Battle preparations

At night, the thick fog gradually dispersed, and moonlight spilled down.

After nearly a full day of trekking, the adventuring party had left the Misty Path behind.

Their journey had gone smoothly, without any battles or mishaps. Only a few wolves had watched them from a distance in the woods before retreating on their own.

Despite having visited many times, Renato was stunned by the beauty of Mirror Lake every time.

Mirror Lake-as its name suggested, its surface was perfectly smooth, without a single ripple, as though it were not liquid at all, but a mirror.

In the darkness, the lake seemed to become a second starry sky, reproducing every star above with perfect precision. Standing on its shore, Renato even felt as though heaven and earth had traded places.

The Mage chose a hillside far from the shore for their campsite, saying they needed to guard against possible threats in the water. Everyone was unhappy with that. Adventurers had camped beside Mirror Lake countless times, and there was not even a fish in the water. What threat could there possibly be?

But he was a mage, and the one paying for this job, so no one dared object aloud. They could only mutter a few curses in private while fetching water from the lake to vent their frustration.

Winter was approaching, and the nights in the Phantom Forest were much colder than the days, so they gathered some dead branches and built a campfire. At least that would make sleeping a little more comfortable.

Unlike the stories written by bards, there was no communal feast at their camp, let alone any heartwarming fireside conversations.

Perhaps adventuring parties elsewhere had comfortable tents and delicious meat stew... but the parties from Brekka Town had no such luxuries. Nor did the adventurers have room to carry these "luxuries." Every inch of space on their bodies and every ounce of strength went toward hauling loot and fighting monsters.

Like everyone else, Renato pulled his rations from his pack: a piece of black bread dried so hard it was as solid as a rock.

"It tastes like plaster and feels like cement." That was Renato's objective assessment of the food. No matter how many times he ate it, he still could not get used to black bread's "unique" texture.

Even a knife can't cut through it. Keep eating this stuff and sooner or later all my teeth will fall out. I need to make some money soon, or winter's going to be rough...

The Mage settled some distance from the campfire, scattering an unknown powder as he pressed his hand to the ground and murmured under his breath.

No one knew what the Mage was doing, and no one wanted to ask.

Stay away from a mage casting spells, whether friend or foe. That was common knowledge among adventurers.

After all, most mages had strange personalities, and their spells had all manner of bizarre effects. Of all the terrible things in the world, one tenth were caused by mortals, and nine tenths by conflicts among the gods. And of that tenth caused by mortals, ninety-nine percent came from mages' boundless curiosity and terrible magic.

Everyone shifted as far toward the other side of the campfire as they could, trying to put more distance between themselves and the Mage.

After a full day of traveling while constantly keeping watch over their surroundings, no one had the energy or inclination to chat. Once Renato finished his routine equipment maintenance, he leaned against a rock, gripped his sword hilt with his right hand, and closed his eyes for a short nap.

As he worked his stiff joints, Renato felt as though ice had seeped into his marrow. The rock had left his back aching, and his linen shirt clung to his body in wrinkles, uncomfortable no matter how he adjusted it. Various noises had woken him more than a dozen times throughout the night. Thankfully, no monsters had attacked.

But his brief stretches of sleep had done nothing to ease his fatigue. Instead, he felt even more exhausted.

Everyone in the adventuring party was listless except the Mage, who had produced a finely made tent from somewhere. Renato suspected he carried some sort of spatial storage item.

Fortunately, they did not have far to travel that day. Following Mirror Lake and crossing another ridge, the party finally reached Mute Valley after less than three hours of brisk walking, before the sun rose high.

Two mountain ranges met there, forming an enormous fissure. Their shadows fell across the valley entrance, leaving it unusually dim. The surroundings were eerily quiet, too. The chirping insects and birdsong that had accompanied them along the way had vanished.

Renato had no mind to admire the scenery just then. After scouting the terrain outside the Spider Nest, the ten adventurers sat in a circle to discuss how they could deal with the giant spiders inside without damaging the loot.

"I say we get some wood, build a fire, and burn those big bugs alive in there."

"How big a fire would that take? Shut up, big guy. We're not here to chop firewood!" The freckle-faced female adventurer paused. "And what about the spider eggs the Mage wants? The job didn't say he wanted them cooked!"

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Well, burning them definitely won't work." The female adventurer rubbed her chin. "Let's just do it the old way and fight our way in!"

"Fuck you! Go fight your way in yourself! You're even dumber than the big guy!"

"Listen to me! Listen!" Joe shouted. "We definitely can't just fight our way in. It's dark in there and full of webs. We can't fight the spiders inside the cave!"

Seeing everyone fall silent, Joe lowered his voice and continued:

"So we need to lure them out and fight them outside."

"Little Finger, spare us the obvious. The question is how we lure them out, and who does it." The speaker was Marcus, the "Deserter," a powerfully built man wearing a mail shirt, with a military billhook resting against his shoulder.

"We could draw lots..."

A short, stout man holding a chopping blade stood up and cut him off:

"Draw my ass! Little Finger, everyone knows you're a cheat. What, losing a finger for cheating wasn't enough to teach you a lesson?"

Renato did not join their discussion. Instead, he looked toward the Mage, who stood off to one side, deliberately ignored by everyone.

He was their employer. By the usual rules, he did not need to take part in the coming operation.

But Renato knew that magical support could often determine whether a battle ended in victory or defeat.

With the advice from the Adventurer's Guide in mind as well, Renato decided to speak to the mysterious Mage.

After considering his wording, Renato took the initiative and asked:

"Sir, what are your thoughts on this operation?"

The Mage did not turn around. Still standing where he was, studying the distant Spider Nest, he replied evenly:

"I am only responsible for recording your results and paying you accordingly. I've paid for the job. I won't be taking part."

"But we're ill-prepared. If we rush into this, we risk failing the job and wasting your time. With the help of your spells, though, I believe we could complete it quickly and smoothly."

The Mage stroked his ring, seemingly deaf to Renato's words. Only after a brief pause did he speak:

"I will not take part in this operation. Every spell I cast has a cost. I hired you; there is no reason to demand that the employer participate." Then his tone shifted. "But for the sake of efficiency, I can help lure the giant spiders out before you begin. Beyond that, I will provide no additional magical assistance."

With the Mage's promise secured, the adventurers' meeting immediately broke up, and everyone began preparing to fight the giant spiders outside the nest.

"Now, everyone, get into position. I don't have that much time to waste. In one hour, I will cast a spell to lure some of the giant spiders out of the nest."