Chapter 35

"Phew... I slept well."

I got up from the bed and stretched my arms.

Since today is a day off, I must have fallen into a deep sleep. I guess the fatigue had accumulated without me noticing while I was exploring the dungeon. As Salome said, the adventure after taking a break feels different in terms of how my body moves.

I was hoping to fully recover during these two days off. After all, after the break...

"I have a match with Walter."

A month ago, they mocked my efforts. Walter with his usual cold eyes, and Red looking down on me.

I already know the details of the match from Red.

"This time, we might have to fight monsters we haven't faced before."

Walter and his team are B-rank adventurers; they won't be easy to handle. I clenched my fist and looked at my status screen.

Name: Tim

Age: 16

Job: Warrior Level 25

Strength: 261 + 50

Agility: 279

Stamina: 325 + 50

Magic: 224

Spirit: 202

Dexterity: 246

Luck: 446

Status Points: 284

Skill Points: 78

Unique Skills: "Status Manipulation"

Skills: "Swordsmanship Level 6", "Bash Level 6", "Healing Level 6", "Skill Point Increase Level 5", "Status Point Increase Level 5", "Experience Gain Increase Level 5", "Light", "Trap Detection Level 5", "Trap Disarming Level 5", "Backstep Level 5", "Item Appraisal Level 6", "Dagger Mastery Level 5", "Fire Arrow Level 6", "Ice Arrow Level 6", "Wind Arrow Level 6", "Lock Shot Level 6", "Meditation Level 6", "Wall Level 6", "Burst Level 6", "Magic Concentration Level 6", "Bless Level 6", "Cure Level 6", "High Healing Level 6", "Safety Wall Level 6", "Speed Up Level 6", "Stamina Up Level 6", "Item Drop Rate Increase Level 5", "Item Box Level 4"

"But I haven't been slacking off either."

During this month, I've been hunting in the dungeon every day. The results are reflected in my status.

"I know why they proposed such a match..."

They probably want to plant a sense of despair in me right in front of my eyes.

"Don't think it will go as smoothly as you plan."

I made up my mind and closed the status screen.

"Ah, good morning, Tim."

"Good morning, Tim."

When I went down to the inn's dining room for breakfast, Mina and Olive were there, eating light snacks and sitting at a table.

"What a coincidence, I'm staying at this inn too."

Mina beckoned me over, so I sat down. I ordered breakfast from the serving girl.

"Yeah, it's a coincidence."

She leaned on the table and smiled. Her gaze was directed at Olive.

"Mina!"

I observed her.

"Is that the outfit you bought the other day?"

"Wow, you noticed? That's quite perceptive of you."

"I remembered it because it looked good on you when I saw it in the store."

"N-nice...!"

For some reason, Olive blushed and panicked. She looked incredibly cute, despite being older.

I started eating the food the server brought.

"So, why are you two here?"

When I asked again, Olive answered.

"We heard that Tim has been promoted to D-rank. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

I bowed my head in gratitude, and so did Olive. From the outside, it might look like we were doing something strange.

"Congratulations, Tim."

"Thank you, Mina."

Did they come here after hearing from Salome?

"Did you come here just to say that?"

When I asked,

"Once you become D-rank, you can receive various privileges around the city. If you'd like, I could show you around, Tim."

The last part was said in a low voice, so I couldn't hear it clearly.

"We're on break too, so we thought we could show you around the city to help a promising junior."

"Will you make me carry your bags again?"

Mina turned her face away at my comment.

This clears up the mystery; they probably want to use me as a male avoidance tactic again, just like last week.

"What do you think?"

Olive looked at me seriously. But I think she genuinely wants to show me around.

Staying in my room alone, I can't stop thinking about the match and feel restless. I thought about it and...

"If you two are okay with it, I'd really appreciate it."

"Leave it to me."

Olive puffed out her chest and said so in response to my answer.

★

"Walter, can you reconsider?"

Meanwhile, inside the adventurer guild, four people were sitting around a table, having a discussion.

"Reconsider what?"

"The match with Tim. This won't accomplish anything!"

As the match drew near, Gloria was trying to explain the futility of the match.

"Have you heard about him recently? He's been promoted to D-rank in just a month. Isn't that enough proof of his hard work?"

Walter had heard about Tim's rapid promotion to D-rank with the help of a dedicated support team.

"That's just connections! How did he convince that beautiful staff member to be his dedicated support?"

Red cursed Tim with foul words.

"I just find it troublesome to have unnecessary conflicts."

Maron took a neutral stance.

"No, I don't intend to change my mind."

Walter couldn't believe that Tim had grown so much in just a month.

"Then...?"

Gloria frowned and waited for Walter to continue.

"We'll have him join the quests we take. We'll show him the harsh reality of being an adventurer."

Walter muttered this and looked at the quest request. It read—

"Lesser Dragon Slaying Request"

—and that was it.

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