CH 19

RAW:

9: wow, i’m in hyper mode 2 chapters in a row

Chapter 19 – Beginner Crusher Grundom End

“Level Cap……..?”

Roel also doesn’t know about it.

“When you return to the guild after finishing the quest, normally you measure your level. ‘I’ll never stop enjoying this moment’…I was also like that. But, what if one day your level stopped changing? One day it will come and no matter how many days you continue to fight after that, it won’t change…that’s when you’ve reached your level cap. Each person has a different level limit.”

“Level……..limit”

I unintentionally murmured. Each person has a different maximum limit. I never considered that. I don’t know what my level is, however since I’ve made it this far I believed that anyone can become stronger as long as they keep working hard.

“My level continued to stay at Level 24…”

“B-but don’t give up, continue fighting! Try to measure it again…”

“Metalika country”

Suddenly Grundom said the name of that country, I’ve heard about it from Roel before.

“Apparently they a have a machine that can measure your Level Cap. I couldn’t take it anymore so I headed towards the country of Metalika. It was such an amazing country…there was an iron bracelet that shows your current level. It can also measure the level of other people…”

“Such a thing exists…”

I wanted to find out more, but what we’re talking about right now really isn’t useful nor what I originally wanted to hear. I don’t think he’s lying…I still have a lot to learn about this world and everything in it.

“You, whats your level?”

“I don’t know, no matter how many times I entered the iron box at the guild <OverFlow> comes out…”

“O-overflow you say…”

Grundom was making something like a sour face and shut his mouth. No matter how many times I tried to measure my level each Iron Box did the same thing, so I eventually just stopped trying. It never looked like it was actually broken, and if that’s the case my level…

“So your level is over 100. I can’t believe it…”

“Over level 100? Me?”

“It can’t be helped that Kwimill is in the sticks…however to reach a level over 100…such thing is already S rank, is what those guys said…”

I sort of expected this, my level being over 100. Roel and the others are able to measure their level, whereas I’m never able to. My Level is more than 100, so I wonder what my real level is. I want to know…

“My wounds are mostly healed…thank you, miss.”

“Are you able to move right now?”

Roel quickly moved away from Grundom. From what I see, it’s pretty obvious she doesn’t like him.

“You don’t have to worry, it’s fine, no matter what I do now. I…”

I deflected a knife that was flying at Grundom’s neck. The knife rotated in the air and stuck into the cave wall.

“Hey…”

Being targeted by the knife, Grundom realized that his life was in jeopardy.

“Uhiiiiiii~…seriously?”

He lifted his pink glasses and pointed a finger towards me. He was a tall guy with slicked back hair that turned spiky on the back of his head and he was wearing a very pink outfit. His sense of fashion hurt the eyes.

“You, rank D right? Seriously?”

He was confused while he was bending his waist back and forth.

“Y-you are…!”

“You went too far, Grundom-chan. Because it was so~ troubling to the village I went and accepted the subjugation quest, you see?”

“Why is an A rank like you in such a remote region?!”

A rank, is this guy is an adventurer? This person came here on the subjugation quest for Grundom. But I wonder if this Subjugation quest is to kill the person. If it was a monster I would understand, but I won’t kill a person. The people in my village were killed by monster…those burning memories, those scenes come into my mind. Skewered, killed, burned…life was stolen that day. That tragedy is something I won’t forget as long as I live. Will I…even be able to kill someone?

“I came here for something completely~ unrelated. Actually, Gantetsu should’ve also stopped by here for the same reason.”

Gantetsu came here for the same reason as this fellow? He didn’t come here to subjugate the <Poison Salamander>, that much I understand.

“Nnnn, I wanted~ to do this quickly but I didn’t expect for such a cute [girl] to block my attack.”

He was moving his hips left and right while pointing his finger at me.

“Why are you going to kill this person?”

I finally got a grip on myself just as Roel opened her mouth.

“It’s a subjugation quest, sweetie. Isn’t normal to take his head? You girls are D rank? C rank? I really dunno what the normal rank is for this town.”

“But killing a person…why…”

“Aaaa~ well, if there is a human resisting and being naughty then it’s a subjugation quest. Capturing them is okay, but depending on the person and the quest it depends. Well whatever, I won’t be capturing him~.”

*Kuku* the person was laughing his head off, and suddenly he tried to go for the kill again. It was the same thing that I deflected earlier, a knife with a short blade that he threw. I deflected it exactly like before.

“Ooo~ooooo~oooo~? For such a low ranking [girl] like you? To me?”

“Stop it, even you won’t win against that guy…”

When Grundom said that I did a ‘Thumbs up’ pose. The guy’s brows began to wrinkle, I saw a really amusing face.

“Can I consider this to be you hindering my subjugation?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“He isn’t resisting anymore so there’s no need to kill him.”

“So just because he isn’t resisting I’m not allowed to kill him~?”

He was laughing at me as if I was an idiot.

“If that’s how you think, you’ll definitely die someday.”

After saying that he vanished from sight. I wonder if he was under the impression that I couldn’t win, I don’t know if he was trying to convince me but for now the fight ended.

“Wa-haaaaaaaaaa, what was with that person?!”

With her patience exhausted, Roel took a deep breath and told him off.

