– STORY –

By some ill fortune, Hikaru died in a traffic accident. He was in

heaven standing in line, waiting to be judged, when he took an
unexpected request to transfer his soul to a person in another
world. He received an ability called Soul Board which he could
use to allocate points to Skills to make himself more powerful.

But there was a catch…

“I want you to take revenge on someone for me within an hour.

If you don’t, I’ll destroy your soul.”

To pull off the task assigned to him, he poured all his available
points to the Stealth skill tree.

This is a story of a boy who specialized in Stealth. With his skill

trees as weapons, he would demonstrate his unrivaled strength
in another world.
It was a long, long line.

These are all dead people, huh… that’s incredible, Hikaru thought.

Tall buildings like skyscrapers reared alongside each other, though devoid of any
human presence. There was only the long line of the departed, wearing the same
outfit; white summer clothes.

Only one thought raced in their minds: that up ahead they will be judged whether
they’ll go to heaven or hell.

Like Hikaru, not everyone just stood in line blankly. Some screamed, and some were
hitting on the people in line. There were even those that proposed money-making
schemes to them. Hikaru was unlike the other departed. He stepped out of the line and
went around to the back of a building.

(Who would’ve thought I’d die like this?)

Hikaru met his end at age fifteen. His name meant “to shine”; he was named as such
with the hopes that he would grow up to be a bright young man. But he lived all his
life staying in the shadows. He chose to. It was much easier to not interact with people.
He couldn’t keep up with the boys and girls his age either.

A traffic accident was the cause of his death. Going to the convenience store at night is
not a good idea. One could say he was at fault for being deep in thought, but the driver
was to blame as well. Hikaru crossed the street when the lights were green, after all.

(Not like there’s any point in lamenting over it now. The only takeaway I got is that
humans die easily. Something I learned personally… Hmm?)

Hikaru felt the presence of people behind the building. Dead people.

“Come on, move!”

“Hahahaha! We died too because of you! Hahaha!”

“You freakin’ idiot! You just had to do it, didn’t you? Well, we’re gonna keep on bullying
you forever.”

Three boys kicked a scrunching kid, sending him flying. Bullying.

(Bullying even in this place, huh? These kids are beyond redemption. I don’t like it. But
then again, it’s none of my business.)

It’s best if I don’t get involved… Hikaru started backing away when his eyes met those
of the cowering kid.

The boy looked at Hikaru and quickly averted his gaze. Something was on the ground
behind the boys. A bag. Faint light spilled from within.

Now that he thought about it, Hikaru saw some of the dead carrying the same kind of
light as well. A few had it in their hands, some in bags. He understood that it was
something very important.

Take it.

Hikaru thought the boy on the ground mouthed the words at him. Take it. In other
words, steal it.

“…”

Ignoring him would be easy. But Hikaru’s bad habit got the better of him. His curiosity.
He held interest in the “light” that the other dead people possessed. There were those
that had one, and those that didn’t; Hikaru belonged to the latter. What would it mean
for the boy if he took the bag?

(Does me taking it constitute an act of revenge against the ones that are bullying you?
Fine. I’ll do it. I’m curious as well.)

Slowly, Hikaru inched closer. The three boys had their backs turned to him, so they
didn’t notice him approaching.
Hikaru always refrained from doing anything dangerous, but right now he was trying
to brave the risk. The reason for his actions was simple. Humans die easily. And he was
already dead. In that case, shouldn’t he at least satisfy his curiosity?

Hikaru was surprisingly calm. He approached slowly. All he had to do was not get
noticed and it would be all right.

The boys were in their early teens; same age as Hikaru or perhaps younger. They
kicked the kid with faces full of spite.

Hikaru reached for the bag. Just a little more. Only ten centimeters. Got it—

“Ah.”

One of the three boys turned around to look. His eyes met that of Hikaru’s.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Grabbing the bag, Hikaru made a run for it.

“You bastard!”

“We’ll be in deep trouble without that!”

“Stop!”

They’ll be in trouble without it? What does that mean?

“…What the?!”

Something occurred behind him. He looked over his shoulder for a second to see the
bullied kid standing up, lunging himself at the three boys. When Hikaru turned at a
corner of the building, he could no longer see his pursuers. They were probably caught
off-guard by the kid’s sudden actions.

Hikaru ran, and ran, and ran. He dashed through the forest of high-rise buildings.

“Haa… haa… haaa…”

Eventually, his legs gave up. Exhausted, he propped his hands on a wall, panting, and
sat down on the ground.

“Did I lose them?”

There were no sounds of footsteps approaching. It was safe to assume he lost the boys.

“Hmm… this kind of adrenaline-pumping action isn’t so bad… So what’s this thing?”

In his hand was a bag that was made by randomly stitching rags together. Light spilled
from within it.

Was it owned by the bullied kid? Or the three boys? They mentioned something about
being in trouble if they didn’t have it.

“That was some great stealing.”

“Wha?!”

A voice came from behind, startling Hikaru, and he turned around.

“Who are you?!”

“I don’t have much time. I want you to listen to what I have to say. All right?”

The one who spoke was a boy around Hikaru’s age. But he had blonde hair and blue
eyes.

A foreigner? Hikaru thought.

The boy wore rich velvet clothes that looked to be outdated with a corsage on his
collar. He looked like a noble in oil paintings found in art books.

(That’s strange. I thought everyone here was Japanese.)

The dead people in line had black hair and black eyes. The same was true for the three
bullies and the kid they were bullying. Then there was the outfit. The boy wasn’t
wearing the same white summer clothes.

“You’re coming with me to my world. I want to you to live in my stead.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“I will die soon.”

The boy lifted his shirt. His belly was stained a deep red.

“…Looks serious”

“I was assassinated. Stabbed by a knife.”

Assassinated. Now there’s a disturbing word.

“At the brink of death, I sent my soul alone all the way here. You know where you are,
correct?”

“The place between death and the afterlife… I think.”

“That’s right. This is the entrance to paradise where souls receive their judgment. My
world has one too. I desperately needed immense power for my own goal. So I
researched about the art of crossing worlds. Unfortunately, I could only go to another
world’s heaven. Before I could accomplish my long-cherished goal, I was assassinated
and am now dying.”

“You’re going too fast. Give your story in order. I didn’t understand half the things you
just said.”

“I don’t have time to talk about the details. Come to my world and grant my one wish.
Then you will be revived once more. Or to be more accurate, reincarnated.”

“—————–”

Revived? Did he just say revived?

“You can do whatever you want once you’re revived. What do you say?”

“…Okay.”

Hikaru nodded in agreement. He can be alive once more. That brought him joy more
than anything. He couldn’t bear having his amassed knowledge and all his thoughts
wiped clean from having his soul judged.
“Well then. I’m now going to perform the world-crossing spell. My name is Roland.
Roland N. Zaracia. I’m giving you my body.”

White light burst and blurred his vision. And just like that, Hikaru’s soul left the place.
Hikaru took a deep breath. He was astonished by the sensation of having a living body.
It seemed as though everything he felt until now was simply a product of his own
imagination. His stomach felt sticky from something. He checked to find it wet with
blood.

(Can you tell? It’s me. Roland.)

Hikaru heard a voice come from within him and he nodded. Feeling his clothes, he
knew they were what Roland wore earlier. The room was dark, though he could tell it
was properly furnished. Its interior design was just like the European high class hotel
rooms he saw on television.

(With your soul transferred into my body, anything wrong with it should be fixed. My
body will gradually get used to you. Take a look at the mirror.)

A mirror…
Hikaru stood in front of a huge mirror on the wall and saw Roland’s face. Except it had
black hair.

(Please grant my wish.)

“Your wish…”

(You should know what it is by now. After all, you have access to my memories.)

It was just like Roland said. Hikaru’s mind was a jumbled mess right now. He had both
memories of his life in Japan and Roland’s memories of his life in this world – a world
with dragons and magic.

“Vengeance against Count Morgstad…”

Roland was born from a viscount family. Count Morgstad framed his parents for an
evil deed resulting in both being sentenced to death. His family’s land and assets were
expropriated and Roland himself was supposed to be sent to the sticks; the parents
may be guilty but the child is innocent is what they said.

But Roland was a gifted sorcerer. One could say that Morgstad wanted to destroy his
whole family for fear of his gifts. And so even though there was no threat to his life
anymore, Roland swore to exact revenge on the Count.

(You just have to kill Count Morgstad.)

“…Hmm, yes.”

(Your stealing skills were splendid. You may have a knack for such things.)

A compliment? Not sure if I should be happy about that.

(I only have about an hour left. Kill him before then.)

“An hour?!”

(If you fail, I’ll kill you.)

“Wha–?!”

(I’ll soon be summoned to heaven and I’ll either be reincarnated or enter paradise. But
you will be destroyed, soul and all.)

Hikaru knew he was telling the truth. After all, he had Roland’s memories. There’s no
saving once the soul is destroyed. He never really believed in life after death. He didn’t
think it existed. But now that he knew it did, being “destroyed” didn’t sound so good.

“You tricked me. That kinda pisses me off.”

(I’m sorry for threatening you. There was just no other way.)

Having inherited Roland’s memories, Hikaru understood his thirst for revenge.
Roland’s parents were honest, just, and upright – loved by everyone, and they were
taken from him unreasonably. Sentenced to death, they were crucified, their bodies
left abandoned in the royal capital.

Perhaps because he shared Roland’s memories, Hikaru didn’t feel much resistance in
having to kill someone. Roland firmly believed that Count Morgstad was someone who
deserved to die.

“Kill someone… We haven’t even prepared for it or anything.”

(You have your “gift” for that, don’t you?)

“…Gift?”

(You can call it God’s blessing. You stole one, didn’t you? Something that shone bright.)

Oh, that thing…

(You’ll know if you check my memories. It’s like an ability that one can use once his
soul is reincarnated. In this world, it should manifest into a Skill, or some magic or
special art that only you can… use.)

Roland’s voice grew fainter.

(I can’t speak any more than this… I can only remind you of your remaining time from
here on out.)

His voice was gone now.

Magic… Special art… Skill.

Do I really have any of those?

“!”

Then suddenly, Hikaru felt something inside him. He focused his mind to it, and…
A board the size of an A4 paper, radiating pale green light, emerged before him.

<Soul Board> Hikaru

Age: 15 Rank: 0
15

○
(55 minutes left…)

Hikaru knew Roland was serious.

Maybe this thing is some kind of a Skill?

On the board was a huge circle. Its surface was smooth like some sort of a tablet.

“What’s this…?”

He touched it and a robotic voice rang inside his head.

<Unlock Soul Board? 1 point required.>

Unlock? Point required? I have no idea what those mean, but there’s no point in not using
it.

“Unlock.”

Words appeared on the screen.

<Vitality>
…<Natural Recovery> 0
…<Stamina> 0
…<Immunity>
…<Perception>

Vitality was written at the center and branched out.

“A Skill Tree?”

It was the same system as the solo RPGs and MMORPGs he’d played before. You tend
to have more free time when you’re good at academics. So Hikaru played games.
Though his playstyle involved being extremely efficient.

A Skill Tree’s effects were manifested once it’s unlocked by consuming a Skill Point. In
fact, the number 15 on top changed to a 14.

“15 points because I’m 15 years old? So what, I get one point per year? That sucks.”
Hikaru mulled things over. What do I do? He had to kill someone and in order to do
that, there were crucial steps he had to go through first. Like getting close to someone
of noble status. Can I do it? They must be on guard. So how do I allocate my Skill Points
to help me get the job done?

…No, before that. Can I even kill someone?

“Now is not the time to think about that.”

He had to do it, or he’s dead. Hikaru was a sore loser. He’s made it this far and he wasn’t
going to just die here without having done anything.

(50 minutes.)

He could hear Roland’s faint voice.

Should I spend points on Natural Recovery? Nah. It’s not going to be a fight of endurance.
Which means Stamina and Immunity are both out of the question as well. That leaves
only Perception.

“But that would result in too much imbalance. Actually, it was already imbalanced the
moment only these Skills were available. Normally, there’d be Weapon or Magic Skills
as well.”

Hikaru examined the board.

“A tablet… in that case…”

With his finger on the screen, he flicked to the left. The ○ screen swiped past and
changed into a ◎.

“I knew it. So the circle is the Vitality Skill Tree window.”

He swiped and swiped. Next was a triangle, then a diamond, a pentagon, a hexagon,
and the last was blank. After that, it came back to the circle window. Seven windows
in total.

“So if one point is needed to unlock a Skill Tree, I’ll have to use seven points just to find
something useful.”
(45 minutes.)

Time was running out.

Hikaru dug through Roland’s memories. Right now, he was in a high class hotel in a
town called Pond. Count Morgstad was in his villa. He could run there in less than five
minutes if he used the shortest route. The Count’s room was most likely on the third
floor. I need fifteen… no, twenty minutes to get close to him.

“I don’t have much information to think of something. I’ll just have to unlock everything
and find a useful Skill.”

<Unlock Soul Board? 1 point required.>

“Yes.”

The ◎ window opened.

<Magical Power>
…<Mana> 0
…<Spirit Affinity>

“Magic, huh… Can I even use magic?”

It’s something I’ve never used before. I have Roland’s memories, but not his intellect. I
recall Roland doing magical experiments in the past, but I don’t have the details and
there’s just no time to go over them. Moreover, Roland’s magical abilities leaned towards
the art of crossing worlds.

<Unlock Soul Board? 1 point required.>

“Unlock.”

The △ window opened.

<Physical Strength>
…<Strength> 0
…<Weapon Mastery>

Weapons. Things that are indispensable in killing someone…

“Are there even weapons around here?”

He surveyed the room. A dagger of plain make but with a sharp blade lay on the floor.
The weapon used to stab Roland. It was enough for his purpose.

“…Still, my biggest problem is whether I can get to Count Morgstad or not.”

Nobles of this world didn’t normally receive guests at night and based on Roland’s
memories, it was already nearing midnight. Wind rattled a closed window. Faint light
streamed in through the coarse glass window, but the continuous downpour made it
all but dark outside.

“Strong weapons mean nothing if I don’t make it to the man. I could kill everyone who
gets in my way…”

“Yeah, no.” Hikaru muttered under his breath.

He wasn’t sure he could get away with mass murder without being found out.

(40 minutes.)

On to the next board.

<Unlock Soul Board? 1 point required.>

“Yes.”

The ◇ window opened.

<Agility>
…<Instantaneous Power Burst> 0
…<Flexibility> 0
…<Balance> 0
…<Stealth>

Hikaru’s intuition screamed “This is it”. Stealth. With this, I can get close to Count
Morgstad unnoticed.

<Unlock Stealth? 1 point required.>

“Yes.”

<Stealth>
…<Life Obfuscation> 0
…<Mana Obfuscation> 0
…<Imperceptibility> 0

“…I see. So the ones without the zeroes have to be unlocked.”

In order to see the Skills available, you have to first spend a point to unlock a field.
Otherwise, it would be useless. It all sounds absurd, but I don’t have time to complain
about this Skill Tree.

“What’s this Life Obfuscation thing anyway⁠—”

The instant he raised the question, every Skill’s definition sprang up in his mind.

<Life Obfuscation> Hide yourself from Life force detection Skills. Max:5.

<Mana Obfuscation> Hide yourself from mana detection Skills. Max:5.

<Imperceptibility> User can’t be detected by scent, hearing, or sight. Max:5.

Huh, so there are detection Skills. I have ten points left. Should I allocate them equally or
no?

“Detection using the senses would normally be the most troublesome. They might
have guard dogs, after all.”

Some people say dogs have a million to a hundred million times more powerful sense
of smell than humans. They should have excellent hearing as well. I already know that
this world has dogs.

So what about the other two detection Skills? Based off Roland’s memories, not a lot of
people have these sorts of abilities.

“For now I’ll put a point in Life Obfuscation, one point in Mana Obfuscation, and five
points in Imperceptibility.”

Hikaru entered the numbers.

<Stealth>
…<Life Obfuscation> 1
…<Mana Obfuscation> 1
…<Imperceptibility> 5 (MAX)
…<Assassination> 0

“…Assassination.”

Hikaru shivered from the coldness of the word. The Skill appeared after he put five
points into Imperceptibility.

<Assassination> When the user attacks without the target noticing, the attack will
have a fatal effect. Max: 3.

It was the perfect Skill for Hikaru’s purpose. He had three points left as well.

“Man, this is too good to be true.”

It felt like someone was watching him from the sidelines, setting things up for him.

“35 minutes… Hurry…”

Can I quietly close in on my target and kill him? He may be vulnerable but I haven’t killed
anyone before. Neither have I stabbed someone in the heart. But if killing him will
guarantee my life in this world…

Hikaru put the rest of his points on Assassination.

<Stealth>
…<Life Obfuscation> 1
…<Mana Obfuscation> 1
…<Imperceptibility> 5 (MAX)
…<Assassination> 3 (MAX)
……<Snipe> 0

Another Skill popped up. This one will allow me to kill a target from long-range. If I had
to choose, I’d pick this one. It’s not like I actually want to kill the Count from point-blank.

“…Let’s do this.”
With Roland’s body, and the knife used to stab Roland in hand, Hikaru stepped out into
the pouring rain. He strode through the front lobby, but the staff on duty failed to
notice that someone went past him.
Thunder rumbled and lightning crackled with the pouring rain. Each drop made white
splashes as it hit the cobblestones. Hikaru was out in the cold without a coat, soaking
wet. Soon he arrived at his destination: Count Morgstad’s villa.

(25 minutes.)

He thought about going through the back, but the entrance was locked, wasting five
minutes of his precious time. So Hikaru opted to sneak in through the front. The front
entrance wasn’t locked for the night guards to go in and out.

Under some eaves, Hikaru squeezed the water out of his cuffs then opened the door.

“The guest the other day was filthy rich…”

“Oh, the day I took a leave…”

Talk about bad luck. Two servants passed by.

But they simply went on without stopping. Hikaru was inside, but the two didn’t notice
him at all. Unbelievable. Here I am, striding in boldly and they didn’t even notice. He now
realized that the three Skills he learned under “Stealth” were more incredible than he
imagined. Turning the Skill on and off was possible. It was an odd way to put it but
Stealth would activate when Hikaru was fired up. He felt an odd sensation, like his
body was dissolving into thin air.

The inside of the mansion was dark. There didn’t seem to be any night-light. Even with
his Skill, Hikaru elected to creep in through the shadows. He climbed the stairs to the
third floor.

Two men – who looked like guards – were walking towards him. They were knights in
plain clothes, swords hanging from their waists. Count Morgstad was a noble with
considerable influence in the kingdom so it wasn’t surprising for him to have knights
as guards.
“Hmm?”

“What’s wrong?”

One of the men stopped.

“…Something’s off.”

“What is it? I can’t really tell.”

“It could be an intruder.”

“!”

The other knight reached for his sword.

“…There’s no one around, though.”

“Yeah…”

One of them crouched down and touched the floor.

“…It’s wet.”

“Of course it is. It’s pouring out there.”

“Did someone return from outside?”

“Well someone went out for an errand to the Alchemists Guild for that girl’s examination.”

“Ah, yes. Now that you mention it.”

The man got up with a sour look on his face.

“Let’s go.”

“Are you sure?”

“I was just imagining things. Anyway, that Count pisses me off so much, I don’t even
feel like doing my job properly.”
“Come on, don’t say that…”

Both men left.

Standing in the shadows of a pillar, Hikaru drew a long, deep breath. I thought I was
done for. But his Skill seemed to be doing a very good job. He was right in choosing
“Imperceptibility”. It wasn’t a detection type Skill that set the guard off, but his
experience. Hikaru was certain of that now. The man simply relied on his scent and
sensed something in the air.

Hikaru was lucky about one more thing. When the guard practically spat out the word
“Count”, he shot a glance behind him. That meant the Count’s room was in that direction

(15 minutes.)

There was still time. Actually when Hikaru heard the words “20 minutes” a while ago,
he got scared out of his wits. He was worried the guards might’ve heard the voice while
they were getting closer.

“…Let’s go.”

Hikaru continued on. The knights did not turn to look back. As soon as the lamps they
carried were far enough, darkness settled once more around Hikaru. Windows for
lighting were set on the ceiling that gave a bit of illumination each time lightning
flashed across the sky.

It would be great to have a “Night Vision” Skill, but alas, I’m out of Skill points. He was
fortunate that it was dark. It was easy to tell which rooms were occupied from the faint
light that came from within. And there was only one such room up ahead.

Hikaru strained his ears just right outside the door. The sound of the rain made it
difficult to hear anything, but…

“That stupid, pigheaded baron…”

The voice belonged to an elderly man. The Count Morgstad in Roland’s memories had
white hair all over his head. My target’s in here. Hikaru’s hand was shaking as he
reached for the doorknob.

Quickly, he grasped his trembling hand tight. It’s okay. It’s okay. I can do it. After getting
this far, fear gripped his heart.

You’re gonna do it. You’re gonna kill him so you can live on, Hikaru desperately tried to
tell himself. Soon enough, he gradually grew calm.

He felt sorry for Roland. He was interested in this new world. His whole being ached
from his thirst for knowledge.

But it was his death in his previous life that finally drove him to commit murder.
Humans die easily. What’s more, this world was different from modern Japan. It was a
world where one had to kill in order to live on.

(10 minutes.)

The moment he heard Roland’s countdown, Hikaru opened the door. Count Morgstad,
with his body facing the entrance to his room, sat at his office desk, reading something
under a lamp.

“Hmm?”

He shot a glance at the door. I thought I heard the door open, the Count thought.

“Who’s there? A guard?”

Or perhaps the butler? he thought. But he wouldn’t come to his room this late at night
unless he was called. He certainly wouldn’t invite himself in without knocking first
either.

The door closed.

“…I guess I’m just hearing things.”

He turned his eyes back to his hands holding a bunch of written reports. When he
skimmed through the last piece of paper…

“So they succeeded.”

On it was a coded message that read “I’ve put out the fire on your land”. But its actual
contents meant “I’ve killed Viscount Zaracia’s son”.
“…He surprised me for a while there. I didn’t expect him to be in Pond.”

The Count received word that Viscount Zaracia’s son was in town. He suspected he
might’ve come to kill him. He was fortunate to have located the boy first and send his
guy to end him.

“Like parents, like son. They all have to be so annoying. But now the Zaracia family is
gone and my era will soon come.”

Wrong.

Morgstad was caught dumbfounded by the sudden voice. But there was nobody else
in the room.

“Who’s there?!”

Opening his table’s drawer, he reached for the bell inside. Once rang, every guard in
the mansion would be alerted by the sound.

“Ahhhhhh!”

But his hand stopped just on top of the drawer. Someone had stabbed his palm.

“I-I-I-It’s you…!”

Pain and fear seized him. By his side was someone who was supposed to be dead.

“It’s Roland N. Zaracia… Well actually, I’m his stand-in. I’m taking your life.”

“H-How?!”

“Die.”

Blood dripped from the dagger as Hikaru pulled it from the Count’s hand. The blade
pierced flesh almost too easily, but he thrust it into Morgstad’s heart without any
hesitation.

“Guh…”

With a twist of the dagger, Morgstad coughed up blood before collapsing on the floor.
“Ha… haa…”

Count Morgstad’s lifeless body lay before Hikaru’s eyes. His whole body felt as if it
were aflame. He wanted to run and scream.

For a moment, just a split second, Hikaru’s body froze. Roland wanted to take over. He
used up the ten minutes he had left to contain Hikaru’s will and kill the Count himself.

(…You just had to stop me.)

Roland sounded annoyed.

“I wasn’t gonna let you do it. I decided that I would do it.”

Hikaru made up his mind. He made his decision to live on. If he had to murder someone
to do so, so be it. He had no other choice.

And yet he was surprisingly calm.

(Thank you…)

Roland’s voice held more warmth than Hikaru had heard so far; a mix of deep regret
and satisfaction.

“…I’ll disappear soon. I can’t give you money or honor, but you may have my body…”

Hikaru felt Roland’s soul leaving his body.

“…What’s your name?”

“Hikaru.”

“…Thank you, Hikaru. My… The Zaracia family’s redeemer. I’ll keep on praying for your
bright future.”

With that, the last piece of Roland’s soul disappeared.

“…He’s gone.”

Hikaru didn’t feel much accomplishment in keeping his promise. The grim feeling that
he killed someone was too overwhelming. He wanted to sit down right then and there.

“Did you kill him?”

“?!”

In that moment, he realized the door was open. A girl with silver hair, pale skin, and
blue eyes stood there. Her beauty was out of this world.

Did she see me? No, not exactly. What now? I can’t talk my way out of this.

“The bell has been rung. Knights will be here soon.”

“!!”

Hikaru failed to notice the Count’s finger touching the bell as he pulled the dagger out
of his hand. The bell rolled and made a faint sound inside the drawer. He could hear
footsteps approaching the room. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? Can I escape
with my Stealth Skill?

The girl raised her fingers and pointed outside.

“There’s a rope ladder on the balcony. You can get down to the first floor from there.”

For real? Why is she telling me this?

“Hurry.”

I can’t afford to hesitate right now. Hikaru dashed to the door leading to the balcony
and opened it. The rain had stopped and only the wind blew hard. Are the rain clouds
gone? There was indeed a rope ladder that was most likely for emergency use. He
threw it outside over the balcony and started climbing down. His hands were trembling
and he had a hard time descending. Loud voices came from beyond the closed door.

“Miss Lavia, what are you doing here?”

“Did you come here after hearing the bell?”

“H-Hey! The Count is down on the floor!”

The noise turned into an uproar.

“An assassin.”
The moment they arrived at that conclusion and opened the door that led to the
balcony, all that was left was a rope ladder swinging in the wind.

“I should be… fine here.”

He was completely exhausted. Hikaru couldn’t return to the hotel for two reasons:
One, there was nothing left in the hotel room. Anything valuable was taken by the
assassin to make the assassination look like a robbery. So there was no point in going
back there. The other reason was… his face.

“…This is my body…”

It was around four in the morning. During summer, dawn would start lighting up the
sky past four. Hikaru stared at the face reflected on a water puddle. It had dark brown
hair and equally dark brown eyes. There wasn’t much left of Roland’s features. The
face gradually changed into that of Hikaru’s. Brown slowly turned to black. His soul
was adapting to the body.

“…Man, I’m beat.”

Hikaru was in a particularly deserted part of town. A graveyard. Leaning back on a big
tree that stood on the cemetery grounds, Hikaru closed his eyes.

…That’s right. Why did that girl let me escape?

It was his first sleep in another world and he didn’t dream of anything.
It was before noon when Hikaru woke up. He was parched. People didn’t seem to visit
the graveyard as it was awfully quiet. It was a clear and sunny day.

There was a well nearby. With a bucket, Hikaru fetched some water from below and
drank. His thirst was quenched, but this time his stomach grumbled. Rubbing his belly,
he thought, What do I do now? I’m broke. Anything I can sell… my clothes? No, it has
blood on it.

He took off his shirt to wash it, but it only turned into a shirt with holes and a brown
stain.

“So cold…”

He didn’t have time to dry out his clothes so he wore them wet. He thought about his
next move.

1. Earn money.
2. Run without being suspected of Count Morgstad’s murder.

These two are my top priority. He searched Roland’s memories for ways to make money.

“Hmm?”

Roland’s memories were more blurry than yesterday. The knowledge was there, but
the things Roland learned from experience, what he felt, his precious memories were
fading. It felt like some stranger’s experience that Hikaru heard from rumors. He felt
Roland gradually leaving his body.

“…Anyway, I just have to live on.”

As he searched through the memories, Hikaru hit upon something. Making a Soul Card.
It sounded similar to his Skill Soul Board, but to put it simply, the Soul Card was an ID.
The Adventurers’ Guild, Merchants’ Guild, and the Alchemists’ Guild issue Guild Cards
while a temple issued a Soul Card. Both had slightly different features and uses, but
they served as IDs all the same.

“The Adventurers Guild it is.”

The Adventurers’ Guild issued Guild Cards for free if you were a first-timer. The other
guilds asked for processing fees. It didn’t cost much, but Hikaru was flat broke.

“Where’s the Adventurers’ Guild anyway?”

Its location was not in Roland’s memories. Hikaru left the graveyard and made his way
into town. Spotting a guard on patrol, he turned a corner and ended up in a back alley.
He had his Stealth Skill, but now was not the time to test its effectiveness. I’ll test it out
somewhere else.

It was getting more desolate as Hikaru moved farther and farther from the main street.
Up ahead was a girl with a chalk, drawing something on alley walls.

“Here goes.”

I gotta do this. A suspicious guy talking to a young girl was a cause for concern. Hikaru
was still young, though.

“Excuse me.”

Startled by Hikaru’s strange appearance, the girl started trembling. It was probably
the soiled and battered clothes, yet somehow still retaining the image of a noble that
scared her.

“It’s all right. I just want to ask for directions. Which way is the Adventurers’ Guild?”

“Do you want to go to the Adventurers’ Guild, Mister?”

“Yeah.”

That seemed to be enough for the girl as she started talking.

“Well… you go straight down the alley, and you’ll end up on the main street. Cross it
and go straight down a back alley, and you’ll be on the main street again. Turn right
from there and after about five minutes of walking, you’ll see the Adventurers’ Guild.”
“Got it. I’d like to thank you somehow but I got nothing with me.”

“That’s okay! You can repay me when you hit it big!”

“…Okay.”

What a lively young girl.

The Adventurers’ Guild was a massive stone-made building. Laughter and rough
voices from brawny men rolled from within. There were women as well, though some
were muscular and some wore grim expressions on their faces. Not your ordinary
women. A few parties of young boys and girls were there too, but they were mostly
made fun of by the adults.

Only one receptionist sat behind the guild counter. She wore a small, white hat, silver
around the edges and a uniform that matched. A long skirt, and a coat that closed in
front, with sleeves that grew wider. Quite a strange outfit. She was a beauty with short
red hair and slightly tense features. She looked to be less than twenty years old.

The lady was working, processing quests, while dealing with men asking her out on a
date.

“Hmm.”

Not one adventurer noticed Hikaru with his Stealth Skill active. No one said something
like “What’s this? Since when did the adventurers’ guild become a kids’ playground?”.
Without any Skills useful in combat, it was better not to get involved in any mess.

The men formed a semi-circle around the receptionist. Left and right, people were
talking to her as she did her job with an indifferent air. But there were always ten men
who kept on asking her out. In order to accept or clear a quest, one would have to
wedge themselves in.

“I found a really great place the other day…”

“You’re single, right, Jill? Just one time, please! Let’s have dinner one time!”

“Can you make me a guild card?”

With Stealth active, Hikaru weaved through the adventurers all the way to the front
then deactivated his Skill.

“What the?!”

“The hell is this kid doing here?! Where’d he come from?!”

The eyes of the receptionist – whose name was apparently Jill – went wide with
surprise as well.

“Ah, um, well…”

“Please make me a guild card.” Hikaru said once more.

“The fuck are you saying, stupid brat?!”

“Damn brat! Get in line and wait for your turn!”

“You guys weren’t standing in line. I simply asked the guild’s receptionist to do a
legitimate task for me. Besides, you can still invite her to dinner while she works on
the guild card, can’t you?”

“Why you…”

One adventurer’s face went red. They weren’t stupid enough to start a fight right here,
however.

“Hey.”

“…Yeah.”

They exchanged glances and left the building in groups.

Hmm. So they’re going to gang up on me as soon as I leave the guild. So predictable.

There was none left at the counter except Hikaru.
The receptionist heaved a sigh before speaking.

“Listen here. I don’t know where you’re from, Sir, but you should apologize later. They
might spare your life if you give them some money.” she said, appalled.

Sir? Maybe it’s the clothes.

“So a guild staff is just going to sit there and do nothing even though its members are
about to extort money out of someone?”

“…What?”

“I’m saying you’re neglecting your duty. This organization is a joke I suppose, given
they’re ignoring potential criminals.”

“What was that?!”

She most likely didn’t expect a rebuttal. Jill raised her voice, her gaze filled with anger.

“You want to make an enemy of the Adventurers’ Guild?”

“I see. Even the staff resorts to threats.”

“I’m not threatening you. This is simply a warning…”

“Just make me a guild card already. You have to if someone asks, am I correct?”

She was silent, her gaze sharp.

What a waste of her beauty, Hikaru thought, his face calm and composed.

“All right, I’ll issue you a guild card. Place your hand here.”

She held out a smooth stone board. Its surface seemed to be made of glass with various
geometric shapes and ancient writings on the screen. It was similar to the Soul Board,
though unrefined. What surprised Hikaru was something else entirely.

Roland was researching this…

The device was connected to the same network as the temples’ Soul Card and reads a
Soul’s Records. Hikaru placed his palm on top. For a second, it seemed as though light
shimmered beyond the screen.

“Hmm. It looks like you haven’t been issued a card before.”

Jill fiddled with the device. Phew. It would’ve been all over if Roland already had a
record. Then again, it was called a Soul’s Records. As such, Hikaru thought his and
Roland’s would be different.

“That’s correct.”

The whole process didn’t take long and my card was ready.

<Adventurers’ Guild Card>

…<Name> Hikaru
…<Registration> Pond Adventurers’ Guild, Kingdom of Ponsonia
…<Rank> G
…<Class> —

“…Class?” Hikaru muttered without thinking.

He couldn’t find it in Roland’s memories. It seemed Roland didn’t deal much with
adventurers.

The receptionist heaved a deep sigh.

“I don’t really want to explain, but rules are rules so I have no choice.”

She grudgingly started explaining.

