“Wh-wh-what are you talking about? I’m just a rookie porter trainee!”
“…Are you serious or joking? Tell me, and I’ll adjust my response accordingly.”
“Uhhh, well, where did you find that out?”
With Nina looking at me with pity and then pressing her temples, I had no choice but to confess.
“From the start? My Berserk Sword is designed so only a Hero can draw it.”
“Ah! Then back then, you weren’t drunk, were you?!”
“I was somewhat drunk, but my consciousness was clear. I was just seeing everything through a haze.”
“So, maybe right from the beginning, you were faking being drunk? Why??”
“B-but what if I just accidentally pulled it out on a whim, like, I couldn’t even swing the sword properly back then!”
“For you to be able to attack a target with the Berserk Sword, aside from my grandfather and me, you are the first person, Deles.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, I guess I could barely move it because I poured Hero Magic into it…”
Then, I guess I had no room to escape.
“Also, I took a good look at the Hero’s Adventurer Card you submitted at the inn.”
“If your consciousness was clear, you must have heard the receptionist’s voice too!”
“Furthermore, a Hero’s unique magic can be felt through skin contact, especially if their body temperature is high.”
I felt my face get hot, thinking, “You don’t have to say that here,” but there was no one around anyway!
“Finally, I think you understand, but I’ll say it clearly: there’s no way that Porter Bag without any expansion slots could fit so many Magic Stones and Great Cyclops corpses. It was obvious you were using an Item Box.”
Come to think of it, I was using it when I showed the receptionist my Adventurer Card at the inn, so she must have seen it.
“U-um, I’m sorry.”
“Why hide it?”
“Because I wanted to start over as a porter.”
“Why do you want to start over? That’s a waste.”
“It’s a matter of male pride, or maybe not… I just want to leave the past behind…”
Nina gently strokes my cheek.
“Can you tell me in detail? No one is here.”
“Uh, I might cry, so maybe at the inn?”
“I see. Then let’s go back. It sounds like a long story.”
The sun was already setting as we emerged onto the ground. Dungeons that have been cleared are easy to identify because their doors remain open. Sometimes they crumble and decay, and other times, after a period, new Boss Monsters appear. It’s a mystery.
“Now, hurry up. Don’t hesitate to use Hero Magic.”
“Actually, I already used Rapid Pace magic on the way here.”
“Without incantation?! That means you’re quite high-level. I see, you used that magic last night too.”
“I-I didn’t use it in bed! That’s why it was so fast—”
“What are you talking about? I’m talking about when you were attacked by thugs on the way to the inn.”
“I-is that so?!”
“That was a Bound Attack magic. I just used the impact to propel myself off the enemy.”
“Level 45 magic and level 55 magic, so you must have a Search skill too.”
“Yes, I learned it at level 50. That’s why I noticed them following me and surrounding me later.”
Huh? Nina’s level isn’t that high, is it? As I watched, she stored the Princess Sword in her Item Box and slung the Berserk Sword over her shoulder. I thought it would be faster not to carry such a large and heavy sword if we were in a hurry, but enemies might appear on the way back too.
“Well, alright. Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
I also shouldered my token Porter Bag. In the end, I didn’t use the ten Potions inside, but I guess it counts as having the porter experience. After running for a while, in the area where the Orc settlement used to be, I saw many large monster shadows writhing.
“Deles, fall back. It’s a pack of Wyverns.”
“Ah, they’re scavenging about ten Orc corpses.”
“It seems they took the bait. I didn’t expect anything as large as a Wyvern, though.”
“So you left them there on purpose?”
“Of course, it was partly because dealing with them would have been troublesome.”
It’s a matter of luck, I guess. Too much luck, though.
“Shall we swing swords together?”
“No, I’m just a porter, so it’s fine, right?”
“Yes, as long as you do your job properly. Let’s go!”
As I said that, I cast all the Hero Support Magic I could to assist Nina. Nina was fighting the Wyverns alone, her Berserk Sword glinting like wings in the shadows. She could easily dodge even their fiercest attacks. In no time, she had cleanly beheaded them all.
“…This will fetch a considerable amount of money.”
“About ten Gold coins. We can afford to stay at that inn again.”
“No, let’s save up for the future. We have to hurry, or the return Dragon will leave.”
We each took half of the Wyvern corpses and started running again. We finally arrived after the sun had hidden behind the mountains. The Knights were lining up adventurers and interrogating them.
“Nina, what’s that?”
“Ah, this is the Forest of Abyssal depths, a restricted area with protected Taming-prohibited Monsters. They must have found someone suspicious.”
“They came over here too.”
But the atmosphere was different. As it turned out, they lined up, saluted Nina, and then left.
“Are they acquaintances?”
“Of course, but they don’t know I’ve been fired yet. Let’s go back before they do.”
“Ah, the Dragon pilot from when we came is waiting, yawning!”
After I handed over ten Silver coins, he happily gave us a ride back.
It was completely dark by the time we returned to the Adventurer Guild. There were still a decent number of people in line, but we headed for the empty Hero Exclusive Counter.
“Welcome back. We’re glad you returned safely. You must be tired.”
“Ah, we’ve gathered Magic Stones, and we also hunted Wyverns and Great Cyclops. We’d like to sell those too.”
“Oh my! Speaking of Great Cyclops, they’re almost equivalent to a dungeon’s sub-bosses! You’re giving us their materials?”
At the Adventurer Guild, they buy not only Magic Stones but also usable monster corpses. For Cyclops, their eyeballs are a precious ingredient for some special Potions, and their belts are rare equipment. Their clubs are just… ordinary.
“Also, please check our Levels. If things went well, Deles should have leveled up considerably.”
“Ah! I started from Porter Level 1, so I’m excited!”
Adventurer Cards read the growth of the adventurer wearing them and display it as a numerical value. Although it requires passing through the Crystal at the Guild, the numerical increase from battles is called a Level. The temporary Porter Card I was given also had this function, of course. So, what’s my Level…?
“Eh? Eh? Eh?”
The Hero Exclusive Receptionist’s eyes widened as she looked at the Crystal. Straining to peek, I saw… Level 17? In just one quest?
“How is it, Deles? Surprising, isn’t it?”
“What is this?”
“As a personal rare skill, I can double the level gain of my Party companions. I didn’t know the standard for Porter leveling, but this is an astonishing achievement.”
“U-uh, that… that personal skill is the same as mine.”
“Hm? Hm? Hmm?”
“Nina, you look at the Level too.”
When she passed her Adventurer Card through the Crystal…
“Hey, what is this?! My Level was 32, but it’s 35!”
“Wh-whaaat?! That’s too much of a gain.”
The receptionist stared blankly at our astonished faces. Even for a Hero, reaching Level 30-something normally takes two to three months per level!
“…Deles, there’s only one possibility.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“It’s likely that the same personal skill abilities from both of us have combined, increasing our levels not just by double, but by tens of times.”
How can that be…!
