Chapter 15

"Is that person okay?"

"Are you talking about the guy from earlier?"

"Yeah. His arm was really on fire..."

"That should heal up quickly if he gets a Water User to look at it."

"Then I can rest easy. Phew, thinking about it made me hungry. Ah, they’re selling grilled chicken thighs! Tall!"

After settling today’s hunting earnings, Tall and the others were on their way home, browsing the stalls in the square at Sora’s request.

The girl immediately spotted her favorite pointed-beak grilled chicken thigh and let out an excited cry.

"So, what was that all about?"

"It’s because you were more popular than expected."

"Really? That’s embarrassing."

Sora blushed, but her lips, glistening with bird fat, ruined the effect.

Tall, however, made sure to explain the proper reason.

It was unusual for a new adventurer to slaughter so many goblins in just a few days.

Some people had noticed the excellence of Sora’s unique skill.

So, they likely tried to separate Tall and Sora by claiming they were guiding a new adventurer, which is prohibited.

"Well, that’s mostly thanks to you, Tall."

"No, Sora’s <Reversal> is quite attractive. You should be aware of that."

"Ah, attractive? Tall, you’re overdoing it!"

Sora wriggled with delight at Tall’s words.

However, she still held the chicken thigh in one hand, so the cute girl lacked any charm.

"But if that’s the case, will those people come again? I don’t like that idea."

"Well, if we did that much, we should be fine for a while."

"Really?"

"The world of adventurers values strength. If you have a reputation for being strong, lesser people won’t bother you."

Tall wasn’t against standing out.

He had already received plenty of unwanted attention in the past, so he didn’t mind it now.

However, he was concerned that if his <Restoration> ability became public, it could lead to more serious problems.

So, he decided to demonstrate his strength without revealing too much.

The mock battle could have been declined.

Even without proving his innocence on the spot, the correct judgment would have been made in the courtroom of the Thunder God Gigiro, who oversees justice and honor.

But that mock battle was also a good opportunity to show his strength.

Tall, having thought this through, deliberately defeated a B-rank adventurer in front of an audience.

He wanted to be known as a mysterious and powerful adventurer without drawing attention to his <Restoration> ability.

"But if it gets out that you’re strong, women might start flocking to you!"

"That’s not just about strength; appearance matters too..."

"Then it’s even more dangerous!"

"Don’t worry, you’re overthinking it. No one will bother me that much."

Tall was of medium build and height, with black hair and eyes. Apart from his slightly white eyes, he had no particularly striking features.

He could be considered handsome, but he gave a rather ordinary impression.

However, from Sora’s perspective, the occasional sharp gaze and the serious expression he showed when scratching his chin in thought were incredibly attractive.

And his gentle voice when he was worried about her was so comforting, it made her ears melt.

Still, there was a slightly heavy tone in Tall’s voice that had been there for a while.

Sora, who had been secretly concerned, suddenly broke into a smile when she spotted a stall selling baked apples.

"Huff, it’s hot! That guy from earlier had a silver plate, so he was actually strong? He didn’t seem that way."

"Still, he’s one of the second-strongest ranks."

Tall explained the adventurer ranks to the girl, who was melting at the sweet and fragrant baked apple.

In the border town of Dadan, which has a population of over three thousand, there are only about three hundred active adventurers.

Every year, the number of applicants can reach nearly five hundred, but fewer than fifty remain by the following year.

These elite three hundred are ranked in seven colors, from bottom to top: Green Oak, Bronze, Red Iron, White Hard, Black Steel, True Silver, and Adamantite.

Only one party holds the golden plate at the top.

There are only three parties at the True Silver rank.

So, Razel was a formidable opponent who had overcome a high ratio of competition.

Still, much of their strength came from the skills they had cultivated.

They also had the support of their teammates, high-performance weapons, and armor.

Tall had none of that.

Without a skill that could kill with one hit, he swung his sword as fast as he could, fighting to the death.

Against monsters that wouldn’t fall with just a hit, he learned to aim for vital points with precision, even as he spat blood.

In an environment where any injury could lead to death, he spent a long time perfecting his ability to avoid attacks.

There was no way anyone could beat him in a sword-only match after all that training.

The key to this match was how he managed to turn it into a sword-only fight.

"Ah, I see. You did something, didn’t you, Tall?"

"Why do you think that?"

"Hmm, when you first raised your sword, that guy looked really surprised. It’s because you couldn’t make the sword catch fire, right?"

Tall nodded lightly and encouraged Sora to continue.

"Also, your attitude was really exaggerated. I’ve never seen you tease someone like that. You must have done something mischievous, right?"

"Yeah, you were observant."

Before the mock battle, Tall deliberately made Razel suspicious of his weapon, so he would hand it over.

During the fight, when he lightly tapped Razel’s shoulder with his sword, he was using the wooden sword to <Restore> a part of Razel.

"Actually, I messed with his skill tree a bit."

"Wh-What? You can do that?"

The idea came from observing Sora’s skill tree multiple times, which revealed the history of its growth.

If he could see the past, he could <Restore> it.

When Tall tried it himself, he discovered an interesting fact.

By slightly shortening a branch of his <Restoration> skill, he found that the skill points he had used returned.

This meant that when he <Restored> a skill tree, he wasn’t exactly going back in time but rather reverting the tree to its previous state.

The important point was that he could revert the skill tree as much as he wanted without losing any of the skill points he had accumulated up to that point.

Normally, once a branch of the skill tree was chosen, it couldn’t be redone.

But with <Restoration>, he could freely extend different branches and learn the necessary skills according to the situation.

This could potentially shake the foundations of the adventurer industry, but unfortunately, it was a wasted ability for Tall and Sora, who only had one branch skill.

"Well, if the trick is revealed, it’s easy to counter, so I can’t use it much."

"That’s why you were deliberately provoking him."

If the opponent calmly checked their skill tree, they would immediately notice the lower level of their branch skill.

The strategy only worked by confusing the opponent.

In the first place, when using <Restoration> in a one-on-one battle, Tall had to make physical contact.

He could activate it through gloves or a sword, but it was difficult to manipulate in a short period.

When he said it was too fast to be impossible, he was referring to this.

Previously, when he was harassed at the adventurer’s guild, he had <Restored> the opponent to a state of intoxication, which he could do because he knew the state from the previous day.

Finding the necessary state in a vast history within a short time required a certain level of concentration and familiarity.

He could mess with a skill tree with a short touch, but it was easy to notice.

To incapacitate someone, he needed to touch them for a longer time.

Overcoming these weaknesses would be a future challenge, Tall mused to himself.

"Here, Tall, have a bite."

A sweet scent suddenly filled Tall’s nostrils as he was lost in thought.

He turned to see Sora holding out a piece of baked apple on a spoon.

When Tall opened his mouth, the girl blew on it to cool it down before feeding him.

"Your eyebrows were all scrunched up. Are you okay?"

"You’re worrying too much. I’m sorry."

Tall looked at Sora, who had a slightly serious expression, to reassure her.

"No, I’m fine... Thank you for the meal. I’ll return the plate."

Sora hurriedly returned the empty plate to the stall owner.

As she walked away, Tall remembered the red-haired man and the face of the person who led them.

"...It’s a hassle, but I’ll show my face soon."