There are only a few days left of summer vacation.
However, I still had one last event planned.
It was the long-awaited training camp of the Environmental Research Club. Although it’s called a training camp, it seems we won’t be spending a whole week in the mountains since the number of days is limited.
By the way, while it’s fresh in my memory that Clarice joined the club, it turns out Albert also joined the Environmental Research Club. Originally, he was learning weight training from the club president, and as a result, he was invited to join and became a member during summer vacation.
“Hey, Evi, long time no see.”
“Ray! It has been a while!”
We were told to meet in front of Kafka Forest, so we gathered there promptly.
Everyone was wearing camouflage clothing. Of course, the sleeves were long. Exposing skin too easily could lead to infections from minor injuries.
Therefore, despite the sweltering heat, this was the attire for the training camp.
“Oh, that’s…”
What caught my gaze was Albert. He was approaching us with a large backpack on his back.
“Albert. It’s been a while since baseball. How have you been?”
As I spoke to him, he smiled.
“Ray, and Evi too! It’s been a while. I’m doing… well, so-so, I guess.”
“But that bulk… looks like you’ve really worked hard this summer.”
“Yeah! I’m surprised as well!”
Indeed. Albert’s physique had definitely become larger. It wasn’t a dramatic change, but the thickness of his chest and the size of his limbs were easily noticeable even through his clothes.
He must have undergone quite a bit of training.
Albert’s growth was remarkable.
After our battle, he had changed significantly.
He had shed his arrogance and complacency and started to face himself earnestly.
He already had talent, and he was putting in the effort.
However, what Albert lacked was the ability to continue putting in more effort without being arrogant about his talent.
Understanding that a sorcerer’s strength is not solely determined by lineage, he faced himself relentlessly… and thus achieved it.
That overwhelming muscle.
Evi and I had been training for a long time, so we certainly had more bulk than Albert.
But even so, we were in awe.
It was clear that he had put in a tremendous amount of effort to attain this muscle.
“Albert. That’s an impressive bulk you’ve got.”
“Well, I’m still not at the level of Ray, Evi… or the club president. But I will continue to train earnestly.”
Albert, smiling brightly, felt more approachable and had a softer demeanor compared to before. I heard he was even popular among the female students.
As the three of us praised each other’s muscles, another first-year club member arrived.
A person with silky, shiny golden hair tied high.
A girl who truly loved twin tails and was loved by twin tails.
It was Clarice.
She arrived with a backpack that was slightly larger than her small frame.
Clarice was also wearing camouflage work clothes instead of her usual short sleeves and shorts. On her head was a straw hat… and upon closer inspection, there was even a Hercules beetle, Siegfried, on her hat.
“Clarice. Have you been well?”
“Yes. Ray, it’s been a while. And Evi and Albert too.”
“Ah! It’s been a while!”
“I also joined the Environmental Research Club during summer vacation. Nice to meet you.”
“Yes, let’s do our best as newcomers.”
Clarice and Albert exchanged handshakes.
With that, this year’s first-year club members were all gathered.
Amidst this, not one of them avoids questioning about Siegfried, who was on Clarice’s head. Evi and Albert each asked Clarice.
“Hey, is that…?”
“Ah, could it be a Hercules beetle?”
“Ah! This little guy is named Siegfried! Nice to meet you! Okay, Siegfried, say hello!”
When Clarice said this to Siegfried, who was attached to her straw hat, it greeted them by shaking its enormous horns up and down.
I see. It seems that Siegfried has become quite attached to Clarice. As expected of Clarice; she has the qualities of a good hunter.
“Whoa! That’s amazing! Does it understand words?”
“Ah… this is intriguing. Could it be that you’ve trained it?”
“Umm, well…”
With that, Clarice began to explain the details.
She had caught it during a bug-catching trip to this forest during summer vacation. And when she was about to release it, for some reason, it came to her.
I didn’t know the details that followed, but it seems that now it is always by Clarice’s side at home. Apparently, they even sleep together. Unlike other insects, it seems to have some intelligence and can understand at least basic words.
