by Yuu Tanaka
One thing did bother me, however. It was the strength of the gear the adventurers were wearing.
Name: Tempered Steel Longsword
Attack: 398; MP: 5; Durability: 600
Mana Conductivity: F
Skills: None
A longsword, which I also was, had vastly greater attack power than me. It didn’t matter that I was better in other fields, I had lost the raw damage contest which was the defining trait of a sword.
The material it was made of added insult to injury. It was only tempered steel; not even mithril, or orichalcum, or some other legendary alloy. I had lost to ordinary tempered steel, and that hurt me deeply.
One high attack number after another passed by me as I saw the weapons the adventurers here wielded. It seemed that one in five weapons was stronger than me. The final blow to my ego was dealt by a simple dagger which hung from a man’s belt strap.
Name: Mithril Dagger
Attack: 423; MP: 10; Durability: 700
Magic Conductivity: D+
Skills: None
Heh. Heheheh…
I laughed bitterly. I was nothing but a dull, decorative, talking sword who let his ego get to his head since he could kill monsters by himself.
“What is it?”
Fran, I’m no good.
“Huh?”
I explained how I was of little use as a sword if it weren’t for my skills. I was probably made by a rich man who wanted a pretty-looking sword he could show off to his friends. When I was done groveling, Fran began stroking me.
Fran…
“Hm.”
Are you trying to make me feel better?
“You have your skills, Teacher.”
What a good girl!
She was right. Even if my blade was as dull as a rock, my skills still played a supporting role. That may have been the only role I could play, but so what? That settled it! I was going to become a Skill Lord!
I wanted to get Fran a better sword, though. It’d be a shame if she kept wielding something as dull as I was. We’d do best to head on to the Adventurer’s Guild and sign up so we could start making money!
Right. Sorry for making you worry. I’m okay now. Let’s go to the guild.
“Hm.”
My groveling took up some travel time but we eventually made it to the Adventurer’s Guild.
This place is huge…
The Guild was bigger than the buildings surrounding it, an indication of how many adventurers there were in this place.
Excuse me! I shouted to no one in particular. I lacked vocal cords after all.
The inside was cleaner than I anticipated. I was expecting the decor to be more like a musty, intimidating tavern, but the place looked closer to a five-star hotel. I guessed it would’ve reflected poorly on the guild if they had gone with the rustic decor. In any case, a twelve-year-old girl walking into an Adventurer’s Guild by herself was bound to get attention. I could feel the other adventurers stare at us as Fran walked up to the receptionist.
“Uh, this is the Adventurer’s Guild…”
“I know. I want to sign up.”
“Oh, okay. Are you alone?”
“Yes.”
A twelve-year-old who wanted to be an adventurer was an oddity in any world. It might help the hypothetical twelve-year-old to come in decked out in full gear, for at least then it would look like the child had been training all their life to be an adventurer. The child might even say something saucy, like, “I’ll have you know, I’m considered the top hunter around these parts.” Fran didn’t have any armor to speak of, though. Her battered rags screamed “runaway slave.” She didn’t look like she had any business being here.
The receptionist did her best to hide her incredulity and carried on her explanation.
“Not everyone can be an adventurer. You have to pass a test.”
“Sure.”
“You’ll have to go up against one of our members in a mock battle. Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Are you absolutely sure about this? You might get hurt.”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“The Guild will not be held responsible for any damages you might suffer.”
“No problem.”
“O-kay… Hang on.”
The surrounding adventurers began buzzing when they saw Fran was serious about taking the test. No one got in our way, but they didn’t sound very welcoming of the idea. They must’ve been taken aback at the gall this kid had for wanting to become an adventurer. It was understandable enough; I would’ve felt the same in their shoes.
Are you okay, Fran?
“What?”
Nothing, don’t worry about it.
It took a while for the receptionist to come back.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Right this way.”
“Hm.”
She led us to a wide enclosure surrounded by four walls in the back of the guild. This looked like the guild’s training grounds. A grim-looking man was standing in the middle of it.
