The day after the party, we went to the canyon where Yuki and I had mined the Revlite ore to practice rock climbing.

　On the way, we replenished the mushrooms we had consumed yesterday.
　There are many mushrooms that can only be found at this time of year.

　It took a while, but there was no way I could ignore it, and Mary and Mitya were happy, so no problem.

　So we actually arrived at the canyon the morning after the party.
　This time, in addition to the tools we used last time, we had rope ladders and stakes.

　However, it seems that the equipment that was broken at the time has been rejected in favor of safety and reliability.

So this is where Nao and the others used last time. I think I can climb it without using the rope, don't you?

"Yes, here. But the goal is to get used to using the tools. We can't just do it in a dangerous place, can we?

　If you can overcome the fear of falling, you can climb the rock walls around here without using any equipment.

　But it's risky to climb without a lifeline, just in case.

I see, this is a practice stage.
That's it. Now, Toya, can you hook a rope to the top of the wall?
Where's ......?
Over there.

　He looks up at my pointing finger, squinting, and then looks back at me with a serious look on his face.

"Free climbing up there?　That's pretty high, right?　If I fall, I'll die, right?
Yeah, I'd die no problem. The ground is solid rock.
.........
No, Toya said I could climb without a rope.

　He looked at me very accusingly, so I made an excuse.
　It's not always possible to perform the same act in the same way in a dangerous place as in a safe place, you know?

　If there is a person who can walk on a 50-centimeter-tall averaging platform and a 50-meter-tall averaging platform in the same way, he or she is a very bad person. The mental aspect.



"Don't joke about it, Nao, just go. You don't have to do anything dangerous for nothing.

That's right. If Toya were to fall, you wouldn't be able to catch him, you know.

Well, with Toya's size, ....... Oh, maybe you can spin in the air and land on your feet?

I'm not a cat.　No, I'm not a cat! ...... Although it's not impossible.

　You can do that?
　And speaking of cats, Mary and Mitya.
　And speaking of cats, Mary and Mitya, could they possibly be ......?

I'm not sure.　What is it, Nao?
Nao, what?
No, it's nothing.

　I can't tell you to try it.

Okay, I'm off.

　With the harness and rope firmly in place, I secured the rope to the top bracket, using the middle bracket as well.

　I also made sure it hadn't been damaged in the past few days.

　I made a hole in the ground a little farther away from the fittings, injected some glue, drove in a stake, and fixed the rope there too.

　This is insurance. If the fittings break, we hope this will hold up.

　Once again, I made sure that both were in place, and I slid down the rock face.

"Okay, okay. Who wants to go first?
I'll go first. Why don't you make another place where you can practice?
Yeah, one place is not efficient. Can you do that?
Okay. I'll build something a little further away, a little higher.


"Well, I'll support you then. We did it last time as a pair.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

She looked around at Toya and Natsuki and nodded with a sigh, "Considering Toya's weight, I think Natsuki and I should stay.

　Yes, Yuki, Mary, and Mitya can lift Toya if her weight is accelerated by gravity.

I understand. Be careful.
Yeah, I got it!　I'm serious when it comes to this stuff!

　Yuki smiled and clapped her hands on her chest.
　Yuki smiled and clapped her hands on her chest, "But I wish you were serious the night of the party.

　　　　The other place I made to practice was at the end of the day.

　The other practice area we made was about twice as high as the first one.
　It is almost near the top of the canyon.

　About halfway up, it was similar to the first place, but after that, the slope became steeper and steeper, and the last quarter was completely vertical.

　There are few clues, and it's almost impossible to climb without driving stakes into the ground.
　At least not for us now.

　Incidentally, we have prepared some bouldering holds that I suggested, but this time we're just going to practice attaching them, not actually use them.

　The goal is not to climb, but to learn the technique.
　Two of us will climb, and the rest will support.

　We kept practicing like this, and by the end of the first day, all of us were able to climb without any problems, probably because of our high physical abilities. --Except Yuki.

　After all, they were expecting me to grow some skills.

　When Yuki didn't practice, Mary and Mitya asked her very honestly, "Why don't you practice? Yuki's reply was, "I can climb without any problem! I can climb without any problem!

　You may be able to learn relatively quickly after copying, but you're still not very good at it at first.
　Do you understand that?
　...... Well, shame on you when you get there.
　You're going to have it easy, so that's acceptable, right?


　On the second day, we'll move the practice to a more rugged location.


　The wall was vertical from the start, with a slight overhang at the end.

　I was the most experienced member of the party, so I climbed up first and secured the wall with stakes.

　I wondered what would happen on the overhangs, but ...... it turned out to be quite manageable.

　I can't support myself with just one finger, but I shudder at my physical ability, which is fine as long as I have three fingers on each hand.

　This is absolutely because muscle strength, muscle mass, and weight are not proportional.
　To put it simply, "Magic power is amazing! That's what I'm talking about.

　So, when I was able to free-climb an overhanging wall (with a lifeline, of course), I finally got [Climbing Lv.1] added to my status.

　...... No, the standard for level 1 is too high, isn't it?
　You can't rely on the equipment?
　It's a good thing I got it, though.
　Now.

(Yuki, you got it, skill.)

"Really?　Can I have a copy?

