ARC 2] CHAPTER 1: EVIL ORGANISATION, NEQUITIA
The Evil Organization, Nequitia. Or better known to the public as the personal army of the Belial House, led by the baroness of the house, Filyn Nequitia Belial.
The organization is made up of the baroness herself as the top, supported by her right-hand man, Blot Berlock. Under him again is the Ten Generals, each representing one of the twelve main attributes, with the Lady herself representing Chaos, and Blot being Order.
Each General commands one of the eleven different branches of Nequitia, except for Commands, lead by Blot.
The different branches each have their own missions, either working independently or cooperates with the other branches, but their goal, in the end, is always for one purpose.
World Conquest!!
To do that, Nequitia is crushing any opposing evil organizations, capturing any land that is possible to develop with the least damage done to the populace, since they are going to be part off the Organization, after all, then develop the captured land to make it 300% more profitable...
Wait a sec, is that what an evil organization is supposed to do? We're not harming anyone, and our very own Blot's talents with economics are so great that people join us on their own to get a share of the goods! And the only opposing forces we've taken out have been several mafia gangs like the Balos Gang!
...Summarized by Combatant Alfred Loxley, aka Alf, aka me.
---
The day after that great wave crashed into the region, bring the water back to the Lake Sea, while I was slacking, er, was working very efficiently with my work of infiltrating the community of Velantas city, I was ordered back to the temporary hideout we had made in the city.
After entering, I noticed that many of the combatants had gathered here as well. Including the veteran combatant that has been with the organization since the day it was founded.
"Hey, fallen angel. How's it going?" - Alf
"Stop calling me that. I have a great name that is Noire, but a blockhead like you must have forgotten that already. You are forgiven." - Noire
This show-off is called Noire, one of the Celestial species known as a Flugel. They are the starting point for the angel-type Celestials and are pretty much humans with wings at their hips. Some have them on their shoulder blades, and some again even have a halo.
Noire's got no halo, her wings are at her hips, and are silver- and purple-colored. It fits her silver hair and purple eyes. Added with the black Nequitia combatant uniform, and you have an angel of evil, ready for villainy.
But her personality, it's in the dumps. Noire's a glory hound to a fault. It's mostly due to that she has never graduated from being a combatant to at least a squad leader. I only joined the organization just a few months ago, and I'm already outranking her!
Who had thought that my attempts of skipping the farm job by saying I was training to become an adventurer would lead to such a result?
Including Noire and the other combatants were also Armveil, a Master Dwarf that, despite his shaggy appearance, is one of the Ten Generals of Nequitia. The one of the Logistic division, represented by the Metal attribute.
His assistant, Shula, is also here. She's the only girl that doesn't slap my face when I try to hit on her... the other members of the Logistic group is doing it in her place. She should choose her friends a little better, seriously...
"Glad you're all happy seein' each other but focus. The lady's personally gonna introduce your next mission." - Armveil
Crap, the top brass herself!? All the combatants, Noire included, straightened up in response to that news.
After a little while, the MV1Mana Vision started to light up, revealing a woman in her early twenties. But, with her being a demon, her age and appearance can be a little off...
"-and therefore, go and crush that idiot!!" - Filyn
See? Would someone over 20 lose their temper like that? And good on you guys. You managed to keep yourself straight the whole time.
"Sir, mind translating the mission contents?" - Noire
Noire, used to lady Filyn's outbursts due to her long experience with her, talked to the other person shown on the screen, a man dressed sharply in a black suit and glasses.
"In other words, lady Filyn wants you to hunt down the previous candidate to becoming the General of the Darkness division, Reinhard. He harbored resentment ever since we refused his promotion due to his lack of battle prowess, and his personality." - Blot
So said Blot Berlock, our organization's brains to couple with the lady's brawn.
I get where he's going with that. That Rein-what's-his-name is a jerkass of the jerkasses. And even if he's got enough magic skills to bombard a Lesser Dragon to death, in hindsight, that's all he can do. No leader-material there.
"He was sent with a squadron to investigate the Haunted Castle of Velantas, but the recent flooding of Velantas made him believe that we had sent him there so he would be assassinated by the flood. He, and his squadron, was safe due to the gods teleporting any intelligent life to the closest land above the water-line, but that only made him believe the gods had chosen him or something. The final report from his squadron before he killed them is a little confusing..." - Blot
No, I think that's simply the situation that's at fault, not the report. No, that Rein-what's-his-name's fault.
But to think that idiot was this close. I and the other combatants from the Earth division are here to support Armveil and his group in their infiltration mission to take over Velantas city's economy, so it's kinda shocking that I wasn't told about this.
...And can someone stop Noire's "We told you, but you didn't listen"-look?
"ANYWAY! That scum has turned to something less than a villain and is now just a simple crook! Go out and warm him up for me!!" - Filyn
"Translated: engage Reinhard in battle before he can leave the Island of the Haunted Castle. You do not need to defeat him, just keep him busy enough so the two of us finds a time to teleport to there. Remember to activate the Location Beacon when you start the fight. That's all." - Blot
---
One day later.
*BABOOOOM!!*
"'That's all', my ass!! Who said this guy could only use half-assed magic spells!?" - Alf
"It is half-assed, but his talents in multi-casting allowed him to create several Dark Mines before we could attack." - Noire
So he stacked several of them underground to enhance the blast? That's cheating!
I ran for cover as the madman started to wave his magic catalyst shaped like a dagger. Tons of darkness spells landed where I had been just a few seconds ago.
"Oi, how are we supposed to keep that guy busy without dying?" - Alf
"I will heal you if you get hit, so simply provoke him while dodging the worst shots. Just don't die in a single hit. I cannot use Resurrection." - Noire
Who's counting on you knowing such a miracle-magic anyway!?
