Chapter 81: Strengthening Forces
Passing through the forest I had traversed multiple times today, I finally reached the Ozak Village's administrative building just before dusk.
It seemed Mayor Hammet had also returned by carriage.
"Lord Shiro, well done. What about the investigators?"
"Just a moment ago, they used direct teleportation from the dungeon entrance to return..."
I conveyed that I had confirmed it was indeed a dungeon and that they intended to report to the capital immediately. With the situation clarified, it seemed Mayor Hammet could relax for the time being.
"Thank you very much. In that case, I'm not sure if the national army will mobilize or if we should request assistance from the guild, but a significant number of personnel will be coming to the village. We need to think about accommodation and supplies..."
I see. Since a substantial number of people will be involved in the dungeon subjugation, there are various things to consider on the receiving end, such as lodging and the provision of food and supplies.
"...Um, it's getting dark, so could I stay at the inn again tonight?"
As Mayor Hammet began to ponder such matters, I brought up the topic, and he quickly agreed, looking flustered.
"Of course, and thank you very much for this time. Also, we need to pay you for the request..."
It's finally payment time. Well, the reward for this quest is not high, but it's still significant. If converted to small change, it's only about 2.5 gold coins. In Japanese yen, that's around 200,000 yen, I guess? Of course, for an ordinary person in this world, it might be more than a month's salary.
However, considering the risks adventurers like Norde face, which include severe injuries and life-threatening situations, it's not a high income.
This time, it's the first quest, so I knew what to expect, but if I want to achieve the kind of life I envision in this world, I'll need to find better-paying work.
That said, today has been a long day. I'll have dinner at the inn, and I'll think about it another time.
I bid farewell to the mayor and left the administrative building.
In the inn's dining room, a delicious meal was served again tonight. It could be called a village specialty. I also enjoyed the innkeeper's recommended barley beer. After a day's work, a drink really hits the spot. I noticed Norde was also drinking, but is that okay? She's only 16, or wait, is there no age limit here, or maybe it's because I'm 19, but in modern-day Japan, this would be a no-go...
"Um, I'm sorry for drinking without permission..."
She's turning red, but she doesn't seem drunk at all. Come to think of it, in the world of games and fantasy novels, dwarves are often portrayed as heavy drinkers. Is this half-dwarf girl the same?... I won't compare drinking abilities, though.
After working, eating, and drinking, it's time to sleep. The room is quite spacious because the inn has reserved two rooms for us. Yeah, I'm not feeling lonely. I'm tired today.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Norde entered with a basin of hot water.
"Um, I've brought hot water for washing."
She said timidly.
"I didn't get a chance to wash yesterday..."
I'm not that tired, and she doesn't seem to be either. Well, let's clean up together. After all, it's a spacious room...
_____
After a long time, the level-up space from my dreams appeared.
The numbers slowly moved and reached "16".
Furthermore, my "Clay Play" skill finally reached level 10. I've been using it extensively, after all.
Not only that, but today, it seems there's a light shining on some parts of my status. For example...
"Skill Points Remaining: 5"
I gained an extra skill point because I leveled up.
When I touched the display for skills, various things popped up.
In thick yellow letters, there were:
"Experience Multiplier Increase," "HP Regeneration," "MP Regeneration," "Advanced Class," and "Magic Class." I understand what experience multiplier increase means, but what about advanced class and magic class? Can I change jobs? They all seem like powerful skills.
Below that, in thinner white letters, there were many:
"Strength Increase (Small)," "Speed Increase (Small)," ... These seem to be about slightly boosting each of my stats.
As an experiment, I touched one of the white options, and the text lit up, but my skill points decreased by 1 to 4. Tapping it twice in quick succession changed it to "Strength Increase (Medium)," but my skill points dropped to 2 in total. It didn't respond further. This means that, to enhance it further, I might need an accumulating number of points, like 1 + 2 + 4 or something like that.
Once I canceled and touched the yellow characters, my remaining points instantly dropped to zero.
In other words, the white side represents skills that can be upgraded with 1 point, while the yellow side represents skills that consume 5 points. So, the powerful ones must be lined up in the yellow section.
Leaving the skills section for a moment, I decided to try the other parts that were lit up.
The part about the "Adventurer" job is also lit up. Does this mean I can change jobs?
When I touched it...
"Job Change: Scout, Warrior, Knight, Merchant, Pharmacist, Civilian, ..."
A long list appeared. However, this time, from Scout to Knight, the text was in yellow, and the rest was in white.
What could this mean?
As an experiment, I touched the display for Scout, and it changed to "Scout (LV8)."
Why is it level 8? Oh right, I heard that it's generally half of your current level... So, what about the other white job options?
Next, I touched the display for Merchant. It changed to "Merchant (LV1)."
Is this one level 1? Is being a merchant a tougher job? No, that's probably not it. Maybe it's about whether it's a job that suits me as an adventurer.
But among the jobs I know well, I don't see any like wizards or priests.
Could it be?
I remembered the "Mage" button that matched the skills.
I set the skill points to zero and pressed the "Mage" button.
When I returned to the job change screen, indeed, "Priest, Mage, Alchemist" were added in white text.
Becoming a mage seems quite challenging. Spending 5 skill points and resetting to level 1.
Next, I decided to invest skill points not in "Mage" but in the "Advanced Jobs."
Upon doing so, "Ninja" was added in white text to the job list. When I touched it, it seemed like I could change to a level 1 ninja.
After seeing how Jonas performed, I was a bit intrigued. However, I didn't really understand the characteristics of each job with just this information...
While pondering such things, my consciousness drifted back to sleep.
---
"Good morning, Master."
When I woke up, Nolte's round eyes were there. It seemed she had been using my arm as a pillow. Who is this lovey-dovey person? This couldn't be real, it must be a dream.
So, if I speak, she should disappear, I thought, and cautiously replied, "Good morning, Nolte." She still didn't wake up. She's really good at this.
Nolte was in her underwear, and I was still naked. Well, Nolte being in her underwear is fine, but maybe I should buy her something like pajamas or lingerie next time... It's my duty as the master.
As I observed Nolte, who had put on her travel clothes, my status appeared in my mind without me consciously thinking about it.
Her level had increased, and her skill in "Hammer Techniques" had gone up as well. Was it because she had defeated a lot of monsters with her hammer? It's still strange that leveling up in battle improves her level as a blacksmith. Well, her blacksmith skill itself hasn't gone up, so it probably doesn't mean her work skills have improved.
But what does being a level 4 blacksmith mean in terms of combat strength? I can roughly imagine what a level 4 warrior would be like, based on Sktari's companions...
As I thought a bit about it, I decided that for future quests, like dungeon raids that seemed more profitable, I should strengthen my party a bit. Not necessarily with six people right away, but I wanted to enhance the party. Of course, the members had to be beautiful. That's essential. After all, I've been reborn once, and having a harem is a man's dream... I mean, it's for strengthening the party.
"...Hey, Nolte," I decided to ask boldly.
"Yes, Master," she responded.
Whether it was because we were in love or not, she still looked cute in her plain travel outfit.
"As an adventurer, I plan to take on bigger challenges from now on. For that, I need to strengthen the party's combat power."
"Understood."
"I'm counting on your growth, Nolte. And I plan to recruit more members. Is that okay?"
"Huh? Of course, Master. I'll follow your lead."
It should be fine even with beautiful women, right? Yeah, no problem at all. Nolte is cute enough, and even if we add more members, I'll continue to adore her... That's what I decided in my heart.