Chapter 3

※ Recollection～Past Days……～ ※

“Nguyen! Nguyen!”

Manac, with a broad smile, called out from the guild reception.

Nguyen, returning from an adventure and covered in mud from head to toe, was brimming with energy, to the point where such a state didn’t even bother him.

“What’s up? Did you get a good reward?”

Nguyen, who was looking for a new quest, turned to Manac.

“No, look at this!”

Manac proudly showed him a brand new E-rank adventurer’s license.

“Wow! Great job, Manac! You’re already E-rank?”

“Yeah! It’s all thanks to you, Nguyen! You’re the best, senior!”

Manac smiled happily.

You’re still a beginner, but to have already reached E-rank after such a short time as an adventurer, from Nguyen’s perspective, you really seem like a promising new recruit.

“Don’t call me senior! But, how about we celebrate today and splurge a bit?”

“Really? Of course you’re treating, right?!”

Manac laughed mischievously, and Nguyen smiled back.

“Haha. You’re quite the opportunist – but, I’ll take care of it.”

“Of course, Nguyen! Thanks, Nguyen!”

※ End of Recollection ※

“──Nguyen. …Nguyen! Hey, old man! Snap out of it!!”

Splash!

“Whoa!!”

A clump of mud, saturated with the stench of the swamp, was thrown at Nguyen, who was carrying all the party’s luggage and was already on the verge of collapse. It hit his nose, mercilessly stimulating his sense of smell.

“Ugh, so dirty!”

“Already dirty to begin with!”

Sheila and Ambus burst into laughter, and Regina couldn’t hide her amused smile.

“Seriously, when called, come quickly! We’re taking a rest here, so prepare light snacks for everyone.”

“But, so suddenly…?!”

Nguyen’s protests were ignored as Manac gave the order and quickly returned to the circle of party members.

“Alright….”

Nguyen, as instructed, began setting up the campsite, despite being exhausted from the journey so far, with no time to rest.

“Sigh….”

Nguyen wiped the sweat from his brow, set down the luggage, and looked around.

This was a remote area far from the border town, surrounded by bubbling toxic swamps, the miasma so thick it made one choke.

Yes, this desolate land was the territory of the Demon King, directly governed by the Four Heavenly Kings.

Manac stood proudly on this land, reading a note he found at the campsite. It seemed this was a predetermined stopover point chosen by Liz, who was scouting ahead.

“Hmm… This is a message from Liz, who is on reconnaissance. It seems she has discovered one of the Four Heavenly Kings, ‘Nyao Kanse’.”

“Hehe! Really? Liz did a great job.”

Manac, explaining the situation like a leader, and Ambus, praising Liz’s skills.

“Why isn’t Liz here directly? Is she slacking off?”

Sheila was harsh. Perhaps she didn’t like the fact that Liz, another young member, had a similar personality to her.

Despite her appearance, Sheila was a prodigy, the youngest member of an SSS-rank party, but her adorable looks made her the party’s mascot.

“…Sheila, you shouldn’t say such things. Liz, though new, works hard.”

“Yeah, yeah. Unlike someone we know…”

Regina’s words were followed by Ambus’s jab at Nguyen. This guy…!

Ambus’s words really got under his skin…

“I’m doing my best, too, you know?”

Nguyen, who had carried all the luggage, felt his words were justified, but…

“Don’t talk back, errand boy! According to Liz’s message, ‘Nyao Kanse’ is constantly moving in this area, so we can’t lose sight of him.”

“Hmm… So Liz is still tracking him?”

“Yes, and she’s leading us on the shortest route.”

Manac pointed to some faint footprints, which seemed to be the path Liz had created. Along the way, there were clear markers.

“Hehe. Then it should be easy. Let’s take him down and aim for SSS-rank.”

Ambus, with a smirk, took his tower shield and marched forward. As the tank, he naturally created a path for the others to follow.

“Right. Sheila and Regina, you’ll be on rear guard. I’ll watch the sides and keep an eye on everything – and, old man!! Don’t lag behind!”

Despite saying they were taking a break, Manac seemed to have forgotten.

“Hey! Wait a minute. I just….”

Nguyen had just started a fire and was about to make tea. Besides, he had bread too…

“Come on. We’re moving out.”

“Nguyen, let’s hurry.”

The party started moving without waiting for Nguyen, who was frantically packing up. There was no way he could catch up so quickly.

“Hey, errand boy. Don’t take too long.”

“Yeah, yeah. You only have jobs like errand boy and carrying luggage, so be quick – time is money.”

Ambus and Sheila’s words were harsh.

“Move faster – or, I might have to reconsider your stat allocation. Do you always allocate your points to ‘Agility’? I know you’ve been saving them.”

Manac, with a sly smile…

(Damn. These guys…)

Just because they’re strong…!

