Translator: Lore_Temple
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When faced with situations that are too unconventional, people usually tend to panic.
That was exactly the situation with Gis now.
He voice felt struck as he looked at Cloud stupidly.
After some time, as he regained consciousness, he realized that he had been teased.
"You bastard!"
Thum-!
Cloud, who was punched straight on his face by Gis, was thrown 5 meters back in the air.
Cloud fell on the floor and rolled over.
Gis hared right away and squarely kicked on Cloud's stomach.
Cloud's waist arched like a stretched bow.
"You bastard who do you think you are! Ya know who you talking sh!t with?!"
Every time he kicked and stepped on him, he heard a crunching, crackling sound.
Even though Cloud's body was being broken in real time, Gis's mind just refused to cool down.
It was strange.
Usually hitting like this will relieve his mind, but no matter how much he hit this guy, that fucking annoying feeling didn't go away.
'Why?'
Gis soon realized.
Usually, they cry and beg for their pitiful lives even if he only delivers a light beating.
Humans are creatures that are vulnerable to pain.
And Gis is the type of person who can feels appeased whenever he sees such an unsightly appearance.
However, Cloud who was being thrashed right now was different from those ordinary bastards.
No matter how hard he punched or kicked him, even if his bones were broken and his internal organs left ruptured, he didn't leak even a single moan.
Why is that?
""
Cloud did neither avoid nor tried to block his kicks. It was like, as if, as if some mature adults comforting their children.
And Gis definitely didn't like that previous pitying look on his face.
'Should I just kill him?'
It was the moment when Gis, who had been caught up in a murderous impulse, was about to kick Cloud's neck.
"Stop!!"
Neria intervened in between them.
Thanks to that, the kick that tried to break Cloud's neck had to be stopped. Gis glared at Neria in vehemence.
"What are you—fucking trying to do?"
"What are you doing!? Isn't this different from what you promised?"
Neria faced Gis, covering Cloud behind her back.
Seemingly trying to be protect Cloud.
Gis stifled a smirk.
"Fuhuhu, you've already betrayed that bastard as much as you could, and now you're pretending to have care for him?"
"…"
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"If you don't have anything to say, piss off. For I'm going to end it off with that bastard."
"That's not going to happen."
It was the moment when Gis was about to push Neria away. Lorian grabbed Gis by his shoulder and pulled him back—to make Gis' brow furrowed with hostility.
"You wanna pick a fight?"
"Why don't you just look around for once before you try to even get mad?"
Lorian pointed to the left with a chin gesture. There, the circles of nobles were gathered, murmuring amongst themselves, although he couldn't hear what they were talking about, the atmosphere did not look quite right.
Of course.
No matter how strong he is now, even if others respects the strong Gis more than the weak Cloud, the fact that he comes from a humble background that is no different from Cloud, doesn't change.
No, in fact, he was from slums, so one can say that was even dirtier in a way.
And such a guy assaults a fellow Hero at the continent's most reputed social banquet?
Meanwhile, Cloud who doesn't even resist while the aggressor continues, from a viewer's point of view anyone would be disgusted.
It was natural for these nobles to be offended by his barbaric behavior and to babble amongst themselves.
"Others are uncomfortable with your brutal violence."
"Brutal violence? Don't be ridiculous! That motherfucker just insulted me by bringing in my mother."
The murmurs of nobles grew louder.
However, the negative public opinion toward Gis did not change in slightest.
Because…
"Insult? And Cloud? You sure sound funny."
Cloud is of low origin and a figure of incompetence.
However, he is a good-natured and caring human being.
Although the nobles ignored him, they were well aware of his personality.
That's why they took Gis' words for an aggressor's pitiful lies.
'This bastard… he definitely heard it.'
No matter how low was the whisper, Lorian would have heard it. But he shamelessly pretended as if he didn't, labelling him in bad light.
"Haven't you already achieved your purpose? I hope you don't make any more of this situation."
"Yeah, my purpose has been achieved."
Gis threw away Lorian's hand with a displeased expression.
If Gis stole Cloud's party members because of his own twisted desires, Lorian's was in order to keep Cloud in check.
At first, he was just going to shake up the things a little bit, but somehow, things worked out too well.
So Lorian didn't want his hardwork to be ruined by escalating this matter any further.
"Shouldn't you be content by now, with all that beating?"
"Ha. What if I say no?"
"Then I will deal with you on his behalf. In the form of a duel."
When Lorian drew his ceremonial sword, cheers erupted from among the nobles.
At this moment, the good and the bad were clearly divided.
Gis, the villain, had created a situation where it was his loss regardless of either he won or lost.
"….you fucking dirty bastard."
Gis clicked his tongue and hurtled out of the venue with a displeased expression.
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As soon as he left, Ophelia hurriedly ran towards Cloud.
"Hero! Are you okay?"
That's what she asked, but in no way he looked in a good condition to her.
Neria, who looked with sad eyes, urged urgently.
"Ophelia, do the treatment, quick!"
"All right. I'm…"
"Wait."
Cloud raised his upper body languidly.
Neria and Ophelia's eyes widened, but he didn't care and looked at his own body.
It was a total mess.
