Hide anyway, and for good reason.

"We don't have to fight," Kazuma said, getting their attention. "I also have the Lurk skill, and can extend it to anyone I'm in contact with. Since we don't know what it is..."

"Right, hide it is," Taylor agreed. They immediately went behind some bushes and Kazuma activated the skill as everyone placed a hand on him... A large, predatory creature passed by their hiding spot, growling lowly. They risked peeking, and Kazuma saw a massive black sabertooth tiger sort of creature. They waited for it to pass by, and a couple minutes after that, before they finally dared to relax once Kazuma confirmed it was out of his Detect Enemy range.

"Holy hell, that was a Beginner's Bane!" Taylor breathed a sigh of relief. "That would have ended badly!"

"What is that? Is it super dangerous or something?" Kazuma asked.

"Beginner's Banes are one of the higher tier monsters around Axel Town," Keith explained. "Even if you were a warrior class or something Kazuma, at level 23, you'd be lucky to survive an encounter with one, even with a similarly strong party. They're fast, smart, and ferocious."

"They're admittedly not as dangerous as dragons, which you and your party killed one of, but..." Rin trailed off.

"Right, I'm not with my party right now," Kazuma chuckled nervously. As troublesome as they were, they did in fact have some busted abilities, it was just a matter of using them right where he was important to the group.

"At any rate, it makes sense one is here," Taylor admitted. "They like to hang around weaker creatures like goblins, and then ambush the weaker adventurers that come to fight the goblins..."

"Regardless, you saved our hides!" Rin praised as they returned to the road. "You're already being more helpful than Dust, that's for sure!"

"Dust huh? Isn't that the guy I swapped parties with?" Kazuma mused. As they walked, Ria smirked and Kazuma looked at her curiously.

"I kinda like those two guys... And I could have fun with Dust too..." she told Kazuma.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do, but those two are nice enough that I'm gonna give them a safe word or something," Kazuma shrugged, talking to Ria in an undertone.

"Fair enough," she agreed. "Not like I go too far with my little playthings anyway... Just so you know, a sheet works just as well as the Note itself in terms of contact though, and you can use a page from it separately from the Note."

"Good to know," Kazuma nodded.