Who do they think is making me do all the errands?

“Huh? Maybe this guy is saving his stat points?”

Ambus turned around, and Nguyen’s heart skipped a beat. Since Manac had outranked him and started bossing him around, Nguyen had been forced to allocate his stat points to ‘Agility’ to move quickly and do errands.

It was a crazy order to max out ‘Agility’ to move quickly for the party, but it was also the condition for staying in the party…

“Probably. …I’ve been telling this old man to allocate points to ‘Agility’ for errands. Have you seen how slow he is?”

“Yeah, he’s slow… Hey, old man! Don’t try to hide it. Sheila’s ‘Appraisal Magic’ can tell. …Here, allocate your remaining stat points! What do you think we’re giving you experience for?”

Nguyen, surrounded by the party, was drenched in cold sweat.

“Th-that….”

Damn…!!

I’m sick of being an errand boy!

“Huh? I can’t hear you! What are you going to do?!”

Before he could finish, Manac tossed the ‘Reset Pill’ to Nguyen.

“…Old man Nguyen. If you haven’t allocated your points as I instructed, you know what will happen, right?”

“What?! What are you going to do?!”

Manac, trembling, grabbed Nguyen by the collar.

“Ha! You’re shaking, how pathetic. …Hehe, it’s decided – you’re going to take this.”

“No! What? No way!!”

No matter what, no one should have the right to reset someone else’s stat points…! Even as a party member, there’s no reason to be treated like this! Yes, he had reluctantly allocated some points to ‘Agility’ as instructed…

“What? Old man, what’s that face? Hey, Sheila.”

“Puu! Nguyen is shaking, so cute! Alright, I’ll cast ‘Appraisal’… ‘Appraisal’!!”

Sheila’s magic wand glowed, and a small magic circle appeared above Nguyen’s head.

As Sheila giggled and sent her magic power, the status screen was forcibly revealed.

“Hya?!”

☆ ‘Appraisal’ reveals the status ☆

Name: Nguyen Tack

Job: Scout

Title: Errand Boy

(Condition: Act as an errand boy for a certain period)

Benefits: Due to the ‘Errand Boy’ effect, shopkeepers sometimes sell items at a lower price – but sometimes at a higher price. Also, children throw stones at you.

Strength: 2672

Agility: 4385

Defense: 950

Magic: 569

Resistance: 842

Remaining Stat Points: +980

Skills: Slot 1 ‘Swift Runner’

Slot 2 ‘Courier’

Slot 3 ‘Steady Legs’

Slot 4 ‘Guts’

Slot 5 ‘Porter’s Knowledge’

Slot 6 ‘Sherpa’s Insight’

☆ The Great Mage has lifted the spell ☆

“Oh, oh my! Hehehe!”

Sheila, with a sly smile, looked down at Nguyen. Despite her cute skirt, her face was quite mischievous!

“Hey, Nguyen…”

His status was completely exposed.

Normally, if you show your status to the party, you do it discreetly using the guild’s appraisal crystal…

Nguyen felt a cold stare from Manac.

(Oh no…!)

Using appraisal magic to reveal someone’s status without their consent is considered rude and is strictly forbidden among adventurers.

Yet, these guys…

Manac’s fist seemed ready to fall at any moment, and Nguyen closed his eyes, bracing for impact.

However, it didn’t happen.

…Buh!

“Hahaha! Title! Look at the ‘Title’ – it’s ‘Errand Boy’!”

“Hahaha, ‘Errand Boy’! It’s so rare, hahaha!”

“Kya-ha-ha. I didn’t expect it to be real. Kya-ha-ha!”

“Ku-ku-ku. Everyone, it’s not nice to laugh. Ku-ku-ku.”

Even the saint-like Regina was stifling her laughter.

“Hahaha. Amazing, look at this. Agility over 4000! Old man… you have cockroach-level agility. You’re a real errand boy.”

“This is fast, huh! Hyoo. I want to see Nguyen’s errand boy dash!”

“Kya-ha-ha. It seems cost-effective.”

“Ku-ku-ku. It’s not nice to laugh…! Nguyen? Don’t overdo it, ku-ku-ku.”

Nguyen, mocked by his companions, felt his body turn red with anger and frustration, trembling.

But he couldn’t say anything.

If he did, he might be kicked out of the party, and ‘The Warriors of Light’ would be taken over.

Thinking of this, Nguyen could only laugh weakly.

But…!!

Grr… Damn it!

Fuu,

This is ridiculous!!

This is ridiculous!!

You said it, Manac!!

You said to do this for the party!

This is ridiculous…!

This is ridiculous!!

He clenched his fists tightly.

And, in a fit of rage, he was about to speak back –!

Yes!

He was about to speak back –!!

“Fuu…