This is the story of a magician and an elf girl.

"... No, Jack... That's not the case... When others think they can't do it... You always say 'You can do it'. When others think it's impossible to accomplish... You always say 'We can do it' - you are confident all the time, and others will also feel confident when they see you like this. Your actions have realized the dreams of adventurers, and you have connected everyone's dreams. This is different from whether you can believe in their feelings - because the only ones who can understand them are each other."

Athena, who was holding Jack's hand, gave him a trusting look and a gentle smile - at this point, there was no need for him to be confused anymore.

"That's right... Let's just trust them till the very end this time."

"Ah, this will definitely end perfectly. I believe that girl can change the outcome of last time."

"Go forward, adventurers, and use your own power to create your own world. Don't rely on the power of the goddess, the power of the magician, or the power of the devil. Use your own hands to draw your own story. This is your own adventure story."

The goddess, who was always good at supporting people, once again boosted the morale of the adventurers. The gloomy rain seemed to become insignificant, and the dirty leather boots once again moved forward. The adventure that the adventurers clenched their fingers was longing for - such an era would definitely not fade and would definitely come again.

"That being said... it's a miracle to find rocks like this in this weather..."

"The desert is originally made up of countless huge rocks under the influence of weathering..."

"No, no, instead of marveling at the beauty of nature, you should focus on the assignment at hand."

A group of adventurers found a number of natural rock walls in a desert eroded by a storm. In order to save their energy for tomorrow's journey, they decided to stay here. The first priority for this was a campfire for warmth.

"No... I can't have a baby at all... If it were any other time, I would have gotten better a long time ago..."

"It's not that the dry wood is wet... it's that the moisture is too heavy..."

"And the strong wind...the flame was crushed to death before it was even born."

Even though Jack usually looks very handsome in battle, he now looks as dejected as an unemployed uncle, feeling very powerless towards the sawdust in front of him. If that guy were here, he would definitely say...

"Oh, this is so troublesome. Get out of the way. I'm going to use my skills to hit it..."

"Don't stop, idiot!"

"Uh?"

Seeing that the adventurers on the other side also couldn't make a fire under the tent, Jack immediately stepped forward to stop them. Obviously, he should also be very annoyed about the fire-making task...

"But... Master Jack... this is too energy-consuming... I'd better just use my skills..."

"No, the only tools I can use are flint and iron rings. If you can't do it, how about using a wooden bow?"

"Uh...yes..."

Jack, who had cheered up, knew that if that guy was here, he would definitely insist on using these two primitive tools to make a fire. She was that kind of person. No matter what others said, she would never give up. She would always remember her original intention and purpose and move forward straightforwardly. Therefore, Jack would never allow himself to lose to her here.

"Okay...come on."

"How come... you're cheering up again..."

"I have to do it anyway. Rather than being discouraged, I want to know how it feels to succeed, right?"

“…Ah…yes…”

In a humid environment, the surface of dry wood is not easily ignited by sparks. What is needed is enough heat to produce flames, which requires very concentrated mental strength and patience. Even when wiping sweat, one must be very careful not to let sweat drip on it.

Jack still remembered that she said that what was important was not just the technology. It was not enough to be able to weave sawdust balls and use flint. In the end, it all depended on patience and the desire to create something. The ability to nurture flames in various environments was a test for adventurers.

"..."

Athena, watching how hard they were working, naturally would not ask for too much from them. Just making a fire and building a tent for her was already a luxury. After all, it was their kindness towards her, so she could only accept it.

But at this moment, she also discovered that the adventurers in the next shed didn't seem very satisfied with what Jack said, and an invisible malice was quietly sprouting in the dark.

"Ah...it worked...Wendy! Hurry!"

"Yes!"

"Be careful! Don't let it go out... My hands are almost hurting! This won't do..."

"Stop talking all the time, Wright. Blow! It will be fine soon!"

"Hoo!! Hoo!! Hoo!!"

