Chapter 83

I've realized something terrible!

If I update as planned, there will be nothing to write in the preface!!

Ah, please enjoy the main text as it is.

---

The image of Rosette in my mind is of her sitting up halfway in bed, with a fragile smile on her face.

This is because, although she is now healthy, as the event progresses, she is cursed by the vampire, becoming so weakened that she can't even get out of bed. Having seen her in a weakened state for so long, my mind can't help but be drawn to that image.

(Rosette was a character that needed constant attention once the event started.)

The event involving her, "The Vampire of Freelea," is an incredibly long series of events that is highly divisive among players.

First, in the early stages of the game, visiting the "Rose Mansion" doesn't trigger any significant events. You can only meet Rosette, a woman living alone there, and have a conversation with her.

However, as you progress through the game by clearing dungeons like the "Twelve Ruins of Darkness" and completing other events, the era advances to stage II. When you visit the "Rose Mansion" at this point, an event occurs. The "uncle" who raised Rosette returns and tries to take her away.

You are given the choice to stop him or let him go, but the outcome is the same regardless of your choice. Even if you choose to fight, the "uncle," who is a "Vampire Lord," is too powerful for your early-game party, and even if you win, it's meaningless.

--- Because he is a vampire, an immortal monster.

If you choose to let him go or if your HP drops to zero, he will calmly revive, use the "Relic of the Demon King" to brand Rosette with a "Curse Mark," and then leave.

Although Rosette is branded with a mysterious pattern on her chest by magic, she appears normal on the surface.

However, late that night, if the adventurers who are worried about her stay with her, the pattern on her chest will pulse black at the stroke of midnight, and she will suddenly start to suffer. Her eyes will turn red, and long fangs will grow from her mouth, and the now-insane Rosette will attack the "protagonists"!

"---Adventurer-sama?"

Instantly, the memory and the present Rosette mixed in my mind, and I instinctively took a step back.

But of course, there was no need to be so afraid. There was no mark on her chest, her eyes were not red, and she had no fangs. In fact, the first time she attacked, it was easy to repel her.

The real challenge begins after she regains her senses...

"...Adventurer-sama, please stop. I have a name, Lex."

Shaking my head as if to dispel a hallucination, I said this, and Rosette looked surprised before smiling happily.

"Hehe. I understand. You finally told me your name, Lex-sama."

Hearing those words, I opened my eyes wide.

"Didn't I tell you my name? But..."

"Of course, I knew about you, Lex-sama. You're famous, after all. Even in the orphanage, the children are very popular with you."

At that moment, I finally remembered the game's setting that Rosette helps out at the orphanage when she is feeling well.

"Even in today's pretend adventure, the role of Lex was very popular. Everyone was looking at you with sparkling eyes..."

But as she spoke, it seemed to me that she was looking at me with eyes filled with admiration.

"Do you admire adventurers?"

Without thinking, I asked, and she froze in surprise.

"But..."

"Perhaps, I do."

The next expression she showed seemed to be one of acceptance of a fact she had been confronted with. She looked at her slender hands and then up at the sky beyond the city, speaking with a steady flow.

"I was born weak and my body is not very strong. I will probably spend my whole life in that mansion in the city. ...That might be why. The people who are active freely outside the city seem so dazzling to me."

I secretly "Pierce" Rosette, who was looking at the outside of the city with a distant gaze.

---

Rosette

LV 1

HP 50

MP 50

Strength 0

Vitality 9

Magic 34

Spirit 5

Agility 5

Focus 5

---

(As usual, it's quite blatant.)

Unlike random characters, the initial stats of unique characters are determined arbitrarily by the game developers. Sometimes the default values are set, or the initial growth values multiplied by the number of stat increases, like "Sword Saint Nylva," are used as the initial stats. However, it's not uncommon for their stats to be adjusted to be stronger or weaker based on the story and events.

For example, if the HP of a character you need to protect in an event battle is too low, the difficulty of the event will be unnecessarily high. Conversely, if a retired general character has higher stats than an active general character, it would contradict the story.

As Lex's stats being all two hundred clearly show, such "adjustments" can be identified by how neatly the stats are rounded.

(Rosette's case is a prime example of "adjustment.")

In her events, HP and MP are crucial. That's why both were set to a clear fifty. If they were any lower, the event wouldn't have worked, and I often wished her HP and MP were a bit higher... Hmm?

--- At that moment, a certain idea flashed through my mind like a revelation.

It was a very silly idea. But as I watched her look up at the sky with a somewhat wistful expression, my mouth moved of its own accord.

"Then, shall we give it a try?"

* * *

"Wow! Amazing! From here, you can see the whole city at a glance!"

"Yeah..."

On a small hill outside the city, I watched her exclaim with a bright voice, feeling a chill at the deviation from the game.

(I never thought it would be this easy to take her out...)

At least from Rosette's monologues in the game, she had no past of going outside the city. So I thought maybe some kind of force would prevent her from leaving the city.

But to my surprise, it was surprisingly easy to take her outside the city. The city guards let us pass almost without a second glance, and when I said I wanted to show her the outside of the city, they smiled and said, "That's great!" without any concern.

(Well, I am an A-rank adventurer, after all.)

I might be more trusted by the people of this city than I thought. As I indulged in this kind of escapism, I watched her.

"Look! Over there! I went to that church today! It looks so small from here!"

Seeing her play innocently like a child, a sight I had never seen in the game, I made up my mind.

(If you're going to do it, do it all the way!)

I approached Rosette, who was happily looking down at the city, and started rummaging through my inventory.

In this world, there are "adventurers" who are born with high aptitude values and have a "class" from the start, and "civilians" who have no profession and low aptitude values, clearly divided.

In the game, adventurers can go on adventures and level up without anyone noticing, but civilians remain at their initial level forever. No matter how much time passes in the game, they never get stronger.

...Of course not.

While adventurers have an average stat of about twenty at level one, civilians have an average stat of about six. Challenging monsters with such stats is suicidal.

And if they can't defeat monsters, they can't level up and, of course, can't get any stronger.

The wall between "adventurers" and "civilians" in this world is significant.

But...

"I can't have you be satisfied with just this."

...Today, I'm going to break that wall!

I don't know if it will work, but I should have enough knowledge and preparation to at least try.

"Lex-sama?"

Rosette looked at me curiously as I thrust several pieces of armor, rings, and a "magic staff" at her. I smiled slyly as she reflexively took them.

"---Let's start Lex's Adventurer Experience Course."

Here we go!

It's time for power leveling!

This guy only does leveling, doesn't he?

The next update will be tomorrow at 9 PM.