"What's the requirement for driving this car?" Fei'erde asked.
"Requirement?" Hilda pondered for a moment before replying, "As long as you know how to drive, you can drive it. There aren't many requirements."
"Well, if you insist on talking about requirements, it can only run on trade routes. It definitely can't handle forests or complex terrain," Fei'erde added.
"Do you need a driver's license or something?" Fei'erde inquired further.
"Nope, do you need a coachman's license to drive a horse-drawn carriage?" Hilda chuckled, thinking Fei'erde was joking.
But the next moment, Fei'erde suddenly stood in front of her, looking at her intently. "Can I have a go at driving it?"
"Huh?" Hilda was taken aback. "Have you ever driven one before?"
"No, but I learn things quickly," Fei'erde grinned.
"Well... alright. Let's head out of the city first, and I'll teach you there," Hilda agreed.
"Great!" Fei'erde exclaimed.
Storing the magic car in his storage ring, they found an empty space outside the city where Hilda began teaching Fei'erde. However, Fei'erde found it surprisingly simple after watching Hilda drive around once.
"I got it!" Fei'erde declared confidently.
"Really?" Hilda looked skeptical. It took her several days to grasp it herself.
"Absolutely!" Fei'erde was eager to get started, placing Kiki in the back seat and waiting eagerly to take the wheel.
"Then it's your turn to try," Hilda nodded, settling into the passenger seat and securing Qiqi in the back with magical restraints similar to seat belts.
Fei'erde took the driver's seat and adjusted it. Fortunately, the car was spacious enough, or his chest would be pressing against the steering wheel. Once settled, Fei'erde gripped the steering wheel and cautiously pressed the accelerator. The car surged forward a short distance.
"Whoa~" Fei'erde exclaimed excitedly.
Hilda, caught off guard by the sudden acceleration, grabbed onto the handrail and pressed her back against the seat. The powerful acceleration even caused Kiki, who was sleeping in the back, to be pushed against the seat.
As the speed increased, a magical protective force field enveloped the car, shielding them from the wind and preventing any disturbances from the high speed.
"It's okay, go back to sleep," Fei'erde reassured Kiki.
"Okay..." the drowsy Kiki mumbled before drifting back to sleep.
Meanwhile, Hilda watched in astonishment as the scenery flew by at a speed of one hundred and fifty to one hundred and sixty kilometers per hour. Despite the dirt road, the car remained stable, thanks to the magic suspension system and Fei'erde's skillful driving.
The sight of Fei'erde effortlessly drifting around a large bend left Hilda dumbfounded. The dust kicked up by the maneuver filled the air, and Fei'erde, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, laughed triumphantly. Hilda couldn't help but feel her heart race at the exhilarating display of skill.
"You lied to me again!" Hilda accused him.
"What did I lie about?" Fei'erde asked innocently.
"You're so skilled at driving. How can you say you've never driven before?" Hilda retorted.
"I haven't driven a magic car before," Fei'erde chuckled. "But I've driven cars powered by something called gasoline in my previous life."
"What's gasoline?" Hilda asked curiously.
"It's a type of fuel. Cars that use it are called gasoline cars. But this magic car is much more powerful and comfortable to drive!" Fei'erde explained.
"What do you mean by powerful?" Hilda inquired.
"It means it's comfortable and has plenty of power," Fei'erde clarified.
"Ah, I see," Hilda nodded, her excitement growing. "Fei'erde, you're amazing!"
"Can you teach me how to drive?" she asked eagerly.
"I want to learn too!" she added.
Fei'erde laughed heartily. "Of course! But do you really like cars?"
"Absolutely! I think magic devices are very practical and aesthetically pleasing, and magic cars are no exception!" Hilda replied enthusiastically.
"I have another car, the Thunder Type III. It's from the same series as the Lightning Type III we just drove. If I have enough money in the future, I want to buy several more, even fancier and faster ones!" Hilda shared excitedly.
"That's a coincidence because I love cars too!" Fei'erde exclaimed. "We can go on adventures together when we have them!"
"Yeah!" Hilda's face lit up with anticipation.
With Fei'erde's driving skills, the flat plains of the trade route became Fei'erde's racetrack. They arrived at the Kotomo Ore District in less than twenty minutes.
Hilda got out of the car with a look of excitement. Experiencing the exhilarating speed and impressive drifting skills, her desire to exercise diminished considerably. She was eager to learn car skills from Fei'erde.
