Volume 1
Chapter 20
I was Invited
to a Party
Translator : PolterGlast
[Tekiru's POV]
Adventurers aren't a
monolith.
Of course, your body
is your greatest asset, and building trust between adventurers is quite
difficult.
Most people who don't
have any acquaintances think they're on their own—solo—most of the time.
But actually, that's
not the case.
Sometimes you form
temporary parties (team up), and sometimes you have to help out adventurers
(colleagues) who are in dangerous situations—it's a job where human connections
are important.
That's why I've been
increasing my connections. I've approached various people, found common ground,
and prioritized taking on rescue requests when they came in. When my schedule
aligned with someone else's, I'd go out for drinks at night—constantly
increasing my network of connections.
The result was Rank
5—the pinnacle of adventurers, the spotlight.
At that time, I felt
proud of myself and reaffirmed that I had been right.
And that's when the
White-ranked adventurer appeared.
A rank that doesn't
even have a tier, it's already considered a legend, an absolute powerhouse that
is even aiming to become one is a bit of a stretch.
Such a person appeared
in the guild───there was no way I
could not approach them. This connection is definitely going to be advantageous
later.
That's why I've been
waiting for the right time to approach him.
And today, that time
finally came.
"Hey, rookie! Can
I talk to you for a second?"
My words started a
conversation with Kushina, the White-ranked adventurer.
Surprisingly, Kushina
was aware of me following him.
My profession (class)
is [Thief]. I specialize in traps, speed-based techniques, and stealth. So, I
was confident in things like tailing. However...
Moreover, as we
continued talking, I introduced myself, but Kushina only gave his name.
Normally, for an
adventurer, rank is almost synonymous with pride. For most people who register
with the guild, it's the only thing that proves their status and their proven
ability. That's why adventurers always include their rank when speaking. It's
the norm and it's polite.
But Kushina didn't.
He was implicitly
saying, "You can tell without me having to tell you."
I see, this guy is
quite quirky.
But I haven't been
socializing for nothing. It doesn't matter if he's a little quirky.
I'll show you, I'll
show you the conversational skills I've honed all this time. And I'm definitely
going to form a party with him.
"Hey, wanna form
a party?"
I asked directly.
"A party?"
"Yeah, a
party."
Kushina tilted his
head curiously.
"I get what
you're saying. Don't beat around the bush. I'm a high-rank adventurer too, so I
understand where Kushina is coming from. But forming a party can be quite
beneficial───"
"Yeah,
sure."
"───there are many
benefits. For example..."
I get it, I get it.
After becoming a high-rank adventurer, there are so many people who look down
on others and say, "Why do you have to team up with lower-ranked
guys?" I've seen that many times.
But for adventurers,
horizontal connections are the most important thing. So deepening friendships
by forming a party can benefit you later───
......
"───Is that okay!?"
"Yeah."
Kushina nodded with a
smile. Seriously... that was easy.
"Ah, but"
"Hmm?"
"What's a
party?"
"───"
I was speechless.
"What? You agreed
without knowing?"
"Yeah."
Kushina nodded without
any shame. If you're strong, you're not afraid of anything, huh? White-ranked
adventurer... amazing.
"You see, a party
is───"
I began to explain to
Kushina what a party is.
A party is not an
officially established system by the guild. It refers to a group of adventurers
who voluntarily form a team to work towards a common goal.
In other words, any
troubles that arise within a party are entirely your own responsibility. You can't
form a party without trust.
Sometimes there are
parties that prey on new adventurers... but you can't expect any trust from
those people. If something happens, no one will come to your aid.
Therefore, even if
it's unofficial, parties have a well-established system. If you don't have a
proper division of labor and distribution of rewards, rumors will spread within
the guild, and some parties even appoint a third party to prevent incidents.
That's how strict parties are.
I finished explaining
these things to Kushina.
"Well, that's why
it's rare for strangers to form parties. It usually happens when there's a
request that absolutely has to be done, or when people have a long-standing
trust."
"He~e."
"I mainly form
parties to deepen friendships. Trust is very important for adventurers, you
know?"
"Is that
so?"
"Yeah. In times
of emergency, trust makes a big difference."
"He~e."
"Kushina, I
recommend you actively form parties when you have the time. For adventurers,
it's the second most important thing after protecting yourself."
"I see."
"......Well, I've
talked for too long. If we keep this up, we'll never be able to go on a quest.
Let's continue the conversation while we're on our way."
"Okay."
Taking my suggestion,
Kushina and I left the guild.
However, at that time,
I didn't realize.
The fact that the
woman who had come to the guild with Kushina was watching our backs as we left.
"......"
