Chapter 136: Fruition

My plans, coming to fruition. How? Well, first off... "Ah." First off, I needed to... "But it's already morning, though," I remarked. "Did I sleep that much?" I may have consumed more mana than I had thought yesterday, fighting with the freak master of "my" guild. So it explained it.

Like this, I woke up. On top of the empty roof building, I lifted my chest, sat, rubbed my eyes, and yawned to no end. Then, my hands were used to their task as they wiped off all the dust and grits sticking to my clothes, arms, and cheeks.

"Ugh," I complained with one sound. "That's why I shouldn't be sleeping with the Character on..." At first, when I slept like this, I always ended up subconsciously calling off the Character in my sleep, having more the androgynous undine-like appearance I naturally had... but recently, I'd gotten used to virtually never calling off the Character's form.

Quickly, my trivial thoughts ended. Again, I realized I slept too much after I was fully awake, and I jumped up.

Yesterday wasn't quite productive at all for me. I may have gotten taught about lots of things regarding the game-like aspects of how the fighting world worked, as in what relates to jobs and skills, basically, but I had missed what I really wanted to get down to.

Today, at all costs, I needed to go and have a chat with my royalty friend, all busy and hidden away in her big castle, not giving me much attention since we returned. At all costs. The Main Quest from the System awaited for so long.

And then, I needed to punch a hole into my freaky swordsman friend's stomach, before I learned one skill from him, obviously. Well, I missed that too, yesterday.

...But for now...

Ring! ❮ "Learning the ropes!" Quest — Day two has arrived. What should the Player learn from the Party today, while dangerously adventuring? Let the Player find out! ❯

In fact, I couldn't actually care about learning these "ropes" now. Still, when the System gave a quest, it usually always led me to somewhere worth it, so I'd play along. Play along quite literally.

❮ "Learning the ropes!" — Meet with the Party at the South entrance of Roerdenville. 0/1 ❯

There were the same gates as yesterday. The same homes and buildings around as yesterday. The same bigger inn with its apartments, the same plaza filled with the same people... But I didn't see them?

"Mana Perception" wasn't all that omnipotent, all things considered. I was called out, and I finally noticed them.

With a smile and chuckles, I greeted my party. "Your favorite party ever, right, right?!" the damage dealer stepped forward, greeting me with an ample bow of his upper body. "Got somethin' for ya!" The five of them were here, and I joined the group on a corner of the plaza.

Every guy greeted me in their own way, and I apologized to all for being so late, wondering what was it that kept them waiting for me for three long hours instead of simply going off adventuring without me, the useless tagalong. Was it the Game's storyline? Forcing them to do as it said? Like Princess Elina and the Dryads in the past? Well.

And today, I had the pleasure to learn that I wasn't simply that useless tagalong anymore. The damage dealer let me know he had something for me, and apparently, that meant a big enough backpack he held out to me, filled with adventuring tools on the side pockets. The Porter's gear. Well, aren't I starting from the very beginning. That was a magic storage, and tools used for looting. Usually, the monster-hunters shared that role together, but they figured I could help with it since I came.

The logic was that I was likely to stay with them for a long time, they said. Actually, no, I wasn't, but I let them believe that as it was a harmless thought.

So, today, in the hunting grounds, walking beside everyone, I was the party's porter. And as things were, it got me attention and praise. "You sure it's not too heavy, Aoi?"

"He's not your average kid, I'm telling ya!"

"Still though, if it's too heavy... Maybe you should take over, just in case."

"No, no, no! That, I won't! Seriously won't! Bah! What's she saying, now!"

I was good, really. The backpack might have been heavy to them, but I guess I was physically far stronger than any of them could imagine. Not with muscles, but with mana. I was a unique monster.

Well, today, I was with the boys again, standing in about the same dark woods as the day before, and hunting about the same monsters, too.

"No," the priestess patted my shoulder. "The monsters will be different, this time, Aoi."

It was true that there would be new monsters today, they said. The reason for that was simple, and I could be proud of my little humans who finally were flying out of their nest. For different reasons, they built up confidence, so they trod deeper into the dark woods.

Today, it must have been the fifth time I asked the Party if they were sure I couldn't partake in the fighting with them, by the way. And it was the fifth time they told me that there was no way. Well, it was mostly the priestess who saw to it that I didn't... that was most likely because they wanted me to follow the rules of the Guild and stuff, right?

Surprisingly, today, the Party even told me that this fight wasn't for me anyway.

When I asked why, it was clear to anyone that, no matter what I looked like the first day I met them, they thought I was weaker than their party. No matter how you looked at it, I was pretty much a newbie at everything. That pissed me off a little, but sure, they were right.

❮ "Learning the ropes! (2)" — Wander around the forest and hunt the following monsters — goblins 0/10 — gray-claw wolves 0/10 — poison-bite spiders 0/15 — yellow slimes 0/5. ❯

Well, I was sure I could fix that quest in about a few minutes alone, but to the Party, that quest sure promised to be harsh.

The leader and damage dealer were at the forefront, as usual, taking on the offensive. The big tank, behind these two, took hold of the front, too. My sensitive ears picked up the sounds of their clenching fists upon the straps or leather of their weapon hilts.

At some point, they attacked. The leader had just finished giving soundless instructions and indications to his teammates, and he thrust his body forward, tilting his head, running to his foes. Holding both his sword and shield at the ready, he didn't bother looking out for himself so much.

Alongside him, the damage dealer, tilting his head onward and running, was performing the same spectacle. The two of them were very prompt, somehow. I recognized a long-time duo right there.

Reaching out to the pack of gray-claw wolves, too busy devouring their prey on the ground, surrounding it, something began. The priestess asserted no enemies were coming from the rear and nodded at me with decisive eyes before she stepped up. Next to the other support, the sorceress, she tossed in this and that positive status effect alongside magic shields to help her companions.

The tank also glanced back, for some reason, facing both his sloppy shoulders toward the rear, groaned a little word of cheering, then turned back and stepped onward, too.

"Hah!" one shouted. "<Double Ripper>! Take that!"

When coming in direct contact with the beats, the party leader braked right away.

"<Ignition>!"

His boots raised the ground's dirt up as he stopped, already ready to dart back to the tank approaching from behind his back. "You too pull back!"

"Tsk...! ...Aye aye, sir!"

The tank was the next guy: Making his entrance on the scene wasn't something he did. Rather, the scene made its entrance on the tank. The two fighters' steps running back to us rhythmically shook the earth, like two distinct drum wars.

Ready to share with the tank, "They're only six," the leader exclaimed. "We got this! As usual!"

There were only six. They got this. As usual. Well, I didn't count only "six," but sure. There were actually a good dozen goblins preying upon the party from the sidelines, with their spooky bony spears, bows, or rotten swords.

The question was... when were my fellow monster-types planning on attacking, eh? Those humans were already mine, though. They'd have to know that. Mine.

"Mmm... <Provoke>!" groaned the tank, moving forward, knocking out the earth momentarily. "Aaargh!"

Was this how the weakest party ended?