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053 Job Change
Meeting
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Translator : PolterGlast
On the table, a basket
was piled high with fruits that resembled melons, apples, Shine Muscat grapes,
Kyoho grapes, pears, and peaches. They had different names in this world, but
these familiar names felt more natural to me.
These fruits were all
grown by Rose from seeds I purchased. Rose can grow anything that's a plant,
from grains like wheat and corn to spices like pepper, and fruits like these.
In return, my MP is consumed, but as long as I don't grow huge quantities, the
consumption isn't significant.
Thanks to Rose, our
meal situation was rapidly improving. It's great that if you have seeds or
seedlings, you can grow as much as you want. I didn't have any major complaints
about the food before, anyway. I can eat anything.
However,
"edible" and "delicious" are different. While never truly
unappetizing, many dishes in this world lacked flavor. Even Burgan is several
steps below Japanese soy sauce in taste.
If I could get my
hands on rice, I'd want to eat curry and rice. Naan isn't bad, but curry really
needs rice, doesn't it? I wonder if there's rice in this world? I hope so.
"To see so many
fruits in the middle of winter..." I heard Mondark's murmur from behind
me. Beside him, his wife Merlis, who was cutting the fruit, had lost the light
in her eyes.
We had returned from
defeating the 7th-floor boss, and today, we had many things to discuss. We all
ate together, and now it was dessert time. This was when our discussion would
begin.
I sat at the head of
the table, with Anneliese and Rosalina on one side, and Gandarvan, Jojok, Lin,
Bath, and Solidia on the other. Rose flew around me playfully. She seemed
invisible to everyone else for now.
Mondark and Merlis
finished cutting the fruit and serving everyone.
I picked up a slice of
melon, cut into eighths and then five smaller pieces, with a fork and brought
it to my mouth. It was juicy, sweet, and incredibly delicious. This melon would
be considered a luxury item even in Japan.
Everyone started
eating after I confirmed I had taken a bite. It's delicious, isn't it? I like
all fruits, but melons are my favorite. I never thought I'd be able to eat
melon in this world, so I was deeply moved.
"Good work today,
everyone. I'm glad no one got hurt." Everyone's faces softened.
"I think you all
know why we're having this discussion," I said.
"It's about the
grimoire, isn't it?" Gandarvan's face became serious.
"Yes, the
grimoire. For ordinary explorers, it seems the leader or the person who
contributed the most gets to use it. Is that correct?"
"Yes. That's
right," Gandarvan nodded, and everyone else nodded as well.
I popped a peach into
my mouth. This was also juicy and sweet. I liked how the sweet scent of the
peach lingered in my nose after eating it.
"However, that
wouldn't improve our overall combat strength. I'm thinking of having someone
use the grimoire to improve our overall combat strength."
"We serve our
Master. Even if we were to apply explorer rules, Master is the leader, and
Master has contributed the most. We will follow Master's decision,"
Gandarvan said rigidly. I don't dislike that, but I wished he'd assert himself.
The Shine Muscat
grapes were delicious too. Their clean sweetness was great.
"I'm not going to
give orders this time. I'd like to hear everyone's opinions," I stated. My
idea was set, but I wanted to hear everyone else's thoughts too.
The rich sweetness of
the Kyoho grapes was also good. If I ate them every day, I'd get tired of them,
but it's the kind of deliciousness I want to eat every day.
Anneliese and I had
already used grimoires, so we were excluded. It seems using a grimoire twice is
pointless. Rosalina was also excluded because she liked Battle Master.
If Gandarvan were to
use a grimoire, it would clearly be a decrease in combat power, and losing the
tank would be more damaging than just a loss of combat power.
Should I make Jojok
and Lin, who evolved into Sword Master and Lance Saint, use the grimoire? Of
course not. It would be a waste of combat power to intentionally turn two
people who had already evolved into higher-tier jobs into Mages. I would
consider it if they wanted to, but otherwise, it was out of the question.
"I'm excluding
Gandarvan, Jojok, and Lin," I announced. The three I named nodded.
"You've already
evolved into higher-tier jobs, so there's no need to specifically become a
Mage, right?" They wouldn't want to change their fighting style just to
become a Mage, even after evolving into higher-tier jobs.
That left Bath, the
Swordsman, and Solidia, the Lancer. Having one of these two use the grimoire
would lead to the greatest improvement in combat strength. Now, which one would
lead to a greater improvement in combat strength? The answer would come from
comparing their ability scores.
The abilities to look
at are INT and MIN. Whichever of these two has higher values is more suited to
being a Mage. I believe MP, MATK, and MDEF depend on these two abilities. In
fact, high INT and MIN tend to correlate with high values in these three abilities.
Considering these
points, the candidate would be Solidia.
The apple's tartness
was just right. It's a tartness that brings out the sweetness.
"That leaves two,
but before I give my opinion, I want to hear everyone else's. Of course, it's
fine if any of the three I excluded want to become a Mage. Jojok, what about
you?" Jojok, asked for his opinion, widened his eyes. He seemed to want to
say, "Why me?"
