The name of my job is “Adventurer”.
In this world, adventurers dive into dungeons, seeking the treasures within to claim as their own. This was one of the main source of income for people who choose to become adventurers. The other source of income was to defeat magical beasts that are present in those very dungeons. Once these magical beasts are defeated, they will drop items which can be taken back to a town or the guild and sold for money. In terms of income, adventuring is a profitable profession, however it is as dangerous as it is profitable.
I am one of those “Adventurers”. A veteran who has been adventuring for over 20 years.
Once again, I am entering a dungeon.This time, with the goal of hunting magical beasts.
[Last one left.] (Man)
As the man turned towards the meadows, he noticed his prey hiding within the shadow of the grass.
It was a Wild Boa.
Wild Boa are demons who look similar to wild boars with brown fur. It is well-known for its high-speed rush along with its sharp tusks on its head. The combination of its rush and its sharp tusks poses a huge danger to adventurers facing this magical beast.
However, in the man’s eyes it is merely food. In fact, he can’t see it as anything but food. The quest that he accepted from the guild was a request to collect meat from Wild Boas in the dungeons.
Without warning, the Wild Boa performed its signature high-speed rush, running directly towards the man. Not feeling the need to dodge its attack, he lifted his two-handed sword and swung down towards the Wild Boa. In the midst of its attack, the Wild Boa crashes into the sword, the collision emitting a dull sound. At the end of the exchange, the Wild Boa had its head crushed, and its body was laying limp on the ground. Few moments later, the body of the Wild Boa turns into blue particles, leaving behind a lump of meat with skin the colour of tree bark on the ground. This phenomena was something that occured all around the world, however even after it was studied, the only thing that was discovered is that only magical beasts will transform into blue particles when they die. With some luck, there is also a chance that “Drop Items” would drop from their remains.
[Whether they are boars or pigs, at the end of the day they are still meat.] (Man)
The man picked up the Drop Item,Meat (Average). In this world, the quality of a Drop Item increases as the level of the magic beast increases. Meat(Average) is similar to meat obtained from ordinary livestock. It is also possible to obtain higher quality meat such as Meat(High) and Meat(Special) by hunting beasts with higher levels in dungeons with higher difficulties. Although Meat(Special) is a rare and delicious type of meat which can only be dropped by beasts of extremely high difficulty where even first-class adventurers would be in danger.
[Let’s see… The requested amount of meat is ten. With this, the request is completed.] (Man)
The man placed the lump of meat in a Magic bag (Capacity: Large). It is a magic bag that was found when he was adventuring in the past. It is a highly valued magical item capable of storing up to 200 kilograms of items. He thought of selling it many times in the past as it costs as much as buying a house in the village, however it is so rare that the probability of it appearing in the marketplace is close to zero. It was near impossible to obtain the bag again once sold. Convinced by the convenience provided by the bag, the man kept the bag and his adventures became much easier as it removed the need to carry heavy items around .
As a precaution, the man took out the request form from his bag to review its content once more. Afterwards he started counting the lumps of meat obtained from his hunt to check if it matched the requested amount before leaving the dungeon. As he walked towards the magical gate in the dungeon, he thought about how rewarding himself with a good night of drinks for his work.
When the man returned to the village, he went towards the butchery in the village to deliver the meat before heading over to the guild for his quest rewards.
[Welcome back, Youya-san.] (OId Lady)
A familiar face, the old lady who ran the receptionist desk smiled as she waved at him. If this were a guild from a big city, surely a beautiful girl would had been assigned at the desk as the receptionist, however for a small village like this, being able to choose who ran the desk was a luxury in itself, making it near-impossible. The other adventurers often complained about this at the bar, although personally the man did not mind as it is merely for work. As long as the receptionist does not obstruct his work, their age or gender do not matter.
[I am back. The meat collection request has already been completed, here is the certificate of completion.] (Youya)
Yuya handed over his status card and the certificate of the request over to the old lady who quickly removed the seal from the certificate and the quest reward was shown on his status card. As she returned the status card, Yuya checked to ensure the quest reward matched the amount as stated in the request form. As expected, the reward matched.