The shoulder was hanging limpidly and his knee was bent in a inhuman direction, and there seemed to be quite a bit of internal bleeding too.
Cloud pulled his dislocated right shoulder first. He placed his left hand on his shoulder and wrested with a strong force—his shoulder blades aligned with a staunch crackling sound.
The broken leg was grabbed and gyrated to the original direction.
He moved around until the broken bones were positioned in right places, and then released his hand snugly.
"Done. Now heal me."
"…Y, Yes? A-Ah, yes…"
Ophelia felt a little creepy for some reason and quickly used a heal on Cloud.
* * *
Our team was disbanded, and so I thought it was over. Atleast such was the case in my original world until I was dragged here. But it didn't seem to be the case here.
"Then I'll break the party connection. It may hurt a little."
An old man with gray hair walked up to me and stood behind me.
In this world, there was a pretty tricky procedure to form and disband a party.
When you form a party, you have to register that person's blood on the status engraved on your back, and when you break up, you cover it with your own blood and wipe it off.
The reason for doing this procedure is to share experience points that come from killing monsters.
But, of course, there was no way I could reach out correctly to my back with my own hand. So I had to get help from others.
The person who is rubbing off the party connection on my back is one of the butlers of the Imperial Palace.
The three heroines will be assisted by maids in another room.
"Let's begin."
I could feel a cold liquid on my back.
Instead of a tingling sensation, there was a stinging and throbbing pain.
It was not painful enough to make me grunt though. I just sat there spacing out, and it was over.
"Can I go now?"
""
"Yes, the party breakup is complete."
"Well, see you later then."
I quickly left the room.
It is said that Emperor always appear in the social banquet a little later than others.
If you try to leave the banquet while the Emperor was there, you would be stopped by the guard, so I thought I'd better get outta here before he showed up.
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Fortunately, the room I was in was on the first floor, close to the exit of the Imperial Palace, so it didn't take long to find my way out.
As I came out of the palace, going down the stairs, another new figure was coming from the other side.
But the face was not unfamiliar.
There was no chance I wouldn't know. The woman who is climbing up the stairs right now is the only female Hero among the four Heroes in 'The Hero's Party'.
Frillite.
The eldest daughter of an Imperial Duke and also the strongest of the four Heroes.
"Cloud? The banquet isn't over yet, where are you going?"
As she climbed up the stairs, she looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face.
"I'm tired. I want to go back a little earlier today."
If the food wasn't even good, what reason was even there for me to be present there?
"…what happened?"
"Nothing much?"
I passed her and went down the stairs.
Her gaze was fixed on me until I made my way down the stairs.
* * *
Surprisingly, there were bars in this world.
In the dark and cryptic atmosphere, the bartender at the center bar table was wiping the glasses.
The only downside is that there are no cocktails, only wine.
'Why do you even need a bartender when you only have wine?'
""
I had a question like that, but I decided to let it slide.
Because the wine tasted excellent.
Compared to the tasteless ale I drank at the inn, this one was damn good!
'But that beer without carbonation. What kind of devil made such a thing..?'
After all, something like carbonated drinks don't exist in this world, sigh.
As soon as I'll ever returned to Earth, I will drink bottles of coke. Haa, I still can't forget that refreshing feeling from back then.
I really wanted a coke.
I drank the rest of the wine at once. The glass, which had been grayish-white before, reflected a transparent light.
It's strange that glasses are so developed in comparison.
"If you continue to drink like that, you will wake up sick tomorrow."
The woman who came to sit down next to me commented.
When I turned my head, I saw a gorgeous woman with flaming red hair tied in a ponytail.
The dark atmosphere of the bar did not detract her beautiful appearance in the least, though she was dressed in men's clothing, with a reddish golden tailcoat on her, it couldn't hide her womanly sensual body in the slightest.
"Red? Or white?"
"White, please."
"That's quite unexpected. I thought you would choose red."
"Why did you think so?"
"Because you are red, aren't you?"
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I said, pointing at her red hair. To which she had an absurd look on her face.
"Aren't you also drinking white wine with the same red hair?"
"This and that are different."
I didn't originally had red hair.
Not knowing that, she smiled.
"I'm glad that you still have the energy to joke around."
The bartender placed a glass of white wine in front of Frillite.
"I wasn't joking, it's the truth. More than that, what are you doing here, Frillite? I don't think it's time for the social banquet to end yet."
Frillite de Perdiac.
As a Hero and the successor of the most powerful family located near the borders of the Empire, she should have been shining in the banquet this time.
Not like drinking some cheap wine in an underground bar like me.
Frillite picked the glass and twirled it, the grayish-white wine rippled like waves. Even so, not a single drop of wine spilled out of the glass.

"I heard what happened today."
She stopped twirling the glass and brought it to her lips.
The wine flowed down endlessly in one gulp.
Even though it was nothing more than simply drinking wine, there was dignity in that simple action as well.
"Didn't you just say earlier that I will get sick drinking like that?"
"Sometimes one has to drink like this to feel better."
She smiled.
Then soon put on a serious expression.
"I never thought those idiots would do something like that. It was my negligence."