Indeed, the insects in Kafka’s forest are highly intelligent. Due to magical factors, the evolved creatures undergo unexpected changes. Originally, monsters are creatures that have transformed into something more ferocious.
Perhaps Siegfried is one of those kinds.
“A good hunter is liked by living creatures… surely that Hercules beetle has seen Clarice’s potential as a hunter.”
Before I knew it, the club president was standing behind us.
With a low voice, he praised Clarice. When she heard those words, Clarice smiled happily.
“Ah, um… thank you, president!”
“Heh… this year’s first-years are quite impressive.”
After that, the other club members gathered, and we promptly entered the forest.
At that time, the president announced the purpose of this training camp.
It was to calm down a Stampede.
Stampede.
This term refers to the phenomenon where monsters go on a rampage as a group. In places like Kafka’s forest, where various monsters exist, stampedes occasionally occur.
It is a natural phenomenon that happens regularly. According to the cycle, stampede in Kafka’s forest happen every year at the end of summer, and calming it down is the task of this training camp.
Currently, we were acting separately from the seniors and were moving as first-years only.
The basic formation was four people in a group. The front line consisted of Clarice and Albert, while the back line had me and Evi.
The reason for this configuration is that Evi and I already hold hunter licenses and are accustomed to dealing with group rampages.
By the way, Evi holds a silver hunter license.
Right now, the setup has Clarice and Albert in the front line confronting monsters to gain experience.
As we moved as a group of four, we heard rustling sounds from deeper within, which suddenly turned into a loud noise, and a large number of giant monsters burst out.
“Whoa!”
“Ugh… there are so many!”
Clarice and Albert understandably flinched at the Huge monsters that had suddenly appeared.
I immediately called out to the two of them.
“Both of you, run the internal code!”
“Understood!!”
Thus, the battle began.
This time, our opponent was a huge spider.
The creature is a type of beetle demon, measuring about three meters in length. There are individual variations, but that is roughly the size. Its breeding cycle is similar to that of a regular spider, but it doesn’t produce many offspring at once. Therefore, in terms of the overall number of demons, they are relatively few.
However, what’s troublesome is its sticky web. Moreover, this is not just any web; it is infused with paralysis poison, making it a formidable threat. Once caught, that’s the end. After that, the victim is mercilessly devoured.
In the hunter community, the huge spider is recognized as quite a tricky opponent.
Of course, Evi and I can easily handle such an opponent, so we support each other.
“Evi. As we discussed, you take care of Albert.”
“Yeah. You’ll look after Clarice, right?”
As I approached Clarice, I gently placed my right hand on her shoulder.
“Alright, Clarice. The huge spider’s web is troublesome. You know this, but it’s infused with paralysis poison.”
“Yeah…”
“That means getting caught in that web is not an option. The basic countermeasure is to freeze its legs first to stop its movement. It varies by person, but since you excel in sorcery, Clarice, that should work well for you.”
“Got it!”
Clarice gathered the Prima Materia around her, converting them according to the code theory to activate her sorcery.
She quickly froze the legs of the approaching huge spider.
──Her accuracy is not bad. Moreover, the mental strength to cast sorcery without flinching in front of such a formidable opponent is remarkable… As expected, Clarice has the potential to become a great hunter.
I calmly analyzed Clarice’s current situation.
Many sorcerers, regardless of gender, are overwhelmed by giant-type demons and cannot cast sorcery properly. In fact, among the academy students facing this many giant spiders, few can use sorcery so calmly.
Despite this fact, Clarice managed to do it on her first try. It’s only natural to be impressed.
“Alright, I’ll take it from here.”
I proceeded to deal with the immobilized huge spider using my dagger.
The huge spiders, seemingly excited due to the group frenzy, approached us while groaning… with a swift motion.
I took them down one after another, while it seemed Evi and the others were doing well too.
“O-RAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
Evi concentrated the Prima Material in his limbs and dealt with the giant spider by punching it with his bare hands. Alongside him, Albert continued to handle them calmly with the broadsword he brought.
