I Will Be Unrivaled With The Skill [Sewing]! They Said It Was A Bad Skill, But With Effort, I will Make It A Hit~ - Chapter 59

Episode 59: The Pack

“What lies beyond the canyon past the rocky desert of Padokia?”

There was no answer written anywhere.

Neither the library of the magic academy nor the guild’s archives contained any records. Even when asking the surveyors of the Imperial Geographic Institute, they claimed that no one had documented a journey beyond the canyon.

At first, it was just simple curiosity.

No matter how much they searched for clues about the Desert Rose, nothing turned up. Searching the desert itself was futile—it wasn’t as if it would just be lying there.

With no clear leads and no direction to move forward, boredom eventually set in.

As the long break approached, Mof suggested.

“Since we don’t know much about the Desert Rose, why don’t we just head straight into the desert and go as far as we can?”

Without much thought, Lucius responded:

“Sure, let’s go.”

“Mof! They’re coming from the right too! Hold them off somehow!”

“Got it!”

Lucius and Mof were surrounded by about thirty Lizardmen.

Primitive as they were, the creatures wielded weapons and armor. Moreover, though unrefined, they had assigned roles—defenders, attackers, and stone throwers.

Individually, they weren’t particularly strong. As bronze-ranked adventurers, Lucius and Mof could take them down one-on-one without much difficulty.

However, being surrounded by such numbers, especially with an organized strategy, made the situation quite troublesome.

Using Mof’s 【Cotton Magic】  and Lucius’s 【Holy Magic】 , the two managed to force their way across the canyon.

The canyon was known for its strong winds, making any attempt to fly over it nearly impossible. Instead, Lucius and Mof continuously descended using cotton cushions, allowing them to reach the bottom safely, albeit with some effort.

After their relentless struggle to cross the massive canyon, they entered a forested area. The land was abundant with wild herbs, fruits, and small animals, allowing them to rest and recover. It felt like a paradise to Lucius.

They took their time restoring their strength at the forest’s edge. However, the moment they ventured deeper to investigate, they found themselves surrounded by Lizardmen.

The Lizardmen let out croaking cries—“Gueh, gueh,”—using them to coordinate their movements. Though their vocabulary seemed limited, suggesting they weren’t highly intelligent, Lucius still found their teamwork impressive.

After fighting for a while, Lucius realized that among the attackers, defenders, and stone throwers, the real threat was the stone throwers. The attackers and defenders weren’t much of a danger to them.

“Mof, prioritize deflecting the stones! Cover me if you have extra time!”

“Okaaay!”

Encouraged by Mof’s lively response, Lucius pressed forward and wiped out the Lizardman pack.

As they moved deeper into the forest, they spotted three more packs, each consisting of several dozen Lizardmen. Their weapons and armor varied slightly, suggesting they were separate groups.

If all of them attacked at once, their lives would be in serious danger.

Drenched in sweat, the two hurriedly retreated to their “paradise” at the forest’s edge.

They built a simple shelter, making it their temporary base camp. For two days, they observed their surroundings, but no Lizardmen appeared.

While cautiously moving between the forest’s edge and its interior, they noticed subtle differences in vegetation. Though they weren’t sure of the cause, they speculated that the outer region might not be part of the Lizardmen’s territory. Taking this into account, they started devising a strategy.

Crossing the canyon had been their original goal, meaning their mission should have been complete.

However, the thrill of adventure had taken hold of them.

Lucius and Mof now longed to see what lay beyond.

Six months had passed since Lucius and Mof entered Padokia Magic Academy.

Surrounded by hot-blooded students, their days were filled with nothing but battles.

Lucius had managed to fend off every single challenger.

Even so, he wasn’t necessarily the strongest in his year. Some students radiated an intimidating aura of strength.

Yet, strangely enough, none of them challenged him, nor did they make any moves against him.

They had declared themselves “mages.”

At first, Lucius had wondered why they would openly say such a thing. But now, he realized—it was a strategy to avoid unnecessary fights. Mages were most effective at mid to long range, so hot-headed individuals were less likely to challenge them directly.

