"A-Ah, that part's tender. Please don't grab it so hard."
"Sorry, Kenji-san. I'm not used to helping people walk."
We had left the cave and were heading out of the forest. Kany had woken up to find the hobgoblin dead and left the cave with us. Tael is helping Kany walk while Erana is helping me walk. Thanks to Erana, navigating our way out of the forest is easy.
By the time we emerged from the trees, the sun was out and the drawbridge had been lowered.
"I think I can walk on my own now."
"Alright, but don't be afraid to ask for help."
"Yeah man, it's the least we can do! Haha!"
"Don't overdo it, Onii-san."
Despite the pain that comes from laughing, I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
We approached the drawbridge and began to cross it.
"So it seems our first adventure is over…" Tael muttered. It seems like he's a bit disappointed.
I stood still and thought for a moment about what Tael had just said.
"Are you alright, Onii-san? Didn't I tell you not to overdo it just now?"
"Here, let me help you, Kenji-san."
I held out my hand to stop Erana from assisting me.
"We make a pretty good team… Our party composition is fairly balanced. How about it, do you guys want to form a party together?"
The look of elation on Tael's face said it all for me.
"Heh. Fine with me, Onii-san. As long as you take all the hits from now on I don't mind!"
"I'd be happy to continue to work with you two!"
"Alright! This is awesome! We're gonna be a party together!"
Watching this scene, I couldn't help but laugh.
"What's so funny, Kenji?"
"Heh… Well I just was thinking that this is the most unique birthday I've ever had!"
~A few days later~
I sat down at our table in the guild hall. It has been 3 days since the goblin incident. We had received our compensation from the monster slaying and discovered that destroying the goblin nest had been a quest on the notice board. As a result, we had made a total of 2400 juns to be split between us. Since we've received our payment we've decided to all come together and celebrate.
"So… what do we do now, Kenji?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"Well Onii-san, judging by the looks of it, this guy can't make a good decision to save his life."
"Hey! I take offense to that!"
"I trust your judgement, Kenji-san. What do you think we should do?"
I stood up and walked towards the bulletin board. Several sheets of paper littered the board describing many different quests. Each notice had a difficulty rating on it so choosing was a bit easier.
"Ah, excuse me Kenji-san. I need to post this to the board." Yimmie said while nudging me aside.
"What's that quest?"
"Can I take that quest?"
"Sure. It's open so anyone can take it. Just don't be surprised if other people take the job too."
"What is this village called?"
"Mulbik. I've been there before. I wish I could go on a date there…"
I turned back towards the table and opened up my status screen.
Next to my level 0 status, I could see a (4) in parentheses.
"What does this mean?"
"Oh, it means that you can level up 4 times Onii-san. That's impressive! I only leveled up twice from that endeavor!"
"You leveled up 4 times Kenji? I only leveled up twice!"
"I only leveled up once…"
Our group chuckled as I went over to the level screen. I pondered for a moment before I decided to start distributing classes.
"3 levels in warrior and 1 level in wizard…"
"Woah, Kenji! You're multiclassing!"
My screen had changed. My new status screen read out new information.
Kenji Fujima. Level 4.
Strength: 34
Dexterity: 25
Constitution: 30
Mana: 50
Magic Power: 10
Luck: 10
Experience: 400
"That's not all! We're going to be heading to a town called Mulbik!"
"Alright! Let's do this!"