None of the combatants can get closer to Rein-what's-his-name due to the constant barrage of those balls made of darkness. And those that have long-range moves gets blocked by the many layers of those shield-magics he keeps on spamming.
"Oi, won't he run out of MP soon?" - Alf
"Not by a long shot. I heard that his MP-management skills are the real threat regarding that bloke. Both cost-reduction and auto-regeneration. And also, I think there was something about [Mana Steal]?" - Noire
That's bad news to the max!
It's a little late, but I've finally figured out the reason this guy was even remotely possible of being a General candidate. While the lady's pretty fixed on the Generals fitting their attribute-theme, she's not the type to simply assign anyone that fits the bill. That's the reason why only half of the General-positions are taken already.
The firefight continued for a little while, with that bastard seeing to not run out of MP.
"Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Fear the awesome talent of this Reinhard Everwand! Let me show you the depths of the dark arts!" - Reinhard
Rein-what's-his-name is getting too cocky there!
"Hey, do we really not have a plan here? What is taking Filyn so long?" - Noire
"How should I know!" - Alf
Argh, the wait is killing me so much that I lashed out at her. She's got a point though. What's taking them so long?
"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Scram, ants, scram! And if you survive, make sure to tell that bitch that she should have never doubted my awesome power!" - Reinhard
A collective aura of anger emerges from the combatants, including me. When I get my hands on that bastard...
"Wa-ha-ha-ha! Mwa-ha-ha!! Bow down for me, the only one worthy of being called the master of Darkness, no, the Champion of Darkness!!" - Reinhard
What, he's a follower of Alvatria? Only idiots or those with a death-wish does that.
Ironically, Rein-what's-his-name's boasting was just what I, and the others, needed to calm our heads. We just need to keep on holding out-
*Swish*, *STAB!*
"Huh!?"
I don't know who said that. Maybe it was all of us. Anyhow, a dagger suddenly burst out of Rein-what's-his-name's chest, along with a fountain of blood. Rein-what's-his-name collapsed in a pool of his own blood, with surprise and confusion all over his face.
None of us could fathom what had just happened. I get that he was struck in the back where his shields didn't reach, a move we had tried to do by circling around the guy to no luck all this time, but who did it?
"Over there." - Noire
I looked at where Noire pointed, where the thread that was bound to the dagger was coming from and saw a suspicious individual.
They were dressed in a brown cloak despite the scorching heat from the sun, hiding their face with the hood of the cloak.
Seeing that she packed away the dagger she'd used to kill Rein-what's-his-name, the guys around us started to cheer on the suspicious newcomer.
"Hey, is this alright?" - Noire
"An enemy of your enemy is an ally... is not always true, but it seems alright this time." - Alf
Just as we took a breather, the cloaked guy looked like they were squinting to look at something behind us, which turned out to be the teleport spell that Blot specializes in.
About damn time! Sorry, but the fight's over-
"I'malittlelatebuthereIam! Dark-Heretic Rock-'n-Roller!!" - Filyn
Just as she exited the teleport spell, our commander and master in Dark-Heretic Magic, Filyn, threw her signature unique spell, which is essentially a rolling boulder made of magic at the cloaked guy-ooOOIII!!
"L-lady Filyn! That person helped us-" - Noire
"Garami!" - ???
"Huh?" - Filyn
A black goblin-birdkin (?) came out from behind one of the dynes and ran-flied up to the person. An ally?
"Garami? Not Rein?" - Filyn
"Boss! That guy already finished off that spell-spam-bastard!" - Alf
"Eh, what? That wasn't him? I could swear I smelled something murky over there..." - Filyn
"That is why I always tell you to look before you shoot! Everyone, help that person already! Letting someone that helped Nequitia to die will be a shame worse than a thousand deaths, and your salaries!" - Blot
Y-you don't have to drag my salary into this!
Urged by the vice leader's threat, we all went to where the cloaked guy had collapsed after being rolled over by Filyn's spell...
Oi, he's already dead!? Wait, these are tattoos? I was afraid that Filyn had squished her to the point of blood flowing out of her eyes...
I'll refrain from telling her that I mistook her for a man. Yup, let's forget about that mistake. Huh, what am I talking about? Not important.
Ignoring the strange feeling of forgetfulness, I sprayed the Heal Potion's contents onto her while Noire used her healing spells.
Knowing the vice leader's personality, he's probably going to scout this girl. She did take out Rein-what's-his-name. He's got an eye for talents. I mean, he managed to find me, the great Alfred, so a girl of this lowly level...huh? Why did I get a shiver right there?
Greydra
Kigal-Note/Celestials: Flugels
Description:
The Flugels are a Celestial species that looks extremely close to humans. They are the most average of the intelligent Celestial species and also the one with the closest relationship with the lower world.
Flugels are said to be the messenger of humanoid gods, but whenever that is true for other worlds or not, this is not true for the Flugel.
Flugels are also been named angels, but this is rather a collective name for all humanoid Celestials that shares appearance with humans to certain degrees. Flugels are not happy about being referred to as Birdkins.
Some Flugels that gain a high amount of positive Karma Value obtain a halo over their head, which will allow them to evolve into a more holy variant of the regular Flugel evolutions. In contrast, Flugels that gain negative Karma Value will evolve into species referred to as fallen angels.
Appearance:
Flugels look no different from ordinary humans, except for a set of wings, either located on their shoulder blades or by their hips. As mentioned, some Flugels may develop halos that float over their heads.
All Flugels have pale skin colors and bright hair colors. Their wings, on the other hand, can be of any kind of color.
Abilities:
Flugels are especially strong against the Light- and Holy attributes, but lack defense against the Darkness attributes and its combination variants.
Flugels are capable of flight and have high mana reserves, which often results in them either chose between long-range classes like Archer, or Priest classes that focus on recovery.