This was likely why Lucius and Mof received vastly different numbers of challenges.

Lucius had told everyone that his skills were focused on swordsmanship, never using magic at school.

At first, some students assumed he was just a delicate-looking pretty boy they could easily overpower. They challenged him with that intent—only to be swiftly and decisively defeated.

The girls, who had initially thought he was just another handsome but weak student, quickly began paying attention to him. And where female attention gathered, male rivals inevitably followed.

Lucius soon found himself targeted by an increasing number of challengers.

At times, he found it exhausting, at others, he welcomed the fights. It all depended on his opponent.

There were even times when he and Mof were invited out by female classmates. But none of them had the optimism of Seneca or the intelligence of Kito. Lucius quickly grew bored and returned to his sword training.

He was aware that such behavior was rude and expected some distance to form between him and his peers. Yet, for some reason, his popularity only grew. Eventually, he gave up trying to understand it altogether.

As time went on, Lucius began to feel a growing sense of unease.

He knew he was getting stronger, but it felt… superficial. While the experience of fighting against other students was valuable, he felt as though he had reached a plateau in terms of fundamental strength.

He found himself wondering—what was Seneca doing now?

What had she managed to achieve with her skills? Was she still sewing?

No, knowing Seneca, she had probably developed some incredible new skill by now.

And Kito?

Had she mastered the use of 【Alchemy】  and continued her carefree wandering?

But what if Kito had actually dedicated herself to serious study?

If so, then someone like Lucius would be left behind in an instant, only able to look up at her from below.

Lucius wasn’t entirely sure of his own abilities.

But he did know one thing—Seneca and Kito were the kind of people who could surpass him if he remained complacent.

If he truly wanted to get closer to being a hero, he needed to push himself in a fundamentally different way than before.

It was at that moment of realization that Mof had proposed their desert expedition.

And Lucius, without hesitation, agreed.

Lucius and Mof discussed whether they should continue exploring the forest.

After weighing their options, they decided to wait and observe for a while longer.

This wasn’t indecisiveness—it was a calculated decision.

Lucius’s 【Holy Magic】 was already highly versatile. It could be used for healing, offense, and even defense by expanding his magical energy. If things went wrong, he could buy them time.

Mof’s 【Cotton Magic】  was equally useful. It was more suited for defense and containment, making escape far easier.

Additionally, during their travels, the two had developed a joint technique called “Capsule.”

It involved Mof wrapping the enemy in cotton while Lucius reinforced it with a barrier of 【Holy Magic】.

They had once tested it on a Church knight of gold-rank adventurer level. Even that skilled knight had struggled to break free, meaning that most monsters wouldn’t stand a chance.

If they took too long attacking, they risked being surrounded by the creatures ahead.

Thus, their plan was to make quick, quiet strikes, retreat to their camp if things went well, and flee to the canyon if things got dangerous.

Lucius’s scouting ability was below Seneca’s but above Mof’s.

Since he was also used to handling sudden attacks, they decided on a formation where Lucius would take the lead while Mof followed closely behind.

The objective was investigation, but proceeding on a whim would only lead to getting lost, so they focused on moving straight ahead.

After walking for a while without encountering any Lizardman hordes, they suddenly emerged into an open space.

Looking around, they saw several structures made of wood and leaves piled unnaturally high. The two of them approached to take a closer look.

The structures were taller than a person. The branches and leaves were decayed, but the branches were uniform in length and bound together with vines.

“Are these… houses?”

At Mof’s words, Lucius took another look and felt convinced that they were indeed dwellings.

There were traces of large leaves having been layered on top, and gaps that could serve as entrances had been created. The interiors were hollow.

Though they were partially decayed and somewhat collapsed, the inner space was still intact. These were definitely homes.

“Did they build these?”

“They” referred to the Lizardmen. The creatures had crude wooden swords and stone axes, as well as armor made from plant materials like tree bark. If they possessed the skill to craft such weapons and armor, building homes wouldn’t be impossible.

“This might have been a village.”

“Yeah, I think so too. I’ve heard that monsters can form societies, but actually seeing it is surprising.”

