Chapter 7: She’s Just a Mundane Person

“It’s mithril, no doubt.”

Professor Elim tapped it with her hand.

“There’s likely a substantial deposit. You, record the vein’s characteristics.”

A graduate student stepped forward.

She began measuring with a compass.

“That’s about it for today. It’s getting late. Let’s head out together.”

Watching the student skillfully record data, Elim patted her shoulder with satisfaction.

“Well done.”

The student, surprised by the praise, replied shyly.

“You taught me well, Professor.”

The group packed up to return to the surface.

They’d encountered a few monsters today.

But the trio of adventurers easily defeated them.

On the way back, their backpacks were stuffed with monster corpses.

When they reached the surface, a luxurious carriage was waiting.

“Could it be?”

Feeling the cool air from the carriage’s air conditioning, the graduate students began daydreaming.

They imagined soaking in a hotel bath and enjoying cool air.

But reality hit fast.

Elim boarded the carriage.

She gave the group an apologetic look.

“Sorry, everyone. The academy called about an engineering issue I need to handle. I can’t stay to survey with you all. But I’ve seen today—you’ve all got solid fundamentals.

You’re fully capable of handling the survey. So I’m leaving the rest to you. I’ll treat you all to a big meal when we’re back!”

Before the students could react, she finished speaking.

The carriage’s magical door closed automatically.

The luxurious carriage vanished from sight in an instant.

“Hah, that jerk…”

The graduate students erupted, cursing Elim.

But the three adventurers said nothing.

They were paid to do a job, so they had no grounds to complain.

“Let’s set up camp first.”

Peggy naturally took charge of the trio.

“I’ll chop wood. Miss Na Naya, please help me. Xiao Meng, set up a temporary camp around here.”

Peggy’s plan was reasonable.

Everyone got to work.

There was a river near the dungeon.

This meant they didn’t need to worry about water.

In a corner no one noticed, Meng Linna secretly used a Lightning Axe spell to cut a clump of bamboo.

Well, a powerful spell like Lightning Axe wasn’t something she should have access to now.

It was handy for chopping, but it cost a lot of magic power.

It drained a third of her reserves in one go.

Peggy’s tool bag had a hand axe.

Meng Linna cut the bamboo into two-meter lengths.

She stuck them in a circle around the camp.

She tied bamboo strips around them, forming a makeshift fence.

As for what this bamboo wall could block, it was better not to think too hard.

At least it was something.

The graduate students had accepted reality.

They started unpacking their gear in the camp.

Some, moving quickly, set up tents.

They even began gathering firewood nearby.

By the time the wood-chopping duo returned, a campfire was burning.

The camp naturally split into two groups.

The students ate dry rations while griping about their unreliable mentor.

The three adventurers silently processed monster corpses by the fire.

Meng Linna had the least loot, just a few Horned Rabbits.

Their fur and horns were worth something.

Processing them was easy.

She quickly finished, skewering the remaining rabbit meat on bamboo sticks.

She set them to roast over the fire.

The other two were still handling their kills.

The aroma of roasting rabbit wafted from the fire, tempting them.

But they couldn’t do much—most monster meat wasn’t edible like Horned Rabbit.

Hot food always had an irresistible pull for humans.

After Meng Linna sprinkled cumin and chili, the students glanced over.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Meng Linna shared one roasted rabbit with them.

They were the employers, after all!

Meng Linna comforted herself with this thought.

She eyed the three remaining rabbits.

One for each, perfect.

In a spirit of sharing, Meng Linna offered some to the others.

Peggy didn’t hesitate.

She took the roasted rabbit from Meng Linna.

Setting her work aside, she started eating.

Meng Linna sat beside Na Naya with her rabbit.

But Na Naya kept working, focused on the monster corpses.

Without looking up, she preemptively rejected Meng Linna’s offer.

“If you’re trying to win me over with this, save it. I don’t care for it.”

Her words were harsh.

But her stomach betrayed her with a loud growl.

Hearing it, Meng Linna grinned mischievously.

“Oh, baby’s tummy’s rumbling!”

She held the roasted rabbit closer to Na Naya’s face.

She made sure the aroma hit her directly.

“Childish!”

Annoyed by Meng Linna’s antics, Na Naya lost interest in processing corpses.

The materials could wait.

Better to deal with her hunger first.

She didn’t want this annoying woman provoking her further.

She put her cutting knife back in her bag.

Na Naya pulled out her own food—a plain compressed biscuit.

Those familiar with compressed biscuits know they’re fine for a meal or two.

But eat them too often, and they get tiresome.

For the broke Na Naya, though, options were limited.

They were cheap.

As a saintess candidate, Na Naya shouldn’t lack money.

But sadly, like Meng Linna, she’d been robbed by some wretched fox.

She was flat broke.

The system could exchange for money, sure.

But that was too costly.

Peeling the plastic off the biscuit, its milky scent hit her.

Compared to the hot, cumin-and-chili-sprinkled rabbit, it paled.

“Eating dry biscuits like that must be rough.”

Meng Linna blinked, watching Na Naya’s every move.

“Doesn’t it make you choke?”

“Mind your own business!”

Na Naya glared at her fiercely.

She was a saintess candidate.

She absolutely couldn’t lose her cool over this.

‘She’s just a mundane person.’

‘Just a mundane person…’

Na Naya closed her eyes.

In her mind, she viciously drew circles around Meng Linna.

Even so, Meng Linna shoved the roasted rabbit under her nose.

“If you really don’t want it, I’ll just eat two rabbits myself!”

“Annoying!”

Na Naya snapped her eyes open.

She snatched the roasted rabbit from Meng Linna’s hand.