“Try touching the card with your finger. A list of possible classes for you will appear
based on your Soul’s Records. By choosing one, your abilities will be boosted. It’s
usually a few characters that end with the word “god” followed by a title. The shorter
the name, the greater the abilities’ boost. Three characters and below are ultra-rare,
with one character being mythical. Even four-character classes are enough for you to
be a top-class adventurer. Soul cards and other guild cards have them too.”

Hikaru placed his finger on the card and there appeared a list.

<Assassination God: Night Stalker> [2]

<Stealth God: Darkness Wanderer> [2]
<Ordinary Chaos God: Eye of the Storm> [3]
<Woods Strolling God: Forest Walker> [4]
<City, Town, and Village People Rescue God: Civilian> [10]

“…I see.”
There’s a bunch of ominous ones here… What now?

“In your case, it would be [City, Town, and Village People Rescue God: Civilian] or
[Wealthy City and Townspeople Rescue God: Money Worker] or something of the
sorts. Am I right?”

“…Y-Yes, o-of course.”

“Why are you getting flustered?”

“I’m not flustered.”

I can’t show this to her. My Skill tree and assassination experience must’ve had some kind
of effect on the choices available. Hikaru selected Civilian and showed it to Jill.

“…See? I thought so.” she said, pointing at the card.

“You can take a quest from the bulletin board and place your guild card against it to
accept it. For goods delivery, you should check the reference room first for information.”

Jill explained a few more things.

. Adventurers are ranked from G, being the lowest, to F, E, all the way to A. After that
comes S which is the highest.

. Adventurers can get promoted to higher ranks based on the number and nature of
quests they’ve cleared. Once promoted, they can take on more difficult quests.

. Adventurers will gradually become experts in their fields. Experts in harvesting are
called Plant Hunters. Experts in searching for precious metals, Jewel Hunters. Monster
Hunters, those that specialize in killing monsters. Dungeon explorers are called
Adventurers. Expert in security, Bodyguards. Jack of all trades, Quest Hunters, etc.

. Once you’re famous in your field, you may receive quests that personally ask for you.

. You can select whatever job class you have and there’s no need to report it to the
guild. Classes with three-character names and below are rare and give powerful
abilities. There are those that become famous just by the class they have. Training and
raising one’s Soul Rank will increase the number of classes available for an adventurer.
Incidentally, one’s Soul Rank increased by killing monsters and stealing a piece of their
souls, making one stronger. This was in Roland’s memories as well, but it seemed his
Soul Rank didn’t increase. Apparently, nobles only start hunting monsters in their later
teens. Levelling up, huh?

Normal animals were differentiated from monsters based on whether they harmed
humans or not. The bodies of magical monsters can be freely processed so they’re
used as materials to make food, equipment, and daily necessities. They can be brought
and sold to the guild.

“That’s all. I’m not going to explain all that again.”

“It’s all right. I got it.”

“Go, then. You’re disturbing my work.”

Before he knew it, a bunch of adventurers have gathered behind Hikaru. Not the ones
from before, but men that wanted to ask Jill out for dinner all the same.

Note: The characters Jill was referring to were the jp characters. For example,
Assassination God: Night Stalker in jp is 暗殺神：ナイトストーカー; it’s a two-
character class, “暗殺” followed by the character for god “神”. Woods Strolling God:
Forest Walker is 森林散歩神：フォレストウォーカー in jp so that’s a four-character
class “森林散歩”. Etc, etc…
Hikaru studied the bulletin board. Papers imbued with special magic were posted on
it — numerous requests sent to the guild. Incidentally, “requests” were also called
“quests”; which term was used depended on the type of job.

Plant Hunter
Gather Glimmering Poisonous Plants… Beginners allowed. Bring as many glimmering
poisonous plants as possible.
Reward: Standard Reward 200 Gilans

“This’ll do.”

Quests that require fighting would be difficult for me right now. My priority at the
moment is to get used to this world. A safe delivery quest fits the bill just fine.

He took the request form and moved his guild card close to it. The piece of paper
gleamed before vanishing into thin air.

“Incredible. It doesn’t matter if scientific technology hasn’t developed in this world.

With advanced magical technology, nature can be preserved. Plus it’s user friendly.”

Hikaru entered the reference room. On the walls were samples of medicinal plants and
ores that frequently showed up in quests. A map of the nearby vicinity with marks on
where to gather materials was in the center of the room.

“…Smells like mold in here.”

It seemed as though people didn’t enter the room often. I guess there are no diligent
adventurers around. Hikaru learned everything he needed to know about the
glimmering poisonous plants.

He took one of the many bags used for delivery quests that were piled in a corner of
the guild. All right, time to go…
Working behind the counter, Jill saw Hikaru’s name pop up automatically on the
“Request Taker” field.

“Hmm.”

She surveyed the guild but didn’t see him. More accurately, she couldn’t because he
was using Stealth.

“So that cheeky brat took this quest…”

Jill grinned broadly. Hikaru had no idea that the request for glimmering poisonous
plants mostly involved bringing the items one already had in their possession. The
reason for that was Green Wolves – vicious monsters – lived in the area where the
plants grew. On top of that, they formed packs so even veteran adventurers found it
difficult to get rid of them. Going there personally to gather the plants was simply not
worth the risk and effort.

“Maybe this will scare him enough to make him give up being an adventurer.”

Green Wolves attack humans but don’t eat them. As such, there weren’t a lot of
fatalities. It was just the right test to baptize beginner adventurers.

Just as Hikaru was about to leave the guild, he remembered something.

“Oh, right. Those adventurers could be waiting for me.”

He double-checked if his Stealth was on. This is a good opportunity. It was the chance
to find out just how effective his Skill was.

Walking slowly so his footsteps didn’t make a sound, Hikaru left the guild.

“……”

The main street. Right beside the guild’s exit stood two of the adventurers from before.

“Man, that brat’s not coming out…”

“Maybe some other guys taught him a lesson already.”

“Sounds likely.”
They roared with crude laughter. Hikaru was close – about three meters away – but
they didn’t notice him at all.

“…I got myself an incredible Skill, I think.”

Hikaru strolled on ahead. In the end, the adventurers failed to realize he was there.

“Skill Trees in games usually don’t have this much effect… Perhaps this Skill is different.”

Maybe you gain its maximum effect by maxing it out. In that case, Skills under Stealth
have incredible potential. No, even those under Vitality and Magical Power should be
plenty awesome.

“Nothing I can do about the 1 point per year system though…”

Hikaru headed outside the down. He was starving, yet he had no choice but to
complete the request to earn money. Walls surrounded the town to prevent monsters
and burglars from getting in.

Houses stood outside the walls though its residents were always at risk. They didn’t
have to pay for the land so penniless farmers lived outside and did agriculture. A guard
stood at the gate, asking for IDs from people who went in and out of town. Hikaru
presented his guild card and the guard let him through with a nod.

“An adventurer apprentice? Don’t do anything rash. As long as you’re alive, things will
all work out.”

“I won’t.” Hikaru said, bowing his head.

It felt like the first time in this world someone said kind words to him. The guard’s
eyes widened in surprise, not expecting such sincerity from a young man.

“Be sure to be back by sundown.” the guard said with a gentle smile.

After a bit of walking on the road, Hikaru turned to a forest on the left.

“Hmm… Jill mentioned that the guild card will boost my abilities.”

It was possible to change your class anytime apparently. It’s best to have my abilities
boosted while I’m outside town.
“If I can only get one Skill point per year, I have to make the best use of these classes.”

Hikaru specialized in Stealth. <Stealth God: Darkness Wanderer> [2] would be perfect
here.

“Let’s go with this!”

And with a click, his job class changed.

“Hmm…”

It felt like his body was getting thinner like air. He could see his hands and feet clearly,
though.

If someone nearby saw Hikaru, they would’ve lost sight of him as soon as he used his
guild card unless they paid strict attention.

Hikaru activated his Life and Mana Obfuscation and Imperceptibility as well. With
that, every living thing in the vicinity couldn’t sense him anymore. The birds and
insects that stopped crying in the presence of a human, started singing once more.

“Amazing.”

It felt like he was invisible. Hikaru sauntered into the woods. Being raised in Tokyo, he
was unfamiliar with forests. He couldn’t go camping so he simply watched outdoor
camping videos on video-sharing sites.

Trees and bushes green and thriving, sunlight filtering through the leaves, the sweet
sound of birds chirping… He couldn’t believe he had set foot in a forest. And unlike the
ones in Japan, this one had barely been touched by humans.

Elated, Hikaru strolled onward, but then he caught a glimpse of a wolf in the distance,
its color green. That must be a Green Wolf. It looked like it donned grass and moss
rather than being “green”.

“It’s huge… but it doesn’t seem to have noticed me.”

Its body was about three meters long. Hikaru continued on, sneakily, so he didn’t draw
the monster’s attention.
Roland had barely any knowledge about monsters. As such, it was understandable
that Hikaru would misunderstand. The Green Wolf can detect something within a 200-
meter radius and Hikaru was inside it. In fact, it had sensed Hikaru for a while until he
arrived just outside the forest. The monster made it all the way here and was now
confused as Hikaru’s presence suddenly vanished.

“I should find out more about monsters too.”

There should be information somewhere about a vicious monster that close to town.

“Oh, there’s the plant.”

Hikaru sauntered through the woods, searching for glimmering poisonous plants in a
leisurely manner. They were shaped like lilies, their flowers of four different colors.
Finding them at night was easy as they would glow, but staying till dark in the forest
was terrifying.

“I need the buds and the petals.”

One by one, he plucked off the parts he needed with his nails, making sure to leave the
roots. That way, they would grow again.

“Thank you, outdoor videos, for being useful in another world!”

Evening. The Adventurers Guild.

Jill sat behind the counter, irritated. Her shift was supposed to be from morning until
noon, but she had to work overtime until dusk as her colleague couldn’t come. She was
in a sour mood. But that wasn’t all.

She expected the boy who left in the morning to be on a stretcher after getting bit by
a Green Wolf. And yet, she didn’t receive any news like that at all. The adventurers’
guild reception desk was a place where all sorts of information passed through. There
was no way any info about the boy would slip by her.

Maybe he didn’t go to collect poisonous plants. It sounds the most plausible reason. In
the first place, a Green Wolf wouldn’t miss a beginner adventurer. Definitely not one
going solo. So he failed the request. All male adventurers are like that.

“……”
Jill had a secret. One of her older ancestors was a mythical fox spirit. Having inherited
a bit of the blood, she could sense others’ ulterior motives. Endowed with good looks,
men full of ulterior motives swarmed her. At the young age of eighteen, she was
already looking ahead in the long term. She had concluded that men were there to be
used.

So what Jill looked for in men was their status. Status meant their wealth, social
standing, and their strength. Since men were only after her for her looks, then she in
turn would only look at their status.

“He can’t be dead, can he?”

She raised her head. His death would weigh heavy on her conscience. Too heavy. Not
only that, she’d feel responsible. A receptionist failed to provide adequate information
resulting in an adventurer’s death. If that happens…

“………”

Concern sprang up within her heart. A Green Wolf wouldn’t go as far as kill humans.
But what if there were other monsters? Or perhaps bandits?

“Oh, no… What if he’s dead? Would it be my fault? For real? That sounds really bad.”

“Excuse me—”

“Should I send someone to investigate? But what would I tell him?”

“Hey, are you listening?”

The usual flock of men weren’t around this time. They were well aware that Jill was in
her foulest mood. As such, the boy walked up all the way to her.

“What?”

He’s here. The boy from this morning, right in front of me.

Wait, he’s here? Jill’s head was in turmoil. I see. He’s safe, so that means…

“I bet you ignored the request and just wandered around! You have the nerve to show
your face around here!”
Jill’s voice rang throughout the guild. Hearing her, the other adventurers started
whispering to each other.

“Ignored a request?” “Who’s the brat?” “Oh, Jill’s pissed.”

“What are you saying?”

“Being an adventurer is not a game! People like you ruin the reputation of the
Adventurers Guild!”

“I get it. It’s not a game. So start checking already.”

“Check what? I know you picked a request—”

Jill went silent, her gaze going to Hikaru’s feet. A filled bag lay on the floor, glimmering
poisonous plants sticking out of it.

“……What?”

She couldn’t believe her eyes. Collect poisonous plants… the request the boy took.

“You went to collect those?”

“Of course.”

“What about the Green Wolf?”

“There was one. Actually you should’ve told me about the danger.”

“Th-There was one?! You should’ve been attacked—”

She swallowed the rest of what she was about to say. Not giving him a warning despite
having the knowledge of the risks would be a blunder on the guild’s part.

So instead, Jill formed the words in her head. So the Green Wolf was close enough for
Hikaru to see, but it didn’t approach him. The monster should’ve lunged at a human long
before they could get that close. He was probably just lucky.

“Are these all glimmering poisonous plants?”

Hikaru nodded, placing the bag on the counter. Jill’s eyes widened once more. With the
bag full, she thought he pulled the plants root and all. But she was wrong. He only
plucked the petals and buds.

“How deep did you go… No, were you in the forest the whole day?”

“Please check them quick. I’m dying from hunger.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Jill’s head was still in a state of chaos. But she was certain. Fear of the Green Wolf
gripping him and starving, Hikaru searched the forest for glimmering poisonous
plants. She felt sorry for him.

She couldn’t be farther from the truth, though. Hikaru gathered the plants without a
care in the world. He even took an afternoon nap.

“I’ll assess the items right away.”

Jill finished the assessment in a hurry.

“I’m done computing. The basic reward for the delivery of glimmering poisonous
plants is 200 gilans.”

Gilan was this kingdom’s currency.

“Phew… I can fill my stomach for a while.”

Seeing Hikaru feeling relieved, Jill realized something. He said he was starving. He
must be penniless. For food carts, the cheaper meals cost 20 gilans while the expensive
ones cost 40 gilans. Hikaru could have ten cheap meals.

She finally saw Hikaru as someone of his age. Jill’s mood turned pleasant. It was all
just her misunderstanding things, though.

“The 200 gilans is for the basic reward.”

“So I get more for the plants?”

“Correct. Come on, stop guessing things right. You’re no fun.”

Hikaru shrugged. He’s a cheeky brat, all right, she thought.

“Here’s the result of the assessment. The amount of plants you gathered totalled 19
bundles. It’s 1,000 gilans per bundle for a total of 19,000 gilans. And as an incentive
for gathering this many – well, I’m basically just rounding things up – you get a total
of 20,000 gilans, basic reward included.”

“…I-I see.”

“Why are you getting flustered?”

“I’m not flustered.”

He ended up replying the same way he did when he got the guild card.

“With this many, I think there won’t be requests for glimmering poisonous plants
anytime soon. But if there’s one, we’ll be counting on you. I hope to see great things,
Mr. Hope.”

“…You’re giving me too much credit.”

Hikaru’s expression quickly turned sour as he took the money.

“Oh, right. I actually have a few questions.”

“Shoot.”

Hikaru threw questions at Jill while she answered them.

For convenience, Hikaru asked for gold, silver, and copper coins. He shoved the bag
with the reward money deep inside his clothes. Spare change lined up his pockets.

“20,000 gilans…”

Hehehe… He felt his cheeks loosen. Hikaru actually liked working to earn money. When
he was in Japan, he made an account to participate in online stock trading. It felt like
he was fighting in the grown-up world. His parents, though, were worried about their
son who never made friends and stayed locked up in his room.
“Anyway, why’d she get friendly all of a sudden? I’m sure I’m nothing but an annoying
brat in her eyes.”

Hikaru did not understand how the receptionist felt; guilt seized her heart, thinking
she might’ve killed a young boy indirectly.

“Mr. Hope, huh…”

Hikaru’s parents “hoped” for Hikaru to have a bright future, but it didn’t work out for
his life was cut short. He wasn’t sure how to react to someone calling him “Mr. Hope.”

The sun was going down. Most food carts closed at sundown; in fact, most of them
were already closed.

“This is bad.”

If food carts were not available, he’d have to eat at a bar or a restaurant. That would
be bad for him as he would have to stay longer. He’d be in trouble if someone
recognized his clothes.

“Are you still open?”

“Hmm? We’re closing.”

The other shops were already completely closed. This was the only one still open.

“Every other shop is closed by now. You should’ve come sooner.”

“I… Is that so…”

No other choice then. I’ll just sleep while enduring the hunger even though I have money…

His stomach grumbled.

“Oops.”

“Oh? Fuhahahaha! That was one sad stomach growl! Fine, fine. You can have this for
10 gilans if you want.”

The shop owner held out a leftover yakisoba wrapped in a huge leaf that looked like
bamboo grass.

“Can I really have it?”

“Next time, come eat when we’re open. Later.”

A treasure. The greatest treasure ever! Hikaru strolled forward, still-warm yakisoba in
his hand. Unable to control himself any longer, he entered a back alley. After checking
to see no one was watching, he sat down behind a barrel and opened the leaf. His
stomach growled from the aroma of the spices that rose from the food. He relentlessly
dug in.

“…So good.”

Hunger is the best appetizer. It was so scrumptious, his tongue went numb. Meat juices
and fat danced wildly inside his mouth.

“It’s so good, Roland…” Hikaru told his body’s owner, who now only exists within his
memories.
Hikaru asked Jill a number of questions and one of them was about an inn for beginner
adventurers. He showed his guild card to the crusty-looking clerk.

“100 gilans for a night.” he said curtly.

Hikaru handed one silver coin then headed to the second floor where his room was. It
was massively spacious with a wooden floor covered in a mat. He would have to sleep
on the floor tonight. There were other adventurers besides Hikaru; either young or
shady-looking.

No sound of conversation could be heard except from those who knew each other.
With his Stealth active, no one noticed Hikaru. He didn’t care for talking with
adventurers of his age. That went double for the suspicious men. His stomach full from
the yakisoba, Hikaru slept.

19,890 gilans left.

He woke up in the corner of the room. Perhaps because he slept with his stomach
inflated, parts of his body felt stiff, as if it were screaming in pain. In that moment, he
felt hungry.

Hikaru went down to the first floor and left the inn. Even with his Stealth off, the crusty
clerk didn’t so much as spare a glance at him. I love this place.

He wanted more of the fried noodles from last night, but the man’s food cart wasn’t
around yet. It’s probably too early. Different kinds of food carts were out in the early
hours. They sold fruits, sandwiches, fried bread, noodles, and juice.

“Oh, they have it here too.”

What drew Hikaru’s attention was the hotdogs. Sausage wedged into a halved blackish
bread. He asked for one, pointing at it.
“Hey there, kid. It’s 30 gilans each.”

A muscular man in his late twenties – who was probably better off as an adventurer –
prepared the sandwich in swift efficiency.

He took a bite. The owner eagerly watched him as he ate, his face asking “Well? Tasty,
right? Right?”

Hikaru was silent, his expression changed. He was expressionless, to be exact.

“It tastes… off…”

The sausage was tender, the bread tough, but it wasn’t that bad. The problem lay in
the sauce. Why is it sweet and grassy-smelling? Who made this?

“It’s gotta be ketchup for hotdogs…” Hikaru muttered as he walked away.

The owner watched him go, dumbfounded. He thought Hikaru would shout “Yummy!”
like a kid or something.

“What’s wrong with that kid? Hmm, he did say something. Ket… chup? Did he mean
the sauce?”

The owner was deep in thought, muttering something under his breath as well.

Hikaru wandered around town, drawing a map in his head as he would surely be
staying here for a while. He passed by the Adventurers’ Guild in his stroll. There
weren’t a lot of people this early.

“…What’s up with her?”

Jill was behind the counter, her head on the desk.

“Is she sleeping?… Whatever.”

Shopping for gear was on top of his to-do list for today. I’ll check for requests later. Jill’s
head rose abruptly.
“Hikaru-kun?! You came!”

“Huh?”

Me? What?

“I-I uhh have… something to tell you. I…”

Jill seemed to hesitate. Hikaru smelled trouble.

“Good morning.” he said, turning around to leave.

That was the wrong move, though, apparently.

“…hehe. Right. Good morning, Hikaru-kun.”

Jill flashed him a smile.

This is not good… Honestly, I really don’t want anything to do with her, but she’s still a
beauty. A smile from someone beautiful is just too effective.

A few people in the guild began stirring.

“Hey, did Jill-chan just…”

“She smiled! She did, didn’t she?!”

“Who the hell is that kid?!”

Jill seemed to have calmed down and spoke.

“Thank you for coming here again. I thought you wouldn’t come back.”

“Why not?”

“I-I was kinda mean…”

“You sure were.”

Well, if you were aware of it, you shouldn’t have been mean in the first place.
“Eh. It doesn’t matter how a receptionist treats me. I’ll keep on coming back if I have
business with the guild.”

“…Hikaru-kun. I bet people call you arrogant.”

Hikaru simply shrugged.

“You want to take a request?”

“No, I need some proper gear first. Ah, I wanted to ask you.”

“Ask me what?”

“Why did your attitude towards me change all of a sudden?”

Jill was silent for a bit, clearly not expecting the question.

“Wh-Why would you want to know?”

“I want to know why you’re apologizing.”

“Well, to put it simply… I realized I shouldn’t have taken out my frustrations on others
just because I was too busy and having a hard time.”

Yes, any decent human being shouldn’t do that, Hikaru thought, but he dared not tell
her that.

“Okay.”

“Also, your actions are genuine. You simply speak your mind.”

“…Genuine?”

Hikaru didn’t expect Jill’s words. She continued on.

“Other men have ulterior motives like making me fall for them or make me their
woman. It’s even worse with women. I could see their malicious emotions. They’d be
like “quit making eyes at men” or “don’t let things get to your head just because you’re
cute”.”
“……”

The heck? Sounds scary as hell.

“But you’re not like them, are you? You’re honest, you don’t lie… It looked like you
carefully considered the request you took. I’m sure there’s some luck involved as well.
But you gathered all the necessary information and employed the appropriate method
in collecting the glimmering poisonous plants. I’ve never seen anyone as humble as
you.”

“You give me too much credit.”

There’s some nasty-looking classes if you look at my guild card. I might kill again in the
future. Skills like Stealth and Assassination are all for shady jobs.

“I think I have a good eye for people, if I do say so myself.”

“Really? You could’ve treated me better the moment we first met, then.”

“I said I was sorry! Give me a break.”

Hikaru couldn’t help but grin broadly at Jill’s reaction.

“Anyway, you look exhausted.”

“Yeah…”

Dark clouds seemed to settle around her.

“…There are actually four receptionists.”

“Four? Where’s the other three then?”

“One went on a business trip with the guild submaster to the royal capital. One is on
her yearly home leave. The other’s been sick since yesterday…”

“I see. That’s why you look so haggard.”

Hikaru felt slightly sorry for her.

“You’re a Civilian too, Hikaru, so you shouldn’t push yourself. My shift ends at noon
today. I’ll find you a good request tomorrow.”

“Okay…”

“Don’t give me that. A professional receptionist like me has at least one “trap” request
that looks great from a newbie adventurer’s perspective. “

“Like the request for collecting glimmering poisonous plants?”

“…………”

Pouting, Jill glared at Hikaru, eyes watering. She must really feel bad about it.

“Uhh, sorry.”

“…Whatever. So do you have anything else you want to know about the guild?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Hikaru said, and considered something for a moment.

“There is something. Though it’s not about the guild.”

“What is it?”

“I heard something while I was wandering around town. Someone important was
killed. Sounds like big news.”

“!”

A surprised expression dawned on her face.

“…Hikaru-kun. That news is top secret among top secrets. Only a few people know
about it. Where’d you hear that?”

This is bad… It seemed that news of Morgstad’s death was being suppressed a lot more
than expected.

“I heard it while I was wandering around starving so my memories are a bit cloudy. If
top-secret news reached a guild’s receptionist, then maybe an adventurer had
something to do with it?”
“It couldn’t have been an adventurer.”

Oh, she sounds pretty certain.

“They came to the guild for inquiries, asking us to check if there’s an adventurer with
a powerful assassination class. I only know about it since I helped with the inquiry. A
pure coincidence. It seemed they didn’t expect to find any leads, though. Wait, why am
I even telling you all this?”

“You’re the one who just started talking.”

Looks like they don’t suspect me.

Hikaru felt relieved, but he knew better than to show that to Jill.

“All right. Thanks.”

“Don’t poke your nose where it doesn’t belong. An adventurer’s ironclad rule is to live
long.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“One “yeah” is enough.”

“Later.”

“Wait!”

Hikaru raised a hand as he left the guild. Don’t poke my nose where it doesn’t belong?
Heck, I’m related to the case. He couldn’t tell her that, of course.

After leaving the guild, Hikaru bought daily necessities: Spare underwear, soap, a
towel, a toothbrush, flint, a rope, and a knapsack to put them all in. He spent 500 gilans
all in all.

“Uh… armor… oh, here we are.”

He wanted to get out of Roland’s clothes, so he decided to buy armor first. Jill told him
about this place yesterday.

Dodorono’s Armor Workshop. Apparently Dodorono was the name of the owner. It
was common in this world to use their own names in the name of their workshops.

“Wow…”

Hikaru was stunned as soon as he stepped in. The clothes on the wooden mannequins
were all fancy with frills on them. There was even gothic lolita attire. I’m sure the
owner is someone highly sophisticated.

“Welcome~!”

A deep, thick voice came from within.

“I thank you for coming to me workshop!”

A dwarf. A male dwarf with long, frizzy beard that was braided.

“………”

Hikaru stood there, gaping. It’s a dwarf! Famous blacksmiths! Beings that sing hey ho
while drinking alcohol!

So why is this one in the clothing business?

“I know what ye be thinking. How can a dwarf be so…”

“Ah, no. I wasn’t…”

“Give it to me straight!”

Stomping his feet, Dodorono flashed a smile.

“How can a dwarf be so fashionable?! Oh, you! Aren’t ye the honest lad, eh? I like honest
guys!”

What an extremely positive guy. Hikaru told Dodorono his budget, and the latter picked
his clothes for him.
“It looks good on you!”

“…Okay.”

“Guhahaha! My fashion sense had exhibited its real powers!”

“Whatever. Thank you very much.”

“What do you mean, whatever, huh?!”

After paying, Hikaru left Dodorono’s Armor Workshop. At first he thought “the name
says armor, but all you have are fancy clothes” but apparently they were made with
plenty of materials from monsters and were way tougher than iron-made armor.

Following Dodorono’s recommendation, he bought and donned the following:

. A Night Wolf Coat… An overall made with the jet-black hide of a Night Wolf. Quite
tough, yet light. It helps conceal your presence from others. But its pitch black color
makes it too stuffy under direct sunlight.
. Night Wolf Boots… same as above. Silver threads are used for its laces, a trademark
of Dodorono’s fashion sense.
. A Mantle (made of cloth)… made to repel direct sunlight. With hood.

Including size adjustments, everything cost 9,500 gilans. According to Dodorono, this
gear was extraordinary.

On a side note, even though his craftsmanship was top-notch, there’s some prejudice
about him being a dwarf apparently. People have this notion that dwarves are
supposed to be blacksmiths. And as such, his shop is not flourishing.

Which is why he purchases cheaper raw materials and makes cheaper products to sell
to beginner adventurers. Even then, these beginner adventurers want to do business
with actual humans and not dwarves so when they make enough money, they find
someplace else to buy their gear.

“Those lads sure have grown up!”

Dodorono sounded ecstatic, but somewhere there was hint of loneliness in his voice.
Hikaru folded Roland’s clothes and placed them inside his knapsack. With this, not a
trace of Roland’s appearance remained. It seemed like a waste, but there was a chance
that Morgstad’s murder would be traced to him if kept wearing the outfit. He found a
place to burn garbage and set the clothes on fire there. There were people from the
neighborhood around, but with Stealth, they didn’t notice him at all. All that’s left of
Roland now is this body.

Hikaru’s next stop was a blacksmith so he could buy weapons. They’re crucial for self-
defense, but also, an adventurer has to have at least one. He arrived at a place called
Leniwood’s Weapon Workshop with smoke billowing from its chimney.

“Oh…”

Hikaru stepped into the shop. Swords hung and filled the walls, and a metal armor
stood on one spot. Wooden swords that looked like what people sold in Tokyo were in
a corner on sale.

“Welcome! I’ve never seen you before!”

A dashing fellow came from within, making Hikaru freeze in place once again.

“Smithing is art, and art is power!” he said, rolling up his sleeves.

He was scrawny… in fact, he was a male elf, ears pointy and all that. With blond hair
and green eyes.

“I don’t discriminate against young customers. What do you think of this claymore?
Isn’t it just a wonder to look at? It even has a blessing that boosts your skills.”

That’s amazing! Hikaru studied the claymore hung on the wall. A two-handed sword,
its blade about a meter long. He couldn’t use it, but it must be quite sharp if it had a
blessing.

“It boosts spirit magic!”

“……”

Hikaru almost blurted out “What?” Spirit magic? But aren’t swords used for physical
attacks?”
“Next we have this steel longbow. This one also comes with a buff…” the elf said, puffing
out his chest.

“Cold wind blows after you shoot an arrow!”

“……”

Useless… or rather, meaningless.

“Your face says “Why? What’s it for?”“

Uh, no, I think it’s pointless. Hikaru couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

“So that after you shoot… you’d be like “damn, so cold!”“

See! I knew it was pointless! I’m ashamed of myself for thinking maybe the arrow had
some kind of special effect.

“Your outfit… you got that from Dodorono, correct?”

“Uh, yes.”

His expression suddenly turned serious.

“I see. So you came after being recommended by the guild. By Jill. Then I must give you
something decent. I’m Leniwood Mal Eiora. What’s your name?”

“It’s Hikaru.”

“Hikaru, it is! I’ve got something nice here for you!”

Just like with Dodorono, Leniwood picked weapons for him at his own pace.

. Dagger of Strength… 5,000 gilans. A dagger preferred by people that need to be agile.
For some reason, it has a blessing that increases one’s strength. With a length of 25
centimeters, it looked more like a knife handy for everyday use rather than a dagger
for killing.

Hikaru chose the weapon as it was easy for him to get close with his Stealth. He needed
a weapon that would prove mighty in short range. Also he had a tight budget. The
other weapons cost at least 10,000 gilans.

Just like that, he was down to 4,860 gilans after earning 20,000 gilans only yesterday.
Nevertheless, Hikaru’s gear was now complete.
“Hmmhmhm~”

“Well, aren’t we in a good mood?”

The lady smiled as she watched Jill do her work fast and smooth, accepting quests and
dealing with quest clearance reports. She had long, purple hair tied to both sides that
ran down her chest. Her voice was gentle, and her eyes narrow and squinty, that
sometimes just slightly opened. Her name was Gloria. With her two large bosoms, she
was known as the Best Soothing Receptionist among the adventurers.

“…You’re right. I was in a good mood until you started talking to me.”

“That’s mean. I just recovered from my cold.”

Holding her cheeks, she heaved a sigh. The adventurers on the other hand were saying
things like “Is she okay?” or “Is Gloria-chan not feeling well?” The two women were
talking in low whispers, though, so the men couldn’t actually hear what they were
saying. All they could see was the pleasant scene of two beauties talking to each other.

Gloria might fool the men, but she couldn’t fool Jill. She could see malice behind her
gentle voice whenever they were talking. Not that Gloria would ever give herself away.
As such, Jill was always wary around her.

“…I heard there’s an adventurer who made you, someone who rarely smiles, smile and
cry.”

“What?!” Jill blurted out loudly.

Her first guess was Hikaru, but she had no idea where the “cry” part came from. It
must’ve been the adventurers. While they claimed that “information is life”, they were
a bunch who loved gossip.

“No, you got the wrong idea.”

“Is that so? So is it the other way around?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re in a good mood because you’re thinking about him.”

Jill gave a start. As a matter of fact, she was relieved that Hikaru dropped by the guild
today. She was aware of her mean attitude towards him and she wouldn’t have been
surprised if he loathed her. Jill didn’t particularly care if men didn’t like her, but it was
different with Hikaru. He was a young boy with no particular abilities. As for his looks,
Jill thought he was cute, though he didn’t stand out much. The crucial part, however,
was the inside. He was diligent and sincere when it came to requests. On top of that,
he was honest. One could say there weren’t a lot of adventurers like him around these
days. Jill was thinking how much fun her job would be if there were more like him. So
yes, Gloria was right.

“I-I’m not thinking about him… I’m just happy because my shift ends at noon today.”

“What? I’ll be alone in the afternoon?”

“I’ve been on duty since the day before yesterday because you pretended to be sick. “

“I wasn’t pretending. *cough*”

That sounds so fake. The adventurers (read: idiots) could be heard saying “Is she all
right?!” or “I’ll make her feel better!”

“Anyway, I’m leaving.”

“Okaaay.”

Jill was blunt around Gloria, but the latter was actually older. Turning twenty this year,
she was of marriageable age in this world. The adventurers were aware of this so a lot
of men would court her just like they did with Jill.

“Oh, and Gloria.”

“What is it?”

“If an adventurer named Hikaru comes, don’t give him a request.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll be here tomorrow morning. Just tell him that.”

“Okaaay.”

With that, Jell left. She planned to pick out a quest for him. One could say she was
showing favor to someone. But in doing so, Hikaru would steadily grow. Never again
am I making him go to a forest frightened by a Green Wolf. Little did she know, it was
just her getting the wrong idea.

“…Hmmm?”

Gloria saw Jill off with a smile, but that smile was now gone. Beyond her slightly
opened eyelids, her purple eyes glinted sharply.

“Jill-chan sure is engrossed in this guy…”

In one part of town was a boy who had no idea what transpired at the guild’s counter.
After having lunch in a food cart, Hikaru headed to the guild. An unfamiliar woman
was on the counter. Though just like with Jill, men surrounded her just the same.

