CH 14

Chapter 14: The First Person to Share the News

The fatigue made Yuto dizzy as he made it out of the dungeon. With uncertain steps, he finally made it to the counter.

This time, he barely won the fight.

If he had made a single wrong decision at any given point, his opponent would have overwhelmed and defeated him.

Now that he thinks about it, Yuto realized how close he danced with death, and shivers ran down his spine.

But Yuto won.

In this fight, Yuto definitely grew as an adventurer.

It was something he achieved that would not be reflected in his status, but even though there was nothing to show for it, Yuto was certain that something had changed inside him.

Arriving at the Guild Sales Counter, Yuto starts bringing out all the items from his dungeon quest.

The higher the monster rank, the more you obtain a resource other than magic stones.

This time, Yuto did not just defeat E-Ranks, but there were also D-Rank monsters.

Hence, he had not only monster stones, but materials from the monsters as well.

He received 5 hides of the Kobalt Kings, and the Kobalt Lord’s fangs.

Even though it was just an E-Rank Instant Dungeon, he will make a handsome profit from these materials. Yuto was excited as he waited for the item review and processing to complete.

“Thank you so much for waiting. Before the assessment, I would like to ask 2 or 3 questions if it is okay with you.”

Yuto: “Ummmm… yes?”

What are they going to ask him about?

Yuto is confused and tilts his head to the side as he agrees.

“We have confirmed from your Guild Card that you entered an E-Rank Instant Dungeon - this was according to the records. Did you challenge this dungeon alone?”

Yuto: “Yes.”

“In an E-Rank Dungeon, typically, only 1 boss appears. But in this dungeon conquest, you were able to achieve 5 or 6 times the normal amount. Furthermore, you brought back a Kobalt Lord’s fangs which does not usually appear in E-Rank Dungeons. Could you tell us where you picked up this item?”

Does she think Yuto stole this from another adventurer?

Yuto is weary and careful when he answers.

Yuto: “The dungeon I entered was supposed to be an E-Rank Dungeon, but it appears that it was actually a Unique Dungeon. There were 5 Kobalt Kings, and 1 Kobalt Lord that appeared afterwards.”

“........!!”

The receptionist at the counter’s eyes opened wide at Yuto’s response, and then immediately regained her composure.

“I’m terribly sorry, and excuse me for the question, but did Mr. Yuto defeat them alone?”

Yuto: “Yes, I cleared the dungeon by myself.”

Yuto couldn’t help but smile awkwardly at the receptionist’s question.

Yuto: (I’m sure she knows all about me.)

Yuto has been unable to Level Up for 10 years and was struggling at the bottom of the lowest bucket of adventurers.

The receptionist knows this.

Yuto could easily picture that in her mind, there was a solid, irreversible fact that the “Weakest of All Adventurers” could never have cleared an Instant Dungeon on his own.

The receptionist swallowed so hard that it looked like she swallowed a rock -- she probably fought back the words that were about to spill out of her mouth.

“.........I understand. Then I will proceed with the paperwork.”

Yuto: “Uh...paperwork?”

The assessment is done.

The receptionist already brought the money to be paid out to Yuto.

What else is left?

As Yuto wondered this, the receptionist came back from the backroom.

“Thank you for your patience. This time, to acknowledge your deeds and accomplishments---”

As she said this, the receptionist brought back a Guild Card of a different color.

Up until now, Yuto carried a bronze card.

Because he had this card for so long, there was rusts on different parts of the card.

And that card turned into a silver color.

Yuto: (.....this card….this color….)

“As of today, you have been promoted to a D-Rank Adventurer. Mr. Yuto, congratulations.”

Yuto: “.....I…..uh….th-----th-----THANK YOU!!”

Yuto bowed his head deeply with gratitude.

He did not expect his rank to suddenly go up.

The words of the receptionist were solemn and heart-felt.

She too felt something from Yuto’s promotion.

Her words carried weight - it was the weight of 10 years worth of continuous effort.

Yuto felt heat build up around his eyes.

But he does his best to hold back the tears that are welling up.

Seeing Yuto’s reaction, the receptionist also quickly wiped underneath her eyes.

・・・

The Weapons and Armor Shop business ended, and Mari was closing up shop.

From an alleyway, she hears a familiar voice approaching from far away.

Yuto: “Mari----!! MARI---------!!!!”

Mari: “......what is it Yuto? What are you up to at this hour?”

And of course, the person yelling her name was Yuto.

It was rare for him to come through the front of the shop at this hour.

Mari: (I wonder if he came to buy something?)

Mari looks at him curiously with her head tilted.

But as Yuto approached her, looking at his expression, it doesn’t look like he’s here to buy anything.

Yuto: “Mari! LOOK!! LOOK AT THIS!!!”

Mari: “H---HEY! CALM DOWN! What happen-------”

Yuto was hopping around like a small child, and showed Mari his Guild Plate.

