LGHTNOVELBOOK Volume 1 Chapter 20 - After Bad Things Come Good Things...... That's Life
I continued my exploration even after reaching level 4, hunting skeletons along the way.
Though I stopped using magic from my magic wand and switched to using a sword, it wasn’t particularly challenging.
I had concerns about my sword getting damaged by slashing through bones, but those worries were unfounded.
After all, this short sword cost a whopping 1 million yen.
It’s not only sharp but also doesn’t chip easily.
I smoothly continue hunting skeletons.
It’s worth noting that only skeletons appear in the Kuuna ruins during the day.
However, at night, it seems that zombies and ghosts emerge.
So, not many adventurers venture here at night.
Because, well, it’s scary.
I too wouldn’t want to.
With only skeletons during the day, it’s easier to handle. But at night, it turns into a haunted mansion.
Who would willingly go?
Probably why I don’t see many other adventurers here, even on weekdays.
I continue walking through the pathways between the ruined buildings.
Turning at a random crossroad, I spot other adventurers fighting skeletons in a clearing.
The group is composed of two men and two women, making them a party of four.
However, they’re up against five skeletons…
Five, huh…
Bad luck for them.
I pity them as I observe their battle. To be honest, it looks quite dangerous.
While one might think, “It’s just skeletons,” these skeletons are armed with swords.
Moreover, the equipment of the four adventurers seems beginner-level at best.
Just some basic weapons and light chest armor.
Could they be students?
University… No, probably high school students.
But there’s no guardian with them…
Adventurers under 18 should always have a D-rank or higher escort.
Did he die, flee, or maybe they just look young but are over 18?
What should I do?
They’re clearly in a pinch.
I should help.
However, according to a beginner’s guide I often read online, adventurers are responsible for their own actions. So, when someone’s in trouble, it’s better not to help.
Ignoring them would be the sensible thing?
But, they’re just kids…
While I’m pondering this, one of the girls trips.
It seems she tried to turn around but got tangled in her own feet.
Damn it!
I quickly stash my magic wand in my bag, draw my short sword, and rush in.
“Move!”
I shout at the group as I run, and the two guys manage to create some distance from the skeletons.
But the girl remains on the ground, and another girl tries to help her up.
A skeleton raises its sword, targeting the two of them.
“Too slow!”
I step in before the skeleton can swing down, thrusting at its head.
The skeleton’s head shatters, and it vanishes in a puff of smoke.
Without missing a beat, I swing my sword at the remaining four skeletons.
Two are bisected, another is decapitated, and the last one is cleanly cut from shoulder to hip.
In the blink of an eye, all the skeletons are gone, leaving behind their five swords.
I’m ridiculously strong!
Well, credit goes to both the weak skeletons and my million-yen short sword.
I put away my sword and check on the girl’s twisted ankle.
Not out of any dubious intention.
Her foot looks like it’s broken.
It seems strange to break an ankle from just a twist, but in this frontier world, such things can happen. With increased physical abilities, there’s the risk of not knowing your own strength.
“Do you have a potion?”
I ask the other girl who’s standing nearby.
“No, we don’t.”
“Are you students? Where’s your guardian?”
“He’s… um, at the restroom.”
Attacked while waiting for a guardian in the restroom? What terrible luck.
“Is the guardian a relative? Or did you hire them?”
“We hired one.”
So, they wouldn’t share a potion even if they had one. After all, potions worth 500,000 yen are precious.
The girl with the twisted ankle seems okay now, probably due to adrenaline and confusion. But she’s bound to start feeling the pain soon.
It can’t be helped…
I have plenty, and I’ve made good money recently.
I take out a healing potion from my bag and pour it directly on her foot.
“It’s cold! Wait, what!?”
She’s startled by the sudden application of the potion, but even more so when she looks at her foot.
Understandably.
It had been twisted in a strange direction.
But now, thanks to the potion, it’s back to its normal shape.
“Does it hurt?”
“Huh? No, it doesn’t.”
That’s settled then.
Such is the quality of the potions I make. Superior, in my opinion (though this is subjective).
I get up and start picking up the dropped swords.
“Hey, wait! Those are ours!”
One of the guys protests.
“I defeated them, didn’t I?”
“We didn’t ask for your help. You’re just being a hyena.”
