Chapter 3

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(What, what is it, how did it...?)

This sealed door should unlock when the "protagonist," someone with the qualities of a <Hero>, touches it, and the demon inside should fly out.

However, even when the boys clearly touched the sealed door, there was no change in the seal at all.

(Could I be misunderstanding something? But...)

These boys match the characteristics of the initial party of the protagonist when starting as "a city boy who dreams of becoming an adventurer."

The initial party of the "protagonist" consists of the protagonist, a male mage, a female archer, and a priest. If the boy who touched the door with a sword is the "protagonist" of this world, there shouldn't be any mistake...

But, is the premise itself wrong?

A possibility that I hadn't considered emerged.

What if...

---

The "protagonist" is not a "city boy who dreams of becoming an adventurer"!?

In BrelBrel, the origin of the "protagonist" can be freely chosen by the player from seven distinct options.

I assumed this world was one where the "protagonist" is a "city boy who dreams of becoming an adventurer" because the current situation of "Rex" matches the events at the start of that scenario.

However, even if the player didn't choose "a city boy who dreams of becoming an adventurer," Rex still appears in the game.

It's more natural to think that, even when the player isn't watching, Rex acts similarly to how he would at the start of the "city boy" scenario.

If these boys are considered as "just new adventurers with no relation to the protagonist," everything fits together.

It fits, but...

(Ah! If that's the case, it's going to be a real hassle.)

There are six other origins for the protagonist, scattered across the world.

Moreover, once the introductory events are over, it's impossible to imagine what actions the "protagonist" will take.

The only effective search method would be to travel the world looking for someone who fits the description.

(No, there's no real reason to go out of my way to find the "protagonist"...)

Not knowing who the "protagonist" is feels a bit scary.

As I was racking my brain over this, one of the young adventurers who had been watching me from a distance stepped forward and called out to me.

"Hey, you over there, old man!"

"O, old man!?"

My voice cracked involuntarily.

(You little brat!)

While the "me" who lived in Japan is one thing, "Rex" is a handsome man recognized even by discerning Japanese gamers, and his age is set at twenty-five.

He's certainly not old enough to be called an "old man"... or is twenty-something already considered old for people of this age?

However, if I let it slide, the hundreds, or perhaps dozens, or even a few Rex fans across the country won't let it go!

Just as I was about to shout, "Take it back! What you just said!"

"R, rude, Rad!"

A girl with bright red hair stepped forward to interrupt the boy, who was part of the same party.

The girl behind her seemed to be an archer, so she was likely the healer based on the party composition.

"Ah, ah! Mr. Rex! You're A-rank adventurer Rex Toren, right?"

"Uh, yeah, but please, no need for the 'sir.'"

She might be polite, but being called "sir" makes me feel uncomfortable.

As I gave a half-hearted response, she closed the distance between us.

"I'm a fan! It's an honor to meet you! Um... can I have a handshake?"

"Eh? Sure... but"

Caught off guard by the sudden request, I struggled to maintain Rex's character.

Her hand gripped mine as she closed the distance even further.

"...What? Just because you've been an adventurer for a long time, does that make you so great?"

The boy called Rad pouted, looking unimpressed, but this only fueled the girl's enthusiasm.

"It's definitely impressive! Do you know? Rex registered as an adventurer at fifteen and has completed over a thousand quests with a success rate of over 95%! Moreover, all of these were solo quests, which are several times harder than party quests and require a high level of overall skill! This means that Rex is exceptionally skilled in all areas, making his achievements truly remarkable! And finally, last year, his contributions were recognized, and he was promoted to A-rank! This is a historic achievement, being only the third solo A-rank adventurer in fifty-two years in this country. If he reaches S-rank, it would be unprecedented in the history of this country..."

"O, okay! I get it!"

Even I was speechless at the wave of information, which even Rex himself didn't know.

...This girl is definitely one of those.

A "gamer otaku" or something like that.

(But, that's right...)

From a game perspective, Rex isn't that special.

His main features are a few events when the protagonist is a "city boy who dreams of becoming an adventurer" and a higher initial level.

However, from an in-game perspective, things might be different.

In the early stages of the game, there were only a handful of characters over level fifty, and A-rank adventurers were similarly rare.

At the very least, if a "city girl who dreams of becoming an adventurer" looks at Rex with starry eyes, he must be a special presence.

