Chapter 7
On the day of the 〈Extermination of the Undead Horde〉 Raid Quest, I made my way through the forest bordering the city of Rondalm with the other adventurers.
There were exactly ten adventurers, including me.
They were a group of F- and E-Rank adventurers, but one D-Rank adventurer had slipped in among them.
“I heard there was a troublesome adventurer among the participants this time... So it’s you, Elymas!”
He was a middle-aged man with a distinctive, bristly blue beard.
A ridiculously huge axe was strapped to his back.
He was Goutan, the adventurer overseeing this Raid Quest and authorized to conduct E-Rank promotion examinations.
Since he had the authority to conduct promotion examinations and had been entrusted with overseeing a Raid Quest, I’d expected him to be a well-respected, good-natured adventurer trusted by the Guild. I was thoroughly disappointed.
“There are always people like you! Newbies who look down on the Guild and monsters! You claim you defeated an Aranda Ape at a mere 【Lv: 12】? Don’t be ridiculous! I’ll knock some sense into you! I’ll teach you that being an adventurer isn’t as easy as you think!”
I’d thought I should do my best to make the examiner remember my face... but I’d already caught his attention.
And not in a good way.
This was a terrible start.
At this rate, I could only picture Goutan rejecting me with a ‘I don’t like you!’ no matter how well I did.
Even so, I had to somehow get promoted to E-Rank here.
Building up a record honestly until I qualified for a promotion would take far too long.
If I missed this chance to join a Raid Quest overseen by an adventurer authorized to conduct promotion examinations, I probably wouldn’t get another for months.
All I could do was build a record impressive enough that Goutan couldn’t find an excuse to reject me.
If I didn’t become an E-Rank adventurer, the restrictions would prevent me from raising my 〈Oath of Heavy Armor〉 Skill or leveling up in a 〈Dungeon〉.
“...I expect the promotion decision to be fair.”
When I said that, Goutan’s thick eyebrows twitched.
“Tch. You’re insolent to the very end.”
After we’d gone a little farther, one of the mages raised a slender sword.
He was a blond man wearing a feathered hat.
“〈Search〉... An enemy monster group is approaching. I’d estimate there are around thirty of them.”
〈Search〉 was a magic Skill that detected the presence of nearby living things.
It was rare for a Skill Tree to offer 〈Search〉 at low Levels.
Judging by his equipment, he was probably a Red Mage.
Red Mages had high physical stats and could learn a wide range of Skills, from attack and healing magic to various support spells.
〈Search〉 was acquired at 【8】 in the Red Mage-exclusive 〈Red Magic〉 Skill Tree.
“Good work, Tail.”
The Red Mage’s name was Tail, apparently.
He seemed to know Goutan.
“Yes. Unlike those dud Classes, I have several excellent Skills, after all. I’m counting on you to approve my promotion to E-Rank.”
Tail glanced over at me and chuckled.
When our eyes met, he deliberately shrugged as if to mock me.
“Your bizarre antics at the Guild... Oh, sorry, I meant your ‘activities’ have become something of a rumor, Elymas-kun. You’re a Heavy Knight, right? Too bad you got stuck with such a dud Class.”
“No, I like this Class. Thanks for your concern.”
“Hah! Keep telling yourself that.”
When I brushed him off, he snorted in boredom and walked away.
...If anything, Red Mage was the more difficult Class to play.
It was a classic jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none Class. It was suited to repeatedly running through lower-level 〈Dungeons〉 solo, but that was about the extent of its role.
Otherwise, it was only added to a party as a compromise when they couldn’t fill a particular role.
Well, not everyone was going to play as efficiently as they did in a game.
It made sense that an easy-to-use, versatile Class would be favored over a specialized Class that appealed to experienced players.
“Just so we’re clear, the one leading this horde of undead is a Ghoul Head. I, a D-Rank adventurer, will take it down! You lot keep your distance and take care of the weaklings! If you get caught in the crossfire, I won’t protect you!”
Goutan shouted that at us.
“A Ghoul Head, huh...”
It was a monster that looked like the enormous head of a ghoul.
A D-Rank adventurer was generally around 【Lv: 40】.
The Ghoul Head, on the other hand, was usually around 【Lv: 30】.
The Ghoul Head didn’t have any attack Skills.
The only troublesome thing about it was 〈Breath of the Underworld〉, which created zombies from corpses. Its movements were simple and easy to read.
The horde of undead accompanying it was probably made up of the lowest-ranked monsters, too.
If things went as expected, there was no way the adventurers would lose.
...But most of the ten adventurers gathered here were F-Rank, and many of them had never taken part in a Raid Quest before.
Goutan didn’t look like the sort who’d take good care of them, either, and his instructions had been vague despite our imminent encounter with the enemy.
Besides, you never knew what kind of accident might happen during a quest or while exploring a 〈Dungeon〉.
The death penalty meant more than just losing experience.
We should be preparing for the worst, at the very least.
I glanced around and took stock of the adventurers.
Judging by what I’d seen so far... at this rate, I’d put our chance of completing the Raid Quest with everyone returning alive at about eighty percent.
That would be a perfectly good number in a game, but this was reality.
“Goutan, shouldn’t we make the instructions a little more specific? We should prepare for the worst and decide on a retreat signal and criteria, along with everyone’s role if we have to fall back.”
“...W-What? You’re a newbie, and you’re going to pick a fight with me?”
Goutan’s face reddened as he heard me out.
I knew what Goutan was like.
I didn’t know if he’d listen, but I thought I had to say something.
“We can’t be sure the undead horde will match the report exactly, either. Since you’re responsible for our lives, shouldn’t we at least prepare for the worst? You’ve been put in charge of the lower-ranked adventurers, haven’t you?”
“Ggh... Ugh... Y-You...!”
Goutan fell silent, gritting his teeth.
Since he didn’t immediately argue back, he must have realized I had a point.
He just couldn’t back down now.
I’d have to be the one to give in.
“I’m still low-Level, and I don’t have much experience as an adventurer, so I’m worried. I’m sure this is an easy, routine quest for someone as experienced as you, but please give us some instructions for our sake.”
I said that and bowed my head.
Goutan cleared his throat.
“H-Hmph. Looking after children isn’t my style, but I suppose I have no choice...”
“‘For our sake’? Come on, don’t drag us into this. Elymas-kun’s the only one scared of a bunch of the lowest-ranked undead, thanks to that dud Class of his. Getting cold feet at the last minute and running to Goutan-san, bawling and whining...”
Tail cut in.
It was the worst possible timing.
Apparently, he’d been holding a grudge because I’d brushed him off earlier.
“There’s no need for that, Goutan-san! If he’s scared, he can run all the way to the back on his own. Right, Goutan-san?”
“W-Well... y-yes, Tail.”
Goutan replied, faltering.
That bastard...!
He’d completely blocked the graceful way out I’d given Goutan, the chance to change his mind without losing face.
“And you thought you could be an adventurer with that kind of spirit? You’re in our way, so don’t show your face at another Raid Quest, Elymas-kun. Now, let’s get going, Goutan-san.”
Goutan let Tail lead him onward, looking as though he still had some misgivings.
I pressed a hand to my forehead and sighed.
At this point, there was nothing more I could say.
The other adventurers had little reason to trust me to begin with.
“I just hope nothing else goes wrong...”