The fight with the Rank_3 Rock_Golem took us a freaking 30 minutes before we finally stand victorious.
The easy and safe method of fighting a Rock_Golem that we learned at the town's library was indeed true. Breaking each part of the Rock_Golem was definitely easy. However, finding the one rock, containing the Monster_Core inside, out of the hundred rocks seems to be based on luck.
On that note, no matter how many rocks we destroyed, the Rock_Golem just keeps on absorbing the surrounding rocks to maintain the exact amount of rocks.
It was a 30-minute fight of nothing but rocks, rocks, rocks, rocks, and rocks!
"I had enough!!!... I don't want to fight any Rock_Golems anymore!!!... If we encounter any more Rock_Golems on our route, we will definitely run away!"
"Enough with your tantrums, Vier-chan. Let's get ready to leave."
Aside from the Monster_Core that we got after defeating the Rock_Golem, there are no other materials that can be looted from that Golem. Well, the rocks can be sold if there's any construction going on in the outpost town. But those rocks won't have much value unless you're hunting for a lot. Plus it will occupy a lot of space in our Storage_Items so it's really troublesome.
"Since there's no Monster_Materials to be looted, let's just leave this place..."
"Ahh!!!..."
Right before we left, Felin found something a little bit further away from where we fought the Rock_Golem.
Felin immediately runs towards that location and picks a shiny object from the ground under those rumbles.
"""It's an Exam coin!!!"""
"Good work spotting that coin, Felin-chan."
"Mhm!..."
Mifumi-sama pats Felin's head as she gives her a lot of praise.
Well, it was indeed an excellent work. Thanks to Felin we didn't miss that Exam coin randomly lying on the ground... Huh?...
"Mifumi-sama... This spot... Is this?"
"Hmm?... Ohh!... Right! This is the exact spot where the landmark rock was before it became a Rock_Golem!"
"Those Guild's staffs bastards!!!..."
"Hey!... Language, Vier!"
"Mhm!... Language!"
.
.
.
"So that Exam coin is under that Rock_Golem after all. If we run away from that Rock_Golem then we'll definitely miss that Exam coin."
"Mhm!... Definitely!"
"Those Guild's staffs!... Don't place the coins under those kinds of dangerous hiding spots!"
...STARE...STARE...
"Ehh?... What's with those judgmental stares, Mifumi-sama, Felin?"
"When we found the first Exam coins, you said that the Guild's staff should make more efforts to hide them."
"Mhm!... Vier said that."
Wait?... Did I really say that? Didn't I only think of that in my mind?
"But now that the Exam coin is in the tough hiding spot, you still have some complaints. What exactly do you want, Vier-chan?"
"Mhm!... What do you want, Vier!"
"Ugh!..."
I can't defend myself after Mifumi-sama and Felin said something like that.
"I'm sorry... I got nothing to say about that..."
""Mhm!!...""
.
.
.
A few hours after the fight with the Rock_Golem, our group is currently preparing our camp for our third night inside the Concrete_Jungle.
We're still at the rocky terrain and we luckily find a perfect camping spot. A shallow cave within a wall of rock.
However, after spending three days and two nights inside the Dungeon, the three of us finally reached our limits, and the thought of dropping out started to say hello in our minds...
...Munch...Munch...Munch...
"What are you saying!?... We're not dropping out just because of this stupid reason!"
...Munch...Munch...Munch...
"Mhm!... We're not!"
"But I can't take it anymore!!!... I rather be hanged on my feet for an entire week than continue eating these tasteless mouth-drying bread and biscuits!!!...."
These tasteless mouth-drying bread and biscuits along with a jaw-breaking jerky, a probably almost expired cheese, and lukewarm water are the only provisions given to us by Adventurers' Academy Guild's staff.
...Munch...Munch...Munch...
"I doubt that you can still say that if you know that grandma will give us a public execution if we failed this entrance exam. We will be hanged on our feet and be displayed at the town square for an entire week."
...Munch...Munch...Munch...
"Mhm!... Execution!"
"What?!... Is that true, Mifumi-sama?"
...Munch...Munch...Munch...
"Who knows... Besides, it's not that bad if you put the bread, jerky, and cheese together. Just don't eat the biscuits if you don't like them.
...Munch...Munch...Munch...
"Mhm!... Don't waste your food, Vier."
It's impressive that Mifumi-sama who is a Noble can eat something like this. Not that this is inedible though. I guess being raised together with us commoners didn't make her that picky about her choice of food.
Felin on the other hand grew up in the Orphanage. It makes sense that her motto in life is 'Don't waste your food'. But it's not that Felin is an orphan, she and her mother, Leaena-san, just choose to live in the Orphanage and help the orphan children.
Seeing a Noble like Mifumi-sama and an innocent child like Felin eating this food without any complaints, I normal child like me who never had any hardship in life and always ate good food prepared by my Mom and Dad together with my three older brothers, probably didn't deserve to complain in front of this tasteless mouth drying jawbreaking almost expired food.
"What's with that complicated look on your face, Vier-chan? Are you overthinking something again?"
...Sob...Sob...Sob...
"Ehh?!... Do you hate this food enough to make you want to cry?!..."
"Don't cry, Vier."
"I'm sorry, Mifumi-sama, Felin... Sob...Sob...Sob... I normal child like me who never had any hardship in life... Sob...Sob...Sob... probably don't deserve to complain in front of this tasteless mouth-drying jawbreaking almost expired food..."
"That's a lot of complaints coming from you... And it's definitely not true that you never face any hardship in your life... And you're never a normal child as far as I can remember."
"Mhm!... Vier is... ... ... abnormal?"
"...Sob...Sob...Sob... I'm sorry for being not normal."
"Why are crying like that, Vier-chan?... Are you feeling homesick? Did you suddenly start missing your family?... It's all right, we miss our families too. Just try to calm down..."
"...Sob...Sob...Sob... It's all the Guild's staff's fault... I bet that old man Vise Guild Master is embezzling the budget for the entrance exam food."
"Don't just accuse someone of embezzlement, Vier-chan."
"...Sob... I'm definitely going to report him after the entrance exam."
"Mhm!... Let's report him!"
"No!... You can't, Felin-chan, Vier-chan!... Besides, you don't have any evidence."
"If there is a smoke, then there is definitely a fire, Mifumi-sama."
"Mhm!... And a barbeque too!"
"What?!..."