Dream Life Vol II Chapter 19: “Effect of a Staff”

　With the move over and time left until the practical test, we were in the forest north of Doctus.

　North of Doctus, the forest spreads out, and beyond it is the Caem Mountains, a mountainous region inhabited by many monsters.

　Until a few hundred years ago, the Caem Mountains were home to many pioneer villages of the Kingdom of Lux, and although incomplete, a road over the mountains existed and was developing. However, a sudden invasion began at the whim of the emperor of the Caelum Empire, and all the pioneer villages on the southern side of the Caem Mountains, where supply routes were weak, were destroyed before the kingdom could establish a defensive line.

　Originally, the empire, having gained territory, had planned to proceed with settlements, but the settlements were slow to proceed because of the large number of monsters in this area and the need for troops to protect the settlers. Furthermore, the northern governor, who controlled the northern part of the country, was opposed to the invasion of the Kingdom of Lux, so he sabotaged the project for such reason. Eventually, after the death of the emperor and a change in the northern policy of the empire, the southern part of the Caem was completely abandoned and became a land abandoned by people.

　As a result, the monsters living in the mountainous areas multiplied without being hunted. As a result, the increased number of monsters descended from the mountains in search of food and began to haunt the roads and towns.

　Here in Doctus, too, there was no exception, and many monsters began to enter the new city. Therefore, the Adventurers’ Guild decided that only in Doctus would they accept after-the-fact requests for monsters killed in the forests and mountains.

　In other places, only the monsters that were commissioned would be paid, and only the magic stones would be used to make money. However, here in Doctus, in addition to the profit from the sale of magic stones, many adventurers enter the forest to receive rewards for fulfilling their requests.

　As a result, the new town, which has only a simple fence, has seen a dramatic decrease in damage from monsters. However, the number of monsters killed in the forest did not decrease because the mountainous areas where they were supplied remained untouched.

　We also entered such forests and hunted monsters.

　The monsters that emerged were varied. We encountered beasts such as wolves and bears, insects such as Giant Spiders, monsters such as Goblins and Orcs, plants such as Vampire Ivy, and even spirits of the dead such as Skeletons.

　The skeletons I saw for the first time were more surprising than frightening.

　I don’t know how they do it, but they were walking around like a skeleton. It looked so much like CG from a movie that I even had a sense of deja vu.

(I don’t know if Hollywood’s computer graphics are amazing or if my sensibilities are dull, but it was realistic, but this didn’t feel very realistic.) (Zack)

　But when I actually fought it, I found that it was indeed a massive being, not CG. They swung their rusty swords at a fair speed, so I could feel the sword wind on my face with a whoosh of wind noise, and when we clashed swords, we were sometimes pushed into each other by a force stronger than we thought possible.

　Although I was surprised, the skeleton was not a very strong monster. Perhaps their swordsmanship level was low, but they didn’t feel much of a threat when I challenged them to a melee.

　However, Sharon was frightened at first by its appearance, and it was not a force to be reckoned with. I felt deeply that she was still a girl, after all.

　In five days, her swordsmanship level had risen from 16 to 17, and her Wind Attribute Magic from 23 to 24.

(As expected, leveling up is faster in a real battle. I don’t know what Sharon’s level is, but I heard that Liddy’s level has also improved, so it might be better to enter the forest more often in the future…) (Zack)

　As for Sharon, we don’t know her magic level because she doesn’t have a magician’s orb. However, she will be given an orb after passing the academy, so we should know her level in less than a month. According to Liddy’s estimation, she is about level 15.

　I went into the forest every day and hunted mainly monsters equivalent to level 7 or 8, and my income was quite good.

　The magic stone for a monster equivalent to seventh rank is 10 C or about 10,000 yen, and the equivalent to eight rank is about 5 C. The guild would reward me with a similar amount of bounty, so I earned 300 C or nearly 300,000 yen in five days.

　This time, because Guy was with us, we were able to hunt efficiently, but after he left, it would be difficult to hunt as efficiently as we did. However, the fact that we had a good idea of what to expect in the forest was very helpful in thinking about what to do in the future.

