CH 29

It’s the day after the picking quest.

I just finished a delivery quest, so I go back to the inn, and dive on the bed.

My head hurts. It’s throbbing, so I use Water Magic to dampen a towel and place it on my forehead. It probably doesn’t do much, but at least it feels like the pain is getting better.

This is what I get for having Presence Detection on without ever turning it off. I figured I was pushing myself too much, but I wanted to raise its proficiency.

Proficiency of Presence Detection is increased by sensing presences. The more I sense, the faster it grows. It grows even faster if I focus the sensitivity on a target.

But this time I went over the limit and spent all my SP, and my body is feeling the recoil. That’s the state I’m in now. I didn’t know about it at the time, but apparently this could’ve been avoided if I drank stamina potions.

I lay down for a while and compose my breathing, as the headache slowly gets better.

After taking a sip of water, I check my skills.

“Presence Detection LvMAX.”

I finally raised it to the limit. I’m guessing other skills are also capped at level ten.

My breathing is in order, so I try activating Presence Detection. There’s a distinction between stronger and lighter reactions.

Do the lighter reactions come from people with the Presence Concealment skill? That’s hard to check from here. I need to check with my own eyes.

And then I notice a skill I haven’t seen before.

New

‘Magic Energy Detection’

It’s what it sounds like, a skill to detect a target’s magic energy. How does it differ from Presence Detection? All I know is that since it appeared when I maxed out Presence Detection, it must be related to searching for enemies too.

I haven’t been using skill points, so I have a few saved up. I want to say it will have some sort of use, but… I need two skill points to learn it.

In the end, I decide to invest those points in learning Magic Energy Detection.

I try using it right away, and get a reaction. Since it’s so low leveled, the effective area is pretty small. It only extends around this inn, but I can see bigger and smaller reactions.

Is it just a skill to check the amount of magic energy? If it is, I feel like Presence Detection would be enough. Did I mess up…

No no. It’s too early to jump to conclusions. I need to actually test it and raise its level.

I check my jobs while I’m at it, and see a new one, Scout. I’m guessing it would revise the values of enemy detection skills. I’m going to be working alone a lot for a while, so maybe I’ll change jobs.

“Oh, you’re looking better. Are you feeling all right?”

The innkeeper lady says when I enter the dining hall.

She knew? Did I look that bad? I guess I probably did.

“I think I’ve been working too much. I’m thinking of taking it easy today.”

“You adventurers sure are busy bees. The others haven’t come back from their hunt either. It’s really hurting business.”

She leaves after saying something I don’t know is a joke or completely serious.

She’s talking about the ones that went out to hunt orcs. I heard that the chivalric order is leaving today, and taking potions with them.

Maybe I’ll go watch.

I eat and head to the gate. There are a lot of people here.

Everyone’s eyes are fixated on the knights wearing the same equipment and not moving a muscle.

The person I assume is their commander gives the order, and the knights and wagons head out.

There are probably about two hundred people there. The noise they make when they all move out at once feels like an earthquake, although that’s quickly drowned out by cheers.

The uproar continues for a while, until the knights are out of our sight and everyone disperses.

And then, a horsebus enters the city.

I stare at it, and see a face I recognize.

“Oh, Sora. Thanks for coming to greet me here.”

“Ah, Gob…”

I say without thinking, and he comes close very quickly. I don’t want a close-up of a rugged old man.

“Hn? What?”

“…It’s been a while, Siphon.”

“Ou, you look well. We just passed by a bunch of knights. What’s happening?”

“You’ll learn more about it in the guild, but it’s a unit to go hunt orcs.”

“Orcs? I feel like a whole lot of people just left.”

“Apparently there are a lot of them, and even a superior species. A lot of adventurers went too, and the inn I’m staying in is almost empty.”

“Isn’t that lucky? Aren’t you going?”

“No, one of the conditions is prior experience fighting orcs. Ah, and they’re in the direction of the capital, so travel there is suspended.”

“Seriously? I guess we should go visit the guild.”

Goblin’s Grief all gather again and head on to the guild.

I don’t follow them, and instead walk around. I mostly look around stalls and the local delicacies. Not everything is good, but it’s not bad at all.

After I finish eating, I go to a weapons store to ask to do maintenance on my equipment, and continue walking around while checking the prices of ore. I feel like tools in general are slowly getting more expensive, probably because the road to the capital is blocked. Potions have gone up twenty percent too.

“Orcs…”

I’ve never actually seen one. Unlike goblins, they’re about two meters tall, and while they’re muscular, they’re also agile. Their skin is tough, and a dull weapon isn’t going to put a scratch on them.

I want to avoid danger, but part of me also wants to fight. To be more precise, I want to know if I can defeat one…