□□□
[Runa's POV]
I was currently
reading a book in the reference room.
"......"
The man Kushina was
talking to, that guy... didn't he say he had been looking for a chance to talk?
But there was no
particular change in Kushina himself. So why did he decide to talk today?
Did he finally gather
the courage to talk? He didn't seem like the nervous type, though...
And Kushina, for that
matter! If you noticed you were being followed, you should report it!!
Seriously ......... that guy really can't do anything unless someone tells him
to.
Well, it's too late
for what's already happened. Let's think about the present now.
What if... just what
if, that man had some intention and took Kushina away because he was in the way
of his plans?
...I can't say it's
impossible. We still don't know anything about this town. Moreover, while we're
in such a state, we have the title of [White-ranked adventurer]. There are
probably many people who would find us a nuisance.
Especially Kushina, he
has a tendency to act without thinking things through deeply. There's a
possibility that he did something that offended someone.
......
"Haah..."
It's not like me to be
so indecisive. I should go out today and gather information. I've finished
reading most of the books in the reference room anyway.
I got up from my
chair, put the book back on the shelf, and left the room.
As I was walking down
the corridor, Wick, the receptionist who had helped us when we first came to
the reception desk and who I'd recently started talking to, walked towards me.
"Oh? Runa-san,
are you leaving already?"
She looked at me with
surprise and spoke.
"Hello, Wick-san.
Yes, I'm going out to gather information today. I've finished reading most of
the books in the reference room."
"Wow... Runa-san,
you're so diligent even though you're a high-ranked adventurer. …………Wait, what?
You've finished reading them all?"
"Fufu, I'll take
that as a compliment. Well then, Wick-san, have a good day."
"R-Read...? All
of them? No way... Eh!? Yes! Good work!!"
Wick-san's reaction
was a little strange, but there's no need to worry about it. I continued
walking down the corridor, passing her.
"You're kidding
me, right? To say she has finished reading all the books in the reference
room... How many books and documents do you think there are in there? And all
of them... in just a few days..."
□□□
A few hours later───
It was probably about
time that man and Kushina arrived at the request site. If something's going to
happen, it'll be soon.
I've been wandering
around the town ever since I left the guild.
My outfit is so
unusual that I stand out quite a bit. Well, it doesn't matter if I stand out.
Now I have a detection magic spell.
Thanks to being cooped
up in the reference room, I've gained a certain amount of knowledge about the
language, magic, and general knowledge of this world. It was tough reading all
that, though.
Among them, magic was
a bit tricky to activate at first. But once I activated it, I easily grasped
the basics.
Magic seems to be a
technique activated using a special energy called magic power, which is
different from mana. Magic power is generated within a person's body, and by
releasing and changing this magic power outside the body, a phenomenon called
magic is created.
Moreover, this magic
power is versatile, and depending on the user's skill, it can be used as a
substitute for various things. For example, you can generate fire on the palm
of your hand as a light, create a strong wind to blow things away, or even
sense things that you couldn't normally hear or feel by sending out magic power
as a substitute for the senses.
That's why it's okay
for me to stand out. I'm currently continuously searching for a radius of one
kilometer. So even if someone notices it and tries to keep their distance, I
can easily detect them.
Magic is very
convenient. Why doesn't everyone use it frequently? ───That's what I thought
at first.
But I realized as I
read the books.
It's because the
people of this world are not suited to using magic.
The foundation of
magic is imagination. That power is the key to everything. The clearer your
image, the easier it becomes to handle powerful magic.
But the people of this
world lack that. Well, it's only natural. In a world where fantasy elements
like monsters and magic are flying around in the real world, there's no need to
imagine fictional things. Rather, people in this world are so familiar with
these things that they believe that such powerful forces are dangerous. That's
why they lack imagination.
Besides, even if you
could cast powerful magic, the consumption of magic power, which is the raw
material, is enormous. To put it simply, it's not worth it. If the limit of a
normal person is 100, just using palm-sized magic would consume 40. That's why
magic is not used very often in everyday life.
But for me, none of
that matters. I have the skills [All Magic Aptitude] and [Magic Power
Consumption Nullification].
To use magic, you need
aptitude in addition to imagination, but that doesn't apply to me, and it's
even less relevant when it comes to magic power consumption. It's truly a skill
set specialized for a mage.
Still... I found
nothing. Did I completely misread the situation? Maybe I should go back to the
guild's reference room.
Just as I was about to
turn around,
"Hey, look at
that."
"Hmm?"
I was curious about
what the nearby townsperson said.
And then───
Rattle rattle rattle
A carriage decorated
with luxurious ornaments passed through the street.
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