“What’s the guild up to gathering pretty women? Is there some kind of a statistic that
shows there’s high survival rate for adventurers if the receptionist is beautiful?”

Nonetheless, Hikaru felt relieved that Jill wasn’t around. She looked exhausted. She
must be off duty in the afternoon. I hope she gets a proper rest.

Hikaru walked toward the request board. The quests were separated by fields: Plant
Hunter, Monster Hunter, etc. The category with the lowest number of requests was
Bodyguard. Although most of them required ten or more adventurers.

There weren’t a lot of requests that a rank G adventurer could do. I think it’s still hard
for me to get involved in fights… He scanned the board and found jobs like cleaning or
shopping. These should be good enough. The reward is more like a tip, though.

“Are you looking for requests?”

Hikaru started. The purple-haired woman from the counter was standing next to him.
She smells nice, kinda sweet.

Why would she… No, wait. Those are…

Then he realized that Gloria was carrying a bunch of request forms. She must be here
to post new requests. She didn’t come here to talk to me.

…Makes sense.

Hikaru understood, but the adventurers did not.

“Hey, why did Gloria talk to that dude?”

“Isn’t he the guy that made Jill cry?”

“I heard he threatened Jill so she’d sleep with him every night.”

Ridiculous statements were flying about.

Hmm…?

Gloria cocked her head slightly. She spoke to the boy who she guessed was Hikaru; the
one Jill was enamored with. And yet, she didn’t feel anything special from him.

“Are you looking for a request?”

I just have to do some probing.

“What’s your rank?”

Hikaru showed his guild card, confirming Gloria’s guess. So his name really is Hikaru.
The boy Jill warned Gloria not to lay a hand on.

…No family name. So he can’t be a noble.

It was not uncommon for adventurers to not have family names. There were plenty of
ordinary citizens with family names. But for orphans or those who’ve left their
families, their family names did not show up in their Soul’s Records.

He’s not a noble or a wealthy person. In that case, it’s his class…

Something unexpected occurred. Just ever so slightly, Gloria’s eyebrows drew together
in a frown. The meek and gentle Gloria.

She thought Hikaru possessed a rare job class. Otherwise, there was no way that Jill,
who believed that men were to be used, would give him so much credit. But to her
surprise, his class showed “Wide Area City, Town, and Village Rescue God: Civilian”[10].
He was just an ordinary guy.

“…Hikaru-sama. Do you have any class besides Civilian?”

Normally, young boys like him would put on airs while showing them. If he had a
unique class, it would be on his card. But there was a possibility that Jill told him to
hide it. If she could, Gloria would check on her own, but only the owner can browse
through his classes and choose from them.

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m a guild staff so please tell me. Jill knows too, right?”

If I bring up Jill’s name, he’ll probably tell me. But Hikaru simply shook his head.

“I have no other classes.”

None? Only Civilian?… No. It’s Jill we’re talking about here. I’m sure she told him to hide
it.

She already took the initiative, Gloria thought. If they’re so intent on hiding it, that only
makes me more curious. Perhaps he has an extraordinary four-character job class for a
newbie. Or a three-character one. In that case, I should tame him, not Jill.

“Hikaru-san, what about this request? You just have to deliver an item so it won’t take
long. It’s perfect for a Civilian like you.” Gloria said, handing him a request.

“Oh…”

Hikaru studied the request form.

“Not bad. Looks like I can clear it in half a day.”

“All right. Please come with me so you can formally accept it. I’ll give you the details of
the request so please wait inside the booth.”

With a broad grin, Gloria escorted Hikaru. But behind that smile was something sinister.

Hikaru left the guild and walked.

<Quest Hunter>
…<Delivery> Deliver a letter to Kelbeck, a Magic Item Specialist living in Pond.

Gloria showed him a map of the streets. Since maps were apparently expensive, and
what the guild had was special-made and detailed, they couldn’t lend it to others. So
Gloria told Hikaru of the route to Kelbeck’s place in detail.

“That lady seems to be hiding something.”

Hikaru came to that conclusion after judging Gloria’s attitude. It must be rough for Jill
to be working with her.

“Jill’s easier to deal with since she’s simple-minded.”

It wasn’t a nice way to put it. But Hikaru’s instincts proved to be correct. There was
something more to the delivery request that Gloria gave him.

In that same moment, a lone receptionist was smiling behind the guild’s counter.

“Ufufu… Go and cause trouble then come to me in tears. If you do that, I’ll help you out.”

Hikaru followed the route Gloria told him about. Unless something serious was going
down, he realized it was better to not use Stealth when walking through town. People
would bump into him otherwise.
Some of the streets he’d seen before, but most were new to him. Pond was a
moderately sized town in the kingdom of Ponsonia, a kingdom where Roland lived his
life as a noble. The town had a population of six thousand and sat next to the kingdom’s
royal capital, Guy Ponsonia. It prospered as a base for goods that entered the capital
so it was also called the “Royal Capital’s Leftovers” or the place where “Everything is
Second-rate”. But if one looked at it differently, it was a nice, orderly town where the
necessary stores were all within reach.

“Now then… this is a good chance to test out the effectiveness of my Stealth.”

He couldn’t do it yesterday as he was starving. So he opted to test it while he was on

his way to work on a request.

First, let’s turn it off.

“Hey there, kid! Would you like to buy some fruits?”

As expected, a man on his food cart called out to him.

Let’s turn it on next.

The results were a bit unexpected.

“Hello there, laddie. How about flowers for your mother?”

Life Obfuscation and Mana Obfuscation both didn’t have much effect. Which was
pretty much expected. These two were used to hide oneself from certain detection
Skills. Imperceptibility’s effects, however, were astounding.

“………”

People didn’t even so much as glance at him when he passed in front of them. He
elicited some reaction when he waved both his hands or clapped them to make a sound.

“…? Hmm? Ohhh? How long have you been standing there, kid? “

Once noticed, the Skills effects weakened. But when they turned away for even an
instant, they wouldn’t see him again.

“Wha? Where’d he go? Maybe I’m imagining things…”

Perhaps there’s something like a curtain that covers me. An active camouflage and noise
canceller… this Skill is quite incredible.

Imperceptibility had six different levels, from off to 1, 2, and all the way to 5.

Is there even a point in setting it to level one? Well, whatever…

But that wasn’t all. There was still something even more incredible. The buff from the
selected job class.

The moment Hikaru selected “Stealth God: Darkness Wanderer”[2], everyone seemed
to act like he didn’t exist. Waving his hands in front of them or clapping close to their
ears did nothing to draw their attention.

“I’m like an invisible man or something.”

Hikaru didn’t think it would be easy to sneak into a women’s bath or that he could rob
houses all he wanted. There would definitely be anti-burglar traps set around
mansions – traps similar to those found in dungeons, which by the way also existed in
this world. You’d have to possess a Skill to disable those traps first.

Sneaking into a women’s bath might actually be possible, but there weren’t any public
baths in this kingdom. With the climate being warm all year, nobles and millionaires
pretty much only had saunas.

Maybe… just maybe, I got myself something extraordinary. With this, no danger will
come to my life ever again. Though there was still the possibility of an accident if people
can’t see me.

…I can’t be too cocky. After all, I died in an accident. I just have to focus. With my Skill
and class, and some caution, the risk of dying will be much less. Next, I need to check out
the Soul Board. I’ve wanted to study it.

“Is there something there, Mister?”

By pure coincidence, Hikaru was reunited with the girl who gave him directions to the
guild. He tried summoning the Soul Board but she couldn’t see it. If he moved his hands
away it would simply float there. He tried carrying it and swinging it around with his
job class and Skills turned off.
So she can’t see it, huh?

In that moment, Hikaru felt something from deep within the young girl’s core. He tried
focusing on it.

<Soul Board> Rana Valcon

Age: 4 Rank
4

“What?”

He could see it. Hikaru could see someone else’s Soul Board. If he moves away, about
five meters, it disappears.

“What’s your name?” he asked, trying to stop his voice from trembling.

“…Why do you ask?”

She was being extremely cautious.

“Ah, I mean, I asked you the way to the guild before. I made it there and got myself a
guild card. I wanted to say thanks and I thought it would be rude not to know your
name.”

“Hmm… My name’s Rana.”

I knew it. It’s her Soul Board.

“…I see. Thank you. Here’s something to show my gratitude.”

“Wow! So pretty! Money?!”

She was elated when he handed her one silver coin.

I’m just gonna experiment a bit. I’m sorry.

Apologizing deep inside, Hikaru opened her Soul Board once again.

<Unlock Soul Board? 1 point required.>

“Yes. Do it.”

“Do what?” the girl asked.

“Uh, you don’t have to worry about it.”

The next moment…

<Vitality>
…<Natural Recovery> 0
…<Stamina> 0
…<Immunity>
…<Sensitivity>

I unlocked it. I even used one of her points. So not only can I see other’s Soul Boards, I can
expend their points as well.

I thought for sure I could only configure my own Soul Board – my own Skill tree. This is
amazing. I have full access to their Skill trees.

“…Thanks for everything. If you’re ever in trouble, I’ll be there to help you.”

He felt it was not enough as an apology for using up her points, but still he gave her
one more silver coin. The girl went home ecstatic.

“Now then…”

Hikaru started walking again.

“There’s one more thing…”

When he summoned his Soul Board, he noticed something. Perhaps it was because he
hadn’t checked since he used them all up last time…

Soul Board Hikaru

Age: 15 Rank: 4
4

But his points had actually increased.

“It’s definitely got something to do with this.”

<Soul Board> Hikaru

Age: 15 Rank: 4
4

Hikaru’s points had suddenly increased. There was one thing different from last time:
the number beside “Court Rank”.

“When did I gain rank? If I recall correctly, you only gain rank by killing monsters…”

He could not recall killing any monsters. He picked some poisonous plants, but he did
not kill them. He did, however, take down – kill – a human being.

“…Wait a sec.”

Monsters are defined as beings that bring harm to humans. That’s all; no more, no less.

“…What if it’s not about killing monsters specifically, but killing living things that are
powerful to some degree…”

In short, I gained rank by killing Count Morgstad.

“………”

Hikaru decided not to use the points right away. He needed time to think.

“…I think it’s this way.”

Following the route Gloria told him about, Hikaru wound up at a place where the stone
pavement has been gouged out, with a canal flowing nearby. After climbing down
some half-collapsed stairs, his nose caught a rank smell that lay thick in the air.

“Here?”

He spotted an underground tunnel where the canal was connected – the sewer systems.

“Whoa?!”

Sounds of fluttering poured from within.

“Bats…?”

Hikaru activated every Stealth-related Skill. His presence became thin like the air. The
bats and rats inside the tunnel tilted their heads slightly, confused. For a moment, they
were certain there was someone out there.

It’d be awful if I got some kind of a weird disease from them.

Quietly, he entered the tunnel. The water flowing from within wasn’t that filthy. It was
the stench that was unbearable. Hikaru searched Roland’s knowledge.

Every major city had sewers. Any sorts of excrement and filthy water were gathered
in one spot underground. Monsters called Chaos Slimes would then absorb them,
purifying the water. As a by-product, these monsters released nitre and compost that
merchants would regularly collect.

So this water is something the Chaos Slimes excreted.

Hikaru went on forward through a poorly-made sidewalk by the canal. Stones have
crumbled in places exposing the mud underneath. It was dark inside. He contemplated
whether to use the small lamp he bought this morning. Yeah, I don’t think so. Even with
my Stealth, carrying a lamp in this darkness will surely give me away.

…I’ll just go as far as I can.

Steeling himself, he slowly proceeded onward.

So who the heck is this Kelbeck guy to be living in a place like this? Apparently he’s a
Magic Item Specialist so I’m guessing he makes magic items.
And then all of a sudden, he noticed two men carrying a lamp coming from behind him.

“―and all that―”

“―For real? Sounds like an easy job―”

Their voices echoed through the tunnel. Is one of them Kelbeck? They don’t look too
friendly. They were clearly thugs, judging by the scars on their cheeks.

What are they doing in the sewers? They sure don’t look like merchants here to collect
compost. I think the best description is “bandits”. Hikaru hurried on. There was a part
along the way where the wall had collapsed, about three meters deep.

Hide and let them get past first?

Or go onward?

He thought about it for a bit, and then chose to hide. It was an easy choice for him.
Stepping on the dirt, he entered the hollow area. He crouched down, holding his
breath.

“―So you met the client.―”

“―He was like “another great job done”.”

“―Stealing would be a lot easier.”

“―Hey, killing is not allowed…”

“I know that. The boss hates bloodshed.”

“That’s not it. The authorities will step in if someone’s killed.”

“Are you sure? The boss… hmm?”

“What’s wrong?”

The two men stopped in their tracks near Hikaru.

“…These footprints look small.”

He noticed the footprint Hikaru left on the muddy part. Stealth would be useless if the
user left traces of them behind anyway.

Hmm, so they notice traces of me.

This was also part of Hikaru’s experiments. He wanted to know if Stealth also worked
for stuff he left behind. The answer was “no”.

“The number of orphans in Pond has increased recently. One might’ve wandered in
the sewers.”

“You’re probably right…”

It seemed they concluded that a kid went into the sewers. Hikaru was confident he
wouldn’t be found out anyway.

“Let’s go. We can’t make Kelbeck wait.”

“Yeah. He’s a scary dude, after all.”

They passed by Hikaru, not noticing him at all.

He mentioned Kelbeck just now.

Hikaru followed the men. This time, he paid careful attention to his footsteps.

In one section of the sewers was a residential area not under the control of the
government.

“Ahhhh… You’re five minutes late.”

“W-We’re sorry. He had to go hit on girls on the way here.”

“Wha?! Why would you sell out your partner?!”

“Shut up! You’re both responsible!”

A table of fine quality sat in the room. One would think they weren’t underground. A
man, who clearly didn’t give a damn about manners, was perched on his chair with
both legs outstretched on the table. Red flame-like tattoos ran from his forehead to his
right cheek, to the back of his neck and down to his body. He was facing the two men
that Hikaru followed.

“Well… you did okay on your job.” the man said.

Relief bloomed on the faces of the men.

“We’ll take our leave, then.”

“Aight. Make sure you work hard.”

Note: the POV here switches to Kelbeck.

The man with the red tattoo showed them both to the door. He froze in place as soon
as he turned around.

“Sup.”

“?!”

There shouldn’t be anyone else in the room. And yet, a boy was sitting on his desk.

“Who the hell are you?!”

“Oops, no violence please. I’m unarmed.”

Unarmed. Judging from his bearings, he’s a complete amateur. It doesn’t look like he
knows how to fight. But he’s wearing pretty decent gear.

“Where’d you come from?!”

He could be a mage. Paying careful attention to the boy, the man readied his dagger as
his eyes darted around the room, looking for something to use as a shield.

“It’s all right. I’m not a mage.”

“…You’re one creepy kid.”

“I got something for you.”

“Huh? A letter?”

The boy handed him something. For a moment, he thought it could be some sort of a
magic scroll disguised as a letter, but realized there was no point in doing that. If the
boy could use magic, he could just blow him up right there and then.

“You don’t want it? I’ll be in trouble if you don’t accept it.”

The boy looked legitimately distressed. He felt stupid for being completely on guard
around him.

“Tsk.”

He sheathed his dagger and approached the boy in long strides. Quickly, the man
snatched the letter from the boy’s hand.

“Ah… It’s from the Adventurers’ Guild. Hmm, yes. I see.”

After skimming through the contents of the letter, he turned his attention back to the
boy.

“Let’s have a talk.”

“You want to know how I got in here?”

“Good, you know. That’ll save us some time. Take a seat.” he said, pointing at a chair
beside the table.

“What’s in it for me?”

“I’ll tell the Adventurers’ Guild one of their guys trespassed into my place.”

“Good grief.”

The boy obediently took a seat.

“What’s your name?”

“Hikaru. You’re Kelbeck, correct?”

“Correct. You handed me the letter knowing I’m the guy, right?”

“I wanted to verify it first, but no one would talk to me.”

Kelbeck had short-trimmed red hair with features that made him look like a veteran
mercenary. As such, kids would normally tremble before him, wetting their pants
when he glared at them. But this boy was different.

“No one talked to you? Wait right here.”

Kelbeck stood up, left the room, and came back right away.

“It looks like you’re telling the truth. You’d have to get through three rooms before
getting here. I have watchers stationed in each room.”

“Hmm?”

“…You didn’t notice? Every room has a watcher. I’m actually quite the big shot so I have
to protect myself. Not one of them noticed you though. How?”

“Probably just a coincidence.”

“Bullshit.”

Kelbeck was getting uneasy. I’m face-to-face with a strange kid who says he’s from the
Adventurers’ Guild. Going by the contents of the letter, he’s most likely telling the truth.
But normally, someone from the guild would be questioned at the entrance by my men.
If he was a suspicious fellow, they’d inquire the guild for information. They’d still do the
same even if he were not suspicious. Yet this boy just passed through and got here.

It was then that Kelbeck noticed the boy’s outfit.

“…I see. It’s your gear, isn’t it? I thought you were wearing clothes made out of
materials from Night Wolves – an evolved form of the regular wolves that roam the
night. Yeah, they’re perfect for concealing your presence.”

Hikaru’s eyebrow twitched. Looks like I hit the mark, Kelbeck thought. Of course, he
never imagined that the boy was a master of cutting off his presence completely.

“Wait, are you involved in this case?”

“………”

Kelbeck showed him the letter from the guild. Its contents were extremely short.

[Honorable Magic Item Specialist Sir Kelbeck,

I have procured an item that you made the other day. Unfortunately, I do not know
how to activate it. I ask for your assistance. ]

That was all.

“No. That has nothing to do with me.”

“I see…”

Kelbeck looked to be pondering something.

“That’s quite the decent gear you have. But it’s not your equipment that’s remarkable.
It’s something on the inside. Courage. You’re not even fazed even though you’re in the
presence of the great Kelbeck.”
“Is that so? All right, please sign this.”

Hikaru casually presented the request form. With a click of the tongue, Kelbeck took
the form and quickly signed it. From his pocket, he took a guild card – one that looked
to be issued by a temple, a Soul Card – and pressed it against the request form. It
gleamed for a moment. It was to verify his identity. With that, the delivery was
complete.

“See ya.”

“Hold it right there. What do you think I am?”

“A Magic Item Specialist…”

Hikaru paused and flashed a grin.

“Which is your title, but you’re actually a leader of an underground organization.”

“………”

Kelbeck was silent. Hikaru hit the mark.

“That was one interesting letter. It says the sender is the Adventurers’ Guild. The real
sender wants to get in touch through the guild because he wants to remain as
anonymous as possible. Going through all that effort just to send a letter means…”

“There’s some risky stuff involved.”

“Yeah. Anyway, I’m not really interested.”

“You’re not?”

“Ahuh. I prefer to live out in the open.”

“Hmp, big words. Let it be known to you. On the surface we’re called the Thieves Guild.
Though we don’t target the poor.”

“I suppose not. Otherwise, you’d have attacked me already, no questions asked.”

“If you’re in trouble, just call for me and I’ll help you. I’ll charge you of course. It’s called
give and take.”

“So about that…” Hikaru said, pointing at the letter on the table.

“Is the sender a noble?”

“…What makes you think so?”

“He’s using the Adventurers’ Guild as a liaison. Plus he orders a guild around. I think
only a noble can do that.”

“Hmm. Perhaps. So what about it?”

“Rather than me, I think it’s you who needs help.”

Kelbeck looked pissed.

“Don’t get too cocky, brat.”

Hikaru heaved a sigh.

“Grown-ups always treat me like a kid. I’m already fifteen.”

“Yes, fifteen means you’re a freakin’ kid! Whatever, just go.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Hikaru left the room.

“…He’s one weird kid, but he has potential.” Kelbeck muttered.

After the experiments and the quest, by the time Hikaru made it back outside, it was
already dusk. There weren’t a lot of adventurers around when he returned to the guild.

“Hmm?”

Hikaru realized right away why there weren’t many adventurers left.
“Here you go. All done. You should head home early and get some rest, all right?”

“Are you free after this, Gloria-chan? How about din–”

“You should head home early and get some rest, all right?”

“No, wait. Let’s go out for din–”

“You should head home early and get some rest, all right?”

“…Okay.”

With a radiant smile, Gloria kept repeating the exact same words. It was incredible
how she made it look like she actually cared for the adventurers. They didn’t feel like
staying after going through that kind of exchange so they quickly dispersed.

Dusk was when a lot of adventurers returned from their quests. Gloria handled them
all skilfully and efficiently. She was quick in assessing materials as well. Now, this is
what I’m talking about. They can do their job properly if they just put their minds to it.
Hikaru was in a good mood.

He was in front of the counter in no time at all.

“Next. What?”

Gloria’s eyes grew wide as soon as she saw Hikaru.

How…?

The Adventurers’ Guild was already closing for the day. Gloria pulled down the
shutters, deep in thought.

Kelbeck is a high-ranking man in the Thieves Guild. He’s like the head of its Pond branch.
There’s no way Hikaru could meet him that easily. If someone from the Adventurers Guild
entered through the sewers, they’d be questioned by his men.

Once Hikaru was captured, the Thieves Guild would request an inquiry from the
Adventurers Guild. Gloria would then jump in. A guild receptionist can act as a
representative in negotiations – especially for a guild as small as the one in Pond. After
being saved by Gloria from the Thieves Guild, Hikaru would then owe a debt of
gratitude to her. Then she could get various information out of him. That was her plan.

How’d he meet Kelbeck? That boy doesn’t give me a straight answer when I ask him.

Hikaru simply said things like “I just met him” or “He was okay”. Other adventurers
were lining up behind him so she couldn’t ask him more.

…I’m getting more and more curious.

Unseen by anyone, Gloria’s mouth curved into a smile. A dark and wicked smile.
The reward for the delivery of the letter to Kelbeck was 200 gilans. It would only take
thirty minutes to get there and back, so the amount was appropriate.

Inefficient.

That was Hikaru’s conclusion. Even in RPGs, it was normal for delivery quests to have
mediocre rewards. It seemed that was also the case in a different world. You could
earn money efficiently by taking recurring and Boss Kill quests.

…Now what would I do when I earn more…

Hikaru flopped down on the floor. He was in the same inn he stayed in last night. He
could’ve forked out more and stay in a better inn, but he decided to do that after he
thought about plans for his future here.

First, I need to save enough so I can live my life in satisfaction. Second, look for ways to
return to my world. Third, immerse myself in a hobby. But I don’t really have one…

Hikaru loved reading books. He played video games as well and liked studying. But
sports were something he couldn’t bring himself to enjoy. Try as he might, he didn’t
have the ability to become the best. So he thought it was inefficient to bust his chops
for clubs that required some level of tenacity.

The world is inefficient. Be that as it may, there’s really nothing else I can do… That’s it.
I just have to find something I want to do. I should see what they have here in this world.

First I’ll go see the world. Then I’ll think about what I must do.

Abruptly, he got up on his feet.

And for that, I need money! Funds! It’s all about efficiency!

Standing and feeling confident, Hikaru fell over just as quickly as well. Even with the
ruckus, the others didn’t notice him with his Stealth on. He didn’t think it was wise to
use the Skill out on the streets. It would only cause trouble if people found out about
it. His experiments had concluded with his infiltration into Kelbeck’s room.

He was nervous back then, but the experiment was a huge success. He didn’t notice
the watchers, though. But that made him realize that while he could hide himself, he
couldn’t actually detect others.

Detection Skill, huh… There was something like a Perception on the first window of my
Soul Board.

He summoned his Soul Board.

<Vitality>
…<Natural Recovery> 0
…<Stamina> 0
…<Immunity>
…<Perception>

Hikaru surmised that perhaps things like “Smell” or “Hearing” would show up.
Although, just one point on Imperceptibility applied to all the senses.

Well, there are lots of uses for improving my sense of smell than just detecting people. I
can understand why just one point in Imperceptibility applied to all senses. Its only use
is to not get detected by others, after all.

Hikaru assumed that every point was equal all across the board.

Therefore, improving my Perception would be inefficient.

He had four points available. It felt like such a waste to use them right away, but he
was already aware of the incredible power the Soul Board held. So it was better to use
them.

He’d examined the Soul Board before. Next was to check each item. The unlockable
fields “Immunity” and “Perception”’s descriptions read like this:

<Immunity> Unlock Skills related to Immunity.

<Perception> Unlock Skills related to Perception.

That was all. So first, he checked every item with the number 0 – Skills he could
already allocate points on.

<Vitality>
…<Natural Recovery> Enhance ability to heal external wounds. Max: 20.
…<Stamina> Enhance ability to sustain prolonged physical effort and recover from
fatigue. Max: 20.

<Magical Power>
…<Mana> Increases total mana – the resource one uses when activating a spell. Max:
30.

<Physical Strength>
…<Strength> Increase strength. Max: 30.

<Agility>
…<Instantaneous Power Burst> Enhance ability to exert strength in an instant. Max:
15.
…<Flexibility> Make the body, especially the joints, more flexible. Max: 10
…<Balance> Improve sensation of the torso. Max: 20.

What surprised Hikaru was the maximum points allowed. Skills under Stealth
required five points max. Assassination and Snipe only required three. But the ones
he checked now required ten or thirty points to get maxed.

So what, they’re divided into fundamentals and the actual applications?

The ones that didn’t need to be unlocked further required more points to max. They
all had something to do with the basic attributes of a living being.

What would happen if I allocated 30 points to Strength? Maybe I can crush a boulder
with my bare hands or lift a whole house. Yeah, right…

Hikaru paused.

It’s certainly possible.

He already witnessed the effects of his Stealth. What kind of power would he get if he
poured in thirty whole points to an attribute?
Let’s forget that for now. There are three boards left unlocked.

The pentagon, hexagon, and the unlabelled one. So far, he had unlocked Vitality,
Magical Power, Physical Strength, and Agility…

If we go by game mechanics, I guess next would be Willpower, Faith, Charisma, and

Dexterity? If I want to be efficient, first I have to know. I can’t achieve efficiency without
information.

Hikaru got up.

But if I unlocked all three, I’d be left with one point. It’s inefficient to have only one point
to allocate. If I have to unlock only one first…

He chose the unlabelled board.

I really wanna know what’s in this unlabelled board! My curiosity is killing me!

<Unlock Soul Board? 1 point required.>

“Yes.”

What emerged on the screen was…

<Intuition>
…<Instinct> 0
…<Insight>
…<Intelligence>
…<Memory> 0
…<Detection>

Instinct! It’s instinct!

<Instinct> Heighten one’s senses to achieve great foresight similar to clairvoyance.

Max: 20

<Memory> Improves the function of the part of the brain that governs memories. Max:
10.

And there’s Detection as expected. I don’t like how I have to unlock it first. Now what? I
have three points left.

Hikaru stared at the Soul Board for a while, then lied down and closed his eyes. Sleep
came right away.

Money left: 4,890 gilans.

——xx-kun, people say you’re arrogant, don’t they?

The light of the bright afternoon was blinding even behind the white curtains. A girl,
one year older than Hikaru, stood there with her back against the light, smiling.

——Life will be rough for you. You may be clever, but you’re also reckless. Someday,
somewhere, you might just die unexpectedly.

She was beautiful with long, black hair.

——I appreciate the disturbing divination.

He wouldn’t listen to the words of grown-ups or his other seniors, but Hikaru readily
paid attention to what she had to say. Her name was…

——Hazuki-senpai.

“………”

The next morning.

Hikaru silently woke up in the corner of the inn’s large room. The sun was beginning
to climb in the sky.

…Was that… a dream?

He let out one, long breath. He hadn’t had a dream ever since coming to this world.
And when he finally did, it wasn’t about his parents or the high school he went to. It
was a dream about his senior who he had not seen for two years.
Hikaru didn’t bother reminiscing about his parents. It was not like they were on bad
terms, but when his parents’ relationship had gone completely cold, Hikaru became
indifferent about them.

As a kid grows up, they get more difficult to handle. And Hikaru matured early. It got
to the point where he treated them like strangers even though they lived under the
same roof.

That was the reason why Hikaru’s guild card didn’t show his family name. He hadn’t
considered that, of course. His only comment on the fact his card didn’t have his family
name was a “Hmm”.

Why’d I have that dream?

After mulling it over a bit, he understood why. It was because Jill called him “arrogant”.

Hikaru was indeed arrogant. He thought he was cleverer than the rest of the students
at his school and he didn’t try to hide it. Skilled at avoiding danger, though, he was
never bullied nor ran into any sort of conflict. The cheerful ones don’t come near the
shadows.

He was aware that his arrogance was being fueled when he came to this world.
Roland’s memories were affecting him. Roland was a noble. His parents were wise, but
they didn’t forget their pride as members of the nobility.

“Don’t yield to anyone.” “Don’t let anyone look down on you.” These words formed the
foundation of how Roland lived his life.

They may not be his own memories, but inheriting them all would surely have some
effect on Hikaru. He was harsh on Jill and was able to perform rash experiments
against Kelbeck because of it.

…Someday, somewhere, you might just die unexpectedly, huh…

In an ironic twist of fate, Hikaru died just like how Hazuki described it. It was only
sheer chance that he came back to life. Just extremely lucky.

There’s no guarantee something like that won’t happen in this world.

Hikaru summoned his Soul Board, opened the Intuition window, and unlocked
Detection.

<Detection>
…<Life Detection> 0
…<Mana Detection> 0

Two points left.

<Life Detection> Detect life in the vicinity. Max: 5.

<Mana Detection> Detect beings through their mana. Max: 5.

Hikaru allocated one point to each and was now down to zero points. At the moment,
he had acquired the following Skills:

<Agility>
…<Stealth>
…<Life Obfuscation> 1
…<Mana Obfuscation> 1
…<Imperceptibility> 5
……<Assassination> 3 (MAX)

<Intuition>
…<Detection>
…<Life Detection> 1
…<Mana Detection> 1

There wasn’t any explanation as to how to activate his detection Skills. But he felt a
new sense in his body – like a mix of his hearing, sense of smell and touch.

Oh…

By focusing on it, he felt the effect of Detection all around him. He could sense the life
coming from the young adventurer sleeping in the center of the room. It was like a
soft, orange light.

He switched to Mana Detection – the switch was intuitive – and he felt soft, blue light
instead.

Hikaru felt some kind of energy from a warrior-looking man when he used his Life
Detection. But now that he switched to Mana Detection, he couldn’t feel it anymore.

Does that mean he doesn’t have much mana? Wait a second. I don’t detect “life force” but
“life”.

Then he realized. With Life Detection, size didn’t matter. As long as it had mass, he
could even sense a small insect if he really focused. The only downside was that it
functioned just like the human eye. That is to say, he could see large living things, but
he couldn’t see those that were too tiny, like microbes. On the other hand, Mana
Detection was affected by the amount of mana one had. He could feel even the smallest
bug if it had plenty of mana.

What would happen if I added more points to them? Maybe the range increases and the
ability to pierce Obfuscation Skills is also enhanced.

The max range of his Detection at the moment was ten meters. He couldn’t allocate
any more points but he concluded that adding more would increase the detection
range and he could pierce the abilities of those who used Skills to conceal their
presence.

Now this is efficient… Well, not really. But I have to prioritize not dying.

After getting ready, Hikaru left the room. A random thought crossed his mind.

Does Hazuki-senpai know I died?

For breakfast, Hikaru went to the same hotdog stand as yesterday. It wasn’t as if he
liked the food, but the owner kept staring at him. That, and a different aroma from
yesterday floated in the air.

He had dinner at the yakisoba place last night. Freshly-cooked yakisoba was even
more delicious. The man remembered Hikaru so he gave him extra. It was too much,
in fact, that Hikaru had difficulty finishing it.

“Hmm?”

The hotdog sauce was different from yesterday. This time it was brown.

“………”

Hmm… What’s this? It’s not sweet like yesterday. It smells… fishy.

“Honestly, it tastes horrible.” he said without thinking.

Hearing Hikaru’s comment, the owner ground his teeth.

“Ugh…”

“Did you taste it? What did you put in this thing?”

“It’s special-made sauce with fish sauce as base.”

Hikaru stood there, dumbfounded.

“Good grief. You gotta have ketchup and mustard for hotdogs. That’s textbook stuff!”

The man had no idea what ketchup and mustard were so Hikaru told him. He knew
how ketchup was made, but not mustard. He could only tell him what it looked like
and how it tasted.

As soon as Hikaru stepped into the Adventurers Guild, he felt several gazes on him.

“Hey, it’s that kid…”

“The brat who gets special treatment not only from Jill-chan but also from Gloria-
chan…”

Hikaru didn’t notice them whispering to each other. As to why…

“Hikaru-kun!”

The moment she saw Hikaru, Jill came running to him from behind the counter.

“Are you okay?! Did they do anything to you?!”

“Wh-What’s up with you?”

She touched his head and pretty much his whole body. Hikaru was clueless as to what
was going on.

“What?!”

Jill grasped his hand.

“Come with me. I want to talk to you”

Her hand was soft and warm. She was so close that Hikaru could smell a delightful
scent drifting from her. The adventurers whined as they watched Jill pulled him by the
hand. Hikaru felt the same as well.

This girl’s attitude turned a complete 180!

His mind was calm, but he was not used to being around women. They both entered
the booth that Gloria showed him to yesterday.
“I was shocked to find out this morning that you had taken a request. Gloria made you
do it, didn’t she?”

“It was more like she recommended it to me and I accepted. I didn’t expect that I was
delivering a letter to a big shot from the Thieves Guild.”

Jill heaved a deep sigh.

“If you know that, then I guess you completed it. How’d you do it?”