While a Flugel's offensive and defensive magics are nothing to sneeze at, they have an inborn talent in recovery and support spells. On the other hand, they are fatally weak with debuffing- and ailment-inflicting spells.
Gust's comment: Garami's natural enemy. Like, on so many points.
[ARC 2] CHAPTER 2: SURPRISING NEGOTIATIONS
...Urgh... did someone catch the license plate on that meteorite just now? I think it was something like that.
Or rather, if that was what I think it was, which is a Darkness/Heretic magic spell, then we have a problem.
It completely ignored all my resistances AND it was so fast that even [Thought Acceleration] could prepare me for the impact. What the heck?
Also, where am I? A tent? I was laying on a portable bed that's standing on a sandbank, so it must be the same shore I was blasted on.
"Good morning. Or rather, good evening. It seems that you are fine now." - ???
Who's that!? A... human? A nicely dressed one with glasses that screams: "I'm the smart one" is sitting by a folding table inside the big tent, but still a human... right?
I'm not sure, for despite him looking like a human from any possible angle, he emits some sort of... aura? I couldn't even sense his presence. Maybe he's an evolved human?
Oh, gotta answer him......
"..." - Human (?)
......*Sweat*...
"...?" - Human (?)
......I can't!! Come on, don't chicken out like that, me! It's just a four-eyes in a suit! Just calm down, deep breathes, huff, huff,... not helping!! Wait, just imagine him being Gust! ...Not possible. I can't imagine this guy being on a level of someone that's on a level of a vegetable.
"...I understand that you do not want to talk after the treatment Filyn gave you, but at least, allow me to apologize." - Human (?)
1, 3, 5, 7, 9... the last one's not prime! Huh, Filyn? Did this four-eye think I was quiet because I was angry?
Let's go with that! I urged him to continue with a nod.
"Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Blot Berlock, vice leader of the Beliar Private Army and servant of Filyn Belial. The person that you killed earlier today was one of my subordinates who had rebelled due to various circumstances. Oh, and thank you for saving our personnel at that time." - Blot
Personnel? Oh, those black-clothes! So, that was getting rid of a rebel faction? No, it didn't feel like that. The amateur dark mage's personality is giving me the impression of him being in the wrong.
"Our men were sent out to detain, or at worst, slay Reinhard Everwand, the person you killed. Reinhard has the power above a D-rank adventurer, maybe even a C-rank in the right conditions, so the plan was for me to come and assist them alongside lady Filyn, who has enough power to support, as you have noticed." - Blot
"Noticed" is just the half of it!!
"We were unfortunately hindered to arrive the moment our troops gave us the signal, due to we having a problem related to freeing some enslaved Growth Chimeras." - Blot
Chimeras? Like, was they used as lions in some colosseum?
"Therefore, our gratitude for your help is reaching a point where we cannot express it, but anyway: Thank you so much for saving our men." - Blot
Gosh, don't compliment me~.
"Our lady herself wanted to thank you in person, but unfortunately, her timetable is fully packed to the point that she could not wait for you to recover." - Blot
Fine by me~. I think I'm gonna be too scared to meet someone that can one-hit me. *Shiver, shiver, shiver*
"I am currently the only one left, with your feathery friend outside watching the undead-repelling barrier for us." - Blot
Some good news. Or, I think that I can't take on this guy even if things went south. His authority notwithstanding, I'm getting the feeling that he's good in a fight to boot. [Magic Sight] tells me he's a practitioner of something wacky, but I don't know exactly what.
[Identification]? After the incident with Glavras' body? NO WAY! I'm more careful of what I'm Identifying from now on.
And someone that's the assistant of some lady? They've got to have tons of skills related to [Identification]!
"We have already had a little talk with your bird friend regarding your situation." - Blot
Ah, they did that? Glad we talked about a situation like this, as in when someone asks me or Gust where we came from and why we're in this place, during the time I needed to grind [Sunlight Resistance]-levels.
The story we cooked up is that Gust had been kidnapped by some strange guy once, and I, who had lived most of my life in the wild, agreed to help him back to civilization, but when the two of us entered the region, we were trapped on a small island due to the sudden tsunami, but we managed to get this far thanks to the necromancy I had learned as a child and the corpses of some Tunas that had been washed ashore.
It's not a lie. We're just not mentioning any Dungeons or false gods here.
To complement the story, I had used the Ring of John Due to disguise my stats to make me look weaker, but still being Rogue/Spectermancer classed. The ring's practically a high-leveled [Fake Identity] item. As an afterthought, the ring's effect counts as proficiency for the two new status-concealment skills of mine. And with the effects of the ring being so high, so is the proficiency.
"Therefore, I have a suggestion: how about the two of you joining our Army? We have always room for someone with enough guts to withstand lady Filyn's original magic, not to mention a former student of the Grand Library Tower." - Blot
It came down to this then. The fact that I withstood the spell withstanding, they wouldn't let Gust, someone with connections with that Library-place, go without trying to milk some favors.
Thinking about it, my fake status screen shouldn't mention anything that would let me survive that magic-meteorite. Don't tell me that my cover's busted!? But that's not my fault, you know! No one could foresee that a magical, interstellar phenomenon would just teleport straight into one's face!
"Of course, we are not planning to place the two of you in harm's way. Personally, I want Gust as a temporarily assistant regarding paperwork, while your job will be to teach-" - Blot
"No." - Garami
"-the troops... wait, what did you just say?" - Blot
Oops, I said that out loud! The four-eyes looked disturbed by my first spoken words being a refusal, but I can't stop now. Trying to change the situation will require even more talking, and I'm on my limits here!!
"I said... no." - Garami
I mean, simply teaching stuff wouldn't be too bad... but the students won't be obedient Sahuagins, but demons! I think so, going after the lady's last name. And I swore never to do something like that again after the Sahuagins! Teaching, or rather, interacting with any non-animals, especially strangers, is impossible for me!