The man was over two meters tall. He wore black, spiked armor which looked like it came right out of the Middle Ages. His gigantic battleaxe rested beside him, only adding to the intimidation factor. You could almost hear the earth rumble when you saw his face; a child would probably cry upon seeing it. As used to fighting monsters as I was, he managed to make me nervous.
“You’re the newbie?”
“Yeah.” Fran nodded, not seeming fazed at all. My little girl might grow up to be more terrifying than this man!
“The name’s Donadrond. I’m the examiner here.”
That was a lot of Ds for a man to have in his name.
“Your test is simple: Fight me. Fall too early, and you fail!”
“Okay.”
“I’ll have you know that I’m terrible at holding back. I’m giving you one last chance to leave if you don’t want to get hurt!”
We felt an immense pressure as Donadrond shouted his warning. Was his Intimidation skill kicking in? I guess we were in for a fight.
Let’s do this!
“Mm!”
We were about to throw down with a man named Donadrond in the guild’s training area. The air was tense to the point that I might have fallen on my face to beg for mercy if I had a human body. Good thing I was a sword now.
Now, let’s see what your stats are like…
Name: Donadrond
Age: 46
Race: Ogre
Class: Warrior
LV: 38
HP: 246; Magic: 133; Strength: 198; Agility: 131
Skills: Intimidation 4; Transport 3; Increased Health Regen 5; Danger Sense 4; Instruct 4; Regeneration 5; Explosive Force 6; Earth Magic 2; Throwing Weapons 4; Poison Resistance 7; Lumberjack 3; Axe Arts 6; Axe Mastery 7; Roar 3; Revive; Spirit Manipulation; Steel Body; Healing Factor; Strength Up (Small)
Equipment: Blacksteel Battleaxe; Blacksteel Tortoise Armor; Saber-Tooth Mantle; Stone Dragon Boots; Armband of Sacrifice.
Holy moly, he’s strong! Our stats were no match against his; he could easily outmuscle a Lesser Wyvern. He had so many skills, his level was high, and his gear was top-notch.
Name: Blacksteel Axe
Attack: 650; MP: 3; Durability 650
Magic Conductivity: E+
650 attack power? That’s ridiculous! But it’s not like I’m jealous or anything!
He also belonged to the Ogre race, which I thought sounded cool. None of the adventurers I had scanned were anything compared to Donadrond. Was he really serious about not holding back? Wasn’t this an examination for beginners? How was anyone supposed to pass this test? Well, only one way to find out… Maybe we didn’t have to beat him and only had to show him how strong we were.
Are you ready, Fran?
“Yep.”
“Begin!”
Donadrond disappeared the very next second and blinked to Fran’s side. As if his ridiculous speed wasn’t enough, he swung his giant axe and split the ground of the trai
ning area. The impact was so hard that it produced a puff of smoke.
“Good dodge!”
That was close!
His axe was stuck to the ground beside us, taking out a huge chunk in a display of its power. He grunted to pull the axe out of the ground, breaking more of the floor in the process. Fran’s hair fluttered from the wind pressure.
That attack was insane. Just being grazed by it would’ve probably injured us! Could anyone actually pass this test?
We can’t just keep running. We have to attack!
We couldn’t just wait and see. We had to get him with our hardest hitting attack before he obliterated us. We didn’t have to worry about killing him. He was clearly strong; plus, he had the Armband of Sacrifice on. It was an item which took would-be fatal damage on behalf of its user.
“Ha!”
“Oh, you’re a fast one!”
He easily blocked Fran’s slash with his axe. Impressive, considering I had slightly boosted her speed and strength with a bit of magic. But that wasn’t the main aim of our plan.
As Fran kept Donadrond busy with her sword swings, tentacles began sprouting from the ground at his feet to bind his legs.
“You can cast spells without incantations?!”
