They had only walked a short distance away from the forest when Omina suddenly stopped.
"Wait," she said, turning to Yoshiya with a gleam in her eyes. "Why are we leaving so soon?"
Yoshiya raised an eyebrow. "Because we saw their camp? We don't have to fight every kobold we see."
"But we're not the same as before," Omina countered, her grin widening. "We're both three-star adventurers now. Stronger. Smarter. And if that's a real kobold camp, they're bound to have loot—materials, weapons, maybe rare drops. We're learning to craft, remember? We can't tell what's valuable if we don't pick up anything!"
Yoshiya hesitated. Her argument was annoyingly sound. They did need resources. "You're serious about this?"
"Dead serious," she replied, drawing both short swords with a flourish. "Let's hit them before they notice us sneaking around."
With a resigned sigh and a slight smile, Yoshiya tightened his grip on his twin wands. "Fine. Daylight raid it is."
---
The two adventurers moved through the undergrowth until the kobold camp came into view. There were roughly a dozen kobolds scattered between crude tents, makeshift wooden barricades, and a cooking fire that filled the air with greasy smoke. A towering figure with thick, grayish hide and a massive greatsword stood near the center—clearly the Brute.
Omina crouched low, her blades humming faintly with magic. "I'll draw their attention. You keep me covered with Barrier."
"Got it," Yoshiya replied, raising one wand and gathering mana at its tip.
She burst from the bushes like a thunderclap.
"Come on, you mutts!"
The nearest kobolds turned, barking in alarm, and rushed at her with crude spears and hatchets. Omina dashed forward, her Aura Blade igniting in a faint blue glow as she sliced through the first two kobolds with swift dual strikes. Yoshiya followed behind, casting Protect around her—a shimmering bubble of mana enveloped her body, deflecting a volley of thrown stones and a spear tip.
Three more kobolds circled around to flank her. Yoshiya quickly pivoted his wand and cast Barrier—a dense, flat shield of light formed where he pointed, blocking their approach.
"Nice!" Omina called out before driving her knee into a kobold's chest, spinning and cutting down another.
---
The Brute finally roared—a guttural, booming sound that echoed through the clearing. The regular kobolds scrambled to obey as their leader stomped forward, swinging its enormous greatsword with terrifying strength. Omina leapt back just in time as the blade crashed down, splitting the earth where she'd stood.
"This one's mine," she growled.
The Brute swung again, faster than its size suggested. Omina crossed her swords, activating Guard Break mid-parry—the impact sent a shockwave through the camp, but she held her ground, sliding back slightly in the dirt. She retaliated with a flurry of Dual Strikes, aiming for its sides, but the creature's thick hide and armor absorbed most of the damage.
Yoshiya stayed back, supporting. He layered Protect on her once more and began launching Blessings, boosting her speed and attack power.
The kobolds tried to close in on him, but Yoshiya angled his wand and formed Barrier, cutting off their path and forcing them to bunch up. He then shifted positions to keep a clear line of sight on Omina, firing off quick, low-cost light blasts to distract stragglers.
---
The fight against the Brute intensified. Omina's Sword Frenzy erupted—both blades becoming a blur as she dashed around the creature. She slashed its legs to limit mobility, then rolled under its swing, cutting upwards across its torso. The Brute howled, staggering for the first time.
But it wasn't finished. With a furious roar, it swung its sword horizontally, catching Omina mid-dash. She managed to cross her blades and block, but the force hurled her several meters back. Her feet dug furrows in the ground, and her arms trembled.
"Barrier!" Yoshiya shouted, thrusting his wand forward. A thick shield of mana formed just in time to intercept the Brute's follow-up strike as it charged her. Sparks of mana exploded on impact.
Omina took a deep breath. No berserk. I can do this without it.
She feinted left, then leapt right, activating Aura Blade once more. With a spinning strike, she cut into the Brute's side where its armor was weakest. At the same time, Yoshiya reinforced her with another Blessing, amplifying her final blow.
With a roar that echoed through the trees, the Brute fell to one knee. Omina didn't hesitate—she crossed both blades and delivered a decisive X-shaped strike to its neck. The creature collapsed with a heavy thud.
---
Silence fell over the camp, broken only by their breathing and the faint crackle of the fire.
Yoshiya lowered his wand, exhaling. "Well… that was intense."
Omina laughed, flicking blood off her blades. "Told you we could handle it."
They didn't waste time. Remembering Mira and Bren's lessons, they looted everything they could find. Kobold weapons, scraps of leather armor, crude iron, beast fangs, even the cooking pots—they gathered it all, unsure which materials might prove valuable for future crafting. Omina even pried the Brute's greatsword from its dead hands.
By the time they were done, their packs were heavy and the camp looked stripped bare.
"Let's head back before more of them show up," Yoshiya said.
Omina nodded, still riding the thrill of battle. "Yeah. But admit it—this was worth the detour."
Yoshiya allowed himself a small smile. "Yeah. It was."