Wright, who was blowing his breath towards the center of the dry wood, said no more nonsense. The campfire formed by the pyramid of Wendy's delicate fingers was gradually surrounded by flames. Jack placed finger-sized dry wood on the flames and kept using his experience to observe the movement of smoke and sparks in order to light them. Once there were signs of extinguishing, Wright would exhale a stream of air to increase the flow of oxygen and the heat in the center - and at all times, he would give priority to protecting the campfire from the influence of moisture. Three people had to surround it to protect it from the cold wind.

"...Hey...it seems like..."

"No, no, it's ok, light it up soon!"

“But it seems to be placed too densely…”

"Jack, you're putting it on too fast...it'll go out..."

"Ah... I see! I'll just take it off..."

Just when Jack thought he was going to fail again, the campfire, which had stopped emitting white smoke, suddenly produced a ball of hot fire. The dry wood that was heated by the fire gradually began to make crackling sounds, and the warmth centered on the three of them spread into the cold atmosphere.

"Ah...success...success..."

"...Huh...Wow...That's great...Damn...I thought I was going to freeze to death..."

"So warm... Miss Linna is right..."

"...Yeah...she was always right...I miss her so much..."

Jack, still not letting his guard down, continued to pour new dry wood on top of the charcoal, and at the same time put the wet wood next to it to dry. With it, he should be able to get through this cold night that won't stop raining.

"Master Jack... We are really at our limit... Can you lend us some fire to light this pile of sawdust? We can do it ourselves from now on..."

At this time, the demihumans who came to Jack and his friends' tent had expressions like desperate investors, looking powerless and pitiful. Jack thought that he really couldn't just leave them alone.

Well... the sawdust balls were made... it's just that the environment was too bad... it can't be blamed on their technical problems... if they could do this normally, they would have finished it long ago...

"...Hey...you guys...is this the only time? Come on, warm your hands before continuing."

"Ah... yes... thank you... thank you..."

"Ahh... my hands are almost frozen..."

"It's just a little bit. The method I taught you before was not in vain, right?"

"Ah... yes, I just don't have enough experience... I didn't expect that making a fire in the rain would be so difficult... I've always been used to dry days in the desert..."

"Everyone who lives in this world will always encounter different environments and situations. What I can teach you may not be able to cope with all situations, but at least it will prevent you from dying so quickly. You must work hard after this experience, okay?"

"Yes...I have learned it...Thank you for your guidance..."

"If it's possible... I would like to ask, is it better if the sawdust is finer..."

Jack, who also reviewed the process for them, was like this. He always understood the difficulties and efforts of others, and gave affirmation and corresponding assistance when needed. If it was a behavior that was not beneficial to them, he would definitely refuse it, and if it was a behavior that was beneficial to their ambition, he would definitely support it. So he didn't know at this time that the human race who were forbidden to use skills just now were staring at his back with malicious eyes.

"Humph... what descendant of a hero... he's nothing but a pervert..."

"... and he was so gentle to the female beastmen... we didn't even look at them..."

"… Terrible… It's discrimination…"

"How dare you say bad things about Master Jack... Instead of doing that, you should start a fire quickly..."

Their names are Da Ying, Xiao Kai, David, and Xiao Feng. They are a group of humans who were rescued from the outside world by adventurers after Linna left. Their morals and personalities have not been judged by the elf girl, so it is inevitable that they have some flaws.

Now they all stared at the most inconspicuous Xiao Feng, who was actually talking behind Jack's back.

"Then come on, I won't do it anymore."

"Yeah...boring...exhausting."

"While they're not paying attention... hurry up and use your skills. You've been practicing your skills so hard, why not use them now?"

"Makes sense."

"Agree."

"But... Master Jack said..."

"If you object, just go away and set up a tent yourself."

"..."

Xiao Feng was speechless because she was threatened by her companions and could not refute or leave. Seeing that their group led by Daying was coming, David, who was responsible for processing the dry wood, was already prepared. As long as Xiao Kai injected flames under the dry wood, the fire-making operation could be completed in an instant.