Chapter 53

The city of Kama is governed by a noble named Muss Goffa Bah.

Muss had a troublesome quirk.

"Haa~aaa~ I'm so bored~aaa~"

Muss said this while drinking tea. In front of him, papers were piled up like a mountain.

"Master Muss, please do your work instead of saying that."

A kind-looking old man, who appeared to be a butler, gently reprimanded him.

"Old man, I know, but... I haven't seen any interesting adventurers lately, and I feel so bored! I don't even feel like I'm alive!"

Muss pushed the papers on his desk aside and slumped over. Nung, used to this, picked up the scattered papers.

"Jam, the Explosion Sword of the Crimson Meteor Clan? I hear he's an excellent young adventurer."

"It's Sham, the Flame Sword—not some mass-produced adventurer... He's just leveled up while being protected by high-level adventurers; I don't feel any charm from him at all."

"Ho ho, you're harsh. What about the E-rank adventurer who defeated the Goblin King?"

"An E-rank adventurer defeated the Goblin King? I've never heard of that."

"It seems that your favorite Joseph and the Adventurer's Guild were hiding this information. I only found out recently."

Muss lifted his head quickly, his previously lethargic expression now full of energy.

"Joseph was hiding it!? How could an E-rank adventurer defeat the Goblin King? What's his name? Gender? Age? Hometown? Job? Level? Skills? Equipment? Clan? Status?"

Muss fired off questions rapidly, and Nung answered calmly.

"Apparently, this adventurer can use the 4th Tier skill Explosion. There were multiple craters at the site where the Goblin King was defeated, so it's almost certain that this young boy did it. His name is Yu Sato, and he's probably between 10 and 13 years old. He's from a rural village called Resel and recently registered as an adventurer in the Kama Adventurer's Guild. His 1st job is a Magic Warrior, and his 2nd job is an Enchanter. His level, skills, and status are unknown. His equipment, despite being E-rank, is made of obsidian iron. Lastly, he is not affiliated with any clan."

"Wha... It's been a long time since I've been interested in someone! A 10 to 13-year-old boy defeating the Goblin King! And he's not affiliated with any clan! I'd love to add him to my collection! —Wait? Why are his skills and status unknown? Didn't you have someone analyze him?"

"It's difficult. First, he never uses his guild card and uses the Sysa pendant to counter analysis. Of course, someone with Analysis Level 4 or higher could figure it out, but it's better to leave it alone. I tried to get close once, but he noticed everything."

"Hmm, if you say so, old man. Not using a guild card means he knows its secrets. I can understand why the guild would hide someone so talented."

Muss's quirk was his desire to gather talented individuals. The city of Kama has over 200,000 residents, and if you include illegal squatters, vagrants who can't pay taxes, and subhumans, the number would be even higher. However, the number of soldiers responsible for maintaining order is only about 100, which is far from enough to protect Kama from criminals and monsters. This was because Muss only showed interest in talented individuals. Instead, he made large donations to the Adventurer's Guild to attract and favor talented adventurers. As a result, the city of Kama attracted as many adventurers as the capital, and adventurers who took quests helped maintain the city's security by defeating criminals and monsters.

"I'm glad you're interested. Master Muss, I have a report that Yu Sato is currently in battle with Sir Joseph."

"Whaaat!? Why? Why are they fighting? I'm so curious! Ah! I thought you were grinning just now. You're listening to a live report from your subordinates with a magic device, aren't you? Let me listen too!"

"That's not possible. As a noble with the title of baron, it wouldn't be appropriate for you to engage in eavesdropping. I will give you a report later."

"Whaaat? That's... unfair."

As Muss pouted, Nung listened to the live report from his subordinates. However, the content made him doubt his ears. Yu Sato was fighting Joseph in close combat. From the fact that Yu Sato could use Explosion, Nung had assumed he was a magic warrior who excelled in ranged attacks. However, from the trembling voice of his subordinate, it was clear that Yu Sato was an excellent fighter in both close and ranged combat.

"Damn gorilla."

"Compliments won't get you anything. It's about time you started relying on a dependable older brother, isn't it?"

For a while now, I've been attacking with all my might, but I can't get Joseph to take me seriously. He seems to be dodging my attacks seriously, but he's only using sword techniques, not Holy Sword Techniques or Dark Sword Techniques. Most importantly, his trump card should be a spear, not a sword. When I checked his status, his spear skills were higher than his sword skills, so that's definitely the case. The difference between Sword Mastery Level 8 and Spear Mastery Level 11 is significant.

Still, Joseph's attacks have been incredibly powerful. Even without using sword techniques, every normal attack feels like a critical hit. Maybe it's just luck—wait, luck? Joseph's luck is 100. Could it be...

"Could it be that you can freely perform critical hits?"

"Hahaha! Finally noticed, huh? At my level, I can control critical hits freely. Don't fall for me, okay?"

"Gross... Don't get too cocky."

"Gross!? That's harsh. There's no one as reliable as me!"

The old man looked embarrassed, with tears in his eyes.

"So, you're the kind of old man who's perverted in everyday life but shows up to help in a crisis. I guess you might be an ideal father figure for a kid. But I don't need one."

Joseph's behavior suddenly changed, and he seemed vulnerable. Was this a trap? His expression was different from his usual playful one; it was his true self.

"Hey... Could you say that again?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Joseph's sudden change in demeanor was disconcerting. My killing intent waned, and I decided to leave, but Joseph didn't move. Maybe he ate something strange.

When I got home, Nina ran up to me.

"Welcome back~"

"How's Lena?"

