Chapter 23

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I'll keep taking my stomach medicine while working hard on corrections and writing more!

□ In front of the Royal Capital Altea Adventurers' Guild 【Paladin】Ray Sterling

After accepting the quest and leaving the Adventurers' Guild,

"Leave the transportation to Gideon to me."

Luke said, raising his right hand.

That's when I finally noticed.

On the back of Luke's left hand, there was the same emblem for storing <Embryo> as mine.

On the back of his right hand, there was also something that looked like a thin gem.

"What's that?"

"It's called a [Jewel]. It contains a tamed monster inside. I received it as a reward for my modeling job."

Luke explained.

This was also the answer to what had been bothering me after seeing Luke's skills.

Luke, a [Pimp], had the skills <Female Monster Enhancement> and <Female Slave Enhancement>. This meant that such things existed in the system.

What I was curious about was how tamed monsters and purchased slaves were handled.

We players return to the real world.

What happens to the monsters and slaves under our command during that time?

If a player were to put their monsters or slaves in a cage and then quit the game, it would be too tragic to even imagine.

The answers to these questions were in the gem on Luke's right hand.

This gem—[Jewel]—seemed to be a biological version of the bag-type item box we usually use.

It appeared that you could store creatures you own, such as tamed monsters or purchased slaves, inside it.

Moreover, it could be set so that time did not pass for the creatures inside while they were stored.

You could also store them when logging out, and if a player didn't log in for two months in real time (six months in-game time), the creatures would be automatically released.

I see. Otherwise, it would be difficult to have subordinates like monsters and slaves in such a realistic world.

Apparently, you still need to provide food and rest for them when you take them out of the [Jewel], but that's a necessary part of having subordinates.

Incidentally, you can also set the time to pass inside the [Jewel] or release them when logging out, but it depends on the person, as there could be issues during the release period.

"So, there's already a monster inside, right?"

"Yes. When Mr. Grantean, the client, said I could choose from several rewards, I chose this one because I had the <Monster Enhancement> skill."

Basically, a [Pimp]'s own combat power is low, so increasing it with a monster was a good choice.

"Then, let me show you. <Summon>—Marilyn."

"VAMOOOOOOOOooo!!"

When Luke chanted the words, the [Jewel] on his right hand glowed, and the monster called Marilyn appeared from inside.

But...

"Marilyn?"

Calling that monster Marilyn might be up for debate.

To put it simply, it was a Triceratops that could pull a carriage.

Its massive body was covered in a thick shell, and its back and shoulders looked like armor.

Most impressively, the horns on its head exuded a sense of power that could crush a castle wall.

It looked stronger than we were.

It could probably even match the [Demidragon] and might even win.

"This is Marilyn, a [Triple Horn Subdragon]. I got the dragon carriage as a bonus."

A [Demidragon] is really at that level, isn't it? The race name is strong.

To get this as a reward... well, the quest I did was easier, so it makes sense.

I became a [Paladin] as a reward for a difficulty 5 quest.

"Why Marilyn?"

"It's a girl, so I named her after a famous actress."

I see. It's a girl. Can't blame him.

...I wonder what Marilyn Monroe would think about this.

"Wow, impressive. But, with this much power, it might exceed the subordinate capacity, right?"

"Subordinate capacity?"

Luke and I said in unison.

"Ah, let me explain that a bit."

Saying that, Marie took out a sketchbook from her item box and started drawing while explaining to us.

Why does she have a sketchbook... because she's a [Reporter]?

"First, the party size in this <Infinite Dendrogram> is six people. This number can increase if someone in the party has the <Unit Command> skill, but let's put that aside for now."

Marie drew deformed SD illustrations of me, Luke, and herself in the sketchbook. They were surprisingly well-drawn.

"In our case, we already have three spots filled. Now, for the three remaining spots, we can put in <Embryos> of tamed monsters or gardeners, not just <Masters> or NPCs."

She added SD illustrations of Babi and Marilyn next to our illustrations.

"The downside of putting them in the party is that it takes up party slots."

"Can we make them fight without putting them in the party?"

"Yes. They can be counted as part of the owner's combat power without being counted as party members. That's where the subordinate capacity comes in."

This time, she drew Babi and Marilyn in a tree-like structure under Luke's illustration.

"First, let me explain the benefits. Obviously, they don't take up party slots. Also, half of the experience points the monster would normally get go to the owner, and the other half go to the monster."

"Hmm."

"The downside, or rather the limitation, is that the subordinate capacity is required. Check the additional information on your status screen."

We looked at the additional information on our status screens, and there was the subordinate capacity Marie mentioned.

Subordinate Capacity 0/50

"Is this it?"

"Yes, you can use monsters up to this capacity during combat. The capacity cost varies by individual, but for monsters, it's generally 'race strength × level.' For example, a [Little Goblin] consumes 1 capacity per level."

So, I can use up to fifty level 1 [Little Goblins] right now.

Well, that's a lot, but it's a bit awkward. They'd probably all be blown away by a single area attack.

"My capacity is 500, so I can use up to five hundred."

Ten times more capacity than me.

"[Pimps] generally belong to the familiar master category, so their capacity is higher. Ray, as a knight, you need to handle a mount, so I think your capacity is slightly higher than the average for advanced classes."

I see, a mount. I should probably get one eventually.

