Helios Orb Chronicle – Chapter 572

**Side: Rebecca**

After successfully setting up the tent and having our meal, it was time to decide on the night watch.
Since our tents were separate from Yamato-san and the others’, we had to handle the night watch on our own.
There were six of us: myself, Raus, Carol-san, Reina, Seras-sama, and Aurora-sama. However, due to our location halfway up the Mylight Mountains and our differing classes, myself, Raus, and Carol-san, being Ancient Class, needed to be separated.
Thus, the night watch shifts were decided: Carol-san and Seras-sama first, followed by myself and Aurora-sama, and finally Raus and Reina.
The order was determined by rock-paper-scissors between the Ancient Class and Normal Class groups. However, taking the middle shift meant waking up in the middle of the night, making it hard to fall back asleep, so it was considered the worst possible outcome.
Unfortunately, I lost and ended up with the middle shift, which really dampened my spirits.
Still, as an Ancient Undine, I could go for days without sleep, let alone a single night. But Aurora-sama, being Normal Class, couldn’t.
Therefore, she was even more disappointed than I was.

“The night watch starts at 10 PM, with three-hour shifts, right?”

“That’s right. Also, we don’t have a tarp set up this time, so we’ve been told to be vigilant not only of our surroundings but also of the fire.”

“This tent is hard to burn, but normal tents can catch fire easily.”

Tents are made with highly waterproof materials to withstand rain, wind, and even dew.
Monsters with such properties are naturally water-attribute monsters, and thus they tend to have high fire resistance. However, that doesn’t mean they’re completely fireproof, so we have to be careful with the fire, or we could lose our lives in a tent fire.
In fact, I hear stories of rookie hunters unfamiliar with camping setting their tents ablaze a few times a month.
Also, once you start earning a good income, you can afford to buy cooling and heating Tenma Stones, reducing the need for fire watch. However, it’s common practice to keep spares in case the magic in your Tenma Stone runs out. Moreover, in situations like dungeons where you can’t buy replacements for days, a fire pit is also essential for warmth.

“Speaking of which, what kind of camping Tenma Stones are there?”

“Well, there are ones for cooling and heating, as well as for locking, warding off magic, telekinesis, and barriers.”

“I believe there’s also a circulation Tenma Stone.”

Raus and Carol-san answered Reina’s questions, and I realized they used so many Tenma Stones.
Camping Tenma Stones are specialized for outdoor use, so even low-rank magic stones have higher effects than regular Tenma Stones, but their magic cannot be replenished.
Barrier, locking, and circulation Tenma Stones are particularly essential. Without them, someone could enter your tent while you’re sleeping, or the air inside could become stale.
These are considered among the cheaper camping Tenma Stones, costing anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand El. However, even the cheaper ones only last a few days, so you have to buy several as spares.
Cooling and heating Tenma Stones, while not strictly essential, keep the temperature inside the tent comfortable. Especially the heating Tenma Stones are vital for camping in Torencia.
However, even Tenma Stones using T-rank magic stones cost thousands of El, so many veterans, let alone newcomers, don’t use them.
After all, a fire pit can be bought for a few thousand El, and you can ignite it with fire magic if you have fuel. With a circulation Tenma Stone, you can stay warm not only inside the tent but even under a tarp.
If you neglect fire management, you could suffocate, but since someone is always on night watch, that risk is minimal.
Nevertheless, it is still dangerous, and we are scheduled to be taught thoroughly in class after the summer holidays. That’s why we needed to get it made in a hurry.

“You prepared so much.”

“It’s warm, or rather hot, today, so I’ll use the cooling Tenma Stone.”

“That’s helpful, but won’t you get in trouble if you use it in class?”

“Ah, right. Ah, so that’s why Mako-san made this.”

If students were to use cooling Tenma Stones, it would likely be royalty or nobles only, and I’ve heard that their use might be prohibited depending on the class content.
Of course, in some locations, they are almost mandatory. However, since practical training is conducted inside dungeons where temperature and climate are stable, and within Safe Areas, there are unlikely to be any problems unless something extraordinary happens. Nevertheless, since they are necessary in some places, Mako-san created something for it.
The metal box that Raus is assembling from his camping Mirror Bag is what he’s talking about.

“What is that?”

“It’s a Magic Cooler. It uses an ice-making Temma Stone installed here to create ice inside the box. Then, it cools the air taken in through this intake vent and expels it through the exhaust vent to cool the tent.”

Mako-san made something like that too.
But I don’t like being hot, and this Magic Cooler has a simple structure that even low-rank Crafters can make, making it very affordable.
While it requires ice-making, circulation, and water-absorbing Tenma Stones, these are also sold as camping items, so it’s convenient to be able to use them.
Incidentally, our Magic Cooler is, as usual, made of Lapis Laz, but it’s a bit less effective compared to iron Magic Coolers.
It’s a matter of material difference, but high-performance, high-quality materials don’t necessarily make something superior.

**Side: Reina**

The sky was slowly brightening.
Is it dawn already?

“We were on guard, but no monsters showed up.”

“During camping, fellow hunters are more frightening than monsters.”

As Raus, who was camping with me, said, the scariest part of camping is actually other hunters.
Monsters are frightening, of course, but not many are nocturnal, so you’re not often attacked by monsters while camping.
Even in dungeons, only familiars and contracted monsters are allowed into Safe Areas.
However, that doesn’t mean we can let our guard down, and there are occasional stories of highly ranked monsters attacking, so night watch is crucial.