"Ha ha. Now, why is this your negligence?"
should have been a little more careful. I couldn't do that because I was busy subjugating monsters but I cannot just side myself using this as an excuse. So it's my fault."
"Well."
Frillite drank the wine the bartender had poured again.
Those who didn't know will find it strange, but I knew why she was here.
It's not because of personal friendship.
There's almost no contact between Cloud and her.
So, there is only one reason why she cares so much about Cloud.
He is a Hero.
Frillite is worried that Cloud might lose his inner self because of this incident.
The four Heroes must work together to seal the enemy of mankind, the Demon King.
—A legend that circulates on this continent.
She didn't want anything to break it this time around.
You might think why is some random legend so important, is it necessary that only the Heroes should defeat the Demon King, anybody else can do it too. Then, that's a wrong idea.
A Hero can grow endlessly without being impeded by the growth limit. It means that you can break through your limits as a human being.
In other words, a Hero is like a humanoid nuclear weapon.
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Such Heros are supported one each by each of the four human countries except the Principality.
But what if for some reasons the Hero of a particular country disappears?
As it is, the balance between the countries collapses.
The gap will be irreversibly widened with time, and the country that has lost its Hero may eventually go into ruin.
Frillite is worried about that happening.
Seriously, I'm telling you—she is a daughter who had been raised under the tutelage of a strict but upright father.
"I don't know how it feels to be separated from colleagues you were with all this time. I honestly can't even fathom."
"Well, uh."
"Nevertheless, I hope you don't break."
"Nay, I don't break."
"I am glad, you are a stronger man than I thought. Anyway, it's going to take quite some time to find some new colleagues for you. I will help you with that, there are many people with outstanding talent in our Empire—"
"No need for that."
Frillite, who had easily moved on despite my short answers, stopped.
Then she looked at me with seriously encouraging eyes.
"I know it's hard mentally. But courage and stubbornness are different things."
"I already know that..?"
"Then take my favor. Even if it's burdensome, it's for your own good."
Oh man, this persistent chic.
"God no. Why are pushing me some unknown team mates when yourself travel alone?"
"For me…"
"Yeah, maybe it's because you have that skill. But I tell you, I'm pretty good too. I also like going alone, so don't mind me."
"Cloud, you…"
Frillite was unable to speak for a while, then she sighed deeply.
She snatched the bottle of wine from the bartender's hands and drank it in gulps.
Cool, that's a one-shot.
I smiled and suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.
'Come to think of it, she had no CG in the game.'
She was a very significant character in her own rights, but there was only some vague news that she had went missing after going in the underworld, there were no separate event scenes on her.
"Whew…"
She emptied an entire bottle and placed it down on the table.
I gave her a fitting round of applause.
"That was a cool move, haha."
"…it must have been because I got a little tipsy, ugh. I will talk to you again another time, after I'm sober."
She reached out in between her arms and pulled out a heavy purse and threw it at the bartender.
"With this, deduct the cost of my drink, what this man drank, and what he will further drink. I don't think there will be any shortage."
The bartender opened the purse slightly and nodded eagerly with wide-open eyes.
"Then next time."
She glanced at me once, then turned her back and left the bar.
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My, that was really cool.
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Translator: Lore_Temple
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To be honest, after that day, Frillite and I never saw each other again.
Why?
That's because the very next day, I ditched the Imperial Capital.
Some may say—such a caring beauty cares about you, just gratefully accepted it you bastard, but to such a person, I want to say this.
Then you come and take my place.
I don't want to do these so called hero things again.
First of all, it wasn't really enjoyable, and secondly, there's nothing there for me after having to go through that much hardship, right?
Well, if I did put my whole mind to it, and if I did defeat the Demon King, then I can eat and lived well with just that achievement…
'But where's the joy in living in a place like this?'
There's no computer.
There's no smartphone.
""
No netf!ix—
No chicken—
—And… no coke.
There's nothing!
The only thing that makes it better than Earth is that the average appearance of the people here is much higher.
Even the face of the protagonist I am possessing right now is a face I could have never seen through out my life if I was back on Earth.
'And I thought it's hard to look good with red hair.'
If I could return back to Earth while retaining this face, I would easily be able to make a living as an idol, so much that I cacan eat and live well for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, I can't.
Welp, that's a shame.
"Well, let's get going."
I got up from bed.
Since leaving the Imperial Capital, I have been on a food tour to other cities.
With the little tiny hope that even in this world, there will be atleast one delicious thing somewhere out there.
But today, it will be the last day.
If what I eat today doesn't taste good, I'm seriously just going to kill myself, truly.
Once my soul escapes this body, maybe Leah will be able to do something about it.
She does has that kind of ability.
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I wandered the streets while whistling.
Although not as much as the capital of the Empire, since it's still inside the Empire, the streets are particularly clean and the security is good.
If only the food was also delicious, it would be really great.
'The skewers over there look too soggy, and the tavern over there had a very strong fishy smell. That house fruit had caterpillars, uh. Umm, for real?'
As I was walking around the streets looking for restaurants, a shabby shop located in the corner of the street caught my eye.
'What, was there such a store here?'
I've been to this area quite a few number of times, but I don't think I've ever noticed this store.
…This smell.
The smell of delicious food!