[Youya-san, you should know that your speed in clearing requests is respected and extremely helpful to the guild? I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize your trust in the guild, regardless of your job.] (Old Lady)
[Well I am just checking because its work after all. By the way, are there still any more requests approaching their deadlines?] (Youya)
[Ah that request was the last one. Oh right, Youya-san. Nikita asked me to pass you this.] (Old Lady)
As she said that, she passed to Youya a homemade apple pie. Nikita is the showgirl of a bar that he go to quite often. She is going to be 16 this year, and is quite well-liked among the men in the village. Although he eats at the bar quite often, he couldn’t seem to recall asking her for an apple pie. As if she was reading his thoughts, the old lady looked at Youya with a gentle smile.
[Do you remember about the incident where the Maltese disease spread throughout the village? Back then, you were the one who took up the request to collect Karnatta stone which was the main ingredient in brewing the potion used to cure the disease. Thanks to that, you saved her mother who was infected with the disease. By the way, aren’t you still single? At your age, shouldn’t you be looking to settle down and start a family yourself? Why not consider Nikita? She has pretty good looks for someone her age you know.] (Old Lady)
[Sorry but i will have to pass on this one. I am just an old man who is about to retire. I am sure a girl like Nikita will have many younger and better-looking guys to choose from. I will accept the apple pie. I will also be dropping by tomorrow, please reserve a delicious quest for me okay. It is the last time after all.] (Youya)
Although Yuya just received a generous reward from completing the request earlier, he was also offered a homemade apple pie. He felt like he would be disrespecting Nikita if he rejected the offer, thus he accepted the apple pie.
[Youya-san. Are you really not going to renew your contract with the guild? The other guild staff and I would like for you to continue being an exclusive adventurer for the next year as well you know.] (Old Lady)
[Sorry. But I am already 36 years old this year. It is difficult for me to continue adventuring at my age. As you can probably tell, I already have plenty of savings built up. I plan to return to the countryside and spend my retirement slowly cultivating fields. As for adventuring, you can rest assured since my successor, Beck is an excellent adventurer. After all, I was the one who raised him.] (Youya)
Exclusive adventurers are adventurers who are binded to a guild with a contract.They are obliged to perform smaller quests that nobody would complete as their rewards were not worth the effort required. Instead, they are paid additional salaries as they continue to work as an exclusive adventurer. For quests like these, which are mainly quests put up by villagers for their needs, veterans like Yuya were chosen to complete them. These requests are troublesome in many ways, however he did not mind completing them. Being an exclusive adventurer also gives the option of declining quests with higher difficulties, allowing adventurers to have a stable income with relatively low risks as compared to the adventurous, high risk high reward lifestyle of an adventurer. This is also a way to show appreciation to the people in the village.
However, adventurers are humans too. As they grow older, their bodies grow weaker. Even as an exclusive adventurer, the idea of an being an adventurer is more or less impossible due to their old age. In his peak, Yuya was able to call himself a first-class adventurer, however he was still unable to become one of the top-class adventurers. Similar to first-class adventurers, many top-class adventurers who were forced to give up their ambitions do not aim to conquer high difficulty dungeons but rather spend their time completing odd-jobs while nurturing the next generation. For Youya, he spent his days steadily completing jobs that were safe, slowly building up savings for retirement to live a quiet life that was not chasing the thrill of adventure.
Youya had always felt that the idea of cooking his own food and eating alone was extremely depressing, so after completing his equipment maintenance, he decided to head towards the bar.
He entered the bar, sitting at his usual seat in the corner of the room. Being a regular of the bar, without taking his order, he was served ale by the waiter.
[Nikita, the apple pie you made for me was delicious.] (Youya)
The one who delivered the ale to his table was Nikita, the showgirl for the bar. She was quickly approaching the age of 16 this year. She is an energetic girl who oozes out energy, often catching the attention of other men. Even now, there are men eyeing her as she is working
[Thank you for the compliment, I am very glad that Youya-san enjoyed my apple pie. Since my father just taught me how to bake that apple pie the other day, I tried my best to make it as delicious as possible.] (Nikita)
Hearing this, Youya felt that Nikita had feelings for him. Although at his age, it would be more appropriate for her to show him respect as her elder.
[So it’s your first time baking an apple pie? Looks like you have a talent for cooking.] (Youya)
[It wasn’t anything that praiseworthy.] (Nikita)
[I envy the man that will become your future husband.] (Youya)
After hearing that, Nikita’s expression became cloudy. From her perspective, that sentence was akin to saying that Youya would not become her husband. Personally, Youya felt that it would be better for him to throw away any feelings of attachment as soon as possible.
