Half an hour later, Luz got dropped at the field while Liv continued walking while carrying a stack of books that reached 1.5 meters in height.
Gulping, Luz looked around the field in hopes of finding any familiar faces. Unfortunally, or rather as one might expect, Luz only saw peasants who were busy picking fruits, and he slowly approached one of them.
A man who looked like he was in his fifties immediately recognized the symbol on Luz's chest and commented with a rough voice while holding fruits: "Are you, Luz?"
"Yes, that's my name. Do you perhaps know what I'm supposed to do, elder?" Luz asked while scratching the back of his head.
The man chuckled upon hearing his question.
"Lewis already told us about a clueless man that will approach us. But fear not, young man. Lewis is waiting for you at the forest border," the man explained while pointing towards the forest.
Nodding, Luz expressed his thanks, but as he was about to continue, the man shouted: "Wait! I've got some fruits for you and Lewis."
"Thanks," stated Luz while taking the two fruits that were the size of his fist. Interestingly, it was Luz's first time seeing such a fruit that resembled an apple, even though it was in a marine blue color.
Author note: Apples are canon now since I'm too lazy to think about regular fruits that aren't special. Well, this fruit is a bit special but not that special.
Nonetheless, he quickly lost interest in them and soon found Lewis. The latter was observing the field while leaning his crossbow on his shoulder. Upon seeing Luz, he waved toward him.
Shortly after Luz reached him, Lewis asked the former with a yawn: "Do you know what we will be doing here?"
To which Luz replied by shaking his head.
"Don't worry. I expected that. But to keep it short, you see these workers there? We gotta protect them from wild animals," explained Lewis with a smile while pointing onto the field.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
"Wait, wild animals? Why should they be leaving the forest? I thought these creatures were rather shy," Luz asked, perplexed since there shouldn't be a reason for such animals to leave the forest.
Lewis slowly grabbed one of the apples Luz held before stating: "Because of these fruits. They are fruits containing mana, and wild animals love the smell it emits."
"Aren't they hella expensive, and shouldn't mages be picking them?" Luz asked, and Lewis shook his head before continuing to explain.
"Nah, these ones are low-quality mana fruits. They might help refresh around one-fourth of a beginner mage's mana pool, and only small creatures such as rabbits are interested in them. If we're unlucky, we'll also have to deal with a pack of wolves."
Upon seeing Luz take out a small blunt hunting knife, Lewis opened a box, laying behind him while casually stating: "Put that trash away. We will be using these boys, and I'll teach you how to use them."
Inside the box was another crossbow with some arrows, and Luz was thrilled while taking it out. He once saw some of the hunters of his village use such weapons, but they never let Luz nor the rest of his age touch them.
"Fortunately for you, you and I are on the same shift for the entire week. Starting with next week, you'll be solely responsible for the field for a couple of weeks. If you do this job well, there's a chance you'll be assigned somewhere else," Lewis told him casually while glancing over the field.
His eyes immediately narrowed upon noticing a rabbit 50 meters away from him on the field, and with a sigh, he aimed with his crossbow and shot. The arrow shot immediately bore through the skull, killing the rabbit instantly.
"One shot, one kill," commented Lewis proudly while reloading his crossbow.
'Damn. I probably wouldn't even hit such a creature even if I used a bow,' went through Luz's head as he was amazed by the latter's mastery over the crossbow.
"Anyway, it's time to teach you how to use a crossbow," Lewis commented before explaining to Luz the technical details of the weapon and how to use it.
After about 10 minutes of explaining, Luz began shooting at a tree to get more familiar with using it. But unfortunately, his aim left a lot to be desired. Nevertheless, that didn't stop him from practicing, and he shot from time to time while observing the field for any creature. Meanwhile, the evening sun gradually set over the horizon, and Luz still hasn't hit any creature yet. Sighing, he lamented about his failures before spotting another rabbit. Excited, he slowly lifted his arm, telling Lewis that he wanted to give it another try.
On the other hand, Lewis commented in encouragement upon spotting it: "Yo, Luz. Make your crossbow master Lewis proud and hunt a rabbit for him."
After taking a deep breath, Luz's eyes immediately narrowed as he aimed at it without trembling. Sweat dripped from his brow as he pressed the lever of his crossbow.
And he missed the rabbit by around half a meter, sending the rabbit into panic as he rushed from the field. With a smile, Lewis shot at the escaping rabbit. The arrow hit through the chest, embedding it against the ground as it tried to resist. "One shot, one kill, hehehe," commented Lewis proudly to himself.
Upon seeing Luz being down, Lewis commented in encouragement: "Luz. On my first day, my aim was not better than yours. Everybody gotta start somewhere, and you will probably reach my level sooner or later."
Nodding, Luz sighed: "Yeah, you are right. I should stop overestimating my MC title bonus since it makes no sense for a beginner to hit a rabbit 50 meters away from him on his first day. I'm not an OP MC."
Lewis smiled in agreement before commenting: "Yeah, you are right. But let's stop. If we book characters become too self-conscious, the author might mind wipe us again. Anyway, let's take these rabbits. Our shift should be ending soon."