I smiled and entered the shabby store. The inside of the store was shabby matching to its exterior. But that didn't mean it was dirty. Rather, the tables and chairs were so clean that it was difficult to spot a speck of dust.
That means the owner has sincerity.
The smell of the food grew stronger.
However, the owner of the store who should have been present to take the order was nowhere to be seen.
Didn't he hear the opening of the door?
"Excuse me. Is anybody here?"
-Ah yes, yes! Wait a minute!
The answer came right away, looks like she didn't hear when I opened the door.
With a loud thud, a girl appeared from the inside. A girl who was neither pretty nor ugly, with long pink hair.
"…In any case, are you the owner of this store?"
"Ah, it's me?"
"Oh, I see."
Without any hesitation, I turned my back to get going.
I earlier thought it was a restaurant owned by a veteran chef with decades of experience, but it was just a shop run by a kid with no money.
I had expectations, but looks like I got excited for nothing.
"H, Hey, wait!"
The girl grabbed my pants as I was almost about to leave.
"Why?"
"It's been a long while since I had a guest… I can't let you run off like this!"
"Whether he wants to eat or leave, that's the customer's choice, not the store owner's, right?"
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"T, That's right, but… but… we have good food! If our food doesn't taste good… you can leave without paying!"
"You aren't planning on reporting me to guards in that way, mh?"
"Hey, I never even thought of something like that!"
The eyes of the pink-haired girl contained that, the shine of a craftsman.
Seriously, it's not like I'm losing something, right?
It would be cold to reject like that, so I finally sat down on the table.
"Okay. I'll take your word. Bring me the most delicious thing here."
"Right away!"
The girl smiled and entered the store.
Well, let's see what this little girl will be making.
"…"
I felt shocked to the core seeing what that little girl had brought with her.
"This…?"
"Fufu, this is the thing. It's not just any ordinary skewer… Ahh…! Hey, wait, wait! I'm not done explaining…!"
Is the explanation even important now?
It doesn't matter whether this is the food I thought it was or not.
I took a large bite out of the skewer covered in red sauce.
Then, a slightly spicy yet sweet taste taunted my tongue.
I ate up all the skewers quickly, then looked at the black liquid in the glass.
The black water fizzling with bubbles reminded me of something…
'Please… let my guess be correct…'
I swallowed my saliva, lifted the glass of ale, and drank the black water.
Dock! Dock! Dock! Dock!
A weak tingling sensation lingered down the throat. It was a little weak, but it was exactly what I thought of!
It's carbonated!
—And cola!
"How is it? Tasty? H, Hey, brother..? Why, why are you crying?!"
The girl panicked, but I couldn't stop crying. Although it was a little weak… the carbonation was present.
It was as if I had found a small source of light in the abyssal darkness.
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"With this… I can live…"
Like this, I decided to live in this world.
* * *
After the meal, I asked the girl named Lina how she made these things.
Lina had a face that showed it was difficult to answer, but I was so curious that I rushed into her kitchen without Lina stopping my steps.
In the kitchen, there were not only cooking utensils, but also what appeared to be alchemy ingredients.
Oh.
Exactly.
This little girl was not only a cook, but also an alchemist.
""
"Why are you, an alchemist, researching cooking in such a backward place?"
"What's wrong about culinary research-! I'm going to get rich from this!"
"Rich?"
I glanced around the inside of the store. Would any visitor ever come to such a shabby place?
Previously, I almost thought that I was fooled, but I don't think people will eat out in a place like this, atleast not for a while.
"If you want to become rich, you must first start with the interior design, right?"
"Interior… design..?"
"You have to fix the store. Else, which fool would come to such a shabby place?"
Lina pointed her finger at me.
"…..Yes, I did come. But, what about before that? How many people have come till now?"
Lina evaded my gaze dodgingly as I smirked at her.
"Not a single soul."
"…! H, How did you know that?! Aaah! Do you think I also want to do business in a store like this?! I also have ambitions for my business, to have a better facilitated place! But what do I do if I don't have that much money! Right now, I'm in a situation where I'm struggling with research funding alone! Because *hic* of which I'm *hic* only eating single meals a day!!"
Whether it was a tantrum or not, Lina poured out all the things I didn't even wanted to know.
I stroked my chin while she was almost about to cry.
"So, it's about money… So you're saying that if you have money you can make something better than this?"
"What?"
"I mean this one, the fizzling in this black water. If you have money, can you increase that?"
"Well, I've never done it, but I think it's possible."
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"Really? Then take it."
I took out the money pouch I had from under my arm and threw it to Lina.
"Eh?"
Receiving the pouch, Lina looked puzzled, then she slowly opened the slit and peeked inside.
"Hey, eh…?! Eeeeh?!"
Her eyes opened wide in astonishment.
"Hey, w-why are you giving me such a large amount of money…?"
"Where's it large? It's only 3000 gold."
I haven't adjusted to the price system of this world yet, but 3000 gold is not a huge amount. Though it's not even a small amount either.
"It's all that I have right now. I'll send you more later when I have money, so for now, be satisfied with that."
"Yes… uh…? No, wait a minute. Why can't I keep up with this conversation?..!"
"Don't you need research funding? I'll back you up."
