Chapter 7

"Hmm, hmm, hmm..."

"Oh, you're in a good mood, aren't you?"

Watching Jill quickly handle the acceptance and completion reports of quests, the woman smiled. Her long purple hair was tied up on both sides, flowing down to her chest. Her gentle tone and narrow eyes, which occasionally opened slightly, revealed that she was Gloria, the receptionist known among adventurers as the "ultimate healer."

"...Well, I was in a good mood until you started talking to me."

"That's a harsh way to put it. I'm still recovering from an illness, you know."

She placed her hand on her cheek and sighed, "Huh." The adventurers around her started saying things like, "Are you okay?" and "Gloria, are you feeling unwell?"

Jill and Gloria were speaking in very low voices, so the adventurers couldn't hear them. To the outside, it looked like a pleasant conversation between two beautiful women.

The men might be fooled, but Jill wasn't. When talking to Gloria, she could sometimes see a deep, dark malice behind her gentle tone. Gloria would never let her guard down, so Jill never let hers down either.

"...I heard there's an adventurer who made you laugh and cry, Jill?"

"Huh!?"

Her voice involuntarily grew louder. Jill imagined it must be Hikaru, but why did it include "making her cry"?

The adventurers, who often say "information is life" but love spreading rumors, must have been the source.

"That's not true. It's a misunderstanding."

"Is that so? Then it's the opposite?"

"Huh?"

"Are you in a good mood because you were thinking about that person?"

"!?"

She was taken aback. In truth, Jill had been relieved that Hikaru had come to the guild again today. She was aware that her attitude could have made her disliked, but she didn't really care. However, her feelings towards Hikaru had changed.

Hikaru was just an ordinary boy with no particular talent. He looked... unremarkable, but kind of cute. The problem was his character. He was honest, diligent, and sincere in his quests. He was a rare kind of adventurer these days. Jill often thought that if there were more adventurers like him, her job would be more enjoyable.

"It's not like that... I'm just happy because it's lunchtime."

"Really? You'll be off in the afternoon?"

"...You made me work alone yesterday and the day before because you were faking being sick."

"I wasn't faking. Cough, cough."

It was obvious, but the "adventurers" who were watching her pretend to cough were saying things like, "Are you okay!?" and "I'll heal you!"

"Anyway, I'm off."

"Okay."

Jill's attitude was brusque, but Gloria was actually older. At 20, she was of marriageable age in this world. Many adventurers proposed to her, just like they did to Jill.

"...By the way, Gloria."

"What is it?"

"If Hikaru, an adventurer, comes, don't assign him any quests."

"...?"

"I'll be here tomorrow morning. Just tell him that."

"Okay."

Jill said this and left. She intended to choose a suitable quest for Hikaru. Even if it was called favoritism, it would help Hikaru grow steadily. She wouldn't assign him a quest that made him fear the Green Wolf in the forest, which was a misunderstanding on her part.

"...Hmm?"

Gloria's smile faded as she watched Jill leave. Her purple eyes, which were usually half-open, shone with a cautious light.

"Jill, you're quite taken with him, aren't you...?"

Unaware of this conversation behind the counter, Hikaru came to the adventurer guild after having lunch at a food stand. A woman he didn't know was at the counter, surrounded by adventurers, just like Jill.

"What are you trying to achieve by gathering beautiful women, adventurer guild? Is there a statistic that says beautiful receptionists increase the survival rate of adventurers?"

However, he was slightly relieved that Jill wasn't there. She looked exhausted. She must be off in the afternoon. He hoped she could rest well.

Hikaru headed to the quest board. "Plant Hunter," "Monster Hunter"... the quests were categorized. There were few "Bodyguard" quests, but some required more than 10 adventurers.

There were few G-rank quests he could take. Combat-related quests were still too difficult. However, there were quests like "Cleaning" and "Shopping." These might be good. The rewards were minimal, but they were doable.

"Are you looking for a quest?"

"!"

He jumped at the sudden voice. Gloria, the purple-haired woman, was standing next to him. She smelled sweet and pleasant.

(Why is she talking to me... no, that hand...)

Hikaru realized that Gloria was holding a stack of quest papers. She must have brought them to post, not to talk to him.

(...That makes sense.)

He understood, but the adventurers around him didn't.

"Hey, why is Gloria talking to him?"

"He's the one who made Jill cry..."

"I heard he threatens Jill and takes her to bed every night."

Ridiculous rumors were flying around.

* * *

"Hmm...?"

Gloria tilted her head slightly. She had approached the boy who seemed to be the "Hikaru" Jill was obsessed with, but she didn't feel anything particularly noteworthy.

"Are you looking for a quest?"

If not, she would probe further.

"What's your rank?"

Looking at the guild card Hikaru handed her, Gloria thought, "As expected." His name was "Hikaru," the boy Jill had warned her about.

(...He's not a noble. There's no family name.)

It wasn't unusual for an adventurer not to have a family name. Many commoners had them, but orphans or those who had left their families didn't.

(...Not a noble or a wealthy person... so, a profession...)

Unexpectedly, something caught her attention. Gloria's soft eyebrows furrowed slightly.

She had thought Hikaru had some rare profession. Otherwise, Jill, who considered men as tools, wouldn't acknowledge him. But his profession was listed as "Civilian: Sibyl."

"...Mr. Hikaru, what other professions do you have besides Sibyl?"

At his age, it was normal to try to look impressive. If he had a special profession, he would have listed it. However, since Jill was directly involved, she might have told him to hide it. Gloria wanted to check, but only the person could view and select their profession list.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a guild employee, so please tell me. Jill knows, right?"

Mentioning Jill's name, she thought he would tell her. But Hikaru shook his head.

