The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

Chapter 65

In games, no matter how long you walk around, the character never gets tired. It’s only natural; if characters grew exhausted just from walking, it would be incredibly frustrating for the player.

Imagine if a character that’s been walking for about an hour had to rest for ten minutes just to keep going—it would be a fatal flaw in lengthy JRPG genres.

Furthermore, in games like these, there aren’t many restrictions on running. As long as it’s not an action RPG, limiting stamina doesn’t significantly affect gameplay. Combat mode takes over whenever you encounter an enemy, so there’s no reason to add a speed limit that would only make traversal tiresome.

The problem is, that only applies to games.

“Heck... huff... huff...”

I could hear heavy breathing from behind me.

The spot where the Elemental Bear was located lay deep within the forest. While it wasn’t pathless or an actual mountain, the trail was far more challenging to walk on compared to the solid paths of a village.

Naturally, walking on such a trail for several minutes without rest is bound to strain your stamina.

"......"

Fortunately, I’d trained myself to a minimum degree. I didn’t have a superhuman body like other protagonists, but at least my stamina wasn’t the worst.

The real problem was Mia Crowfield, who hardly seemed physically active in her daily life.

“Are you okay?”

Claire, who was following closely behind, noticed me maintaining my composure and looked back at Mia Crowfield with concern.

“Huff, yeah... I’m... fine...”

“No, you don’t look fine at all,” Alice interjected.

“Let’s just rest here for a bit. It’s better to meet our prey when we’re all in optimal condition, including Miss Crowfield,” she suggested.

“That’s true. Let’s take a short break,” Claire agreed.

The sky was gradually brightening. We’d left after a meal at four in the morning, knowing full well that venturing into the forest in the dead of night was foolhardy. But we didn’t spend that time idly; we went over the mission details one last time and double-checked our supplies before entering the woods.

No matter how much gaming I’d done, this forest didn’t look exactly like it did in the game’s empire maps. The village layout might have been spot-on, but a forest this large would have been impossible to render identically in-game.

“Haa...”

Mia Crowfield sat down on the ground, sighing heavily.

"..."

I took the water flask from my belt and handed it to her. I’d boiled water earlier in the morning, and after keeping it in my leather pouch at my waist, there was still a bit of warmth left.

“Ah...”

She looked at me with wide eyes, perhaps surprised that I offered her the flask.

“T-thank you.”

Though she seemed hesitant, she couldn’t outright refuse with everyone watching.

Holding the still-warm flask, Mia Crowfield cautiously took a sip, exhaling a small, relieved sigh afterward.

“We might have to forgo some of the missions,” Jake remarked coldly.

To some extent, I agreed with him. Mia Crowfield aside, my stamina had its limits too. While others might think I was superhuman, even with all the training I’d done, I couldn’t outmatch anyone here in terms of sheer strength or stamina—except maybe Mia Crowfield.

The real question was, what about the game’s story?

“Hick.”

Seeing this, Mia Crowfield let out a small scream.

“Stick to the plan,” I said calmly to her.

The scene felt far more intense and brutal than anything I’d seen in the game, but after witnessing people explode and putting a bullet in a wolf’s forehead, I wasn’t fazed.

“Prepare your water-based spell. I’ll cover you from a distance,” I instructed.

Mia Crowfield nodded repeatedly, clutching her staff while moving to a position a bit away from the battlefield.

If I’d had more time, I’d have climbed a tree, but that wasn’t an option now.

I climbed up a nearby large rock, knelt, and aimed my gun at the bear’s head.

Its massive head was a tough target, thrashing madly as it focused on Leo and the others, but I had multiple chances.

Resting my finger on the trigger, I pulled it. The hard metal resisted, then gave way as the gun fired.

Bang!

The gunshot sounded even louder than the ones I’d heard in the military.

It was pure luck that I hit the bear’s head without needing to rewind time.

“Graah!”

But the beast didn’t fall. Blood gushed from one eye, yet it stood tall, glaring at me, undeterred.

If that bear had expressions, this was rage.

Watching its bleeding right eye, I pulled back the bolt, feeling the satisfying click of metal sliding into place, ejecting the empty shell with a faint ping.

Just then, flames burst from the bear’s back.

Even to me, someone who couldn’t sense auras, the bear’s behavior felt unsettling.

“Retreat!” Leo shouted, and everyone quickly backed away.

The bear, surprisingly, didn’t pursue them.

A hissing sound like a boiling kettle came from the bear as it slowly opened its massive jaws, aimed directly at me.

“...Ah.”

Right. In Azerna Legends, even low-level monsters could use magic casually.

Magic with effects identical to human spells.

I’d always wondered how these beasts cast spells that humans needed chants for.

Through the scope, I saw flames flickering deep in its throat.

So, it comes from within!

I fired again in a hurry.

Bang—the shot fired, the recoil hitting my shoulder as my scope jerked up. I didn’t see it pierce the bear’s cheek, but I knew it did.

Simultaneously, Mia Crowfield’s spell, which she had been preparing, finally activated.