Chapter 7

On the day of the large-scale quest to exterminate the Undead horde, I was advancing into the forest adjacent to the city of Rondalme with other adventurers.

The number of adventurers, including me, was exactly ten.

They were a gathering of F and E-class adventurers, but one D-class adventurer was mixed in among them.

"I had heard that there was a foolish adventurer among the participants this time... It's you, isn't it, Elma!"

He was a middle-aged man with a distinctive hard blue beard.

On his back, he carried a huge axe.

He was Goutan, the adventurer who would supervise this large-scale quest and had the authority to approve E-class promotions.

I had hoped he would be a kind and trusted adventurer, given his role and the guild's trust, but my expectations were thoroughly disappointed.

"Good to see you! You newbies who look down on the guild and monsters! You say you defeated an Aranda Ape with just [Lv: 12]? Don't spout nonsense! I'll teach you that being an adventurer isn't as easy as you think! I'll knock some sense into you!"

I had thought I needed to make an effort to be recognized by the examiner, but I was immediately singled out.

And not in a good way.

It was the worst start.

Even if I managed to perform well, I could only see a vision of Goutan saying, "I don't like it!" and failing me.

Still, I wanted to somehow get promoted to E-class here.

Accumulating achievements honestly would take too much time.

Opportunities to go on large-scale quests with an examiner who has promotion authority wouldn't come around for months if I missed this one.

I needed to achieve results that wouldn't invite Goutan's criticism.

After all, if I didn't become an E-class adventurer, I wouldn't be able to improve the "Heavy Armor Oath" skill due to restrictions, nor could I level up using the "Dream Hole."

"...I request that you judge the promotion fairly."

When I said this, Goutan's thick eyebrows twitched.

"Tch, you're a cheeky one, aren't you?"

After advancing for a while, a mage raised a slender sword.

He was a blond man wearing a feathered hat.

"Search... A horde of enemy monsters is approaching. The number is roughly thirty."

"Search" is a magic skill that detects the presence of nearby creatures.

It's rare to have a skill tree that grants "Search" at low levels.

From his equipment, I could tell he was a Red Mage.

Red Mages have high physical abilities and can learn a wide range of skills, from attack magic to healing and various support spells.

"Search" is obtained at level 8 of the Red Mage's dedicated skill tree, "Red Magic."

"Good job, Tail."

The Red Mage's name was Tail.

He seemed to be acquainted with Goutan.

"Yes, unlike the off-class, I have several excellent skills. I request your approval for my E-class promotion."

Tail glanced at me and smiled.

When our eyes met, he shrugged exaggeratedly as if mocking me.

"Your unusual behavior in the guild... Oh, it's become a bit of a rumor, Elma. A Heavy Knight, huh? What a pity, such an off-class."

"No, I like this class. Thanks for your concern."

"Hah, just being tough."

When I brushed him off, he sniffed and walked away, looking bored.

...Actually, the Red Mage is a tougher class.

Typically, they are versatile but lack specialization, making them suitable for solo grinding in lower-level "Dream Holes," but their role is limited to that.

In a party, they are only included as a compromise when the desired roles are already filled.

Well, in reality, not everyone tries to be as efficient as in a game.

Classes that are peaky and favored by experts are less favored than versatile but easier-to-handle classes.

"Let me confirm, the leader of this Undead horde is a Ghoulhead. I, a D-class adventurer, will hunt it! You lot, keep your distance and take care of the minions! I won't protect you if you get caught up in the fight!"

Goutan shouted at us.

"Ghoulhead, huh..."

A monster with a head resembling a giant ghoul.

The benchmark for a D-class adventurer is around [Lv: 40].

In contrast, a Ghoulhead is roughly [Lv: 30].

The Ghoulhead doesn't have any attack skills.

The only troublesome thing is its ability to create zombies from corpses with "Breath of the Netherworld," but its movements are predictable and easy to read.

The accompanying Undead horde is likely to be of the lowest rank.

If things go smoothly, the adventurers should not lose.

...However, most of the ten gathered adventurers are F-class, and many are on their first large-scale quest.

Goutan doesn't seem to be the type to take good care of his team, and his instructions are vague even as we approach the enemy.

Moreover, quests and "Dream Hole" explorations can be unpredictable.

The penalty for failure is more than just a loss of experience points.

We should be better prepared for any contingencies.

I glanced around at the adventurers.

From what I've seen so far... the chances of all of us surviving and completing the large-scale quest are about eighty percent.

That might be a good number in a game, but this is reality.

"Goutan, shouldn't we make the instructions more specific? For any contingencies, we should establish criteria and signals for retreat, as well as each person's role in such a situation."

"...What? You, a newbie, are trying to nitpick with me!"

Goutan's face turned red when he heard my words.

I knew Goutan's character.

I wasn't sure if he would listen, but I thought it was necessary to say.

"The Undead horde might not be exactly as reported. Given that we are responsible for lives, shouldn't we at least be prepared for the worst? You are in a position to supervise lower-class adventurers, right?"

"Gr... ugh... you...!"

Goutan clenched his teeth and remained silent.

From his hesitation, it seemed he acknowledged the reason in my words, but he couldn't back down.

I decided to yield.

"I'm still low-level and inexperienced, so I'm anxious. For us, this might be a simple quest, but I'm asking for more detailed instructions for our sake."

I bowed.

Goutan cleared his throat.

"Hmph, I don't like babysitting, but... fine..."

"For our sake?" Tail interjected.

The timing was the worst.

He seemed to have held a grudge from earlier.

"Heh heh, don't drag us into this. The only one scared of low-level Undead is off-class Elma. He's probably going to cry to Goutan at the last minute."

"You don't need that, Goutan. If he's scared, he can just run to the back. Right, Goutan?"

"Ugh... Yes, Tail."

Goutan, flustered, agreed.

This guy...!

Goutan had created an escape route for me, but Tail had skillfully blocked it.

"Still, I'm surprised you even had the nerve to become an adventurer with such resolve. You're in our way, so don't show your face at large-scale quests anymore, Elma. Come on, Goutan."

Goutan, swayed by Tail, moved forward reluctantly.

I held my head and sighed.

At this point, there was no way I could interfere.

I already had little trust from the other adventurers.

"I hope nothing... goes wrong."

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