Ernest walked deeper into the forest. He ignored the unimportant monsters, only focusing on one target.

He was aiming for a monster called Rusthand. A monster that looks like a giant praying mantis that has been burned.

This monster is unique in this region. It cannot be found anywhere else. In Ernest's previous life, he had never set foot in this forest before, hence it would be his first time facing this monster.

He had heard that this monster was quite tricky. In addition to its sharp teeth and sickle-like hands, what makes many hunters wary of this monster is its ability to disrupt the opponent's balance.

But, even with the difficulty of this monster, many hunters still rushed to this place. The reason was that the monster's eyes that were like red beans were a good ingredient that mages of the mind domain were looking for. Collecting them will make pretty good money.

After a while of walking, he found it. Rusthand, just vibing among the overgrown weeds.

He quietly approached its back. The sword is drawn and the Mana stone is securely fastened into a bracelet.

Wind Eruption!

Boom!

His sword slashed at the monster causing strong winds to explode, sending the monster flying into a parabola.

Blink!

Immediately moving in front of the monster, he raised his sword above the monster. Across from him, the monster's red eyes suddenly shone.

Wind Eruption!

Boom!

A good lump of earth was gouged out. Dirt and rocks flying in front of him made him squint.

Zing!

A warm current ran through the symbol in his hand. His body, out of control, suddenly spun around, swinging his sword.

Clank!

His sword collided with something hard on impact. With the dirt no longer in the way, he could see his sword in front of him, blocking the monster's scythe-like claws.

Blink!

He landed some distance away from the monster.

Sssstt

The warm current disappeared. Ernest was standing here pondering what had happened.

The attack missed. Which shouldn't have happened when he threw Wind Eruption directly at point-blank. If it weren't for Sieg controlling his body blocking the attack for him, he would have already lost a piece of flesh.

This was probably the meaning of the monster's ability to topple the opponent's balance that he had heard of earlier.

To test this, he dashed towards his opponent. Raising his sword, he cast Death Lash upon contact.

And again, what he slashed was empty air, with Sieg having to help him block the monster's next attack.

Considering that this monster is a necessary material for research for mages from the mind domain, it can be concluded that the attacks of this monster are also something from the mind domain. 

That meant, when he attacked, he thought he was at the point-blank of the monster when in reality he wasn't. It was his mind that was disrupted, that was why the gamer, Sieg, was unaffected by this attack. This was because all he controlled was his body.

Attacks to the mind can usually be blocked by spells or enchantments from the mind domain. But he didn't prepare anything as he concluded that mind attacks would be useless in Sieg's presence. And it turns out he was right.

He cast blink and arrived in front of the monster, activating his attack which again missed its target. Sieg once again helped block the monster's attack and then without delay, Ernest leaped over the monster, avoiding its line of sight while continuously raining attacks on it.

They, separated by many light-years, worked together seamlessly in this way.

When it was almost dark, Ernest came out with a bag containing a fair amount of monster parts.

In a tavern.

Ernest and Neil are having dinner here, Ernest's treat.

"Can I order more than one meal?" Neil asked, gulping seeing the many dishes on the menu.

"You can," replied Ernest.

"May I take some food home?"

Ernest glanced at Neil. Smiling, he asked, "for your family?"

Neil nodded "it's been a long time since we ate delicious dishes, they usually taste bland."

"You can."

Beaming, Neil started selecting the menu. Since nothing interested him, Ernest ordered the same things as Neil.

As soon as the food arrived, Neil devoured the food quickly but surprisingly neatly.

While eating, they chatted from time to time.

"You mentioned that you were the only man in your family," Ernest asked, sipping his water. 

The taste of this food was far from the food he usually ate, but he is not complaining. When their land was taken by the invaders, food became scarce, no one cared about such a thing as the taste.

His inner thoughts surprised him. It seemed the last few weeks of high-quality life at the academy had quickly gotten him used to it and forget the hardships of his past life.

"Yes, it was just me, my mother, and my sister. My father died long ago."

"My condolences."

"No, it's fine. I think that's why I don't want to be an ability user. If by any chance my theory is correct, then if I encounter something dangerous and die, my mother and sister can only depend on each other. After all, there are many other ways to improve your life."

"That's right... So, you work as a guide."

"Not really, I mainly work in the mines."

"Mine?" Ernest was surprised, "they let the children go to the mines?"

"Only poor people like us. Workers at the mine knew we needed that job. But we were just given a simple job. Like me, I am usually working as a trapper."

"Trapper?"

"You know, opening the vent door to let the cart through. Sounds easy, but it can be very dangerous. It can't be helped. I need the money, mother's income isn't secure enough."

"You're a good boy," Ernest smiled as he said that. So young but already actively taking responsibility to lighten the burden of his parents. He is a kind and caring boy.

"Is it okay to guide me around like this? How about your work in the mines?"

"It's okay, I've asked for leave and they've never had a shortage of people either. Besides, you gave so much money."

"Then I'll be counting on you."

"Leave it to me!" Neil excitedly puffed out his chest. It is very lucky for him to get this job. Both of them knew that Ernest did not need to hire a guide with a silver. There weren't many places in town and he could easily gather information by asking passersby. That was why Neil sincerely thought that Ernest was a good person.

"Let's quickly finish our meal."

"Okay"