Chapter 41
A muscle party had been formed.
Rumors like that seemed to be causing a stir throughout the academy.
So what?
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"So the rumor was true, then—the five first-years who became 【Muscle Warriors】 formed a party? This year's first-years have a lot of promising talent, what with big bro being a 【Hero】 and all."
"But Zephyrus-kun said 【Muscle Warrior】 isn't a good Job. He said anyone who seriously wants to become one of those is out of their mind."
"Oh? That's interesting. Hannah, could you tell me more?"
The morning after their first clear of the 〈Tropical Forest Dungeon〉, Hannah was brought to the 〈Patch Seal Sticker〉 Guild as planned. When she met Marie-senpai, they hit it off in no time, perhaps because they had similarly petite, youthful figures.
They were chatting while Hannah's measurements were being taken.
Zephyrus had gone to make connections with other guilds, so the two of them were alone for now.
They were talking about the party made up of the five 【Muscle Warriors】 Zephyrus had seen yesterday—the ones he'd narrowed his eyes at and muttered were "way too intense."
Apparently, five people had acquired 【Muscle Warrior】 during the Job assessment at the entrance ceremony, and those five had formed a party and officially submitted it to the academy. Now the whole academy was buzzing with the rumor.
If Zephyrus had been there, he probably would have blurted out, "You're all going with 【Muscle Warrior】? Have you lost your minds!?"
But the people of this world didn't see it that way.
If anything, they'd look on enviously, thinking, "Could this be the formation of the strongest party!?"
Even with someone acquiring 【Hero】, 【Muscle Warrior】 still enjoyed enduring popularity.
In fact, many of the top-ranked guilds included 【Muscle Warriors】 among their members.
"According to Zephyrus-kun, there's only one path to an Upper Job: 【Steel Muscle Warrior】. It's basically an upgraded version of 【Muscle Warrior】, but apparently it's a terrible match for Upper Dungeons and beyond. He called it an 'useless joke Job.'"
"Oh, that's fascinating. Big bro's remarkably well-informed, though I don't know where he gets it. I've never heard anything like that, but it's not as if he's just jealous of them."
Hearing Hannah's story, Marie-senpai's first thought was that this was a clash between two excellent Jobs—in other words, that 【Hero】 was jealous of 【Muscle Warrior】.
But after interacting with Zephyrus over the past few days, Marie-senpai had gotten a decent sense of his personality and quickly dismissed the idea.
"That's hard to believe. The 【Muscle Warrior】 being treated as a joke, of all things."
In truth, 【Muscle Warrior】 was quite powerful—at first, anyway.
But since few people in this world had explored Upper Dungeons and beyond, no one understood the limits of 【Muscle Warrior】. As a result, it seemed like an incredibly appealing Job, since it held the top spot from the early to middle stages.
Another reason for its popularity was that its requirements were light, unlike those for 【Great Swordmaster】 and similar Jobs.
The requirements for 【Great Swordmaster】 were: 〈① Deepen your understanding of the sword. ② Meet the requirements for 【Swordsman】, 【Great Swordsman】, 【Dual Swordsman】, 【Swordman】, 【Rapier Swordsman】, and 【Fencer】. ③ Slay 100 monsters with a sword.〉
Those requirements were quite a hassle. And having to meet the requirements for six sword-related Jobs was extremely difficult in this world.
After all, someone who used a one-handed sword would probably keep using one their whole life, while someone who used a greatsword wouldn't use dual swords. Rapier users were practically the opposite. Would someone who used a greatsword pick up a rapier? Almost certainly not. And vice versa.
So, in a world where nobody knew the requirements for 【Great Swordmaster】, acquiring it was practically impossible.
People thought only the chosen few could become one.
By contrast, 【Muscle Warrior】 had just one requirement.
〈① Be muscular.〉
That was all.
In other words, all you had to do was work out. It was simple and straightforward, and since even people in this world knew the requirements, many went for the 【Muscle Warrior】 Job, the so-called "Macho" Job.
Though whether someone could get buff by the age of sixteen, by traditional Japanese reckoning, depended on their build.
"So we shouldn't treat them too well, is that it?"
"That's what it sounds like. Zephyrus-kun said he'd be taking on Upper Dungeons in the future, so their true colors will be revealed."
"Ah, that's not good. They've been riding high all this time, so who knows what they'll do if they suddenly fall from grace. If someone from a top guild gets driven out, they might force their way into a mid-tier guild like ours. All right, we'll be ready for that. Tell big bro thanks for me."
"Okay."
If you treated them too well, they might come to rely on you in a bad way when something happened. Some guilds had even been forcibly taken over by people who used their past relationship as leverage to barge in.
Marie-senpai took this as a warning not to get too entangled with them, and to keep the relationship at a reasonable distance.
It was a warning to distance themselves from their valued clients, the top guilds—something she normally wouldn't have taken seriously at all. But though she was only half-convinced, Marie-senpai somehow felt she could trust Zephyrus's words, and decided to prepare just in case.
And then, quite separately, another problem came to light.
"...All done measuring. You can relax now."
"Whew. Staying in the same position gets pretty tiring."
"...But Hannah, I thought you were about the same size as me, but you're actually much curvier..."
"Huh?"
"You're younger than me, and the same height with the same waist, so how come your chest and butt are so different from mine?"
Marie-senpai stared at the note listing Hannah's measurements, her voice trembling.
Marie-senpai had a decidedly childlike, petite figure. But...
Hannah was actually the type whose clothes hid her curves quite well.