Demonstration and Concealment

Four people were speaking.

The most striking was a woman with a large bow on her back. She stood somewhere between five foot nine and five foot eleven, a height rare even among female Adventurers.

She looked about twenty-three or twenty-four, with mature, striking features. Her leather armor followed the curves of her figure.

The others seemed to defer to her, so Rain guessed the tall woman was their captain, or at least the core of their battle tactics.

To her left stood a warrior in full scale armor, carrying a Kite Shield on his back.

He had taken off his helmet, revealing short blond hair and a tough, capable look.

To her right was another swordsman with an iron round shield on his back and a one-handed sword. An uncommon hand crossbow hung at his waist.

Last was a young man in leather armor, toying with a dagger. The way it danced between his fingers made it clear he was probably a prospective Rogue.

Judging by their equipment, the team was likely among the best Adventurer parties on the guild hall's first floor.

Full scale armor, Chainmail, and iron shields were none of them cheap. They had the strength to match a mission to kill Boarfolk.

But they wanted an archer. That was a problem.

Still, Rain could attack from a distance. It was just that—

Even after nearly a month, he could still cast only three spells.

Rain did not know whether an Apprentice Mage at his level could fill the role of a skilled archer on the team.

As he hesitated, the young man with the Kite Shield called out:

"Whistling Hunters are recruiting a temporary member! If you're an experienced, skilled archer, come talk to me."

"Whistling Hunters? I've heard of them. I think they spend most of their time around Dorn City."

"Are they a team of Professionals?"

"No, but I hear their captain is about to become one. See? That tall beauty with the big bow."

While Rain hesitated, the call drew plenty of attention.

Two Adventurers carrying powerful bows approached the young man with the Kite Shield and spoke quietly with him. Both seemed interested, but he shook his head each time.

Neither of them appeared to meet his requirements.

Rain quickly decided to give it a try.

An opportunity like this might not come again. What did he have to lose?

Of course, Rain was only going to try his luck.

"Um... hello. I'm not an archer, but I can attack from a distance."

"You?" The young man with the Kite Shield looked Rain up and down, plainly doubtful.

After two years as an Adventurer, Chris had developed a fairly reliable way to judge another Adventurer's strength.

The young man before him carried a spear, which alone made him likely to be a novice.

After all, Chris had never heard of any Combat Techniques for spear-wielders in the Warrior Profession around Dorn City.

Adventurers working toward becoming Combat-Class Adventurers were much more likely to carry one-handed swords, greatswords, or Warhammers.

Then Chris's gaze fell on Rain's left hand.

Well, there it was!

A ring-studded round shield!

Together with the spear, that made the complete novice Adventurer set.

Hah!

He did not even have a bow or crossbow. What had he said about attacking from a distance?

Was he going to throw his spear?

Chris was ready to wave the young man away.

But Rain had a reasonably sturdy build, and there was nothing irritating about the way he had asked. Chris decided to give him one more question.

"How do you plan to attack from a distance?"

"Uh... I know a spell. It's only a cantrip, but it has decent power. The thing is, I—"

Smack!

The young man with the Kite Shield seized Rain's wrist. Eyes wide, he asked in a hurried, faintly trembling voice:

"You're an Apprentice Mage?"

"Well..."

"Wait. Come with me."

With that, Chris dragged Rain over to the tall, beautiful woman.

"Captain, I found an Apprentice Mage!" Chris said excitedly.

The others' conversation stopped dead.

Both the tall, graceful archer and the man with the round shield stared at Rain in surprise.

Even the leather-armored man who had been twirling his dagger like a magician froze.

His dagger slipped from his hand, but he quickly bent and snatched it back up.

At least it had not hit the ground.

"Hello. I'm Leah Olsen, captain of the Whistling Hunters Adventurer team. It's a pleasure to meet you!" The tall archer took a deep breath, seeming to steady herself, then stepped forward.

"Hello. Rain. Rain Farrell." Rain hurriedly shook her hand.

He felt a rough callus between the thumb and forefinger of her fair hand. Rain knew it came from years of holding a bow.

"Forgive me for being blunt, but finding an Apprentice Mage without a regular team in Mill Town is rarer than running into a Mutant Goblin."

"Rain, I'm sorry. It's not that I don't believe you. It just seems so unlikely. If you're willing, could we find somewhere for you to demonstrate your spell?"

The first part made Rain pause. That comparison is oddly apt, though Mutant Goblins really are harder to come across than Apprentice Mages.

As for Leah's request, it did not surprise him. He readily agreed.

"Of course!"

If he wanted to join an Adventurer team, he needed to show what he could do.

Whether to reveal his full strength was a matter of judgment, but Rain figured he should show about eighty percent of it.

Especially since they were actually looking for an archer. To change their minds, he needed to impress them.

The five of them soon reached a small grove near Mill Town.

It was only a little over a hundred meters from the woods where Rain often practiced, so he knew the area well.

Rain wasted no time. "I'll aim for the trunk of the third tree on the right. Is that all right?"

"Of course." Leah nodded at once.

At the same time, she wondered:

He's that accurate?

Hitting a tree trunk precisely from about eighteen meters away would put him well beyond an ordinary Apprentice Mage.

Could it be an area spell?

But I've never heard of an area spell among the cantrips an Apprentice Mage can learn.

The others had their own thoughts.

Hiss!

While they were still wondering, Rain raised his hand and released a blue-white beam slightly thicker than a thumb.

It struck the trunk of the third tree he had named.

With a soft hiss, it burst against the bark.

White ice crystals spread across a wide patch of the trunk around the point of impact.

"Freezing Ray!" they cried in unison, unable to hide their surprise.