The crispness of the
pear made it enjoyable to eat. And it was sweet too. Pears might be a bit of a niche
fruit, but I like them.
"I will only
follow Master's judgment. I have no complaints about either Bath or
Solidia," Jojok replied. He seemed to be giving an opinion but wasn't. Was
this what it meant to serve someone?
I went back to the
melon after finishing a round. It's delicious. That slightly prickly sweetness
is great.
"Lin, what about
you?" I asked. She flinched when I called her name. I'm not that scary, am
I? That kind of reaction hurts, you know.
I took another bite of
melon. This sweetness is truly addictive.
"I used to want
to be a Mage, but not anymore," Lin replied. Was that her way of saying
she didn't want it? She probably couldn't say which of the two would be
better... It would create awkwardness.
Next time, I'll try to
find watermelon seeds. I wonder if Golteo-san can get them for me. I'll ask him
along with the rice.
It was a mistake to
ask Jojok and Lin, who were in the same rank.
"Gandarvan?"
I asked.
"I will follow
Master's judgment," he replied. Yeah, I didn't even need to ask. I knew
he'd give that kind of answer.
I ate a peach.
Everyone, eat too. Eh, they can't eat because they don't know when I'll start
talking? You don't have to worry about that.
"Then, Bath, what
about you?" I asked.
"Jojok and Lin's
jobs evolved, but mine didn't. I was wondering what the difference was,"
Bath replied.
"Did you come to
a conclusion?" I asked.
"No, I'm still
thinking about it," he admitted.
...So, do you want to
be a Mage? Can I press him on this? For now, I'll ask Solidia for her opinion.
"Solidia?" I
prompted.
"To be honest, I
do wish to become a Mage. However, I feel like that would be running
away," Solidia confessed.
"If you become a
Mage, your level will reset to 1. I don't think that counts as running
away," I said.
"...It's very
kind of Master to say that," Solidia replied. So, Solidia wants to be a
Mage. That's fine.
I took a bite of Shine
Muscat grapes. It's delicious when you crush Shine Muscat grapes and drink them
with soda. I guess there's no soda in this world...
"I'm thinking of
having Solidia use the grimoire. Bath, is that okay with you?" I asked.
"Yes. I will
follow Master's judgment," Bath replied.
I took the grimoire
from my Item Box and handed it to Solidia via Gandarvan. Solidia received the
grimoire, her eyes welling up. Don't hold it so carefully; just use it.
"Solidia, use
it," I instructed.
"Y-yes. Thank
you," she replied, opening the grimoire at my prompting. The magic
characters floated up and flew into Solidia's eyes.
I used Detailed
Appraisal on Solidia. Good, her available jobs increased... but what is this
job? It's amazing, so cool, I'm envious!
"Solidia and
Bath, go to the temple first thing tomorrow morning," I instructed.
"Me too?"
Bath asked.
To be honest, there
was another reason why I pushed the grimoire towards Solidia, besides her
magical aptitude. It was Bath's available job. I saw it when he was Level 28,
but that job wasn't there then. But it is now. I think that job is better than
a mediocre Swordsman, but what would Bath think?
"Ah. You know
about my unique skills, don't you?" I asked.
"Yes, I do,"
he replied. I talked about my unique skills because they signed the
confidentiality agreement when they became soldiers.
"Bath, you also
have a job you can change to," I revealed.
"What... what
kind of job is it?" he asked.
"Do you want to
know?"
"If you would
tell me, I would like to know," he replied.
"It will spoil
tomorrow's surprise, are you sure?" I teased.
"...It's
fine," he conceded. He's a boring guy. But I understood the feeling.
"The job you can
change to, Bath, is Adventurer." Adventurer is a job that can be taken by
those with a spirit of adventure. Bath seemed to have a sense of adventure.
Thinking back, Bath sometimes offered opinions on which way to go at forks in
the dungeon. Perhaps that was a good thing.
"Is the
Adventurer job suited for combat?" he asked.
"It seems like a
job not suited for combat, but I don't think everyone needs to be suited for
combat. Since it seems like a convenient job, I think you can excel as a hidden
strength," I explained. At least, it doesn't have combat skills
immediately after changing jobs. I don't know what happens as it grows, though.
"Is it a job like
Master's Explorer?" he asked.
"Since the job
name is different, there must be some differences. The skills you learn first
are movement routes, monster encyclopedia, traps, and danger sense."
The Movement Route
skill apparently tells you the shortest route to your destination. This alone
is quite convenient, but it might become even more convenient as its
proficiency levels up.
The Monster
Encyclopedia skill tells you the race name of a monster and an indicator of its
strength compared to your own level. This is a bit redundant since I have
Detailed Appraisal, but since few people have appraisal-type skills, I think
it's a good skill.
The Trap skill is the
same as the Assassin's skill, and the Danger Sense skill is the same as the
Explorer's skill.