"W, Wow, sponsorship!"
Lina's cheeks trembled.
"Are you really going to support me?"
"Uh. However, there are conditions."
"What, what is it..?"
"For now, let's name—the black water becomes coke and the tingling thing will be called carbonic acid. Make that carbonic acid stronger than it's now."
"Coke… Carbonic acid…!"
Lina took out her notebook and pen and started taking notes.
Wait, where did you bring that out from?
"And normally, you can research whatever you want to, but if there is anything I specifically ask for, give priority to that research. That's all."
"Eeh."
"Why? You have any complaints?"
"Um… Thank you for your support… but interfering with the research is a bit… I'm afraid it's absurd from an alchemist's point of view…"
Lina spoke with a submissive attitude like a business man persuading a treasured client.
"No? Then there's no support…"
As I reached out for the 3000 golds that was resting in her bosom, Lina quickly hid the pouch behind her back.
"But I am a culinary researcher, not an alchemist! I will accept the offer!"
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""
"Wise judgment."
I and Lina shook hands. The deal was sealed.
* * *
This world… is worth living.
So what I need to do from now on is simple.
A spec-up to defeat the Demon King.
I recalled the contents of the notebook that Cloud had left.
Since the Goblin Road has already been subjugated, the first half of the game is finished.
The three heroines have also been passed on to other heroes, so it can be said that we are almost halfway there.
'No, this Cloud, how did this bastard usually lived to get totally NTRed already?'
To get NTR by all the three in just the middle course, it's was almost impossible unless he possessed some kind of talent.
However, the original Cloud did it naturally like breathing.
He can't be that great, right?
Well…
'…that's not what's important right now.'
Putting aside how stupid the original Cloud was, what matters now is how much power this body has.
If I could exactly know that, I can properly decide whether to spec-up or farm equipments.
First of all, no doubt—this body is weak.
I can tell just by feeling this body. But I'm not sure how weak it really is.
Just as people know that ants are weak, but they don't know how weak they are, such was the case with me.
Therefore, it is necessary to know my status.
Because it will accurately quantify the level of this body. As I've played this game about 3 times, just by looking at the status, I can even range how much of an idiot the Original Cloud was.
'If I had known this would happen, I would have asked the butler about the status when the party was disbanded.'
In fact, it is written on the back inconveniently, so how to see?
After thinking for a while, I got up and left the inn.
It was somewhere I was going to go anyways, so I guess I could just ask there.
Translator: Lore_Temple
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In the game 'The Hero's Party', there are not only main quests relating to the journey of defeating the Demon King, but also sub quests.
By performing sub-quests, you can raise your level, earn money, and get items with good stats.
So, when it becomes a little difficult to proceed with the main quest, one can take these sub quests.
And it's the Adventurer's Guild were you can accept these sub-quest.
"Hello. How may I help you?"
The reception desk of the Adventurer's Guild.
The receptionist, an orange-haired beauty greeted me with a smile.
"I came here to receive a quest."
"Yes, then would you please show me your Adventure License?"
"Adventure License?"
"Um, have you not been issued an Adventure License?"
"Nope."
"Then the issuance of the Adventure License comes first. Please follow me this way."
The receptionist got up from the reception desk and took the stairs to the second floor.
I tilted my head and followed along.
'Adventure License? Was there something like that in the game?'
In the game, you just had to stop by the guild and receive the quest from the receptionist.
'Is it because I didn't reveal that I was a Hero?'
It seemed very likely.
In the game, from the beginning, Cloud was always open on being a Hero.
Should I reveal that I am a Hero?
I pondered for a moment, then shook my head.
I don't even know about my physical condition right now, so there's nothing good about revealing that. If it was revealed that I was a Hero, won't I will be handed over a difficult quest for nothing?
And, perhaps they might even recognize me after looking at my status.
Let's look at the situation and decide.
"Please take your seat there and wait for a while."
I went inside the room pointed by the receptionist.
The tables and chairs looked to be in a good condition, perhaps for hospitality.
I was waiting while sitting on a chair when the door opened and a middle-aged man came in.
He looked imposing with that large scar on his face.
"I'm Walter."
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The man who introduced himself without hesitation reached out his right hand and asked for a handshake.
I grabbed it with my right hand.
—and felt a crushing force gripping my hand under a vice grip.
* * *
Walter, 42 years old.
He is one of the branch managers of the Adventurer's Guild.
'Young.'
This was his first impression for Cloud. He was once an adventurer, and now he is the branch manager of the Adventurer's Guild, so he knows the psychology of people who come to become adventurers.
Especially the younger one is, the more attention he focuses.
'Looking at the condition of the equipment, he seems to be from a fairly well-to-do family. Since, there's no way such a family will let their child willingly become an adventurer, he must have run away from home.'
Growing up as an untainted flower in a greenhouse, there are cases where some of these young masters who do not know the way of the outside world, seriously dislike being sheltered under their parents' shadows.
They run away from home with an unfounded confidence that they will make it big, being best at everything they will do.
But, can these pampered young masters, who have lived a wholesome and warm live back at home, know the harshness of reality?
In the end, most of them return back tired of being juggled around by the harsh and crude reality.