[Nikkita, do you have any recommendations for today?] (Youya)
[Uhh..yeah. Pork dishes are recommended today since a large batch of pork was brought in today.] (Nikita)
Youya’s mind went back to the request he completed earlier this afternoon. It seems that the butcher has already sold the meat despite just having it delivered a moment ago.
[In that case, please give me a pork stew and a skewer, as well as a refill please] (Youya)
[Sure! No problem.] (Nikita)
Recently, whenever Youya realised he was alone, he would find himself coming to the bar.
There were many adventurers who gather here and since this is a village which has a dungeon, it posed quite an impressive sight. Although adventuring is a job that is difficult to sustain past the mid thirties with a high mortality rate, there are still many young adventurers aspiring to become a full-fledged adventurer. Even now, there are younger people passionately talking about their dreams, raising their spirits even higher.
[We are definitely going to conquer the Tower of Trials someday! And we will eventually be hailed as equals to the hero Leonard!] (Tryhard)
[You say that yet you are still struggling with Giant Toads.] (Realist)
[Hey please don’t say that out loud!! Nobody needs to know that.] (Embarrassed Tryhard)
Everyone in the bar laughed out loud upon hearing this conversation. Witnessing this spectacle, Youya felt like his cold heart was starting to become slightly warmed. Meanwhile, his food was delivered to the table and he started his meal.
[Delicious. The chef who works here definitely has good cooking skills.] (Youya)
Before he came to this city, he had worked in a big city but he felt that the city did not have many stores that sold food which tasted better than this. As he was lost in thought, a man equipped in magical metal armour and a silver class adventurer’s card hanging from his neck sat in the seat in front of Youya. His equipment were clearly not from the village, however his face was a familiar face. A face full of vigor and confidence
[I’ve been looking for you, Youya-san.] (Man)
[I heard that you have joined “Blow”, Ain.] (Youya)
This adventurer is called Ain. Seven years ago his parents begged Youya to teach him the ways of an adventurer. Youya ended up teaching him for only three years. However, after those three years, he became a full-fledged adventurer, competent enough to leave the village to challenge more difficult dungeons.
[Well I have been training for four years with the Blows, because of that I managed to become one of them. Also, i have decided to take on the Tower of Trials.] (Ain)
The sound of Youya’s spoon hitting the ground could be heard.
[Youya-san,Would you like to come with us to the Tower of Trials? Together we can show everyone how great of an adventurer you really are! I am sure someone of your caliber would be able to clear the trial easily!. Doesn’t it sound like a good idea Teacher?] (Ain)
Youya took a deep breath and started recollecting about the past, about how other teams told him similar things in the past. However, his answer was already decided long ago.
[Ain. I am grateful for how highly you think of me, however i have to decline. I am not a chosen one.] (Youya)
The Tower of Trials. It’s the goal that every adventurer in pursuit of strength seeks to overcome. It is the place when an adventurer goes if he wishes to become stronger, to be stronger than everyone else.
Yet, more than a decade ago, it was the place that I ran from without even attempting it.
[Teacher! Please do not say such things about yourself. I have two dependable companions who are coming with us. We have the manpower to conquer the trials. If only we had the experience, skill and strength of my teacher there, conquering the trails would be a bree-] (Ain)
As Ain was about to finish his sentence, i activated my status card. In this world, a status card reveals the status of it’s owner, containing information about their levels and stats. It also serves as an identification card and a wallet for carrying money. Ain stopped talking and looked at the window that popped out, with a look of disbelief.
[It can’t be.. Teacher you are lying to me.. Right?] (Ain)
[I’ve told you this many times. I was unlucky. It wasn’t as if I didn’t have the passion and the goal of becoming stronger, aiming to conquer the trials. However, back then, as me and my friends became stronger, as our levels went higher and higher, my heart became colder and colder. Eventually, I fell into despair. It was impossible for me. Conquering the trials. When my friends told me that they were challenging the trials, I left my party. I was given the opportunity to become stronger, to challenge the Tower of Trials, but I ran away without even attempting it. I threw away my chance at becoming strong. That is how I started doing an unreasonable job such as being an exclusive adventurer.] (Youya)
In this world, something known as a “Status” existed.
The upper limit for leveling in this world was level 50.
Whenever a person leveled up, they had their stats parameters increased by a value of one to three. Normally, an average person would have their stat parameters increased by two points when they leveled up, but there are always variations and Yuya was one of those variations.
