We're not going skiing

“Whoa, we’re really in Hokkaido...”

“It looks totally the same!”

“What, did you think Hokkaido is all snow and mountains? We’re not going skiing, you know.”

The interaction between the three Ume siblings made Uyumi want to chuckle, but she held herself back, not wanting to appear rude.

“Hahaha, what the heck? You guys are so funny!”

Tameki was not so tactful as her younger sister, however. She made a move to put her arms around Kengo and Tamashi’s shoulders, but only ended up catching Kengo, since Tamashi shamelessly dodged while giving her a cold stare.

They had all just arrived on Hokkaido’s southern coast near Matsumae town, right by a few fishermen’s boats and what appeared to be a small harbor breakwater. To their south and west was the Sea of Japan, while to their north and east were a few tiny wooden houses, some well-maintained, some a bit less so. Over those few houses were small hills covered by greenery: mostly dead-looking bushes, but a few patches of vibrant and lively grass could be found, as well. From their perspective, two lonesome trees could be spotted on one of the hills, having only each other to keep them company as they looked over the few residents that resided there.

And there, in front of the grassy hills, stood a classic red Japanese torii gate, with weathered stairs behind it etched into the high ground, leading the visitor to the shrine. When the stairs ended, another torii, this time white, led you to the main area. Both torii were decorated with symbolic shimenawa with shide, marking and purifying this holy ground.

“See that?” Tamashi pointed towards the red torii behind him, looking at everyone present. “That torii leads to the Arayainari Shrine of the Matsumae district here in Hokkaido. That is the dungeon we’ll be raiding today. It is a level two dungeon, so who can tell me what monsters we’ll encounter there?”

Saying this, Tamashi turned to Takemi and Uyumi, as they were newcomers and had been told to study at least the basics of this subject.

Takemi tried to glance inconspicuously at Kengo, trying to hint to him that she needed help. Noticing this, Kengo started whispering the answers to her, also trying to be subtle.

Everyone present witnessed this comedic scene, making it clear the two of them were, in fact, not slick at all.

Tamashi sighed and wanted to comment on how crucial studying this information was, but Uyumi spoke first.

“In level two dungeons, you can find all the monsters that appear in level ones: slimes, goblins, and nekurei. The only new monster that can inhabit level two dungeons is the orc and the pufíper. Orcs have naturally large and somewhat humanoid bodies, towering at roughly two to three meters tall. Their main weapons of choice are usually maces or clubs, but they can also wield axes or greatswords, although rarely. Similarly to goblins, they often move in groups, with a pack of orcs numbered at around three to five.”

Everyone turned to Uyumi in surprise. Takemi and Kengo were shocked, Mika was pouting, pretending she didn’t care, and Himawari smiled gently, praising Uyumi in her mind. Tamashi stared wide-eyed, not having expected her to have learned this thoroughly.

“Pufíper are really similar to Earth’s snakes, with the main distinction being their insect-like wings, which give them the ability to fly. They are not that big size-wise, only reaching up to a meter and a half in length. While they are extremely weak physically, they are rather fast and agile in the air. Their main weapon in their venom, which even in small doses causes extreme pain and dizziness. The more a person is exposed to the venom, the more they risk paralysis on the infected body part, and even death.”

As Uyumi finished, she looked around, realizing everyone was staring at her with dumbfounded expressions.

Only Tamashi was grinning, excitement visible in his eye.

“Now, this is what I’m talking about. You don’t even have the Fast Learner and Automatic Learning spells. Great job!” Tamashi praised Uyumi enthusiastically.

Uyumi twisted the ends of her hair in embarrassment, getting quite a nasty glare from Mika because of it.

“And would you know how to proceed if you or someone else is poisoned by a pufíper’s venom?” Tamashi asked a follow-up question, to which Uyumi answered after thinking for a second.

“You need to drink a high-enough-level antivenom, which works on almost any venom. It is crucial that the antivenom is of a higher level than the beast—therefore the dungeon it inhabits—otherwise its effects are negligible. It is also fine to just wait the venom out if only a small amount has been injected.”

“Bravo! You should all learn from Uyumi’s example. It’s possible I won’t always be right beside you in the future, so it’s important to do your own research. Anyway, let’s not waste any more time.”

With that, Tamashi spun around seemingly in high spirits and headed towards the red torii, not forgetting to properly pay his respects before passing through it.

What the others didn’t see, however, was Tamashi’s cold and calculating face as he led everyone to the dungeon entrance.

Great, worked out perfectly. With Uyumi as competition, my siblings should be more motivated to prove themselves and study more. I can’t have them be dependent on me forever.

Tamashi had secretly discussed this plan with Uyumi before. He instructed her on precisely what to learn and how she should answer when he asked the prepared questions.

I may have cheated my siblings, as well as Mom and Takemi, a little, but this will help them in the long run. I really need them to be as self-sufficient as possible in case we get separated for a prolonged period of time.

As Tamashi pondered this, they all ascended the stairs and went through the white torii and arrived at the shrine itself.

Right behind the white torii was a tilted and bent tree trunk in the shape of a gateway, giving the impression of being an extension of the white torii gate.

On the left was a small, brick red hokora with a light brown roof, adorned with traditional shimenawa and shide.

Guarding the shrine were two statues of komainu, loyally warding off evil spirits and protecting the shrine’s sacredness.

The main building—the shrine itself—was mainly white, its roof covered by red-brown roof tiles. At first glance, the shrine could have been mistaken for an ordinary cottage. It had wooden walls and square windows; however, the door was of the sliding variety, the entrance wall decorated with beautiful flower and spiral patterns, shimenawa and shide hanging from the top, this time accompanied by a suzu, inviting visitors for prayer and help them drive away impurity.

“Alright everyone,” Tamashi began once he had stepped inside the dungeon’s teleportation circle. “I hope you remember our tactics, formation, emergency plans, and so on. Now, if everyone’s ready...”

Everyone gradually stepped inside the magic circle, and Tamashi summoned his spear—the Mjorehir Blade—grinning from ear to ear with a battle-ready expression.

“Let’s kick some ass!”