"Saliza, you're an incredible fighter and I have the utmost confidence that you're capable of handling this group of monsters yourself."

"Get down from the tree Zeigel."

"No." Said Zeigel who clung on tightly to a branch atop a tree.

There were a total of ten acidic cockroaches called bile crawlers in the area up ahead, and Zeigel intended on facing none of them.

"Get down Zeigel. Reizo said he doesn't want to see you do nothing again."

Curse that Reizo! I'll fight those disgusting hell spawns when I'm dead!

"I won't be doing nothing. I'll be giving you emotional support from up here. You can do it Saliza. I believe in you." He cheered with a half-assed attitude.

"Why don't you wanna fight those bile crawlers? You just fought seven charadurs all by yourself, shouldn't you be more confident now?"

"Just do me a favour and finish this mission yourself. I really don't wanna fight those things."

"Wait a second, are you scared? Of those things? Seriously?" Saliza asked, barely containing her laughter.

"Who says I'm scared?" Zeigel replied with a body shivering in fear.

"They're not that scary Zeigel, there's nothing to fear. I'll even prove it to you." Saliza told him before running off.

Finally, she's off to kill those filthy creatures for me. I'll just wait up here until- oh god no.

Zeigel's relief immediately turned into horror as Saliza came running back, bringing along with her a bile crawler she was dragging by the antenna.

"SALIZA NO!"

"Just take a closer look at them, they're not that scary!" Saliza shouted before chucking the acidic cockroach at Zeigel, causing him to screech at the top of his lungs as he threw himself off the tree. Using as much mana as he could at the moment, Zeigel created a gust of wind below him to break his fall.

The bile crawler that was thrown at him crawled onto the tree. It spotted Zeigel below and leapt towards him. In a panic, Zeigel quickly blasted it out of the air with a fireball before it reached him. When it hit the ground, Zeigel pinned it down with an unrelenting barrage of fireballs, eventually causing the bile crawler to explode and spew acid all around it.

These things can explode? Oh no, where's Saliza?

Zeigel found Saliza facing the other nine bile crawlers. Before he could warn her about their explosive ability, Saliza raised her axe and slammed it down onto one of the bile crawlers, cleaving it in half and causing it to explode and spew acid all around it.

While she was fast enough to react the explosion and leap back, she wasn't fast enough to escape the acid that came her way and threw her arms up to guard herself. Drops of acid landed on her arms and legs, causing her to cry out in pain as it melted through her flesh.

Ah shit! I need to save her, wait no! Reizo won't let her die, he'll save her. He definitely will. Zeigel told himself, but despite that, he continued to force his legs forward.

No, Reizo can't be the one to do that! I've abandoned her too many times and even tried to kill her without a second thought, and despite all that, she still forgave me and considers me her friend. I'm no saint, but I need to have some standards god damn it! For once, I need to be a proper fucking friend to that annoying angel!

Zeigel forced his fear filled eyes wide open as he pushed his body towards the swarm of acidic hell spawns that surrounded his friend. He blasted away the bile crawlers near Saliza and carried her over the shoulder before fleeing while screaming in panic.

"Thanks for the save!"

"I HATE THIS! I HATE THIS SO MUCH!"

"I still don't get why you're so scared."

"JUST HEAL YOURSELF ALREADY!"

Zeigel maintained a good distance from the bile crawlers that chased after him while Saliza lifted her mask and blew a raspberry at them.

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"When you're done healing, start shooting at those things! We need to kill them from afar!" Zeigel ordered.

"Alrighty!" Saliza replied and began charging up a spell.

Thanks to her superior ATK stat, Saliza was capable of killing a bile crawler with a single charged fireball. She continued to launch fireballs at the bile crawlers while being carried by Zeigel.

"Only three left!" She announced.

While running, Zeigel suddenly tripped over something and dropped Saliza. When he turned around, he found out what he had tripped over, a block of earth that he swore wasn't there before.

One of the bile crawlers caught up to them and leapt towards Zeigel. Saliza quickly placed herself in front of Zeigel and blasted the bile crawler with a fireball. As it exploded, Zeigel quickly shielded Saliza with his body, letting the acid splash against his back and burn his skin, causing him to screech in pain.

God damn it, there goes another shirt.

The remaining two bile crawlers leapt towards them. Saliza pulled Zeigel away and rushed towards the bile crawlers. She grabbed both of them by their antennas and threw them against a tree before finishing them off with a fireball.

"You good?" Saliza asked as she rushed to his side.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm almost done healing up."

