Chapter 128: Headquarters

My outing already came to an end. Under today's bright sun and shades, the party left the dark woods, the spot where they usually hunted, to regain the safety of human settlements. They were from the capital, so, at dawn, after they left the big city, they had to stop by some little village nearby their hunting spot in order to get the gear they needed ready.

Today, when heading back home, they didn't stop by the little village. Directly going to the safety of the bigger city, they left the forest on foot, but, luckily, stumbled upon a peddler with a carriage and horses who agreed to transport the lot back to the capital with him; it was the merchant's destination, too. Thanks to that, going with the lively atmosphere the peddler's chariot dragged across the roads, the monster-hunters regained their homes long before sunset.

And so, they called it a day.

Today was a happy day. The leader of the party, along with every other member, chatted happily till the end of the road, up until they were in. The sweet yet dry perfumes of the city, many carriages, inns and foods, and passersby filled my nostrils when the sight of grand buildings and shelters welcomed the party back to Roerdenville.

My sudden escapade was over. And, in the end, I was disappointed. The whole point of my going out with the monster-hunter newbies, as they went about their hunting day, was to distance myself from the Academy I'd been stuck in. There, I was supposed to learn about mana and all its wonders, but after I spent weeks there, sitting my ass in the same chair and listening to the same self-proclaimed grandmaster of his craft, I was simply left dull.

After I understood what was the way, I remembered that, the whole point of me and Cetha attending that hellish institution they called "school" was to gain experience. Gain experience as in... do what I always was supposed to do. My first function ever. To gather information, be stimulated, and be alive. Wasn't I life, after all?

I'd been stuck there, but thankfully, the System got me a ticket out. Thanks to a certain quest, I had a reason to go off on my way and part with the dullness of the Academy.

And so, I had gained what I came out for—experience.

Or wait, did I?

I did not. As I had mentioned, today was a happy day for the party, but I was left disappointed and unsatisfied. Outside, I didn't get to do a thing: I didn't kill anything, and I didn't avoid being killed by anything. I was life, but I didn't feel it.

As disappointed as I was, we had regained the safety of the city, however. So, presently, shall I go back to schooling and idleness? Certainly, no. My little escapade—it wasn't over yet.

I missed the dusty-grayish cobblestones paving the broad roads of the heart of civilization. The gates were wide open, and after we trod more steps into the city, we paused on the sidewalk. Some parting discussion went on:

"Well, here we are, team!" the leader exclaimed, turning over to the rest of the party. "The walk sure was long, eh? We're all so worn out, that's a given... and yet, we have the uncle peddler to thank for most of the way back home!" Today, they earned their share. After the hunt, they had many items to sell at the Guild. Now that they were home, they were headed to the Guild, then, in order to sell the loot.

"That's for sure!" replied the babe who worked as a priestess. "And it went so well! We could have stayed longer than usual... If that doesn't mean we're making a lot of progress, what does? ...Right, Aoi?"

I agreed with the priestess absent-mindedly and she energetically shook my head with a hand on top of it. "Wake up! I say 'that's for sure,' but that 'for sure' couldn't apply to you, though!"

That was for sure. Now that we had finally come back home, the heavy weariness was weighing down on everyone. That didn't apply to me. For starters, aside from walking a lot, I didn't do much, today. Even if I worked, I knew a few handfuls of goblins weren't cutting it for me anyway.

"That's correct," added the leader. "How could the little man be? Only has been observing from the sidelines, today..." Mentioning so easily what I'd been frustrated about for the whole day made the leader sound like he wanted to rile me up, but he didn't mean anything wrong with his comment. "And so, you'll have to be guiding him, then?"

"Pretty much," confessed the babe, tapping my shoulders repeatedly. "Be happy to know I will still be in your care, Aoi."

Some called me a lucky star, thanking me for the luck I brought them today, and some called me Aoi. Before long, most of the party departed to their own occupations.

"See you guys tomorrow. Same spot. Better gather up by early morning since nobody's got anything to do beforehand, and since our lucky star wants to come again tomorrow, we'll probably be making the same amount tomorrow, too. See you then."

Finally, I was left with the priestess alone, and I didn't call it a day yet. Today's little adventurer wasn't to be called off, no. It was the very reason I left the Academy behind. I didn't like it there, so, thanks to the party, I was kept out of it.

At school, a master of mana said something: Thus do skills lead to victory. Of all the long tedious academical blabbering of the masters, I retained that and only that. Following the weakest party, today, I got to see that reality from up close. Many skills were what, at a basic level, led the monster-hunters to their victory.

Facing the enemies, the tank covered himself with his hardened, grayish skin he called "Iron Skin." That was a skill. Also, to taunt all the enemies in order to make way for the rest of the party to attack, he shook the earth with his bastard sword and yelled to the top of his voice "Provoke!" That was a skill, too.

Likewise, a damage dealer used skills. Going up ahead with his many assaults and attacks, slashing, cutting, or stabbing at the enemies, dancing around with all the dexterity in the world and rapidity, a damage dealer used skills, too.

And a support supported. A priestess protected and healed while a sorceress afflicted and burdened. Many other examples could be given, but that much sufficed. Many skills led the mana-wielders to their victory. Then again, that was only at a very basic level, because there was so much more to the art of mana-wielding.

Victory was what I desired to attain, too. After I asked, the priestess agreed to show me around the many guilds of the different (fighting) jobs of the Guild's headquarters.