“How’s it been for you? Have you run into many problems? How many Medals of Honor did you get?” The questions come like a bombardment. Brendu is still hanging from my neck with a bright smile.

  “We were lucky to find each other quickly… a few problems along the way, nothing we couldn’t handle.” Ogine answers me right away.

  “We only got one Medal of Honor each. We almost got another, but we were ambushed and forced to run. How many do you have?” Brendu finishes explaining.

  “I’m glad you didn’t go through hell.” If they had run into a monster like that harpy, they wouldn’t have stood a chance. Only elimination would be waiting for them. “I’ve already gotten four. A bit disappointing, honestly…” I try to sound humble and immediately get punched by Brendu.

  The princess takes advantage of being close to me to land a solid hit. Her hands have gotten much faster. She punches my ribs, and she’s gotten stronger too because the pain sinks deep. All the training back in my village and at school is paying off. Her weaknesses in close combat are slowly disappearing.

  I hear some complaining sounds from the three people around me. I almost forgot about them for a moment. My body is so used to using gravity that it’s already natural, something I don’t even have to think about anymore.

  “Stop interrupting.” Several ice swords form above each of them. Their bodies endure the pain to a certain point, and when they get close to death, the enchantments activate and they’re automatically eliminated from the second stage.

  Only one of them drops an item. I can tell what it is from the shape. I use my Imra to pull it toward me, then toss it to Ogine and she catches it. When she realizes what it is, she looks at me with mixed emotions.

  “Now each of you has two.” I wink at my friend.

  “Thanks for the help.” She replies. I take the chance to give one of my Medals of Honor to Brendu. She stores it automatically, as if she had been expecting it.

  “Do you remember the path where you got ambushed? We could go back and get another Medal of Honor.” It sounds interesting. I don’t mind fighting on my own and giving them the medal, though I’m sure they wouldn’t allow that.

  “Yes, I know how to get there…” Ogine looks a bit hesitant.

  I look at Brendu, waiting for her answer. “We’re tired after moving around nonstop.” She says it bluntly.

  “We haven’t had much time to get proper rest. We were almost always interrupted by monsters or someone entering my sensor range, forcing us to keep moving.” Ogine complains while frowning.

  “Could you watch over us for a couple of hours while we rest? Could you be a good boyfriend and protect your most beautiful girlfriend?” Brendu makes puppy eyes. I can’t help smiling and letting out a small laugh.

  “Of course. I have good news for you.” They both stare at me. The camping tent made from a golem appears. They look blank, not nearly as excited as I am.

  I explain its functions and durability. Even the mattresses I left inside are still there. They didn’t disappear or break. Now they look much happier. They don’t even ask permission and jump inside in less than a second.

  A few seconds later I hear soft snoring from both of them. They’re really exhausted. I feel a bit bad for not noticing earlier. I only realized it when they said it, though their faces clearly showed how tired they were.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  I lean my back against the camping tent, right next to the only entrance, which can be sealed from the inside. I close my eyes and start playing with my mana and Imra. Light training with more complex constructs always keeps me busy.

  I can build perfect swords in less than a second because I’m so familiar with the process. Other shapes take much longer if I want to add all the details. If I tried to replicate Glia, I couldn’t. Her fur is too complex, her facial features just as difficult. I could only make a quick, cheap version.

  You’d probably still recognize her, but if you looked closely, you’d notice the differences instantly. I want to focus on fine details during this rest time. I’m building small ice trees the size of my forearm, with different amounts of leaves, branches, and shapes. It’s great practice.

  At some point during the training, I fall asleep. Not a good idea to close my eyes while training. When I open them, I see the bodies of dead monsters around me. Some attacked me before I fell asleep, and the trees turned into small swords that pierced their heads.

  A little over three hours have passed. Time to wake them up. When I tap the camping tent’s wall, they react immediately to the sound. Brendu almost hits the ceiling trying to get up too fast.

  They look around, confused. Their brains process the situation, and they calm down as they remember. A few seconds later they step out of the tent. As soon as their feet touch the grass, a sound reaches our ears.

  Brendu and Ogine look at each other, both slightly blushing. Their stomachs growl at the same time. They’re starving after their well-deserved rest.

  “How was the little nap? Feeling better?” They take food out of their dimensional bracelets. They offer me some, but I refuse. I already ate earlier.

  “Yes, I feel like new. Though I feel a bit bad for doubting your new camping tent. It felt like sleeping in my own bed. Thanks for lending it.” Ogine gives a small bow to show her gratitude.

  “Totally ready to kick some monsters. I agree with Ogine. It’s really comfortable, and that little function that collects external mana is very useful. It helps recover internal mana more efficiently.” Brendu nods approvingly.

  I noticed that feature too. It has some runes that redirect part of the absorbed external mana inside the tent. That allows our bodies to absorb it more easily. The help is small, but still very useful.

  “I’m sure it’s this way…” Ogine guides us forward.

  When I asked if they’d leave all the fun to me, they looked at me like I was an idiot. They want to fight too. I’ll let them, no problem, but I’ll step in if either of them is close to being eliminated.

  “It’s here. We’re close.” Ogine quickens her pace. We follow. The scout stops in front of a valley. When I reach her side, I understand why they think there’s a chest inside the cave.

  There’s a ridiculous number of Denosis. I’ve never seen so many of these monsters packed together per square meter. All of them seem near the peak of grade 3. Only one looks different. The leader-like Denosis is sitting beside the cave entrance. That’s probably where we’ll find what we’re looking for.

  We go around a bit. When we’re about two hundred meters from the first group of monsters, we decide to descend. I grab both of them with gravity and lower us gently into the valley. “Maki Airlines has just landed,” I say when we touch the ground.

  “How are we going to attack them?” Ogine asks.

  I just stare at her without answering. Brendu smacks her forehead with her palm. “Are you thinking of going straight in without a plan?” the princess asks.

  “Obviously. I don’t need to plan anything. Just kill them.” My answer is simple and direct. I’ve become very straightforward in cases like this. I trust my abilities.

  “Let’s go with that plan. You’ll be our shield and sword. We’ll handle ranged attacks.” Brendu speaks after a few seconds.

  “Are you sure? Isn’t it too risky?” Ogine hesitates a little.

  “You know how strong Maki is. There won’t be any problems. We just need to focus on taking down as many monsters as possible from a distance.” Brendu looks at me with an amused smile, and after thinking for a bit, Ogine nods firmly.

  “Don’t worry, ladies. Give it everything you’ve got and leave the rest to me.” We all start walking straight toward the narrow entrance guarded by the Denosis.

  Seeing them face to face is a bit intimidating. All I can see are monsters everywhere. Luckily, the entrance is pretty narrow, so we can’t be surrounded.

  When the monsters notice us, they start screaming. At first only a few, then hundreds and hundreds of them, all charging toward us as one group.

  My Thundersnow Fangs come out of my cube. All my abilities surge forward without mercy. I’m completely ready to face all of them. Both girls wear determined expressions. Neither looks afraid of the number of monsters ahead.

  I slowly lick my lips. Fighting this many monsters is an intoxicating feeling.