Chapter 40

"Finally, we've arrived. I'm so tired."

Maron said this and showed a weary face.

"It's just beginning. We're going to go and talk to the client."

Walter said this and walked away with Gloria.

It had been a week since we accepted the request. We had arrived at the town that had requested the Lesser Dragon slaying.

"Well, shall we go for a drink first?"

As expected, the revived Maron made this suggestion...

"Sorry, but I'm tired. Can I rest at the inn first?"

"Wh-What! We start slaying the Lesser Dragon tomorrow, so today is the only day we can let our hair down!"

"Sorry..."

I said this and looked at Red.

The reason I was so tired was that I had been forced to fight a large number of monsters on the way here.

On that day, as soon as Red and Walter saw that my movements were poor, they started sending monsters my way.

During the journey to the town, we mostly encountered orcs and lizardmen. My 'Apprentice Adventurer' level had increased, but my stats didn't improve much. Moreover, I didn't receive any job bonuses, and since I had already raised my 'Strength' and 'Agility' to 300, the difference wasn't too significant. However, my combat power had temporarily decreased.

I managed to fight on par by weaving in magic, but the relentless pressure made me have to be cautious of Walter and Red as well, which was exhausting.

"Then, let's drink just the two of us!"

Red, breathing heavily, invited Maron. I had noticed that Red seemed to have a crush on Maron during our adventures.

"Hmm, now that I think about it, I'm tired too, so I'll wash off the dirt and rest."

Maron said this and quickly left.

"What are you looking at, you?"

After Maron left, Red glared at me. It was clear he was holding a grudge, so I ignored him and moved to my room.

"Still, what's going on?"

Since that day, Red and Walter had become much harsher.

Not only did they push monsters on me, but they also glared at me with hatred whenever I talked to Maron or Gloria.

"But, thanks to that, we've made it this far."

There was another reason I turned down Maron's invitation.

"The Apprentice Adventurer has reached level 31. I thought it would be for nothing after all the hard work, but..."

A new skill had appeared on my status screen.

★

"Then, we're counting on you for the Lesser Dragon slaying request."

"Yeah, leave it to us. We've done this before, so it's no problem."

"Please rest assured that we're here."

Walter and Gloria said this to the mayor and left the house.

Currently, they had just reconfirmed the details of the request with the mayor of the town.

"Damn, they underreported it, didn't they..."

The reason being, the request fee to the Adventurer's Guild is determined by the difficulty.

If there are fewer monsters, the difficulty is low, and if there are more, it's high.

Naturally, the higher the danger, the higher the request fee. However, the town, which had been ravaged by Lesser Dragons and had few reserves, wanted adventurers to come.

Therefore, it was essential to verify the actual request content beforehand to ensure survival.

"What do we do? I think it's a tough number to take down all at once..."

Gloria put her hand to her mouth and considered their combat strength to devise a strategy.

Walter, who had been staring at Gloria's profile for a while, asked,

"Are you serious about what you said last time?"

Gloria, shaking her shoulder-length hair, turned to Walter.

"Yes, after this request, when we return to the Adventurer's Guild, I plan to leave the party and ask Tim to form a party with me."

The words Tim had said to her that day had been stuck in Gloria's heart. She had been the only one who didn't believe in Tim, seeing him as a charm.

In fact, Tim had fought admirably as a member of the team during their journey. Both Walter and Red had entrusted monsters to him, and Maron had coordinated with him.

Originally, Tim had been a presence that caught Gloria's attention from the training period.

She wasn't without resistance to leaving the current party, but ultimately, she couldn't bear the realization that she wanted to be by Tim's side.

Walter, who had been staring at Gloria for a while, spoke up.

"I hope it works out."

"Yes, I'll do my best to be accepted by Tim."

Gloria blushed as she answered.

She didn't notice the dark smile on Walter's face.

★

"Got it, the confirmed number of Lesser Dragons is 8 in total. If the request is accurate, they will attack the livestock at this time."

In the darkness, Walter's voice could be heard.

Currently, Red, Walter, and I were hiding at the edge of the town, discussing our plan at a ranch.

The number of Lesser Dragons confirmed matched the request, so we had agreed that Walter and I would each take 3, and Red would take 2.

The method of the competition was decided: the one who completed their quota faster or killed more Lesser Dragons would win.

The ranch had livestock as bait, which were making leisurely sounds.

According to the townspeople, the Lesser Dragon pack was gradually moving, and with the bait, they would definitely appear here.

"Remember, it's a competition. No complaints afterward, got it?"

Walter was unusually smiling.

In the darkness, his expression couldn't be seen, but his voice clearly indicated he was in a good mood.

"Once this request is over, no complaints, so let's do our best."

Red said this and patted my shoulder. I was bewildered by their sudden change in attitude, but I had to focus on the Lesser Dragons, so I pushed it to the back of my mind.

"Hey, looks like they're here."

A shadow moved, and soon the livestock's cries echoed, followed by a wave of silence.

We drew our weapons and approached the Lesser Dragons, moving silently in the darkness.