“Leave all your belongings behind. If you do, I’ll spare your life.”
The towering giant, over three meters tall, was effortlessly overpowering a C-Rank Adventurer party with nothing but his fists. The young Swordfighter’s weapon was completely ineffective, and his companions were already on the brink of death. The magician’s spells had no effect on the hulking man either. Faced with the choice between his comrades’ lives and their belongings, the young man reluctantly offered up their gear.
“If you had just handed it over, you wouldn’t have to suffer, you know… Let’s see what you’ve got here.”
The giant roughly pulled items and emergency rations from the bag and tossed them onto the ground. The contents of a healing potion spilled out, staining the earth with a blue hue.
“If you had a woman in your party, it might have been a bit more fun, but it’s all men, huh? Are you a homo? You should bring a girl along.”
Despite the unreasonable taunts, the young man remained silent. He had gained some experience and strength, but nothing he tried had any effect on this man. For the first time in his life, he had encountered an overwhelming presence, and he no longer had the will to resist.
“Well, I’ll take this stuff anyway. Here.”
The giant threw the empty bag at the young man’s face. He didn’t even attempt to catch it, merely bowing his head in silence.
“You should quit being an Adventurer. You were lucky I was feeling generous; if I had no mercy, you’d be dead right now. How long did it take you to reach C-Rank?”
“… Six months.”
“Ha, six months!”
The giant exaggeratedly gasped in shock, bursting into loud, raucous laughter.
“You’ve got no talent! Normally, you can graduate from D-Rank in just half a month. All those pathetic requests like ‘bring me this item’ or ‘fetch some weak monster materials’—those are all chores anyone can do! If you just do those half-heartedly, you can easily rise to C-Rank. And you, six months? You’re not even a fool. Hyah-hah-hah-hah-hah! Hoo-hoo! Hahaha!”
The giant laughed even louder. The young man fought back tears of frustration, determined not to let them fall.
“You’ve got no talent, that’s for sure. By the way, are those guys dead?”
At those words, the young man hurried to tend to his two companions. The giant continued to cackle at the scene.
///
“Lua-chan, are you done yet?”
“J-just a little longer!”
I had been agonizing in front of the weapon shop’s display for about twenty minutes now. I had 200 gold coins in my pocket. One option was the Iron Sword for 180 gold, while the other was the Wing Sword for 150 gold. The Iron Sword had superior sharpness, but the Wing Sword, while lacking in cutting power, allowed for greater agility. If I bought the Iron Sword for 180 gold, I would still have 20 gold left for lunch at Zenbei.
The 200 gold coins were given to me as pocket money, but Roel managed all the money I earned from requests as living expenses. This 200 gold was what she had allocated for me. The Iron Sword’s sharpness could very well determine the outcome of a battle. On the other hand, the agility of the Wing Sword might allow me to save myself in a pinch. Which should I buy? I kept reaching for one or the other, only to pull my hand back repeatedly. The weapon shop’s Uncle leaned on the counter, clearly urging me to make a decision quickly.
“Hey, Lua-chan, didn’t you already have a sword? You don’t really need to buy one, do you?”
“Ah, that one has a bit of a troublesome additional effect. If it involves Roel, it could be dangerous, so I thought I’d stick to a regular sword unless absolutely necessary.”
That flash of light and explosion—the power that even the King of Destruction was swallowed by was a threat to me as well. Getting caught in an explosion triggered by my own weapon would be incredibly foolish, so I had made the decisive choice to avoid that this time.
“Lua-chan, you’re already strong enough, so either one would be fine, right?”
“That’s not the issue…”
Roel didn’t understand. It was all about which option wouldn’t leave me at a loss. Even if I bought the Iron Sword, it might not be that much more powerful than the Wing Sword, and even if I bought the Wing Sword, I might not be as agile as I hoped. My worries were endless. I had tried holding both, but without testing them in real combat, I couldn’t say for sure.
“Hey, what about buying both?”
“No way.”
It was an immediate response. Roel was incredibly strict when it came to money. Perhaps it was her meticulous nature; she kept a detailed household account.
“That’s harsh…”
I feigned disappointment, but it didn’t reach Roel. My act wouldn’t fool her.
“If you complete my request, I’ll give you a better weapon.”
The weapon shop Uncle, seeing my plight, offered a suggestion. If I took on a request, I could get both. I was determined to do whatever it took.
“Actually—”
Just as the Uncle began to explain, the door to the weapon shop opened quietly. He greeted the newcomer, but the person said nothing and walked straight toward us.
“Buy all these weapons, no matter the price. You can even take them for free if you want.”
“Are you sure you won’t regret selling everything? You look like a Swordfighter.”
“It’s fine. I no longer need them.”
“Well, then…”
With a puzzled expression, the Uncle began the buyback process.
“Here, just this much.”
“Thank you.”
After receiving the money, the man quietly left the shop. His slouched figure looked weak and fragile, as if he would fall over with a gentle push.
“That guy probably messed up. Failed a request… It’s a path every Adventurer walks at least once. I felt down when I was active back in the day too.”
“Active? You were an Adventurer, Uncle?”
“Ah, those were the days… Back then, no one in this town didn’t know the name Kouzo.”
The weapon shop Uncle, Kouzo, began to reminisce. His hair had thinned, and his belly had grown round, leaving no trace of his former self.
