Chapter 7

"Wh... Why are you here?"

Seeing the four of them, the alcohol quickly wore off.

"That's my line. Why are you here, someone who can only hunt goblins?"

Walter continued to look at me with his usual stern gaze.

"Hey, Walter, take a look at his chest."

When Red said this, the four of them focused on my chest.

"Silver Plate... So you've graduated from goblins, huh? Being on the second floor means this is your first successful hunt, right?"

"A, ah, yeah."

I nodded in response to his question.

For a moment, an awkward silence hung in the air, but someone broke it.

"Good job, Tim. Congratulations on graduating."

It was Gloria, who beamed and offered her congratulations.

"Well, congrats."

Maron muttered under her breath.

"Hey, you guys, don't just stand there!"

The plump woman who had brought the food earlier scolded us.

"Sorry, we were just congratulating our classmate on his first successful hunt of a kobold."

When Gloria explained, the woman nodded in understanding.

"Oh, you're classmates? Then sit down."

"Wh-What? Just a minute..."

I tried to protest, but...

"Here, I brought an extra chair. It might be a bit cramped, but bear with it."

She then walked away.

An awkward silence filled the air.

"Still, it's been a long time since you could come up here, and now suddenly... I'm really glad for you."

As the drinks and snacks were brought out and everyone sipped slowly, Gloria, trying to be considerate, spoke to me.

"No... it's not a big deal..."

It was all thanks to the skill I had obtained, but everyone here had already achieved killing a kobold long ago. I couldn't feel genuinely happy about the praise.

"Hah, the same guy who spent a whole year on that not-so-big-deal kobold."

Walter slammed his glass on the table and wiped his mouth.

"True. Come to think of it, we all did it in the first two weeks."

Red, as usual, teased me. Or maybe it was the alcohol, but his gaze seemed more intense than usual.

"It doesn't matter whether Tim can or can't kill a kobold."

Maron said this with a bored expression and threw a roasted nut into her mouth.

"That's not a nice way to say it. Tim has been working hard."

Gloria looked sad.

"Hah! Working hard? How hard do you have to work to struggle with goblins for a whole year?"

"Someone who's satisfied with just killing a kobold won't understand our efforts."

Red and Walter both criticized me.

"Ugh... That's..."

Gloria, who was in the same party, probably had her own thoughts. But I glared at Walter.

Usually, I would have endured any insults, but the alcohol and the claim that I hadn't worked hard were too much to ignore.

"What's the matter, Tim? Got a complaint now?"

"Someone who got a skill and had a favorable environment, talking about effort? With the right companions and time, that much is expected..."

I clenched the handle of my glass tightly, swallowing those words. It was pointless to argue further. He would never understand how I felt.

"Both of you, cut it out. You're ruining the drink."

"Hey, Maron, this guy just insulted our efforts. How can I back down?"

"That's my line!"

As I glared at Walter, Maron said with a bored tone.

"Then why don't you have a contest?"

"Contest?"

Our voices overlapped.

"Tim's recent growth is because he got a skill, right? So, let's see who's right between Tim and Walter."

Maron then laid out the terms of the contest.

"Give a one-month preparation period, during which each of you will work hard in your own way. The loser apologizes. How about it?"

"I'm fine with it. What about you, wimp?"

"I'm fine too."

I immediately accepted Walter's challenge.

"Alright, it's settled. No more arguing."

After that, Gloria tried several times to change the mood, but I was no longer in the mood to enjoy the drinks. Soon, I got up and left.