"I want to learn how to drift!" she declared.
Fei'erde chuckled, accepting her request. "After we finish the mission."
"Let Kiki sleep in the car. The car's protective shield can withstand attacks from Platinum-level magical beasts for a long time, and there are no Platinum-level magical beasts on the surface nearby, so it's safe," Hilda suggested.
Fei'erde nodded, then approached Kiki, saying, "Qiqi, we're going into the mine now. You stay here and sleep. Be good and wait for us to come back, okay?"
Qiqi, rubbing her sleepy eyes, looked at Fei'erde and nodded. "Okay, meow~"
Fei'erde smiled, ruffling her hair gently before turning to head into the mine with Hilda.
Qiqi settled back onto the seat, finding it incredibly comfortable with the heated function. As she drifted back to sleep, she couldn't help but feel grateful for the luxury of the magic car.
Inside the mine, Fei'erde changed into heavy armor and picked up a shield and hammer, exuding an imposing aura reminiscent of a boss character from certain open-world AAA games.
Even Hilda couldn't help but remark, "If you charged into battle like that, you'd be as fierce as a magic war chariot."
"Haha, maybe," Fei'erde agreed with a grin, before striding confidently toward the largest mine entrance.
"The cave was initially artificially excavated, but later it was occupied by monsters," Field observed the huge footprints on the ground and remarked, "And without a doubt, there should be a big guy deep inside."
Hilda nodded in agreement, saying, "The most common monsters here are the Rock Lizards. They are communal creatures, and when their numbers are sufficient, they can give birth to a Rock Lizard King, at least of platinum rank, and one of the tougher ones within that rank."
"Is your mission to hunt down the Rock Lizard King?" Field inquired.
"No, I'm here to hunt down platinum-level Cave Spiders, as well as Long Claw Burrowers and Wander Earth Dragons, and I also need to collect twelve pieces of octagonal crystal ore," Hilda clarified.
With a nod of understanding from Hilda, the two proceeded deeper into the cave.
After walking for about a few hundred meters, they encountered the first monster—a Rock Lizard. Two golden-level Rock Lizards, busy gnawing on rocks, immediately lunged at the sight of humans.
But before Field could intervene, Hilda conjured two orbs of light, which promptly sent the lizards flying.
Field looked at Hilda and saw her proudly lifting her chin, "Since you told me I forgot to use magic last time, I've been strengthening my magical abilities."
"It seems to have paid off," Field chuckled.
They continued onward.
The underground cave was labyrinthine, already dug into a maze by these earth-type monsters. After navigating for over an hour, they finally found their first target—the Cave Spider.
The Cave Spider was massive, with eight legs stretched out, easily seven to eight meters long, and looked quite fierce.
It resembled a wolf spider but with a hardened layer of chitin on its body. Its defense could be further enhanced by absorbing some hard minerals or metals.
The Cave Spider was formidable, even for a team of adventurers, all of platinum rank. Dealing with a platinum-level Cave Spider would take quite some time.
Unfortunately for it, it encountered Field.
Strong defense on the surface didn't necessarily mean strong defense internally. Field's heavy hammer was perfect for dealing with these "tough outside, soft inside" monsters.
Moreover, Hilda's magic was quite potent. She immobilized the Cave Spider with a spell, allowing Field to raise his hammer and deliver several heavy blows. In just under five strikes, the Cave Spider was knocked out, and a couple more strikes ensured its defeat.
After extracting the Cave Spider's crystal core, Field dismantled its fangs, poison glands, exoskeleton, and other useful materials and continued onward.
Octagonal crystal ores were easy to find, exposed on the ground like seasoning cloves but in the form of crystal stones. Many mineral derivatives could be found on various ore deposits.
Collecting as they went, Field soon gathered twelve pieces. Then, they encountered their second hunting target—the Wander Earth Dragon.
The Wander Earth Dragon was different from the Earth Dragon. While the Earth Dragon had dragon lineage, albeit diluted, and could be considered a pseudo-dragon, the Wander Earth Dragon was a monstrous creature resembling an oversized earthworm, with a tough and highly stretchable skin.
Its attack method involved unexpectedly burrowing out from the ground and swallowing its prey with its three-sectioned large mouth. Alternatively, it could coil up, stand upright, and suddenly extend to bite or spit acid. Due to its highly stretchable skin, its attack range could even reach three times its usual body length, and it was incredibly fast.