She knew that it was what every adventurer carried - the Guild Card.

The Guild certifies through this card that it properly represents an adventurer’s strength and ability.

But this is also the dog tag that identifies adventurers when they die.

When an adventurer dies in a dungeon, their body will be consumed into the dungeon. Nothing will remain.

But this Guild Card is different.

Made from a special material, once the Guild Card is sucked into the dungeon, it is then transferred and spit out on a podium within the temple.

The Guild Card is the one thing the adventurer can leave behind in this world.

Seeing the Guild Card gave Mari no sense of pleasure.

But this time it was different.

Yuto’s Guild Card was now a different color.

Yuto: “D-RANK!! I’m a D-Rank Adventurer starting today!!”

Mari: “.......!!”

When she heard the words, an overwhelming emotion filled Mari immediately.

Large tears begin rolling down her cheeks.

Mari: “....Yuto, I’m so happy for you.”

Yuto: “Thanks.”

Mari: “Congratulations.”

Yuto: “......Thank you.”

A long time ago, she sat on a wooden box and gazed admiringly at a boy who kept swinging his sword.

Watching him pursue his dream relentlessly made him seem to shine so brightly in her eyes.

And that boy, after 10 years, finally made one step forward.

Yes, he’s still a D-Rank.

If you count from the bottom, he’s only one step above the lowest rank.

But Mari could only feel joy and congratulates him from the bottom of her heart.

Because he fought a losing battle. In endless despair, he kept pushing and pushing forward. And finally, he won the fight. He achieved victory.

・・・

After reporting to Mari about his D-Rank promotion, they decided to celebrate at Gold Rock.

After the celebration, Yuto, with a swelled up stomach more full of food than he ever ate in the past, walked back to his room.

When he fell onto his bed, he felt that it was the best day of his life.

Of course it was. He finally got something to prove that he has improved, that he has grown stronger. He could now hold that proof in his hands.

He wanted to fall asleep with this feeling, but…

Yuto brought out the Skill Board.

Yuto: “I almost forgot. I completed a quest, right? Did my status go way up….?”

Yuto (18)

Level 13 → 16

Skill Point: 0 → 10

Skills

Fundamentals

Physical Strength Lv 2

Endurance Lv 2

Magic Lv 1

Agility Lv 2

Technique

Swordsmanship Lv 3

Spellcrafting Lv 1

Presence Detection Lv 2

Spells

[LIGHTNING] Lv 1

Yuto gained 3 Levels, and he also acquired 10 Skill Points.

Yuto: “YES!! THIS IS AWESOME!!”

This time, his status increased from clearing the E-Rank Instant Dungeon, and he cleared all the quests that suddenly appeared.

Even from Yuto’s perspective, the difficulty of the Emergency Quest was abnormally high.

Because of that, Yuto suspect that the reward compared to other quests must have been set pretty high as well.

Yuto: “Oh man….what skill should I level up now…..”

There are 10 Skill Points.

If he puts it all into Swordsmanship, he can go straight up to Level 5.

A Skill Level 5 is a first rate Adventurer’s proficiency.

But even if he was first rate in Swordsmanship, his other statuses would be too low.

Even if he has the skills, if he doesn’t have the strength or speed, his attack would not mean that much.

Raising your ability all-around is the way to become an adventurer that can complete high-level dungeons.

Yuto: “I really want to raise the level of my [LIGHTNING] too.”

But right now, Yuto’s magic abilities and skills are both Level 1.

Even if he raises the [LIGHTNING] level, he may not have enough magic power to cast it.

Yuto: “GAH! What should I do?!?!”

As he wondered about how to distribute his Skill Points, Yuto realized that there was something he forgot about in his inventory.

He quickly pulls up the Inventory screen.

He was hopeful that from this quest, there would be some reward prepared and ready for him.

Yuto: “Sweet! There it is!”

As he hoped, there was one item in his inventory labeled “Emergency Quest Completion Reward” bag inside.

Yuto took out the bag with lots of anticipation and excitement.

The bag was ….heavy.

Yuto: “I...don’t think it’s money…”

From how it felt, it felt heavier than gards.

Yuto: “Uh….huh? What is this?”

There was a hard stone-like object that was colored silver.

It looked like someone just cut it out from a boulder and had a weird shape to it.

If there was anyone here who spent their life mining, the sight would have made their eyes sparkle with stars.

This looked like a really important rock.

But Yuto had no interest and no knowledge of stones and minerals.

If this was gold colored, if this was solid gold, he would have made a fortune.

But it was silver. And no matter how much he looked at it, it didn’t look like any sort of jewel.

Yuto feels a little disappointment creep in.

Yuto: “Well, I guess I should at least know what it is.”

Yuto placed the rock in the inventory.

He tapped on the icon of the rock and...

Yuto: “WH---------------!!!”

He could not believe the name he saw above the icon.

Yuto: “M-----M--M-MITHRIL?!?!”