"..I also got a blank map. It came as a bonus for the magic book."
"Blank?"
"..It has the geography of this side of the island but no notes on what place is which. I don't know some areas but I can fill out most of the important locations."
"Good, write away!"

Finally some good points. I don't know what race this kid is since he is probably mixed to the extreme being a former resident of this island, and a descendant of the exiles from the city. It would be extremely risky to send him through the gates. I can guarantee that the dragons would attack him as soon as he steps through the portal.

If he survives the little revenge mission, I can just give him some money for the entrance fee into the city. After that, if he wants to start a new life then so be it. I never really had an aim venturing outside, just mere curiosity.

To think I would get carried away by the vacation mood and explore in the danger zone like this.

"..Done!"
"Oooh! This pretty much filled out. So this whole area is the whole base?"
"..Yes, they control this whole territory but their main base is located on the crater made by a sea monster."
"Do you know where they station scouts?"
"..No, the scouts aren't seen. They just know someone is near and send a group to intercept them."
"So do you know where the bandit who took you in?"
"..The headquarters has residence for the members. The residence are scattered throughout the crater so they can call for reinforcements. I don't know which place that bandit is stationed."
"This is troublesome. It would take a long time to take them out piece by piece."
"..Can't a powerful wizard like you take care of them all with magic?"
"Using magic that could cover the whole crater is impossible for the current me."

After a couple more lifetimes, I could eventually reach that level but it would take a very long time. I could speed it up if I can spam high-level magic but if I need to be discreet and only use the low-level ones, it would take at least 4-5 lifetimes of practice.

"If a group of bandit's rush at me, they would eventually take me down. I'm a wizard, not a warrior."

I could actually take them on since my defense is quite good because of the regular training I do in the desert but I prefer to keep a secret or two to myself against strangers. In the off-chance that the father is alive, he might betray me out of desperation.

"Does that specific bandit go out of the crater at all?"
"..Ambush duties are rotated among the lower members. The bandit group has a total of 10 active ambush sites. I was part of the transportation recruits so I was given their location in case we are in danger and in need of aid."
"Good, circle down all 10 locations. We will search them one by one until we find that bandit of yours."

This would be tricky since even if we know where the ambushes are, their scouts still remain hidden. I'm not sure I can beat professionals in their own field. Did the hero invent a telescope yet? There are skills that could replace it and the scouts should have those skills. This is going to be tricky.

"..It's just over that hill. There is a good spot on top of that tree-"
"Stop!! Doing that would alert the scouts."

I can't see them from this side, We need to go over the hill to even see signs of ambush. This is a good ambush spot.

How do I see over the hill? I know, I could use a periscope!! I can make one using a small earth tunnel. The problem is how to get the mirror.

"Do you have a mirror?"
"..What's a mirror?"
"Give me one of the swords you bought. Here is a shovel, dig quietly."

[Sharpening]x10

I need to keep sharpening this until its thin and reflective. To do that, I need to remove the rust first.

[Shaping] [Sharpening]

Separate the blade into smaller flat pieces of rectangle metals and shine them really well.

I have all the mirrors so next is the shaft.

[Earth Wall]x30

That should take care of the tunnel for the periscope but how do I set the mirros in place?

[Earth Wall][Water]

I could cap the other end and use the water to try and affix the pseudo mirros at every corner. This is quite tricky to put in place. If only I could use ice magic, it would be so much easier.

Let's check the clarity. Hmmm,.....Good, it works as intended. Those must be the ambush team. I still can't see the scouts though. This place is rocky so they have a lot of places to hide. It's amazing how well they hide, as expected of professionals, but how do they signal others?

"Look here and tell me if that bandit is there."
"..Amazing, I can see through the hill. As expected of a magician!"

That is not exactly magic though.

"..That guy is not here."
"Let's move to the next spot then."

The tricky thing is to collect back all the mirrors. If I do this using the regular earth wall then I would leave a trail but I don't have a choice now so earth wall it is.

[Earth Wall]

This place is near the beach. The sand is green but that might just be overgrown plant life.

"Where are they?"
"..This is the hardest ambush spot so only the lowest tier members are stationed here. They have a small bunker underneath the sand somewhere. They attack those who collect marine life in the shallows."

