Chapter 47
After making brief introductions and gathering information at the Adventurers' Guild in Lacolina, Ruche and I headed for the 〈Dungeon〉 that had appeared deep in the forest near the city.
As we'd heard, a rainbow-colored vortex had formed in the face of a massive cliff.
"All right, let's go. Time to gather some ore."
"Y-Yes!"
Ruche steeled herself at my words.
【〈Centipede Tunnel〉: Recommended Lv: 60】
The moment we stepped inside, a message rang out in my head.
The interior was cave-like, with a vast cavern stretching on and on.
Magicstone lamps had been installed at regular intervals along the walls.
"Just like with 〈Angel's Toy Box〉, the recommended level is high..."
Ruche walked anxiously, her steps hesitant.
"The recommended level is only a guideline for the 〈Dream Lord〉, though. The monsters along the way are far below that level."
Moreover, in 〈Magic World〉, leveling up wasn't very effective unless you hunted monsters above your own level.
Especially at our current low levels, it was standard practice to challenge 〈Dungeons〉 with fairly high recommended levels.
Our first goal this time was to collect Blacksteel equipment.
Blacksteel equipment was made from a metal found in this world called Blacksteel. It was relatively easy to obtain as a drop and was fairly valuable.
Blacksteel was also easy to work with, so if we collected a lot and took it to a blacksmith, we could have it forged into whatever weapons we wanted.
At our current level, if we wanted to make use of Ruche's 700% Luck boost from 〈Angel of Happiness〉 to upgrade our equipment, there was no better place than this 〈Centipede Tunnel〉.
"Don't worry. The main monsters here—the Smiles—move predictably, and their attacks aren't that powerful. Unless they show up in a group, we shouldn't run into any trouble."
A Smile was a rock-like monster and our target for this trip, as it reliably dropped Blacksteel equipment.
"I've always wondered, but you're really knowledgeable, Elymas-san, whether it's about classes or 〈Dungeons〉..."
"Hm? Oh, yeah... They drilled it into me at home when I was a kid."
"Oh... I-I see. I'm sorry... That's probably not something you'd want to remember."
"No, don't worry about it. Thanks to you, I was able to leave House Edvaughn behind without any trouble. It doesn't bother me that much anymore."
...There was no way I could explain that, for some reason, I was able to put my memories from my previous life to use and make things work out.
I didn't really understand it myself.
Besides being an absurd story from the start, even I—the person at its center—had no grasp of the full picture.
"Nobles really do have access to so much information... But with knowledge like yours, Elymas-san, wouldn't you be a huge success advising adventurers about Skills on the Guild's side...?"
After saying that much, Ruche's face turned pale.
"I-I'd become useless then...! L-Let's keep adventuring a little longer, Elymas-san! Okay? I-I'll do my best!"
"...I've heard of someone who actually worked as a Class Advisor."
"So people really do that..."
However, Class Advisors hadn't existed in this world.
They were a thing in 〈Magic World〉.
There were a few players who advised others on character builds, taking into account not only Skill performance but also ease of use, market prices for weapons and 〈Skill Books〉, the various 〈Dungeons〉 and events, and the state of major guilds. They called themselves Class Advisors.
Even after considering all that, though, sometimes things still went wrong.
Only people who actually used a class as their main could understand the subtle adjustments made in updates.
If you narrowed it down by class and build type, there were only so many people who actually reached the upper ranks. Player skill in particular depended on the individual, so there was a limit to how accurately anyone could provide information consistently.
On top of that, if someone disliked even one thing, they could end up blaming the Class Advisor.
For all those reasons, most Class Advisors earned the resentment of a lot of players, and some eventually quit because of it.
The resentment you incurred in this world was nothing compared to what you earned in 〈Magic World〉.
When I was still with House Edvaughn, I'd even heard of an adventurer who was killed by a noble over advice about a 〈Skill Book〉.
That was why I'd been so cautious about advising Ruche on her character build.
Even if you were confident in your information, you had to make sure there was no mismatch in how you and the other person saw things, and consider whether their plans might change in the future.
It wasn't something where you could casually advise dozens of people.
"Um, Elymas-san, have you ever thought about becoming a Class Advisor yourself...?"
"No. I absolutely won't."
I said it flatly.
"I see. Hehe... I'm a little relieved. ...Elymas-san, you look a little scary, you know?"
"Sorry. I have some unpleasant memories. Anyway, our target's here."
A series of heavy clunks came from up ahead.
At the end of the passage, a rough, spherical boulder about a meter across rolled into view.
A huge, beaming smile was spread across its surface.
――――――――――――――――――――
Monster: Smile
Lv: 45
HP: 60/60
MP: 45/45
――――――――――――――――――――
"I-It's already 【Lv: 45】...! Elymas-san! That rock face is the same level as Malice! It's basically the next head of the family!"
"Calm down, Ruche. You'd get in trouble for calling that thing Malice."
Of course, I wouldn't be forced into a close fight like I had back then.
I chose the 〈Centipede Tunnel〉 precisely because I had a reliable chance of winning.
"Let's take it down quickly and make it spit out its drops."