"U-um, she's fine. She's just tired and went to bed early~"

Nina seemed nervous, which was concerning, but I decided to make dinner. Since I was tired, I made bread, reheated some stew I had made earlier, and prepared a simple salad. It was the first time in a while that Nina and I were having dinner alone, but it was quiet without Lena.

After dinner, I prepared the bath. All I had to do was use fire and water magic to fill the tub with the right temperature of water. As I was about to get in, Nina came in.

"What's up?"

"I'm getting in the bath~"

"Wait until I'm done, okay?"

"I don't understand what you mean, Yu."

I was the one who didn't understand.

"If we get in together, the water will overflow, and I don't like that."

"It won't overflow! I float, so the water won't rise!"

She hugged her chest, but she meant that if we both got in the tub, the water would overflow. I gave in and got in with her, but I didn't want her to cling to me in the tub.

After the bath, Nina seemed satisfied and said she was going to bed. She must have been tired today.

"Why are you here?"

When I got to my room, I found Nina and Lena sleeping in my bed. It was strange to see young women drooling and sleeping soundly.

I immediately spread out the stomach of the Benanthus I had skinned earlier on my desk and started cutting it into the dimensions of a waist pouch, shoulder bag, and backpack. I was tired today, so I stopped after a while and went to bed.

Name: Yu Sato

Race: Human

Job: Magic Warrior, Enchanter

Level: 29

HP: 962

MP: 1399

Strength: 308

Agility: 234

Vitality: 312

Intelligence: 264

Spirit: 305

Luck: 1

Passive Skills:

Sword Mastery Level 7

Axe Mastery Level 5 (NEW!)

Dagger Mastery Level 3

Staff Mastery Level 2

Unarmed Combat Mastery Level 4 (UP)

Spear Mastery Level 6 (UP)

Shield Mastery Level 4 (UP)

Hammer Mastery Level 4 (NEW!)

Throwing Mastery Level 4 (NEW!)

Powerful Arms Level 3 (NEW!)

Physical Enhancement Level 6 (UP)

Agility Enhancement Level 2

Detection Level 6 (UP)

Leadership Level 5

Intimidation Level 2

Night Vision Level 3

Fire Resistance Level 4

HP Recovery Speed Level 4 (NEW!)

MP Recovery Speed Level 5

Darkness Resistance Level 2

Trap Detection Level 4 (UP)

Stealth Level 2

Status Resistance Level 2 (NEW!)

Skinning Level 2

Chant Speed Level 1

Skin Hardening Level 3 (NEW!)

Dragon Eye Level 2 (NEW!)

Regeneration Level 3 (NEW!)

Active Skills:

Sword Techniques Level 5

Combat Techniques Level 5

Dagger Techniques Level 3

Staff Techniques Level 1

Fighting Techniques Level 3

Magic Fist Level 4 (UP)

Spear Techniques Level 5 (UP)

Shield Techniques Level 4 (UP)

Axe Techniques Level 5 (NEW!)

Hammer Techniques Level 3 (NEW!)

White Magic Level 5

Black Magic Level 6

Necromancy Level 1

Enchantment Magic Level 4 (UP)

Elemental Magic Level 4

Temporal Magic Level 3 (NEW!)

Magic Sword Level 3

Blacksmithing Level 2

Alchemy Level 5

Stealing Level 2

Stealth Level 2

Appraisal Level 4 (UP)

Roar Level 5 (UP)

Lockpicking Level 4 (UP)

Trap Disarming Level 4 (UP)

Mana Awakening Level 1

Breath Level 3 (NEW!)

Barrier Level 2

Unique Skills:

Interdimensional Magic Eye Level 3

Plunder Level 3

Follower Subjugation Level 3

Beast Killer

Enhanced Hearing

Regeneration (NEW!)

Great Strength (NEW!)

Equipment:

Weapon: Broken Obsidian Greatsword (Level 5): None

Armor: Flying Hat (Level 5): None

Obsidian Armor (Level 5): HP Increase, MP Increase, Strength Increase

Broken Obsidian Gauntlets (Level 5): HP Increase, MP Increase

Ogre Boots (Level 6): Magic Resistance Increase, Poison Resistance Increase, Paralysis Resistance Increase

Accessories: Sysa Pendant (Level 5): Concealment, Disguise

Name: Nina Leva

Race: Human

Job: Thief, Assassin

Level: 28

HP: 406

MP: 200

Strength: 167

Agility: 308

Vitality: 136

Intelligence: 82

Spirit: 62

Luck: 22

Passive Skills:

Detection Level 3

Trap Detection Level 3

Dagger Mastery Level 4

Stealth Level 4

Dual Dagger Mastery Level 2

Assassination Techniques Level 2

Evasion Level 1 (NEW!)

Agility Enhancement Level 1 (NEW!)

Active Skills:

Stealing Level 1

Stealth Level 4

Trap Disarming Level 3

Stealth Level 4

Combat Techniques Level 3

Dagger Techniques Level 4

Assassination Techniques Level 2 (UP)

Lockpicking Level 2

Unique Skills:

Earth Magic (Partially Unlocked)

Equipment:

Weapon: Sword Breaker (Level 5): Increased Sharpness, MP Absorption on Attack

Obsidian Dagger (Level 5): HP Absorption on Attack

Armor: Steel Helmet (Level 6): Paralysis Resistance Increase

Broken Hard Leather Jacket (Level 6): Defense Increase

Broken Hard Leather Gauntlets (Level 6): Agility Increase, HP Increase, Poison Resistance Increase

Hard Leather Boots (Level 6): Agility Increase, Strength Increase, Defense Increase

Accessories: Ordinary Earring (Level 6): HP Recovery Speed Increase, Poison Resistance Increase