"Subordinate capacity increases with level-ups or the <Subordinate Expansion> skill for [Familiar Masters]. [Pimps] also have such skills. I believe you'll be able to learn them eventually, as the learning condition is combat with subordinates or slaves."

Luke nodded in understanding.

I was also satisfied with the explanation so far.

If you can't summon monsters without taking up party slots, then a [Familiar Master], whose basic combat power is lower than other classes, would have a hard time forming a party.

However, if you can include monsters in your "own combat power" using capacity, this job could be on par with or even surpass other jobs.

"What happens if the capacity is exceeded?"

"Your abilities will be limited, and you won't gain experience points."

I see, that's a significant downside.

"There's a problem, though. This Marilyn exceeds Luke's 500 capacity. Subdragons are so powerful that they cost as much as a whole low-level party."

...Yeah, that makes sense.

If I had to choose between five hundred level 1 [Little Goblins] and that [Demidragon], I'd definitely choose the former.

The difference between the two is that significant.

"Oh, and the benefit of putting Marilyn in the party is that it doesn't consume capacity."

I see.

In theory, I could form a party with myself and five strong monsters.

...But that would be a bit lonely, so I'll pass.

"So, for this party formation, let's allocate a slot to Marilyn. We have extra slots this time, anyway."

"Hey, what about Babi's cost?"

"The cost for <Embryos>, including TYPE: Gardener, is uniformly 0. Otherwise, people who evolved into gardeners wouldn't be able to fully handle their own <Embryos> if they didn't become familiar masters."

That makes sense.

"Alright, let's get back to the topic of going to Gideon. If we ride Marilyn's dragon carriage, we should reach Gideon the day after tomorrow, even if we leave tomorrow."

"Then, let's call it a day and set out tomorrow morning. Is everyone's schedule okay?"

By "schedule," I mean in the real world.

We'll be spending three days in the game, which means a full day in the real world.

"I'm fine. I don't have any plans for today or tomorrow."

"I'm okay too. I'm currently unemployed."

...Should I laugh at that?

◇

The next day, we were riding Marilyn's dragon carriage, heading towards Gideon.

The road was wide enough for two Marilyns to walk side by side, so there was no need to worry about her blocking the way.

Surprisingly, Marilyn's walking speed was fast. She pulled the carriage at a steady pace even on slopes, making it feel like a 4WD off-road vehicle.

With this, we should be able to reach Gideon smoothly.

Of course, we can't go non-stop because we have to fight the monsters that keep appearing.

The monsters in this <Sauda Mountain Path> are mostly bird and beast types.

Since it's a beginner hunting ground, they don't attack in large groups, and at most, three will attack at once.

We, Ray, Luke, and Babi, take them down one by one.

Incidentally, Marie is cheering us on from inside the carriage, sipping tea and saying things like "Keep it up!"

...Well, yeah. There's a reason for that, or rather, it's my fault for not asking.

Originally, the [Reporter] job is not a combat job.

The characteristic skill of [Reporters] is <The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword>, and its effects are as follows:

<The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword>:

Gain experience points by watching party members fight.

Party members also receive the same amount of experience points.

Passive skill.

* Only [Reporter] types can activate this.

* Cannot perform combat actions while this skill is active.

* This passive skill cannot be turned off.

In short, [Reporters] increase the party's experience points but are almost useless in combat, like a decorative object.

The experience point bonus is appreciated.

Since it's a beginner hunting ground, we can handle it even without her.

She's experienced and gives us a lot of advice and accurate information about the monsters.

But something, something... well, it's fine.

"The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword, so I thought it would be a skill to cut everything with a pen."

"No, the phrase isn't meant to be taken literally."

In this world, there might be a pen stronger than a sword somewhere, though.

◇

The journey is going smoothly.

Thanks to Marie's experience point bonus, both Luke and I have leveled up. I'm now level 16, and Luke is level 27.

The battles are balanced. We shouldn't have any trouble with monsters at this level.

By the way, a bear monster once blocked our path on the mountain road.

It looked like the boss monster of this area, but before we could act, Marilyn, who was angry at the blocked path, took it down without us.

Luke collected the dropped item, which was a [Box], confirming that the bear was indeed the boss monster.

Incidentally, a "boss monster" is a monster that drops a [Box], a type of item with random contents, but there can be multiple of the same type.

While the drop items are valuable, boss monsters are generally the strongest in their habitat, so caution is advised.

This time, it was taken down easily.

Incidentally, while boss monsters form ecosystems with others of their kind, there are also monsters that are unique in this world.

They are called <UBMs>.

They all have special abilities and can easily wipe out even high-level parties.

However, since they are unique, encounters are rare.

◇

After navigating the ups and downs of the <Mountain Path>, we now find ourselves on a flat road.

According to Marie, this flat area is called the <Nex Plain>, and if we follow the road straight, we'll reach Gideon.

The <Nex Plain> has monsters, and they are one or two levels stronger than those in the <Mountain Path>. However, we've leveled up, so we can handle them.

Occasionally, more than four monsters would appear, but Marilyn would take care of them. The result was obvious.

As we were all leveling up and enjoying a smooth journey, we saw something ahead on the <Plain> road.

A group of carriages, likely belonging to merchants.

And a horde of over a hundred armed goblins attacking the carriages.

To be continued

(￣(エ)￣)＜Oh, right

(=ↀωↀ=)＜Due to the chapter break, I'll be posting twice a day for the next three days until the end of the chapter.

(￣(エ)￣)＜The next post will be at 22:00 today.