Everytime he leveled up, his stat parameters would only increase by one point. No matter how many times he leveled up, the increments never changed. Unwilling to let go of his dream, he pushed forward and continued to raise his level believing that once he hit level 50, the missing points would return. However, even when he achieved level 50, his stats remained unaffected, leaving him to despair.
In the midst of his despair, he wondered if there was a different strength in this world, a strength beyond one’s status. He tried to believe that there was a strength that could overcome even a person’s low stat parameters and began to polish his swordsmanship. After decades of training, my swordsmanship was at its peak, and he found it. Through blood,sweat and tears, he attained the strength that goes beyond the limitation known as “Status”.
Despite this, everything still had a limit.
As another person’s level grew higher, the disparity between their status would become larger as well. Yuya knew painfully well how large the gap has an effect in a person’s effective battle stats. Polishing his swordsmanship gave him the confidence to call himself a first-class adventurer, however he could never be considered a top-tier adventurer. He knew it was impossible to catch up to the people who were chosen, the people who were given the opportunity, the stats required to be the strongest. Thus, he gave up on the dream of becoming the strongest and instead, chose a stable job by completing quests with lower difficulties to earn a living.
[Ain. If its you, I am sure that it is possible to clear the tower. You are different from me. You are lucky enough to be able to do so unlike me. I wish you good luck in your trials.] (Youya)
Ain was someone who had the minimum requirement to enter the realm of the warriors. He had the increase in stat parameters required to enter it, thus he was someone that was surely going to his teacher, achieving something that was impossible for Youya.
[Sorry Yuoya-san. I didn’t know about this.] (Ain)
[Don’t worry Ain, i know that you are someone who cherishes his teacher very much. I am sorry that I had to tell you a depressing story about your teacher. Since I am done with my meal, I will be making a move.] (Youya)
Truth was Ain had wanted to stay late that night to drink, but the atmosphere that night, made it difficult to for him to drink.
[Seriously.. Why did he have to remind me about the past. It is impossible for me who lacked the status.] (Youya)
Recollecting the memories and the passion he once had, the embers of the flames that once existed in his heart, began to reignite.
The name of my job is “Adventurer”.
In this world, adventurers dive into dungeons, seeking the treasures within to claim as their own. This was one of the main source of income for people who choose to become adventurers. The other source of income was to defeat magical beasts that are present in those very dungeons. Once these magical beasts are defeated, they will drop items which can be taken back to a town or the guild and sold for money. In terms of income, adventuring is a profitable profession, however it is as dangerous as it is profitable.
I am one of those “Adventurers”. A veteran who has been adventuring for over 20 years.
Once again, I am entering a dungeon.This time, with the goal of hunting magical beasts.
[Last one left.] (Man)
As the man turned towards the meadows, he noticed his prey hiding within the shadow of the grass.
It was a Wild Boa.
Wild Boa are demons who look similar to wild boars with brown fur. It is well-known for its high-speed rush along with its sharp tusks on its head. The combination of its rush and its sharp tusks poses a huge danger to adventurers facing this magical beast.
However, in the man’s eyes it is merely food. In fact, he can’t see it as anything but food. The quest that he accepted from the guild was a request to collect meat from Wild Boas in the dungeons.
Without warning, the Wild Boa performed its signature high-speed rush, running directly towards the man. Not feeling the need to dodge its attack, he lifted his two-handed sword and swung down towards the Wild Boa. In the midst of its attack, the Wild Boa crashes into the sword, the collision emitting a dull sound. At the end of the exchange, the Wild Boa had its head crushed, and its body was laying limp on the ground. Few moments later, the body of the Wild Boa turns into blue particles, leaving behind a lump of meat with skin the colour of tree bark on the ground. This phenomena was something that occured all around the world, however even after it was studied, the only thing that was discovered is that only magical beasts will transform into blue particles when they die. With some luck, there is also a chance that “Drop Items” would drop from their remains.
[Whether they are boars or pigs, at the end of the day they are still meat.] (Man)
The man picked up the Drop Item,Meat (Average). In this world, the quality of a Drop Item increases as the level of the magic beast increases. Meat(Average) is similar to meat obtained from ordinary livestock. It is also possible to obtain higher quality meat such as Meat(High) and Meat(Special) by hunting beasts with higher levels in dungeons with higher difficulties. Although Meat(Special) is a rare and delicious type of meat which can only be dropped by beasts of extremely high difficulty where even first-class adventurers would be in danger.
