Episode 481

Episode 481

“Uh, actually, the reason the Meikin family entrusted you all with this job was because Nillia asked them to.”

Sensing that the mood wouldn’t let him explain, Lee Han spoke anyway.

That way, he could make an excuse to Nillia later.

-I definitely told them, but the hunters ignored me.

“Uwahahahaha!”

“Phuhuhuhuhu!”

“……”

As expected, the Shadow Patrol’s reaction was even more intense.

Impressed by Lee Han’s joke, they laughed until they were out of breath, with tears in their eyes.

Lee Han felt he understood a bit more about why Nillia disliked the Shadow Patrol.

“…Later, please be sure to ask the Meikin family and check. Really.”

“Wait a moment.”

Professor Thunderstep, who was listening nearby, tilted his head in confusion.

“What do you mean the Meikin family entrusted the job because Nillia asked?”

“…Professor Baegrek! I have something to ask about fighting at sea before we board!”

Professor Voladi, already aboard, flew over instantly as soon as Lee Han called out.

It was fast enough to startle even the Shadow Patrol.

• * *

The people of Isran City were deeply proud of their city.

From the city gate with its romantic legend of being crafted from mermaid tears, to the ancient water sculptures left behind by a mage, there were many things in the city to boast about. Among them, the harbor was never left unmentioned.

The southern port, like the heart of the city, was brimming with life.

Sailors recently arrived from merchant ships that packed the seemingly endless docks, and imperial tax collectors darted to and fro, inspecting goods and shouting to check for smuggled items.

If you looked further back, you could see all sorts of races running up and down the harbor boulevard. The road was wide enough for eight carriages to pass at once, but in just five paces it was so crowded you’d bump shoulders. Everywhere, suspiciously dressed vendors laid out their wares and tried to entice curious travelers out of their coin.

Dockworkers and tax collectors long used to the harbor passed through these hectic scenes with practiced indifference.

Occasionally, when a bizarrely-shaped ship newly built by a dwarf or elf artisan appeared, quite unlike any other vessel, it didn’t surprise them.

“……”

“…Ugh!”

However, the northern hunters riding nimble speedboats were different.

They astonished even seasoned sailors.

“Turn right 90 degrees and chase them!”

“Hunter, sir, the ship doesn’t move like that!”

“Oh, really? Sorry about that! Then turn left 270 degrees and chase them!”

“……”

The hunters aboard the sleek speedboats bearing the Meikin family crest rampaged violently on deck.

“This won’t do. Throw me!”

One of the hunters tied himself to a rope connected to the mast, grabbed a spear, and leapt into the sea.

A moment later, he climbed back up, having speared a shark-like monster.

“Hunter! You really don’t need to hunt stoneback sharks! They’re not monsters that target ships this size!”

“But they could target smaller fishing boats, couldn’t they?”

“…That’s something those people will have to deal with themselves!”

‘Hmm. I think I get why Professor Thunderstep came.’

Hearing the hunters and sailors converse, Lee Han thought to himself.

The Shadow Patrol were skilled hunters, but not without their drawbacks.

Firstly, they just plain loved to hunt too much.

Since their manpower was limited, they’d only need to confirm the location of the Sangoria flowers and deal with just as many monsters as necessary on the way, but if a monster appeared, they’d go after it at full tilt, wasting unnecessary time.

“Everyone, calm down. We’ll confirm which monsters need to be hunted.”

Professor Thunderstep gave Professor Lightningstep a pleading look.

Professor Lightningstep nodded in understanding and gave instructions.

“There’s really no need to go after stoneback sharks, so just let them be…”

The disappointment on the Shadow Patrol’s faces was palpable.

For hunters who had lived their entire lives in the northern mountains, such logic as ‘this monster is dangerous, that one isn’t’ didn’t work well.

Even a supposedly harmless monster could be dangerous in the northern mountains.

See a monster? Hunt it.

That was a principle they’d lived by all their lives, and restraining themselves now was incredibly tough.

“We’re supposed to wait for orders?”

“Couldn’t we catch something secretly?”

“There’s a blade squid right there…!”

Professor Lightningstep was an expert adventurer and understood such hunters’ nature well.

If giving them orders actually made them listen, they wouldn’t have such a reputation.

Their persistence and tenacity as hunters were deeply linked to their stubborn personalities.

At such times, persuasion was needed.

“Wardanaz. You’ll need to keep an eye on the hunters while we’re searching for the flower beds. Try to stop them from hunting recklessly.”

“……”

Lee Han thought it absurd this was being asked of him, but he couldn’t deny he was the only one available.

Professor Thunderstep had to focus on finding the flower beds, and Professors Lightningstep and Voladi had to focus on identifying the local monsters’ ecology…

“Understood.”

‘Not sure how this will go.’

Lee Han had heard a lot about the Shadow Patrol from Nillia, but he wasn’t confident.

Would he get along with these eccentric northern mountain hunters?

“Oh, aren’t you Nillia’s friend?”

“No, I asked earlier. He’s Wardanaz family. Same year, not a friend.”

“We’re friends.”

“Sure. Haha. ‘Friend,’ right.”

Lee Han glanced at the railing.

Should I push them off?

‘Even if I did, they’d probably just climb right back up.’

Considering the hunters’ physical abilities, it seemed like pushing them overboard would be meaningless.

Lee Han decided to let it go.

“As a wizard, is there anything I can do to help? Please, feel free to ask anything.”