Heh. Surprised? I couldn’t fault him. Fran hadn’t made any incantations after all. I had begun casting Earth Magic around his feet knowing he would be preoccupied with keeping Fran at bay. If he had noticed the spell, Fran would’ve cut him down on the spot. Unable to move, Donadrond was forced to fend off Fran with only his upper body. He was doing quite well actually, but not for long.
“Tri Explosion.”
“Aargh!”
Donadrond took a Level 10 fire spell to the face. Three bolts of fire exploded around him. The spell was difficult to dodge, and it took away your vision. I had told Fran to chant the name of the spell to make it seem like she was the one casting it. In effect, Fran was free to use her Sword Arts while I took care of spellcasting.
“Huff… Dragon Fang!”
It was a Level 7 Sword Art, and I had buffed it with Vibrofang to boot. Fran charged at Donadrond’s large frame while he was still trying to regain the footing he’d lost from the chain explosion. He must have recognized the nature of Fran’s skill, for his eyes widened in a look of astonishment.
“This girl can chain fire magic and Sword Art one after another?!”
Donadrond was helpless to dodge the attack.
“Aargh!”
I penetrated his side and sent his giant form flying. His 200-kilogram body flew ten meters before slamming into the wall with a loud crash. There was a crater in it when the dust settled.
This was my first time using it on an actual person who wasn’t a monster. It looked to be a bit much, though. Not that I thought it would’ve been enough to kill this giant of a man.
“Oof…”
Oh thank God he’s still alive.
He was coughing up blood but was otherwise conscious. Fran slowly approached him. Was she going to use healing magic on him? Just as I began to wonder, Fran pointed the tip of my blade at Donadrond and asked him.
“Do I pass?”
A very reasonable question. I had completely forgotten this was supposed to be a test.
“Heh… Yeah. You pass.”
“I see.”
This guy could still move? How tough was he? I stabbed him in the side!
Donadrond proceeded to surprise me even further as he plucked himself out of the wall and exploded into a bellow of laughter. The wound in his side was already healing.
It seemed he really was holding back. If the man had been serious, he would’ve chopped us into small pieces with his axe and we wouldn’t have been able to get a cut in. Fitting, considering it was just a test.
“Hahahaha! You’re the first newbie to mess me up this bad, little lady!”
This guy was a monster. Was there anything that could kill him?
“Donadrond, sir!” The receptionist rushed in, no doubt attracted by the loud noise she’d been hearing. “Could you please refrain from—huh?”
Oh, I see. She must’ve expected to see the newbie all beat up and bloody. She didn’t think Fran would blow her examiner away.
“Uh, what?”
The receptionist was shocked as she looked upon a bloody Donadrond laughing among the rubble.
With the examination over, Donadrond took us to the highest floor of the guild where a blond gentleman sat waiting for us.
“Hahaha, she beat me good!”
“This is no laughing matter, Donadrond.”
Judging by his ears, he was an elf. At a glance, he seemed weak, but…
Name: Klimt Age: 136
Race: Wood Elf
Class: Sorcerer
LV: 67
HP: 180; Magic: 616; Strength: 87; Agility: 158
Skills: Speed Casting 7; Identify 5; Bow Mastery 3; Harvesting 5; Wood Magic 7; Spirit Magic 8; Greater Earth Magic 6; Compounding 5; Earth Magic 10; Poison Resistance 3; Paralysis Resistance 4; Water Magic 5; Herbology 7; Cooking 4; Mana Manipulation; Child of the Forest
Unique Skill: Favor of the Spirits
Titles: Guildmaster; Guardian of Alessa; Wood Mage; Earth Mage
Equipment: Ancient Cherry Staff; Doppel Snake Robe; Wind Drake Wing Mantle; Lunar Hare Jump Boots; Armband of Sacrifice
He was stronger than Donadrond. He had too many magic skills to even count. I’d never seen the Sorcerer Class, either; I expected nothing less from a Guildmaster.
“Let’s get your name to start.”
