Chapter 17

"Hey, what's this all about, suddenly butting in like that..."

Klein, who seemed to be the party leader, was looking at me as if I were some unknown entity.

"U-Um... Can you let go of my hand, please?"

Luze's face was slightly flushed, and she spoke with a look of confusion.

"Oops, sorry."

I had been gripping her hand tightly, almost as if I were determined not to let her go.

I hadn't expected such a big opportunity to come my way just as I was thinking it would be difficult to team up with a clear high-class adventurer or someone with a skill tree.

"I'm Elma. I heard that she's leaving the party, so I came to scout her."

"Are you serious? She's so weak in combat that she can't even level up properly."

Klein snorted at my words.

Indeed, in *Magic World*, this was a common mistake made by beginners. With a wide range of character builds and irreversible stat point allocation, it was easy to end up in a situation where a support or tricky class couldn't hunt anything but low-level monsters and couldn't level up properly. I, however, knew how to get around such issues.

"There's no problem at all."

"Haha, don't say I didn't warn you. Well, if you're willing to take on this incompetent, it'll save me the trouble. Fine, take her if you want."

"No, I don't need your permission in the first place..."

I was negotiating directly with Luze. Klein's opinion had no bearing on what Luze would do. I couldn't understand why Klein was acting as if he had the final say.

"Let me make one thing clear: I'm a Heavy Knight at [Lv: 23]. I don't have any party members and act alone. I am an E-rank adventurer, so I have permission to enter the *Dream Hole*."

I had to reveal my level and class to make the conversation meaningful. To enter the *Dream Hole*, at least one party member needed to be an E-rank adventurer.

"Wow, about the same as me. Not bad for a defense class, you must have worked hard. But, at that level, you should know how useless someone who can't earn experience points is."

Klein laughed mockingly.

"Um... I'm only [Lv: 13]. Maybe it's better to just stop..."

Luze said hesitantly.

"There's no problem at all. [Lv: 10] is like a rounding error."

"...Hey, Klein."

A girl with the Thief class, Rees, who had been silent until now, interjected.

"What? Rees."

"Isn't it strange that an E-rank adventurer is so eager to recruit Luze? Maybe the benefits are significant. There were rumors about that, and that's why she was in the party in the first place..."

...Maybe I was too eager. I was confident that I could offer better treatment, but the fact that they were originally comrades was significant. If they reconciled, it might have been smooth sailing. But, if that happened, it would be fine.

"What are you talking about, Rees? Just let them go. It's perfect if they leave peacefully now."

Klein glanced at the red sword in his hand, signaling to Rees. He seemed to want to split the sword with her. If they kept acting on such thoughts every time a rare drop appeared, they would eventually have a falling out and disband.

"Think about it logically. There's no way a solo defense-specialized class could reach [Lv: 23]. Either he's faking it, or he became useless after leveling up and was kicked out of his party. Or, he might just be trying to pick up girls using the party as bait. Luze has a good face, after all."

Klein lowered his voice and whispered to Rees. His urgency in persuading her made his words audible. Hey, I can hear you.

"Well, that's true..."

Rees seemed to be swayed by Klein's enthusiasm.

"It's perfect. If rumors spread that you kicked out someone who failed in skill allocation, it would make it hard for you to stay in the city of Rondalum. But now, you can say she left on her own."

...But, it was a good thing Klein wasn't very smart. I thought it would be fine if they reconciled, but looking at Klein, I couldn't imagine Luze fitting in well with this party. The same issues would just arise later.

"Then, I'll take you up on your offer. Thank you, Elma!"

Luze seemed to have made up her mind and clenched her fist as she spoke to me.

"Sure, I look forward to working with you, Luze."

It was the moment I gained my first party member.

Klein clapped his hands, a forced smile on his face.

"Congratulations on forming your party. Luze, you haven't bought proper weapons yet, have you? Here's a hundred thousand gold as a parting gift. Use it well."

Klein glanced at the gold coins scattered at his feet. He had scattered them in a fit of anger during the argument.

Klein, being Klein, probably thought it would look bad to kick someone out without giving them any money, especially after a high-value item drop. If the issue came up later, having given her a hundred thousand gold would make a difference in how others perceived him.

"...Thank you, Klein."

Luze seemed to have her own thoughts but decided to take what she could. She bowed slightly.

"No, you shouldn't take it."

But I stopped her.

"Huh? But, a hundred thousand gold is a lot of money..."

Luze looked at me, worried.

"Klein, pick up what you scattered. Even a child can do that. Besides, calling scattered coins a parting gift is laughable."

Klein's forced smile disappeared, and he frowned, kicking the scattered gold coins away.

"Tch, don't mock me, you low-class! Just play your little game with your incompetent friend! Let's go, Rees."

Klein turned his back on us and quickly left the scene. Rees followed him.

"Let's go too. It's better not to owe anything to people like that."

"Huh...? O-Okay..."

Luze, who had been looking at the scattered coins, turned back to me and nodded.

I wasn't dismissing the value of a hundred thousand gold. With that amount, we could buy more *Heal Potions*, and it would give us more options. Besides, leaving the money scattered on the ground felt wrong.

But, it wasn't right to pick it up here. People like Klein quickly forget what they've done but remember what they've given for a long time.

Soon, Luze and Klein's levels and positions would be reversed. At that time, the hundred thousand gold Klein gave to avoid bad publicity might be remembered as a favor done out of pity.

*Reincarnated Heavy Knight Achieves Top Rank in Weekly Rankings!*

Thank you to everyone who has supported me! (2021/4/30)