Chapter 2 Strength of an A Rank Adventurer
A few days after our encounter with August Alsand.
Today as well, we were at the Adventurers’ Guild to find requests.
There was still a week left until Old Man Garth would have the armor ready, so we had to stay in Alessa during the meantime.
‘Herb collecting again?’
『I’m bored of that now.』
‘Huh? It’s noisy.’
『And it seems like there’s a lot of people.』
When Fran opened the door, the Guild was in a strange uproar.
It seemed like there were more adventurers than normal.
“Nel. What’s going on?”
“Fran, h.e.l.lo. An elite adventurer has come back from the expedition to the Demon Wolf’s Plains.
I see. So that’s why there are so many strong looking guys.
“That’s right, have you not met her before?”
“No.”
『Are there A or S rank adventurers among the elite adventurers?』
“Are there any S rank adventurers?”
“Not as such. Though there is one A rank adventurer. And a B rank one.”
An A rank adventurer is strong enough to bring down a B rank demonic beast by him or herself. In other words, someone who could take down that Demon, the one we only barely defeated, with ease.
“She was out in the Demon Wolf’s Plains for the past month or so. Adventurers rank C through F went with her to gain Experience. That is why the goblin raid was so difficult.”
I see. If we had A and B rank adventurers, the raid would have been a lot easier. An elite strike force might have even been enough to destroy all the goblins.
But if that had happened, we likely wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Demon.
The timing was perfect for us.
『I thought Dunadrond was the strongest one here.』
“Un.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Dunadrond isn’t the strongest.”
“Dunadrond-san is highly skilled, so he is trusted to act as instructor. And if he had continued to work as an adventurer, he would definitely have reached rank B. But he said he wanted to train the next generation of adventurers and became an instructor. He’s been an instructor for 15 years, and half of all B and C rank adventurers in Alessa were taught by him. That’s why most adventurers listen to Dunadrond-san.”
I see. I guess because Dunadrond was their instructor back when they were just starting, that rowdy bunch of adventurers still does what he says. So that was why Dunadrond was on the frontline during the goblin raid.
“The A rank person too?”
“Ahh, that is not the case. She doesn’t listen to anyone. In truth, her personality is so strong that she is quite the handful.”
“Oh dear, Nel. Are you insulting me?”
c.r.a.p! I suddenly heard a woman’s voice behind me. I hadn’t even sensed her approaching.
“Kya! Amanda! Please don’t sneak up on us like that. This is why I said that you’re such a handful!”
It looked like that woman was the A rank adventurer. Geez, she seriously scared me when she suddenly appeared like that.
“Uhuhu. It’s not as if I’m some messenger dog, so being difficult to handle is fine by me.”
Their conversation seemed hostile, but they were both smiling good-naturedly. It seemed like they were used to teasing each other.
“Allow me to introduce her, Fran. This is Amanda, an A rank adventurer. She is our ace, such as she is.”
“What do you mean, ‘such as she is~?"”
She was a real beauty. Her black hair was cut to fall evenly to her shoulders, giving her an almost j.a.panese air. She looked like a gentle, amenable beauty. Even her light voice was a joy to hear.
But based on her conversation with Nel, she was a really unruly person.
“I mean, she’s not a bad person. Plus she likes kids. And her t.i.tle is~…”
“What, no, Nel, stop! It’s embarra.s.sing!”
“C’mooon. That t.i.tle fits you perfectly.”
“Don’t! Ohohoho. Sorry for the unseemly sight. It’s nice to meet you, young lady. I’m Amanda.”
“Un. I’m Fran.”
“Impressive. To be so strong despite your age… You have a bright future~.”
“You could tell? Amanda?”
“Of course.”
She was definitely an A rank adventurer. She could tell how strong Fran was with just a glance. Even though she didn’t have an Appraisal-type Skill. Was she just so experienced that she could detect those things?