Also, teaching would lead to me being a Champion being busted. Like, having to work in parties as a result of teaching will bust me the moment one of the students gets a level up. And even if I refused so, they're gonna catch on sooner or later.
Besides, they're an army, an army! It's important, so I said it twice. Think about it: would an army give up the chance to obtain someone that can double the Skill Points they obtain? Rather, would they even treat me as a human being as long as they could exploit the Champion-cheat?
Those black uniforms of those soldiers from before also give me bad vibes. They looked like combatants from some sentai ranger show. Definitely not the type you wanna hang out with.
"...May I ask why?" - Blot
And here comes the question I can't answer truthfully about!! Wait, or can I?
"...Bad with... strangers. Also... don't like... obligations." - Garami
"...I see. But what about mister Gust?" - Blot
Pfft, mister...
"...I'm gonna... fix that." - Garami
"But his home lies on a Celestial continent. You need quite the amount of money to buy an airship ticket to reach it." - Blot
Celestial continents. Bigass rocks on the size of, you guessed it, continents, which is practically an enlarged version of Lap*ta. They float over the oceans while avoiding the continents on the ground, but they all close in on one of the land-based versions at certain times. But as they're in the sky, you need an airplane or something similar to get up there.
"...Have a plan... No problem." - Garami
Blot doesn't look convinced, but I have a plan. Really. Or, it's just that I was thinking about becoming an adventurer and earn tons of gold with my skills... at worst, I can sell the Hydra poisons or the better medicines I have left on the black market.
"...If that is your wish, then I will not pressure you. This was supposed to be a reward after all." - Blot
Yay! Hip hurrah for the sensible guy! You've earned your right to wear those glasses!
"In that case, allow me to pay you monetarily. Is 10,000 Sol enough?" asked Blot, producing a big sack filled with coins.
...Is that much, or is it not? Damn, I forgot to ask Gust about the value of money in this world.
"...You can... decide." - Garami
"Then we have a deal. Also, take this as well," said Blot, handing over some sort of... medal? Looks demonic.
"This is the emblem of the Belial house. Show this to a smith named Armveil in town. It will give you some discount on merchandise from his shop." - Blot
"...Why?" - Garami
"He used to serve my lady's house before going independent. Just tell him you got this from me, then he will gladly help you out. Ah, and some of the soldiers have stationed themselves in the city as well, so just ask them for help if you get into trouble." - Blot
"...Not that." - Garami
"Yes?" - Blot
"...Why so... giving?" - Garami
"...Is it not important to have a good relationship with future VIPs?" - Blot
...This guy, did he notice? Wasn't the Ring of John Due supposed to be Ex-tier?
"Guess I should go. Cannot let lady Filyn unsupervised all the time. And you can keep the tent and the barrier outside. Think of it as a bonus" - Blot
I wanna ask him what he meant right before, but it's also not a good idea to do so.
"Well then, may we meet again." - Blot
And with that, he opened up a hole in... wait, is that a teleport spell!?
Before I could snatch him to ask more about that spell, he had already entered the crack in the air and disappeared.
...Wonder if he could teach me that trick if I joined?
---
"They wanted to scout us, huh..." - Gust
I met up with Gust outside the tent and we left the haunted island with the HMS Bonefish after taking with us the stuff that Blot had left behind. He gave it to us, so it would be rude not to take it with us.
"Sounds like a good idea not to accept. From what I've learned back at the Library Tower, the Belial clan's not a good catch." - Gust
"They're rotten?" - Garami
"More like saplings that cannot grow. Their clan used to be a duke in Solomar, somewhere south of this lake, they have declined so much that they're barely barons by now. Even if we joined them, it's not sure if we could reach Industria." - Gust
No biggie then. But that teleport... no Garami, no! Focus on the important stuff!
"But are you sure about leaving this island? I thought you wanted to hunt down some undeads for your necromancy?" - Gust
"Can do that anytime, but I want some new equipment first." - Garami
"True. That robe of yours is on its last legs..." - Gust
Right? And I want to get a dagger that's more worthy of me. I wanna save the ammo of the Thaumaturgy Revolver after figuring out that I can produce bullets with that Extra Skill! It takes 30 days for a single bullet, but it's worth it. Besides, I'm not gonna go after more of those kaiju-monsters like the bosses from the Dungeon, so I'll not be so dependent on the Revolver anymore.
The other skills I can produce bullets with are the two Bullet-skills, Glow and Gloom, some magic skills, including Healing, the Aura of course, and for some reason, [Chaotic Concurrence].
The two first one takes 10 and 1 minute each, the spells require anything ranging from 1-to-10 hours, Aura is as usual just 10 mins, but Chaotic needs 21 days.
It's the strangest in both effect and production time, so I'm having the ring produce it now since I've got quite the amount of Aura Bullets, as I call them, during the Sunlight training period. Still not gonna fall back on them unless it's an emergency.
Getting to town doubles as wasting time until I get the really powerful bullets, which will be my ace-in-the-hole in case I meet something of a Floor Boss level.
I looked back at the island that kept on growing smaller by the second...
What was that just now? I thought I could see something peeking up from the castle walls. You know, those ten meter high walls? And it looked kinda draconic too boot...
"What's up? Did you forget something on the island?" - Gust
Nothing except my courage, you damn, natural night vison bird!! Get the skill already! Why do only I have to be looked back at by the abyss? It's unfair!
Alright, that's it! I'm gonna get the biggest and baddest of anti-undead equipment that can be bought with money. Who would want something like that living so close to their own home!!
...Of course, I need a home first. Let's focus on that. One with its own cook, soft beds... maybe with a pervy maid to boot?
If you're gonna dream, dream big! Now, how to get money in this world? Hmm...
