Isekai Kansha - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Party Battle Begins

The guild was already a bit crowded early in the morning, as expected. Several groups were waiting in line at the reception, and adventurers were already scanning the bulletin board for today’s requests.

As Jin and Erza arrived at the guild, they were greeted immediately.

"Good morning, Jin-san, Erza-san."

Rachel came running up with a smile.

"Good morning, Rachel. You’re up early."

Yesterday, Jin had agreed to meet her over an hour later, but since Erza had woken up earlier than planned, they were able to meet at this time, which was fortunate. Otherwise, they would have kept Rachel waiting for over an hour.

"I woke up early, so I came by." 

Rachel said with a smile.

Jin understood Rachel’s excitement for her first mission, and Erza remembered her own past experiences. Both smiled in response.

"Ha ha, let’s do our best today, Rachel. We’ll work hard together."

"Yeah, I’m looking forward to it too. Let’s do our best, Rachel."

Jin and Erza both spoke to Rachel in turn.

"Yes! I’ll do my best!"

Rachel clenched her fists in front of her chest as if to say "Mhm!"—her determination was clear. The sight reminded the two of themselves at that age, and they couldn’t help but smile.

The three then moved to the notice board to start looking for a subjugation request.

"A D-rank subjugation… kind of exciting."

Jin was E-rank, and Rachel was F-rank, so normally they couldn’t accept a mission above their own rank. But in a party, the highest-ranked member sets the mission rank—so with Erza’s D-rank, they could take a D-rank request.

For cautious Jin, this was a big adventure. He chuckled at his own nervousness. Meanwhile, Rachel, new to subjugation requests, nodded along enthusiastically.

"The targets may come in groups or be slightly stronger, but the basics won’t change. And you can handle it, Jin." 

Erza said, her faith in him high—after all, he had faced a mutated Mad Wolf alone before.

"Alright, I’ll do my best. Rachel’s skill is beyond her rank, so we should manage."

"Jin and I can both use bows, so we can handle both ranged and close combat. With Rachel’s healing magic, our party balance is stable enough. Ideally, one more mage would be nice, though."

As Erza said this, there was no trace of lingering feelings from their parting the day before. Jin couldn’t help but smile at that.

The three of them continued to study the notice board for a while, and eventually, Jin singled out one request as a candidate.

"Hey, how about this one?"

It was a request to "Exterminate a Mad Boar." The Mad Boar was a boar-type magical beast that was also used as material for Jin’s armor. Nearly twice the size of an ordinary boar, it was roughly the size of a small calf. Its massive body, combined with its charging attacks and tusks, made it a troublesome beast to contend with. It had reportedly been spotted near Kitan Village, and the villagers hoped it would be eliminated before it caused any damage.

"A Mad Boar, huh… may I ask why you chose that particular request?"

Mad Boars were among the more difficult D-rank beasts. Although their drop items were popular, there were other requests that offered better cost-performance. For the sake of future reference, Erza wanted to understand why Jin deliberately chose this one.

"Of all the D-rank subjugation requests, this one seemed the most desperate." 

Jin answered simply. His criteria were not the reward or the difficulty of the target, but rather how much the requesters were in trouble and the urgency of the situation. Certainly, there were other requests that were more lucrative financially, but those involved tasks such as collecting a set number of monster drops. While such requests were also necessary and important, Jin believed that if another request posed a threat to people or their livelihoods, it should take priority.

"Hmh, I see. That’s fine by me. It’s a target we can handle, and it’s the leader Jin’s decision anyway. How about you, Rachel?"

"I think it’s fine as well. Helping people in need is a wonderful thing."

Both of them approved, but among their words was one statement that Jin could not ignore.

"Erza, shouldn’t you be the leader? You’re the highest rank here."

"No, I think you are the one suited to be a leader, Jin. After all, you were the one who invited Rachel, and we gathered around you."

Rachel nodded at Erza’s words. Jin paused for a moment, caught off guard, but then let out a soft sigh and steeled himself.

"Fine. I’ll take on the matter of the leader. That said, just to confirm—you really want to go with this request? Other requests could earn us more money, you know."

"No problem. The principle I mentioned earlier is a basic rule for adventurers anyway. Honestly, it’s something I’d been forgetting, so this is a good opportunity."

"I agree. In fact, that’s exactly why I think Jin-san is who he is."

"Got it. But if any of you have opinions, make sure to speak up, okay? Otherwise, it wouldn’t really be a party."

With that, having received their agreement, Jin decided to accept the "Mad Boar Subjugation Request." Even as a temporary party, the responsibility was considerable. Jin straightened up, readying himself.

