In an office with a heavy, woody scent, Niall Urbans, the head of the Explorers' Guild's seventh district, chuckled. He had just remembered something his daughter had told him a little while ago.
"I have no intention of living the rest of my life as my father's doll."
When the escape incident occurred, he noticed his daughter's rebellious behavior. She had no reason to be speaking with the branch manager on her own. He couldn't help but investigate, and when he did, he discovered his daughter was secretly establishing a position within the guild.
"A woman has a life as a woman."
For a one-off rebellion, it was quite plausible. Even though it was a headache, he was secretly happy to think that she really was his daughter.
"I told you, be careful where you breathe."
Even such ambition could be seen as endearing because she was his daughter.
"Branch manager, that man has chosen my daughter after all."
Bjorn Yandel was a barbarian he intended to return someday, but he had grown enormously in a short time. The branch manager tried to contact him today. He still didn't know what his daughter planned to do with the barbarian. However, it was clear that the branch manager had sided with his daughter. This made him very uncomfortable.
He dared to rebel against me.
It wasn't that he didn't understand why the branch manager had made that decision. He'd already fallen out of favor with Niall, and Niall had someone in mind to take over the branch manager position once he was gone. Since the manager knew this too, he must have been trying to cling to at least a rotten thread. However, understanding and forgiveness were two completely different things.
I'll have to take this opportunity to deal with both of them once and for all.
Niall sipped his tea, his eyes twinkling. His original intention had been to leave the barbarian alone. He'd shuddered at the humiliation of that time, but in just a few months, the barbarian had established his own position. There was no reason to make another enemy, but now things had changed. There must be a reason why his clever daughter was trying to contact the barbarian.
…Besides, it continues to bother me strangely.
Niall made a decision. If something was bothering him, all he had to do was get rid of it before it became a bigger problem later on.
***
Rumble!
How long had it been since I left the Explorers' Guild? As I made my way back to the inn, thunder rumbled across the once clear sky, and it began to rain cats and dogs.
Damn.
Dark clouds suddenly covered the sky. I struggled between walking under it, but thinking it might just be a passing rain, I walked into a nearby restaurant. It was time to eat anyway, so I decided to watch the progress as I did it.
«Here is the food you ordered».
Grilled meat, pumpkin stew, and rye bread warmed my insides, but somehow it seemed scarce. It's not like it was a cheap restaurant that cost 300 stones per meal like in the past.
...Missha is definitely better at cooking meat.
I ordered another glass of rum, thinking about buying meat tomorrow and asking him to grill it. Now that I was here, I decided to pass the time until the rain subsided. If he came back now, Missha wouldn't be there anymore.
Oh, maybe she's still there because of the rain?
As I drank alone with the sound of rain for company, my thoughts ran wild. It seemed like not long ago that he had been eating stone bread while guarding the goblin traps, but half a year had already passed.
Pizza and beer... They wouldn't sell that here, would they?
The thought of wanting to return home had faded a lot. I had gotten used to everything, the creaking bed, the small single room with only one bathroom, and the everyday life of laughing and chatting with colleagues while drinking cheap beer.
I have also changed a lot.
I could list the shit in this world all day. But if you asked me if I've never had a good time... It's not true. At first, survival was my goal. But as a player, I felt joy in gradually getting stronger. Chatting and laughing among the team wasn't so bad either. I felt a little strange.
If they hadn't brought me here, I'd probably still be playing alone in the corner of the room.
Office worker Hansu Lee, 29, had a very small social circle. Of course, there were no complaints or inconveniences there. I was preparing thoroughly for my retirement, and I could live alone without depending on others, unlike this world where you were forced to team up.
Seeing how he thought this way... I must have grown fond of them.
I took a sip of the rum, which had an unnecessarily sweet aftertaste. When I thought of Hikurod, Rotmiller and Dwalkie, my taste buds became bitter.
If I want to go to the upper floors, I will have no choice but to form a new team.
Starting from the fifth floor, the current members would not be strong enough. He could see the limits of his growth. First of all, Dwalkie wasn't from the magic tower, and he had a pressing low mana problem.
Now he can learn new magic, but he certainly can't use any level 6 spells.
Not to mention Rotmiller. On the lower floors all he had to do was navigate the path, but on the upper floors, a high level of combat was also necessary for the scouts. That was because the maximum number of people in a group was five.
Unless you wake up as a guide. Otherwise, the fourth floor would be the limit.
Of course, unlike these two, Hikurod would be able to play an active role on the upper floors, as long as his equipment was well adapted. But there was no need to have two tanks in one team.
...Once Missha's specs go up a bit I'll have to form a new team.
To be honest, it was something I had been thinking about for a while, but I finally made up my mind. The Troll war that happened this time affected me a lot. I wanted to keep going up, and I couldn't achieve that goal with them. It may seem harsh, but it was also a decision for them. The upper floors were littered with monsters worse than the Trolls. It was better not to wait for this fortunate survival to be repeated.
« ¿Yandel?»
What the hell? When I turned around when I heard someone calling my name, there was someone standing who wasn't expecting me at all: Mr. Bear.
«¿Urakburak?»
«...It's Urikfried. If it's hard to pronounce, you can call me Abman».
«Then I'll stick with that».
Mr. Bear sat in front of me without asking permission, honoring his macho appearance. Since it was something I also did often, I didn't feel particularly offended. «I didn't expect you to come as a customer».
«¿Customer?»
«Oh, I hadn't told you. This place is run by my wife».