Yeah. But after all this practice...

Hey!　Nao and I are going to retrieve the Revlite ore, so you guys can keep practicing here!

　Whoa, that was Yuki. That's not fair. That's how you do it.
　Well, everyone but Mary and Mitya knew that...

"...... Yeah. Be careful, okay?
"Yeah. I'm sure it won't take long.

　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.

　But not at the first place where they mined, but at twice the height.

　We should give him a little thrill. We're going to do some rock climbing, right?



"Have you tied the lifeline securely?　Now let's try to climb to the top without using any ropes or fittings.

...... What, all of a sudden?

Don't worry, don't worry. I'll follow you if you fall.

Are you sure you want to do this?　I don't want you to think it'll be more fun or thrilling if you fall for a little longer, okay?

...... Oh. Sure.

By 'sure' you mean you'll pull me in right away, right?　You can trust me, right?

　I was going to hold the rope just a little bit longer so that it wouldn't fall all the way down to the bottom. ...... Well, Yuki is getting teary eyed, so I'll stop.

I'll do it right. Go ahead and climb.

"Please!　Really!　I'm not afraid of heights like Nao and Haruka!

　I'm not afraid of heights either, except in trees.

　It's funny, because I've climbed many times higher than this cliff in the Dingle tree.

"It's okay. Come on!

Ugh, I don't know if I believe you.

Don't worry. Don't worry. I can trust at least as much as the vow you made to Haruka the other day to never peek again.

I don't believe that at all!

You're right!　...... No, well, I'll do it right. Come on, come on!

　With my back to her, Yuki glanced back at me and headed for the rock wall.
　Then, she climbs up the wall, following my advice to keep her hands off the fittings.
　I pull the rope to keep up with his speed, and adjust it so that it doesn't slacken.
　If you slip and fall, it's a real heart attack.


　I know you're okay.

"Are you okay?
Yeah, it's about the same around here as before.

　You climbed up there when you were mining the lebrite ore, right?
　The problem is when it becomes vertical.

　From there, Yuki slows down and climbs very carefully, looking for clues and footholds.

　He's still a little awkward, but perhaps because he's been watching us climb for so long, he's been able to find the right spot and not make any mistakes.

　...... No, I don't want him to fail.

　It's not that I want you to fail, but I don't want you to experience being suspended in midair a few dozen meters above the ground.

　I don't want you to share my heart pounding experience.
　But when you experience the same thing, it gives you a sense of solidarity, doesn't it?

"A little more, a little more ......

　I can faintly hear Yuki's voice.
　And just like she said, we are almost to the place where the rope is fixed.

"...... good!　Nao~, we're here!

"Crap! --Congratulations. Now go straight down. The way down is more difficult.

　Yuki looks back at you and waves, and you give her the next task.

I'm very scared of free-climbing downhill, but I'll do my best.

　Yuki begins to descend immediately, and this time I loosen the rope.

　It's very difficult to descend without using a rope when you can't see your feet. ...... You never fail, right?

　I'm sure you've already got the skills for this.

I'm not sure. Here we are!　You did it!　You didn't fall!
Hey.
That's not heartfelt!



　Yuki puffs out her cheeks at my throwaway congratulations, but what can you do?
　I had a lot of trouble with it, but ...... it's still subtly unreasonable.

So, did you activate your skills?
I'm sure you're right. ...... Yeah. I do. Thank you, Nao.
You're welcome. You're welcome. I'll take that as a good use of my time.
Haha. ...... Sorry, okay?

　I shrug my shoulders and chuckle at Yuki, who clasps her hands together with one eye.
　I'll forgive you for your cuteness.

It's okay. --Now, how are Haruka and the others doing?　Have they got the skills by now?

Yeah, I think so. Let's go back.


　When I returned to Haruka and the others, I found that they had all successfully acquired [Climbing Lv.1].

　When we left here, I had said that free climbing might be a good idea, and by actually focusing on it, it seemed to have shown up as a skill relatively quickly.

　Unfortunately, I can't see Mary and Mitya's status, but they seem to be able to climb up and down at the same level as Haruka and the others, so they should be fine.

So for now, we've achieved our goal.

　I'm not sure what to make of that.

No. I still have to practice using the rope ladder.
What?　What's a rope ladder, you need to practice?
Nao, have you ever used one?
I don't have a .......

　But it's a ladder.
　It's a lot easier than going up and down with just a rope.

It's not like a normal ladder, a rope ladder. It's not like a normal ladder.



...... Now that you mention it, it sounds like you need some practice, doesn't it?

　You have a point.
　It is not advisable to think easily without experiencing anything.
　So, I climbed up to the top of the canyon and hung the rope ladder from there.

　The rope ladder was quite long and reached the bottom properly, and it was made of wire, so there was no problem in terms of strength, but ...... it was quite difficult to use.

　It's fine at first, but as you go down, the swinging gets louder and louder, and unlike a normal ladder, you can't just grab the bars on either side and go down quickly.

　Moreover, if you hang it too close to the wall, you will hit the wall when you hang your arms and legs.
　To be honest, when it comes to descending, it may be faster to use a rope.

　However, the rope ladder was more convenient for climbing, so we kept going up and down the rope ladder until we all got used to it.