“Being an Adventurer is a job full of dreams. Once you reach A-Rank, depending on the request, you can earn tens of thousands of gold from just one job. But because of that, there are plenty of people who face setbacks like that.”
“T-tens of thousands…?”
Holding 200 gold coins in one hand, I realized how trivial my worries were. A-Rank Adventurers certainly didn’t pursue money as their primary goal, but it only made me want to aim for that rank even more.
“Oh, I almost forgot. About that earlier matter, I think there’s a request posted at the Guild. Look for it under my name, Kouzo.”
In the end, Roel’s patience wore thin, and I ended up buying the Iron Sword before we left the shop. I thought she was docile, but she surprisingly had a strong will in certain areas. I had discovered another new aspect of Roel.
///
When we arrived at the Guild, I spotted the man from the weapon shop. Meanwhile, Lintei, who was seated at the counter, wore a rather difficult expression.
“Are you really sure about this?”
“Yeah, I have no regrets.”
“Then I will proceed with the cancellation of your Adventurer registration. Even if you erase it, you can register again, but you’ll start from D-Rank. Now, let’s begin.”
Cancellation of registration—was that man really quitting being an Adventurer? I couldn’t tell if he had experienced something painful or if he had lingering attachments, but he looked like he was clenching his teeth tightly behind closed lips.
“I know it’s not my place to say this, but since you’re safe, there’s no need to feel so burdened. The Rookie Crusher, Grundom… I’ve posted requests to eliminate him, but none have been completed yet. C-Rank Adventurers have taken them on, but as you can see, the results are dismal. There aren’t many B-Rank Adventurers in this town, and right now, they’re all tied up with other requests. Gantetsu has returned to the town of Avangarde… However, once the B-Rank Adventurers finish their current tasks, they will head out to deal with him. Once that happens, Grundom won’t stand a chance. You’re still young; please hold on until then.”
“What do you know? If you have time to meddle, just start the procedure.”
The man spoke in a voice that sounded like he was about to cry. He must have felt incredibly frustrated, as his clenched fists were trembling. What had the Rookie Crusher, Grundom, done to him?
“What is this Rookie Crusher, Grundom?”
“He’s someone who lies in wait in dungeons where beginner Adventurers might go and ambushes them.”
I had no idea such a person existed. From Roel’s tone, it seemed she didn’t know much about it either.
“Alright, the procedure is complete.”
The man, no longer an Adventurer, left without saying a word.
“That man is pitiful. If I hadn’t met Lua-chan…”
If I projected myself onto that man, I would only feel more despondent. And that Grundom, who had done that to him—I felt a spark of interest in taking on a request to deal with him, but first, I needed to focus on Kouzo’s request. I searched for the request form with Roel. Thanks to her, I had learned to read a bit, but it still took me a long time. So, I usually relied on Roel during times like this.
“Found it! This is it.”
“Please mine iron from the fourth floor of Avangarde Cave. From Kouzo, owner of the Iron Man weapon shop.”
“The Avangarde Cave is where we went for Pablo’s request the other day, right?”
“Yeah, we only went to the second floor, but the fourth floor, huh…”
Previously, we had been warned not to go beyond the second floor due to dangerous monsters lurking there.
I had been warned, but I couldn’t help but wonder how things would actually turn out. It seemed the conditions stated that we needed to be at least C-rank or higher, so maybe we could manage somehow.
“This is a request from Kouzo, right? This time, Rua and Roel will be taking it on. Understood.”
From Lintei’s tone, it sounded like someone regularly took on these requests. It mentioned mining, but I was unsure how to go about it. I decided to head back to the Weapon Shop to ask for more details about the request.
///
“Alright, here you go.”
Kouzo handed me what he called a mining set. The Avangarde Cave had a Danger Level of 3 up to the second floor, but beyond that, the danger level ranged from 8 to 10 all the way down to the fifth and lowest floor. I wondered if that cobra monster had come up from the third floor.
There shouldn’t be any significant monsters on the second floor, and since Roel’s level had increased, I felt we would be fine for now.
“There should be poisonous monsters starting from the third floor. Stay alert.”
Following Kouzo’s advice, I prepared several antidotes. They wouldn’t work on me, and I definitely wouldn’t let Roel get harmed, so I thought they might not be necessary, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Yeah, take care.”
///
From a distance, someone was watching the entrance of the town. Two adventurers had just emerged from Queemil. The hulking figure, recognizing them as girls, twisted his mouth into a grin.
“Well, well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a girl. They smell a bit like urine, but whatever, I guess I can have some fun with them.”
The massive figure lurking in the woods stood up. In this relatively open area, there weren’t many places to hide. Still, Grundom concealed himself in the sparse trees, quietly observing the town’s entrance. Queemil, with its abundance of novice adventurers, was a perfect hunting ground for him. Of course, he wouldn’t dare to approach seasoned adventurers; he knew all too well their skills. That’s why Grundom set his sights on the inexperienced ones. Yes, that was precisely why.
“Judging by their attire, they’re probably planning to mine around the fourth floor of the Avangarde Cave. I’ll get ahead of them and set up an ambush. I have a special shortcut for this. Hehehe!”
With a surprising agility that belied his size, Grundom began to move for the hunt.