“It was just a simple delivery.”

“There’s no way Gloria would urge you to do a simple delivery. Seeing as it went well,
you must be extremely lucky.”

Hikaru’s Stealth Skill was being chalked up to pure luck. He didn’t really mind it, of
course.

“So Gloria is quite the hypocrite as well.”

“She is. Wait, what do you mean “as well”?”

Hikaru shrugged.

“You’re not seriously thinking I’m like her, are you?! Sheesh… You should stay away
from Gloria, Hikaru-kun. Take requests when I’m around. I’ll give you priority over the
other adventurers.”

“I can choose requests on my own.”

“You took Gloria’s suggestion yesterday, didn’t you? If you just take requests without
careful consideration, your future will be grim.”

“I think the bigger problem here is the guild hiring someone like her as a receptionist.
Besides, it wasn’t like I didn’t give it proper thought. I took the request because it
seemed like there was a catch.”

“What? Why?! Normally you’d turn something down because there’s a catch!”

“It sounded fun.”

Jill gave an exasperated sigh.

“Hikaru-kun, lady luck won’t always be by your side. They call that “beginners’ luck”
by the way…”

“Fine, fine. I get it. I’ve had enough of your lectures.”

“I didn’t even say much!”

“More importantly, I want to take a request.”

He was about to say “I don’t want to waste any time”, but he swallowed the words as
it would only lead to another lengthy conversation.

“O-Of course. I have to give you requests while I’m here. I recommend these.”

She took out a bunch of request forms.

“Cleaning Request”
“Shopping for the Church”
“Roof Repair”
“Coal Replenishment for a Blacksmith”
“Chat with the Elderly”

“Rejected.” he said, turning them all down.

“Why?! These are all important requests that benefit the town!”

“Let kids from families that need the money or jobless people do those. Why would
they send those kinds of requests to the Adventurers’ Guild anyway?”

“Quest Hunters love these, though.”

Probably like some sort of collectors. Except in this case, they collect quests. They don’t
care what the job is; they just want to take requests.

“I want to make money efficiently.”

“You want to become rich? Yikes.”

Jill gave him a disgusted look. Hikaru was pissed. He wanted to tell her she was the
one with the horrible attitude.

“Actually, there’s a profitable request that even you can handle.”

“You could’ve told me sooner”

Hikaru snatched the form from Jill.

<Monster Hunter> <Continuous>

…<Red-Horned Rabbit> It doesn’t matter how many. Just deliver them.
…<Reward> Basic Reward: 0 gilans. 10,000 gilans for each rabbit.

“Continuous quests are always ongoing so you can take them anytime. Red-Horned
Rabbits are fast, but that’s all. You can kill them with only a knife.”

“Hmm. This much reward for something that easy?”

“You’ll find out once you try it.”

“…You’re not sending me somewhere dangerous again, are you?”

“You’re making me sound like I’m a horrible person! And no, I’m not. There’s zero risk
in this quest. Oh, but you’re gonna have to go outside town, so it’s dangerous in a way.
Personally, I’d recommend something like Babysitting…”

“All right. I’ll take this.”

“You don’t have to actually formally accept it. It’s a continuous quest, after all. It’ll
probably take days for you to kill one. Good luck. You look feeble, though. Will you be
okay? How about wiping windows around town instead…”

“Oh, give me a break. I said I’m doing it.”

“Fine. Red-Horned Rabbits give high rewards. It’s an initiation quest for beginners to
let them know that if they work hard, they can get whatever they want. It’s perfect for
you so you’d keep giving it your best in the future.”
“………”

“The line’s getting longer now so I have to go back to the counter. Be careful out there.
It’s okay to be lily-livered. In fact, being too much of a coward should be to your benefit.
All right? Even if you come up empty, under no circumstances should you camp
outside town. The gates will close at dusk so make sure you return before then.”

“………”

“That’s a promise, okay? Later.”

“………”

She was just like a mother warning her kid. Hikaru saw Jill off with a sour look on his
face.

“So it takes days to kill one of these rabbits, huh?”

His expression changed to that of a child up to mischief. He was aware of the several
gazes resting on him.

After entering the reference room, Hikaru positioned himself as close to the wall as
possible. In a five meter-radius… there. One of the adventurers who was glaring at him.

It’s the perfect opportunity. I’ll have you be my test subject in my experiment.

Hikaru focused his mind.

So I don’t have to actually see them to summon their Soul Boards.

He had booted up another person’s Soul Board.

<Soul Board> Zernenko Rigalow

Age: 22 Rank: 11
18

<Vitality>
…<Natural Recovery> 1
…<Stamina> 2
…<Immunity>
…<Magic Resistance> 0
…<Disease Immunity> 1
…<Toxic Immunity> 0
…<Perception>

All right! There we go! He has his Immunity unlocked! I see. So it’s immunity to magic
spells, disease, and poison.

He wanted to check the details, but it seemed he couldn’t bring up the descriptions.
Perhaps because it wasn’t his own Soul Board.

Whatever. They’re pretty self-explanatory. The only additional info I’d get is the
maximum points that could be allocated. All right, let’s check out the other boards.

There was nothing noteworthy under Magical Power. Intuition and the hexagon board
weren’t unlocked either.

<Physical Strength>
…<Strength> 3
…<Weapon Mastery>
…<Sword> 1
…<Great Sword> 0
…<Short Sword> 0
…<Short Spear> 0
…<Long Spear> 0
…<Bow> 0
…<Throwing> 0
…<Shield> 1
…<Armor> 1

So there are nine different weapons under Weapon Mastery… But what about axes or
clubs? What’s the basis for choosing these weapons anyway?

Hikaru had various guesses but no definite answer.

I lack data to actually arrive at a conclusion. On to the next. I haven’t seen this board…
Oh, the pentagon one.

The pentagon board had Dexterity.

<Dexterity>
…<Dexterity> 1
…<Tool Mastery>

Hmm, so Tool Mastery has to be unlocked first. It’s not combat-related. Going by RPGs, I
suppose it has something to do with production? Though it sounds like Dexterity might
affect weapons mastery as well.

Hikaru folded his arms, thinking.

He has 2 points in Agility so that’s a total of 15 points used. It’s confirmed. Total points =
Age + Rank.

Roland didn’t have knowledge about Soul Boards. Which means it’s not something a
normal human being can access. So that begs the question: how did this Zernenko guy
allocate his points? No, that’s not it. Jill would’ve told me something. Gloria only asked
me about my class. The owner himself allocates the points without him noticing? Or…

Or perhaps by achieving a certain level of proficiency, points get automatically allocated.

Yes, that’s more likely the case. Like a bonus for those who trained hard. Man, this ability
really is amazing. Allocating points freely is basically a shortcut. I don’t have to train and
all that.

Hikaru was deep in thought when he heard voices.

“What’s he doing in the reference room?”

“Beats me. I can’t wait until he gets out so we can “socialize” with him.”

“Hehehe. Socialize, eh? You mean he’s gonna get some thrashing.”

It was Zernenko and his buddies. It seemed they’ve been eyeing Hikaru because he
was being pampered by a receptionist and it ticked them off.

Huh… Big words. I really don’t like you guys either. In fact, y’all get on my nerves.

An idea sprang up in Hikaru’s mind. He could allocate others’ Soul Board points
himself. Now normally, that would be favourable for the owner. But what if he used
the points to unlock attributes? It wouldn’t result into anything. Hikaru also wanted to
know what other attributes and Skills were there on the Soul Board.
Hikaru’s mouth curved into a wicked smile.

<Unlock Soul Board? 1 point required.>

“Yes.”

I’m going to use the rest of your points to decipher the rest of the unlockable
attributes. First is the hexagon board.

<Willpower>
…<Mental Strength> 0
…<Faith>
…<Charisma> 0
…<Appeal> 0

Oh, willpower! With this, the list is complete – Vitality, Magical Power, Physical Strength,
Agility, Dexterity, Willpower, and Intuition.

Hikaru felt great having his curiosity satisfied.

Zero for both Charisma and Appeal, huh… That’s just sad. Nah. The Soul Board merely
provides a little extra. I have zero points in Physical Strength, but it’s not like I have no
muscle strength. It’s safe to assume that the points from the Soul Board are simply added
bonus.

He felt awful using up only Zernenko’s points – though it was a little bit late for that –
so he used his two buddies’s points as well.

The results were as follows:

<Vitality>
…<Natural Recovery> 0
…<Stamina> 0
…<Immunity>
…<Magic Resistance> 0
…<Disease Immunity> 0
…<Toxic Immunity> 0
…<Perception>
…<Sight> 0
…<Hearing> 0
…<Smell> 0
…<Taste> 0
…<Touch> 0

<Magical Power>
…<Mana> 0
…<Spiritual Affinity>
…<Fire> 0
…<Air> 0
…<Earth> 0
…<Water> 0
…<Magic Creation> 0

He already knew everything under Physical Strength and Agility.

<Dexterity>
…<Dexterity> 0
…<Tool Mastery>
…<Axe> 0
…<Loom> 0
…<Pottery> 0
…<Musical Instruments> 0

<Willpower>
…<Mental Strength> 0
…<Faith>
…<Holy> 0
…<Evil> 0
…<Charisma> 0
…<Appeal> 0

<Intuition>
…<Instinct> 0
…<Insight>
…<Invention> 0
…<Fine Arts> 0
…<Music> 0
…<Intelligence>
…<Arithmetics> 0
…<Language Comprehension> 0
…<Language Output> 0
…<Memory> 0
…<Detection>
…<Life Detection> 0
…<Mana Detection> 0

Tsk. Damn it. I couldn’t use up a lot of their points.

Hikaru clicked his tongue at something completely trivial. Incidentally, the other two
guys had their points allocated similar to Zernenko with three points being the
highest. These men were fighters and already this powerful. Hikaru realized how
ridiculous it would be if they had their attributes maxed out.

I now know all the initial attributes. Next would be to check how many of those derivative
Skills (e.g. Assassination and Sniper) there were. Unfortunately, I can’t study them.

In order to check, he had to allocate points to the Skills of the men who despised him.

Whatever. I don’t really need the information right now. If I bump into someone skilled,
I’ll just check their Soul Board.

Hikaru nodded to himself as he studied information he needed for his quest.

“Is he coming out or what?”

“I’m getting sleepy.”

There were still men waiting for Hikaru outside.

After leaving the Adventurers Guild, Hikaru bought lunch from a stall. He could be out
of town all day. He got a sandwich worth 30 gilans. He filled his flask with water as
well. Several gazes followed him from behind.

“There he goes.”

“Looks like he took a request.”

“Outside of town?”

“Based on the direction he’s going, probably.”

“Let’s do it outside, then.”

“Good idea. If we “socialized” with him in town, guards might come.”

They were fans of Jill and Gloria and their numbers have increased to six. Keeping their
distance, they tailed Hikaru. They were awful at tailing that a common adventurer
would notice right away that he was being followed.

“Hmm? Out for a quest again today?”

The man who talked to Hikaru was the gatekeeper at the time he went out to get
glimmering poisonous plants.

“Be careful out there. Remember: there’s no such thing as being too cautious. You’re
an adventurer, not a guard like me. Being scared is not a bad thing.”

“I know. But thank you for the advice.”

“You’re welcome. Kids should listen to words of advice.”

“………”

Treating me like a kid, I see. Well, there are a lot of tall, muscular men in this world so
compared to them, I might look like a kid. But it’s not like I’m small either! I’m not small!
Hikaru thought as he bowed.

The gatekeeper smiled pleasantly.

“All righty, then.”

He couldn’t think properly last time since he was starving. But it’s different this time.
He could now survey his surroundings properly.

Just outside the gate was a coach station. There were different kinds of beings there,
not just humans. Demi-humans. Elves. There were also travellers and merchants.
Past the station were several inns and as he went farther, he saw farmhouses. Unlike
the ones inside the town, they were wooden and poorly-made. Behind the structures
were wide fields that the families have cultivated. Despite being unfortunate, these
people lived strong.

As he went farther, there were less and less houses. He was now face to face with
Mother Nature.

The road before him stretched for miles and miles. Blue mountaintops loomed in the
distance. Grass on meadows gently undulated like silver waves in the breeze, revealing
the paths of the wind that blew by. A stream flowed softly nearby. Birds soared high
up in the sky, singing.

“It’s finally beginning.”

Hikaru was getting a tad bit excited. And behind him were six adventurers.

“All right. We should surround that kid now… Wait, what?”

They couldn’t believe their eyes. Hikaru supposedly hid himself behind a tall thicket,
but when they checked, he was gone.

No one could sense Hikaru once he had his Stealth on and his class set to Stealth God:
Darkness Wanderer. There wasn’t anyone in Pond – no, the whole kingdom of
Ponsonia who could.
It was not long after Hikaru left town when the gatekeeper got worried. Six adventurers
went past the gate as if in pursuit of him.

“Excuse me. Can you come with me for a bit? There’s something I want to check. It’ll
only take fifteen minutes.”

He was talking to the unit of guards stationed at the gate. They nodded right away and
accompanied the gatekeeper. His hunch was right. After a bit of walking, he spotted
six adventurers making a racket.

“Hey, he’s not here!”

“Where’d that brat go?!”

“He couldn’t just disappear in such a short time! Why the hell didn’t you keep your
eyes on him?!”

“I could say the same to you!”

Sounds disturbing judging by their words. The gatekeeper warily approached them.

“What’s with all the ruckus? I heard what you said. Did you need anything from that
kid that left town just now? Why didn’t you talk to him in town?”

“Wh-What?! Guards?!”

The adventurers went silent.

“Can you please come with me to the station?”

“Th-There’s no need for that. It’s really nothing. Right?!”

“Y-Yeah! Nothing wrong here.”

“Come with me to the station. That’s an order.” the gatekeeper repeated, with more
force this time.

The adventurers shrank back. They were taken away, their heads hanging down low.
A while later, while surrounded by brawny soldiers…

“What?! You wanted to teach him a lesson and put him in place because he gained the
favor of a receptionist?! What the hell were you thinking?! For goodness sake, you’re
grown men! This is exactly why women don’t give you the time of day!”

…they received a good talking-to. Incidentally, the soldiers informed the Adventurers
Guild of the incident.

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”

Jill now had one more reason to be worried.

Completely unaware of all the commotion, Hikaru wandered through the meadows.

“Red-horned Rabbits live near town. They’re an unusual bunch as there’s less and less
of them as you go farther out. But then again, there are no ferocious monsters near
town so it’s easier for them to breed.”

That was what he got from the reference room earlier. They were detailed, providing
information on their ecological distributions and habitat.

“It did mention that they’re extremely difficult to kill… no, difficult to hunt. As to why…”

Hikaru spotted his target. It was behind some bushes, quite some distance away. A
Red-horned Rabbit. Fairly big for a rabbit, it was about the size of a cardboard box for
oranges. On its head was a deep-red horn. Apparently the longer the horns, the more
valuable they were. But most of them would snap off over the course of their lives. In
fact, the one Hikaru spotted had a broken horn.

“Hmm…”

It was less than a hundred meters away. Hikaru switched his class to that of a Civilian.
There didn’t seem to be any change in its behavior. Next, he deactivated his Stealth.

Abruptly the Red-horned Rabbit raised its head, looking around restlessly.
“So it can notice me even when I’m this far.”

Hikaru turned his Stealth back on and moved closer. The creature seemed to have
forgotten its discomfort as it shoved its face back onto the ground. He drew nearer.
Fifty meters. Thirty meters…

The Red-horned Rabbit raised its head once more, but this time, it looked straight at
Hikaru’s direction and fled at a ridiculous speed.

“Literally ran like a scared rabbit…” he muttered.

“No, wait. So thirty meters is the limit of my Stealth. I was quite confident with my Skill
too. It’s rough going against a monster that specializes in anti-Stealth.”

Hikaru let out a low groan.

“Wait a sec. That rabbit looked towards my direction. So it knows where I am exactly.
The only explanation for that is…”

It has either Life or Mana Detection.

“I have one point each on Life Obfuscation and Mana Obfuscation. So it has a means to
pierce my Skills. I don’t know how powerful it is exactly, but… Whatever. Let’s try my
class next.”

It took fifteen minutes for him to find another Red-horned Rabbit. He’s already
switched his class to Stealth God: Darkness Wanderer.

“…Seriously?”

He approached the creature through its blindspot, so it might’ve played a part. But
still, he couldn’t believe what was happening. At his feet was a rabbit, about 60
centimeters in length, its face shoved onto the ground. Just by changing classes, he was
able to get this close.

The creature he spotted this time still had its horn intact. According to the information
he got from the reference room, Red-horned Rabbits with horns not yet broken were
rare.

“Time to kill it I guess.” he muttered, though the creature didn’t seem to hear it.
It was digging through the ground, chewing insects and worms.

“………”

Hikaru gripped his Dagger of Strength tightly. He was about to kill the creature. He left
town, fully prepared to do so. And yet, the point of his blade was shaking. Hikaru
heaved a sigh.

“This is stupid. I’ve already killed a man, and yet here I am, hesitating to kill an animal,
feeling sorry for it.”

But unlike the innocent Red-horned Rabbit, Morgstad deserved to die.

“………”

He knew. It was like how meat sold at a supermarket wouldn’t bother him, but he
might feel sorry for the animals if he went to a slaughterhouse. He understood his
sentiment. He knew why he was hesitating. Pity.

“Man, I’m really stupid…” he said, putting his hand together.

He knew it was pointless. There was no God in this world.

He then drew his dagger and in one motion, stabbed the creature’s back all the way to
its heart. He felt no resistance as the blade took its life away. Must be the effect of the
Assassination Skill.

Blood seeped into the earth. Feeling weak from his knees all the way down to his feet,
Hikaru steeled himself. He let go of the dagger and put his hands together once more.

“I’m so stupid.” he muttered again.

It was all quick after killing the creature. He skillfully hung the corpse by the creek to
drain the blood and cut its stomach open to remove the innards. Doing this would
make it lighter and apparently make the meat tastier. The heart and its two kidneys
could be sold at high prices though, so he left those. He then tossed the corpse into a
plastic bag he’d bought for his daily necessities. After washing his hands with soap, he
headed back to town. It was lunch time, but he didn’t have the appetite to eat his
sandwich.

When Hikaru got to the gate, the gatekeeper tapped his shoulder and nodded for some
reason.

“What?”

“Go to the Adventurers Guild.”

“Okay…”

It sounds like something happened while I was gone. He headed toward the guild, which
was his plan all along anyway.

“Hikaru-ku—”

When he returned, Jill and Gloria were both at the counter. Jill was about to dash
towards Hikaru, but after casting a sidelong glance at Gloria, she stopped. She then
returned to dealing with the adventurers like nothing happened.

“………”

She kept shooting glances at Hikaru, though. He understood what she was trying to
say with those eyes. Over here. Come here. Don’t go over to Gloria. The eyes could speak
a thousand words.

Hikaru smelled trouble, but going over to Gloria would only make Jill upset. Without
much of a choice, he strode towards Jill. As always, adventurers were gathered around
the two women in clusters, hitting on them.

Are these guys really adventurers? Don’t they have anything better to do? Although,
following one’s basic instincts to find a suitable female partner and putting effort into it
isn’t exactly wrong… or is it?

Hikaru waited for work to settle down a bit before slipping into the first row.

“I’m here to deliver—”

“You’ve come at the most opportune time, Adventurer Hikaru. I want to talk to you in
the booth.”
“What?”

“I want to talk to you in the booth.”

“I, uhh…”

“I want to talk to you in the booth.”

After repeating it three times, Jill sauntered towards the booth.

“………”

Hikaru could feel the men’s icy glares drilling into him.

…Man, what a pain. I’d be in trouble if they remember my faces. I should buy a mask.

He entered the booth.

“I’m sorry!” Jill exclaimed before he could say anything else.

She bowed her head, both hands on the table. The adventurers wondered what was
going on. These guys just have to react to Jill’s every action, don’t they? You too, Gloria.
Stop looking here and focus on your work.

“…I’m sorry. I’m not sure I follow.”

“You might’ve not noticed but you were actually tailed by adventurers. Six of them”

“What about it?”

“They’re, uh… my fans apparently. They seemed to think I was showing you too much
favoritism so they wanted to harass you.”

Harass? You mean beat me up.

“I knew. So?”

“What?”

“So they were following me. What about it?”

“You knew?”

“I did. Heck, it was too obvious. I think the levels of the adventurers here are a bit on
the low side.”

“Th-That’s not true! Zernenko is known for being skilled for his young age. He’s still
only rank E, but people expect great things from him in the future.”

What? That guy? If I recall correctly, he had 1 point on his Sword mastery. Is one point
actually fairly strong?

“He has a class called One-handed Swordsman Technician: Technical Swordsman5.”

“Ah, I see. So he has a good job class. But it’s a five-character class, isn’t it?”

“Yes. He’s cut out to be a fighter.”

“………”

So five-character classes can draw attention already. I shouldn’t tell anyone about my
classes and the Soul Board.

“Hikaru-kun? What’s wrong?”

“Uh, nothing.”

“Ah, I know! You’re scared! I understand. You’re scared because a skilled adventurer
with a five-character class has his eyes on you. But rest assured! They received a
warning from the guards about their unbecoming behavior and they’ll be under
surveillance for a while!”

“I see.”

He wasn’t actually the least bit scared, but he didn’t bother explaining that to Jill. I’ll
just let her believe what she wants to believe.

On another note, Hikaru now understood the reason behind the gatekeeper’s amicable
expression. The adventurers who followed Hikaru were clearly acting suspiciously, so
the guards arrested them.
They weren’t really a threat to me, but they were certainly annoying.

Hikaru felt good knowing someone was worried about him and even protected him.

Should I give him a box of cakes? Going by Roland’s memories, they have that custom
here as well.

“So there you have it. You don’t have to worry about anything. You’re being protected!”
Jill said as she started patting Hikaru’s head out of the blue.

Hikaru’s thoughts froze. Wait, she’s patting my head?

“It’s very uncomfortable. I hate it.”

“Whaaaat?! Why?! Are you the type who likes the same sex, and not the opposite? I
know there are people like that.”

“No. Don’t think that others will be delighted with whatever you do. Let me get this
straight. Your attitude towards me will only elicit unnecessary misunderstandings.
Those simple-minded adventurers will then be out to get me.”

“Ah, I-I’m sorry. Next time I’ll give you head pats where no one could see us.”

That’s not what I’m saying!

Hikaru wanted to tell her that, but he knew it’ll never get through to her head. My head
hurts.

“Whatever. So are you done? Then I want you to assess the stuff I brought.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll do it right awa— what?”

Jill stared blankly at him.

“I hunted down a Red-horned Rabbit.”

“Y-You’re joking. That’s impossible.”

“I’m not joking. Though I only got one.”

Hikaru opened the bag he had by his foot and showed it to her. The smell of blood and
animal drifted from within.

“…Hikaru-kun, you really are one lucky guy.” Jill said, amazed.
Apparently an expert would assess the value of the Red-horned Rabbit, not Jill. She
rang a bell and an old man emerged from a room inside. His hair was long and white
all over, with a bun on top. The rest he left hanging as they met with his mustache and
beard, making his head look like a lump of white hair. About a hundred fifty
centimeters tall, he was half a head shorter than Hikaru.

“A gnome…?” Hikaru muttered.

“He’s from a race called Man Gnomes. Don’t say anything about it, or he’ll get mad.” Jill
whispered.

Ugh, another pain in the neck.

“What do you want, Jill? I’m busy! We have a visitor from the royal capital coming
soon.”

“I know. But you’re the one who insisted on assessing Red-horned Rabbits.”

“Hmm?”

Unken’s gaze rested on Hikaru for the first time.

“…Ohh.”

He warily examined Hikaru’s whole body before turning around and heading back
inside.

“If you go through this passageway, you’ll arrive at a separate building. That’s where
the dissection is done. Just follow Unken-san.”

With a tap on his shoulder, Jill returned to the counter. Adventurers who saw the
intimate gesture seethed with bloodlust.
“…I just told her to stop doing that.”

Feeling weary, Hikaru went after Unken.

The place where dissection was done looked like a huge garage. While only made of
wood, expertly-placed beams secured the enormous structure. Dangling down from
the naked beams were chains with hooks where large animals were hung for
dissections.

“Take it out.”

Hikaru placed the bag on a stone table. Unken took the Red-horned Rabbit from within
and examined its insides.

“………”

In the meantime, Hikaru summoned Unken’s Soul Board. He was curious about the
way he carried himself so warily earlier. And his hunch was right.

<Soul Board> Unken F. Balzack

Age: 211 Rank: 51
47

<Vitality>
…<Natural Recovery> 2
…<Stamina> 5
…<Immunity>
…<Magic Resistance> 1
…<Perception>
…<Smell> 1
…<Taste> 2

<Magical Power>
…<Mana> 6

<Physical Strength>
…<Strength> 9
…<Weapon Mastery>
…<Short Sword> 6
…<Bow> 3
…<Throwing> 4
…<Armor> 2

<Agility>
…<Stealth>
…<Life Obfuscation> 2
…<Mana Obfuscation> 2
…<Imperceptibility> 2
…<Group Obfuscation> 1

<Dexterity>
…<Dexterity> 3
…<Tool Mastery>
…<Pottery> 2

<Willpower>
…<Mental Strength> 3

<Intuition>
…<Instinct> 4
…<Detection>
…<Life Detection> 1

“What?” Hikaru blurted out.

“What do you mean “what”?”

“Uh, no, it’s nothing.”

“………”

Unken eyed Hikaru suspiciously before turning his attention back to the Red-horned
Rabbit.

Wait, wait, wait… This geezer’s unreal! He even has a Stealth-type Skill that I don’t. He
only has one point on it, though. Hmm? Hold on a sec. Something’s not right with his
remaining points.

Hikaru cautiously calculated. Unken had allocated a total of 74 points to his Skills. Add
that to his remaining 47 points, you got a total of 121 points. His rank was outstanding,
but his age of 211 was even more incredible. If one gained 1 point per year, then his
remaining points were way off.

It must be one-third, then. 211 divided by 3 is around 70. 70 plus his rank of 51 gives a
total of 121. The figures add up. Some species in this world have shorter lifespans while
some have longer. So the timing of granting points is different for each species depending
on the lifespans.

It felt like the wrong things were being balanced.

So Group Obfuscation… Unlocking it must require two points each on Life Obfuscation
Mana Obfuscation, and Imperceptibility. This guy has almost the same Skillset as me. I
wonder if he’s a Rogue-type.

Hikaru wanted to know how powerful Unken was. Unlike Hikaru who had poured his
points into one Skill, maxing it out, the old man only had a few points for each. It felt
like he was putting more points on Skills crucial for a Rogue-type character. If he knew
how strong Unken was, he could use him as a point of reference to assess how strong
he himself was.

“Laddie.”

“Yes?”

“Is it fun to stare at me like that?”

Hikaru gave a start.

Right, he has 4 points on Instinct… I doubt he knows I’m checking his Soul Board, though.

“It’s just that I haven’t seen you in the guild before.”

“…I suppose.”

“What do you usually do?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Judging from Jill’s behavior, the Guildmaster perhaps?”

“…I’m just an assessor.”

Either Hikaru did well in changing the subject, or Unken really disliked being probed
over.

“Anyway, about the Red-horned Rabbit… You’ve never dissected before, haven’t you?”

“…No.”

“The way you cut it is awful. What did you use?”

Hikaru took out his Dagger of Strength. Unken stared at it then heaved a sigh.

“…You fool. Don’t use a killing weapon for dissection. Use a proper tool for it. You cut
its skin and flesh when you took out its internal organs. Here. The meat will taste awful
if blood seeps into the flesh.”

“You’re right. I see it.”

“The way you cut open its belly is also horrible. You could’ve carried it without
dissecting. Its value won’t drop if you returned in two or three hours…” he said,
glancing at Hikaru. “…is what I would say, but with those muscles of yours, I don’t think
it’s possible. It’s too heavy for you to carry.”

“Yeah, I’m aware of that.”

“I’d tell you to form a party with others, but then you won’t be able to capitalize on
your strengths. You look skilled in moving unnoticed.”

“………”

“I must say, it’s quite strange. Red-horned Rabbits have extremely keen senses. You’re
wearing Night Wolf gear, correct? Yet it should’ve still noticed you.”

He sees through everything.

“…The rabbit ran and tripped over a tree stump.”

“What?”
“That’s why I was able to kill it.”

Hikaru gave him an ambiguous answer. A lie. I don’t think this world has the story
about a rabbit that tripped over a tree stump and died.

“Hmm. So you’re saying you just got lucky?”

“Let’s say for the sake of argument, it wasn’t a case of pure luck. I don’t think it’s okay
to probe around someone’s special skills. But I suppose the guildmaster would want
to know, huh?”

“Are you trying to bait me?”

Damn, he got me. That’s a 211-year-old geezer for you. In his mind, Hikaru stuck out his
tongue at the old man.

“So, about the rabbit. There’s a cut on its right hind leg so its value as meat is lower.
What a waste. This is the most delicious part too. We can buy it for 7,000 gilans.”

“Deal.”

“…Oh, you don’t complain, huh?”

Hikaru knew he would get around this much. After all, a complete amateur dissected
it.

“I can’t afford to waste my time here complaining. Money can’t buy me time.”

“Why are you in such a rush?”

“I probably won’t be if I could live for 200 years like a Man Gnome.”

“………”

Unken scowled at him once more. I probably said a little bit too much.

“Well, for a rabbit that tripped, its body is spotless. Don’t you want to know the price
of its hide? “

Unken was trying to get even. He’s already saw through Hikaru’s lies.
“They don’t fetch for much, do they?”

“Hmm, I suppose not. Around 500 gilans. I’ll add it to the overall cost.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“The price of the horn.”

Unken smiled for the first time. Actually it was more like the corner of his mouth
turned up just a little bit.

“So you know about that.”

“I read about it in the reference room. Red-horned rabbits with horns intact are rare
and that the horn has medicinal effects.”

“I thought you were simply an arrogant, despicable kid, but I guess not. You actually
do your homework. Can you afford to waste your time studying, though?”

“I like studying. If you call a diligent kid arrogant, you’re also basically making light of
the benefits acquired from the development of civilization.”

“Do you hear yourself right now? You actually sound arrogant. Hahaha!”

Unken burst out laughing.

“If you don’t mind, I can teach you how to dissect in my free time.”

“Well, that’s just exactly what I wanted.”

“Come tomorrow evening.”

“Sounds good to me. Thanks.”

“All right. Bye.” Unken said, raising his hand and tried to leave.

“Wait, hold on a sec! You haven’t assessed the horn yet.”

“And here I thought I managed to trick you.”

Damned geezer, Hikaru thought, his cheek twitching. Unken simply looked at the horn
and groaned.

“A horn as splendid as this is rare. We don’t actually have current market values for it.
I would have to contact the Alchemists Guild and the Doctors Guild first. You’ll know
tomorrow evening. I’ll give you your overall payment, then.”

“All right. Sheesh, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to play me.”

“Says the kid who lied by bringing up an old story of a rabbit that tripped on a tree
stump.”

Hikaru wanted to know more about Unken from Jill, but as always, she was surrounded
by adventurers. He wasn’t going to charge straight to her. As soon as Gloria noticed
him, she started moving quickly, so Hikaru had to get out of there quick.

Hikaru was shocked that Unken knew about the story of the rabbit. It wasn’t as if the
old man knew the exact details, but he was familiar with it. He asked the old man about
it, but his only answer was “I think I heard it from the elders in my hometown” and
apparently he was only a kid back then.

There’s a chance that someone was reincarnated to this world like me.

On the one hand, it was a surprising revelation. Yet, it also wasn’t. There was always
the possibility. Hikaru was brought here by the genius Roland. He used a world-
crossing spell; something like magic but not exactly magic either. He had the resources
to do research about such a powerful spell which meant he had data about other
worlds.

I suppose there’s really no need to find others like me.

Hikaru doubted they could use the Soul Board like him. After all, he only obtained the
ability by chance after stealing a bag that contained light inside when he was in the
heavenly realm. Even if they also got the same kind of bag, them having the same
ability was unthinkable. Roland even said it manifested into one’s own personal magic
spell or Skill.
“Now, then… What to do?”

He didn’t feel like going out of town again today. Eating his sandwich at a rest area by
the main street, Hikaru pondered his next move. Besides him, there were housewives
who were in the middle of shopping, standing and chatting with each other, an errand
boy taking a nap, among others.

“I want to know more about this world. Roland’s knowledge is limited to things that
are noble-related. But before that…”

He stuffed the last piece of his sandwich into his mouth and stood up.

“Let’s find a different inn.”

Hikaru longed for an actual mattress.

While an inn with a master, a hostess, and a poster girl was enticing to him, Hikaru
shut the idea out of his mind. He probably wasn’t going to say in town long. Building
deep relationships with others would only make it harder to leave. It would dull his
judgment. He’d already gotten quite deep in his relationship with Jill (although pretty-
much one-sided), but there was nothing he could do about that since she worked at
the Adventurers Guild.

So he wound up at a business hotel. A five-storey building, it looked like a matchbox.

Every room was exactly the same, with only a bedroom. In this world, five stories was
actually high class. Plus he had his own private room. Although shared, the hotel also
had a steam room. It cost 1,000 gilans for a night; ten times the beginner adventurers’
inn he stayed at before.

“Are you really staying here, Sir?”

On the first floor’s reception desk was a woman wearing a uniform. She eyed Hikaru
suspiciously – or rather, with great interest. Twitching on top of her head were cat
ears. Her fluffy, light green hair hung gently and tied behind her back.