Greydra
Kigal-Note/Chimeras: Growth Chimera (Human)
Description:
The Growth Chimeras is a type of genus that consists of several Chimera races that were born artificially by the Ultimate Goddess of Life, Yrlanaya.
These creatures grow by consuming the flesh of other monsters, and when they have intaken enough meat from enough specimens of the same race, they can adapt their body to obtain a single ability from that species, be it bodyparts from the monsters or a skill. Sometimes, or rather, most of the time this only results in a small boost of the status category that monster specializes in.
The Growth Chimera (Human) is the starting point of this evolution line, and they will evolve into a Growth Chimera that is based on the monster species they have consumed enough from during their life.
Due to the two Disasters of Life and Chaos, most of the public is starting to look at Chimeras, especially the Growth Chimera that is a creation of Yrlanaya, with disdain. Due to that, they are often a victim of illegal enslavement.
Appearance:
The Growth Chimera (Human) does not have any differences when compared to a regular human at the beginning, but while they grow and consume monster meat, they may obtain small characteristics of the consumed monsters.
In the beginning, they have pale skin and dark-brown hair, but that will change based on their diets.
Abilities:
The strengths of the Growth Chimera depend on their diet of monster meat, so their status values will differ greatly as they grow up. In the beginning, though they are not that much stronger than a regular human. In fact, they can be weaker than them.
They can gain special skills by consuming monster meat, but this is solely limited to Monster Skills and only those that the monsters know from birth.
The Growth Chimeras can also obtain a status boost depending on the leading stat that monster species specializes in, but the amount is around only 5~10 points for each race.
Also, after obtaining the power from one race, they will not be able to gain another such boost, no matter how much meat of that race they consume, or even if they evolve into a different type of Growth Chimera. They also need to consume the meat of several different individuals from the same race,
Blot's comment: And here I thought I could win her over by showing off the organization's good sides.
[ARC 2] CHAPTER 3: VELANTAS AND THE UNION
"Alright, here are your temporary City Passes. Bring them to a guard station when you have obtained some of your own to get back the silvers you just used. And don't go rowing this late at night. We were thinking that one of those freak-fishes had penetrated the barrier. Got that?" - Guard
"...Yes." - Garami
W-what a pain...
After paying the guard 1 silver each, we obtained a wooden card inscribed with some sort of runes.
It's the dawn of a new day, but to start the first day in my civilized life with a scolding is damping my enthusiasm...
We did manage to reach the city of Velantas without any problems, but the guards started making a fuss over us due to appearing waaaaayyyyy too early in the morning. I'm not saying that they're wrong, but seriously, cut a demon some slack...
"You should look into a mirror. That face you're making now is worth a hundred of those temporary City Passes." - Gust
"Shut it!" is not what I'm gonna say to him, cause I'm too busy taking in the scenery. Where's an Omni-sight skill when you need it?
The city's located in the middle of the Lake and consists of seven towers. Six of them and their bridges make a circle around the seventh and final tower... I think. All the six circle-towers are as big as a small city on their own, with all the bridges and floors added to the equation.
In other words, they're too big to see the whole city! I only know this since I spent most of the time being scolded by the guard to remember the map over the city there.
But still, this place's amazing! I was expecting something like Venezia, but this is more like a space colony on Earth. Or rather, with how the towers shrink in width the higher they go, the bridges on the higher levels remind me of those terraces used by the Incas for their agriculture.
It still retains some fantastic art fashion, such as the large sculpture showing off a warrior-type character armed with a sword and shield at the start of the road.
"Hey, don't get swallowed by the scenery, you country bumpkin." - Gust
"Not 'country'. Dungeon bumpkin." - Garami
"Eh, right... What I meant is, do you know where we are supposed to go? You wanted to enter the Adventurer's Union?" - Gust
The Adventurer's Union. Essentially this world's version of the adventurers guild one could see often in fantasy stories. They call it a Union to differ them from regular Guilds that anyone can create, as long as one has a Guild Emblem item. There's also a Merchant Union and Chef Union, just to name a few.
As for why I wanna enter the Union... money. I've got no talents from my previous life, maybe sans my taste for character creation. So unless I take some kind of Weaver class, the only way a nobody like me can earn money is through adventuring. More specifically a Mercenary Adventurer.
As for why I'm wanna specialize as a Mercenary, which focuses on quelling down the monster population, is because it's the easiest way to rack up corpses, aka Materials. I can take other Quests, but considering my Sub Class... right?
"...Forgot to ask for the way." - Garami
Hey, bird! What's that facepalm for? You also forgot to ask after that scolding from hell!
Damn, what a pain... in that case,
"Gust, your turn." - Garami
"..." - Gust
Hmm? Didn't he get it? This is your cue to ask people for help.
"Hey, Garami. Mind if I ask you, what are you supposed to do when I return to the Library Tower?" - Gust
What's he talking about so suddenly. What a heartless bastard.
"A Celestial continent is located high in the sky. Is a cave-born like you alright with coming along to such a place?" - Gust
...A continent in the sky...
Hmm? For some reason, I felt as if having eaten something sour. Like, sour.
"See? Demons are instinctively disgusted by the thought of living on Celestial continents. Our deal was that you should help me home, but that doesn't extend to you having to live there yourself, even if it means we do not need to drift apart after that. The point is, what are you supposed to do when you do not have me to help you with social interaction?" - Gust
"...*Sweat*... H-have an undead.... sorry. Got nothing. So don't stare like that." - Garami
"I knew it. Therefore, we are initiating the 'De-anti-socialize Garami'-project right now!" - Gust
!?!?!? Now I'm feeling like I ate something that's turned so bad, it came back alive, then died again!
"The first point of this quest is: obtain information about the Adventurer's Union from the townspeople!" - Gust
And suddenly I got a mission impossible!! Grr, don't expect to get any letters from me after you get back home!