"By the way, thanks again for saving me back there."

"Well, you would've done the same anyways."

"Oh yeah, I would have done the same. Man, I'm such a good friend."

"Ugh, no need to brag."

"Once you're done healing we'll head on to the next area." said Reizo who appeared behind Zeigel and startled him.

He's doing that on purpose, I just know it!

As Zeigel healed himself, he could feel Reizo's gaze on him which felt rather uncomfortable.

"Yes?" Zeigel asked. Reizo didn't reply and simply gave him a nod of approval.

The hell are you looking at me like that for? Fucking creep.

Once fully healed up, Zeigel and Saliza were brought to the next group of monsters.

Oh come on! Why!

There were six large cobalt spiders with yellow heads, big pitch black eyes, and large blue gems at the end of their abdomens that pulsed with electricity. These monsters are known as flashers.

Why spiders! They're even worse than cockroaches!

"You're scared of this too?" Saliza nudged Zeigel who was as pale as a ghost. He nervously gulped and shook his head. There was no way out of this, and even if there was, he couldn't simply abandon his friend.

He summoned all his courage and cried out, "Ah screw it! Let's go!"

"That's the spirit Zeigel!"

The two launched their attack on the flashers that were crawling on the trees. Saliza sprang towards one of them while Zeigel fired a fireball at another.

With her speed, Saliza caught the flasher off guard and cleaved through it with a swing from her axe. "That's one down!" She gleefully shouted.

The flasher that Zeigel targetted leapt off the tree before the fireball could hit it and landed in front of him with its abdomen raised. It's gem released a bright flash of lightning, blinding Zeigel.

"Saliza, help!" He called out and immediately felt someone drag him away and rest him against a tree.

"You alright?" Saliza asked.

"Yeah, thanks." Zeigel thanked her as he healed himself. "These things can blind you with their gems. Close your eyes if you see them raising it up."

"I've got a better idea."

Saliza rushed towards a flasher and slammed her axe into its head faster than it could retreat. When she spotted a flasher raising its abdomen, she threw her axe at it and split its face in half.

"They can't blind me if I kill them fast enough!" She maniacally laughed.

That works too I guess.

One of the flashers spotted Zeigel resting against a tree and crawled towards him with its abdomen raised. As it approached, Zeigel closed his eyes and lunged forward with his dagger, stabbing it in the head while being unaffected by the lightning flash.

He opened his eyes to see another flasher crawling towards him. He tossed his dagger at it and watched as it leapt to the side to avoid it. He aimed his palm at where it would land and blasted the flasher with a fireball, killing it.

"Above you!" Saliza called out. Zeigel looked up and quickly raised his hands to catch a flasher that dropped onto him.

EW, EW, EW, EW, EW, EW!

He burnt the flasher in his hands and threw it aside before firing a couple more fireballs at it. He then created water in his palms and washed his hands while cringing.

"That wasn't so bad now was it?"

"I fucking hate this..."

But I just need to work with Saliza and we can handle these monsters no problem. We've cleared nearly half the monsters we needed to hunt already. Just a little longer and I'll be able to rest.

A loud gasp from Saliza caught Zeigel's attention. He whipped his head around to see what caused her reaction.

"VERNY!" Saliza cried out in joy as she cuddled the gardvern.

"Hey there buddy." Zeigel reached his hand out to pet Verny, but it pulled its head away and hid behind Saliza.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Saliza asked the gardvern.

Ah, its still scared of me after I screamed at it earlier today.

"I get it Verny. I shouldn't have been so fierce to you. You only wanted to help us but I showed you no appreciation. I'll do better from now on, so can you forgive me?" He asked with his arms wide open.

"Come on Verny, give him another chance." Saliza nudged the gardvern towards Zeigel. With hesitant steps, Verny slowly approached Zeigel. He gently caressed Verny's head, showing it that he meant no harm.

The gardvern eventually felt comfortable enough to let Zeigel cuddle it. It made his heart melt.

"You're a good boy." Zeigel smiled.

"Alright! Verny has joined the team!" Saliza announced.

I'd like that, but...

"I think we should leave him out of our missions."

"Eh? But why?"

I need to improve if I'm going to keep fighting by your side, so I can't be relying on Verny. I still haven't given up on trying to get back to Earth, but until I find another opportunity, I'll be helping you out with this vanguard dream of yours.

"Blame Reizo."

"Curse that Reizo!"

"Yeah, curse that Rei- oh... Hey Reizo."

Zeigel nervously smiled at the saddened trainer.