Re:Zero: No Job, No Magic, Just a Stupid Romance System

The winter was very cold.

Not long after, the "Blood Lake" had frozen over.

By the lake, Allen and Paul squatted side by side—one in a posture that resembled squatting to relieve oneself—examining the holes in the snow where the monsters had left their tracks.

"There's wind."

Allen held his hand over the hole for a long while, then turned to Paul with a serious expression.

The latter scratched his head.

"Ah? Is there?"

"Yes. Very weak, but my 'Sensation Flow' tells me it's there."

Paul twitched at his words.

"I still can't believe your self-developed secret technique actually integrated one of the five mysteries of the Water God Style… and you completely mastered it two months ago. If this keeps up, with two more, you'll become a Water Saint, and if you master three, you might as well return to the Water God dojo and be crowned a Water God."

Allen glanced at the half-sleepy Paul and understood he was just talking nonsense to stay awake.

"I entered the Water God Style's main dojo at four. From the moment I saw Leda use the Sensation Flow, I've been studying it. I don't even know how many times I watched it over the years. It's only now that I've truly mastered it. It's not as easy as you say."

"By that logic, I suddenly realized the Silent Sword too—so why can't I use the Light Sword?" Paul rubbed the bags under his eyes. "What you said is unreasonable."

"Huh? Then teach me how to 'realize' like you."

Allen grinned, then bent down and reached into a dark hole beneath his feet. To Paul's surprise, he pulled out a saw-thorn rabbit.

It was dead.

Its body was riddled with wedge-shaped bite marks and deep, fingernail-sized blood holes.

Sylphy, Roltz, and Rudy gathered around.

It's worth noting that after reuniting with Allen, though each of their eyes held stories, none of them brought up Roxy again—relieving Allen considerably.

Allen pointed to the rabbit's mostly devoured lower body and the cluster of blood holes near its head.

"The giant rat chewed through the lower body, and the forest snake ate into the brain. These two monsters must have fought over the kill before I scared them away. They left the body behind."

"The bite marks here match the giant rat. Very hard teeth—they chew straight through bone. But—"

Allen squeezed the rabbit's neck. Blood mixed with ice oozed from a hole beside its face.

Rudy's eyes widened.

"This is—"

Sylphy, drawn by the commotion, finally took her gaze off Allen and examined the rabbit's corpse.

"The forest snake's teeth are hollow. It prefers blood. But this body still has blood... That doesn't match their hunting behavior."

Allen ran his hand over the rabbit's neck fur. Fine frost scattered around him like snowflakes.

"There's mucus from the forest snake. It was fighting your uncle over food. In that situation, the snake should've sucked the blood first. But it seemed to want the meat more."

Rudy tilted his head.

"Uncle?"

Allen ignored him and gave the rabbit another squeeze. Noticing how thin the blood was, he turned to Paul.

"There's no water deficiency. The monsters are gathering near a live water source."

Rudy blinked.

"But isn't that normal? There's snow everywhere."

Allen stirred the blood on the ground as he replied.

"Eating snow to hydrate requires small, frequent amounts. A large intake causes hypothermia and sudden death. Monsters aren't that dumb. But this rabbit's blood isn't thick—it hydrated with live water a few hours ago. Not snow."

He turned to Paul, who now looked into the forest with a serious gaze.

"What do you think, Uncle? Any clues?"

Paul pointed northeast, toward a dense part of the forest.

"Twenty kilometers out, there's a geothermal lake in a valley."

Then he turned to Allen, hesitating for a moment before asking,

"You're really going?"

Allen narrowed his eyes and smiled.

"This is the quickest way to resolve things. Staying here all winter isn't a solution. If I end up as tired as you, and the monster tide still hasn't receded, we're in trouble."

Rudy, who had been confused, finally caught on—and his face paled.

Why had the monster tide persisted? Because too many monsters were left alive last year.

So Allen's earlier show of force didn't really help?

Not at all.

The kill count was far too low. The monsters only mistook his assault as a natural disaster. They'd return.

Allen's meaning was clear: rather than waiting in harsh weather for another wave, they'd strike first—go to the densest gathering point and hit them hard. A few more Avalanche Falls might kill more monsters than sitting here for a month.

But wait—his skill had a limited range. Large-scale magic would be better for this kind of task. Why not use that?

That's when Rudy realized why Allen had taken so long to explain.

He stiffly turned to Allen, who was looking at him with sparkling eyes.

Allen had been looking at the map of the Yan State for far too long.

Rudy understood immediately. He opened his mouth slowly, trying to object.

"I've never cleared monsters. I'll be seven in a few months."

Allen smiled brightly.

"What a coincidence. It's my first time too."

Rudy was speechless.

Afterward, Paul and Roltz discussed the situation thoroughly. They agreed: if they kept delaying or retreated further, next year's monster tide would be even worse.

So, they approved Allen's plan.

However, sending a group of "kids" alone was still too dangerous. Paul would go with them.

But then came a new problem—who would stay and guard the protective net?

Normally, either Paul or Zenith would handle it. But Zenith had to care for the children.

So, the final plan was:

Wait for the next wave of monsters.

After repelling them, dismantle the net.

Retreat to the forest's outskirts and reestablish a simpler net.

Use the breathing room to go on the offensive and destroy the monster stronghold.

Team Composition:

Paul (Senior Swordsman): Vanguard, main tank.

Allen (Water Saint): Flanking and protection.

Roltz (Hunter): Scouting, logistics, tracking.

Sylphy (Senior Magician) & Rudy (Water Saint): Midline, firepower.

Three hours later, the monsters attacked again.

This time, thanks to Rudy's magic, they retreated even faster.

Dismantle the net. Fall back. Set up again.

Everything went according to plan.

In the afternoon, the snow and wind died down. The sun painted the forest in golden hues.

The hunting team set out.