There are cases where that maybe not be the case, but these kind of guys also don't achieve much.
And in Walter's eyes, Cloud was the former, not the latter.
'He'll run away later anyway. It's annoying…'
Walter sighed and extended his right hand to Cloud.
"I'm Walter."
"Cloud."
Cloud grabbed Walter's right hand with his.
Walter tightened the grip on his right hand.
It is a kind of preemptive suppression move that is done whenever a new adventurer joins. But today, he applied more force than usual.
It was because he didn't like Cloud's attitude.
Walter looked at Cloud while straining his right hand. The reason for doing this now is not only to suppress the preemption, but also to look at the individual's reaction.
Whether he's angry, embarrassed, or competitive.
By observing such reactions, you can figure out what kind of disposition the other person has.
But….
'No response?'
Cloud was looking back at Walter with the same expressionless face he had seen him with for the first time.
—Giving no strength or resistance to the hand holding each other as if asking how long would he be continuing this boring skit.
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'He isn't just a random kid…'
Though it's been a while, his eyes had been never wrong.
He let go of Cloud's hand awkwardly.
'By the way, Cloud. One of the Heroes born this time, his name was also Cloud.'
Is this little fella that Hero?
'…it can't be. Why would be a Hero interested in being an adventurer?'
Walter shook his head and sat down on the chair.
"Let's start with a simple survey."
Walter asked where Cloud lived, his family background, and the names of his parents.
""
These are formal contents that can be made up any number of times. There is no manpower in the guild to determine whether it is a lie or not, so whatever the other person says is recorded.
Nevertheless, the reason for asking these questions is the same as the reason they shook hands before.
Unless you're a skilled liar, when you tell a lie, it's a little bit noticeable. The purpose of a branch manager is to notice it and leave an evaluation on the character.
'From the Principality of Polycia. He lived in the City of Riverton and his parents are quite influential merchants in the city.'
Walter tapped the desk with his index finger.
It didn't seem like he was lying. Every time he asked a question, the answer came naturally.
'The hero Cloud comes from the Kingdom of Prona, so it's just a guy with the same name?'
It is very likely that was the case.
But, there's really no need to contemplate. It's just a matter of time—he will soon be checking his status.
If the stats are abnormally high, the probability of being a Hero is higher. And if this guy is a Hero, everything he just said would be a lie.
A Hero who tells lies naturally like breathing.
That's kinda funny.
"I'm going to stop asking questions, now I'll have to take a look at your status, this is the last procedure. This is also an important part that determines the rank of an adventurer, so it cannot be omitted. If you don't like it, go back the way you came from."
"It doesn't matter. However, I would like you to show me the recorded status too."
"Well? You don't even know your own status?"
"I haven't seen it in a long time."
"Hmm… I see."
It's not strange.
It's hard to see one's own status written on the back unless you ask someone else to do it.
Cloud began to take off his armor and jacket.
'He has a more disciplined body than I thought.'
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He had thought it to be a little lanky, but surprisingly it wasn't.
As Cloud took off his shirt, Walter stepped behind his back and checked his status.
============
Lv.17
Strength: E(115)
Agility: E (105)
Durability: F (85)
Mana: F (70)
=============
'After all, he wasn't a Hero.'
Because the level of a Hero who has defeated the Goblin Lord and thousands of Goblins couldn't be just a meager 17.
Walter felt a little relieved.
'Still, it looks like he has focused on training himself.'
If you are level 17, you are a pretty competent figure among adventurers. That's right, a level 17 can even give you a decent position among the Kingdom's guard. Moreover, there's still room for growth since this guy was so young and high leveled for his age.
'It's been a while since a good seed came in.'
Before he knew it, his evaluation had completely changed differing from the first impression, but Walter didn't care.
New talents were always welcome in the Adventurer's Guild, which always lacked extra hands.
"It's over. You can wear your clothes."
Cloud began to wear his clothes. While he tightened his breastplate, Walter showed him the status he had noted.
Seeing the status, Cloud narrowed his eyes.
"…this is my status?"
"Yup. You are pretty good for a little fella."
"You aren't intentionally making it low on purpose, right?"
"If you don't believe me, I'll just call someone else."
Hearing that, Cloud closed his mouth shut.
"Why? You disappointed? Oh, is it lower than what you expected?"
"…Yes."
Cloud looked genuinely disappointed.
'Ho. There's also a sense of competitive ambition. Very good.'
The corners of Walter's lips rose a little higher.
* * *
Netomazo route.
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A route that can be entered by only focusing on the events of the heroines while totally neglecting the character's growth.
If you enter this route, the heroines will give you a direct hit of NTR at a high speed, and in the middle, they will leave the Hero character behind.
The Hero wouldn't be able to stand it and will continue to hang around them. He will slowly start peeking at the steamy sex actions of the heroines and other heroes, and gradually fall for that forbidden sense of immorality.
The other heroes who notice this will suggest that to go together to take advantage of the main character, and the main character will accept it.
After that, the protagonist will be slowly transformed into a netomazo by the heroines and other heroes, and like that—Game Over.
Of course, it's a bad ending.
Why am I mentioning this?
Why else? It's because I'm on that full-speed bad ending train right now.
