. What exactly did he say?"
Albert pressed curiously. Jin and Shelly exchanged a glance—then burst into laughter together.
""Hahaha!""
They couldn’t possibly repeat it to his face.
"Well, maybe another time, if the chance comes up. Anyway…"
Jin smoothly steered the topic elsewhere, and the group spent the remainder of their break in cheerful small talk. Before they knew it, the rest period was over.
"Alright, move out!"
At Instructor Greg’s command, the two parties split once more and advanced, carefully scanning the surroundings. Jin’s Presence Detection found nothing unusual. Still uneasy, he checked Map—but no beast signatures were approaching. Instead, he noted several that were farther off, actively steering clear of them. So beasts aren’t fools either… they’ll avoid groups this large.
Jin was just about to relax into that thought when his Map picked up several signatures heading straight their way. He turned sharply, meeting Instructor Melinda’s eyes. She only smiled sweetly back.
"On guard! Something’s coming!"
Gain’s shout rang out at almost the same instant Jin himself had been about to warn everyone. His Presence Detection flared in agreement.
"Mad Wolves. Jin, Cain—guard the rear! Instructor Melinda and Abe, support them!"
Jin counted six presences. Two at the front, with four following close behind. Gain and Cain were both equipped with swords; considering the party balance, Jin had chosen a spear this time, already assembled into a long spear.
"Hmph!"
"Gyain!"
The first one was instantly slain by Gain’s greatsword.
Jin and Cain braced themselves against the Mad Wolves rushing in with swift, feral movements. The last of the vanguard lunged at Cain, fangs bared, but Cain deflected the strike with his sword. His counterattack was dodged, yet Jin seized the opening and drove his spear forward, skewering the beast.
"Thanks!"
"Yeah—four left!"
At Cain’s sharp warning, Jin tensed, eyes snapping to the three that had slipped past Gain and were charging their way.
"Fire Arrow!"
With Dan’s incantation, a flaming arrow shot forth, piercing one Mad Wolf cleanly. The beast toppled with a yelp, leaving Cain and Jin each facing one opponent head-on.
"Hmph!"
Perhaps wary after seeing its packmate felled by magic, the Mad Wolf hesitated instead of leaping recklessly. But Jin did not waste that moment of stillness—he thrust his spear forward, feeling the jarring sensation of flesh being torn as the weapon sank deep. The wolf collapsed lifelessly.
When Jin’s gaze shifted to Cain, he saw him standing over the body of the last wolf, victorious.
"Alright, good job. Let’s gut them and harvest. I’ll show you how — everyone, come here."
Having checked there were no other enemies nearby, Gain called the rookies over at once.
"Magic stones are usually around the heart, but what you can harvest varies by beast. If it’s a monster you’ve fought before, you might know, but when it’s the first time, you won’t — so the rule is: take the magic stone first."
With that, Gain slit open the Mad Wolf’s belly with his knife and, with practiced hands, pulled out the magic stone.
"When the magic stone’s gone, the corpse starts to dissolve. Once it completely liquefies, you’ll be left with the materials you can get from the beast, but they’ll be smaller and lower quality than if you harvested them before full dissolution. So after you take the stone, watch the corpse for the bits that don’t melt and quickly pick out the materials. For Mad Wolves, that’s the fangs. You see?"
Everyone compared the fang with the other parts and confirmed the difference.
"Then just cut the material away from the rest. Removing the magic stone first makes it easier to separate the materials, so that’s the standard procedure."
Gain neatly snapped out a fang and set it aside.
"All right — one beast per person. Don’t make excuses. We’re making money here."
He said this, looking pointedly at Meg and Dan, who both blanched a little. They nodded firmly and moved to the carcasses.
Jin, careful not to draw attention, set his Drop-Item settings to the minimum, acted brisk and efficient, and quickly harvested his portion. When everyone was done, they moved out again. Abe had already finished harvesting the remaining body.
While Jin’s party fought, Team One had watched to keep pace; now the roles swapped — Team One engaged beasts while Team Two observed.
"Watch the formation, the enemies’ movement, and what each person does in response."
Gain instructed. What Jin saw was clear: the veterans moved so that no single person would be forced to fight multiple foes at once. The rookies watched hungrily. Before long, the three rookies over there each took down one wolf and wiped out that enemy group as well.
"You probably figured it out just by watching, but the basics are this—aim for one-on-one fights, or, better yet, fights where we outnumber the enemy. The vanguard’s job is to draw the enemy in and keep them from breaking through to the rear. First priority is always to cut down their numbers. The rear guard supports by keeping the enemy from overwhelming the frontliners, or by striking down foes distracted by the vanguard. Meg didn’t have a turn just now, but if someone gets hurt or an enemy slips past the line, that’s where she comes in. Ideally, you’d have the kind of power Rachel over there shows, taking down enemies on her own—but at the very least, it’s important to have enough close-combat skill to buy a mage the time they need to finish their chant."
While watching from the sidelines, Gain went over the earlier fight and offered some advice.