“That guy is Xinbu, a superior A ranking adventurer. His class is Assassin. As you saw, that guy likes to mess around. He easily passed by me and became A ranked.”

“Superior A rank………….”

That person seemed to be indifferent to killing others. Regardless of whether I become A ranked or not…I don’t want to end up like him.

“I would have surrendered the moment he asked…for me to lose to a kid even using my full strength, I can’t go on anymore. I’m so ashamed…”

After mining the items for the quest, we left the cave together with Grundom. I kept and eye on him as we walked just in case he did something odd. But Grundom was quiet from start to finish. From what I see from his back, he had long since passed the age where he could dream optimistically. He was…a lonely adult.

/ / /

In front of a station soldier, Grundom stated his name, crime, and everything he did. The soldiers looked at us and Grundom, they couldn’t believe it at the beginning.

“It seems Grundom has been caught.”

“I saw him being escorted to the Kingdom Castle town. The people who caught him were C rank adventurers…both of them were girls.”

Inside the guild, rumors spread like wildfire. Adventurers all over the building were sneaking glances at us.

“Really, you guys caught him? Isn’t that amazing!”

“No, you’re probably just mistaken…”

We lied to people that came up to us. The murmurs floating around were laced with trash talk and jealousy. Last time something like this happened, they didn’t believe that I took down the <Poison Salamander>. But unlike before I was recognized a little bit which felt pretty good. If I had done this quest earlier, maybe that guy wouldn’t have quit being an Adventurer. I can’t stop thinking about it, but I understand. I remember the the appearance of that guy being depressed, and Grundom who obediently surrendered while not being forgiven.

We gave the ore to Kozow, he was glad that we were safe. The reward was precisely 1000G, and we also got the reward for subjugating Grundom. Roel was jumping for joy about our finances since we received a lot of money. Suddenly I thought ‘If that’s the case, I want my pocket money to be increased!’.

“That’s right, I promised you something. This is the best weapon and the most expensive one in the shop. Here you go, the Mithril Sword.”

It’s lighter than the iron sword, and much sharper. I see, it’s like a mix of the Iron and Wing swords.

“Thank you, Kozow-san. This is a really amazing sword!”

“HAHAHA! Isn’t it? After all it’s a mithril-made weapon. It’s a very precious weapon, but thinking of it as a gift and leaving it in your hands is a small price to pay for it to be used by someone so amazing.”

“Good for you, Ryua-chan!”

“I also have a present for you.”

Kozow walked out from the back of his shop carrying a staff. On the tip there was a mark drawn like a red flame.

“<Fire Rod>. It’s a staff that allows you to use flame magic. It’s popular with priests like you who can’t use any magic attacks. However, the strength depends on how much magical power you use on it.”

“I-Is it fine for me to accept something so valuable?”

“I didn’t really think about it, but you two were attacked not only by the floor monster but also Grundom. It was supposed to be an easy quest for you guys, with little danger involved. Setting Grundom aside, running into the floor monster was just completely unexpected.”

It seems Kozow was in a very generous and jolly mood. He was initially surprised when we said that we had captured Grundom, but he immediately believed what we said and praised us.

“But please don’t be reckless. In the future, if you think things are getting too dangerous make sure you escape. No matter what you are there to do, your life is much more important.”

“Yes. Thank you, we will keep your advice in mind.”

After leaving the generously kind Kozow’s shop, we went to buy food for dinner. The sun started to set not long after. In the blink of an eye the day ended, and as I watched the sun I recalled my hardships. Without knowing, I spent 10 years of my life in the <Caves of Hell>. All I did was fight continuously day after day. During that time I never thought about anything else. But comparing then to now, I would never go back to those kinds of days. Especially since I have Roel with me. Little by little it seems that her existence became irreplaceable to me.

“Yes? What is it?”

“I-It’s nothing.”

Without realizing, I had been looking at Roel. I suddenly got embarrassed and turned my face away.

“Hey, I want to try and go to the Wizard Kingdom and Metalika someday, and possibly the Avangard Kingdom Castle town from before.”

“Yeah, someday let’s go. Together.”

Together…I thought a little about what that meant. I wonder, if Grundom had a comrade with him would things have been a little different? Walking together, helping the other when they’re weak…in the end the adventurer he once was is now nothing but a shadow of the past. (TL: 共に歩めず、劣等感がつのり、最後には道を踏み外した冒険者の成れの果て。) Just what is my level cap? If my level stopped rising and Roel surpassed me… Would she wait for me? Would we still walk together? Would I end up like Grundom?

“What? Just a while ago you were doing the same thing.”

I hadn’t realized I was once again staring at Roel.

“Hey, Roel…we will be together forever, right?”

“What are you on about? Of course we will.”

“I’m glad…”

From the bottom of my heart I was relieved. I want things to stay like this for a long as possible, even eternity. Just like how the setting sun continued to burn without ever changing since the world was created. Finally, the menu for dinner that I was starting to think about arrived.

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Monster Book

【Behemoth of Catastrophe HP:815】

The floor monster on the 4th Floor of <Avangard Cave>. Its steel-like skin prevents blades from piercing, no matter where you hit it. It attacks adventurers by charging with its large body.

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