[Let’s see… The requested amount of meat is ten. With this, the request is completed.] (Man)
The man placed the lump of meat in a Magic bag (Capacity: Large). It is a magic bag that was found when he was adventuring in the past. It is a highly valued magical item capable of storing up to 200 kilograms of items. He thought of selling it many times in the past as it costs as much as buying a house in the village, however it is so rare that the probability of it appearing in the marketplace is close to zero. It was near impossible to obtain the bag again once sold. Convinced by the convenience provided by the bag, the man kept the bag and his adventures became much easier as it removed the need to carry heavy items around .
As a precaution, the man took out the request form from his bag to review its content once more. Afterwards he started counting the lumps of meat obtained from his hunt to check if it matched the requested amount before leaving the dungeon. As he walked towards the magical gate in the dungeon, he thought about how rewarding himself with a good night of drinks for his work.
When the man returned to the village, he went towards the butchery in the village to deliver the meat before heading over to the guild for his quest rewards.
[Welcome back, Youya-san.] (OId Lady)
A familiar face, the old lady who ran the receptionist desk smiled as she waved at him. If this were a guild from a big city, surely a beautiful girl would had been assigned at the desk as the receptionist, however for a small village like this, being able to choose who ran the desk was a luxury in itself, making it near-impossible. The other adventurers often complained about this at the bar, although personally the man did not mind as it is merely for work. As long as the receptionist does not obstruct his work, their age or gender do not matter.
[I am back. The meat collection request has already been completed, here is the certificate of completion.] (Youya)
Yuya handed over his status card and the certificate of the request over to the old lady who quickly removed the seal from the certificate and the quest reward was shown on his status card. As she returned the status card, Yuya checked to ensure the quest reward matched the amount as stated in the request form. As expected, the reward matched.
[Youya-san, you should know that your speed in clearing requests is respected and extremely helpful to the guild? I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize your trust in the guild, regardless of your job.] (Old Lady)
[Well I am just checking because its work after all. By the way, are there still any more requests approaching their deadlines?] (Youya)
[Ah that request was the last one. Oh right, Youya-san. Nikita asked me to pass you this.] (Old Lady)
As she said that, she passed to Youya a homemade apple pie. Nikita is the showgirl of a bar that he go to quite often. She is going to be 16 this year, and is quite well-liked among the men in the village. Although he eats at the bar quite often, he couldn’t seem to recall asking her for an apple pie. As if she was reading his thoughts, the old lady looked at Youya with a gentle smile.
[Do you remember about the incident where the Maltese disease spread throughout the village? Back then, you were the one who took up the request to collect Karnatta stone which was the main ingredient in brewing the potion used to cure the disease. Thanks to that, you saved her mother who was infected with the disease. By the way, aren’t you still single? At your age, shouldn’t you be looking to settle down and start a family yourself? Why not consider Nikita? She has pretty good looks for someone her age you know.] (Old Lady)
[Sorry but i will have to pass on this one. I am just an old man who is about to retire. I am sure a girl like Nikita will have many younger and better-looking guys to choose from. I will accept the apple pie. I will also be dropping by tomorrow, please reserve a delicious quest for me okay. It is the last time after all.] (Youya)
Although Yuya just received a generous reward from completing the request earlier, he was also offered a homemade apple pie. He felt like he would be disrespecting Nikita if he rejected the offer, thus he accepted the apple pie.
[Youya-san. Are you really not going to renew your contract with the guild? The other guild staff and I would like for you to continue being an exclusive adventurer for the next year as well you know.] (Old Lady)
[Sorry. But I am already 36 years old this year. It is difficult for me to continue adventuring at my age. As you can probably tell, I already have plenty of savings built up. I plan to return to the countryside and spend my retirement slowly cultivating fields. As for adventuring, you can rest assured since my successor, Beck is an excellent adventurer. After all, I was the one who raised him.] (Youya)
Exclusive adventurers are adventurers who are binded to a guild with a contract.They are obliged to perform smaller quests that nobody would complete as their rewards were not worth the effort required. Instead, they are paid additional salaries as they continue to work as an exclusive adventurer. For quests like these, which are mainly quests put up by villagers for their needs, veterans like Yuya were chosen to complete them. These requests are troublesome in many ways, however he did not mind completing them. Being an exclusive adventurer also gives the option of declining quests with higher difficulties, allowing adventurers to have a stable income with relatively low risks as compared to the adventurous, high risk high reward lifestyle of an adventurer. This is also a way to show appreciation to the people in the village.