“1,000 gilans per night, right? For now, I’ll be staying for three nights.”

Hikaru took out 3,000 gilans and handed it to her. Blinking relentlessly, the cat-eared
girl took the money. Her ears twitched in rhythm with her blinks as well.

I’ve read a novel with a protagonist that was so obsessed with cat ears. How can he be
so hung up on them? Had he not touched a cat before in his life?

“You must be rich, Sir. You’re also wearing nice clothes.”

“Really? I’m glad you like it.”

Dodorono would surely love to hear that as well.

“Yes! So, there are a few things to remember in this hotel. You have your own room
and it’s soundproof as well. You may call for a woman, but she can’t stay for the night.
Okay?”

“…What did you just say?”

“I’m sorry, Sir. Do you prefer calling for men?”

“No.”

Seriously, first Jill, and now her. Where do they get that idea?

“Ah, do most guests stay here for that?”

“Yes. Isn’t that usually the case?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t really know what passes as “usual” around here (this world).”

“Guests call for me too, you know?”

“What?!”

For real?! You can call for the cat-eared receptionist?

His heartbeat started racing all of a sudden. It was hard to believe he was just
questioning what was so good about cat ears a second ago.

I mean, I’m technically a boy. Yes. It’s a natural reaction.

“Though I turn them down. Ahaha!”

“…O-Of course.”

“Are you getting flustered, Sir?”

“I’m not.”

Hikaru calmed his heart down.

Indeed. It’s not right to pay money for it. Not at all. Plus, I want my first to have me as
her first as well. It’s not because I don’t want my partner to find out I don’t have any
experience. Yup, definitely not. I just prefer it that way.

“Ah, but…”

She leaned forward and whispered into his ears.

“I might gladly say yes if you called for me, Sir.”

Hikaru almost handed her his whole wallet.

Money left: 1,830 (+7,500+α)

At first, Hikaru’s emotions were in a state of frenzy after hearing the cat-eared
woman’s words, but ultimately he managed to calm down when he realized she was
simply poking fun at him.

“For goodness sake…”

Hikaru left his belongings in the hotel room and went back out. The woman at the
front desk waved her hand at him as he left, wishing him a good day.

The sun still sat high in the sky. He was headed for the temple. The guild card’s job
class field showed Assassination God, Stealth God, etcera. If they were classified so
specifically, just how many gods were out there? He wanted an answer to that simple
question. Roland’s memories didn’t provide much information on the matter.

Incidentally, Roland’s class was “Wide Area Noble Blood Rescue God: Noblesse”. Most
young nobles had it apparently. In fact, if they didn’t have it, they get suspected of
being a bastard born out of wedlock.

Located in the center of town, the place seemed to be flourishing as the streets became
busier the closer Hikaru got to the temple. More shops lined the streets as well.

The temple was a dome-shaped structure that looked like a circus tent, with eight
entrances all around. It was uniquely built; using steel beams for its framework, stone
for its foundation, and the rest was made out of wood. It had several windows with
various gods engraved on them. One could enter through any entrance, so Hikaru just
followed the stream of people going inside.

“Whoa…”

As soon as he stepped in, a huge wall drew his attention. An image of a god facing
sideways and donning a robe with a pen in his right hand and a crystal ball in the other
was carved on it in high relief. It was a towering, five-meter tall sculpture.
[Wisdom God] was what the writing said. A preacher stood in front of it.

“It is said that the soul card was created by a researcher who was blessed by the
Wisdom God. It was such a powerful blessing that even now we still don’t know how
the card works. Unfortunately, the researcher passed away after he finished creating
the soul card system.”

Hikaru nodded. He wondered how the cards were so futuristic. Apparently a Wisdom
God class was behind its creation. It was a story from a long time ago the preacher
said.

Soaring high beside the Wisdom God was the Sun God, with the War God next to it. A
preacher stood in front of each, but what caught his attention were the weapons
carved beside the War God: A sword, great sword, short sword, short spear, long spear,
bow, throwing knife, shield, and armor. Nine kinds.

They were exactly the same weapons under the Soul Board’s Weapon Mastery Skill
tree. This can’t be a coincidence. The preacher’s speech was mostly aimed towards
those who studied the art of war. To put it short, his message was along the lines of “If
you devote yourself, the War God will be watching you. So work hard.”

But soldiers and adventurers listened intently to his speech. Hikaru didn’t get
anything he wanted to know so he waited until the preacher wasn’t too occupied
before approaching him.

“Hello there, young man. Is there something you want to ask me?”

He wholeheartedly welcomed Hikaru. It was apparent that not a lot of weak-looking

people asked him questions.

“I want to ask about the nine different weapons.”

“Haha. You want to know about the Nine Paths of the War God. Tell me, young man.
Which path are you studying?”

“Nine Paths?”

“Haha. So we have to start from there. The Nine Paths refer to the nine weapons that
the War God decreed after he mastered them.”
“Decreed? Decreed that these nine weapons were just and the rest were evil?”

“The other weapons weren’t exactly rejected, but it could be something like that. As
you may already know, the training halls in this town specialize in any of these nine
weapons.”

Hikaru simply gave a noncommittal nod.

“There’s one called Raybrig Swordsmanship Training Hall in town. It’s named after
Raybrig who was also known as a Master Swordsman. Other than that, there’s also the
Celestial Spearmanship Training Hall which is the best in the whole continent when it
comes to studying the long spear.”

“Do other weapons receive bonuses from one’s class?”

“Haha. You’re talking about the guild card. No, they don’t. While I have only limited
information, I have never heard of weapons other than those nine receiving holy
blessings.”

“I see. One last question, then. What basis did the War God have in choosing those nine
weapons?”

With another laugh, the preacher said…

“There’s no rhyme or reason to what a god does. There’s only the outcome.”

That was quite deep, Hikaru thought.

Hikaru went around the whole place to find only one or two-character gods being
worshipped in the temple. There was a board that told how the world was created, but
it contained a proviso that said there were various theories about it. As to how this
world worked, there were only speculations.

But I’m pretty sure gods exist here. After all, people receive blessings from their job
classes.

Apparently the class shown on a guild card was the owner’s way of saying that he
worshipped that particular god. It wasn’t that the card invoked the blessing, but rather
it was an instrument for the owner’s voice to reach the god. As a result, their Skills get
boosted; just like how Hikaru’s Stealth becomes more potent.

Is God the one who made this system? Now that’s interesting. My curiosity has been
piqued.

Hikaru was about to leave the temple when he heard two men talking.

“Are you sure? Has it been settled then?”

“So it seems. That means we’re getting dismissed, though.”

“Man, I just can’t accept this. You can barely call that an investigation”

Their voices sounded familiar to Hikaru.

The knights on patrol at Morgstad’s mansion!

He couldn’t help but follow them.

“The first to discover the body is the culprit? That’s just too simple.”

“Keep it down, you idiot. We can’t let others hear about this.”

“They’ll know soon anyway. They killed a big shot.”

What? They caught the culprit? Judging by their conversation, I think they’re talking
about Count Morgstad’s murderer.

The real culprit was right here.

Wait, did he say first to discover the body?

The first person to arrive after Morgstad was killed…

That girl.

The pale-skinned girl with the silver hair and blue eyes. Hikaru recalled how she
looked incredibly thin. Either that or it was her pajamas that made her look slim.
She’s being pinned for the murder? No way…

Hikaru was shook. The girl basically became his scapegoat.

“In any case, she’s getting transported to the capital. Our job is done.”

“Bullshit. Is that what why you went to the temple? To repent?”

“Not at all. We only did our jobs.”

“And I’m saying that’s bullshit.”

“Hikaru-kun?”

Someone called him from behind all of a sudden, causing him to jump about five
centimeters from surprise. He was walking through a crowded place so he had his
Stealth turned off.

“Jill-san…”

She wore a light green dress tied at the waist with a leather strap. On her collar was a
gorgeous beige scarf and she was carrying a bright white bag. It was Jill with her casual
attire, standing before him.

“I didn’t expect to see you here. Wait, were you actually following me? Oh, you sly little
kid!”

“You’re the one who called out to me.”

“Anyway, thanks for treating me. Excuse me! I’ll have the sweet peach parfait and reishi
tea. “

“What are you—”

“What? I can order whatever I want, right?”

“…Yeah.”
Hikaru ordered water which cost 10 gilans. They were in a cafe. He was surprised
when Jill called out to him and by the time he snapped back to his senses, he’d already
lost sight of the two knights. They were most likely in Morgstad’s mansion. He wanted
to hear more about what they were talking about.

There was something he wanted to ask Jill. He treated her to food as payment for
information. She then led him to an open terrace cafe that she herself recommended.

Jill was humming to herself. For some reason she was in a great mood. This whole
thing was more like Hikaru making a bargain, though. A give and take, so to speak.

I suppose it’ll be easier to get answers from her if she’s in a good mood…

The parfait and tea cost 120 and 30 gilans, respectively. In order to get the information
he needed, it was a small price to pay… small price… he hoped.

“All right. I have two questions.”

“Really?”

“What do you mean, “Really”? I told you I wanted to ask you something.”

“I thought that was only an excuse to invite me for tea.”

Hikaru closed his eyes, thumb pressing on his temples. My head’s starting to hurt.

“I see. I thought it was strange for you to ask me out for tea out of the blue. “

“Why are you upset all of a sudden?!”

“No reason. Oh, excuse me! I’d like a green apple pie as well.”

“Why are you ordering more?!”

“Why, it’s payment for the information you want, of course.”

“…guh”

That was 90 more gilans out the window.

“So what did you want to ask about?”

Her mood had clearly turned sour. Hikaru could not understand how her mind worked
at all. But then he remembered that Jill was the type whose mood changed too
frequently.

“It’s about Unken. He’s the guildmaster, isn’t he?”

“Did he tell you that himself?”

“He insisted he was only a butcher.”

“He’s a butcher, then. He’ll get mad if I said something.”

“In other words, he has that much power over you. So he is the guildmaster.”

“Jeez. Can you stop being so crafty? I really don’t like it.”

Hikaru gave a shrug.

“So did you want to ask who the guildmaster is?”

“No, that’s not it. From what I’ve seen, he’s quite strong. What kind of a person is he?”

“Hmm… I only heard rumors.”

“That’s fine. Shoot.”

His water arrived and he gulped it down. It was warm. The man who brought the water
glared at him, his eyes saying “How dare you bring a pretty girl with you, brat?!”

Apparently every man was just like the adventurers, simple-minded. Hikaru let out a
small sigh.

“They say Unken-san wasn’t an adventurer.”

“…Come again?”

“Apparently he worked at a public organization.”

Hikaru didn’t expect the answer he got. He assumed that after retiring from being an
adventurer, Unken then worked for the Adventurers Guild. And since he was a
guildmaster, all the more reason to believe that was the case. On top of that, he knew
how to dissect animals.

“But after finishing a huge job there, he retired and worked for the Adventurers Guild.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa… Who the heck is he? What kind of job was it?”

“…I really don’t want to talk about this, but…” Jill said, pointing at the menu.

It was something called a Twin Tornado Juice that cost a whopping 150 gilans.

“Fine. Go ahead.”

Man, I shouldn’t have paid for three nights in advance. I should’ve taken that 7,500 gilans
from Unken as well. There were some fine notes written on the menu but he didn’t feel
like reading them. He just wanted Jill to order quick and get it done with.

“Can I?! Really?! Like really, really?!”

“A man doesn’t go back on his words.”

“Hurray! You’re a real man! I really wanted to try this one.”

Overjoyed, Jill ordered more. The man from before was staring daggers at Hikaru.
What the hell is that guy’s problem? Sheesh.

“So anyway. Continue.”

“Ah, right. You can’t tell anyone about this, okay?”

“Okay.”

“You promise? If you tell anyone, I’ll secretly place a penalty on your guild card.”

“I promise. Wait, you can do that?! You better not!”

“Unken-san was probably…”

Jill murmured in a low whisper.

“…a spy or assassin under the king’s direct control. I think.”

“I see. And?”

“………”

“And?”

“…What’s with the weak reaction? I was so tense when I said it!”

“I mean, I imagined that was the case. Please continue. There’s a reason you think he
was a spy or assassin, correct?”

“Well…”

A waiter brought the sweet peach parfait and Jill started on it. It looked like jellified
peach; apparently it was all nectar. Cut into cubes and dressed in fresh cream. The
reishi tea, incidentally, was light green. It looks like Japan’s green tea to me.

Too sweet… I’m surprised she can eat all that.

Hikaru felt like he was watching something incredible.

“They say Unken-san came to the guild around fifty years ago.”

“Ah, well he is old. A Man Gnome, is that right?”

“Yes. He finished this huge task at his previous job a little over fifty years ago as well.”

“Ahuh.”

“That was around the time when Ponsonia’s neighboring country, the Quinbland
Empire, had someone else succeed the throne. Before then the Emperor was Balzard,
a tyrant. According to rumors, he was assassinated.”

“………”

“I would have thought nothing about it if that was all, but apparently Balzard declared
that he was going to destroy Ponsonia. At that time the kingdom was weak from an
outbreak of plague. There’s no doubt that Ponsonia wanted to assassinate Balzard the
most.”

“…So all the circumstantial evidence fit the theory perfectly.”

“Yeah. Once when I delivered some documents to Unken-san’s room, I saw an old note
on his desk. It was a thank-you letter from the king. He left it there as he went out for
a bit and came back right as I took a quick peek at it. He was fuming and was like “Did
you see?!” So I couldn’t ask any more about the letter.”

“I see. There are only a few cases where a king would personally send a thank-you
letter to someone. Usually it would be the prime minister, agency heads, or an
aristocrat. Generally, a king would only send a letter of appreciation signed by him
personally to someone who accomplished significant feat in a war.”

“Yes, exactly! Wait, why do you even know that?”

“I had a friend who was a noble.”

“Hmm… Okay.”

He wasn’t lying, though it didn’t seem Jill was that interested.

Jill’s guess might not be that far off the mark. There’s a bit of information about the
neighboring country in Roland’s memories. The current emperor is a very nice person
and has built friendly relations with Ponsonia. The previous emperor, however, was a
tyrant.

“So that means Unken is a national hero…”

“Yeah. Isn’t that amazing?”

After finishing the parfait, Jill dug into the green apple pie.

“Hmm! Delicious! Nothing beats stress like sweet food!”

“…I-I’m glad you’re happy.”

I don’t think I can finish all that on my own.

A national hero? With those Skill levels? Wait, fifty years ago means he would be 151
years old back then. Even amassed with knowledge and experience, could he really do it?
I’ve allocated more points to my Stealth-related Skills than Unken. Does that mean I’m
fit to be an assassin? Still… is it even possible to kill an emperor?

Hikaru thought that if he knew how strong Unken was, he could gauge his own
strength as well. But now he was just getting more and more confused.

“All right. I have one more question.”

“Ask away. Oh, but you can’t ask about my address, okay?”

Eating seemed to have helped improve her mood as Jill was now welcoming questions.

“…I’m not gonna ask you that.”

“What? You’re not?”

“Do you want me to ask or no? Make up your mind for god’s sake! Whatever. What I
wanted to ask is…”

For a moment, Hikaru hesitated, not sure how to ask the question, then decided to just
get straight to the point.

“I heard the culprit behind Sir Morgstad’s murder has been captured. Is that true?”
Jill’s hands froze as she was cutting the pie with a knife.

“…Where’d you hear that?”

“Some people were talking about it.”

“No, no, no, that’s impossible! Like I said before, Morgstad’s murder is highly classified
information!”

“Apparently the culprit is a young girl.”

“………”

This time Jill was speechless, her mouth agape.

“…Well?”

“I can’t say.”

“Here’s the menu. What do you want to eat?”

“There are just some things that you can and cannot say. I can’t say any more as it
would be a violation of confidentiality.”

“What, you think I’m going to misuse the information?”

“I’m sorry…”

“…No, I should be the one apologizing. That wasn’t fair. You’re answering my questions
out of goodwill. It would be awful if you were punished because of it.”

All right, now what? Hikaru thought as he leaned back on his chair.
(If she’s not going to tell me any more, I just have to sneak into the mansion…)

“Why do you want to know? This is indeed big news, but you wouldn’t normally care
about a Count being killed, right?”

“Because…”

“Hikaru-kun. I’m guessing you’re a son of a wealthy family who ran away from home
on a whim and decided to become an adventurer so he could survive. Am I right?”

“…I suppose. Yeah, something like that. I don’t have any other means to survive.”

That, and he didn’t really have a home to return to.

“Does your family have connections with Count Morgstad?”

“No. None at all.”

“Then why do you care so much?”

I screwed up, Hikaru thought deep inside. Morgstad’s death was much more confidential
than he imagined.

“My friend… went through a lot.”

“…Your friend?”

“Yeah. You could say he was oppressed by Count Morgstad. So I want to know whether
he’s alive or not.”

“………”

Jill stared at Hikaru, studying him. He thought about staring back, then stopped. If I
remember correctly, a person who lies does either of two things: First, they don’t look at
the one they’re lying to – they can’t. Second is they try too hard to convince the other
person that they’re not lying by staring back intently.

Hikaru looked her in the eyes for just a moment and gave a small nod. He then downed
some water.
“…I don’t feel any malice in your words.”

Oh, right. Jill did mention being sensitive to the emotions that people hide. There was
probably no need for him to pretend.

“It’s going to be public anyway so I guess I can tell you this… Three days from now, a
certain someone will be transported to the royal capital. That’s all I can say about the
matter.” Jill said with a sigh.

A certain someone… the culprit. It’s that girl, all right. Three days from now… The fact
that the Adventurers Guild know about that means…

“Don’t tell me… adventurers will be the convoy? Why—”

Jill’s kept her attention on the food as if to say “I’m not telling you anything else”. She
deftly cut the pie in bite-sized pieces and stuffed herself — each movement extremely
smooth and precise like some professional craftsman.

There were knights in the Count’s mansion who are much higher-ranked than the
common soldier. So why would they hire adventurers to be the convoy? There’s gotta be
more to this…

In the meantime, the Twin Tornado Juice arrived, its container shaped like a round
melon and made of metal, with two straws sticking out of it. Two straws.

“Here you go.”

“…Hmm?”

“Come on.”

“Wait, what? There’s two straws on this thing!”

“Yes. It’s called “twin” for a reason.”

“No, no, no, no, no.”

It’s a drink for couples! Stuff that cheesy lovebirds drink! Jill seemed to be embarrassed
too as her cheeks turned red.
“I told you I’ve been wanting to try it, but I didn’t have anyone to drink it with!”

“You’ve got all those men after you. Just choose from any of them!”

“Like. I. Said. I can see their motives clearly!”

“Ah, makes sense.”

Hikaru finally understood.

She sees me as someone completely harmless.

“All right. Let’s have a drink, then. But you go first. Once you’ve had enough, I’ll finish
the rest.”

“………”

“Don’t tell me you actually want us to drink it at the same time—”

“O-Of course not! Don’t be so full of yourself!”

Jill started sipping the drink, pulling it closer to her as if to take it all for herself.

“So good. Ugh, darn it!”

In the end, she finished it all on her own.

Money left: 1,430 gilans (+7,500+α)

Later that day – almost midnight.

A boy in a black outfit appeared in front of Count Morgstad’s residence. Hikaru. He left
his cloak as it would only be a hindrance if it got caught in something. On his face was
something he’d never worn before.

A mask.

Made out of thin, metallic plate, they were sold at the temple. Each mask was modelled
after different famous gods – the Sun God, War God, Commerce God – and cost only
ten gilans.

Hikaru bought a Sun God mask, dull silver in color with a sharp jawline, and thin
eyebrows that stretched to the sides. The carving wasn’t deep so it was perfect for his
face. It had holes on the eyes and nose, though Hikaru added another one on the mouth
for him to breathe out of.

“All righty, then. I guess I just have to go through the front again.”

Hikaru intended to save the girl. She showed him an escape route after he finished
killing Morgstad. He had no idea why she did that.

“…I don’t like the idea of her being accused for the murder instead of me.”

He had no idea what was going on behind the scenes. Even if he wanted to investigate
the matter, he had no connections. Asking the guards directly would only bring
suspicion on him. As a matter of fact, Hikaru sneaked into the guards’ station in town
to eavesdrop but he came up empty. Most of their conversations were about alcohol,
gambling, and women. They complained about their superiors as well.

“My legs feel like lead…”

He was exhausted. Hikaru wasn’t used to walking around for a whole day. While he
wanted to add more points to his Stamina or Strength, he had none at the moment.
But he did gain something. The girl wasn’t in the Public Safety Investigation Agency’s
custody – an organization similar to the Japan police. She wasn’t in the guard’s station
either. There was a high chance of her being kept inside the Count’s residence.

The front gate was locked, but the side entrance wasn’t. A guard stationed at the
entrance didn’t notice Hikaru at all as he passed by. The last time he came here, it was
raining. Today, the pale – a lot paler than on Earth – light of the moon shone on the
mansion.

“Hm.”

The front door, which he used last time to enter, was locked.

“…Of course. Someone was assassinated recently. Security will be a lot tighter.”

Hikaru’s mouth curved into a grin.

“But my Stealth’s level has gotten higher as well.”

He’s already set the class on his guild card to Stealth God: Darkness Wanderer. Hikaru
circled the building. Wooden boards covered the windows. He would have to remove
them if necessary and break the glass windows inside as they had bolts, albeit simple
ones. As much as possible, though, he didn’t want to leave traces behind.

“…Wait, what’s that?”

Hikaru caught sight of a slightly-opened back door. The stream of light coming from
within revealed a man and woman standing by it.

“Are you leaving already?”

“I need to go back to the capital once my mission is over.”

“I’ll be lonely.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to send you letters.”

The man’s face wasn’t familiar to Hikaru, but judging by the uniform and the sword
hanging from his waist, he was a knight. And the woman was a maid.

…Right. The knights in this place were hired by the Count against their will. As such, they
really don’t have much motivation. But still you shouldn’t hit on the maids. That’s why
the mansion’s owner got assassinated. You’re not doing your jobs properly.

Hikaru slowly walked past them and slipped inside through the open back door. As
soon as he opened it, the sudden brightness from within caused the two of them to
jump and run to the darkness. They probably thought someone was coming from
inside. Hikaru was standing there, though, but they couldn’t see him.

Man, this Stealth God class really is incredible.

Inside he spotted a storage room with a kitchen beside it. Only a dim lamp was lit, with
no one around. Hikaru steadily advanced forward. He didn’t need to worry about
minor stuff with his Stealth on. His first stop was Count Morgstad’s room on the second
floor.

The door was locked.

No good. I could make easy progress if I had Skills like Unlock or Trap Deactivate.
Unfortunately, I didn’t see any of those in my Soul Board.

Either way he had no points to spend.

He pressed his ears on the wall but heard nothing. After checking to see no one was
on the corridor besides him, he knocked on the door.

“…Guess no one’s inside.”

There was no response. He then checked the next room. Empty. There was, however,
someone in the next room.

A woman.

Hikaru caught the smell of perfume the moment he entered the room. A woman lay on
a gorgeous canopy bed. She seemed gaudy, with clear, distinct features. She was fast
asleep.

The Count’s wife… Nah, she’s too young.

Rings and necklaces were scattered on the dresser.

A mistress? Or perhaps a second wife?

He took one of the rings. It had a gem on it, though it was too dark to ascertain its color.

I can easily steal this, but it’ll probably get traced back if I sell it. All the more so if it’s
expensive.

When Hikaru decided to make money, he considered stealing from wicked people like
Robin Hood. But there were three reasons as to why he couldn’t:

1. He couldn’t unlock vaults.

2. He couldn’t sell precious jewelry as it could be traced back to him.
3. Even if he could steal money, large amounts of coins would be too heavy for him to
carry.
If it was only small amounts, he could just earn them from the Adventurers Guild and
he wouldn’t have to risk himself by stealing.

He asked Jill while she was busy sipping her Twin Tornado Juice about Item Boxes or
Dimension Storages which could help him carry lots of coins, but her answer was:

“I think those are natural treasures from some other country.”

Apparently they were not things one could buy in the market. If stuff like that were
circulated, there would’ve been a huge revolution similar to the IT Revolution on
Earth. This world could then develop into an advanced society that he’d only seen and
read in science fiction. But clearly that wasn’t the case. Merchants transported goods
by wagons and hired people to carry heavier packages.

The technology behind the soul card system that the man with the Wisdom God class
created was clearly a special case – something beyond current capabilities.

Stealing was not an option. Hikaru returned the ring and stepped back out into the
corridor. After checking the other rooms, there was only one that was unusual.

Books…

By the wall was a bookshelf filled with books, most of which were adventure stories.
Judging from the size of the bed and the fanciness of the interior design, Hikaru
guessed it belonged to a teenager.

Maybe it’s that girls’ room.

He opened the wardrobe and found familiar pajamas.

I knew it… Holy…!

Underneath were striped underwear. There was a loud bang as he quickly closed the
wardrobe.

Oh, shit!

He trotted to the shadows behind the bed to hide.

“Is someone here?”

Instantly the door opened. A man with a magic lamp, which seemed to work like a
flashlight, entered. He pointed the light through the entire room, barely inches away
from touching Hikaru’s toes.

“…Oh, a book just fell.” he muttered to himself and left.

It’s that knight. The one who was displeased about the girl being charged for murder.

“He sure is hardworking.”

Hikaru left the girl’s room.

There wasn’t anything noteworthy on the second floor so he went back down to the
first. As soon as he did, he heard the sound of people arguing.

“Now’s not the time for this. It’s simply improper.”

“You’re just too serious, East.”

The voices came from the direction of the back door. The knight who entered the girl’s
room caught the other knight with the maid as they came back from outside.

“Our mission is still not over.”

“We’ll be heading back after our job. I was just saying my goodbyes now.”

“Do that when we’re off-duty.”

“All right, fine. You can have all the credit for this bodyguard mission.”

“What does that have to do with anything? Besides, what I’m saying is…”

Not caring less about their arguing, Hikaru explored the first floor. Several servants
seemed to have been woken up by the ruckus as they were headed in his direction. He
hid himself in a room. After letting them pass, Hikaru himself made his way deeper
into the mansion.

Not this one. This looks like a servants’ room… Hmm?

Hikaru spotted a set of stairs that led down to the basement at the end of the hall.
Beside it was a knight – the one that was at the temple with East – sitting still, asleep.

This is a great opportunity.

A bunch of keys dangled from the knight’s waist. A leather strap was tied to a metal
ring that held five keys together. Hikaru drew closer and tried to untie the strap.

What the… it’s too tight. I can’t untie it. Where’s it even connected to?

He checked to see that the strap went through the knight’s pants. He felt hopeless.

Do I have to shove my hand in there? No, wait. Maybe the door is not actually locked.

Clinging to a slim chance, Hikaru went down the stairs and found an iron door. It was
locked, of course.

Saw that coming…

He climbed back up.

How do I take it out? Pull it by force? Nah, that’ll wake him up. Cut the strap, then? Sounds
like a good idea. Although, if I failed to save the girl tonight, security would be tightened
even more the next day. I could copy the shape of the keys with some clay. How long would
it take to make a duplicate? There’s five keys too. If I asked someone to duplicate them
all at once, would they suspect me and think something’s up?

“Hey, wake up. What are you doing, sleeping on the job?”

The knight arguing with East woke up the sleeping knight. Hikaru quickly hid himself
behind the stairs, in the shadows.

“Hmm? Oh, I fell asleep, huh? “

“Hehehe. You’re gonna get it from East.”

“Don’t tell him. Please!”

“All right, all right. So, how’s the girl doing?”

“Oh, I actually haven’t checked on her tonight.”

“Hey, now. That doesn’t sound good. We have to check on her.”

“Let’s go, then.”

Sluggishly, the knight stood up and started walking towards Hikaru.

What the…

He turned pale as a sheet. This is bad. The stairwell — wide enough for one person at
a time — turned left halfway, but it was a direct path with only a door at the end and
no places to hide. In other words, he’d get busted.

Crap. What do I do?

For the time being, Hikaru headed down the stairs, turned left and held his breath.

“Haa… my body gets dull when I’m doing nothing.”

“You should’ve come with me. Late night workouts with maids are fun, you know?”

“Please. I have a wife and a kid.”

Slowly, they went down the stairs.

I screwed up. I shouldn’t have checked this dead-end place. Now I’m cornered. Damn it…
No, now’s not the time to regret my actions. I have to think of a way out of this.

A certain word sprang up in the back of Hikaru’s mind.

<Assassination> When the user attacks without the target noticing, the attack will
have a lethal effect. Max: 3.

Anyone going down can’t see me here. I can therefore “attack without the target noticing”.

He grasped his Dagger of Strength tightly.

I’ll kill the one in front first. Fortunately they’re wearing plain clothes, not armor. He
shouldn’t make much of a noise either. Then I’m gonna hide behind his body and pull it
this way. The knight behind him will have no idea what happened and when he checks…

I’ll kill him as well.

His heart pounded in his chest. These were innocent men. But now he had to kill them
because of his blunder.

“Man, when I think about how our work in Pond will soon be over…”

“What, you find it hard to leave?”

Doubt. Could he really do it?

Uncertainty. Would it go well?
Guilt. Could he really kill innocent people?

“No, you idiot. I feel relieved.”

“You can say that again.”

With sweaty palms, he gripped his dagger tight. Three more steps.

“Let’s drink all night at a bar once we get back—”

Now.

“Sir Knight!”

The moment Hikaru jumped out, a woman’s voice rang out.

“What’s the meaning of this?! Sir East told me you sometimes hit on girls at bars and
stay with them overnight!”

“What? Ah, I, uhh… what are you talking about?”

“Was he lying?! Or you?!”

“Wait, wait. Hold on. Calm down. Just put the knife down, okay?”

It was the maid from earlier. One knight climbed back up the stairs.
“Whoa, whoa… She found out about your two-timing?”

The other knight followed.

…They’re gone…

Feeling every bit of strength leave his body, Hikaru flopped down on the spot. He was
drenched in sweat, breathing heavily.

“I can’t afford to rest now. I’ll just end up in the same situation.”

Whipping his limp body back into life, Hikaru climbed back up the stairs.

“I can’t believe it!”

“You’re the only one I love! It’s true!”

The knight and maid the knife were arguing. The other guy with the keys followed
them, leaving one key on his chair before approaching the maid. He probably removed
it from the bunch to open the door below.

Now’s my chance.

Hikaru jumped out from the stairwell and took the key. No one noticed him as he did.
He went back down the stairs, used the key, and pushed the iron door open. After
checking to see it could be locked from inside, he stuck a towel under it so it would
stay open. He then went back up and left the key on the chair.

“Stop swinging that knife around. It’s dangerous.”

“Hey, this is getting serious.”

“Waaaaaahhhh!”

It sounded like the commotion would not be dying down anytime soon. Hikaru went
back down and entered the room with the iron door. He heaved a deep sigh of relief.
That was so close. He reflected on his carelessness and his lack of resolve.

There’s a chance I’ll have to kill innocent people in the future… What do I do then? Should
I prepare myself to kill?
…No. If I started killing people for superficial reasons, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop. If
someone annoyed me, I’d probably think “I can just kill this guy”. I’ll have to put in every
bit of effort so that I won’t kill unnecessarily. Every bit of effort. I would have to take
every possibility into consideration beforehand and be as attentive as possible when I’m
on the job.

All right. Here we go.

He quickly switched gears.

I can reflect on things properly later. Right now, I’m in the middle of something.

It was a storage room. Sacks and wooden crates – their contents Hikaru had no idea –
were cluttered about. From where he stood, Hikaru could see iron bars farther inside
the room. Ancient letters were carved into them, emitting pale light. A magic seal.

A prison. An extremely solid one. The inside was well-ordered, however. A painting
hung by the wall. The cell was furnished with a chair with a cushioned seat, a bed that
looked to be of better quality than what Hikaru had in his hotel room, and a table with
piles of books on top. Adventure novels.

“…Is someone there?”

Behind the bars was a girl with silver hair and blue eyes.
Her long, neatly-trimmed silver hair reached just above her petite bosom. She had
forelocks brushed to the right side of her face and underneath them, blue eyes – as
blue as a serene lake found deep inside the mountains – peered at Hikaru.

She’s beautiful.

Her beauty was out of this world. It was dark the night he killed Count Morgstad and
he didn’t have the time to examine her closely.

Unlike back then, she wasn’t wearing her pajamas, but a dress as red as wine. It
appeared she was reading under the dim, orange light of a magic lamp.

Hikaru’s face was well-hidden behind the Sun God mask he had on. He turned his
Stealth off. He couldn’t be bothered to take out his guild card to change his class,
though.

“I’ve come… to save you.”

He seemingly appeared out of nowhere, causing the girl to give a start.

“Who are you…?”

“…The one you saved.”

“I see. The one who killed the Count.”

I didn’t expect her to guess it right that quick. Though I suppose it’s not that surprising.
Even if she didn’t see my face, I’m sure she could tell by my build.

“…Thank you for coming to save me. But I can’t get out from here.”

“Is this a magic prison?”

“Yes, that is correct. This magic prison was built by the Alchemists Guild’s guildmaster.
He’s the only one who can open it.” she said indifferently, in a small voice as clear as a
bell, yet seemingly devoid of emotion.

She was inside a cell, and the real culprit stood before her. Yet she was as calm as she
could get.

Did she simply give up? Or maybe she has no emotion at all in the first place… Yeah, right.

“…I see. I never thought the key would be a living person.”

“It’ll open if you kill the guildmaster. But you can’t do that.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because your heart is pure. You can’t kill innocent people.”

“The guildmaster could be someone wicked who deserves to die.”