---
I grumbled a little while after hearing Gust's plans, but he's got a point... unfortunately. I need to at least be able to ask the townspeople for that kinda information. It would be too pitiable if I couldn't.
It's early in the morning, but there should be some shops or stands or whatever that's open now. The fantasy troupe cliche is to ask a vendor for information while buying some of their products.
*Growl~*... which reminds me, I've yet to eat breakfast. Then, we'll ask someplace that sells food... those skewers over there...*Slurp*.
N-no biggie. Just think of it as your first errand in your second life Garami. Go and talk to that vendor on the count of ten, got it? I said; you got it!? Yes, ma'am, I got it!!
Alright, ten, nine, eight, seven-!?
"Welcome sweetie~. Do you want some scewers~?" - Vendor
I couldn't answer. I completely froze in fear when the vendor suddenly started the conversation.
In my defense, it's NOT because of my incapability of communication with humans. The proof of my claim is Gust here to my left, frozen in the same way as me... or rather, I think he took more damage. That's how shocking this guy is to one's mind!
Achievement Titles:
Hunting Titles:
This guy(?) named Slein has the body of a bodybuilder clad in simple clothes and an apron, but his face's covered with just enough cosmetic to make that Maiden of Heart title of his true.
A macho-builder with the heart of a woman...
"Aww, don't be scared, sweetie~. Here, want a skewer?" - Rassel
G-G-G-Garami! L-l-let's go somewhere else!! - Gust
I got that telepathic message alright, but something of an unparalleled strength is preventing me from leaving.
*Groooooowl~*
"Ten skewers." - Garami
"Don't be bought off with food! And how much are you planning on eating!?" - Gust
---
Eleven1Got one as a freebie skewers later, on the bench beside the skewer-stall.
"A-ha-ha-ha~! You sure can eat sweetie~." - Rassel
It's food, for Pete's sake! Real food! Not some raw monster meat contaminated by poison or whatever, nor any dishes created by moisty Sahuagin hands. Meat grilled to a perfect, juicy grade, with just a sprinkle of salt. To think something this easily made would taste so heavenly...
"Don't go crying for real. And what is this meat? It tastes kind of funny..." - Gust
"Deathwalker meat~! We want to empty our reserves now since it's no longer possible to obtain them from the wild~." - Rassel
Gust put down his skewer when he heard that. Eh, not gonna finish yours? Then allow me~.
"Sweetie, you sure aren't a picky eater~. People should take a lesson from you~." - Rassel
"Mister, you're worthy of the Chef title." - Garami
"Silly, it's 'miss'~. And I already have that title, thank you very much~." - Rassel
Silly me~.
"Wait just a sec, did you speak to another person normally!?" - Gust
...Oh yeah. Guess I did. Huh, it wasn't so bad~. But before I forget:
"Where's the Adventurer's Union?" - Garami
"Seriously, why're you suddenly speaking fluently like that!?" - Gust
I don't know. Shock treatment?
"The Union is located in the Magician's Road, just past this Warrior's Road. It is a big building with a coat of arms made with a sword and a staff, you can't miss it, sweetheart~. But if it is a Quest, then you can come back and ask this big sis for help later~." - Rassel
"Not Quest. Joining." - Garami
"Wow~! All Ogres makes excellent warriors, so the Union will accept sweetie with open arms~. I guarantee it~." - Rassel
Seriously? When I looked at her titles, I saw that miss Rassel one, so if she says so, then it has to be true.
"But I'm a Rogue, not warrior?" - Garami
"Really~? You did seem thinner than Ogres... oooh~. Like that handsome fellow~!" - Rassel
Oh, it's a real Ogre. A Red Ogre, to be exact. Yup, just as macho as miss Rassel. And his stats... barely above 100 on average!? And that's counting with his 152 STR!
I swiped through the crowd that had started to populate the streets, and the average total never exceeded 150 at most. Are humanoids weak species? Of course, like with miss Rassel, they can cultivate their stats to stupidly high levels.
"Warrior or not, the Union will be happy for all the help they can get, especially now when the city has to adapt back to becoming the city of water rather than of the wasteland." - Rassel
"Speaking of which, how did they get down from these towers when the water was away? Do the roads go all the way down to the bottom of the lake?" - Gust
"No, no~. The Union Master is an expert in Earth Magic and alchemy, so he created new roads for us to descend to the ground back then~." - Rassel
Oh-ho? That sounds impressive. Earth magic may not be the most famous type back on Earth, but here you can build whatever you want with a single spell.
Enough chattering. I wanna go and register... when did so many people arrive on the streets? When I was in food-coma? No matter how well my progress is, throwing me into a river of people is too much!!
Urgh, just think of this as training, just think of this as training... just think of finding some sweets after you've registered, just think of finding sweets after you've registered... alright, I'm ready! Come at me!
"H-hey, Garami! Wait for me!" - Gust
"Ah, and please come by at my store later, sweetie~!" - Rassel
Miss Rassel and Gust shouted something behind me as I dived into the sea of people, but I didn't catch what the contents were. I need to focus so I won't drown in this ocean of death!!!
---
"...*Sniff*, *sob*..." - Garami
"You could just take the sideways instead of rushing through like that. Even normal people would avoid such a stupid move if they could." - Gust
Shut it... I got cocky... you happy?
I think I can survive by having simple conversations, even if I don't enjoy them. But crowds... no way.
"Yeah, yeah, you did great. Now, stand up already. People... aren't watching?" - Gust
He's right. Despite there being a frail, beautiful (self-proclaimed), and depressed maiden here, no one is stopping to help, or take advantage, of me. No wonder, since I've been running various types of stealth for the first few seconds in that dreaded ocean. I tried not to, but the pressure, the human-wave pressure-!!
No matter the tragedy, talented people have to make the best outta any situation!