However, adventurers are humans too. As they grow older, their bodies grow weaker. Even as an exclusive adventurer, the idea of an being an adventurer is more or less impossible due to their old age. In his peak, Yuya was able to call himself a first-class adventurer, however he was still unable to become one of the top-class adventurers. Similar to first-class adventurers, many top-class adventurers who were forced to give up their ambitions do not aim to conquer high difficulty dungeons but rather spend their time completing odd-jobs while nurturing the next generation. For Youya, he spent his days steadily completing jobs that were safe, slowly building up savings for retirement to live a quiet life that was not chasing the thrill of adventure.
Youya had always felt that the idea of cooking his own food and eating alone was extremely depressing, so after completing his equipment maintenance, he decided to head towards the bar.
He entered the bar, sitting at his usual seat in the corner of the room. Being a regular of the bar, without taking his order, he was served ale by the waiter.
[Nikita, the apple pie you made for me was delicious.] (Youya)
The one who delivered the ale to his table was Nikita, the showgirl for the bar. She was quickly approaching the age of 16 this year. She is an energetic girl who oozes out energy, often catching the attention of other men. Even now, there are men eyeing her as she is working
[Thank you for the compliment, I am very glad that Youya-san enjoyed my apple pie. Since my father just taught me how to bake that apple pie the other day, I tried my best to make it as delicious as possible.] (Nikita)
Hearing this, Youya felt that Nikita had feelings for him. Although at his age, it would be more appropriate for her to show him respect as her elder.
[So it’s your first time baking an apple pie? Looks like you have a talent for cooking.] (Youya)
[It wasn’t anything that praiseworthy.] (Nikita)
[I envy the man that will become your future husband.] (Youya)
After hearing that, Nikita’s expression became cloudy. From her perspective, that sentence was akin to saying that Youya would not become her husband. Personally, Youya felt that it would be better for him to throw away any feelings of attachment as soon as possible.
[Nikkita, do you have any recommendations for today?] (Youya)
[Uhh..yeah. Pork dishes are recommended today since a large batch of pork was brought in today.] (Nikita)
Youya’s mind went back to the request he completed earlier this afternoon. It seems that the butcher has already sold the meat despite just having it delivered a moment ago.
[In that case, please give me a pork stew and a skewer, as well as a refill please] (Youya)
[Sure! No problem.] (Nikita)
Recently, whenever Youya realised he was alone, he would find himself coming to the bar.
There were many adventurers who gather here and since this is a village which has a dungeon, it posed quite an impressive sight. Although adventuring is a job that is difficult to sustain past the mid thirties with a high mortality rate, there are still many young adventurers aspiring to become a full-fledged adventurer. Even now, there are younger people passionately talking about their dreams, raising their spirits even higher.
[We are definitely going to conquer the Tower of Trials someday! And we will eventually be hailed as equals to the hero Leonard!] (Tryhard)
[You say that yet you are still struggling with Giant Toads.] (Realist)
[Hey please don’t say that out loud!! Nobody needs to know that.] (Embarrassed Tryhard)
Everyone in the bar laughed out loud upon hearing this conversation. Witnessing this spectacle, Youya felt like his cold heart was starting to become slightly warmed. Meanwhile, his food was delivered to the table and he started his meal.
[Delicious. The chef who works here definitely has good cooking skills.] (Youya)
Before he came to this city, he had worked in a big city but he felt that the city did not have many stores that sold food which tasted better than this. As he was lost in thought, a man equipped in magical metal armour and a silver class adventurer’s card hanging from his neck sat in the seat in front of Youya. His equipment were clearly not from the village, however his face was a familiar face. A face full of vigor and confidence
[I’ve been looking for you, Youya-san.] (Man)
[I heard that you have joined “Blow”, Ain.] (Youya)
This adventurer is called Ain. Seven years ago his parents begged Youya to teach him the ways of an adventurer. Youya ended up teaching him for only three years. However, after those three years, he became a full-fledged adventurer, competent enough to leave the village to challenge more difficult dungeons.