“Fran.”
“Age?”
“Twelve.”
Donadrond was taken aback at this statement. “What? So you really are as young as you look!”
So that was it. Fran was so strong he’d thought her a member of a long-lived race. It was unthinkable that she wasn’t part of one, given how strong she was.
“Donadrond.”
“Excuse me.”
Donadrond bowed his head after the Guildmaster’s reprimand. He wasn’t cute at all. Still, Donadrond acted nothing like he had before the examination. I thought he was an intense drill sergeant then, but now he just seemed like a good-natured old man.
“I understand his sentiments though. Do you mean to tell me you have Fire Magic 10 when you’re only twelve? Is this some sort of joke?”
The Guildmaster furrowed his eyebrows. His gaze looked like it was trying to see to Fran’s core.
“And I see you have Identity Protection as well.”
He had Identify among his myriad of skills too. He must have used it on Fran to see whether she was lying. Fortunately, my Identity Protection prevented that from happening. Equipping me was enough for the skill to transfer to Fran, so it was a good thing we invested our EP in it. Though, we were being needlessly suspected in exchange.
“Let’s assume you really are twelve. Where did you come from?”
“That’s a secret.”
He frowned some more. “Do you think I’ll be satisfied with that?”
“My lips are sealed.”
“Good grief…”
Well, this was worrying. I’d have to tell Fran to begin probing.
“Do I pass or not?”
“You evenly matched Donadrond. Of course you pass.”
“Then give me a Guild Card.”
“All right. We’re preparing it right now. Fill out these documents, please. I could fill them out for you if you have trouble of course.”
“I’m fine.”
It seemed Fran was literate, though I wasn’t sure whether her parents had raised her that way or the slavers had taught her to give her more value as a slave.
“Always good to welcome a skilled adventurer on board, eh, Guildmaster?”
“Yes, I suppose it is. The spirits aren’t going into a frenzy either.”
“Spirits? Where?”
“You won’t be able to see them unless you’re a Sorcerer.”
“What do the spiri
ts do?”
“The spirits are very sensitive to the state of one’s emotions. They can immediately tell if you harbor any ill intentions.”
That sounded useful. I wanted some spirits for myself. But were there monsters that could use Spirit Magic?
“Can monsters use Spirit Magic?”
“There are evil spirits which feed on evil intentions, so there are those rare monsters who could use Spirit Magic. Very unfortunate.”
I see. That was good news. They might be worth looking out for.
“The preparations are complete, Guildmaster.”
“I see. Well, shall we?”
The Guildmaster led us to a small room next to the counter. In it was a crystal ball set on top of an altar.
“Lay your hand on this. It’ll be over in a second.”
“Hm.”
It really was over in a second. It looked like the crystal ball had registered Fran’s magic signature. The receptionist was fiddling with the ball from the side, then she touched a card to it, which seemed to complete the process.
“Now, you’ll have to pick out your Class.”
“Class?”
“Yes. As everyone has different aptitudes, there are different benefits to picking each Class.”
Now that he mentioned it, Randell had been a Merchant. The Guildmaster was a Sorcerer, which sounded just as strong as Donadrond’s Warrior.
“Which Class will you choose, Fran… Huh?”
“What is it, Nell?”
“Well, her Class options are quite incredible.”
“Oh?”
We peeked from behind the Guildmaster.
Fighter; Swordsman; Pugilist; Spellsword; Duelist; Mage; Flame Mage; White Mage; Summoner; Beastmaster; Assassin; Chemist; Demolitionist; Chef.
That’s a lot.
It looked like the Class options were affected by the skills Fran could use. She could even pick Demolitionist and Chef. Although I had Spear Mastery and Spear Arts, I had left them unequipped, which was why the related Classes weren’t up for selection.
“Oh my…”
The Guildmaster was at a loss for words. He didn’t look too pleased either.
“In any case, judging from how your match with Donadrond went, you seem to have a knack for either Spellsword or Mage.”