"Same goes for you, Dan. A mage who only knows how to cast spells won’t live long. The more enemies there are, the harder it is for the front line to cover everything. Inevitably, you’ll find yourself face-to-face with an enemy. You don’t need to be as capable as a fighter, but some self-defense is essential. There’s someone I know who fought with a long metal rod—using it both as a medium to cast magic and as a weapon to knock down foes in close combat. I’m not saying you have to go that far, but keep that in mind."
Gain’s advice didn’t stop there.
"Jin and Cain, your moves earlier weren’t bad. Cain created an opening, and Jin followed up with an attack. That kind of coordination is vital when you’re up against tough enemies. Of course, that teamwork should also include the rear guard—Dan, Meg, and the others. Against foes you can’t beat by just adding up everyone’s individual strength, you win by multiplying that strength—reading each other’s movements and fighting in sync. That’s the true power of a party. Don’t forget that."
""Yes, sir!""
With those words, and just as the first group was setting out again, Jin’s team two resumed their march. They reached the forest without any further ambushes, linked up with the others, and pressed deeper in. Along the way, they picked up practical survival skills—how to gather medicinal herbs and flowers, little bits of knowledge that adventurers rely on.
Eventually, they arrived at a clearing with no trees around, which was to be their campsite for the night.
"Alright, we’ll start preparing to stay here. Melinda, Erza, Jin, Shelly—you four go hunt something for dinner. The rest of you, get to work on the barrier, gather firewood, and fetch water."
Following Greg’s instructions, the party split into groups and scattered. Jin’s team of four headed deeper into the forest. From here on, they had to rely mostly on hand signals so as not to alert the sharp-eared creatures lurking nearby.
The choice of this team was likely due to their weapon types and overall agility. At Melinda’s signal, Jin took the lead, suppressing his presence and moving as quietly as he could. After a while, his Presence Detection picked something up.
It felt animal-like, so he turned to glance back. Melinda caught his eye, nodded with that same cheerful smile of hers, and gestured toward the direction Jin had sensed.
Moving more cautiously now, the group crept forward until they spotted it in the distance—something like a boar, busy digging into the earth. The details were probably a bit different from a true boar, but Jin couldn’t tell the finer distinctions.
Looking back at Melinda for orders, he saw her gesture: circle around and drive it out.
Following Melinda’s instructions, Jin circled around from downwind, making a wide detour. Thanks to his Martial Talent, his physical abilities were high; he could move quickly without making much noise. Then, inch by inch, he crept closer to the boar, intending to drive it toward Melinda and the others.
He figured the closer he got, the easier it would be to steer it. Quietly, carefully, Jin advanced. The boar, busy digging up the earth and chewing on something it had unearthed, didn’t notice him at all. Finally, when Jin was only a few meters away—close enough to strike—the boar suddenly raised its head.
"Kaaaatsu!"
With a shout, Jin closed the distance in a flash. Boosted by his Burst Acceleration skill, his speed was astonishing. The boar froze for a moment, and Jin’s spear drove straight into its heart, piercing it clean through.
It was only afterward that Jin realized he had unconsciously activated Intimidation. That moment of hesitation from the boar had been caused by him.
"Well done. I didn’t expect you to actually bring it down."
Melinda and the others, surprised that Jin had slain the beast outright, lowered their bows and rushed over.
"Looks like I got lucky."
Jin muttered, scratching his head in response to Erza’s words. The unintentional activation and effect of the skill had caught him off guard too. Without thinking, he spoke to Erza in his usual casual tone, forgetting his place.
"Ufufu. Still, good job, Jin-kun. Now then, let’s get to the butchering."
Melinda began the bloodletting, and Jin and the others helped. This too was training—though the real butchering would be done later, in front of the other recruits.
Jin hefted the boar with Erza, while Shelly and Melinda kept watch as they headed back to camp. Along the way, Melinda suddenly drew and loosed an arrow in one smooth motion—dropping two birds in the blink of an eye. The speed and accuracy left both Jin and Erza speechless. Erza, especially since she had been practicing archery lately, gazed at Melinda with open admiration.
Jin, who had only learned archery from Greg the day before, etched the sight into his memory as the standard to aim for. In the end, the four of them returned triumphant, with more than enough food for everyone.
At camp, the new recruits gathered around the prey, watching as the butchering began, and then each took a turn cutting with their own knives.
Back in his old world, meat had come in neatly wrapped packs at the supermarket. But here, Jin had killed the animal himself, and now he was cutting it apart for food. He accepted that fact head-on.
Perhaps because this was a normal animal rather than a magical beast, even Albert, usually so brash, wore a solemn expression. Jin steeled himself for the future—he would have to keep killing monsters and animals to survive. Even if he grew used to it, he swore he would never forget the feeling he had now.
When the butchering was finished, Jin accompanied the others to bury the unwanted organs a short distance away. After covering the hole with earth, he found himself naturally pressing his hands together in prayer.