But when it comes to other hunters, they can easily detect the location of your tent and the existence of concealment barriers. If you don’t have someone on night watch, you could have your belongings stolen or worse. I’ve even heard of incidents where everyone was killed.
Therefore, even if you kill someone who intrudes into your tent without permission, you’ll usually be acquitted unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Those who intend to break in are aware of this, so they avoid tents superior to their own and instead target hunters who appear weaker.
Their actions are exactly like those of thieves.
Still, they judge solely by appearance, so sometimes they barge into what they think is a weaker tent without realizing it’s superior and get defeated.

“However, monsters also start moving at dawn, so around this time, monsters are more likely to attack than hunters. So Reina, be prepared to fight at any moment.”

“I know.”

While there are few nocturnal monsters, most monsters begin to move almost simultaneously at dawn.
This also increases the risk for thieves, and attacks are rare near dawn.
Apparently, the risk and reward don’t balance out, but if they can think about that, they should just work properly.
More importantly, as Raus said, the possibility of monsters attacking is increasing, so I need to be more vigilant than ever and be ready to fight at any moment.
When I enrolled in Memoria General Academy, I took out the Celestial Globe, Griffis Light Star, from the waist pouch-type Storage Bag my sister gave me and checked its operation.
The storage capacity of the pouch is immense, said to be equivalent to that of a noble’s mansion.
In addition to the Griffis Light Star, it contains Hunter gear, including the Crest Defender Coat, school supplies like textbooks and stationery, and for security, three Gate Crystals and a stun gun-like magic tool with enough power to paralyze.
I was told that at the General Academy, I might be targeted, so not only my sister but also Yamato-san and the others were excessively careful.
I appreciate it, but I feel like it’s a bit too overprotective.
I’ve been a Hunter for two years, and I’ve had proper melee combat training, so I don’t think anything terrible will happen easily.

“Is there a problem?”

“I maintain it properly every day, so it’s fine.”

While I was checking its operation, Raus, who was checking his Lapis Laz Blade and Lapis Laz Shield, spoke to me.
Raus knows that I maintain it properly, so he must be aware of it.

“Then, if monsters appear, will you try to handle it yourself as much as possible?”

“Yes, I will!”

I’m currently level 42, so if I try hard enough, I might be able to evolve.
Still, if I evolve now, it will be difficult for several years, and I know how difficult it is by watching Raus and the others, so I think it’s fine to wait a little longer.
However, separately from that, I want to defeat monsters.
I’ve been a Hunter for two years, and my level has increased significantly, but I still lack experience, so I want to gain as much as possible.
Because of Raus and the others, Yamato-san and the others told me that it’s okay to stay as I am until graduation. Still, I don’t want to be a burden.

“Ah! There they are!”

“Orcs, or rather, I see a Grand Orc too. There seem to be only four, shall we try?”

“Yes!”

For a while after dawn, Raus and I were chatting aimlessly. Then, as everyone was starting to wake up, Orcs appeared.
One of them was a Grand Orc, but I’m no longer surprised by the appearance of just one S-rank Monster.

“Take this!”

The stars orbiting the Griffis Light Star resemble wings, and there are eight of them in total.
These wings are made by bundling eight feathers each, so if all of them are separated, they become sixty-four, and by using magic on them, I can launch wide-range attacks and compensate for insufficient power.
I haven’t done that yet, and I’ve been told not to because it’s dangerous. However, it’s basic to use the Celestial Globe by channeling magic into the stars, so I can use it to that extent without problems.
I separated one of the wings and, wrapping it in water-attribute magic, fired it towards the Orcs.
It can only fly in a straight line, so the Grand Orc dodged it, but three of the Orcs couldn’t avoid it and had their arms severed or their movements stopped.
Without missing a beat, I unleashed Aqua Storm, followed immediately by Aqua Lance to finish them off.
However, the remaining Grand Orc dodged even Aqua Storm and Aqua Lance, and in return, threw a spear imbued with fire-attribute magic at me.
I managed to block it with the wings of the Griffis Light Star, but in the meantime, it closed the distance and continued to beat me down with such force that I had no time to attack.
Even though I could block with the Griffis Light Star’s wings, I wasn’t taking damage. However, the force was so strong that I feared it might break through the wing guard if I tried to attack rashly. I was completely in a losing position.
I’ve had melee combat training, but I don’t have any hand-held weapons, and I don’t think my hastily acquired skills would work against a Grand Orc.

“I should have prepared a dagger or something to use immediately. I’ll consult with Ed-san and Fiana-san when we get back.”

However, Raus intervened as he said that and swung the blade of his Lapis Laz Shield.
The Grand Orc was split in half and fell without even realizing it had been cut. But allowing it to get close meant my fighting style was flawed.
I’m a bit shocked, especially since I was trying not to be a burden.

“Don’t worry about it. Even though you’ve had melee combat training, mages aren’t suited for close-quarters combat, and besides, Reina doesn’t have any equipment for it. Let’s talk to Ed-san and Fiana-san when we get back and figure something out.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Raus’s comforting words are so kind.
Because Raus was there, I neglected to prepare for close-quarters combat, but that’s not right.
So, I need to train even harder in melee combat and get proper equipment.
I’ll consult my sister about what would be good, but I don’t think swords or spears would suit me, so perhaps a dagger.
Since they are also mages, I’ll consult Mako-san and Aria-san as well.