Name: Amanda Age: 58 years
Race: Half Elf
Job: Mist Warrior
Lv: 70
HP: 646 MP: 825 Strength: 327 Agility: 451
Skills: Intimidate 7, Quick Casting 6, Stealth 8, Dismantle 8, Wind Magic 10, Harden 5, Flash Steps 7, Status Condition Resistance 7, Omni-directional Sense 6, Sword Attribute 7, Throwing 8, Whip Techniques 10, Expert Whip Techniques 5, Whip Wielding 10, Expert Whip Wielding 6, Tempest Magic 4, Magic Resistance 6, Mana Sensing 6, Energy Manipulation, Dragon Killer, Enhanced Tempest, Mana Manipulation
Unique Skill: Blessing of the Fairies
t.i.tles: Guardian of Children, Dungeon Invader, Dragon Killer, Wind Arts User, Demonic Beast Slayer, A Rank Adventurer
Equipment: Whip of the Azure Dragon’s Beard, Leather Armor of the Ancient Hydra, Full-length Coat of the Death-Venom Spider, Shoes of the Great Demon Bull, Greater G.o.d’s Divine Ring, Thunder Roc Feather Ornament, Ring of Defense, Paralysis Owl Feather Throwing Knives x24
One of her t.i.tles was Guardian of Children. That was probably what Nel wanted to say. Is it a t.i.tle given to those who like children?
But she was strong. I was already surprised by the Guild Master and Dunadrond, but Amanda was even stronger than them.
The truth was, she was strong enough to scare me. She could probably even take down the Demon by herself.
I couldn’t think of any way to take her on in a fight. I couldn’t even imagine a surprise attack working.
『She’s dangerous. Don’t pick a fight with her.』
‘Un. Okay.’
It seemed like Fran sensed Amanda’s strength as well. Fran nodded her head with a composed look on her face.
“I heard that there was an adventurer here who rose up in the ranks higher than anyone else in the history of the Guild. An adorable little beastkin girl with a magic sword to boot!”
What? I was glad to hear Fran being complemented, but weren’t those a little too preoccupied with her looks? What kind of a.s.shole was staring at Fran with those kinds of eyes?!
“But the Guild Master told me not to let my guard down. He said you’d wreck me if I got tricked just by your appearance.”
d.a.m.n you, Guild Master! What kind of nonsense did you tell this A Rank Adventurer? Well, I actually think it would be worse if the Guild Master said something like, “Fran is super cute.”
“Ah, that’s right. The Guild Master asked me to send you, Fran, to his office.”
“Should I go?”
“Could you please?”
“Un.”
“Oh dear, what a shame. I wanted to have a meal with you. But if you’re already busy with the Guild Master, then I’ll let you go.”
“Bye bye.”
“Kyaaa! So cute. I wish I had a little sister like you!”
“Amanda, remember your age? Did you mean to say daughter?”
“Nel~? I think your youth caused you to mix up what you should and shouldn’t say. And Half Elves age slowly!”
“Okay, okay, I get it. You’re still young, Amanda.”
They really do get along.
Leaving Nel-san and Amanda to playfully bicker behind us, Fran headed for the Guild Master’s office.
She walked up the stairs and knocked on the office door.
Bang-bang-bang.
“One second! Who in the world is knocking so violently?!”
Click.
“I’m here.”
“Ahh, so it was Fran-san. But I must say. What is the point in knocking if you don’t wait for a response?”
“Didn’t think of that.”
“Huu. Please remember that for next time.”
Sorry, Guild Master. I’ll teach her properly.
Well, I didn’t stop Fran from walking in because I wanted to see how the Guild Master would react.
“What do you want?”
“I have a special request I would like you to take.”
A special request from the Guild Master?
“The truth is this: there are those both within and without the Guild who have questioned your ability. Of course, as you know, I have no reason to partake in that belief, but those who do not personally know can no longer accept your rank on good faith. I have this request for you to allay their concerns.”