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
Class [Rogue] has reached Lv.50
Class evolution is now possible
Through having [Rogue] at Lv.50; acquired skill: [Shadow Dive Lv.1]
Lv.50 came!!!! Class, check. Points, check. Building rumored to have an item that lets me see available classes I can take? Super-check!!
"Alright, let's gooo!!" - Garami
"Whah, what's up all of a sudden?" - Gust
I left the birdbrain behind and entered the Union.
The inside of the building looked like a tavern, but one-half of it had several information counters and a large board filled with papers. The Quest Board, if my linguistics for this world and the writing on top of the board are not wrong.
Most of the counters were empty, except for three of them. The first two had either a female cat-eared receptionist, but the other one was manned by a Skeleton with flames where his eyes should be. Even undeads are ok with the populace...?
The two mentioned counters had lines of people in front of them, probably the local adventurers like miss Rassel. However, the third counter, manned by a bored-looking man in his early twenties, was for some strange reason deserted.
No need to explain why I chose the third one. Wait, isn't this guy-!?
"...Hmm? What can I help you with?" - Elf(!!!)
I knew it! Those ears! They're undoubtedly those of an elf! This is the first time I've ever seen one up-close. There was one that tried to challenge the Water-Knot before, but that's a no-count.
"Are you here to submit a Quest? Or... completing one?" - Elf
Oops. I forgot to speak up. Damn, this fantasy world sure knows when to hit me when I least expect it. Heck, I took so long that Gust could catch up with me even. *Cough*...
"I wanna join." - Garami
"...As in, joining the Adventurer's Union?" - Elf
"Yes." - Garami
The elf started to fiddle with some machine on his table before looking back at me.
"Alright. Can you pay the registration fee?" - Elf
Eh, a registration fee? Wait, did he think I couldn't pay due to how shaggy my robe's become? How rude!
"...How much?" - Garami
"A silver is enough. But if you came from outside the city, then you should have a temporary City Pass. That works as well." - Elf
Oh, that makes things simpler. I gave the elf the wooden pass I had gotten from the guards earlier, which he used some kinda machine, or magi-tech, to authorize if it's real... or that's what it seems to be.
"All well here. Then can you place your hand on top of this crystal so we can create your Adventurer ID? Be careful not to remove your hand while the ID is being constructed." - Elf
I did as he said and placed my hand on the crystal sphere on top of the magi-tech. A beam of light came from the sphere and hit the surface, which gradually started to thicken into a physical card.
"There you go. One Adventurer ID, fresh from the printer." - Elf
The card looked like a transparent plate of glass, but the touch was no different from the plastic cards on Earth. Did they use my mana, or aether, to make it? Like how Earth Magic and Water Magic create substance by converting MP?
"You have to start as a G-Rank adventurer, but completing enough Quests and you will be able to rank up to F-Rank. The card will change appearance based on your rank, with G-ranks being transparent, F-Ranks looking like wooden materials, and those above like precious metals. And if you lose the card you need to pay the fine of 5 silvers to get a new one." - Elf
Expensive! But that's probably to ensure that people treat these cards properly, so I can't bitch about it.
The information on the card only told me about my name, gender, my classes plus their levels, as well as my adventurer rank. There's a strange icon in the upper-left corner, and when I touched it, a list similar to when I use [Identification] popped up.
"That is your visa. Be sure to enter the Adventurer's Union whenever you enter a new city and register your card to that area. Also, in case you join another Union in addition to the Adventurer's Union, you can change between the Adventurer ID or that other Union's ID from that list as well." - Elf
Ooh! Fancy! But mister elf, why're you taking back the card all of a sudden? What are you doing with it there? And what's that level-up like jingle just now?
"Congratulations. You have reached rank F." - Elf
EEEEHHH!?
"Wait for just a second! What are you meaning about that?" - Gust
"Why, she completed an S-rank Quest for locating a missing person. That is more than enough for a rank-up for a G-rank." - Elf
Missing person? I and Gust looked at each other in confusion...ah, AAAAHHH!!!
"Good work in finding the missing Wisdom Raven of the Grand Library Tower, miss Garami. The Sage of the Tower, Ordion Alberloft will be more than happy in knowing that his student is in one piece." - Elf
---
The elf receptionist showed us to the Union Master's office. Gust's old master, Ordion Alberloft, had given the Union a special Quest, an S-rank Quest, for returning Gust home, safe and sound.
And here I came in with the bird in question, which got a hit on that DNA-detection-like magi-tech that the elf worked with when Gust caught up with me.
No wonder I got the instant rank-up. But no matter the circumstances, no, because it is these circumstances, that we need to meet the Union Master.
We entered the office where the Union Master should be... and it's empty.
The room was filled with documents, and for some reason, statues made of clay. They look strangely lifelike... but where's the man of the hour?
While I and Gust are busy looking over the room, the elven receptionist went to the desk filled with documents and scrolls and sat down in the expensive-looking chair there.
"Now, what can this Union Master, Carion Verde help you with today?" - Carion
"Wait, you're the Union Master!?" - Gust
"...Despite being a receptionist?" - Garami
"That's just a hobby of mine. But you are not as surprised as I had hoped for. What a disappointment." - Carion
No, I'm so surprised that I've gone all the way back to being calm again. It's the second coming of miss Rassel.
"Oh well. As for why I wanted to meet you two officially, it is to first congratulate a job well done as the Union Master. The Union and the Grand Library Tower have close ties, so this was a Quest we needed to fulfill no matter the cost. But, with the culprit being a King of Ghosts, not to mention the remnants of King Avalar himself..." - Carion
Crap, they know about the king? Then if I say that I beat him, they will understand that my fake status page is made with the ring's bogus.
Achievement Titles:
Hunting Titles:
This is the fake page. The backstory is that a lonely little demon managed to kill enough Dread Spirits with her inborn skill she got by pure luck, then getting thought about Rogues and Spectermancer by a passing-by teacher in those classes. A story of love and drama... alright. I'm gonna stop.