“No, he’s a good man. Earnest and sincere, he seeks the truth behind magic.”

“Don’t you want to get out of here? You saved me. I have a reason to help you. If you
wish to be free—”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve already achieved my goal.”

For the first time, Hikaru felt her heart waver.

“Because you killed that man for me.”

He saw emotions from her — relief, as if she had found repose in the death of the
Count.

“…Sounds like a lot of people didn’t like that guy.”

“Very few liked him.”

“He was that horrible, huh?”

“Just the thought of his blood running in my veins makes me want to die.”

Hikaru finally realized…

“You’re Count Morgstad’s… daughter?”

…that he killed the girl’s father.

“Yes, in a technical sense.”

“………”

“Please don’t look at me like that. Did your parents lock you up inside your house? I
wonder how long it has been since the last time I was outside. I haven’t been out since
we moved here, so I guess four years?”

“Wha—”

She was placed under house arrest by her own father? Why? The questions swirled
about in Hikaru’s head.

“He feared me. But he couldn’t dispose of me because I was valuable to him.” she said,
as though answering Hikaru’s question before he could even ask.

Dispose? Hikaru thought her choice of words was probably something she picked up
from Morgstad in their everyday interactions.

“Why do you think the Alchemists Guild’s guildmaster had to personally come to build
the magic prison?”

Hikaru gulped. Pale, blue light – almost as blue as her eyes – gathered around her. The
air’s density changed, making it hard to breathe.

“Because I can use extraordinary magic — magic that only knows how to destroy.”

The light vanished. Hikaru’s body felt lighter, his back soaked in sweat. He had his
Mana Detection on so he knew that was a mass of pure magical power just now.
Incredible amount of mana filled the whole cell – so much so that her body seemed to
have vanished. He wanted to check her Soul Board, but he couldn’t bring it out.

Must be the cell… Tsk.

The moment he tried to summon her Soul Board, the blue runes on the cell started
glowing. He was being jammed. The girl’s magic was completely shut down as well.
Not just the iron bars; the walls, floor, and the ceiling all had ancient markings. Yet
even the air around Hikaru, who was standing outside of the prison, changed. That’s
some incredible power right there.

“Thank you for coming all the way here. I never thought anyone — much less the actual
culprit — would come to save me.”

“Who made you out to be the murderer?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does. There’s just too much stuff I don’t understand. Don’t you hate your own
power? Then why did you show it to me?”

She tilted her head slightly and smiled.

“You asked who pinned the murder to me. There’s the clue to your question’s answer.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll soon be transported to the royal capital for murder. His Majesty will then show my
power to his retainers. Once the kingdom knows about it, I’ll be added to the
expeditionary force under the pretense of atoning for the murder of my own father.
They’ll turn me into a killing machine, killing endlessly in the front lines of war. I’ll be
known as a mass murderer who killed her father and since that’ll be a blemish on the
kingdom’s reputation, my whole existence will be buried in darkness.”

“Wait, so you’re saying… that the one who pinned the murder on you…”

Hikaru licked his lips.

“…is the King.”

“Since you’re concerned about me, I wanted to at least let you know.” she said, neither
affirming nor denying Hikaru’s statement.

She smiled – a smile of satisfaction from being able to let it all out.

“………”

So fragile, Hikaru thought. How could this girl be so fragile? How could she give up on
life so easily?

“Thank you for coming here tonight. Patrols should be here soon so you should go
home… And don’t come back. It’s dangerous.”

They lived in completely different worlds. Hikaru was estranged from his family too.
He was more or less aware of his cynical side as he grew up. But what about her? Not
only had she not felt a parent’s love, she was treated as a tool, and with great caution
at that.

She doesn’t wish to live freely because she thinks she’s only a tool? She doesn’t want a life
of her own?

No.

The girl’s hands, pressed together, were shaking ever so slightly.

Hikaru removed his mask. She stared at his face, a bit surprised. His appearance had
changed a little since she saw him that fateful night. Once blonde with blue eyes, his
hair and eyes were now completely black.

“…I wanna know your name.” Hikaru said as he held her gaze.

“It’s a name that’s easy to forget. You don’t need to know—”

“I’m Hikaru.”

“………”

She’d given up on life? Not at all. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.

“Tell me your name.”

If she did, her hands wouldn’t be shaking.
If she did, she wouldn’t be reading adventure novels.
If she did, she wouldn’t be reluctant to give her name.
She was scared that if she gave her name, she’d give herself false hopes.

“…My name is Lavia D. Morgstad… No, it’s Lavia. Just Lavia.”

If she did give up, then why were her cheeks wet?

“Lavia, I swear I’ll—”

“No.” she said, raising her voice almost to a yell.

“Don’t say any more. If you do, I’ll hope. If I started hoping, I won’t be able to stop. I
was fortunate enough that the man who tied me down died. I can’t wish for any more
than that.”

Hikaru simply went on, however.

“I swear I’ll save you.”

Tears overflowed, streaming down her face.

“No. Don’t say it.”

Lavia was prepared for a life of darkness. But a hand stretched out to her and the dam
on her heart that kept all her emotions probably burst open.

“You’re right. I can’t bring myself to kill innocent men. So I won’t kill anyone. I’ll help
you escape without shedding blood. The opportunity will come when you’re being
transported to the capital by adventurers three days from now.”

She didn’t answer. Tears not stopping, she just kept on crying. Hikaru held out his
hand. He felt some sort of a barrier around the cell and pressed his palm on it.

“They say I’m arrogant. I’m too confident in myself. I believe I can pull off what I just
said. Whether you wish for it or not, I will save you. I will intervene with your life…
just like how I came into your life all of a sudden and killed your father…”

Lavia staggered toward him. On the other side of the invisible barrier, she pressed her
hands on top of Hikaru’s.

“Can I believe in you? I’m an extremely heavy burden.”

“It’s okay.”

“If you save me, I’ll give you my everything.”

“It’s okay. You saved my life first. I can’t just sit by and let you die without even returning
the favor.”

The door swung open and two knights stepped into the room. The guy who was
sleeping and East.

“Ah, for god’s sake. I didn’t expect to run into that sort of trouble when I came here.”

“That’s what you get for goofing off while on duty.”

“Now, now. Let’s not get too grumpy. Oh, the lady is fast asleep.”
Lavia lay on her bed with her back turned to them.

“………”

“What’s wrong, East?”

“She’s usually reading books at this hour.”

“She must be exhausted.”

“…I guess.”

“You worry about her too much.”

“How could I not worry about her?”

The two of them didn’t notice that the girl who had her back turned was still awake,
her eyes red from weeping. She didn’t want them to see.

They also failed to notice a boy behind them as he slipped out of the basement storage
room.

Time left before the execution of the escape plan: three days.

Money left: 1,390 gilans (+7,500+α)

Hikaru woke up early the next morning. He didn’t have enough sleep and the fatigue
from walking all over the place yesterday hadn’t been alleviated.

“…I made the right choice in moving to a hotel. I can relax in my own room and my
body feels a lot more comfortable on a bed.”

He had never stayed in a hotel once when he was in Japan, but he had some knowledge
about it. When Hikaru first entered his room, his first thought was “I see. So it’s like
this.”

There weren’t, however, any modular bathrooms or television. The corridors didn’t
have vending machines – card or not – and laundromats, either.

“Have a good day~!” the cat-eared receptionist said as she waved goodbye.

…Is she here 24/7? Hikaru thought, but it was really none of his concern so he simply
strode out of the hotel.

He was about to head for breakfast when…

“………”

“………”

Not again. The hotdog stand owner was staring at him once again.

“It’s 30 gilans.”

“Your hotdog better be good this time.”

It had red ketchup and mustard with no grains. Here goes nothing… Hikaru took a bite.

“?!”
His eyes grew wide.

“W-Well?! How’s the taste?!”

“…Bland”

“What?”

“Why’s the ketchup watery?! This is worse than just being a bit mild!”

The hotdog tasted extremely bland. While fully disappointed, he already bought it.
After finishing it, Hikaru left the hotdog stand. The owner had a sullen look on his face
as his shoulders dropped despondently.

Hikaru made his way outside town, not the Adventurers Guild. He knew what he had
to do.

First I need money.

It was always good to have money. He might need to spend some to save Lavia. His
problem now was: it was the King that pinned the murder on her. While it was only
her guess, Hikaru thought it held some weight. It was certainly plausible. After all, it
was a Count that was killed. The murder of one of the top thirty influential people in
the kingdom of Ponsonia. The culprit was found in just two to three days. Lavia
couldn’t have confessed to it herself, so it must’ve been someone’s idea – someone
from those thirty people.

It doesn’t really matter who we’re up against. I swear I’ll let her escape.

The truth is Hikaru had a chance to succeed. She will be transported the day after
tomorrow. It would all come down to his preparations today and tomorrow. One of
those is to make some money.

There you are.

The fastest way to make money was to hunt Red-horned Rabbits. Fifteen minutes after
leaving town, he spotted one. One thrust from Hikaru’s Dagger of Strength took the
creature’s life away. He felt a lot less guilt than yesterday.
I guess it’s all about getting used to it.

He stared at the blood-stained dagger, its blade covered in fat which he wiped off with
a rag.

I’m sure killing humans is the same. You need to have a strong mind to control yourself.

Because of his blunder last night, he thought about killing the knights. It was pure luck
that it all worked out fine in the end, but there was no guarantee that he’d be as lucky
next time. In fact, he had to consider the possibility of ending up in a much tougher
situation. After a lot of pondering, he made a few rules for himself.

1. If he concluded that someone must be killed, then he would do it without hesitation.

2. He should be fully prepared before Stealth infiltrations. There was no such thing as
being too prepared.

3. Perform simulations of plans. He would not use the words “play it by ear”.

This was where his Stealth Skill came in – perfect for gathering information without
much risk. How could he not put it to good use?

It’s my best weapon, after all…

“Hmm?!”

By the time Hikaru killed his third Red-horned Rabbit for the day, he felt something.

“Wh-What’s going on?!”

His body was getting hotter. He trembled so much he wanted to just run.

“This is… the same sensation from when I killed the Count.”

It settled down after about ten seconds. Hikaru opened his Soul Board.

<Soul Board> Hikaru

Age: 15 Count Rank: 5
1

“I knew it. My soul’s rank increased.”

He didn’t know how many living things he had to kill before his rank increased. From
what he’d gathered so far, novice adventurers in their teens had a rank below ten.
Those in their twenties had ranks between ten and twenty and people in their thirties
had at most twenty-five. So Unken’s 51 was quite high. It most likely gets tougher to
increase rank the higher you go, but I guess that makes sense.

“…So even killing Red-horned Rabbits increases one’s rank, huh? I wonder how much
higher I can go in these two days…”

As part of his preparations, he had other things to do in the next two days: Gather
information about the adventurers part of the convoy and getting levels. A person got
one point every time their rank went up. Depending on how they use it, even one point
could hold much power.

“I’ve already made up my mind to put the first point on this.”

Hikaru navigated through his Soul Board.

<Physical Strength>
…<Strength> 1
…<Weapon Mastery>

“How’s this?”

Hikaru’s sack with two Red-horned Rabbits was too heavy for him. He already
struggled to carry one that didn’t have its innards removed. But going to the guild and
back every time he killed one would be a waste of time. Every second counted right
now. If there was a shortcut to efficiency, it would be to increase his Strength.

“…Wait, what?”

The Red-horned Rabbit he killed just now was short and round, as big as two
watermelons put together. Yet he managed to lift it with just one hand.

“It’s light… holy cow…”

One point gives this much difference, huh? He recalled Zernenko’s Soul Board which
had 3 points in Strength. Jill mentioned he was quite strong. It made sense now.

“Unken had 9 points I think…”

What kind of a world is this?

“Uh, now’s not the time to think about that. Let’s head back.”

It was already nearing noon. Carrying three Red-horned Rabbits, Hikaru headed back
to town.

The gatekeeper stopped him to check his huge sack and was surprised. Shocked, even.
When Hikaru told him someone taught him how to efficiently hunt rabbits, the
gatekeeper was satisfied.

Hikaru remembered his idea of bringing a present to the guard who stood up for him.
The guard was overjoyed when he gave him one of the Red-horned Rabbits. He said
he’ll make stew out of it with his colleagues. Apparently the meat was quite delicious
and could usually be eaten at big celebrations.

He had one less rabbit now, but he need only hunt more. After having lunch at a food
cart, he carried the sack with the two Red-horned Rabbits to the guild.

“Hmm?”

His ears caught the voices of young people. He turned to look and saw a bunch of
teenage adventurers gathered around. Two boys and three girls. They were having fun
scanning the request board.

A party, huh? Definitely not for me.

It would be difficult to use Stealth if he were in a party. The other party members won’t
be able to see him.

If I was reincarnated differently, would I have chosen a different Skill?

“What’s that?”
“Apparently a party of kids from the sticks.”

“Oh, the sticks, you say? A senior’s gotta teach them stuff, then.”

“There’s five people other than you who are thinking the same thing. Hehehe.”

A few adventurers approached the kids’ party.

Looks like they’re up to something again. The adventurers in this place sure are horrible.
Maybe that’s why Jill keeps turning them down over and over again.

With a sigh, Hikaru made his way to the counter – to where Gloria was. Jill was already
off duty.

“Hello. If it isn’t Hikaru-kun.”

“Please call old man Unken for me. And you better pay attention to those kids. They
might fall victim to the games of those seasoned adventurers.”

“Thank you for the advice. Yes…”

Gloria shot a glance at them. The kids and older men were having a friendly
conversation – on the surface, that is.

“I’ll keep an eye on them. So about Unken-san…” she said, turning her attention to the
sack Hikaru was carrying.

“The old man personally assesses the value of Red-horned Rabbits, right?” he said
casually.

There was a stir among the adventurers. Jill was right. It seemed Red-horned Rabbits
were a lot rarer than Hikaru initially thought. He let out a small sigh.

I’m in a bit too much of a hurry. I shouldn’t let others hear about it. I’ll be more careful.

There were plenty of other ways to communicate, like writing. Nothing good would
come out of being marked by the other adventurers.

“Okay. Please wait for a moment.”

Her tone was as composed as ever, but he saw the light in her eyes. This girl is the one
I really have to be on guard around, Hikaru thought as he let out another sigh. Wanted:
a land of repose.

When he met Unken again in the dissection area, the old man still had the crusty look
on his face.

“I told you to come in the evening.”

“You’re the one who wants to assess Red-horned Rabbits. Plus I thought they’re
perfect for lessons. I can leave them to you and come back later if you want, though.”

“Do you always have a comeback for everything? Anyway, it’s okay. Let’s do it now…
Wait, did you bring two rabbits?”

Hikaru took out two rabbits and placed them on the work table. The National Hero
was surprised.

“Come on… If they’re that rare, then make sure you disclose it properly. Like “rare
species” or “SSR”…”

Hikaru couldn’t help but think pointless conflicts might occur simply because of
adventurers not having common sense. What would’ve happened if he brought three
rabbits? Leaving one with the guards was a wise decision.

“For the record, the horns are broken.”

“Of course they are! I won’t know what to do if you keep bringing ones with their horns
intact. Speaking of which, I got the value of the horn from yesterday.”

“Oh. How much is it?”

“140,000 gilans.”

“………”

“Well? Are you flustered?”

“I’m not flustered.”

He was extremely flustered. There were more zeroes now. It was only natural he’d get
flustered.

“Plus the price of the meat from yesterday for a total of 147,500. 100,000 will be
deposited to the guild and you’ll receive 47,500 cash. Does that sound good?”

“Wait a sec. What do you mean deposit? I can’t withdraw the money unless I come
here?”

“What, you don’t even know that?”

Guild deposit was written on the guild card as additional information. Apparently
money could be withdrawn from any branch.

So not only do these cards serve as ID, they can be used like ATM cards as well, huh? This
is really just like something you’d see in science fiction.

“Oh, they told me it’ll fetch for a higher price at an auction. So what will you do?”

“You do auctions here?”

“In the royal capital.”

“They put monster horns for sale, huh?”

“There are different categories, but artwork is the main one. Monster materials are
sold through bidding.”

“When’s the next auction?”

“Ten days from now, I think.”

“I can’t wait that long. I’ll sell them now and I want full payment. I’ll deposit 100,000
with the guild, though.”

“All right.”

He’d be handed a bag packed with gold coins if he chose to take the 100,000 gilans as
well. Hikaru didn’t want to carry all that weight around.

Now I won’t have to make more money. Thank you, Red-horned Rabbits.

Afterwards, Unken taught Hikaru how to dissect. The old man offered him a dissecting
knife from the guild for 100 gilans so he took it.

“…That should do it.”

“Thanks. This is really something that can’t be studied on your own.”

Hikaru made his way to a well and washed his hands. There were tricks to dissecting
that simply reading books wouldn’t be enough. Now he just had to practice several
more times. Also the method Unken taught him only applied to rabbit-like monsters.

“When I think about how there are still other kinds of creatures – reptiles, birds… I
feel like just leaving the dissection to others.”

“Haha. You won’t be able to say that once you’re in a dungeon. You might have to eat
monster meat. There might even be times when you just have to take home the
necessary parts.”

“Dungeon? There are dungeons here?”

“That is correct. There are only two in Ponsonia, though.”

“Two?!”

“Wh-Why are you getting fired up all of a sudden?”

Of course he’d get fired up. Dungeon meant adventures. Adventures meant dungeons!

I’ll have to wait for a while before heading to one, though.

Lavia’s rescue comes first. He wasn’t going to budge from what he’d decided.

“I have a question. Are there monsters around here that I can hunt?”
“Let’s see…”

Unken mentioned several monsters.

“Got it. Any monsters I should stay away from, then?”

This was the actual question he wanted to ask. Details about the easier monsters could
be looked up in the reference room. But no information was given on the more
dangerous monsters. This was done so the adventurers stayed away from them.
Actually “no information” wasn’t quite right. To be exact, their names and distinctive
features were written, but nothing else. No mention about where they could be found.

“…Why do you want to know?”

Unken’s eyes narrowed. Must be his Instinct 4 working.

“So I stay away from them, of course. I’m thinking of making money around here for a
while. I might have to go deep into the forest. It’s important to know how far I can go
before it gets dangerous.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

The answer was enough to satisfy him. Hikaru had already predicted which questions
Unken would find suspicious.

“There are three monsters you should be wary about. First is the Green Wolf.”

“A receptionist already told me about that one.”

“I see. How about Rogue Bees?”

“Never heard of it.”

According to Unken, Rogue Bees were bees the size of a coin. Their wings had
degraded so they move by jumping from tree to tree. They normally operate alone, but
if they saw someone or something as an enemy, they immediately call for friends.

“Bees, huh…”

“You’re probably thinking they don’t sound bad, aren’t you?”

Not in the slightest. Rather he was thinking about how much trouble it would be to kill
one so he could rank up.

“They’re quite swift and their movements are unlike any other monsters. It’s hard for
the eyes to get used to it.”

“Got it. What’s the last one?”

“Forest Barbarians.”

Haven’t heard of the name before.

“They’re about three meters tall and either operate alone or with a partner. A couple,
basically. They look terrifying so it’s unlikely that you get close to them unwittingly.”

“What do they look like?”

“They have four arms and only one eye. Otherwise, their bodies are similar to humans,
but they don’t wear anything and they have smooth skin.”

“That’s terrifying, all right.”

The perfect example of a legit monster. There was information about them in the
reference room. Although they only mentioned things like “Green Giants” and “Forest
Guards”.

“Where can they be found?”

“Just don’t go too deep into the forest; especially on the foot of mountains. The
ecosystem in mountains change after all. There’s one place you should also be wary
about: the lake on the east. Monsters breed in that area.”

“I see.”

“That’s about it… No, wait. There might be one more thing.”

“Might?”

“Goblins have been spotted near town recently. They might have a settlement
somewhere. Stay away if you see one. They say once you find one, you might as well
have found three hundred.”

So they reproduce faster than cockroaches?

Hikaru thanked Unken and left the premises. After having lunch at a food stand, he
went back to the hotel.

Money left: 48,710 gilans (+100,000 gilans)

Two more days before Lavia’s transported. The next morning, Hikaru started early.
The hotdog vendor wasn’t around so he took breakfast at a different place. After that,
he bought a packed lunch for two and left town.

First is the lake to the east.

It was the place where Unken said monsters breed. He was going there naturally. It
would take three hours by foot so he took a ride on a fast horse on which two could
ride. It was owned by a dandy-looking man. Blankets were spread on the seat, making
it a comfortable ride.

A one-way trip took thirty minutes and cost 100 gilans. More expensive than he had
expected. He wasn’t sure what time he’d be back so Hikaru didn’t ask the man to pick
him up.

“Don’t go deep into the forest! If I come by in the afternoon, I’ll check to see if you’re
around. But don’t expect too much! Again, don’t go too deep!”

Apparently several people came to the lake since there were good fishing spots. Like
Unken said, there are probably monsters farther into the lake. Swarms of them.

“That’s just what I want.”

Hikaru changed his class to Stealth God: Darkness Wanderer and activated all his
Stealth Skills.

“Let’s go get some levels.”

Hikaru strolled towards the lake.

“My target is the Forest Guards.”

He was naturally going for the big shots.

The forest felt a lot deeper than the one Hikaru entered into where he searched for
poisonous glimmering plants, all the while starving. Above him was a roof made of
thick leaves, underneath was a leafy mulch of the forest floor. Moss covered the
surfaces of the trees and faint haze hung in the air in places.

A Green Wolf. They can be found here too, huh…

Hikaru spotted a green wolf far ahead, yawning and prowling about unwarily.

The chirping of birds rang loud in his ears. At times he spotted birds flying from one
branch to another. The Green Wolf shot glances at them too.

“…?!”

The next moment, the Green Wolf’s vision grew dark before falling over with a thud.

“Ha…”

A dagger was thrust deep into its neck up all the way to the grip. One stroke was all it
took to sever the creature’s spine.

Normally, it was an unlikely spot to get stabbed. One would have to get close first.
Green Wolves were said to be extremely perceptive and could sense anything within
200 meters. There was no way it wouldn’t notice a human just right beside it.

“…It’s over…”

With his hand on his chest, Hikaru breathed a sigh.

“I didn’t expect to rank up with just one kill.”

The impulse – no, the recoil from ranking up struck him. I’m saving my points. For his
plan to work, he needed to have three points available at hand.
“…I can’t take the meat home. I’m sorry for simply killing you.”

If I get away from here, the effect of my Stealth should weaken. The smell of the Green
Wolf’s blood and flesh would then spread through the forest, attracting other animals
and insects to devour the corpse. Hikaru pulled his Dagger of Strength out and wiped
the blood off it before heading deeper into the forest.

It’s too powerful.

Thanks to his Stealth, he was able to get close and kill his target without it noticing.
Hikaru was getting stronger too.

After killing two more Green Wolves, his rank went up once again, up to 7. It was a fast
pace. For a moment he wondered why other adventurers couldn’t just stop dawdling
around, and instead work hard to increase their ranks. Then he recalled Unken saying
that Green Wolves were strong and he was right.

There were other monsters as well: rodents, smaller than Red-horned Rabbits, almost
like a brown mouse, blue locusts about thirty centimeters long, and a man-eating plant
that attacked by launching pollen.

They weren’t much of a threat. Even without his Stealth, Hikaru could take them on
one by one. They tended to group up, however.

Those kinds of monsters must give small amounts of exp.

People would have to kill a lot just to rank up. There was a bigger problem. There was
no way for ordinary citizens – not just adventurers – to confirm that their rank had
increased. They couldn’t sense that they’ve suddenly powered up or quantify their
strength either. That’s why they didn’t have much motivation to level up.

Ignoring the smaller monsters, Hikaru hunted for Green Wolves. Monsters would be
on alert if the area was filled with the smell of blood. His Detection Skills were still
weak. It would take much effort to find monsters that were hiding.

“…What was that?”

It was noon. The sun sat at its highest point and Hikaru was having his lunch when he
heard a scream in the distance.
 2

Paula wanted to yell “I told you so!”

Paula was a novice adventurer who came from a poor village. Together with her
childhood friends and some youth from the neighboring village, they formed a party
– a group with an average age of seventeen years.

The two boys only knew how to swing their swords. They wanted to be great heroes…
not exactly. But they dreamed of earning lots of money, buying a mansion and live their
lives being served by women.

The other three girls had different ways of thinking.

Pia was the daughter of the village chief and as expected from someone of her status,
she had a strong sense of responsibility. Yet she was the type to focus on outward
appearance – cutting her hair short so she would look like an actual adventurer and
even using rougher language.

“I’ll protect you, Paula!” she said while swinging a great sword with both her hands.

When they were still back in the village, Pia would be like “Paula-chan, what are we
having for dinner tonight?”.

Priscilla was a genuine hunter born from hunter parents. It wasn’t unusual for her to
be gone for days out in the mountains. Perhaps because of that, she was the silent type
– a girl of few words. Actually it was more like her mind was somewhere else and she
always had this blank expression on her face. However she had huge breasts, to say
the least, and as such, men were unable to keep their eyes off them.

Paula was completely different from the other four. She was born and raised in the
church. While it was a church in the sticks, proper etiquette was hammered into her
head. As such she looked neat and clean – both her appearance as well as her clothes.

“Calm and collected.” “If I get injured, Paula will heal me.”

That was how she was seen by people around her. Paula could use healing magic.
Plenty of people who worked for the church for many years gained the ability, but in
her case, she developed her powers early.
That’s why Pia invited her to become an adventurer. Their village was on the verge of
crisis. To put it short, they had no money.

“I’m sure pops will be overjoyed if we sent lots of money to the village!” is what she
would always say, but Paula knew she cried herself to bed every night, muttering “I
want to go home.”

We should’ve gone home! Paula screamed in her mind. Who wouldn’t want to scream
out in the situation they were in?

“There’s no end to them no matter how many we kill! What’s going on here?!”

“There’s an opening! The Goblins will charge us!”

“Freakin’ Goblins! How could they be so disciplined?!”

“You idiot! “A piece of cake,” my ass!”

“Gloria-chan warned us!”

“I don’t give a damn!”

They were surrounded by a hundred goblins. A “hundred” was something Paula just
came up with. In reality there were a lot more of them. In other words, there were too
many of them that she couldn’t give an exact number.

It was a deep forest. Four veteran adventurers approached them yesterday, telling
them about some rare plants that could be found in the forest and that they could
make a lot of money.

The two boys immediately latched on to the idea and so did Pia saying “Fine, I guess.”
They wanted money and the majority of the party was on board. Pia and the others
were happy when the veterans said it was their job to guide promising adventurers. It
was only Paula who saw through the obvious flattery. Priscilla’s mind was somewhere
else.

It was probably only Paula who considered that perhaps the men were after their
bodies. Before they left the guild, however, the veterans were called by the receptionist
and “warned” them. Perhaps because of that, they refrained from touching the girls in
a suggestive manner. They couldn’t keep their eyes off Priscilla’s bouncing bosoms,
however.

They held a meeting at a bar while having dinner. Having drunk too much, the sun was
already high by the time they left. They somehow managed to arrive in the forest just
before noon. Things were fine until then.

The veterans tried so hard to attract the attention of the girls, showing off their sword
skills and firing spells. They managed to kill ten smaller monsters. But Priscilla’s face
gradually turned grim. It was unusual for her to have any other expression than a
blank one.

–This is bad. Paula.

–What do you mean?
–Too much noise will attract bigger monsters.

Hearing their exchange, a veteran adventurer laughed.

–There aren’t any big monsters in this forest. If there were, I will protect you!

He was right. There weren’t any big monsters in the forest. That’s why the veterans
were able to take down monsters easily. Not to be outdone, Pia and the others struck
the monsters as well.

If he says so, I guess we should be all right, Paula thought. But she couldn’t shake off the
bad feeling in her gut. She always had sharp instincts. A number of times Paula tried
to secretly tell Pia that they should go back, but every time she did, her friend only
said “I’ll protect you, Paula!”

Her hunch was right. There weren’t any big monsters – true, but there were smaller
monsters. Goblins. They said if you found one, you might as well have found three
hundred.

“Guaahh?!”

One of the men was struck by an arrow.

“A bow?! You damned Goblins!”

Goblins were monsters less than a hundred centimeters tall, with big heads. Despite
the size of their head, they weren’t really intelligent. The color of their skin was similar
to humans, just a tad bit yellowish. Though easy to defeat one on one, they were a
troublesome bunch when grouped up.

“If they’re using bows, that means we have a Goblin family on our hands!”

A what? Family? Paula thought.

“Then there’s a huge one leading them…”

“Can we kill it?”

“No way in hell! We’re gonna have trouble just dealing with all these bastards!”

The veterans were in an uproar. Apparently these Goblins were bad news. They had a
Boss with them and it was something that even they couldn’t handle.

“?!”

The veterans’ turned their attention to Paula. She saw something terrible in their eyes.
Not obscenity or hostility – but rather it seemed like they were looking at a “tool”.

“Young lady, do you know what the Goblins are after?”

“I, uhh… I don’t know.”

The veterans inched closer. Pia, who said she’d protect Paula, was out in front, fighting.

“Breeding.”

“…Bree… ding?”

She didn’t grasp the meaning of the word right away.

“They’re going to grab a human girl and make her give birth. In other words, they’re
after you, not us.”

“Wha⁠—”

A chill ran down her spine. Blood seemed to have drained from head; she couldn’t
think properly. The Goblins are after me? They’re not going to kill me, but rather, they
want to violate me?

“You understand, right?”

“No…”

“If we toss you to them, we might make it out alive. All right?”

“No!!!”

The men grabbed her arms.

“Paula!”

Priscilla, who was firing arrows, came running towards her. The other men stopped
her, though.

“No, no, nooooooooo!”

“You can save everyone! That’s the duty of the healer, right?!”

Grabbed from both sides, they forcibly dragged her. Pia seemed to have noticed that
something was going on, but the other guy tried to hide it. The two boys were idiots.
They had no idea what was going on.

“Off you go!”

Both her arms pulled, Paula stumbled forward. Ten meters ahead of her was a group
of drooling Goblins. They looked primitive with their rusty knives, wooden clubs, and
stones. Kicked from behind, Paula tumbled three meters away.

“Ah…”

For a moment, the Goblins were surprised, but they soon realized what they’ve been
“given” and came running. Through Paula’s tear-filled eyes, the Goblins looked to be
moving in slow motion.

We shouldn’t have come here.

But it was too late for that. Perhaps they shouldn’t have left the village to become
adventurers. Pia might’ve talked her into it, but in the end, she herself made the
decision.

Paula grew up in the church. Unlike the other members of the party, she had plenty of
opportunities to read books – not only holy scriptures or manuals, but romance novels
as well. Only a few villagers could read so there were different kinds of books stored
in the church.

Paula was engrossed in these romantic stories. She wished that if she left the village
and went to a big town, she’d find a handsome boy. Fated to meet, they would fall in
love. There were plenty of nights when she couldn’t sleep, feeling high from her
delusions. She even wrote a story about it, with Polaria as its main character, clearly
named after her.

I’m such an idiot… I’m so stupid for having fantasies…

Not one book told her about a story where the girl ended up being raped by Goblins.
She’d rather die than suffer a horrible fate at the hands of these monsters. Her only
regret was that her novel was still in the church. She couldn’t throw it away after the
effort she put into writing it. I should’ve burned it and buried the ashes into the ground.

She squeezed her eyes shut. The Goblins were swooping down on her.

“………?”

Still trembling, Paula forced her mind to think. Wait. The Goblins are not coming.

“…Get up.”

“What?”

Confused, she opened her eyes. A boy, with black hair and equally black eyes, wearing
a black cloak, stood there. He was pulling out a dagger from the back of a Goblin’s head.

He appeared out of nowhere. Paula had no idea where he came from. Even the Goblins
were stunned.

It’s real…
There was one thing Paula knew, though.

A fateful encounter!
 2

Man, that was close, Hikaru thought. A rear guard by the looks of it. Her only weapon
was a dagger similar to Hikaru’s. A few seconds later and the girl would’ve been hurt.
A few minutes and she’d be either dead or worse.

“………”

“Stay back. You’re in the way.”

“………”

“Are you listening?”

“…A handsome boy.”

“What?”

“I’ll have you now— ugh!”

She threw herself at him all of a sudden and Hikaru delivered a punch right to the girl’s
face.

“Wh-What is wrong with you?!”

“Haa… A treat from a pretty boy…”

Hikaru quickly realized that she was bad news. And he saved her. Rolling over and
trembling, she stared at him with a grin on her face. Hikaru felt danger that belied her
neat, nun-like appearance.

“Y-You fuckin’ idiot! Why are you interfering, you brat?!” yelled one adventurer.

“…Interfering?”

“By sacrificing one girl, we could’ve all escaped! We’re up against Goblins!”

“Ah, I see what’s going on here. I was wondering why you kicked her. You wanted to
use her as bait so you could escape.”
“…A-And what’s so wrong with that?” the adventurer answered back defiantly, albeit
flustered.

“What?! Did I hear that right?! How dare you do that to Paula!” Pia said.

“…You’ll pay.” Priscilla muttered.

“What?”

“What’s going on?”

The two girls seemed to have grasped the situation, while the two boys were completely
clueless. The other older adventurers were in with the plan as well.

It’s the young party I saw at the guild yesterday. I knew something like this was gonna
happen.

Deep inside, Hikaru felt disgust. Using them as bait was still better than tricking them
into being sold to kidnappers, but as far as nasty stunts go, it was a close second.

“What do you want us to do then, huh?! We’re up against hundreds of Goblins!”