"I don't have any others."

None? Just Sibyl?

(...No, it's Jill. She must have told him to hide it.)

Gloria felt outmaneuvered. Now she wanted to know even more. Maybe he had a rare 4-character or 3-character profession. If so, she would try to win him over, not Jill.

"Mr. Hikaru, how about this quest? It's a delivery, so it will be quick. It's perfect for a civilian like you."

"...Hmm."

She handed him the quest paper, and he read it.

"It's not bad. It should be done in half a day."

"Then I'll accept the quest. Please come here. I'll explain the details in the booth."

With a fake smile, Gloria led Hikaru to the booth.

* * *

Hikaru walked out of the guild.

【Quest Hunter】

【Delivery】... Deliver a letter to a magic tool maker named Kelbeck in Pound.

Gloria had shown him a map of the city. Maps were expensive, and the guild's maps were even more detailed, so they couldn't be lent out. She gave him detailed directions to Kelbeck's location.

(Something's off.)

Hikaru thought, considering Gloria's attitude. He imagined working with someone like Jill would be tough.

(Jill is easier to handle because she's straightforward.)

It was a harsh way to put it, but Hikaru's intuition was correct. The delivery quest Gloria gave him was far from ordinary.

* * *

At that moment, a receptionist at the guild counter was laughing alone.

"Hehe. If he causes trouble and comes crying, I'll help him."

* * *

Hikaru walked through the streets of Pound as Gloria had instructed.

He knew it was best not to use the "Stealth" skill in the city unless absolutely necessary. Using it while walking would cause him to bump into people.

Some streets were familiar, but most were new to him. Pound was a medium-sized city with a population of 6,000. It was adjacent to the capital, Ghi-Ponsania, of the Ponsania Kingdom, where Roland was a noble. As a distribution hub for entering the capital, it was known as the "capital's leftovers" or "second-rate everything." However, it was a well-organized city with all necessary shops within reach.

(Well... this is a good place to test the "Stealth" skill.)

Yesterday, he was too hungry to have the luxury of testing it. So, he decided to test the skill while completing the quest.

First, without the skill.

"Hey, kid, can you buy some fruit?"

Of course, he was approached by the stand owner.

Next, with the skill.

This produced some unexpected results.

"Hey, kid, why don't you buy some flowers for your mom?"

"Life Block" and "Magic Block" had almost no effect. This was expected since they blocked specific detection skills.

However, "Perception Block" was impressive.

...

People didn't even notice him passing by. If he waved his hands or clapped, they would finally notice.

"...? Oh, oh? Kid, when did you get there?"

Once noticed, the effect weakened, but if their gaze shifted even for a moment,

"Ah? ...Did you go somewhere? Was it a mistake..."

He would become invisible again.

(The skill seems to create a kind of physical curtain, like optical camouflage and noise cancellation... This is really something.)

The "Perception Block" had six levels, from off to 5.

(Is there any point in using just level 1? ...Well, it's fine.)

But there was something even more impressive.

The "God Ability Correction" based on his profession.

When he set "Stealth God: Wearer of Darkness" — no matter what he did, he was almost never noticed. Even if he waved his hands in front of someone's face or clapped near their ear.

(Are you invisible?)

This didn't mean he could peek at women's baths or steal freely. Dungeons, which existed in this world, had traps, and mansions had anti-theft traps. He would need to know how to disable them.

(Incidentally, there are no public baths in this country, so that's not an issue.)

(Maybe I've gotten something incredible?)

With this, he would be almost safe from danger. However, there was a risk of accidents from being invisible and bumping into others.

(...I shouldn't get too confident. I died from an accident, after all.)

He tightened his resolve. With the skill, profession, and caution, the risk of death would be significantly reduced.

(The next step is to check the Soul Board.)

He wanted to investigate the Soul Board.

"? Is there something there? Big brother."

He met the little girl who had shown him the way to the guild. He summoned his Soul Board to test it. The little girl couldn't see it. He waved it around, but she didn't notice. All skills and professions were turned off.

(So, she can't see it... Wait.)

He suddenly felt a faint presence in the center of the little girl's body. Focusing, he saw:

【Soul Board】Lana Valkon

Age 4, Rank 4

...

"Huh?"

He could see someone else's Soul Board. When he moved away — about 5 meters — the Soul Board disappeared.

"What's your name?"

He asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"...Why do you want to know?"

She was very cautious.

"Ah, I, I mean, you showed me the way to the guild. I got my guild card, and I wanted to thank you. It's rude not to know the name of the person who helped me."

"Hmm? I'm Lana."

Indeed, it was her Soul Board.

"...Thank you. This is a thank you."

He gave her a silver coin, and she was very happy.

(This is for the experiment. Sorry.)

He apologized in his heart and opened Lana's Soul Board again.

【Unlock Soul Board? Cost 1】

"Unlock."

"? What are you doing?"

"I, I mean, you don't need to worry—"

Then,

【Life Force】

【Natural Recovery】0

【Stamina】0

【Immunity】

【Perception Acuity】

It was unlocked, and he had one less point.

(...I can not only see someone else's Soul Board but also use their points?)

He thought he could only manipulate his own Soul Board. But this was amazing. Full access to the skill tree system.

"...Thank you for everything. If you ever need help, I'll be there."

He felt giving one silver coin was cheap for using her points, so he added another. The little girl was very happy and went home.

"Alright, then."

As Hikaru started walking,

"There's one more thing I'm curious about..."

He had noticed something when he called up his own Soul Board. He hadn't checked it since he first allocated points.

【Soul Board】Hikaru

Age 15, Rank 4

...

His points had increased.