"Hmm..."
My eyes opened up as I woke up.
'Ah...'
A sense of excitement came over me as I remembered last night.
'It's a shame I can't hit again.'
With a disappointed sigh, I got up.
"Morning..."
My master was sitting at her mirror doing makeup.
'What the heck. She looks completely different from that slut from last night.'
Her expression was cold as usual. I was expecting breakfast in bed. Such a shame.
"Why are you smiling like an idiot? Oh right, here."
She put a few gold coins in my hands.
"Um... what's this?"
She's been trusting me with a lot of money lately.
"Buy that armour you want. Be back before sunset."
"Understood! Thank you!"
"Now get out. Your body smells like sweat."
*
I was still naked when I left. I thought I saw a red tint on Lady Sylvia's face when she saw me leave.
'Oh, right. Sophia is coming over today.'
That's why she was up so early.
"You went and did it..."
A cold voice called out to me when I passed by the hallway.
Beatrice.
I sighed.
She's really everywhere I am.
"What do you want now?"
"Did you enjoy our master's body? Are you satisfied even though you won't feel that body again?"
She glared at me.
I sighed yet again. How many times have I sighed while talking to her?
"I definitely enjoyed it. Damn, that fat ass. That delicious honey cave."
I licked my lips.
Beatrice trembled in anger.
"Shut up, you bastard!"
"Oh? You came here to seek trouble first. Out of my way. I have to be at the blacksmith before adventurers arrive at the guilds."
She was blocking the stairs with a pout on her face and her hands on her hips.
She then lowered her head.
"You had your chance..." She then walked passed and then spoke in a mumble, "You'll regret it."
Afterwards, she ran to our master's bedroom.
I shrugged.
*
"Where are you off to?"
When I came out the front door, Miss Anna stood at the porch, watering the plants.
She was in casual wear instead of her head maid uniform.
"Ah, I'm off to the blacksmith."
Her eyes then narrowed.
"I truly hope the money in your possession is not stolen. Slaves should not steal from their masters."
It looked like she wanted to kick my ass for not following that rule. She put her hands behind her back, reaching for her daggers.
"W-Wait!" I hurriedly held up my hands, "Lady Sylvia gave me permission! She said she'll enrol me into the academy! And she also gave me this gold!"
I showed her the ten pieces of rusty gold coins.
"Oh, my. I got a little hasty."
She then smiled and put away her two ominous-looking blood red daggers.
"If you're looking for armour then pick one of the best quality and not the most expensive one. The price does not represent the quality."
'Who else to take advice from than a former assassin?'
Yip, she's a former assassin who has been with Lady Sylvia ever since I arrived here. She is given a lot of authority as the head maid so that means she is trusted by the madam of the household.
She's also one of the reasons I never approach any of the girls in the house. How would it feel seeing a piece of trash flirting with your cute juniors? I received a few beatings from this sadist before in the past so I would know how it feels.
"The young lady will be arriving later so enter through the back gate." She said to me with her back turned. I got a good glimpse of her meaty butt under her short dress, "I will be running some errands so don't try anything funny with her."
"O-Of course."
Since Sophia was raised by miss Anna, naturally she'd be overprotective of Sophia. But still, Sophia isn't the angel they think she is.
"Be on your way now."
Anna patted my shoulder before going inside the house.
I looked over the territory of Lady Sylvia. It was a small city she purchased near the empire's walls. Just a few hundred meters from the small city, Osapolis was the west gate where Wredept city is located.
I'm headed for that city.
The city where the adventurers originated from in this Empire.
**
Wredept became known as the adventurer city about 200 years ago. It has over fifty different adventurer guilds. The guilds are either government funded or started by an adventurer.
Today's great adventurers of the Empire of Brittany started their license here.
Silver Flash, the hero who was known to be the weakest of the last summoned(Abel, Lydia and the others). He couldn't become a member of the hero party so he chose to become an adventurer.
He started from the weakest and advanced to one of the strongest. His speed was his strongest card. They say he could reach speeds of up to lightning speed. He was even faster than the strongest hero of today, Abel.
They say he fell to the bottom of an S rank dungeon on his first quest. Many believed he was dead but after 100 excruciating days, he came out again.
But something was different. He wasn't that wimpy high schooler who came through the summoning magic circle. Silver Flash became an inspiration to every single person on the continent.
What his life tells everyone is that it doesn't matter if you're born without talent, you can still become equal or even better than those who were born with talent.
He's my personal hero. Was it coincidence? They described that Silver Flash also had silver hair and blue eyes.
It might just be coincidence.
"Wow..."
I acted like a country-bumpkin when I arrived at the 'City of Adventurers'.