Despite his words, Mof didn’t seem all that surprised.

“Their attire varied depending on the horde, so maybe each village forms its own band of warriors.”

“Yeah. This is fascinating, but if we get too caught up in it, we might be in danger.”

“Right. If there’s a larger horde we haven’t encountered yet, there’s a high chance it contains a variant species or a higher-ranking type.”

“Only powerful ones exist among higher-ranking Lizardmen… Lucius, I think this is beyond what we can handle.”

“Yeah. At the very least, we’d need a Silver-ranked adventurer with us.”

“In that case, let’s withdraw.”

The two of them quickly made their way back to the edge of the forest.

“Hey, Mof… what were we even doing here in the end?”

“Who knows? But aren’t we happy? Let’s get stronger and return once we have the means to fight a higher-ranking Lizardman. Whether this experience becomes a waste or a treasure depends on us. So let’s make it something fun!”

Mof was unusually talkative, and Lucius found himself listening intently, engraving those words deep into his heart.

Although they decided to retreat from the Lizardman forest, they felt reluctant to leave entirely. So before heading back to Padokia, they chose to train in the gorge at the forest’s edge. They still had more than half of their break left.

There weren’t many monsters in this area, and they could gather food by entering the outskirts of the forest. Though they had preserved rations, fresh fruits and game provided much better nutrition.

The Church had accumulated an enormous amount of information regarding skills. Not only about their types, but also extensively researched methods for leveling up.

Among them, 【Holy Magic】  was regarded as a supreme skill, with the most optimized leveling methods.

The previous generation’s “Saint of Destruction” was famous for achieving Level 2 in a record-breaking eleven months and two days. The current “Saint of Healing” took eleven months and twenty-three days.

Lucius, on the other hand, spent thirteen months, as he not only focused on leveling up but also dedicated effort to mock battles with knights. Considering that the majority of people never level up even after ten years, the fact that a reproducible leveling method had been established was nothing short of astonishing.

It was said that the most important factor in leveling 【Holy Magic】  was constant prayer.

By thinking about the Goddess Atharna all day long and offering continuous prayers, one could apparently raise their level. However, since Lucius managed to level up quickly despite not devoting himself to prayer, he didn’t place much importance on this practice.

The next crucial factor was said to be mana control. Since the essence of [Holy Magic] relied on manipulating sacred mana, mastering this ability meant unlocking countless possibilities.

At Level 1, the first step was to acquire the basics of mana control.

Lucius was taught that altering mana and enveloping his body with it was essential, so he trained in this extensively. By mastering this, he could enhance his defense, allowing him to withstand attacks from elite knights for extended periods.

Enduring strikes from elite knights meant accumulating high-quality proficiency points, leading to efficient level-ups.

Lucius reached Level 2 through this method and gained the 【Armor】  sub-skill.

The next stage involved training to extend the mana covering his body outward. This, too, required advanced mana control.

Once he could project his mana significantly away from his body, he would have elite knights strike the mana barrier repeatedly—this was said to lead to Level 3. At that point, he would acquire the 【Barrier】  sub-skill.

Lucius found it dull.

He understood the importance of leveling up, but just standing there and letting high-ranking knights hit him endlessly felt like pointless training. Even if his level increased, he doubted this method would grant him the strength he truly sought.

So, despite knowing it was inefficient, Lucius chose to spar normally with the knights instead and abandoned the defensive mana training.

He decided to train in his own way for several years, and if he ever hit a wall, he could always fall back on the Church’s method. Even if that meant being delayed by a few years, it would still be considered incredibly fast progress by normal standards.

According to what the current Saint told him, after reaching Level 3, training methods should be adjusted based on one’s aptitude. However, since “Exorcism” was crucial, she advised him to practice purifying cursed objects continuously.

The current Saint had obtained the unique sub-skill 【Heal】  upon reaching Level 4, which was why she was known as the “Saint of Healing.” The previous Saint had also reached Level 4 and obtained the 【Destruction】  sub-skill.

“I wonder what you’ll become,” the Saint had said with a good-natured smile.

Remembering that, Lucius couldn’t help but smile a little himself.