[Well I have been training for four years with the Blows, because of that I managed to become one of them. Also, i have decided to take on the Tower of Trials.] (Ain)
The sound of Youya’s spoon hitting the ground could be heard.
[Youya-san,Would you like to come with us to the Tower of Trials? Together we can show everyone how great of an adventurer you really are! I am sure someone of your caliber would be able to clear the trial easily!. Doesn’t it sound like a good idea Teacher?] (Ain)
Youya took a deep breath and started recollecting about the past, about how other teams told him similar things in the past. However, his answer was already decided long ago.
[Ain. I am grateful for how highly you think of me, however i have to decline. I am not a chosen one.] (Youya)
The Tower of Trials. It’s the goal that every adventurer in pursuit of strength seeks to overcome. It is the place when an adventurer goes if he wishes to become stronger, to be stronger than everyone else.
Yet, more than a decade ago, it was the place that I ran from without even attempting it.
[Teacher! Please do not say such things about yourself. I have two dependable companions who are coming with us. We have the manpower to conquer the trials. If only we had the experience, skill and strength of my teacher there, conquering the trails would be a bree-] (Ain)
As Ain was about to finish his sentence, i activated my status card. In this world, a status card reveals the status of it’s owner, containing information about their levels and stats. It also serves as an identification card and a wallet for carrying money. Ain stopped talking and looked at the window that popped out, with a look of disbelief.
[It can’t be.. Teacher you are lying to me.. Right?] (Ain)
[I’ve told you this many times. I was unlucky. It wasn’t as if I didn’t have the passion and the goal of becoming stronger, aiming to conquer the trials. However, back then, as me and my friends became stronger, as our levels went higher and higher, my heart became colder and colder. Eventually, I fell into despair. It was impossible for me. Conquering the trials. When my friends told me that they were challenging the trials, I left my party. I was given the opportunity to become stronger, to challenge the Tower of Trials, but I ran away without even attempting it. I threw away my chance at becoming strong. That is how I started doing an unreasonable job such as being an exclusive adventurer.] (Youya)
In this world, something known as a “Status” existed.
The upper limit for leveling in this world was level 50.
Whenever a person leveled up, they had their stats parameters increased by a value of one to three. Normally, an average person would have their stat parameters increased by two points when they leveled up, but there are always variations and Yuya was one of those variations.
Everytime he leveled up, his stat parameters would only increase by one point. No matter how many times he leveled up, the increments never changed. Unwilling to let go of his dream, he pushed forward and continued to raise his level believing that once he hit level 50, the missing points would return. However, even when he achieved level 50, his stats remained unaffected, leaving him to despair.
In the midst of his despair, he wondered if there was a different strength in this world, a strength beyond one’s status. He tried to believe that there was a strength that could overcome even a person’s low stat parameters and began to polish his swordsmanship. After decades of training, my swordsmanship was at its peak, and he found it. Through blood,sweat and tears, he attained the strength that goes beyond the limitation known as “Status”.
Despite this, everything still had a limit.
As another person’s level grew higher, the disparity between their status would become larger as well. Yuya knew painfully well how large the gap has an effect in a person’s effective battle stats. Polishing his swordsmanship gave him the confidence to call himself a first-class adventurer, however he could never be considered a top-tier adventurer. He knew it was impossible to catch up to the people who were chosen, the people who were given the opportunity, the stats required to be the strongest. Thus, he gave up on the dream of becoming the strongest and instead, chose a stable job by completing quests with lower difficulties to earn a living.
[Ain. If its you, I am sure that it is possible to clear the tower. You are different from me. You are lucky enough to be able to do so unlike me. I wish you good luck in your trials.] (Youya)
Ain was someone who had the minimum requirement to enter the realm of the warriors. He had the increase in stat parameters required to enter it, thus he was someone that was surely going to his teacher, achieving something that was impossible for Youya.
[Sorry Yuoya-san. I didn’t know about this.] (Ain)
[Don’t worry Ain, i know that you are someone who cherishes his teacher very much. I am sorry that I had to tell you a depressing story about your teacher. Since I am done with my meal, I will be making a move.] (Youya)
Truth was Ain had wanted to stay late that night to drink, but the atmosphere that night, made it difficult to for him to drink.
[Seriously.. Why did he have to remind me about the past. It is impossible for me who lacked the status.] (Youya)
Recollecting the memories and the passion he once had, the embers of the flames that once existed in his heart, began to reignite.