I once again looked at my a rat's tail worth of status.
============
Lv.17
Strength: E (115)
Agility: E (105)
Durability: F (85)
Mana: F (70)
=============
The f*ck! How the hell can this be a mid game character's stats?!
By this point of time, it should have been taken upto normally around level 30, if not, even 40. However, this bastard Cloud didn't level up because he was busy playing soft with the heroines!
'That's why this body is so pathetically weak.'
As I took a deep breath, Walter took back the paper with my status.
"I think you can be given a B-grade."
"Is that so…"
"Don't be too discouraged. Being a B grade at that kind of age is a great deal."
"Yes…"
"Well, I'll give you your Adventure License by tomorrow. Come back tomorrow."
"All right."
That way, I left the Adventurers' Guild and returned to the inn.
Laying down on the inn bed, I thought.
'Bye shiny equipments, level up comes first.'
I've played this game 3 times, so I know where I can find what type of equipments. Before checking my status, I originally had thought of travelling to find some quality equipments.
However, after seeing this status, I have no choice but to revise the plan.
What will I do with good equipment?
—The basic stat is a worm's worth. It would just be hanging a pearl necklace around a pig's neck.
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And the current equipment isn't that bad either. Although it's a mass-produced version sold in the market, the current equipment is acceptable for the current progress.
Oh, talking about the equipments, is the Holy Sword alright?
I took out the Holy Sword that was placed under the bed. When the rolled up cloth was removed, a pristine white Holy Sword appeared.
Seemingly fine.
What about inside?
I poured my mana into the Holy Sword and looked inside the Holy Sword.
…it's pretty much insanely broken.
"I knew this was going to happen."
In the game, the Holy Sword is treated as an attack enhancement skill with a fixed number of uses. It is a skill that is particularly strong against demons and evil spirits. However, the number of chances left now are too pitiful.
4 times.
From what I'm looking at, another 4 times is the maximum.
'I wondered how they even progressed to this stage… Man, the poor Holy Sword was overworked to its limits…'
It's ridiculous.
If you are in a spot, think about f*cking up that demon and level up with that! Is it okay to just take the sh!t out of the Holy Sword like this?!
No matter how much of a p*ssy you are, this is too much you little sh!t—!
'..Heh, it's already done.'
Now, what's the use thinking about it?
—nothing changes.
I comfortably positioned myself on the bed and closed my eyes. Today will probably be the last time I will be sleeping comfortably.
* * *Here's your B-grade Adventure License."
I accepted the Adventure License that the receptionist gave me. The Adventure License had the personal details that I had told yesterday with a large letter 'B' engraved on it.
I got the Adventure License and was about to leave, but the receptionist stopped me.
"Mr Cloud. Isn't this your first time working as an adventurer?"
"Um, indeed."
"Then why don't you try the Goblin Subjugation quest while also gaining practical experience? There is a party that just lacks one member to fill the quota."
The receptionist said so and pointed in one direction.
I turned in the direction she was pointing at and saw four people, men and women seated at the table.
* * *
Sponsored ContentTranslator: Lore_Temple
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{ T/N: I only divide the chapters if they are around 3000 or more words long, if they are 2000+ words long, or even 2500+ words long, I wouldn't divide them. Oh yeah, since many people asking this, yes, his pp size increases, it's an adult novel guys }
"My name is Samuel. Take care of me."
The giant in leather armor held out his hand. He grabbed my hand and shook it a few times. Seeing that he was holding a wooden shield, this guy must be the tank of this team.
"From this side on, Gemina, Tom, and Marilyn."
"Hello. This is Gemina."
A brunette woman with two daggers tucked into her waist.
"This is Tom. Take good care of me."
A man with a lot of freckles with a big ax behind his back.
"Marilyn."
A chic looking woman with a bow and quivers behind her back.
These were the party members the receptionist had spoken of.
"Mr. Cloud, we will be counting on you."
"…why you are being so formal?"
Marilyn mumbled with a dissatisfied expression on her face.
"Yeah, you don't have to be so formal. If you want to speak informally, please speak informally. In fact, that would be more comfortable."
"Rea…"
"Hahaha, no no. How can we speak like that to a B-class adventurer?"
Samuel covered Gemina's mouth and spoke with a big smile on his face.
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"Really? Then I'll speak informally."
However Samuel couldn't stop Marilyn, who spoke openly. Samuel's face turned white when he saw that happen.
"Hey, Marilyn, you…!"
"Stop, you are just overeating too much. More than that, are we leaving today?"
"Yeah? Ah yes. Because the sooner you hurry, the better… Ah, Mr. Cloud, If you have any difficulties…"
"Do not exist. Let's go right away."
"All right! Let's go, guys!"
* * *
"Our village was a very poor one. It was difficult to even procure three meals a day, even if we continued to work all the day except for resting during sleeping hours. So the four of us made a promise back when we were young. Let's get out of village and make big. Then come back and save the village."
A day had passed since I left the city.
If there's one thing I had realized during this time, it's that this guy named Samuel talks a lot.
He keeps telling stories of the past that I'm not even curious about, and even if I tried to stop him vaguely, man, he was too dumb to understand.