(My efficiency will probably improve if my Detection is a little better, but there’s no point in being impatient about it. The only other problem was that I would be the only one in the vanguard. Well, as long as we don’t go deep into the forest or into the mountains, there won’t be a problem…) (Zack)

　I forgot to mention that when I moved in, I went around to greet my neighbors.

　I don’t know if there is a custom to do this, but if I am going to stay here for five years, it would be better to have a good relationship with my neighbors. I brought a small gift and went around the neighborhood with Liddy and Sharon.

　Next door on the right is the home of Frank Novello, a trader who lives with his wife and three children. The owner, Frank, was about 30 years old and quiet. His wife, Hannah, was a cheerful woman in her mid-twenties, and her caring nature reminded me of Walt’s wife, Molly, who was married to our squire. The Novello couple had three children, all girls, the oldest being eight years old.

　Next to her on the left was Clint Litorf, a forty-something clerk at the Tyria Magic Academy. He lives with his wife and one daughter. When he found out that I was a student preparing for an entrance examination at the academy, he wished me good luck. His wife, Helen, is a former teacher and runs a cram school for children in the area. Their daughter, Chemmy, is a 17-year-old student at a private school and is slender and beautiful. She has two other sons, both of whom have left home and are independent.

(Good thing both neighbors seemed nice. The other neighbors seemed nice, too, so maybe we hit the jackpot here…) (Zack)

　Liddy is the only adult among us three, but she is very shy. I made a mental note to explain to the wives on either side of me, Helen and Hannah, first.

　When we returned from our meet and greet and I explained to Guy that they all seemed nice, he smiled happily and said, “That’s good to hear”. Then, when he heard that there were no other boys around our age in the neighborhood, he looked slightly relieved.

　I noticed it and almost chuckled.

(In a way, Sharon grew up in a greenhouse. The only boys her age around were me and her brother Dan, and if anything… Guy is very soft on Sharon, so…) (Zack)

　After entering the forest, we would go to the Adventurer’s Guild, which was basically Guy and Liddy.

　When I asked Guy why, he said that if we, the kids, were with them, they might get in trouble. I didn’t quite understand the reason, but he might be trying to say that it is not a world for children.

　Once Guy goes back to Rathmore Village, I’m going to have Liddy go alone, and I’m worried that might cause problems.

　The day before the practical test was quickly approaching, as I was checking around the neighborhood making greetings, doing forest subjugation, and scouting where to buy groceries.

　We decided to stay in the forest that day until around 3:00 p.m. and then go to the forest for a final checkup for tomorrow’s exam.

　I had already confirmed the exam start time and other details two days before and didn’t think it was necessary, but Liddy told me there might be a sudden change, so I had to go reconfirm.

　Although it was a waste of the city entrance tax, we saw Sharon looking anxious and decided to head to the academy together.

　As we passed through the academy’s gate, we saw several students inside wandering around the school yard with nervous looks on their faces.

　They looked like today’s examinees, nervous and restless.

　When I entered the school building, the schedule for tomorrow’s exam was posted.

　I was the fifteenth in the morning, and Sharon was the sixteenth. There were twenty students scheduled for the morning session, so our time would be around eleven o’clock.

“I’ll be fine if I show up tomorrow around 10:00 a.m. We’ll be done in the morning, and we’ll have some free time in the afternoon.” (Zack)

　Sharon did not respond to my words. Curious, I looked at her and noticed that she was staring at the examinees.

　I asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Everyone has a staff…” (Sharon)

　When she told me this, I looked around and saw that all the examinees were holding a staff with a magic stone inlaid on the tip. They ranged from short ones about 30 cm to large ones over 1.5 meters.

“I guess so. I read the instructions and didn’t see anything about bringing in a staff, so I guess it’s okay to bring one in. What about it?” (Zack)

“Um…Is it okay if we don’t have them…” (Sharon)

　Apparently, she is worried that we are the only ones who do not have a wand, a magical tool.

“We don’t need it, do we? We’ve never used a staff before. The first thing is that Liddy, who uses magic in actual battle, doesn’t use it either. Shouldn’t be a problem, right?” (Zack)

　Sharon nodded weakly, but still glanced at the examinees around her.

(If you’re different from other people, you’ll feel uneasy, so it’s not like I don’t understand, but… Maybe I’ll talk to Liddy later.) (Zack)

　I went home and told Liddy about the staff.