To quell the hunters’ complaints, he had to redirect their attention.

Lee Han decided he’d try to chat with them until Professor Thunderstep found the flower beds.

“Well, there is one thing.”

“What is it?”

The hunter lowered his voice and leaned in.

“We’d really like to take some of these magic arrows back to the mountains…”

“……”

The other hunters, though a bit embarrassed, wore expressions that said ‘I’d want them too, if possible.’

The arrows handed out by the Meikin family were just that high-quality.

Made from seven-year-old premium wattlewood, with Pegasus feathers for fletching, and covered in various tight enchantment runes.

“I’ll ask the Meikin family if you can take any leftovers.”

That much wasn’t too hard. Judging by the Meikin family’s generosity, they’d probably gift any leftover arrows once the job was done.

“The thing is…”

But the hunters hesitated even after Lee Han’s answer.

“We don’t think there’ll be any left.”

“At the current rate, we’ll run out and still need more…”

‘Maybe if they hunted less…’

That’s what Lee Han thought, but he kept his friendly tone.

“What about mixing in regular arrows?”

“That’s not possible. Sea monsters have such thick shells and hides that unless you use these arrows, they’re hard to bring down for good. We’re here for a job—if we skimp on arrows and cause trouble, that’s all backwards.”

The Shadow Patrol were thorough when it came to things like this.

Underestimating the enemy and being stingy was the most foolish thing they could do.

‘Still, if you just hunted less…’

To Lee Han, it sounded absurd and laughable.

Just hunt less, and the problem is solved!

“In that case, I might have a solution…”

“Could you enchant regular arrows for us, wizard?”

“!”

The hunters finally got to the main point.

Turns out, they hadn’t been speaking idly at all—they had it figured out.

The reason for using expensive arrows was so they could use magic without a mage.

But if a mage was around, there was no need for these costly enchanted arrows—you could just enchant regular arrows on the spot.

The problem was…

‘It’s not that simple.’

Lee Han was a bit flustered.

People unfamiliar with magic, having no understanding of the different schools, often went to a black mage and said, ‘I’ve got food poisoning, can you cure me?’

Of course, black mages who hadn’t studied healing magic couldn’t do that. At best, they’d revive you after you died.

This was similar.

Who knew where the Meikin family had bought their arrows, but surely it was from a workshop with master enchanters.

From shaft to feather, every material was high-end, and they meticulously inscribed all kinds of complicated runes so that the magic would last nearly permanently…

Even just a glance made Lee Han admire their skill and craftsmanship.

To try to replicate that with basic enchantments as a first-year student, using regular arrows, was bound to yield very different results.

‘The only thing going for me is that mine would be cast on the spot.’

Except for being instantly activated, Lee Han had no other merit to boast, so he explained this difference to the Shadow Patrol hunters.

“So, these were done by a great magician, while I’m still just a student…”

“That’s not it!”

“???”

What’s not it?

“Wizard, I know nothing about magic, but let me say something. In all things, you can’t know until you try.”

“That’s right. The same holds in our job. Every rookie thinks they can’t take down prey. But put a bow and arrow in a rookie’s hands and match them against prey one-on-one, and they’ll discover abilities they didn’t know they had.”

“……”

Lee Han was left speechless.

‘Are you sure you aren’t Einrogard hunters? Did the skeleton principal bribe you?’

What kind of ridiculous argument was that?

By that logic, Lee Han had a chance at beating the skeleton principal one-on-one.

“In our eyes, you can definitely do it, wizard!”

“Just because they used expensive materials to make a masterpiece doesn’t mean you should be discouraged. Trust yourself, wizard!”

The Shadow Patrol, knowing nothing about magic, were very brave.

They urged Lee Han to give it a try.

“…Alright. I’ll show you right now.”

Lee Han resolved with a sigh that he’d just have to demonstrate.

Otherwise, they’d keep whining, ‘You’re a wizard, and so is the one who made these arrows, so why wouldn’t it work!’

“The magic on these arrows… wow, this is really… impressive.”

Examining one of the arrows the Meikin family had purchased, Lee Han couldn’t help but admire it.

He’d seen these enchantments in Professor Verdus’s workshop before.

-Zenbaya’s Eternal Penetration-, -Zenbaya’s Eternal Enhancement-, -Zenbaya’s Eternal Accuracy-…

Compared to the basic enchantments Lee Han could do, like -Minor Penetration Boost-, -Minor Weight Increase-, -Minor Accuracy Boost-, these were sophisticated, high-level spells on another plane.

These beauties resolved the fundamental weakness of enchantments—rapidly fading effects—through the dazzling wisdom of their mage creators!

As a fellow mage, Lee Han couldn’t help but pause and marvel for a moment.

“Hang in there, wizard!”

“You can do it, wizard!”

“…Yes, well.”

With great embarrassment, Lee Han prepared his magic.

It felt like sketching a crude copy right in front of a masterpiece.

Fwoosh!

“I’ve cast penetration, weight, and accuracy boosts, but as expected, the quality is much rougher and there’s a big gap in completion…”

Lee Han tried to explain the difference in magical quality between these and the other arrows, but the hunters only nodded as if they were listening.

‘I have no idea what he’s saying.’

And as soon as they received the arrows, they nocked them and fired.

Twang!

The hunters widened their eyes and looked at each other.

“This is even better, wizard!”

“Did you just do this in hopes of taking the arrows home for yourself?”