The one they were facing now, rather than saying they found it, it practically came to them willingly.
While walking peacefully, the ground suddenly trembled slightly, and then a large mouth emerged from under Hilda's feet, attempting to swallow her. But Hilda reacted quickly, dodging out of harm's way.
Seeing the Wander Earth Dragon coiled up and ready to attack, Hilda shed her playful and adorable demeanor, transforming into a graceful yet lethal Swan Swordswoman. The Swan's Pride in her hand rose, aimed directly at the Wander Earth Dragon.
"I'll handle this one!" Hilda declared.
"No problem," Field replied, planting his hammer into the ground and watching the show with a cigarette in his mouth.
The battle lasted less than ten seconds. Field barely finished smoking half a cigarette when the Wander Earth Dragon was already enveloped in the swan-feather-like sword aura, then sliced into seventeen or eighteen pieces amidst the sound of swords and the glow of the blade.
"Wow..." Field pursed his lips in approval.
Hilda's growth was evident to the naked eye.
The crystal core fell in front of Field, and with a flick of the sword, a sandy yellow crystal core flew towards him.
Field caught it and saw Hilda elegantly sheathing her sword before walking away.
Haha, I must have impressed the big dummy!
Hilda remained expressionless on the surface, but inside, she was delighted.
However, after waiting for a moment, there was no praise from Field, not even the sound of footsteps. Instead, there was the sound of cutting.
Perplexed, Hilda turned around to see Field cutting up the carcass of the Wander Earth Dragon, muttering to himself.
"This is good stuff, can't waste it. It's excellent material for making underwear!" He had already put on the pair custom-made by Britney.
The feeling of being wrapped up, snug and comfortable, made him decide to bring the skin of the Wander Earth Dragon back, provide his own materials, and have Britney's clothing store make a few more pairs of underwear.
Providing his own materials would make them much cheaper.
Hilda was speechless for a moment, then her cheeks puffed out slightly as she said, "Can't you pay attention to my swordsmanship? What does making underwear out of Wander Earth Dragon skin have to do with anything?"
"I did pay attention. It was beautiful and elegant," Field nodded.
"Dismissive!" Hilda stomped her foot.
"Alright then," Field put away the Wander Earth Dragon skin and asked, "How does the sword feel?"
Hilda finally smiled and said, "It's fantastic!"
"It's the best sword I've ever used!"
"It feels like an extension of my body. I've never felt this way before when wielding a sword!"
"Right, the sword I made is truly one of a kind," Field chuckled.
Hilda nodded, but then she felt something was off.
She had wanted Field to praise her, but somehow, it turned into her praising Field?
She got sidetracked by this guy again!
Hilda's cheeks puffed out again, and with a
toss of her ponytail, she turned her head away. "Big dummy!"
Field: "?"
What did I do this time?
Even Field, sometimes, couldn't understand a girl's mind.
Next up was the Long Claw Burrower.
But whether it was because their luck ran out or for some other reason, after wandering in the underground maze for two hours, they hadn't encountered a single Long Claw Burrower. Instead, they ran into numerous earth-type monsters.
After dozens of battles, Hilda was starting to feel tired, but Field seemed as lively as ever.
"Where is this Long Claw Burrower hiding? Why is it so hard to find?" Hilda began to complain.
She usually wouldn't complain when she was training alone, but now with Field, she became more active and enjoyed expressing her emotions.
It was like playing games alone—silent and solitary—but playing with friends could lead to howling and wailing.
It wasn't about spreading negative energy, it was just about wanting to communicate, to interact.
"The Long Claw Burrower is a rare monster, so it's not so easy to find," Field explained.
"Hmph, if it doesn't show itself soon, when I find it, I'll make sure it regrets it!" Hilda kicked a stone with her toe, speaking with determination, though her demeanor was surprisingly adorable.
"When you find it, you deal with it..." Field chuckled. But before he could finish, a massive creature suddenly emerged from the walls ahead, emitting a metallic sheen, with claws several meters long—the Long Claw Burrower!
Hilda was thrilled at the sight, immediately drawing her sword and preparing to charge.
However, at that moment, Field unexpectedly grabbed her and pulled her into his embrace.
Startled, Hilda felt a mix of panic and annoyance.
Before she could voice her confusion, the walls around them began to crack loudly, and then massive fissures appeared in the overhead rock layers, spreading rapidly.
Then, they collapsed!
"Boom boom boom..."