But hey, you’re the one who decided to promote Fran. You can’t have us pay for your decision.
“I didn’t ask to be promoted. The Guild just did it.”
“Well, there is nothing more I can say on that matter…but there were more who envied you than I originally thought. The situation is only getting more complicated because of those who are defending you. Almost all of the ranks C and D adventurers appear to be on your side. Because the majority of them witnessed your ability first hand. You are so popular that you could even be considered their mascot.”
The middle rank and higher adventurers have good eyes, it seems.
But calling Fran a mascot…actually made sense. After all, Fran’s so cute!
“However, there are many low rank adventurers who do not acknowledge you. There are many who have been stuck as E ranks for quite some time, unable to rise up in the ranks. They may even envy you as they believe that you have been given preferential treatment.”
“Let them grumble.”
Exactly, exactly! What does that matter to us! It’s you guys’ responsibility for promoting Fran to rank D!
“I would like to do that to, but ignoring them is not possible. There are absurd rumors circulating such as that you used bribery to attain your rank, or that I am actually attracted to little girls and was seduced by your charms.”
He was complaining.
“Of course I am not attracted to little girls! There is no need for such accusations. After all, I am more interested in—.”
Did the Guild Master just bring this up because he didn’t want to keep being treated like a lolicon?
“I don’t have to take this though?”
“Come now, please don’t say that. I will add a larger bonus. So what do you think? Please just listen to my offer.”
He was desperate. I got the feeling that he was only doing this to disprove the rumor that he was a lolicon.”
“Beyond the reward for completing the request, I will also issue you a permit to enter the Ulmuto Dungeon.”
“…How’d you know?”
“If you ask for materials in the reference room, then I eventually end up receiving that information.”
It’s true that we asked the old man in the reference room for all kinds of information, but the Guild Master found out about this really quickly.
That aside, do we need a permit to enter the Dungeon?”
“I can’t just enter the Dungeon?”
“Of course not. There are multiple requirements for entry. One of them is your adventurer rank.”
“Ulmuto is rank D.”
“Though your adventurer rank is certainly sufficient, that alone is not enough for entry. Those deemed unlikely to return alive will likely not pa.s.s the screening.”
“Do I look like I won’t return alive?”
“By your appearance alone, it is possible.”
Well, it’s possible that a cute beastkin girl won’t be allowed to enter the Dungeon. Even with the permit, the screening might hold us up.
“With my permit, there will be no need for a screening at all. You will be allowed to walk in right away.”
This crafty elf is smiling smugly at us in that chair of his!
But I definitely do want that permit.
“…I’ll listen for now.”
“Thank you very much. The request is written down here.”
The Guild Master took out a request form.
It asked us to investiage and collect materials from the Dungeon near Alessa.
“I can go into the Alessa Dungeon?”
“Explaining this will be easy if you already know. Though most people are barred from entering the Dungeon, we send an adventurer or three to the Dungeon every few months to investigate. The primary objective is to retrieve resources and reduce the number of demonic beasts.”
“Only reduce? Not exterminate?”
“There are many reasons for this. Though we have a modic.u.m of control over the Dungeon because we have the Core, this is not absolute. We can only slightly change the region in which demonic beasts sp.a.w.n and item creation. And this is only within the range of the Core’s acc.u.mulated mana. The limit of the Alessa Dungeon is sp.a.w.ning rank F and lower demonic beasts and creating a small number of items.”
That must be why there aren’t much earnings. It’s too bad. If there they could sp.a.w.n demonic beasts that dropped high level potions or rare materials, then there’d be lots of profit waiting in the Dungeon.
“What if the Core stored a lot of mana?”
“If that were possible, then none of this would be an issue. Even if dozens of human mages were to band together and supply their mana to the Core, it would be nowhere near enough.”
“Then how do you build up the mana?”
“The Core absorbs mana from the demonic beasts and adventurers within the Dungeon through its veins or perhaps the air. But the amount gained is small. The Dungeon Master likely had methods to acc.u.mulate more mana than this. Otherwise, it could not have maintained the labyrinth.”