Everywhere I looked I saw shops and markets that cater to adventurers. Not a single noble's mansion could be seen in this city. There's a strict rule amongst adventurers.
–"Nobles do not have power over adventurers."–
That rule still stands even to this day. The heroes also agreed to keep this rule so that any and all people can make a living by becoming adventurers.
A large white building caught my eyes when I stood among the crowd of newbies similar to me. They were also aspiring to become adventurers.
The building is known as 'Adventurer Guild HQ, Leviathan.' As the name suggests, Leviathan had something to do with its construction.
The first adventurer to ever hunt monsters for loot. The one who started the legendary adventurer guild HQ. And also the one who built the HQ using the funds he received after slaying Leviathan 200 years ago.
His name was Chrome. People say he was also a summoned given his immense strength but others believe he was one of the few who managed to become level 100 despite being of this world.
If we are the NPC's then the heroes are the players. He was the same as an NPC who gained the power of a player.
It's pretty amazing when I thought about it.
People of this world can also become as strong as heroes/players.
That is why I still strive to become a hero despite being of this world.
"Hoho. A customer!"
I entered through the blacksmith door and saw a muscular, sweaty, hairy dwarf hitting iron.
"Hello sir!"
I bowed exaggeratedly.
"I have permission from my master to buy!"
"Humu. What is it that you're looking for? Are you perhaps looking to trade that sword?"
I hurriedly shook my head.
"T-This is special..."
"Hoho. I see. Then give me two silvers then I'll get that rust off for you."
"You can do that? I've been struggling to get this rust off the sword for awhile."
He took out his magic bag and rummaged inside it.
"It takes the right tools for the right job."
I gave him Dáinsleif with shaking hands. I was a little unwilling to let go of it.
"Can I check the kind of armour you have available?"
He nodded and pointed at a shelf.
"If this is your first time then start with chainmail. Only leather armour will get you killed."
I nodded and approached the shelves.
The dwarf also went to work to scrape off the rust on my sword. His movements were quick and fluent. I stood there amazed for a second before looking back at all the armour.
-
Huh?
I suddenly heard a strange noise inside my head. My left eye began stinging.
'Fuck, this again!?'
It happened yesterday when I almost walked right up to danger. Could it be...?
'What?'
But when I opened my eye, a blue hue spread over my vision.
Leather armour
Condition
Rank–F
Poor
–Conclusion: This scamming bastard.
"Eh?"
I couldn't help but exclaim like an idiot when I saw a blue window appear above the armour.
'What's up with those words? Did someone write it?'
I blinked multiple times but the screen wouldn't disappear.
"Huh?"
Only when I put it down did it vanish.
'Am I seeing things?'
I only slept two hours so maybe. That session of sex until morning really took that much out of me.
I sighed after convincing myself and grabbed the chainmail armour this time.
Bronze Chainmail
Condition
Rank–E+
Meh
Conclusion: Maybe you won't get killed immediately.
"..."
It was still there along with the quirky comment.
'What's going on–?'
---!!!!
----!!!
Warning signals suddenly went off in my head as a red smoke filled the shop. The red overwhelmed the blue screen and forced me to look towards the window.
"Ooooh!! Boy, it's the heroes!"
My entire body froze.
Heroes.
The word that would've sparked joy in my heart every time I heard it.
Cheers of excitement outside entered my ears. I shakenly looked outside when the dwarf stood at the door of his shop.
A deep dark abyss of danger was outside. I couldn't even see the vibrant buildings of the city nor could I see the children who were playing around outside.
It was only black.
The dwarf was still cheering along with the people.
"Can you not see him, boy!? It's Merrick! Oh! He brought his son too!? Maybe the boy is interested in buying swords! I have to go advertise! Don't you dare steal anything!"
It was as he said.
Merrick, the martial artist hero rode atop his horse. I couldn't see his son as the dwarf mentioned.
"Uuurk.... ugh..."
The black smoke was coming from him.
I forgot that the Martial Hero was friends with the guild master of the HQ and even has a mansion here in this city.
My knees trembled.
'No'
I hurriedly sought shelter underneath the shop owner's counter.
'Not again.'
A familiar vision went off inside my head.
–So it was a fucking slave I had to kill? Man, and here I thought I was going to fight someone strong. Lydia really likes to exaggerate.
There I was again. On the ground. My limbs were mangled up in every wrong direction.
It felt like my heart would explode inside my chest. Tears came down my eyes as my throat clogged up.
"...please go away..."
Please go.
Don't see me.
Don't see me.
I felt true fear as the black smoke got thicker, threatening to swallow my tiny existence.