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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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“You’re late today.”
“Yeah.”
They had been delayed by the pickpocket incident, but they had dealt with it quickly and headed to the Adventurers’ Guild.
Adela greeted them.
“Why do so many things happen to an extra…?”
There hadn’t been a single uneventful day since he arrived in this world.
It was entertaining, but he was starting to wonder if he was a walking disaster.
“Most of those incidents are caused by you…”
The incidents came to him, he didn’t cause them.
He wondered if that bespectacled kid who caused murders everywhere felt the same way.
He could probably relate.
Adela cleared her throat, bringing the conversation back on track.
“Ahem. We’ve confirmed the… explosion incident.”
“Already?”
That was fast. It had only happened yesterday afternoon. The scouts were efficient.
“We had to investigate quickly, given the nature of the incident. …Especially since someone threw a tantrum and caused a scene in the training ground because he didn’t get paid immediately.”
“Really? What a jerk.”
There were annoying people everywhere.
It took time to process payments. This guy would probably blow up a delivery company’s headquarters if his package was three days late.
“…”
“What’s with that look?”
“Sigh… you need to learn some manners, Luke.”
He was the epitome of manners.
He had even rehabilitated a pickpocket on his way here.
“…Anyway, here’s your reward for the Giant Ant extermination.”
Adela placed a heavy pouch on the counter.
It jingled as it landed.
“Why is it so heavy?”
“It’s all in copper coins.”
“How much is it supposed to be?”
“Two silver coins.”
“And this is…?”
“Two hundred copper coins.”
Who paid in copper coins? So petty.
“Adela, who paid me?”
“Why do you want to know…?”
“So I can kill them.”
“…Client information is confidential. And I wouldn’t tell you even if it wasn’t. Especially not if you’re going to kill them.”
But they were being unreasonable!
It was like getting ten thousand won in change, but all in one hundred won coins.
“Let’s move on. You’re here for the promotion test, right?”
“Oh, right, that.”
“That’s usually the first thing people ask about…”
“Hehehe… you wound me. I’m not like other people.”
“…That wasn’t a compliment.”
It was about time he got promoted to D-rank.
He had hunted goblins, War Wolves, a Named Monster, and even exterminated a Giant Ant lair. His skills were undeniable.
If he wasn’t qualified for a promotion, he might as well quit being an adventurer and join the academy.
“So, how do I get promoted? Do I have to fight a D-rank adventurer?”
He looked around for a suitable opponent.
That skinny mage over there looked promising.
Introducing mages to the joys of ultra greatswords would be fun.
“…Calm down. I’ll explain.”
Adela stopped him and pulled out her encyclopedia-like book.
“The promotion test requires hunting a strong monster of your current rank to prove your skill.”
She flipped through the pages.
“The quest is based on your party size. Since you’re a party of two, I’ll give you a two-person quest.”
She stopped at a page.
“Hatchling Salamander. It looks like a lizard, but it’s a monster. Unlike adult Salamanders, it can’t breathe fire, but it’s intelligent and can be quite challenging.”
What?!
A lizard?
A baby lizard that couldn’t even breathe fire?!
“RAWR!!!”
He ripped the page out of the book and tore it to shreds, scattering the pieces in the air.
“…I see why you need extra copies…”
Adela calmly pulled out an identical page and inserted it back into the book, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Next time, just say no. The Hatchling Salamander is the weakest option.”
“Okay.”
“There are three monsters to choose from for the promotion test: low, mid, and high difficulty. The Hatchling Salamander is the low difficulty option.”
“Objection!”
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s the difference?”
“…I was just about to explain that. The higher the difficulty of the monster you hunt, the faster your next promotion will be.”
So, if he hunted the low-difficulty monster, he’d get 50 experience points after promotion, and if he hunted the high-difficulty monster, he’d get 150.
“Then I’ll take the high-difficulty option, obviously.”
“…I figured you’d say that.”
Adela flipped through the pages again.
She stopped at a page with a green bookmark.
“This one.”
It was a monster he knew well, a staple of fantasy settings.
“Ogre. Less intelligent than other monsters, but with incredible regenerative abilities and resilience, it’s often the first major hurdle for adventurers.”
“Hurdle?”
“Yes. Ogres are considered one of the strongest D-rank monsters. Many adventurers fail to reach C-rank because of them.”
So, it was a “Do you feel the difference in power, human?” kind of situation.
Ogres being D-rank was surprising. They were usually depicted as much stronger monsters in other fantasy settings.
“Where can I find Ogres?”
“In the mid-level area of the forest near Gemini Academy.”
The academy… he felt a little uneasy about that, but…
What could possibly go wrong?
“Alright! Let’s go, Luna!”
“Okay, Luke.”
“Wait! I haven’t finished explaining!”
“A true man needs no explanation!”
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“Hey, Riche! Good morning!”
“…”
Riche ignored him.
How many times has this been?
Arthur. That’s how he introduced himself.
She didn’t usually remember irrelevant information, but after dozens of encounters, she couldn’t help but remember his name.
The first time had been at the library.
“Hey, Riche! Let’s be friends!”
“No.”
The second time had been after her duel with Tia Roseberry.
“Good work, Riche! Here’s some water!”
“No.”
Since then, he had been coming to her classroom every morning, greeting her and trying to make small talk. It was driving her crazy.
She had thought he’d give up after being rejected a few times, but his persistence was admirable, albeit annoying.
He had effectively become a stalker in her eyes.
And not only that, he also flirted with Tia.
Tia, being sociable, humored him, but to Riche, he was just a womanizer.
And this guy was asking her to be his friend?
His favorability rating was plummeting, irreparably so.
“Hey, Riche, want to have lunch together today?”
“…”
Taunts and insults.
Personal attacks and curses.
All of that could be considered… attention.
But the most effective weapon against unwanted attention was…
Indifference.
She had decided to ignore him.
She was tired of it.
“You’re so aloof, Riche! I’ll see you later!”
How did he even know?
That was what annoyed her the most.
He acted like he knew her, when he knew nothing about her.
Finally, he left her alone.
*Creak.*
The door opened, and her homeroom teacher entered.
“As you know, today is a practical training day. You’ll be going to the forest near the academy to hunt monsters in groups. It might seem easy for A-class students like yourselves, but theory and practice are different. Always give it your all. There will be teachers present in case of emergencies, so don’t worry too much.”
Practical training was always dangerous.
Especially if the monsters were trying to kill you.
But…
Only weak monsters live near the academy, so it should be fine.
That’s what Riche thought.
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This Arthur.. he seems to be another transmigrator.