But, this guy is too kind to me to just directly dismiss him as being noisy.
So I just listened with one ear and let it flow out through the other.
"As for what happened then—"
"Samuel."
"This guy, Tom…"
"Samuel. Gemina is calling."
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Marilyn slapped Samuel on the back.
Patak-!
Listening to crisp sound, the force applied was by no means small.
My lord… weren't you guys close friends?
"…Marilyn even if hit me a little softer, I would have noticed."
"Noisy."
"Geeez… Gemina? Why did you call me?"
"Shh!"
Gemina, who was taking the lead, raised her index finger to her lips and pointed forward. I approached quietly and looked where she was pointing at—to see six goblins carrying a small boar.
"What should we do?"
"Mr. Cloud, what would you like to do?"
Samuel handed over Gemina's question to me.
Gemina and Marilyn looked at him in dissatisfaction, but he didn't budge, waiting for my answer.
"I will say, we should follow. If they are from the den we are looking for, we can kill them altogether. Or—"
"Or? There's even more?"
"Marilyn, you…"
Marilyn interjected in a slightly irritated voice. Samuel tried to rebuke Marilyn, but I shrugged.
"Or you can inform the guild for dealing with them if we find too many more later. Let's stop arguing now and go after then. And, don't make a single sound. It will be annoying to find another trail if we got caught."
Samuel, who was about to rebuke Marilyn, closed his mouth shut. Marilyn also clicked her tongue and turned her head away.
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We followed the goblins stealthily.
Fortunately, these guys didn't make any unnecessary fuss while sneakingly trailing those critters.
After folowing them to a distance, we found what looked like to be a goblin's lair…
'…what?'
As I watched the goblins enter, I couldn't help but tilt my head.
It didn't make sense, the place they entered was a cave large enough to fit in a large wild bear.
"What's wrong?"
"That cave, it's was too big for some green αss goblins to live in. Why did they settle down in such a place?"
Goblins are small like children and have comparatively weaker muscle power. Their nails are a bit dangerous, but other than that, they are a race with nothing special.
A species—where it will not be even a little strange even if they go extinct from nature at any time.
Nevertheless, they persistently survived in the harsh ecosystem.
It was possible because they were clever and wicked.
They're not natural hunters, but they know a hunter's patience. If you set a trap and have the persistence to wait, no doubt that someday it will catch its prey.
They're not natural fighters, but they know how to kill creatures. Pushing the advantage of numbers is the norm, and surprise sneak attacks their favorite.
It is a race that should never be neglected just because it looks weak.
The goblins in the world I was previously dragged into, digged and then used burrows that only they could go in and out of, just like ants.
""
Therefore, in order to clear the goblin den, the whole den had to be collapsed or smoked to cause suffocation to force them outside.
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Who will take the risks and crawl in to fight? Of course for those who even crawled in, half of them came out injured. Because all kinds of strange traps were waiting their arrival.
So why are these shrewd critters living in a place where foreign wild enemies can attack so openly?
It was strange.
"Why are you so obsessed with their home? I guess they just took it because it looks good to live. Where could there be a plausible reason for a dumb goblin's mind?"
Marilyn murmured gruntingly.
This time, Samuel didn't say anything different, either.
Judging by their reaction, they seem to know what kind of stupid creature a goblin is…
Hmm… So the goblins here are different than the ones where I used to live in, aren't they?
How did you survive being so stupid?
They should have been long gone extinct under the fangs of other monsters.
Maybe that?
The absurd setting I had only seen in mangas? The innate race gift of possessing a whopping monstrous fertility?
If they get pregnant just once, they will deliver five or six babies at same time, something like that?
"Hey… I want you to make a decision now…"
Gemina came to the side and urged.
I thought a little and said.
"Let's go in."
You can't destroy such a large cave, and you can't suffocate with smoke either, so there's no choice but to go in and rampage in a straight way.
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* * *
The inside of the cave was so dark that it was completely invisible without a torch, and it was also full of sticky moisture.
We walked through the cave in the order of Gemina, Samuel, Marilyn, Tom, and me, Cloud.
From a young age, Gemina was the most agile and brightest of the four. That's why she took the lead in this situation.
Tuk. Tuk.
""
Marilyn tapped Samuel on the shoulder. When he turned around, she spoke in a low voice that only Samuel could hear.
"What are you thinking?"
"What?"
"Why are you being so courteous to that man?"
When she was young, Samuel was a village alley bully and a dependable older brother.
It was him who thought out the plan to revive the village by teamwork with the four of them. Marilyn held deep respect for him… It was only natural for her to feel offended when he acted like a humble side kick in front that man Cloud.
Samuel signed.
"I rather want to ask you. What the hell are you doing, acting like that in front of a B-class adventurer?"
"Huh?"
"Except for me, who is a D-class, all of the others are E-class. Just what were even thinking while being so rude to that B-class? Do you know how much my heart palpitated when I saw you like that?"
"Ah! What's with that doofus look? Where did the alley bully I knew go? Did you go to the city a year earlier and became a coward?"
"I did came a year earlier, so I saw a lot and realized a lot, you idiot. And, how whackingly dangerous these high-ranking adventurers are!"
* * *
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