Overall, I think it's
a job that gains many convenient skills. Since it's a job primarily for
adventure, it should have many convenient aspects.
"..." Bath
fell into thought. If he continued as a Swordsman as he was, he would be
somewhat useful in combat. But as an Adventurer, he didn't know if he would be
useful in combat. Perhaps that was his hang-up. But among all these impressive
jobs, Swordsman is quite inferior. As a Swordsman, he probably couldn't excel
in a single area, but as an Adventurer, he could. I'd be happier if I had such
a person too.
It was surprising,
though. I thought he'd jump at the chance. I guess people's values differ, so
they don't jump at things so easily.
"Um... my job
is..." Solidia asked timidly. Her fox ears twitched. Can I touch them?
"Master?"
Anneliese gave me a half-lidded glare. That's scary, stop it!
"C-cough. Do you
want to know?" I asked.
"If possible...
please tell me," Solidia replied.
"Solidia, you're
a Sorcerer. And a Necromancer."
"Necro...
mancer...?" Solidia looked dumbfounded. Was she that happy?
A Necromancer is a
Sorcerer who controls corpses. They manipulate corpses like skeletons and
ghouls. Don't you think that's cool? I've always admired that kind of thing.
Enchanter is good, but Necromancer is even better. I'd even swap with her if I
could.
"Master, what
kind of job is a Necromancer?" Gandarvan asked.
"Eh, you don't
know Necromancer?" I asked, surprised.
"Unfortunately, I
have never heard of a job called Necromancer," Gandarvan replied. I looked
at the faces of the others, and they all shook their heads. It seemed
Necromancers weren't known in this world.
"A Necromancer is
a Sorcerer who manipulates corpses."
"Corpses!?"
(All of them exclaimed) Everyone was surprised.
"S-such a job
exists?" Gandarvan stammered.
"Solidia can
change to it, so it must exist, right, Gandarvan?"
"Th-that's true,
but..." his voice trailed off.
"Master's
Enchanter is rare, but Solidia-san's Necromancer might be even rarer, wouldn't
you say?" Anneliese chimed in. Detailed Appraisal also mentioned it was a
rare job, 1 in a million. Since Enchanter was 1 in 10,000 and considered quite
rare, this job was 100 times rarer.
"A Necromancer is
a Sorcerer, so they can use sorcery if they have catalysts, but unlike regular
Sorcerers, Necromancers apparently can't use elemental sorcery. They seem to
summon and fight with corpses," I explained. Solidia clasped her hands in
front of her chest with an ecstatic expression... Hm, no? Is that an anxious
expression? No, she must be happy. She must be happy. I'm confident I'd be
skipping with joy if I were in her shoes.
"First, let's
change jobs and start by making catalysts. It seems catalysts can be made with
Necromancer skills."
"...Yes. Thank
you," Solidia replied, lowering her eyes. She must be savoring the joy of
being able to change to Necromancer.
In contrast, Bath was
still deep in thought, arms crossed. If you're a man, change jobs with guts! I
couldn't say that. It concerns his whole life, so he should think it through.
Well, that's enough
for these two. As for the rest...
"And then,
Rosalina, I have a proposal for you."
"Yes-nanodesu!"
Rosalina chirped.
"Will you become
one of my soldiers?"
"A
soldier-nanodesu?" Rosalina asked, tilting her head adorably.
"Rosalina isn't a
controlled slave but a voluntary slave, so she can be freed immediately,"
I explained. As a noble, I could only free up to 3rd-class controlled slaves,
but voluntary slaves were debt slaves, so they could be freed even without
being a noble.
"If Rosalina
becomes a soldier for me, it will complete our number of soldiers, which would
be a great help." Even if I freed Rosalina from slavery, she probably
wouldn't leave me. Probably... So, I thought it would be good for her to become
a soldier, as it would not only restore her status but even elevate it.
"I don't really
understand-nanodesu. So I'll leave it to Master," Rosalina replied, as
usual.
"Alright then,
I'll free you from slavery, and you'll be a soldier," I stated.
"Yes-nanodesu!"
she replied with a bright smile, though I don't think she fully understood.
"Gandarvan,
please teach Rosalina about the mindset of a soldier and so on."
"Understood,"
Gandarvan replied. With this, I could fulfill my noble responsibilities. And
once Anneliese was freed, everything would be happy ever after.
"Master, may I
ask one thing?" Gandarvan inquired.
"Hm, what is
it?" I asked. Gandarvan had a stern expression, as always.
"Leaving Jojok
aside, it would be best to report Lin's job to His Excellency the Duke,"
he suggested.
"Lin's job, you
mean Lance Saint?" I asked.
"Yes. Holy jobs
carry a special meaning. I believe it would be best to report it,"
Gandarvan explained.
"Is that so?
Understood. I'll report it once things settle down." They called jobs with
"Saint" in them "holy jobs," it seemed. Was I the only one
who thought Priest was more of a holy job?
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