(Though, come to think of it… it doesn’t even feel temporary anymore…)

Shaking off that fleeting thought, Jin joined the line at the reception.

Compared to reporting, accepting a request went smoothly since there was no evaluation involved. Soon, it was their turn.

"Good morning, Aria-san. We’d like to accept the ‘Mad Boar Subjugation Request,’ please."

"Good morning, Jin-san. This will be a party submission, correct?"

"Yes, please."

Following Jin, Erza, and Rachel handed over their adventurer cards to Aria. Aria processed them efficiently.

"All done. Jin-san, Rachel-san… even though Erza-san is present, the target is above your ranks, so please be careful," Aria warned.

Without her usual smile, Aria seemed unusually stern, giving Jin the impression that she was serious. Taking her words to heart, he resolved not to let his guard down.

"Understood. Thank you. We’ll head out now!"

"Take care. Be careful out there." 

Aria replied, finally returning Jin’s cheerful smile. Seeing her smile as they left brought Jin a sense of joy, and he stepped out of the guild with a light heart.

Meanwhile, Erza, seeing Aria smile for the first time, was taken aback. She had heard about the commotion that sounded like a marriage proposal and had vaguely thought they were on good terms, but for Aria to be so open with Jin as to show a smile was an unexpected fact for Erza.

"Jin, you're on good terms with Aria-san, aren't you?"

A little after leaving the guild, Erza, feeling somewhat impatient, asked Jin while they walked.

"Hm? Oh, yes, I’ve been indebted to Aria-san since registering as an adventurer. But isn’t it the same for you, Erza?"

"Sure, but we’re not particularly close. I’ve never seen her smile before." 

Erza admitted. She had mainly relied on Instructor Melinda for advice, and her interactions with Aria had been limited to the reception desk.

"I saw it for the first time too. Aria-san is wonderful, like a mature woman, isn't she?"

Rachel said, unaware of the rarity of Aria’s smile since she had only recently started coming to the guild.

"Hehehe. Rachel, if you ever need advice when we’re not around, you can always rely on Aria-san. She’s very attentive."

Jin said this based on his own experience, but Erza still found this somewhat surprising.

"Really…?" 

Erza murmured, thinking it over. Jin smiled in response.

"Well, if you get the chance, you should try talking with her. Just make sure the reception isn’t busy at the time, of course." 

He advised, then shifted the conversation to the Mad Boar itself.

Because his armor had been made from Mad Boar materials, Jin had previously researched the creature in the guild archives. In addition, he gathered information from Erza’s experiences so that the entire party shared a clear understanding of the Mad Boar.

After checking their supplies and preparing their gear, the party set out for Kitan Village.

Kitan Village was about a two-hour walk from the city of Lientz. As with Magna Village, which Jin had previously visited on a subjugation request, the world’s dangerous magical beasts meant that fortified cities like Lientz typically had several surrounding villages. Soldiers from the central city were dispatched to protect each village and could provide reinforcements during emergencies. Conversely, the villages also served as evacuation points for civilians.

The villagers focused primarily on primary industries like agriculture, providing food for the city, and producing goods that could be traded for added value. Of course, to protect the livelihoods of the farming villages, purchase prices are managed at a high level, and it can be said that these various villages, including them, form the large city of Lientz.

Jin and his party deliberately left the main road as they headed toward the village, fighting a couple of magical beasts along the way to check their coordination. The battles took a bit of time, but since straying off the road also acted as a shortcut, their travel time wasn’t much different. The formation was simple—Jin and Erza in the front, with Rachel supporting from the rear using healing magic.

After confirming their teamwork, they arrived at Kitan Village and immediately went to the village chief’s house to gather information on the Mad Boar.

"...So that’s everything you know about the Mad Boar, correct?"

"Yes. Please take care of it."

"Understood. We’ll be heading out now."

After listening to the details, Jin received the chief’s confirmation and decided to set out at once. According to the report, only one Mad Boar had been sighted. Jin intended to hunt it down before the day was over and return to Lienz. Normally, locating the target could take days, dragging the request out—but with Jin, at least the finding part was never an issue.

Leaving the chief’s home, Jin began walking in the reported direction while secretly using Map to search for "Mad Boar." Of course, all he had to do was will it in his mind—nobody would notice. But then, his moment of overconfidence was quickly shattered: instead of one Mad Boar, the skill revealed three separate reactions.

For now, Jin led the group toward the two signatures that were closer together. After advancing a certain distance and confirming there were no other people around, Jin turned to the two and said,

"Listen up. It looks like there isn’t just one, but three Mad Boars. Just think of it as one of my skills telling me that."

