Chapter 9

This is the second update of the day.

Val was once again taking on a day labor job today.

The job this time was to carry the adventurers' luggage.

Since large luggage can hinder combat, it is common for adventurers to hire someone outside their party to carry it.

They faced off against an orc, a humanoid monster with a pig-like head.

Orcs are strong and skilled with weapons, but their behavior patterns are simple.

With proper coordination and ingenuity, there's no need to fear them too much.

The three-person party that Val was with had the archer skillfully draw the orc's attention, while the two front-line fighters closed in to attack.

The orc fought back with its powerful arms, and the young men had to desperately avoid the attacks.

If they were even a moment too slow, the orc's strength could tear off their upper bodies.

The archer prevented this by shooting arrows, which consistently delayed the orc's actions.

(The archer is the lifeline of this party.)

Val assessed.

Once the orc was finally taken down, he was put to work as a laborer.

"Hey, Val, can you take care of this too?"

He was asked to drain the blood and butcher the orc's body, jobs that people generally dislike.

If the orc's body was left as is, it would rot and attract a large number of other monsters.

By draining the blood and butchering the body, this could be significantly reduced.

(The smell of blood alone doesn't usually attract monsters.)

Val found this curious.

While he worked, the adventurers kept watch and rested.

They had risked their lives in combat and guarded the luggage for free, so it was only fair to make him do the unpleasant jobs.

The pay for the luggage carrier was only a few copper coins, which was quite low.

That's why it was rare to find someone over thirty still doing this job.

"Isn't it embarrassing for a grown man to be bossed around by teenagers like us?"

Today's party of adventurers was young but already quite accomplished and considered promising for the future.

The party consisted only of human males.

"Well, you guys are already Class 7 at your age, quite the capable ones."

Val flashed a humble and awkward smile.

"If you can reach Class 8 by the age of twenty, you're considered excellent, and you guys did it even earlier."

The young man with blue hair, who had joined in on the flattery, smiled proudly.

"That's right. To be honest, there aren't many who are better than us."

"The general and the knight commander are probably still better, though."

The slender archer boy shrugged.

In Val's assessment, this archer was the most polite and humble.

"Idiot. That's only for now. We're still in our teens and lack experience. Once we gain enough experience, we'll become Class 1 adventurers and show those knights a thing or two."

The red-haired, muscular young man said this with a burning passion.

He was cheerful and treated Val normally, but he was somewhat overly optimistic and a bit too confident.

"Show the knights a thing or two?"

When Val feigned ignorance and asked, the blue-haired young man glared at him.

"Hey, old man. Don't meddle in things that don't concern you!"

"Sorry, sorry, my bad."

Val hurriedly bowed and scraped.

His performance was so convincing that none of the young men suspected that he was actually the strongest.

"Cut it out. Here, Val."

The archer stopped his comrades and offered Val some tea.

"Hey, isn't preparing tea the old man's job?"

The blue-haired young man shouted even more angrily.

His anger was directed at Val, not his comrades.

"You're useless, old man! That's why you're still a Class 9 at your age!"

"Wait, Val, you're still a Class 9?"

The red-haired giant exclaimed in surprise.

Class 9 is a level that anyone can reach with steady, hard work.

Staying at this level suggests a severe lack of potential as an adventurer.

Val had his own reasons, but the young men couldn't know that.

"You should try to be a bit more ambitious."

Even the archer, who was usually reserved, pointed this out.

The other two looked at Val with overtly disdainful gazes.

"Well, well, what a predicament."

Val, who had no intention of revealing the truth, continued to play the part of a useless old man with a skillful smile.

If someone from the Hachishin no Hikari (Light of the Eight Gods) saw this, they would think it was a joke.

"Damn, we shouldn't have hired this old man. We asked for an experienced veteran, but we got a useless old man who's just eaten up the years."

The blue-haired young man was still fuming, muttering to himself.

"Maybe it can't be helped. I heard that a large number of monsters have appeared in various places, and the Hachishin no Hikari have been dealing with them."

"Yeah, the Adventurer's Guild is busy with investigations to determine the cause and check for other abnormalities."

The blue-haired young man responded with a tongue click.

He calculated that doing thorough work during such times would bring him closer to a higher rank.

"Apparently, 2,000 gargoyles appeared in the capital, and the God of Light took care of them in an instant."

When the archer said this, the red-haired man expressed doubt.

"Is that true? Taking out an army of gargoyles in an instant is beyond extraordinary."

"Since it happened in the capital, there were many witnesses, and there's no other explanation except that the God of Light is just that strong."

The archer shrugged.

"Pfft, what a load of crap."

The blue-haired young man spat out, looking unamused.

Val wondered what was bothering him, and the archer noticed and explained.

"Oh, don't worry about it. He's just jealous because his cute little sister is a big fan of the God of Light."

"Pretty embarrassing, huh?"

When the red-haired man laughed, the blue-haired young man turned away, looking displeased.