By “hyena,” he’s referring to online game terminology, where a player jumps in to steal a kill after others have done most of the work.
Seriously? If she died, they’d have been next.
So this is what that online guide was referring to.
Even if you help, gratitude isn’t guaranteed.
“Rather, this is how I get nitpicked.”
“It’s certainly annoying and unpleasant.”
“But, I’m an adult!”
“Well… alright then.”
I stopped picking up the sword.
It’s not like I really wanted it that much.
A 5,000 yen skeleton sword is just pocket change to someone like me who has earned 25 million yen.
This is probably a lesson.
“Uh, um…”
The girl whose leg I healed tried to get up.
“Just rest a bit more. Your leader will probably be back soon.”
However, I have a feeling they’re taking a long time to return.
It’s shit.
I’ve decided to leave this place since staying here any longer would just make me uncomfortable.
“Don’t expect a thank you from me. We could’ve done it just the two of us, but you took all the experience.”
As I walked away, I heard a very unpleasant parting remark from behind.
…
“That’s right… I’m sorry.”
I’m an adult!
Super adult!
I quickened my pace and left.
“Ah…”
As I was retracing my steps, I passed by a man about my age holding his stomach.
It seems like he really had to go to the bathroom.
I’m an adult.
A 26-year-old adult.
I’m broad-minded.
Smiling…
“That’s what happened, Kaede-chan! I really thought I was going to die!”
I chug a beer at a fancy, famous BBQ place and complain to Kaede-chan sitting across from me.
“Ah, sounds like you had a tough time. That’s rough.”
Kaede-chan agrees with me while grilling some green onion-topped beef tongue.
“I saved their lives and used a potion worth 500,000 yen, and yet they treated me like that!”
“I understand, really. There are people like that. Oh, would you like another drink?”
“Pour me another! Kaede-chan, you’re a good girl. I can’t believe that annoying kid and the shithead are the same species as you.”
“It’s mealtime, senior.”
“Oops, sorry.”
Referring to someone as “shithead” isn’t nice.
“But really, it’s always like that. That’s why most people think it’s best not to get involved.”
“I’ve learned that the hard way. All I wanted to say was, ‘Who am I? Just a nobody.'”
“That’s silly… The green onion-topped beef tongue is ready. Please, have some.”
After giving Kaede-chan a dumbfounded look for a moment, I smiled at her charming face, picked up the grilled beef tongue, and ate.
“It’s delicious. It’s been a long time since I came to a BBQ place.”
“Me too. It’s so good.”
After that incident, I quickly returned and invited Kaede-chan for dinner.
Turns out, she had a day off the next day, so we decided to go to the BBQ place she had mentioned earlier.
Of course, I returned to my male form.
“But, wasn’t the Kuuna ruins fun?”
“Well, yeah.”
In fact, it was fun excluding those guys.
“That place is popular because only weak skeletons appear there. And the swords dropped by the skeletons are worth a bit.”
The sword dropped by the skeleton was sold for 5,000 yen.
That’s a fair bit of money.
“I read online that it’s a great place for beginners, and it’s true. It’s a good spot.”
Skeletons are slow and don’t ambush you like wolves.
If you’re prepared, you’ll hardly be in danger.
Though there were those guys…
Idiots.
“It’s a great place. The only downside is its popularity, which means it gets crowded. And when it’s crowded, the number of bad adventurers increases, right?”
“That’s true. People were staring at me.”
“Well, anyone would stare at someone dressed like you, going solo.”
Maybe.
I’d probably stare too.
“Ah, so annoying.”
“You’re getting worked up. Here, drink and eat.”
“Yeah. Oh, Kaede-chan, that kalbi… nevermind.”
I was going to say it’s her fourth piece but stopped.
“Senior, stop counting. You’re rich, right?”
There it is.
“Yeah, but…”
“Just order whatever you want.”
“Alright then, Kaede-chan, should we try this sirloin? I don’t really know, but it’s expensive.”
I have money!
“That’s what happens when a commoner becomes rich.”
“Then, let’s have skirt steak.”
Skirt steak isn’t cheap either.
“Let’s order it. I’m a commoner too. Let’s also get the premium kalbi. Oh, would you like another drink?”
“Pour me one.”
We ate, drank, and had fun.
Then, we went to karaoke and let off some steam.
We’re young!