Back at camp, preparations for dinner began. Cooking was also part of the training. Fortunately, Jin had cooked regularly in his past life, so it wasn’t much trouble for him. Surprisingly, though, the only other one who could cook was Dan. Albert and the other swordsmen, as well as the girls, all fumbled awkwardly with their knives and pots.
"If only we had miso or soy sauce…"
Jin muttered without thinking. Spices and salt made for tasty dishes, but as a Japanese, he longed for the familiar flavors of miso and soy sauce. He could just imagine stewing the boar meat in miso, or grilling the birds with a sweet soy glaze.
"You know some unusual seasonings, don’t you?" Melinda remarked.
"You know about them?!"
If his words had been translated properly, that meant something similar really did exist in this world. Jin’s eyes lit up as he pressed her for details.
"Yes. I think I saw them once, in a specialty shop in the capital. They’re not very common around here, though."
"Oooh! Just knowing they exist in the capital is amazing news! Thank you, Melinda-san!"
After a week in this world, Jin had begun to miss the flavors of home. The thought of finding them again made him beam from ear to ear.
"Fufufu. I’m glad I could help."
Melinda replied with a smile.
Jin thanked her again, then turned back to focus on making the most of the ingredients they had. With some advice from her on local flavoring, he cooked a simple but hearty meal—grilled meat and soup that could be made outdoors without much fuss. The spices he’d secretly stocked away in his Item Bag proved invaluable.
Once the food was ready, they all sat down together. The barrier device to repel monsters was activated, and the group began their meal.
"Itadakimasu."
"Oh, this is good!"
"Ahh, hot soup really hits the spot."
For field cooking—especially food prepared mainly by rookies—the meal was rated surprisingly high. Jin ate gratefully, savoring both the taste and the chance to share a proper dinner. Everyone was hungry enough that no one even questioned the odd little phrase he’d spoken before eating.
"Quite the collection of spices you brought along."
Greg said this while gnawing on a piece of bone-in meat grilled with several different seasonings.
"That’s Jin-kun’s doing."
Melinda explained.
"Spices are light, so they don’t really take up any space."
Jin replied when the conversation turned toward him. He wasn’t about to reveal his Item Bag, but what he said wasn’t exactly a lie. Still, it wasn’t the kind of thing people normally carried around.
"Well, it’s fine, isn’t it, Instructor Greg? Thanks to him, this tastes better than usual."
"True enough. Can’t complain when it’s delicious."
With Gain smoothing things over, Greg gave a firm nod.
So the group chatted away while savoring their meal. As dinner drew to an end, the conversation shifted to the seniors’ experiences and stories of past blunders. It wasn’t like listening to a dry lecture—eating together on the road, even briefly, gave their words a weight that stuck. For Jin and the other rookies, these tales were fascinating.
At the end of those tales-turned-lessons, Greg finally spoke up again.
"Listen well. Our work as adventurers always begins with requests—be it slaying monsters or gathering herbs. And while we do receive proper rewards, the heart of it is helping people in need. Think about it: the monster materials and magic stones we collect, how much they contribute to society. Wards along the highways, protective barriers in cities, even the everyday magitech tools—none of those would exist without them. Now imagine if that supply were cut off. The world we live in would change drastically… and not for the better."
Greg paused there, sweeping his gaze across all the rookies.
"Today we killed monsters for stones and materials. Tonight we killed beasts to fill our bellies. That’s what our job is—taking lives, more or less. And I’m sure you’ve all felt it by now: killing isn’t something you can sugarcoat."
Every rookie nodded solemnly.
"On top of that, adventurers grow stronger by defeating monsters. That strength sets us further and further apart from ordinary folk—not just in stats. Higher levels mean longer lifespans, fewer illnesses. To remain an adventurer is, in a way, to step outside the bounds of being merely human."
There were parts Jin had never heard before, but all of it rang true. Greg’s words carried conviction.
"That’s why we must not fear," Greg continued quietly. "Not fear becoming beings of power.
We must not forget—respect for the lives we’ve taken.
We must be proud—risking our lives to gain stones and materials.
We must be confident in the work we do, contributing to society as adventurers.
…And we must be humble—because with power comes responsibility."
Greg let the words settle, his voice gentle yet firm.
"You all have a future ahead of you. That future belongs to you. But if you can, don’t forget what I’ve said tonight. And if you ever find yourselves troubled, come talk to us. We’re comrades, after all."
""Yes, sir!""
The rookies answered in unison without being prompted. Greg smiled broadly.
"Gah, scary…"
Melinda muttered under her breath.
His burly grin might have been intimidating, but it wasn’t frightening. It was probably just her way of easing the mood.
"You little—!"
Greg froze mid-laugh, his mouth wide open as if to say You ruined my big moment!
"Oh, come on, right?"
Melinda looked around at Jin and the others. Whether she really meant it as consideration or not, the back-and-forth felt like a comedy routine.
The sudden swing from seriousness made Jin burst into laughter before he could stop himself. One laugh sparked another, and soon everyone joined in—even Greg himself—until the whole camp echoed with joyous laughter.
That bright sound, born of belief in a hopeful future, rang warmly through the quiet forest.
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