　When she heard about it, she looked surprised.

“Oh, so you can now bring in a staff. I didn’t realize that when I was there since I couldn’t bring my own staff.” (Liddy)

“Is that so… that’s a blind spot.” (Zack)

　When I said that with a serious face, she began to giggle.

“Really, you do care about weird things. Fufufu… you guys don’t need a staff. You’re still strong enough to fight monsters… and wands are mostly for decoration…” (Liddy)

　According to her, a magician’s staff is a magical tool that increases efficiency when gathering the power of spirits, but aside from the high-end staff that the chief court magician carries, a child’s staff is mostly just for comfort.

“Maybe it’s just the latest fad. Magicians from before didn’t carry wands… Also, if you rely on them from childhood, you’ll be in trouble when the time comes when you don’t have one, so you shouldn’t carry one.” (Liddy)

　I agree with her, but Sharon doesn’t seem too convinced.

　I’m sure it’s natural to feel uneasy when you are out in the world for the first time and feel different from others.

“Come to think of it, doesn’t Liddy have a staff too?” (Zack)

“Yeah, I have one. You’ll get it when you graduate…I still have mine, though.” (Liddy)

“I’d like to borrow it. I want to see how much of a difference it makes with and without the staff now.” (Zack)

　Liddy went back to his room and brought a simple staff about fifty centimeters long.

“Moreover, it seems that the top graduates can get a first-class staff… you’ll know if you use one.” (Liddy)

　Since it was already past five in the afternoon and it would be dangerous to go into the woods, they decided to conduct a simple experiment in the backyard.

　The easiest way to tell would be the time it takes to trigger, so I decided to cat an [Air Hammer] at maximum power into the sky.

　The result was that the time could be shortened by about 10% by using the wand, compared to casting the spell without the wand.

　However, the magical MP consumed was the same, and the difference did not seem as dramatic as with or without the spell.

(In combat, this time difference would be quite significant, but with someone like Liddy who holds a bow, this staff is just a hindrance. That’s why she doesn’t use a staff…) (Zack)

“Certainly not that dramatic an effect. Sharon should try it and see.” (Zack)

　I hand over the staff to Sharon and have her take my place.

　She took a long look at the staff in her hand for the first time and, like me, released an [Air Hammer] into the sky.

　Looking up at the sky, she muttered, “I think it activated a little early,” and handed the staff back to Liddy.

“It won’t make that much difference. If it’s just this much, it’s better to have another weapon to use. Well, if you’re a magician who can only use offensive magic, you might as well have one.” (Liddy)

(So, a magician who shoots magic as a turret would need it. I don’t see the need for other weapon-using types like me and Liddy. Then, Sharon is not as good as us. Her swordsmanship is only for self-defense, so she would never join a battle with a sword. Then she might as well have a staff…) (Zack)

“You can have a staff. Unlike me and Liddy, Sharon specializes in magic.” (Zack)

　She shakes her head and says, “I can do without it. It looks expensive.”

“I can lend you my staff. If you want, I can also give it to you as a gift. I don’t use it anyway.” (Liddy)

　Sharon shakes her head even harder at Liddy’s words.

　I looked at Sharon who was troubled and said,

“Aside from being gifted, why don’t you borrow it when we enter the forest? It’s safer that way.” (Zack)

　Liddy nodded at my words, and I said, “You can do whatever you want for tomorrow’s test, Sharon,” and accepted the staff from Liddy and held it out in front of Sharon.

　Sharon was a little lost, but pushed it back, saying, “I’m fine like Master Zack.”

　As I handed the staff back to Liddy, I asked, “But how much is a magician’s staff worth?” She made a slight thinking gesture.

“I’m not interested in them, so I don’t know much about it, but… this staff is made of a third-rank magic stone, so I think it’s worth about 10,000 C (about 10 million yen). I’ve also heard that the staves owned by court magicians are worth no less than several million C…” (Liddy)

(Even Liddy’s staff is 10,000 C… But still, that’s millions of yen. If that’s the price, you could buy a small fighter plane. I wonder if a staff that big would be more powerful or consume less MP?) (Zack)

　At least Sharon’s fears seemed to have been allayed, and the anxious look on her face that she had had when we returned was gone.