“They will withdraw soon.” Hikaru said.

“What?”

“Look.”

Suddenly the peculiar sound of a flute echoed from out of nowhere. Hearing this, the
goblins looked at each other and scattered in all directions. It was just as Hikaru said.

“Wh-Wh-Wh-What…?”

“You should go home right away. It’s dangerous here.”

“He’s right! Let’s go!”

The girl with the great sword had barely finished her words before the four older
adventurers started making a run for it, with the two boys right on their heels. The
only ones left were the girl with the sword, another one with a bow, and the one by his
feet happily rubbing her cheeks.

“…Thank you. You saved us.”

“Don’t mention it. Take her and go.”

“You’re not coming?”

Hikaru gave a shrug.

“…You sure are strong.”

“Be careful of those guys on your way back. They might harm you.”

“What?”

“They tried to use your friend as bait. If news spreads, they’ll lose their jobs. But that’s
only if you tell others about it.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Silence us.” the girl with the bow said to her friend.

“Whaaat?!”

“Pretty much. Small fries like those guys… We don’t really know what they’ll do when
cornered.”

“…Our other two members ran off. They’re idiots so they get tricked.”

“Your friends?”

“Not really friends… More like just young people from the neighboring village, I guess.”

“You can go after them, or you can just let them be. Either way, I don’t really care.”

“E-Excuse me!” the dangerous girl by his feet said, raising her voice.

“M-My name is Paula! Paula Nohra! Please tell me your name!”

“…Hikaru.”

Paula, who seemed to have snapped out of her frenzy, stood up. Looks like she can
speak properly.

“Hikaru-sama, I have a request. Would you be so kind as to take us to the lake?”

“Yeah. We’d like to ask that of you as well. Right, Priscilla?”

“Yeah.”

Hikaru heaved a sigh. He had a feeling they were going to say that. He’d be uneasy
leaving them. Worse, he’d feel awful if they died in some kind of an accident right after
he saved them. But if Hikaru escorted them, he wouldn’t be able to use his Skills.

“…All right. I’ll keep an eye on you girls from a distance so just walk at your own pace.”

“You won’t be accompanying us?” Paula asked with teary eyes, her hands clasped
together.

Her eyes were hidden slightly behind her greenish hair. Like this, she seemed refined,
but…

“I said I’ll be watching from a distance. And… it’s too late to be acting so innocent.”

“Uh…”

“He’s right, Paula. We didn’t say anything before, but Priscilla and I both know you’re
a bit weird.”

“What…?”

“For example, that novel you’re writing…”

Paula let out a shriek like a chicken being strangled to death before fainting.

Hikaru let the girl with the sword, Pia, take care of Paula, and moved farther away. It
was only about thirty meters. The girls wouldn’t see him once he activated his Stealth
from that distance.
Unforeseen circumstances took a bit of my time. Then again, I was getting ranks a lot
faster than expected, so I guess it’s all right.

Hikaru’s rank was already at 12. There was a reason for this. He had rose to rank 9
after going around killing Green Wolves. That was when the battle broke out. At first,
Hikaru thought about going straight to where Paula and the others were, but there
were over a hundred Goblins in the way. It was the worst possible scenario for him.
He could kill an opponent one on one without them noticing at all, but Goblins
operated in groups so his Stealth was useless. It would be difficult to assassinate a
hundred Goblins without being seen even once. Trying out something new without
prior rehearsal wasn’t an option either. Perhaps with the Snipe Skill he’d be able to
work something out, but he didn’t have neither bow nor arrows.

Fortune seemed to be smiling on Hikaru, however. The Goblins’ leader showed up. It
was more than twice the height of the other Goblins – over two meters tall. By his side
was a Goblin with a horn who looked to be the leader’s messenger.

If they group up, killing their boss should cause some chaos.

Hikaru approached the Boss from behind. With the creature completely unaware of
him, he thrust his Dagger of Strength into its back.

The Boss wore chainmail which scared him for a bit, but perhaps because of
Assassination’s effect, or the fact that he put one point on Strength, he managed to kill
the creature with the dagger.

What happened next was shocking.

An unbearable itch struck his whole body. He felt his core burn. Try as he might, he
couldn’t stop himself from groaning. He knew that it was the effects of his rank going
up, but the excruciating experience was a first for him. One Boss Goblin made him go
up three ranks.

Because of that, the other Goblins noticed him, but they seemed to be afraid of him
after killing their leader. As soon as the recoil from ranking up subsided, he left the
spot with a smirk.

From behind came the keening wail of a horn. It was sounded either to convey the
Boss’s death, or to retreat. Either way, the group would collapse soon. But if someone
died before that happened, all his efforts would have been for naught. Reluctantly,
Hikaru put one point into his Power Burst.

His sprinting speed increased greatly. Hikaru had a classmate back in middle school
who participated in a sprinting event for a national athletic meet. He thought he could
overtake the guy now. However it did consume a great deal of stamina. And so, he
managed to save Paula and the girls.

Now I have six points left. I need at least three points for the plan tomorrow…

He thought about it for a moment.

I’m gonna save my points, he decided.

Soon Hikaru and the girls reached the lake. He saw the girls off to the road, trying his
best to ignore Paula’s heated gaze. Many peddlers passed by the road so there was
only a remote chance of them being attacked.

“All right. Back to hunting monsters.”

That evening, he met the dandy-looking guy who gave him a ride to the lake, got on his
horse, and managed to get back to town.

“What’s up? Did you get a good catch? Or perhaps a good harvest?” the man asked.

“I didn’t get anything.” Hikaru answered.

“Really? Well you seem to be in a great mood.”

He was right on the money. Hikaru felt great. He killed over thirty monsters; half of
them Green Wolves. Apart from the Boss Goblin and the ordinary one he killed when
saving Paula, he went around killing the ones that dispersed as well, one after another.
As the sun was sinking and it was starting to get dark, he finally met a Guardian of the
Woods – a Forest Barbarian.

“Something good happened, that’s all.”

One strike was all it took. Hikaru killed the Forest Barbarian in one shot with his
Stealth and Assassination combo. He went up two ranks from one kill.
“Is that so? Okay, then. You best hold on cause we’re going fast.”

“All right. I want to get back as soon as possible to wash off all the dirt.”

The horse galloped through the meadows that glowed in the twilight. That day
Hikaru’s Soul Rank increased all the way to sixteen.
While he killed plenty of monsters, Hikaru did not bring any materials back, not
wanting to draw any unnecessary attention. He wasn’t in dire need of money anyway.
His priority was to keep a low profile… or at least that was the plan.

“Hikaru-sama! “

As he passed through the gate, he was told by the guard to go the Adventurers Guild
where he was met by Paula. It was already dark and past the guild’s closing time, but
Jill was still behind the counter. Her face immediately lit up once she saw Hikaru. It
quickly turned sullen, however, as she watched Paula run up towards him.

“…What?”

Hikaru tried to be as blunt as possible. Paula didn’t seem to mind, though.

“Welcome back. I wanted to see you, Hikaru-sama, so I waited here.”

“…I don’t think you can keep the guild open this late. What’s going on?”

“I’m glad you’re quick on the uptake.” Pia said, astounded by Paula’s behavior. “We
actually need your testimony as well.”

“Testimony? About what those adventurers did?

“Not that. They already got those from us. Well apparently they’d have to hear their
side of the story first before making a judgment.”

“I see… so it’s about the Goblins, then?”

“The guild wants to know more about them.” Jill said, cutting into the conversation.
“You’ll tell me about them, won’t you?”

“Y-Yeah… Sure. So what’s this all about?”

Jill grabbed his arms tight and dragged him outside.

“I’m starving.”

“Is that so?”

“I spent all this time waiting for you to come back so I can ask you important
information on the massive Goblin outbreak, and now I’m starving.”

“………”

“I know a place that serves good pasta.”

“Hold on a sec. You’re not asking me to treat you again, are you?”

“Wh-What’s going on here?! You’re sponging off Hikaru-sama?!” Paula interjected.

“Well if you want to treat me, I’ll gladly accept.”

With Lavia being transported tomorrow, now was not the time to be having dinner
with Jill. But a dinner – conversation, rather – with her was important for tomorrow’s
plan.

“…Fine. I wanted to ask you something anyway. Is it all right to leave the guild open?”

“Unken-san is still inside. I told you before about the submaster and a receptionist
being out on a business trip to the capital, right? They’re coming back tonight and he’s
waiting for them.”

“Hmm… I see.”

Hikaru had a few thoughts about the matter, but he didn’t bother for now.

“What about those three?” Hikaru asked.

Paula, Pia, and Priscilla followed the two of them outside.

“…I suppose they can come. I wanted to hear more about the Goblins anyway. You come
first, of course.”
“You want me to pay for their food as well?”

“I’m sure they can pay for their own.”

“I don’t know about that…”

They looked like they didn’t have much money. Hikaru thought the kind of place that
Jill went to where they serve pies for over a hundred gilans each would be too
expensive for the girls.

Jill brought them to a back alley where no one would go to unless they had a reason
to. They arrived at a pasta restaurant located between houses called “Pasta Magic”.

Talk about horrible naming sense…

Hikaru opened the door, and as the outside appearance suggested, the inside was
small with only two box seats and a counter.

“Hey, Jill-chan.”

The bear-like manager waved at Jill. He was in the back cooking. Jill seemed to have
made a reservation as they were led to their seat which was good for four people only,
so a chair was added for the dazed Priscilla. She sat down with a blank expression.
Hikaru tried desperately not to glance at her breasts that jiggled as she took her seat.
Jill sat beside Hikaru while Paula sat across from him. Pia took the last empty seat, her
hands trembling as she held the menu.

“Expensive! Too expensive! We can’t pay for this!”

. Stewed Beef and Red Spring Grass Pasta — 210 gilans

. Seafood Oil Pasta — 160 gilans
. New Item Red-horned Rabbit Green Sauce Pasta – 590 gilans

Even Hikaru almost whistled from the price. The Red-horned Rabbit one was especially
ridiculous.

“Manager, this guy here is Hikaru-kun.” Jill told the manager who personally came to
take their order.

“Ohh… he really is short.”

“I’m sure everyone’s short compared to you” Hikaru muttered under his breath as he
eyed the manager who was almost two meters tall. It’s not that I’m short. No, definitely
not.

There was a reason the manager himself came over.

“I see, I see. You’re a lifesaver. There hasn’t been any stock on Red-horned Rabbits
lately. A sudden increase in price is one thing, but there’s nothing we can do when we
can’t even order them. Then all of a sudden, I received word that there’s some stock
now. Today as well. I asked around what was going on and apparently a beginner
adventurer hunted the rabbits. I asked Jill-chan to bring you here so I could let you eat
to your heart’s content.”

So Jill brought me here because of that.

“I see. I was wondering who purchased them as well.”

“How about you sell them to me directly, eh? I’ll give you good money for them.”

“No way! You can’t do that! If you do, the guild will get it from the meat wholesalers!”
Jill said, panicking.

“Ahahaha! I’m just kidding. Hey, kid. I actually want the Red-horned Rabbit’s innards.
It’s fine, right, Jill?”

His spirit as a cook seemed to have lit up, his eyes burning bright.

“You just dispose of them, right? Please take those with you next time. I want to make
dishes out of them. They’re not distributed in the market anyway so I can buy them
directly. How about it, kid?”

“…It’s Hikaru.”

“What?”

“Are you seriously addressing a business partner as “kid”?” Hikaru said, glaring at the
manager.

The manager’s face turned serious as well.

“…Good point. My bad, Hikaru. I like you. Eat all you want tonight! It’s on the house! In
exchange, please consider my proposal. Oh, and Jill. When I said “on the house”, it
doesn’t include booze. You have to pay for those.”

“Ugh…”

Jill’s face lit up after hearing that food was on the house – though it seemed she was
already expecting it – but she was quickly disappointed after hearing that alcohol
wasn’t free.

Hikaru shot a glance at Jill.

“………”

“I-I’m not going to drink a lot. I know better.”

“………”

“Please don’t look at me with those cold eyes!”

How much does she even drink usually? Hikaru thought, astounded.

The other girls just sat there dumbfounded, mouth gaping.

“…You heard him. Everything’s on the house. But pay for your drinks, okay?”

“For real?”

“Your eyes are too bright, Pia.” Hikaru’s shocked.

“You’re drooling like crazy, Priscilla!”

Pia and Priscilla were overjoyed from the sudden blessing of free food. Only Paula
looked apologetic.

“I’m sorry it turned out this way, Hikaru-sama.”

“I didn’t even know about this. And you should drop the “sama”. I’m probably younger
than you anyway.”
“I-Is that so? If that’s what you want, Master.”

“Why’d you make it worse?!”

“I-I’m your… n-night slave!”

“Don’t force yourself if you can’t say it with a straight face. And don’t speak like that
from now on, all right? I’m serious.”

And so they started on their food.

“So Hikaru-kun, how’d you drive the Goblins away?”

Pia and Priscilla silently dug in as soon as the food was served. The former spoke
crudely, but she had good table manners when eating. All the pasta was great. It was
the first time Hikaru had pasta in this world – besides the yakisoba – and he thought
it was delicious. The oil and spices provided some punch, but there was something
missing.

Oh, there’s no garlic, Hikaru thought.

“I heard from Unken-san that there could be Goblins in the area.”

“Be that as it may, even I don’t know how to drive Goblins away.”

“It probably worked out simply because it’s Hikaru-sama.”

“You keep your mouth shut, Paula. We won’t get anywhere.”

“…Apparently Goblins that grouped up together are called Goblin Families. For a
disciplined one, there’s usually a chain of command with the Boss on top.”

“That’s correct. I’m surprised you know. Did Unken-san tell you that too?”

“No, I read about it on a field guide in the reference room.”

“A field guide in the reference room… That old and bulky book, huh? I’m impressed
you actually read that.”
“Of course I would. There are cases where information or the lack thereof will
determine whether you live or die.”

Jill kept her mouth shut. A thought crossed her mind. She thought Hikaru was simply
lucky. But that might not be the case. This boy doesn’t have any special abilities, but he
makes use of his knowledge when doing his job as an adventurer, she thought.

She actually took Paula and the others’ story about the Goblins with a grain of salt.
After all, adventurers tended to exaggerate things.

“Over a hundred Goblins? Are you sure it wasn’t ten or twenty? And you’re saying
Hikaru-kun drove them off? Hmm…” was all she had to say. She could just ask the guy
himself at dinner was what she thought.

“…Hikaru-kun, was there a Goblin Leader?”

“I don’t know what they’re called but there was a Goblin bigger than the manager here
and another one with a horn which looked like the leader’s right-hand. I thought the
whole horde would be in chaos if the Boss was beaten so I attacked it.”

“Did you really do that?! Were you okay?!”

“Ouch.”

“Ah.”

She grabbed Hikaru’s shoulders all of a sudden. What he did was that reckless. If a
horde of Goblins had a leader, the local guild would have to work together with the
neighboring town’s Adventurers Guild to kill them. If left alone, they might attack
some village in the outskirts and multiply in large numbers. It was similar to pest
control. The ironclad rule was to deal with them while the damage was still minimal.

“Of course I’m okay. I’m right here.”

“Y-You’re right. I’m sorry. So you got away safely after attacking the Goblin Leader. Did
you hit it with something? An arrow?”
“…I did. There were some poisonous plants growing nearby so I coated a rock with
their sap and threw it.”

Hikaru was lying. He actually killed the Goblin Leader, but either she wouldn’t believe
him or he’d only draw unwanted attention. So he went with a story he came up with:
he weakened the Boss with poison.

“I thought the horde wouldn’t disperse unless I attacked the Boss. Fighting them all is
purely idiotic.”

“True.”

“………”

“………”

“………”

The three girls went quiet, realizing they were idiots for trying to fight the Goblins.
They were once again reminded of how reckless they were in doing so.

“Uh… Hikaru. Thank you so much for saving us. Is there anything we can do to repay
you?” Pia asked.

“We’ll give you our first.” Priscilla said with a blank expression.

“That’s a great idea!!!”

“Oh, crap. Paula actually loves it.”

“That’s enough! You’ll only cause trouble for Hikaru-kun. Right? You don’t want to,
right?”

For some reason Jill grabbed Hikaru’s arm, shaking it.

Well if it’s their first… Hikaru thought before he came back to his senses.

“You don’t need to pay me back. It’s okay.”

“But there has to be something we can do.”

“Then I just have one favor to ask. You too, Jill-san.”

“What is it?”

Jill looked at Hikaru as her name got called.

“Please don’t tell anyone about the Goblin thing. I just want to live my life as an
adventurer in peace. Increasing the chances of me getting picked on by other
adventurers would be foolish.”

Jill nodded quietly. She herself was involved once when adventurers picked on Hikaru.

“I agree. There’s also the investigation on what those adventurers did to you girls. And
if the citizens found out about the Goblins, it’ll only fuel their worries. So I have to ask
you to not tell anyone.”

“No way…”

Paula looked dejected. I thought I could get intimate with my love and gradually deepen
our sexual relationship in time…

“We’re done with this matter.” Hikaru said decisively.

He felt a bit reluctant, but he had other things to worry about.

“Jill-san, I have something I wanted to ask you.”

“Right. You did say that.”

“Are the adventurers who will escort the convoy to the capital already in Pond?”

“!”

He was asking about the adventurers who would be guarding Lavia’s transport. The
three girls looked puzzled, having no idea what Hikaru was talking about. They
immediately realized that it had nothing to do with them so they proceeded to eat
while giving their impressions about the food.

“Why do you ask? I told you I can’t say any more than what I already did.”
“Some staff are coming back tonight, right? I was just wondering if the adventurers
are with them.”

“You’re too sharp, Hikaru-kun.”

“I’m just asking. Nothing more, nothing less. They must be competent adventurers. I
just can’t help but be interested.”

“I see what you mean. Yes, they’re scheduled to arrive tonight.”

“It’s already dark outside. The gates should be closed.”

“Guild staff are allowed to pass if there are special reasons. Apparently those women
arrived at the capital late which pushed the schedule back a bit and now it’s already
dark out.”

“Wait a minute. Women?”

“That’s right. The escort is a party of four women.”

Women, huh? I thought for sure they’d be men. Is it because they’re escorting a girl?
Hikaru thought.

“And they’re rank B adventurers.”

Pia spat out her food.

“R-R-Rank B?!”

“Ew.”

“Gross.”

“That’s just disgusting, Pia.”

“Yuck.”

“………Sorry.” Pia apologized.

“Is rank B that amazing?” Hikaru asked.

“Let’s see… Among the adventurers stationed here in Pond, the highest rank is D. If I
recall correctly, there’s one rank A at the capital. Apart from those women, there are
only ten other B-rank adventurers.”

“…I think ten is plenty already.”

“Hehe. You’ve never been to the royal capital? Its population is forty or fifty times more
than that of Pond.”

“Wow.”

It’s that big? Roland has memories of the capital but most of them were spent inside
carriages or a library in some mansion.

“The name of their party is “Four Stars of the East”. I haven’t met them, but apparently
their quest success rate is a hundred percent.”

Hikaru carved the information deep in his mind.

It was about ten o’clock when they parted ways. In this world 10pm was quite late and
the whole place would be asleep save for a few bars and some parts of town.

The lights are on.

Hikaru was heading to the Adventurers Guild. Lavia was to be transported tomorrow,
but he didn’t know exactly what time. So he could only save Skill points and money
until today.

What he needed last was information. But even without much of it, he thought it would
still be possible to overcome a crisis as long as he had Skill points available for use.
The most important information he needed was that of the escorts – the adventurers
he had to outwit. He had already anticipated them to arrive the day before Lavia was
transported and was going to get information on them then. Things were going just as
planned.

Let’s see what kind of people these women are.

Hikaru entered through the back door. It wasn’t locked. He soon found the room where
there were people since it was the only place where voices could be heard from. He
had all his Stealth Skills on, of course.

“Haha. You’re worrying too much, guildmaster.”

The one laughing was a well-built man. A beautiful woman who looked to be exhausted
stood beside him. They were the guild staff – the submaster and a receptionist – that
went to the capital.

“You’re the odd one for not even being the least bit worried even though things did
not go as planned.” Unken replied.

Hikaru guessed right. The old man was the guildmaster.

“Well, uhh… what did you say your name was?”

“The Distant Glittering Stars. I’ll have you know I’m rank C. You should be grateful we
even came all the way to this mediocre town.”

The man speaking disrespectfully was an adventurer who appeared to be in his

thirties. There were three of them. What caught Hikaru’s attention was the male-
sounding voice.

He was eavesdropping from the corridor. There was a high chance of him not being
noticed if he went in, but with the adventurers apparently being rank B and Unken’s
four points on Instinct, he couldn’t take the risk.

“How are you three going to escort her anyway? The standard is to have at least four
people – at least one watch for each direction.”

“I told you old-timer. We’re rank C. I haven’t heard of C-rank adventurers being
ambushed by bandits on the road. Even if we do get ambushed, we can send them
packing. If somehow the girl escapes, she can’t get far anyway.”

Hikaru recalled what Jill told him. The party’s name was “Four Stars of the East”,
composed of four women, and they were all rank B. The information he got was
different. Perhaps some sort of problem occurred that prevented the Four Stars of the
East from coming. And Unken was worried about that…

“………”
“We’re not the substitutes of those East whatever girls. People say we’re more skilled
than them. What’s with the attitude anyway? We should just head back, then.”

“N-No, please stay.” the submaster appeased, rubbing his hands together.

“Then you know what you have to do, right?”

“Yes, Sir. We have a place reserved for you.”

“Wait. The escort job is tomorrow and you’re going for a night out?”

“Guildmaster, I’m sure you don’t mind if they left around noon. If they leave around
that time, they’ll arrive at the capital in the evening.”

“………”

“There you have it. Let’s go, Nogusa-sama.”

“All right. It better be a great place.”

“Why, of course.”

The three men left along with the submaster. Hikaru immediately distanced himself
from the door. They didn’t notice him at all. He took a quick peek inside before the
door closed to see only Unken and the receptionist left in the room. Hikaru had never
seen the woman before. Softly, he pressed his ears on the door just to check if there
was any information he might’ve missed. What he heard was Unken heaving a deep
sigh.

“How sad… What’s going on with the guild at the capital?”

“Apparently the guild is trying to raise their adventurers’ ranks as much as possible
because of the war so that if the kingdom requests for men, they can get more money.”

“That’s just sad…”

The receptionist simply heaved a sigh. After that, they talked about work-related
things. With the important topic over, Hikaru left.

This is great.
Lady luck was on Hikaru’s side. It was fortunate enough already that they were one
man short, but even their rank was one step lower apparently. He stayed just within
five meters of the three men and checked their Soul Boards. The man called Nogusa
had the following stats:

<Soul Board> Nogusa Garage

Age: 31 Rank: 38
33

<Vitality>
…<Natural Recovery> 2
…<Stamina> 2
…<Immunity>
…<Magic Immunity> 1
…<Disease Immunity> 1
…<Toxic Immunity> 1
…<Perception>
…<Hearing> 1

<Magical Power>
…<Mana> 2
…<Spirit Affinity>
…<Earth> 3

<Physical Strength>
…<Strength> 6
…<Weapon Mastery>
…<Sword> 4
…<Armor> 2

<Willpower>
…<Mental Strength> 4

<Intuition>
…<Instinct> 1
…<Detection>
…<Life Detection> 1
He must be a magic swordsman of some sorts. He had one point on Life Detection, but
it wasn’t enough to find Hikaru. The other two had similar stats as well. To gather the
last piece of information he needed, Hikaru headed out into the night-shrouded town.

The rescue mission starts tomorrow.

It was a hot, sunny day that heralded the coming of summer. A lone carriage was
parked in front of the Morgstad residence, drawn by no ordinary horse. A hybrid from
different special breeds, it had high vitality. The carriage itself was solidly built, with
a metal framework and bluish purple hood made out of monster materials. Its door
was made of iron bars, complete with a huge lock outside.

“………”

“Come on now, East. Why are you sulking? We can finally return to the capital.”

“…It just doesn’t sit right with me.”

“You’re still thinking about that? The investigation on whether it was Lady Lavia who
killed her father will be conducted in the capital. That should be enough.”

“The investigator hasn’t even arrived and yet they already pinned the murder on her.”

“He should be here tomorrow. Our dear commanding officer said to follow orders. Are
you going to disobey, then?”

“I… I’m not disobeying. I just can’t agree with their decision.” he said adamantly.

His fellow knight simply heaved a deep sigh.

Around the same time, underneath the mansion, the knight that was almost stabbed
by a maid went to the dungeon.

“It is time, My Lady.”

“I’m going to dispel the magic.”

The Alchemists Guild’s guildmaster held out his hand, chanting some sort of spell. His
ring emitted a strange light, and the blue light particles around the iron bars turned
dull.

“Lady Lavia, please hold out both your hands.”

“………”

“You’re going outside. For caution’s sake we just need to handcuff you.”

“………”

Lavia quietly held out her hands. The knight gulped as he watched her. She looked like
she might break from a touch – no, if left alone, she might even just break on her own.
Yet there was still life in her eyes. A tiny prick of light remained in those eyes – eyes as
blue as the waters of the deepest lake.

A thought crossed his mind. There would be no greater joy for a man if he had this girl.
He knew his place as a knight, of course. She was a person of interest – a suspect for
the murder of her father. An order came from their captain in the capital, or perhaps
someone even further up, to handle her with care.

The knight held out his hand and handcuffed her. The handcuff was a steel plate with
two holes for both hands that split in the middle horizontally. One end had a hinge,
functioning like a stapler. Once again, the guildmaster chanted a spell and bluish light
ran across the handcuffs.

“This should hold until tonight. Any more and it would be too tough.”

“It’s fine. We should arrive at the capital in the evening.”

“I see. I’ll be taking my leave, then.”

“Thank you, Sir. Let us go, Lady Lavia.” the knight said casually as he opened the cell.

“……?”

In that moment, the knight felt the air stir even though they were in a closed space
underground.
“A draft?”

Ignoring his suspicions, he led the girl out of the dungeon.

As they stepped out of the mansion, the strong rays of the sun blinded Lavia. She had
been confined underground for a few days. Not only that, she barely went outside in
the first place. The direct sunlight was too much for her body.

“Are you all right?” the knight asked, his brows furrowed as he supported her.

He was worried about the young girl. But there was one other thing that weighed
heavy on his mind – the carriage that was supposed to transport her. Two knights –
his colleagues – stood nearby. Furthermore there were four other people; the
adventurers to escort the carriage. But the message they received was that a party of
four high-ranked women adventurers would be dispatched for the escort mission. And
yet there were four men. One of them was not even an adventurer, but a guild staff.
Trouble had already begun as East and the man were having a heated argument.

“What’s going on here?! These are not the adventurers that were arranged to come!”

“Sometimes adventurers are simply not available.”

“You’re from the guild, right?! Why don’t you follow instructions?”

“The guild doesn’t see any problem as long as the men we send can complete the job.”

“Are you mocking the Royal Order of Knights?!”

“I believe you’re the one belittling the Adventurers Guild.”

The bad news was that the three adventurers appeared to be drunk, or perhaps hung-
over. The kind East hated the most.

“That’s enough, submaster. Let’s go. There’s a place I want to go to in the capital tonight.”

“He’s right. There’s no point in spending another minute in this mediocre town… Oh,
is that the girl we’re escorting?”
“Ohhh… She’s quite the fine girl.”

The men let out vulgar laughs. The corner of East’s eyes twitched.

“There’s no way you can do your job like this!”

“What did you say? I heard the request came to the Adventurers Guild because you
knights can’t handle the job.”

“Oh, and you can? When you’re drunk?”

“It’s all… riiight. Besides she doesn’t have any relatives, does she? She has no noble
friends either. So there’s no way someone will come to take her. We’re more like
chaperons, really.”

“…Did you tell them that as well?!”

“It was necessary.” the submaster said with a nonchalant expression.

East ground his teeth in anger at the man.

“Can you walk, Lady Lavia?”

“…Yes.”

The knight – one who was gentle with the women – escorted Lavia properly to the
carriage. The coachman undid the lock at the back and Lavia entered. From a quick
glance, the inside was narrow but well-ordered. It would be a pleasant ride to the
capital.

“…I think we should escort her instead.” East whispered to his two companions.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You know we can’t do that. We were in the mansion the night the
Count was killed. We can’t make a move until the investigator arrives.”

“We can call for more knights from the capital.”

“We’re short-handed due to the war. That’s why adventurers were asked to be the
escorts in the first place. Besides, there aren’t any female knights in our kingdom.”
“These are men!”

“Yes, but they’re not the ones we arranged to come. Give it a rest, East.”

“………”

Outside the bars, the three adventurers stared at Lavia, whistling. East watched them,
a hateful expression on his face. The skirt-chasing knight seemed displeased as well.

“Can we leave soon?”

“Coachman, come here.”

The playboy knight called the driver over.

“You’re the only one with the key, right?” he whispered.

“Yes… That is correct.”

“If those adventurers whine about opening the door, don’t ever do it. Those guys have
no self-restraint. A royal noble is involved in this case. You’ll be in trouble if something
happens.”

“Y-Yes, Sir!”

“Then go.”

Still not sure what was going on, the coachman returned to his seat. Seeing this, the
adventurers mounted their horses as well. Soon the carriage drove farther and farther
away.

“East, let’s go back inside. After writing our report we’ll prepare for the investigator’s
arrival.”

But East didn’t answer. He simply stood there, glaring in the direction the carriage
went.

The coachman felt dejected. Baited in by the high reward, he took the job not knowing
that he was to transport a noble, and a murderer at that. Not only that, he was also
threatened by a knight who said not to trust the adventurers with him.

“Next. Hmm, transporting a suspect to the capital. I’ve been told about this.”

The coachman showed the request papers to the guard at Pond’s gate. He checked the
inside of the carriage and cleared them.

“The capital might be close, but still be careful.”

“I will…”

The coachman spurred the carriage onwards through the massive outer walls. The
moment they passed by on the other side of the wall, he felt something odd.

“……?”

Something was not right. Ever so slightly, he felt the legs of the horse grew heavy. The
coachman had been travelling these roads for twenty years. He would notice even the
slightest difference.

He turned around. Two adventurers on their horses were positioned left and right,
stifling their yawns. Ahead of the carriage was the party leader Nogusa.

“Nothing seems out of the ordinary… It must be the road then.”

The road was rough outside town. It was a well-trodden path, although still unpaved.
It’s probably because the road felt different that the horse’s legs turned heavy.

“I don’t really feel like it. But I just have to finish the job right away.”

The carriage advanced forward. A bunch of keys made small sounds as they shook.

The rank C adventurer, Nogusa, was in a great mood. He hadn’t expected to get
promoted to rank C so soon. He was glad they managed to snatch the transport job
from the four-woman party called the Four Stars of the East. He never really liked
them. The brothel prepared for them in Pond – a town they ridiculed for being
mediocre – was full of fairly beautiful women. And the girl they were escorting was
pretty as well. Things were going great. Nogusa even thought the world revolved
around him.

The escort job was an easy one. It would take six hours from Pond to the capital by
carriage. They would let the horses rest every two hours so that meant they would
take a break twice before they reached the capital.

The first break was over and they were moving again when Nogusa, who had mostly
sobered up, suddenly gained interest in the girl inside the carriage.

“Hey, coachman.”

Nogusa, who was riding up ahead, moved his horse closer to the driver.

“Y-Yes?”

“Hand me the keys.”

“What?”

“The carriage’s keys. I’ll look after them.”

“I-I can’t do that…!”

“Do you have any idea who I am? I’m Nogusa, a rank C adventurer. You dare oppose
me?”

“I-I-I would never! I-It’s just that nobles are involved in this matter and…”

As the coachman was explaining himself, stuttering…

“Hey, Nogusa! Up ahead!”

“!”

Immediately he reached for the sword hanging by his waist and surveyed his
surroundings. He might be rotten to the core, but he was still a rank C adventurer.

“What’s this? Someone collapsed?”

From the shade of a tree by the side of the road, a man, who seemed to have gone to
the forest to collect medicinal herbs, fruits, and mushrooms, appeared.

“E-Excuse me, Sir. Can you spare some water? I got lost in the forest and just now got
out.”

“………”

Nogusa gestured to his comrades with his chin to go ahead. He got off his horse and
handed him a flask.

“Here. Is this enough?”

“Thank you very much!”

The man accepted it, overjoyed.

“I only have this to show my gratitude…” the man said, presenting a wilted medicinal
herb.

“Tsk. Keep it. Now go home.”

“Really? Thank you so much. You’re such a big-hearted man.”

“That’s right. You can show your gratitude by spreading my name. It’s Nogusa Garage.
A man who will become a hero.”

“Hero… I understand, Sir. I will do just that.”

Nogusa mounted his horse and chased after the carriage. His colleagues, who were
positioned at the front and back, returned to their original formation as soon they
spotted him.

“Helping others sure is a lot of work.”

“They say that’s the best part of being an adventurer.”

“Sure, if it’s a woman.”

“Damn right!”
The three men burst out laughing. It was an uneventful escort mission and things were
going well…

…or so they thought.

“…Wait, what?”

They were taking their second break. After a punch to the stubborn coachman’s face,
Nogusa took the keys to the carriage.

“I’m just gonna say hi.” he said as he opened the carriage door with an indecent smile
on his face.

The girl was lying down on the seat… No, it was a bulging sheet. He removed it only to
find a pillow and cloths stuffed under.

Something to make it seem like a person was there.

“…What?”