I scratched my head, feeling at a loss as the girl continued to grip my hand, saying, "Wow, it's really you!"

I don't want to be underestimated, but this is also a difficult situation to handle.

The contrast with the brat Rad earlier is making me feel like I'm catching a cold.

"...I apologize for my party members."

Another young adventurer stepped forward, unable to bear the situation.

"Nice to meet you, Rex... is it? I'm Nuek."

"Ah, yeah."

Nuek, who introduced himself, had the softest demeanor among the four. His blue hair was styled in a way that made him look more like a shrewd merchant than an adventurer.

He held a staff, and Rad, who was glaring suspiciously at me, was clearly a swordsman, so Nuek must be the mage.

"These are my party members: Rad, the swordsman, who just caused you trouble, and Mana, the healer. And then..."

Nuek's gaze shifted to another girl standing in the back, who was watching me intently.

Her luxurious golden hair and finely chiseled face revealed pointed ears, typical of the elves imagined by the game generation since Tolkien.

"..."

The girl, with a wild animal-like aura, didn't respond even when both of us looked at her.

However, I saw her lips move slightly, saying, "Rex..."

"Eh, um... She's Plana, the archer. She can be a bit difficult to get along with..."

I nodded, showing that it was okay, as Nuek smiled awkwardly.

I should introduce myself as well.

"As you know, I'm the adventurer Rex Toren. I heard that the monsters sealed in this dungeon might be released, so I came to investigate."

"Ah, I see, that's why..."

This should cover up the earlier embarrassment.

I sighed in relief as Nuek seemed to understand.

Well, I should give a warning in Rex's style.

"This time it was fine, but you shouldn't get too close to this place, especially as beginners."

"Y, yes! Everyone! Let's hurry and leave this place!"

Nuek accepted my words and gave the order to retreat.

However, the red-haired boy, Rad, was the one to ruin the moment.

"Ha! Is this old man really an A-rank adventurer? Maybe he's just pretending to be a veteran to trick us?"

"Rad!!"

Nuek tried to calm Rad down, but it was to no avail.

Carrying his sword on his shoulder, Rad looked at me challengingly.

"...The weaker the dog, the more it barks."

The situation was further complicated by the elf girl, who had been silent until now.

"Plana! What did you just say!?"

"...I said, stray dogs are noisy."

Rad's attention immediately shifted to Plana, and the two began to glare at each other, completely ignoring me.

As I watched the two glaring at each other and the girl who still hadn't let go of my hand, I sighed inwardly.

(These guys are so disorganized.)

Meeting the eyes of the only sensible one left, Nuek, he apologized, "I'm sorry about this."

To him, I said,

"...You must have a tough time."

That was all I could do.

---

We managed to calm the situation and started our way back with the four new adventurers.

"I'm sorry for the trouble..."

Shaking my head at Nuek, who looked apologetic, I replied,

"It's fine. We're going the same way anyway."

I answered casually, but I had my own reasons.

Swordsman Rad, mage Nuek, priest Mana, and archer Plana.

Despite their personalities, they form a well-balanced party.

Incidentally, they are event characters.

In BrelBrel, the names, abilities, and appearances of regular adventurers are randomly determined, but these four have fixed professions and ability tendencies.

Furthermore, while their potential values are randomly determined, they are adjusted to be higher than average.

They are the complete opposite of Rex, who is strong now but has no potential for growth.

Their future is undoubtedly promising, and if I plan to live in this world, it would be wise to build connections with them.

"...Tch!"

I wondered about Rad, who was muttering behind us, but I couldn't really get angry at a kid who was a year younger.

"This way."

I led the way, retracing our steps.

In most dungeons, a shortcut opens up once you reach the end, making it easier to return.

However, the <Trial Cave> is an exception, as it's not a place you visit multiple times.

While the enemies we defeated on the way in don't respawn, it's still a problem...

"Did we miss any?"

As we were about to see the exit, three shadows appeared ahead.

They were goblins, the weakest monsters we encountered when we first entered the cave.

"Three of them! Nuek! Use magic..."

"No, I'll handle it."

I stepped forward, stopping Rad, who was about to charge with his sword.

(Can I do this?)

I focused my mind and used the Scout skill <Pierce>.