Knowing they’d be shocked, Jin was upfront. He didn’t explain the details, but he made sure to tell them it was thanks to his skill. He couldn’t reveal all his secrets yet—but he wasn’t about to recklessly throw them into danger without warning either.

"Is that… really true? And you’re certain about the number?" 

As expected, both were surprised, but Erza asked after recovering first. She didn’t doubt Jin; she only wanted to confirm the count.

"At the very least, three. My skill might not detect something hiding with Stealth, so keep that in mind."

"Are the three grouped together?" 

Rachel, who recovered later, asked, already taking the new information at face value.

"No. Two are relatively close together, but the third is far off. The pair should be manageable one at a time, but if the fight drags, we could end up with back-to-back battles."

Jin then looked at their faces, took a breath, and continued,

"As I said, I can’t be sure this skill catches anything with Stealth. Treat this only as a guideline. Rely on your own senses, and don’t let your guard down."

"Got it."

"Understood."

"Good. Then keep an ear out for anything strange, and move quietly. I’ll take the lead."

Crouching low, Jin advanced. Before long, his Presence Detection picked something up. He signaled to the two and carefully approached until the target was in sight.

First, Jin and Erza both readied their bows. After aiming, they exchanged a brief nod, and Rachel, confirming their readiness, gave the signal. Their arrows loosed in perfect unison, piercing into the Mad Boar and taking a hefty chunk of its HP. Before the beast could even register the attack, the two fired a second volley, then immediately switched to their close-range weapons.

"PUGYUUUAAA!!"

With a furious bellow of pain, the Mad Boar charged, its entire eyeballs dyed blood-red like all monsters, glaring at them with terrifying force as its massive body thundered forward. However, Jin braced himself, steeling his spirit with Fighting Spirit, then deliberately stepped out front, standing directly in its path. Erza’s weapon was a greatsword—Jin’s role, with shield and wooden sword, was to be the tank. He had the best fallback options if things went south.

The Mad Boar targeted Jin directly, increasing its speed as it charged. Even Jin didn't feel like he could withstand a direct hit head-on.

"KAAATTSU!"

Just before impact, Jin unleashed Intimidation with a fierce roar, then slammed his shield into the beast’s snout with all his strength, and immediately rolled to the right to avoid the full impact. The blow staggered the boar, slowing it down but not toppling it. However, that brief opening was enough—Erza’s greatsword cleaved into its side, and finally Rachel’s warhammer came crashing down onto its skull, crushing the beast where it stood.

"Phew, good work."

Even as he stayed alert to their surroundings, Jin called out to the two of them.

"As expected, with three of us, the fight ends quickly. Jin-san, you’re not hurt, are you?"

"I’m fine. Thanks. Good work, Rachel."

Smiling at Erza’s concern, Jin turned to Rachel, whose expression was still tense from the battle.

"Yes, thank you. It was overwhelming, but I managed somehow."

At last, Rachel’s face began to relax.

"That finishing blow of yours was quite something." 

Erza praised Rachel as well.

"Yeah. For this request, I mainly want you to focus on defending yourself, Rachel. But if you see an opening like just now, go for it. Also, it looks like the other one nearby is slowly approaching us. Let’s lie in wait and ambush it. Same procedure as before."

"Understood." "Got it."

The three avoided the boar’s line of approach, hiding along the flank. Using the same strategy, they brought down the second one without much trouble.

While harvesting materials from the two Mad Boars, they reflected on the battles.

"Thanks to you, Jin, we were able to strike first. That made the rest so much easier." 

Erza said with a smile. Rachel nodded in agreement. 

"Yes, it’s a relief that none of us were injured."

"Well, this was about as smooth as it gets. But let’s not get careless. If anything unexpected happens, we fall back on our basic roles: I’ll handle defense, Erza attacks, Rachel focuses on healing."

Jin spoke with a wry smile. From long experience, he knew—success was when you had to be most careful.

"True. For example, even just failing the opening strike raises the danger level. Luckily, only one remains. We can take our time and be cautious."

"Yes, understood. Leave the healing to me."

Though Jin's words could be taken as over-cautious, both women accepted them without complaint. After a short rest, the three set out again, moving stealthily toward the last Mad Boar. And as before, they soon found it.

But the crucial target was significantly different from the previous ones.

"…You’ve got to be kidding me."

Jin and the others couldn’t help but widen their eyes.

Before them loomed an enormous Mad Boar—nearly twice the size of a normal one, its body etched with ominous black patterns.

What stood there was not an ordinary beast, but a mutated variant of the Mad Boar.

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