He was the owner, huh? It was information he hadn't known before, but it wasn't something to be surprised about. If you were a level 5 explorer, you should have enough money to open a store. If I was going to be surprised, it should be for something else.
«Do you have a wife and still enter the maze alone?»
«The store is in deficit these days. I should at least make some money».
Well, then I had nothing to say. It wasn't something to worry about. «Anyway, it's a strange coincidence that you own the place I came to to escape the rain».
«It is not enough to call it a coincidence. Thanks to that, I am now sure, Bjorn Yandel».
«About what?»
Mr. Bear responded as if nothing had happened. «Will you put me on your team?»
Hey? What was this? Accept him as a teammate? Suddenly? It was an unexpected topic, but after listening to him, he convinced me. From Mr. Bear's point of view, I was a proven explorer.
«If you can save a complete stranger in that situation, you won't stab me in the back.».
Although I asked for five million stones, apparently saving him by using one of the best potions inside a crack that was blocked from the outside world left a good impression.
...Interesting turn of events.
Support tank, summons and heavy ranged physical damage. It was clear that Mr. Bear would do his part without difficulty even on the fifth floor or higher.
However, I flatly rejected his offer. «You must have misunderstood something. This time I entered separately, but I have a permanent team». Dwalkie would be part of the group for a while, so he couldn't leave anyone out to include this man.
Surprisingly, Mr. Bear nodded complacently. «If you say so. What we talked about today can be discussed again later, when there is an empty spot, or if you leave the team.»
«Empty position?»
«You know what I mean». With Mr. Bear's meaningful look, the teammates' case came to an end. After that, we had a brief conversation about when to return the five million stones. «Since I have put some unused equipment in the exchange, I should be able to give it to you on the promised date».
Seeing the empty interior of the store, it weighed on my heart, but it was agreed to exchange five million stones for its guarantee to meet here again in ten days. «Then see you then.»
«Put this on. It will look good on you». It didn't look like it was going to stop raining, even though I expected more, so I borrowed Mr. Bear's raincoat and headed to the inn.
¡Swaaaaaa!
A torrential rain fell like a typhoon. After running through the strangely deserted streets, I immediately arrived at the inn. But what was this now?
«Ah, are you here Bjorrrn? This is your guest».
«Waaaa! Sir...!»
Like torrential rain on a sunny day, an unexpected encounter awaited me.
***
Since that incident ten years ago, he had lived in moderation in many things. I thought I was sure I was patient, at least until today.
«Coveting something that belongs to another deserves to be punished, right?» Erwen froze at the thought that involuntarily escaped her mouth.
«Hmm? You... are tougher than you look, huh?». Fortunately, on the other side he didn't seem to realize the true meaning of what he had just said.
What had just...?
Strictly speaking, it wasn't even stolen. Bjorn was not an object. Furthermore, it was she herself who made the decision to leave Mister's side and be with her sister. But what was this feeling now?
Crujido.
Strangely, hostility arose within her. Could I beat this woman in a fight? Without realizing it, he found himself thinking like this and observing his opponent.
«Come to think of it, we don't even know what our names are. I'm Missha Karlstein.»
«…Erwen Fornacci of Thersia.»
«Wow even your name is liiiindo...Erwen, nice to meet you.»
«Sure...» Hiding his reluctance, Erwen received the handshake. Then they sat down to talk. He had no desire to approach the woman, but he had a question to ask her. «Miss Karlstein, are you seeing anyone, by any chance?»
»I'm dating someone»? Don't be ridiculous. Bjorn and I are just teammates, teammates!»
"Hmm, is that right?" For some reason, it felt like her anger was fading, though it was odd that Bjorn's name was coming up when he'd only asked if Missha was seeing anyone. It seemed there was more to investigate. "Sorry. You said you two had washed together earlier, so I was mistaken."
"W-wash together? What are you saying?! I was just borrowing her bathroom."
"Borrowing a man's bathroom? Your inn must be quite far away?"
"Uh, it's not that far..."
"…Isn't it?" At those words, Erwen's eyebrows curled. Bjorn might not have been thinking it, but it was clear this woman had cunning thoughts, cunning enough to use such a vulgar tactic.
"Ahem! How do you and Bjorn know each other?" Was she trying to deflect attention from herself? This time Missha asked the question.
Erwen answered honestly. "Mister and I were teammates."
"Hmm? Mister? Bjorn is only twenty years old..."
"Ah, it's just a nickname between us, so you don't have to worry."
"Nickname…?"
"Is there a problem?"
When she tilted her head casually, the beastwoman smiled awkwardly. "No. What's the problem? Of course not. Nyaha!" Her mouth was smiling, but her tail was twitching on the quilt as if she were in a bad mood.
Seeing that, Erwen felt a strange sense of victory until it was followed by an unexpected counterattack. "The man and I have a special relationship. He was my first teammate, and we also shared our first cup together—"
"Hehe, but is that only meaningful to you?"
"… Sorry?"
"Anyway, I've been with Bjorrrn for months, and I've never heard anything from you. Nyaha!"
The beastwoman smiled gleefully and plunged a dagger into his heart. Erwen couldn't hide his bewilderment at the sudden change in attitude. However, instinctively, he learned one thing.
"Did you say your name is Erwen? You seem quite cute. But... don't you think that blatantly showing so much hostility toward another person and treating him like an idiot will make him angry?" It was only natural that he felt hostility upon seeing this woman. "Um, but thank you for one thing. Thanks to you, I don't think I'll get confused anymore."
"Confused about what?"
"I don't know. Don't you know what I mean?"
This woman was an enemy, someone who was trying to take something valuable from her.