---

Goblin

LV 3

HP 61 MP 13

Physical Attack 36 Magic Attack 0

Physical Defense 27 Magic Defense 8

Strength 32 Vitality 24

Magic 0 Spirit 8

Agility 16 Focus 8

---

(...Well, that's something.)

The status screen floating in the real world is surreal, but being able to use skills like in the game is good news.

In the first battle, I panicked and couldn't even try to fight.

Now, I want to understand my own capabilities.

Moreover, while it might seem childish to show off to a kid, it's not a bad idea to demonstrate my strength here.

"Hey, old man, don't overdo it! There are three of them!"

"It's fine. Just watch."

Despite his worried tone, Rad is a good kid at heart.

I ignored his concern and approached the enemies before they could form up, channeling magic into my sword as my senses guided me.

"---V Slash!!"

In that moment, the quality of the magic surrounding my sword changed.

My arm and sword moved independently, as if they had a life of their own, drawing a brilliant V!

"Ga, Ah!"

The diagonal slash cut through the goblin's club, and the returning blade finished it off.

(Good. The Arts work fine.)

Arts are special moves that consume MP (Magic Power) and are used by physical classes.

In the game, you could activate them by pressing the right trigger button and inputting the move while channeling magic into your weapon. Here, it seems to be more intuitive.

"Ga, Ah!"

However, there was no time to revel in the moment.

Another goblin, seeing its companion fall, charged at me with its club.

---No way I'm letting that through!

This time, I channeled magic into my left hand's small shield.

While shields are classified as weapons, you can't use Arts with a weapon in your non-dominant hand.

However, you can...

---Parry!!

I swept the magic-infused shield to deflect the club.

The timing is critical, but the enemy, having their attack deflected by a magic-infused shield, loses balance for a short time.

"Ga, Ah!?"

The goblin's body swayed, defenseless.

I struck its exposed head with my sword.

"...Gu, Ah."

The goblin, hit in a vital spot, died instantly and collapsed.

Now, only one remains.

The last goblin, instead of a club, wielded a short sword and a shield, and it raised its shield in a defensive stance, glaring at me.

(What should I do?)

The goblin, wary, didn't attack immediately, circling around me.

I moistened my lips quietly as I watched it.

(I can take it down, but...)

The goblin's stats, as seen with <Pierce>, were typical for a low-level monster.

With Rex's current attack power, I could easily defeat the goblin, shield and all.

However, this is a good opportunity to try something new.

"Huff!"

I took a small breath and slightly lowered my stance, then in the next moment, I leaned my body to the right.

---How about this?

I channeled magic into my right-hand sword again.

This time, I used the same sword skill, <V Slash>.

However, this time, I leaned my body to the right and traced the path I had memorized, moving my sword with my own will.

The strike passed under the raised shield, drawing a brilliant slash across the goblin's torso.

"---V Slash!!"

Of course, it didn't end there.

With a shout, I returned the blade, which had been deflected upward, and it sliced through the monster's body along the midline.

"...Phew."

It seems to have worked.

Facing the goblin, now cut in half and falling helplessly, I exhaled.

"Mr. Rex, what was that?"

Nuek, who had been watching the battle from behind, called out in surprise.

"...What?"

After repeating the question, I realized.

What I had just tried was the "manual activation" of Arts.

Arts can be used automatically by inputting the move, but you can also activate them manually by tracing the path of the move while pressing the special move button.

This is the original design.

The selling point of BrelBrel is its realistic sword combat, where you use motion controllers to swing your weapon as if you were doing it yourself.

If the special moves were just a button press and then you watch, it would be a letdown.

In fact, manual activation allows for more flexibility, and tracing the path accurately gives bonuses to power and range.

For players, manual activation is better, but I had never seen NPCs or monsters use Arts manually.

Glancing back, I saw Rad, who had called me an old man, with his mouth half-open, staring at me in shock.

Using borrowed power to show off feels a bit off, but it feels good.

"...It's a technique like that."

I tried to hide my grin and responded with a pretentious tone to avoid further questioning.

I quickened my pace to avoid being seen, but that only lasted until we saw the light from outside.

"Red...?"

It was too early for a sunset.

Had we spent more time in the cave than we thought?

A sense of foreboding drove us to run without a word, heading for the exit.

And then...

"---Eh?"

As we emerged from the cave, we lost our voices.

Even from here, it was clear.

---

The sky to the west, the city of Earth, was burning.

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To be continued.