Unable to comprehend what happened, Nogusa merely spluttered in confusion. A

small, locked carriage. They kept their eyes on it all the time. And yet all of a sudden,
the girl – Lavia D. Morgstad – had disappeared.
Let us turn back the clock a bit to when the carriage carrying Lavia had just finished
its first break and was starting to move again.

Lavia was seated inside the rocking carriage, staring at her own hands on her lap.
Hands that were handcuffed. The boy named Hikaru had not returned since then. He
said he would save her today because he couldn’t destroy the magic cell. Yet he hadn’t
gotten in touch at all and she started to think he only gave her vain hope. That the boy
was just sweet-talking her.

There were only three escorts. It would be easy to break through them with numbers.
But she didn’t think she was that valuable. Even if there were people who wanted her
for her powers, they wouldn’t risk going against the King.

Lavia let out a deep sigh.

“Where I’m from, we have a saying that sighing will make good fortune run away from
you.”

“But there are times when you just⁠—”

Lavia gave a start. What was that?

“Don’t raise your voice now or I’ll get busted.”

Sitting there inside the carriage was a boy with black hair and equally black eyes.

“Ah, uh, what?”

“You want to know how I got in here? While I’d love to explain, I still don’t trust you.”

“Trust…?”
“I’ll tell you everything once you’re completely free and I can trust you. How’s that
sound?”

He didn’t have to ask as she had no say in the matter. She was still staring at Hikaru –
at the boy who appeared out of nowhere – in disbelief.

This person is my savior.

If there was one thing she believed in, it was that Hikaru would surely rescue her from
here.

Hikaru had assumed every possible escort pattern before he executed his plan. What
he was really worried about was the key. How many locks were there? How many does
he have to unlock before Lavia would be free?

The worst possible scenario he imagined was that the Alchemists Guild’s guildmaster
would accompany the convoy. The guildmaster would create a magic cell and go with
the convoy to the capital. He would then unlock it there. If that happened, Hikaru
would have no other choice but to kill the guildmaster en route to let Lavia escape.
Fortunately, he was busy. Hikaru sneaked into the Alchemists Guild to check the
guildmaster’s schedule and found out that he would be having dinner with someone
today at a restaurant in Pond.

The next worse scenario was if there were multiple keys. For example, they could have
two identical keys, one in Pond and one in the capital. In other words, no one had the
key during transport. In that case…

. Once Lavia got in the carriage, it would be locked.

. A knight or someone from the mansion would put the key in a safe.
. Hikaru would then steal the key from the safe.
. Run after the convoy.
. Return the key to the safe after Lavia is rescued.

Those were the steps that Hikaru would’ve taken. Fortunately the coachman had the
key. It was the best case he could imagine.

One more troublesome possibility would be if Lavia were restrained to the carriage
itself, perhaps to a beam or the roof. In this case, Hikaru would need a different key to
free her. It would’ve been bad if it were similar to the magic cell, but fortunately the
Alchemists Guild guildmaster put on handcuffs that would come off after a certain
time. It was a smart method – no need for a key, but still enough to restrain her.
Fortune was smiling at Hikaru. All he had to do was get her out and in time the
handcuffs could be removed.

Hikaru assumed other scenarios as well. He went over what he had to do for each
situation and checked the location of the safe for the key yesterday as well. But in
reality things were easier. Only one key was needed and the coachman had it. The
driver was always on his seat so it was up to him and his Stealth to do the job.

Hikaru made his way to the dungeon today to see the Alchemists Guild guildmaster
put the handcuffs on Lavia. As soon as he knew that the coachman had the key, he
immediately headed to the gate. He waited there and as the carriage was being
checked by the guard, got on top of the roof and lay down. The solidly-built vehicle
didn’t budge at all. For a moment his blood froze as the horse turned around, feeling
the sudden added weight.

Then he simply lay sprawled on top until the first rest break was over. The carriage
itself was big so even without using his Stealth, the adventurers couldn’t see him. After
the first break and the convoy started moving again, he crept up to the coachman, took
the keys, and unlocked the carriage. Hikaru already anticipated that with his Stealth
and his job class set to Stealth God: Darkness Wanderer, the adventurers wouldn’t see
him, but just to be safe, he did all this as a caravan passed by.

And that was how he appeared before Lavia.

“Get a sheet right away to make it look like you’re sleeping. If it’s not enough then stuff
in some clothes as well. Wear this too.”

With this trick, even if they peered inside, they would think that everything was fine.
The breakout wouldn’t be discovered right away. From Hikaru’s backpack he
produced a plain brown cloak to hide the handcuffs.

All right. The problem starts from here.

There was a concerning matter to tackle first before making the escape. Lavia didn’t
have the skill Stealth. That was merely his assumption, however.

“Lavia, I have a question, but just continue with what you’re doing.”

“Hmm?”
“I can do anything if it means you can escape, correct?”

“…Yes.”

She simply nodded, not even asking what he meant by “anything”. Hikaru too nodded
in return. Now he could use her points without worry.

<Soul Board> Lavia

Age: 14 Rank: 6
0

<Magical Power>
…<Mana> 11
…<Magic Principle> 2
…<Spiritual Affinity>
…<Fire> 5

Ohh…

He almost let out a sound. It’s so unbalanced. Hikaru was not one to talk, though. All
the points were allocated towards Magical Power. He had not seen huge numbers like
11 and 5 in even the seasoned adventurers. Only Unken.

I can see why the King would want her power…

High magical power and proficient in fire magic. On top of that, she had an unknown
Skill called Magic Principle. Hikaru felt annoyed that he couldn’t read the description
on other people’s Soul Boards.

She has no points left so no Stealth for her… This was well within expectations, though.

The name field bothered him. Normally it would read Lavia D. Morgstad, but only Lavia
was there. That only meant that deep inside her, she had completely cast aside her
family name.

I have no other choice, then.

Hikaru opened his own Soul Board.

<Soul Board> Hikaru
Age: 15 Soul Rank: 16
10

<Vitality>

<Magical Power>

<Physical Strength>
…<Strength> 1

<Agility>
…<Power Burst> 1
…<Stealth>
…<Life Obfuscation> 1
…<Mana Obfuscation> 1
…<Imperceptibility> 5 (MAX)
……<Assassination> 3 (MAX)

<Intuition>
…<Detection>
…<Life Detection> 1
…<Mana Detection> 1

He had ten points available. Hikaru put one point on both Life Obfuscation and Mana
Obfuscation.

There’s Group Obfuscation. I knew it.

<Group Obfuscation> Grants Life Obfuscation, Mana Obfuscation, and Imperceptibility

to anyone in direct contact with the user’s body. Max: 5. The effect is limited to each
respective Skills’ max points.

So basically maxing out Group Cutoff is pointless unless the other three Skills are maxed
out as well.

He had two points in Life Obfuscation and Mana Obfuscation at the moment. Even he
put three points in Group Obfuscation, the effects would be limited to only two points.

That’s within expectations as well.

He now had eight points left. He added one more point to both Life Obfuscation and
Mana Obfuscation and three points on Group Obfuscation.

With this he would be able to grant Lavia with a three-point Stealth Skill. Lavia didn’t
have the blessings from a job class, however, as she didn’t have a guild card. He was
worried, but he had to believe that it was enough to hide her from sight.

Nogusa’s Life Detection only had one point. Even the national hero Unken only had
two points in Obfuscation and a point on Group Obfuscation. Hikaru thought his three
points was a safe enough margin. He had taken some measures as well to aid them.

I could use up my remaining three points, but I’d rather save it. All that’s left is…

He checked his guild card. He expected to see a new job class called “Group Obfuscation
God” or something, but there was none. Perhaps because he didn’t max it out. But
instead there was a new one called “Dull Town Night Burglar God: Town Thief”.

Must be because of all the sneaking I’ve been doing… Well that’s one more reason not to
show the job class field to anyone.

In the meantime, Lavia was done with her preparations.

“It’s almost time. Make sure you’re mentally prepared.”

“Can you tell me what’s going to happen next? I think it’ll be much easier to move if I
knew the plan.”

“I suppose you’re right. I made it look like the carriage is locked, but it really isn’t so
all I have to do is remove the lock and open the door. We’ll go outside together. I’ll put
the lock back, then we jump off. After that we hide behind a tree or some bushes by
the side of the road.”

“…Will it work?”

“I almost forgot something.”

Hikaru was reluctant to speak, but he had to tell her so he tried to endure the
embarrassment.

“While we move, hold my hand and never let go.” he said as he held out his left hand.
Why? Lavia thought. Seeing Hikaru’s cheeks turn a bit red, she blushed as well.

“…Okay.”

She grasped his hand. Her hand was slender and oh so fragile.

“Hey, Nogusa! Up ahead!”

“What’s this? Someone collapsed?”

“E-Excuse me, Sir. Can you spare some water? I got lost in the forest and just now got
out.”

Something unusual occurred outside. It was the last measure Hikaru had taken for
good insurance. He had asked Kelbeck of the Thieves Guild to distract the adventurers
for a moment. The price was 20,000 gilans. Hikaru wanted to complain about it being
a rip-off, but he reluctantly agreed.

“Let’s go.”

Hikaru removed the lock and opened the door, dragging Lavia with him. As he made
her stand on the steps, her eyes widened. Adventurers on their horses were riding on
both sides. Staying vigilant of the man in the middle of the road, they kept watch of the
surroundings as well.

It was a common ambush tactic. The first thing to do was stop the carriage, then attack
from both sides. They had not imagined that the subject they were escorting was going
to escape. Hikaru immediately climbed up the roof, crept up to the driver, returned the
keys, and went back to Lavia. This was the most crucial part. If Lavia was seen, it would
all be over. He felt huge relief as he held her hands once more. With the Group
Obfuscation, they could escape without being seen.

“Don’t let go.”

“Okay.”

As soon as he reattached the lock, Hikaru kicked the foothold and they jumped off,
flying in the air. The carriage became distant. Nogusa approached the man that
collapsed on the road.
“Over here.”

Hikaru surveyed the surroundings before heading to the bushes on the side of the road
– opposite from where the collapsed man came. It was only a five-meter distance, but
Lavia was tense, feeling like her heart would burst out of her chest.

Why don’t they notice us?

Who is that man?
Why is Hikaru so full of confidence?

Too many questions ran through her mind. They were able to make it to the bushes
without being noticed. She had managed to escape.

“…Stay sharp. We’re not out of the woods yet.”

“!”

She braced herself. They were still by the highway. The adventurers would turn back
immediately as soon as they found out she was gone.

“There’s a settlement about two kilometres back from here. Caravans usually stop
there to rest. We’re going to secretly hitch a ride.”

“…It’s quite far.”

“If only a caravan passed by now.”

They wove through the bushes, distancing themselves from Nogusa, before coming
back out to the road.

“What’s next? Where will we go with the caravan?”

“You’re going to hide in Pond.”

“…What?”

“Your face is asking why hide in a place that’ll most likely get searched.”

“W-Well, I… But why Pond?”

“Who do you think will get suspected of helping or kidnapping you?”

Lavia pondered the question for a moment.

“…A powerful noble, or perhaps someone from outside the kingdom? But I doubt
anyone from outside knows about my abilities.”

“Exactly. So nobles will most certainly be suspected. And Pond is under the direct
control of the king so a lot of nobles build their houses there.”

“So Pond will get searched.”

“Since it’s under direct control of the king, he could order the town to be ruthlessly
searched. Every noble knows that Pond is not an ideal hiding place and they would
assume that the culprit escaped to his own domain. Of course, the town would be
roughly searched, but once that’s over, you can hide there safely.”

“………”

“Your face is asking how will you get past the gate without being seen. “

“Am I really that easy to read?”

“I have a way to get you inside unseen, but that’s a secret. I’ll tell you once I trust—”

Hikaru abruptly shut his mouth. Pulling on Lavia’s hand, he dragged her off the road.

“What?”

“Ssh.”

They hid behind a small tree.

Hikaru held his breath and waited. A tiny pinprick from the distance was running
towards them, getting closer. It got bigger and bigger until he could make out what it
was. Someone riding a horse.

Just an ordinary rider? No, wait…

Hikaru couldn’t believe his eyes. He didn’t expect this. It was a knight on the horse. His
serious expression looked even more stern. East. His horse was galloping towards
their direction.

Why? It must have something to do with Lavia… He couldn’t have found out about my
plan. East didn’t seem to trust those adventurers. Is that why he’s here? To join the
convoy?

Hikaru wanted to click his tongue. If the knight caught up to the carriage, he might
check inside. Once they noticed Lavia was gone, they would immediately start
searching for her before the two of them could even get back to town.

Of course with his Stealth, they could hide themselves. But that was all they could do.
What would they for food? Jill might even mention how Hikaru was asking questions
about the Count’s murder.

His plan was to go about his usual routine once he got back. She might ask Hikaru
about Lavia’s escape, but she wouldn’t think that someone who came to the guild
every day taking requests was behind it.

But if they couldn’t return to town, it would mean a life of wandering from place to
place. If they suspected Hikaru, they could also trace him with the guild card. The pair
would have no other choice but to flee to a different country.

That in itself wouldn’t be a problem. But Hikaru and Lavia had not travelled great
distances before so they didn’t have the know-how either. Lavia, especially, spent her
life like a bird in a cage. Her stamina could pose some issues.

Hikaru made up his mind.

I should stop East.

“Stay here and don’t move.”

“Who’s that?”

“A pursuer?”

Hikaru took out his Sun God mask and put it on. He then summoned his Soul Board.
I’m glad I saved three points.

He chose the Physical Strength window, spent a point to unlock Weapon Mastery, and
put two points on Throwing.

<Physical Strength>
…<Strength> 1
…<Weapon Mastery>
…<Throwing> 2

A point on Strength should give him quite some power and two points on Weapon
Mastery would put him on the same level as an advanced user. Even if Hikaru didn’t
have much experience in combat, his Skills would grant him the ability to fight.

He had already considered getting Throwing or Bow mastery beforehand. After

Assassination there was Sniper. There were a few reasons why he didn’t go for Bow: it
would be hard to fight with it in a confined space, he couldn’t attack if he ran out of
arrows, and the weapon itself was bulky. With Throwing, he could basically throw
anything. For example the rocks sprawled about by his foot. Hikaru picked up a few
and stuffed them into his pockets.

I just hope I don’t get a new job class like Robbery God or something…

Irked, he turned his gaze towards the rider coming in fast.

East spurred the horse onward. The behavior of the adventurers weighed heavy on
his mind. There were already plenty of things about the whole case that bothered him
and now he had to worry about those guys too.

This is all because we couldn’t prevent the Count from getting murdered!

His blunder – the fact that he failed to prevent the murder – was what drove him. He
wanted to at least find out the truth.

I know was being unreasonable, but I can undergo investigation in the capital anyway.

He entrusted everything to his fellow knights – the meeting with the investigator and
the inquiry – while he rode towards the capital. He knew his actions would be
questioned. But he had decided that once the escort job was over, he would go straight
to their leader and tell him everything about the case. East’s sense of justice urged him
to do what he was doing.

At this speed I should catch up to the carriage soo—

“!?”

The horse’s right eye got blown off. Neighing, the horse reared. East tried to keep the
creature under control, but he got thrown off to the back. Due to the speed he was
going, his body slammed to the ground hard. The horse staggered before falling to its
side.

“Wh-What just happened?”

He touched his body all around. No bones were broken, but his ribs were fractured.
The moment East realized he was attacked, he had already drawn his sword.

“Ugh…”

Sharp pain stabbed his right hand. A rock hit it at an incredible speed that could break
even the bones. He dropped his sword, unable to hold it any longer.

“Hands and knees on the ground. If you do as I say, I’ll let you live.”

“Fool! I’m a knight! Do you know what’ll happen to you if you attack a knight?!”

“I just need— I don’t give a damn. I just want your money.”

“You sound like a kid. Show yourself!”

“You better keep your head cool. I’m the one giving the orders.”

“Tch.”

East turned his left palm towards the direction of the voice.

“O’ Spirit, heed my call. With the primordial flame, burn my foe to ashes.”

The ring on his left hand was imbued with fire magic. It was an item lent to knights
who couldn’t use magic.

A fireball shot out the size of his hand. Moisture quickly evaporated from the lush
bushes before they burst into flames.

“…Did it work?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“!?”

Impossible, he thought. The voice came from the other side of the road this time.
Teleportation was the only thing he could think of. After all, he didn’t see anyone cross
the road.

“Unfortunately, I need you to rest here for a while.”

“You bastard!”

His unharmed left hand was struck by a rock. Next was his feet. Specifically the tips of
his riding boots was hit three times. East was shocked. The tip of the boots was the
toughest part and yet the boy managed to rip through it and break his toes by striking
them three times at the same spot.

I… can’t run like this. There’s no way I could catch up to the carriage now.

He gritted his teeth in frustration. He couldn’t do a thing now. He couldn’t run after the
convoy. The enemy wouldn’t come out of the bushes either.

“I won’t take your life.”

“…Because I’m a noble?”

“Whether you’re a noble or not doesn’t matter to me. I just have a policy to not kill
anyone. Now hand over your money.”

“…Unfortunately, I can’t move my hands.” East said sarcastically. “The money’s in my

leather bag on my waist.”

“Right. I forgot I smashed your hands.”

The boy returned the sarcasm with a sneer. East had never before suffered such
humiliation. His boiling rage made his vision turn red. But he couldn’t do anything.

“Lie down on your face and look away.”

“………”

“What, knights are better off dead than suffer disgrace? Is that part of the Royal Order
of Knights’ doctrine or something?”

“Tsk…”

East lay down on his stomach and faced in the opposite direction the voice was coming
from. He heard the sound of bushes rustling and footsteps moving toward him.

He felt a lot more power than he had expected. It wasn’t just the two points on
Throwing, but the one point on Strength as well. Hikaru was confident he could hit his
mark a hundred percent of the time from a distance of ten meters.

Thanks be to my Skill tree.

He was thoroughly impressed by the power of his Stealth as well. Before casting his
spell, East had to chant something first which gave Hikaru the chance to move. He
slipped out of the bushes and crossed the road, but the knight didn’t see him at all.
Though if East already saw him from the start, he wouldn’t be able to use his Stealth,
so he had to hide first.

He was now fully aware of the extent of his abilities. With his Stealth, he could
overcome almost anything. Hikaru, who was a complete amateur, bested East who had
trained for years in combat. It was incredible. It broke the rules.

“I’m taking this.”

On the ground and his face turned away, East cast a sidelong glance at Hikaru,
scowling. The boy stood against the light with a Sun God mask on his face. What did
he look like to East in that moment?
With a dagger, Hikaru cut the strap of East’s leather bag. It contained quite a sum of
money.

“…I had duty I needed to fulfil. “ East said, forcing the words out of his mouth. “Did you
see a carriage guarded by three men?”

“…I did.”

“What were they doing?”

“They watched their surroundings carefully. I couldn’t make a move on them.”

“I see…”

“So they’re doing their job properly…” East muttered under his breath, somehow
relieved.

East wasn’t a bad person. Hikaru knew that. So he lied hoping it would make him feel
better.

“…Now just lie down there for a while.”

“Okay, smarty-pants. I can’t get up even if I want to anyway.”

“I see you still have some life in you.”

With a scoff, Hikaru left. He returned to where Lavia was right away and grabbed her
hand. Activating his Group Obfuscation Skill, they stepped out onto the road. They had
no time to waste.

“Hikaru.”

“What?”

“Thank you.”

“…I told you we’re not out of the woods yet.”

“Not that. Thank you for not killing that knight.”

“I did promise to rescue you without killing anyone.”

“You did.”

Hikaru felt her grip tighten.

By the time they arrived at the settlement, the caravan was just starting to move. They
got on the back of a wagon and made their way towards Pond. Lavia was surprised the
guards at the gate didn’t notice them. Not a word came from her about it as she simply
let Hikaru lead her into town.

The handcuffs came off as soon as they got in. The magic seemed to have worn off
faster than expected.

Hikaru paid for three more nights for his hotel room. They entered the room, and as
soon as he closed the door, he let out a long, deep sigh of relief. He had been feeling on
edge all this time.

“We should be safe for now. You can let go of my hand.”

Finally. The escape plan was a success.

“………”

“Lavia?”

“…Can I make myself disappear by holding your hand?”

“Something like that. But it should be fine now. Just don’t be too loud or people from
the next room might hear you.”

“I see. In that case… I’ll do my best to be quiet.”

“No, I mean you can still whisper— hngh?!”

Lavia grabbed the back of his head and pulled on his hand, drawing their lips closer to
a kiss. A tongue hotter than his own body slid into his mouth.

“…Fwah!”

What seemed like a long kiss that lasted for minutes probably ended in only seconds.
Slight panic assailed Hikaru. Lavia was flushing, her eyes glazed.

“I told you I’ll give you my everything if you saved me.”

“Aren’t you scared of me?”

“Scared?”

“I appeared inside the carriage from out of nowhere like magic. As you said, I made
both of us disappear. I led that knight around by the nose and seriously injured him.
I’m that kind of person. I’m not normal.”

“Not normal… Perhaps. So what?”

“So I’m saying—”

“I told you. I’ll give you my everything if you saved me. Don’t you remember?”

“…I do.”

“Even if you were a cold-blooded man, a rotten undead, or a monster disguised as a

human, I wouldn’t go back on my word.”

Hikaru could feel his heart trembling. She must’ve really meant it when she said
“everything”.

In retrospect, Hikaru might have feared the power of the Soul Board. He stayed away
from others because of it. He was afraid he’d lose himself in the power and hurt those
around him.

But Lavia was different. She would accept everything about him.

“Are you sure you’ll give me your everything?”

Lavia looked at him with upturned eyes, face turned red all the way to her ears.

“I-I heard it hurts the first time… but I’ll try my best to keep quiet. And if possible, I’d
like us to hold hands the whole time.”

Seeing her like that, Hikaru lost all reason within him. They were filthy from the long
day on the road, but they didn’t mind that at all.

They made love far into the night and fell soundly asleep in each other’s arms.

When Hikaru woke up, he made a decision.

I have found one more goal in this world. I’ll use my Stealth and the Skills from my Soul
Board to protect her, he thought, as he watched Lavia sleep peacefully in his arms.
“…Uhn…?”

Lavia opened her eyes. Lying next to her, watching her, was Hikaru.

“Hikaru…! Wh-Why are you staring at me?” she said as she covered half her face with
the sheets, flushing.

“You just looked so adorable sleeping.”

Hikaru was filled with emotions as he was able to say the top five line on the list of
“lines a guy wants to say to a girl”. As for what’s top one to four, I’ll leave it to your
imagination.

“…You dummy.”

Lavia hid her whole face under the covers with only a lock of hair popping out. So cute,
Hikaru thought. He couldn’t help but smile.

He was fifteen and she was fourteen. Yet Hikaru didn’t think it was too early. In this
world, death was always just around the corner. He’d already died first to begin with.
He thought it was reasonable to find someone you love early and get together.

“Uhh…”

“What’s wrong, Lavia?”

“I feel so embarrassed, I wanna die.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I… I wasn’t supposed to make a sound, but I couldn’t keep my word. Your voice was
really gentle as well.”
Oh, crap. What do I do? I wanna hold her tight and make her cry out again, Hikaru
thought. He managed to control himself, however.

“It’s all right. No one’s staying in the rooms to the left and right, up and down.”

“Really?”

The lock of hair poking out from under the covers bobbed for an instant. Damn, so
adorable.

“I’m sorry for wearing you out after all that happened yesterday.”

“Please stop. You’re embarrassing me.”

Even her hands holding the covers turned red.

“Ah, I mean, you were probably at your limits… You barely went out of the house, didn’t
you?”

“To be honest, it was a bit rough for me. I feel like my body is in pieces right now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize. My body may be in pieces, but my heart is filled with joy.”

“………”

It was Hikaru’s turn to blush this time. Lavia seemed to be embarrassed by what she
said herself as the hair that protruded above her head twitched. She walked right into
that one herself.

They talked a bit and they decided that Lavia would be resting all day inside.

“The hotel staff change the sheets every three days so there shouldn’t be anyone
coming in today.” Hikaru said.

Lavia suddenly realized something as she shoved her head right under the sheets,
checking something.

“P-Please bring a bowl of water…” she said in a trembling voice.

Hikaru didn’t bother asking her what she found. Last night was both their first time.
That was all he needed to know. He went out to get water and buy food as well.

“Going out?”

As always, the cat-eared lady was there on the front desk. When does she ever take a
break? Hikaru wondered.

“Nah, just gonna buy some food. I can eat in my room, right?”

“Of course⁠ you—”

She broke off mid-sentence, her nose twitching.

“…I see you’re into that as well, Sir.” she said, grinning.

“I-I-I don’t know wh-what you’re talking about.”

“You’re panicking, Sir.”

“No, I’m not.”

“We don’t mind our guests engaging in such activities, but please note that visitors are
not allowed to stay the night.”

“I know.” Hikaru said and left.

“…When did he bring someone in anyway?” the cat-eared lady wondered.

Hikaru returned to the hotel room with sandwiches he bought from a food stand and
a jar of fruit juice, and they ate together. Lavia was overjoyed. For someone who grew
up in a noble household, the food’s taste was all new to her. Hikaru didn’t buy hotdogs
this time. Now was not the time to take risks.

“I’m planning to stay in Pond until things die down.”

“Okay.”

“But staying here all the time is not good for your mental health.”
“I… guess.”

“No one would notice you if you just hold my hand. But that poses a risk.”

“Like bumping into people?”

Lavia was listening to him and even thinking ahead. It made Hikaru happy.

“Yeah. If possible, I want you to keep disguising yourself.”

Hikaru shot a glance at the cloak. No one would probably recognize her if she wore
the hood low over her eyes. There was just one problem. Summer was just right
around the corner. Wearing a hooded cloak would only draw attention.

“Hikaru… I feel ashamed to be such a burden, but can I borrow some money?”

“Money? What for?”

“I’m going to cut my hair short and dye it. I’m going to buy some men’s clothes as well.”

Hikaru’s went blank for a second, his mouth hanging open. Lavia was fourteen years
old. She was at the age where her body would start developing. Putting it another way,
that meant her body still wasn’t that much different from a boy’s. Hikaru had actually
considered the possibility of disguising Lavia as a boy, but he couldn’t bring himself to
say it. He felt that would spoil her charm.

Hikaru didn’t expect the suggestion to come from her.

“I’m sorry, Hikaru. I’m not even that appealing as a girl and now I’m planning to throw
away what little I have.”

“D-Don’t worry about it. Are you sure, though? You have beautiful hair. It’s such a
shame to cut it short.”

Silver hair that seemed to glow. He stroked it several times last night and it felt
amazing to the touch.

“Will you still keep me even if my hair’s short and plain-colored?”

“Of course.”
“Thank goodness.”

I get it now. I’m her support. She has no one else to rely on but me.

He didn’t realize it until now. Hikaru was completely alone in this world, with no
relatives whatsoever. But he had social connections. Lavia, however, was different.
Treated as a murderer, only Hikaru acknowledged her existence.

I gotta be more responsible from now on.

After their meal, Hikaru left Lavia in the hotel room and headed to the Adventurers
Guild. It was still a little before noon, so both Jill and Gloria were at the counter. As
always they were surrounded by adventurers. They remind me of this “idols you can
meet” thing back in Japan. Maybe they should form a group called RCT(Receptionist) 48.

He didn’t have any business with them today, though.

“Hikaru-sama!”

Paula, Pia, and Priscilla were in front of the request bulletin board. It was none other
than Paula who spotted him right away.

“I was wondering if something happened to you since you didn’t come to the guild
yesterday.”

“I was reading this thoroughly the whole day.” Hikaru said, showing a book he took
from the reference room. It was torn apart in places from years of use so no one had
touched it recently.

“What’s that?”

“I borrowed it from Unken-san so I could learn about dissection. It helps to have

knowledge about these things.”

It was an alibi Hikaru had thought up beforehand if someone asked him what he was
doing yesterday.

“You mean that thick book?!”

Jill might’ve heard Paula’s surprise as she slipped out of the counter and strolled
towards them. At the same time, the adventurers raised their voices in anger.

Please just stay at the counter and do your job is what Hikaru would normally think,
but it was a chance to fish for information. He wanted to know if the guild was aware
of what happened yesterday.

“Hikaru-kun, did Unken-san lend this to you? Hmm… I’ll return it to him for you, then.”

“Are you sure? You must be busy.”

“I’ll just give it to him when he shows up. But did you really read the whole thing?”

“I did.”

“Ohh… Then how about a bit of quiz?”

Jill playfully flipped through the pages.

“…What’s the most effective way to kill a Muddy Rock that lives in marshlands?”

“Use ice type spirit magic. They’re easier to destroy once frozen.”

“What does a powdered yellow medicinal plant do?”

“Heal paralysis.”

“Give a short description of the closest dungeon to Pond.”

“The dungeon is called the Underground City of Ancient Gods. It’s a five-day trip by
carriage down the southern highway. Jointly controlled by the Adventurers Guild and
the government, only adventurers ranked E and above may enter. Plenty of undead
type monsters have been spotted there. The troublesome ones are those that use dark
magic—”

“That’s enough. You really did read all this, huh?” Jill said as she closed the book and
turned towards the adventurers gathered around the counter.

“All of you should check out our available materials in the reference room. If you learn
lots of things – not just about your quests – then you’ll have higher chances of
surviving out there.”
The adventurers glanced at Hikaru and clicked their tongues collectively. Once again,
Jill did something she shouldn’t have.

By the looks of things, they haven’t heard about Lavia’s escape. Since the adventurers
were assigned to escort, they would’ve been deemed to have failed in their job. And thank
goodness for that quiz just now. That should prove that I read that book thoroughly.

“Hikaru-san.”

“Uh…?!”

Gloria was behind him, her hands on his shoulders. She inched her lips closer to his
ears and whispered.

“Did you really read it yesterday?”

“…I did…”

“I see.”

“Eek!”

After breathing into his ear, Gloria returned to the counter. He didn’t even notice when
she left her post and approached him.

I really gotta watch out for that one.

In reality Hikaru didn’t actually read that old book, but the latest version. He just
casually went over it when he was in the reference room. He had plenty of chances to
read it. His reading speed was much faster than the average person, and he was good
at memorizing. He actually already knew all that stuff before he even borrowed the
book.

“Wh-Wh-What’s the deal with that receptionist?! She just blew into your ear! I wanna
do that too!”

“Please don’t…”

Hikaru brushed Paula off then left the guild.

“…How do I look?”

Later that evening in the hotel room.

Lavia, who looked completely different from before, stood in front of Hikaru. Her hair
was dyed light gray. She wanted to have the same black-colored hair as Hikaru, but he
dismissed the idea since only an extremely small number of people had black hair in
this world and that would only draw attention to her. It was cut short – just a bit longer
at the back and around the ears.

If she wore a hunting cap with a larger visor, it should be hard for adults to see her
eyes. Putting on a white shirt and a vest paired with knee-length pants plus socks and
shoes should be enough for her to look like any other boy.

“You look great… Wait, am I allowed to say that?”

“Hehe. Of course you are… I mean, damn right you are, Hikaru! Let’s go conquer the
world!”

“…You don’t have to try too hard. I can’t bear to listen.”

“I-It’s not good? I’ve been practicing all day how to talk like a boy.”

He imagined how adorable she was muttering to herself, practicing her speech.
Unfortunately it just didn’t suit her. She was a young lady of a house. As such, even if
she looked like a boy, she was more on the elegant side, like a well-raised scion of a
wealthy family – her rough talk didn’t match her looks at all. In that regard, though,
Hikaru was the same.

He had to spend some money, but he had enough to support both of them for a while.
Incidentally, now that they were basically couples, Hikaru had to buy something
necessary.

Contraceptives.

Lavia might only be fourteen, but she was old enough to get pregnant. Based on
Roland’s memories, it was the same case in this world. Interestingly the contraceptive
was actually a gem imbued with magic. It was dark magic, however, so walking around
with it in one’s pocket was harmful; in a man’s case, his sperm count would go lower,
and for a woman, it would have adverse effects on her ovary. The effects were not that
harmful for a man, and it fact, lower sperm count would prevent pregnancy so most
men visiting the red-light district had one. The effect on women was much worse, like
causing menstrual irregularity so it was common for men to carry the gem.

It looks like I’m expecting to do the deed frequently with her… Still, prevention is better
than cure. Yes.

Regret always came last so better prevent pregnancy now than later. They didn’t have
the luxury to raise kids at the moment. The vendor poked fun at him when he bought
the gem, but Hikaru believed it was a necessary expense. It cost 1,000 gilans.

Money left: 24,630 gilans (+100,000 gilans)

“Hmm… maybe I should tone the rough talk down a bit…” Lavia muttered.

“Let’s go outside tomorrow with you wearing that.” Hikaru said.

“Okay. Where are we going?”

“You can go anywhere you want now. You can decide on your own. But we’re not going
far until the heat dies down.”

“…I can go anywhere I want…” she mumbled under her breath. “I want to go adventuring.”

Hikaru laughed, nodding.

“I knew you’d say that. We’ll start preparing for adventures tomorrow.”

“Okay!”

“Before that, how’s your body? Does it hurt?”

“I-It still hurts a bit, but I’m feeling better.”

“All right. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“B-But if you want to, we can—”

“Th-That’s not why I asked!”

“…I see. I understand. I look like a boy now…”

“No, that’s not it! Come on, cheer up. Even if your appearance changed, I… I still think
you’re lovely…”

“Hikaru…”

He grabbed her hands and their silhouettes drew closer to each other. In the end, they
stayed up late into the night. By the time they woke up the next day, the sun was
already high up in the sky.

The magic gem immediately came in handy on the first day of purchase.