Chapter 48

Continuing on, I kept watch of the ground through Avignon's eyes.

Precisely, whether Noem was safe... or rather, the sight of Noem's dominance...

The catgirl Seagull, whose senses of smell and sight had been sealed and subjected to intense stress.

Unable to move, she was mercilessly struck by Noem's cudgel...

...but that didn't actually happen.

Instead, the cudgel struck the ground just slightly off from Seagull's head.

With a *thud*, countless long cracks spread out.

"Kyaa!?"

Someone let out a scream of terror from the shock.

The ground, shaken, rose in a cloud of dust.

"This time, I won't miss. What will you do?"

"Meowaaa!? I surrender, I give up! Please stop hitting me, meowaaa!?"

Seagull must have realized that the shock alone could be fatal.

The poor catgirl, covering her eyes and nose, begged for her life without any dignity.

"If I hit you with this, you'd definitely turn into a smashed pomegranate, meowaaa! The weight is three hundred times, which is ridiculous, meowaaa!?"

"It's still a prototype that needs improvement."

Smiling, Noem swung the cudgel she had enchanted herself.

Each time, a *hiss* of fear escaped from those around her.

"That brat! She's getting too cocky!"

"Grind, stop it."

"But, Soaides...!?"

"Seagull's defeat is her own fault. After all, <Beastification> is a conditional A-rank skill, far inferior to the <Alchemic King> SSS-rank skill."

If the leader of the examiners hadn't stopped him, Noem would have surely been attacked by a second or third enemy.

Even she would have been overwhelmed in such a situation.

The leader of the examiners turned to Noem.

"Wasn't your name Noem? It seems you don't need any further assessment. You've passed the first exam, so please sit and rest over there."

"Understood."

"I'm very pleased to have a candidate with such excellent skills. When you pass, I hope we can work together as A-rank adventurers."

The leader of the examiners, a current A-rank adventurer named Soaides, spoke kindly.

His tone suggested that Noem had already passed the A-rank exam.

However, Noem's attitude toward him remained cold.

"Are skills really that important?"

"Hmm?"

"I hate my skills. I despise them. The peaceful days I had before I received my skills were all destroyed by them."

She had been captured by slave traders due to her exceptional skills and was nearly sold as a slave.

Even before that, she had endured various hardships, as evident from the glimpses of her past during their journey together.

"Someone changed my life, which had been toyed with by my skills. Meeting that person was my greatest fortune, far more than the <Alchemic King> skill."

"I'm sorry, but... I don't understand what you're trying to say?"

Soaides was genuinely confused and perplexed.

"There are many things more important than skills. If you don't realize that, you'll... end up destroyed."

With that, Noem turned and walked away without another word, likely to wait as instructed away from the melee.

*What a bold statement. Noem keeps growing every time I see her. It's never boring to watch.*

The voice of the demon spirit Avignon resonated in my head, expressing admiration.

Thanks to her watching over me, I can communicate and see the outside world like this.

*Noem will be fine for a while. Even if something happens, I'll make sure to liberate all the enemies from the impure land, right?*

That's true...

Thanks to Avignon's watch, I can be completely at ease about Noem.

Still, I can't help but worry and keep an eye on her.

*Stop being overprotective. Why don't you focus on your own task, Master? It's a very simple task, something you can do even while yawning.*

Don't say that.

Avignon is right; I shouldn't be too careless about the exam, so it's time to get serious.

I'll leave Noem to Avignon and...

I pulled my consciousness back to my own senses.

◆

"Hey!"

This is inside the dungeon.

We're running as a group toward the exit.

Dropped deep in the dungeon, our immediate goal is to escape.

"Hey, hey, hey! What's up, buddy? You've been out of it since a while ago!"

One of the mohawked guys called out to me.

We're comrades with a shared goal right now.

"If you space out in a dungeon, you'll die! Haven't you shaken off your student mindset yet!?"

"You're right, sorry."

He's right, so I apologized sincerely.

"Are you exhausted? Want some candy? Some salt? Proper nutrition is essential for adventuring!"

And they're kind.

Looking around, the other two mohawked guys are also showing maximum concern.

"Hey, the guys in front, slow down! Some of us are starting to lag behind!"

"Our goal is to get everyone out! Leave the rear to me! I'll completely shut down any surprise attacks from behind!"

What's with these guys?

They're kind and reliable. We've climbed quite a bit from the starting point and are close to the dungeon exit, but thanks to their perfect care, not a single person has dropped out or even been injured.

They're experienced adventurers who have challenged the A-rank promotion exam multiple times, so they're veterans.

Their rich experience and skills make them incredibly reliable in such emergency situations.

Moreover, they care for the other examinees, which helps even those with less skill keep up.

The problem is their mohawked appearance and their *hyah-hyah* manner of speaking.

"Why do you try to act so tough?"

"Straight to the point, huh?"

I asked one of the mohawked guys running at the front.

"You should understand, right? Being <Skillless> means you get looked down on! If you're weak, people will keep picking on you and taking advantage of you!"

That's...!?

I can understand that...!?

"The best way to prevent that is to intimidate them as much as possible! *Kekekeke*! If they think you're crazy, even if you're <Skillless>, no one will want to get close to you!"

"Such a reason...!?"

I never thought there was such a reason behind their ridiculous appearance.

"You understand the harshness of being <Skillless> in this industry, right?"

His voice suddenly became rough!?

"I've tasted bitter medicine. An adventurer's life of being stepped on and kicked around, wondering why I keep enduring such hardship. But I can't quit until I show that even a <Skillless> person can become an A-rank adventurer!"

These guys are <Skillless> too.

They've struggled without the innate abilities they were supposed to have, and it's clear they've endured a lot.

Still, they refuse to give up and have survived to become veterans.

Running without losing hope, these mohawked guys...!

*Hyahahaha! In short, if you want to become an A-rank adventurer without skills, you have to be crazy!*

"This year! This year! I'll become an A-rank adventurer, *hyahahaha*!"

*Hyah-hah*!

These mohawked guys are really ridiculous.

But despite their ridiculous appearance, their actions as adventurers are spot-on.

"You there! Your breathing is off, and you're pushing too hard! Remember, it's hard to gauge your own fatigue, *hyah-hah*!"

"Hey! The most terrifying thing in a battle with monsters is a surprise attack! Always cover each other's blind spots, *hyah-hah*!"

"You're drinking too much water! In a dungeon, you never know when you'll find water, so follow a schedule rather than your senses! I'll share my canteen with you, *hyah-hah*!"

*Hyah-hah* is annoying.

Still, thanks to these three mohawked veterans, we can steadily progress through the dungeon.

Oh, there's another enemy.

One-punch crush.

"Again, that guy crushed a monster with one punch, *hyah-hah*!?"

"He's been doing that since he was spacing out! He's been taking out most of the monsters that appear, *hyah-hah*!?"

"Thanks to him, our pace is much faster! We're making steady progress thanks to him, *hyah-hah*!"

Everything is going smoothly.

◆

"Bro, we're almost at the exit! Just thirty steps away, *hyah-hah*!"

"How do you know so precisely?"

"Don't underestimate a veteran. I've memorized the structure of most dungeons! This Ruruburum Kingdom dungeon is no different!"

The mohawked veteran is incredibly reliable.

He's practically a Mohirian or a Vetekan.

And as they said, we could see the exit of the dungeon after just a few more steps.

Once we get out of there, we'll be outside, and we'll have passed the preliminary exam imposed by the examiners.

But wait a minute?

Isn't something off about that dungeon exit?