So this means we have no idea where exactly they are in this whole beach.

"Do they keep watch from somewhere or do they just go out when there is a sound?"
"..I'm not sure. I never delivered anywhere near here."

Looks like I have to test some ways to lure them out. Unlike the hill, the sightline in the beach isn't blocked so we have to be quite away from the beach.

*Grab*

This should be a good size stone.

*Throw* *Thud*

........

They aren't reacting? Do they find prey by sight or is a single thud not enough for them. It certainly doesn't sound like someone walking into the sand by just that, I guess. This just means I have to keep throwing stones until it sounds like someone is walking on the sand. Even if it sounds fake, they might get out of their hiding place to check what is happening with the constant thudding.

*Throw*x20 *Thud*

"Did you see any movement anywhere?"
"..No, I didn't see anything. Are you throwing stones trying to hit the hideout?"
"Something like that."

The scout must be alert by now. It's pretty impossible for 20 stones to be thrown at the beach by pure coincidence. The first thing that they should be thinking now is some cautious prey has arrived. They are alert and scanning the surroundings for the prey.

Leave or strike?

If I strike, the scouts, which I still don't know where, will surely warn the others about me. Reinforcements will swarm around me and hunt us down.

If I leave, I have to start searching anew but they will pass off my disappearance as someone who saw through their ambush and ran.

Wait!! If I keep cover then surely they would come out of their hole to investigate.

"Get down and observe the surroundings. Use these rocks to cover your head. Don't worry, I hollowed out the inside so it can cover everything except a small slit for eyeholes. Tell me if you see anything move in the sands."
"..Only the sand?"
"Yeah, I will try to find the scout while you check the the ambush team for your target."

It might take some time but they will come out to check the noise soon. Even if the ambush team don't move, the scout is bound to check the situation and notify the ambush team. When the scout tries to signal them, I will have a chance to see where they are.

*Rustle* *Rustle*

Hmm? The wind blowing the leaves on the trees but its blowing the opposite direction of the wind.

A magic user scout. In a place where magic isn't as developed like this, those who only know a hint of magic get delegated into these roles. If they are magic users then its easier to find them, especially since they used magic.

The origin is,..... withing the tree? How did they end up inside a tree? They carved into a tree to build a lookout? How do they keep the tree alive? It doesn't look rotted at all, and there are even new buds sprouting on the branches.

Nature magic?

"..It's him, that is the one who took me and imprisoned my father. He is there!!"
"Calm down and wait for my signal. We need to take out the watch first."

The main target is in the sand, so they won't be able to escape that fast. Then the first one I need to take out is that one scout.

"Alright, I will start the attack while you charge into the ambush team. I fixed and upgraded the weapons and armour you bought, here take them. You don't have any training so I figured the best weapon for you is either the short sword and a club. Take your pick. Don't worry about the anything, I will support you a little after taking care of the hidden watch."
"..Shiny, amazing."
"On my signal......Go!!!"

[Wind Arrow]

"Gah!!"

Alright, the scout is taken care of. The main target is next, and I can finally leave this place.

[Earth Wall]x4

*Slam*

"Ah!"

What the heck is happening? I never thought I would slam my head on a wall. It won't hurt the trained me but this doesn't bode well at all.

"We finally caught you."

Other scouts? No, this is an ambush designed to capture me but how did they know I am here?

"Stay close kid! It looks like they already expected us to be here."
"..Yes!!"

How come I didn't notice them approaching? They didn't make a sound and I didn't feel magic, other than the scout.

"...So this is the dwarf magician that's been going around checking our ambush locations."
"...Our orders are to capture him alive. The boss wants to add him into the ranks."

I can hear you, you arrogant bastards! Don't think I would just join your little crew because you trapped me inside a brittle [Earth Wall] like this.

"I, Gin, a magician from the king slayer bandit group, wishes to converse with the dwarf magician."

*Punch* *Break* *Crumble*

"It's better to remove the obstruction first when introducing yourself. It's basic courtesy, I though the people living outside the city would have a bit more common courtesy than that."

Oh god, I am surrounded by at least 50 people. I feel mana from at least 10 of them. What do I do with this?

"...Kid, Keep close with me. We might need to make a quick exit."