“Nice job, both of you.”
I worked together with Clarice to defeat all the Huge Spiders on our side.
“My muscles are on fire!!!”
Evi was rampaging with great enthusiasm.
That sorcery is likely the same as Ariane’s, based on the same principles. However, in Evi’s case, his overwhelming muscles mean that internal code Reinforcement isn’t as necessary.
It’s a fighting style true to his character. He adapts and applies others’ sorcery in his own way. There’s no doubt that Evi ranks high as a sorcerer as well.
That powerful arm must be quite troublesome for the huge spiders.
Although he didn’t stand out, Albert was also doing his best. He calmly dealt with the giant spider in front of him without flinching.
Sweating profusely, Albert acted as the unsung hero, sweeping away the giant spiders that Evi had let loose. It seemed the roles had reversed, but as long as it was functioning well, that was fine.
About ten minutes later.
We successfully calmed the group frenzy in this area.
“Ha… ha… It’s over!”
“Yeah. It seems so.”
“Ha… I’m tired…”
“Clarice definitely has talent. To be able to use sorcery so calmly in the midst of that group frenzy.”
“R-Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm. I’m not particularly happy about it, though!? B-But if you say so, maybe it’s true! Hmph!”
Clarice turned away as usual, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Then, the four of us gathered and later joined up with the department heads. Not a single person was missing, and this year’s group frenzy also came to an end thanks to our Environmental Research Department.
Afterward, of course, we all engaged in muscle training together.
The muscle training in the forest was also refreshing.
“U, unyaaahhh!”
Among us, Clarice was the only woman, and although she didn’t have much muscle mass, she was diligently training.
After spending two days in the forest, our training camp came to an end. With a refreshing sense of fatigue, we left the woods.
“Wow, that was fun!”
“Yeah. Evi was really pumped up too.”
“Yeah! But those two…”
When I glanced back at Evi at the same time, I saw Clarice and Albert with faces that looked like they were about to collapse.
“Are you two okay?”
“Yeah… I’m fine. I just need to rest now.”
Albert seemed to be okay, but on the other hand, Clarice looked completely worn out. Even, Siegfried, who was on her head, seemed worried, gently tapping her head with its horn.
“Clarice, are you alright?”
“No, this is bad. It’s really bad… This training camp is intense… My body hurts… I might cry a little… sniff.”
As expected, Clarice, who hadn’t really done much serious training, was tearing up a bit because she was a girl.
I see. I should see her off until the end.
“Evi, Albert. You guys go ahead. I’ll take Clarice home.”
“Okay.”
“Got it. See you later.”
After saying goodbye to the two, I approached Clarice, lifted her small body onto my back, and began to walk.
“Wait! What are you doing!?”
“I’m taking you home.”
“No, you don’t have to!”
“But it must be tough to walk, right?”
“Yeah… my muscles are sore…”
“It’ll be hard until you get used to it, but let’s do our best. I’ll support you.”
“….Um, thank you for always being there for me, Ray.”
Clarice spoke in a calm voice, different from usual. At first, she resisted a bit, but then she surrendered and leaned on me.
“It’s no problem. If we’re friends, it’s important to help each other.”
“Well… if you ever have any trouble, I’ll help too! So make sure to tell me right away! You tend to keep things to yourself!”
“Yeah. I’ll count on you then.”
“Okay… I’ll be sure to help you!”
And so we continued on our way home.
“Well then, Clarice. See you at school.”
“Yeah. Thanks for walking me home. Bye-bye!”
“Yeah. See you again.”
As Clarice waved her small hand, Siegfried on her head also swung its horn back and forth enthusiastically.
After that, when I returned to the academy, I was met by… all the club members.
“Ray, you’re back.”
“President… and everyone, why are you here?”
“You’re still going to train, right?”
The president grinned, and the others smiled similarly.
“Well, yes. I’ll do one last session!”
So we, the members known as the Muscular Monsters, headed to the gym and sweated out our fatigue through training.
The conclusion of this training camp:
—Indeed, muscles are great!
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