Summoning a Demon and everything must have taken a huge amount of mana. It didn’t seem likely that constantly absorbing a tiny amount of mana from the air would be enough to summon a monster like that.
“Thus, it is vital that at least some of the Demonic Beasts within the Dungeon stay alive, so that the Core can continue to absorb mana. If it does not acc.u.mulate enough mana, we will not be able to use the Core.”
But is it really okay for us to lower the number of demonic beasts? Wouldn’t it be better to have more?
But it wasn’t that simple.
“Though the demonic beasts are necessary, it becomes difficult to secure the materials created in the Dungeon if there are too many of them. If left alone for too long, they may evolve or even break out into a stampede. It is necessary that we reduce their numbers.”
Hmm, the reward was certainly enticing. But there was one problem.
The request was directed towards ‘multiple parties.’
I would prefer not teaming up with idiots like those people who picked a fight with us when we first arrived in Alessa.
“Ahh, the parties written there have already been prepared.”
“What kind of people?”
“This request was originally meant to also serve as a promotion test for D rank adventurers. Thus, there are currently two parties of E rank adventurers, totaling nine people. The examiners are a party of three C rank adventurers. I can a.s.sure you of their ident.i.ties. As for their characters…I will leave that matter to you.”
He wasn’t taking responsibility for them. What should we do? I wouldn’t mind not taking this request.
『Fran. What do you want to do?』
“Un?”
The Guild Master, taken aback when he saw Fran so concerned over the request, took out a small pouch and placed it on the table.
“Why do you look so worried? I will add a personal bonus for you myself.”
Oh my. A bonus personally from the Guild Master? This caught my interest.
“Please look at this.”
The Guild Master emptied the pouch on the table and out dropped over twenty magic crystals.
They were pretty big. Bigger didn’t necessarily mean better in terms of magic crystals, but, at the very least, they were bigger than any magic crystal I’d seen come from a goblin.
“What are those?”
“Something like my emergency fund. They are magic crystals I collected while I was still out in the field. They are all from threat level D and higher demonic beasts.”
I see. The magic crystals were more enticing than plain money because we could sell them or use them for armor.
But I could feel the Guild Master eyeing us steadily… Did he realize we wanted magic crystals? Or did he find out that Fran wasn’t selling magic crystals?
“Why magic crystals?”
“Huh? Are these not to your liking?”
I got the feeling that saying something rash would only end badly for us. Besides, even if the Guild Master knew we wanted magic crystals, there was no way he knew what we wanted them for, so I was thinking about just declining his offer.
“They’re not bad.”
“So you agree?”
‘Master, what do you think?’
『I can’t tell what kind of Skills they have, unfortunately. I can vaguely tell what kinds of demonic beasts they came from, but that’s about it. I can’t even tell how much mana’s in them.』
But the Guild Master himself was offering them to us. That meant the magic crystals had to be good quality. Because a threat level D monster is something like a Dopplesnake or a Blast Tortoise.
But considering how suspicious this request seemed…
“I will give you two magic crystals of your choosing. How does this sound?”
“Hmm… Ten and it’s a deal.”
“What?! That is entirely too much! Then I will give you three!”
“Nine.”
“Ugh…I understand! I will give you four!”
“Eight, and I’ll accept.”
“Wait. Based on this pattern, are you planning on going down to seven and then settling on six?! I cannot accept this. Four. I cannot give up any more than that.”
“Then I won’t do it.”
“Ugh…”
“Five. In advance.”
“Gyaaagh…”
“Bye.”
“O-Okay…! I will give you five in advance!”
Whoa, well done, Fran! You haggled the heck out of the Guild Master!
But why does the Guild Master want us to take the request this badly? I guess he really doesn’t want to keep being seen as a lolicon.
“Then I will leave the request itself to you.”
“Un.”