As for my real stats at the moment:
Wow, my resistance skills... no, after that meteorite from yesterday, that's acceptable. But [Battle Survivalist] went up twice... just how close to death was I back then?
More importantly, how am I gonna fool this elf...
"Ah, you do not need to reveal how you saved this fellow..., Gust, was it? Adventurers are people that need to keep their abilities a secret. The Union respects that." - Carion
Phew, that was close-
"Of course, that does not mean you are allowed to defy the law. If you do, be prepared to get a bounty on your head." - Carion
I-I-I wouldn't do something like that!! ...So much for hunting thugs in the back allies...
"Back to the main point, I want to assign a new Quest for you, miss Garami." - Carion
"Quest?" - Garami
"Yes. It will take some time before the Industria continent is close enough for the airships to reach it. So in the meanwhile, I wish that you keep on protecting Gust here until that time arrives. The Union is already got its hands full with the recent flood and all..." - Carion
...Isn't that the same I agreed with Gust? Well, better take advantage of this situation.
"The reward?" - Garami
"The reward? Well... this is something akin to a personal request, so... can we make a compromise-" - Carion
"Nope." - Garami
"-...Right. Then, what do you want? Please, I beg you, do not ask for anything too expensive..." - Carion
The last part was barely a whisper, but my ears caught it anyway.
Hey, he's asking for my sake here, and the old man will reward you handsomely anyway. - Gust
There's also the reward for the S-rank Quest itself... Now then, what am I in need of that can't normally be bought with money? A bed can be fixed by going to an inn. Food's no problem either. And in case of enjoyment, I overheard people talking about slaves when I walked through that sea of terror, so that's also an idea if the red-light district's no good. Then...
"Magic Stone." - Garami
"Excuse me?" - Carion
"Magic Stones. From C-ranks or higher." - Garami
"Wait, you are talking about Magic Stones from C-rank monsters?! What are you supposed to do with them?" - Carion
"Adventurer, so I keep my secrets hidden." - Garami
I threw his line from before back at him. The reason I want those is for the Dungeon Core I got from the Glavras-incidence. The city's good and all, but the thought of a home that I own myself is a better option. And with these Magic Stones, I can force the normally random Dungeon-creation to become something more that I want. I'll even get a discount when spawning monsters related to those of the Magic Stones that were used.
Of course, I want some of those. The downside is that I can only use 3 different ones when building the Dungeon, but getting even a single one will improve the quality of my future rent-free home.
"...If you say so," said Carion, while taking out a box, from his desk and emptying its contents.
Gems!? Wait, [Magic Sight]'s acting up. These are... Magic Stones, just as ordered. And many of them. [Identification] told me they were from the following monsters:
"...That's an impressive collection." - Garami
"Despite my appearance, I have been a Union Master for longer than you have lived, obtaining one of these beauties from each of the seven islands surrounding this city... except the Haunted Castle. That place is scary." - Carion
He seems to be more proud of the fact that these are "local products" rather than having obtained them on his own. And the fish, it's not from an island, but from the Lake Sea itself.
"Then them all-" - Garami
"OIII! That's no matter how you look at it too much! Just one. Just one is enough for this mission." - Carion
"Six." - Garami
"Just one!" - Carion
"Five." - Garami
"There are other candidates than you, you know?" - Carion
"Of course. A single guard won't be enough. Four." - Garami
"Grr... then the deal-" - Carion
"Gust, you don't wanna be guarded by me?" - Garami
"... I-want-Garami-as-a-guard-or-else-I-will-give-the-old-man-a-bad-review-of-the-Adventurer's-Union." - Gust
Nice~. But you gotta get rid of that monotone voice.
"Aw, come on!! Fine, but only two! These are like my secret savings, so I cannot afford to give away more." - Carion
"Tch. Then I wanna chose." - Garami
"Did you click your tongue at me? Hey, did you click your tongue at me?" - Carion
"Union Master. You just have to get used to this treatment if you plan to have this girl work for you." - Gust
I left the two dorks to bond together while looking at the Stones. Which one should I take...
Greydra
Kigal-Note: Adventurer's Union
Adventurer's Union:
The Adventurer's Union is an international organization, recognized not only by the various governments but also by the World System itself.
The Union originated as part of Ulrit Avalar, the first king of the Avalar Kingdom, gathered allies in the hope of culling the number of monsters that threatened the peace for the humanoids. Many years later, and the Adventurer's Union was born through an expansion of the already-existing Mercenary Union.
Mission:
The Adventurer's Union's goal is to accept and fulfill the requests given by the populace and the other Unions. The adventurers will do anything from hunting monsters, locating forgotten items, or guarding traveling merchants.
These Quests are ranked from G to A, with G being the easiest ones and A being the most difficult. There also exists S-Rank Quests, but rather than calling them more difficult than even the A-Rank Quests, the S-Ranks are better to be called rank-less Quests, due to their contents being too changeable to be assigned a real rank. It could also be in situations where one does not know how the Quest in question should be ranked.
The Quests are further divided according to their contents:
Rankings:
Including the Quest Ranks, the adventurers themselves are divided into ranks. These ranks show the adventurer's talent and expertise with the job, and while they do not limit people to certain Quests, they are used as a standard for them. The rankings also tell how many Quests they need to complete within a certain timeframe without losing a rank.
The rankings go like this:
10 Quests with a lower rank will count as a single Quest that is one rank higher.
To advance in one's Adventurer rank, one needs to complete enough Quests so that the Union Master in that area can allow them to take the advancement trial. The content of the trail changes with each rank.
P.S. The advancement from G to F-rank requires no trials.
Carion's comment: While it's not obligatory, we also get requests to participate as mercenaries in wars.