Chapter 15

Having been honored with the top spot in the Low Fantasy daily rankings, I'm posting three chapters today. (This is the third chapter.)

Finally, one of the four corners where the rock walls overlapped came into view. It was reflected on the ‘Auto Mapping,’ and just as I was feeling a satisfying sense of accomplishment, it happened.

“Hey, you!”

“Huh?”

I never expected to be called out.

As Makoto had said, the stalkers had indeed come to the second floor. Unlike the upper levels, this floor had a much better view, and they seemed to be keeping a considerable distance to avoid being noticed. I was thinking of ignoring them if they didn’t pose any threat, but I didn’t expect them to approach me.

When I turned around, there were four men.

No, they were a bit younger than me. Well, I’m just a bit over twenty, so the age difference wasn’t that big.

“You... What are you, exactly!?”

“No, that’s what I was going to ask you.”

That’s what they said when they suddenly appeared.

But they didn’t care and continued their tirade.

“You’re that famous Slime Slayer, right?”

“Even though you’re from the frontier dungeon, I hear you’ve been assigned a dedicated agent by the guild!”

“To think that after being taken care of by Makoto, you get a send-off...! Damn, I’m jealous!!”

“She’s my goddess. I don’t care if she’s a ‘dedicated agent’ or whatever, but you shouldn’t be getting in the way!”

“Idiot, she’s not yours!”

“What!?”

I was taken aback by their synchronized verbal assault.

But this voice... I’ve heard it somewhere before...

“...Ah, you were among those who hit on Makoto this morning.”

“It’s not hitting on! We were just trying to show Makoto, who doesn’t have a dedicated agent yet, that we are the most suitable candidates!”

“We, who have shown remarkable growth and performance in this dungeon, are the most suitable candidates for her dedicated agent. But you interrupted us halfway through...!”

“Isn’t that called hitting on...?”

Still, I can understand why they see me as an enemy. I interfered with their attempts to impress her and even got a send-off. It’s only natural that they would resent me.

But...

“Hey, you guys are supposed to be competing for a dedicated agent, so why are you acting together? Aren’t you rivals?”

“You really don’t know anything.”

“Keh! Frontier-raised people don’t know common sense, so it’s a problem, isn’t it?”

Frontier-raised...

Dungeon No. 777 is technically our neighbor. It’s about an hour’s walk away.

“Listen, I’ll explain to you, who are ignorant. Indeed, we are rivals. And it’s better for a dedicated agent to be assigned to an individual. However, that’s just the adventurer’s ego.”

“Ego?”

“Yes. Sadly, we are a bit short of the mark to get Makoto as a dedicated agent if we go solo. But as a team, it’s a different story. We four are the rising stars of this dungeon! Naturally, a team earns more, and the more they earn, the better the dedicated agent’s life becomes!”

“I see...”

A team... companions. I remember that even in the first floor, people were mostly moving in groups. It makes sense that it’s more beneficial to be a dedicated agent for a team of strong individuals rather than a solo adventurer.

In the past three years, no one was interested in verifying my secret. I didn’t even look for anyone. I preferred being alone and wanted the answers to be mine alone. This mindset has stuck with me, and I never considered teaming up in this dungeon.

Makoto even suggested hiring a ‘porter’ from a logistics perspective. But I don’t want anyone to know about my gacha skill, and I think I’ll continue to be a solo adventurer.

Ah, I...

I was a loner.

“...Hey, hey!”

“Huh, oh, yeah.”

“You suddenly started staring off into the distance. What’s up?”

“No, just... Ha ha.”

I was avoiding reality, overwhelmed by the sad truth.

“...Huh? What? So, you guys want Makoto to be a dedicated agent for your team. Then, why were you trying to impress her individually?”

“You really don’t know anything. Of course, we want her as a dedicated agent for the team, but the question is who will be the center of that dedicated agent. Someone like me, who leads the team, for example!”

“What are you talking about? The one who plans and executes strategies to earn daily income is the brain of the team, me. Therefore, I am the leader and the most suitable candidate for Makoto’s dedicated agent!”

“Not so fast! The one who hunts the most monsters in the team is the most suitable! Without my ‘Strength,’ we wouldn’t be able to hunt so many monsters!”

“No, without my tracking skills, we wouldn’t even find suitable monsters. Strategies and firepower wouldn’t work without my support... In other words, I am the shadow leader!”

“What!?”

“No, I am!”

“No, I am!”

Ah, here we go again.

Still, they were trying to impress her with the assumption that they would get a dedicated agent. No wonder Makoto was tired of dealing with them.

And they don’t know, but Makoto is going to give them a stern lecture. She probably saw them following me after the send-off. Being scolded by the person you admire is quite a blow.

Well, in my case, yesterday’s scolding was a bit of a relief. ...Anyway, I should bow to them.

By the way, one of them mentioned having a tracking skill.

That’s probably how they were able to follow me closely. Even in the first floor, I had to lose them to use the gacha and collect ‘Iron Knives’ on the outer perimeter. When I came down to the second floor, they were already waiting behind me.

“Appraisal Skill, activate”

＊＊＊＊＊

Name: Nishino Sotora

Level: 18

Equipment: Wind Knife, Chain Mail, Chain Greaves

Skill: Tracker

＊＊＊＊＊

A skill without a level. So, there are such things outside of the ‘Level Gacha’.

The other members...

＊＊＊＊＊

Name: Higashi Isamu

Level: 17

Equipment: Steel Sword, Chain Mail, Chain Greaves

Skill: Leadership Lv1

＊＊＊＊＊

Name: Kitajo Hakushi

Level: 16

Equipment: Glasses of Wisdom, Chain Mail, Chain Greaves

Skill: Wind Magic Lv1

＊＊＊＊＊

Name: Minamida Takeshi

Level: 19

Equipment: Steel Greatsword, Chain Mail, Chain Greaves

Skill: Strength

＊＊＊＊＊

All of them have skills. And one of them can use magic, so the team is quite balanced.

It seems that despite their antics, they are genuinely strong. From their levels, their stats are probably not much different from mine if their growth rate is average, and they might even be better if it’s high.

It makes sense that they consider themselves the rising stars.

But if they are so strong, why did they act like stalkers? The mystery deepens.

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