Level Up and Escort Request
[Tabito]
Level: 15.
Stamina: C.
Mana: C.
Willpower: B.
Status: An always-energetic adventurer (currently working to rid himself of worldly desires).
Equipment: Brown cloth shirt, brown shorts with a short right leg.
Skills: Otherworld Guide Map, Hyper Maturation, Multilingual Comprehension, Auto-Mapping, Travel Bag
Map Progress: Ostria Capital (45%).
Completed Maps: Demonic Cliff, Demonic Forest.
Area Pins: 0/1 (Ostria Capital)
Free Pins: 0/2 (Demonic Cliff, Demonic Forest)
Travel Bag: 300/2000.
Titles: Otherworld Traveler, A Man with a Kind Heart.
—
I checked my status. My level had been steadily rising.
My body felt light, and even when I encountered monsters, I hadn't struggled.
I’d earned an additional free pin, so right now, I have them placed at the Demonic Cliff and Demonic Forest.
I can move back and forth between both places, and when returning, I can teleport to the entrance of the Royal Capital of Ortrier.
So far, I’ve only traveled with Milfie, but I don’t know how many people can be transported at once.
Once I get another area pin, I plan to head to another country.
It kind of feels like a Log Pose from a certain manga—it’s a bit exciting.
"GRRRAAAGHH!!!"
"Meow-ha, think I can win?"
Milfie was going one-on-one with an enormous bear.
And bare-handed, no less. Apparently, she’d been wanting to fight one for a while.
Dodging the attacks from the bear’s massive body, she countered with a solid punch.
She supposedly doesn’t have the concept of “leveling up,” but she’d said something strange earlier.
“You get stronger?”
“Yeah. The more you defeat, the stronger you get. Something about mana getting infused into your body, though I don’t really understand the details, meow.”
“I see…”
It’s just a guess, but maybe she’s leveling up internally.
Status might just be a visual representation of information—maybe everyone actually has it.
As I was thinking that, the fight reached its conclusion.
She won, unscathed.
“Yay~!”
She flashed a peace sign, her white cheeks splattered with blood.
I’m seriously glad Milfie is on my side.
As usual, I helped with dismantling.
At first, it was gruesome, but now I was getting used to it.
We could bring the corpse directly to the buyer’s, but they’d charge us extra handling fees.
We’re not exactly hurting for money right now, but Milfie is very practical. Her newly learned catchphrase is, “Saving up, meow!”
While dismantling near where its heart would be, I found a hard black stone.
Milfie shouted happily.
“A magic core, meow!”
“Oh, so this is one! Wait—what is this, exactly…?”
“It’s kind of like a monster’s heart. Usually it disappears when they die, but sometimes it’s left behind. You can add attributes to weapons with it, or sell it for a high price.”
“Ohh. And how much would something like this go for?”
It looked like a small pebble, but when I held it, it was heavy.
“Maybe around two gold coins?”
“For real!? That’s awesome!”
“It’s not something you find often, though. But thanks to the reviews, meow!”
We’re currently in the Demonic Forest, which an A-Rank adventurer had written was the best hunting spot.
The side paths are narrow, and we can’t be flanked.
In other words, the risk is low.
No matter how much we’re surrounded, we just have to fight back-to-back.
Apparently, if we increase our party size, we can earn money more efficiently, but for us, combat is just a means to an end.
We’re saving up, leveling up, and gaining experience through real combat.
All so we can find ourselves and our fellow kind.
At the end, we packed the dismantled monster into the travel bag—mission complete.
Incidentally, during the return trip, we were attacked by a monster.
The teleportation was interrupted, as expected, but there was no cooldown penalty, so it didn’t seem to come with any major downsides.
Now then—how many gold coins will we make today?
◇
"Wow, Milfie, you really are amazing. I can’t believe it sold for three gold coins."
"It was in good condition. All thanks to your Travel Bag. Normally, it would’ve gotten damaged during the journey."
"Really? That’s a big help."
We had arrived in the royal capital, sold off our goods, and were now walking through the city.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Milfie looking a bit guilty.
"What’s wrong?"
"I’m just wondering if this is really okay. I’ll be honest—your abilities, Tabito, are the kind that even S-Ranked adventurer parties would kill for. You handle transport, carry supplies, pick the right hunting grounds, fight in battles, make sure meals and lodgings are never a miss... it’s way too good. I feel bad monopolizing someone like you."
It might sound impressive when you list it all out like that, but these are all things I just happened to gain by chance.
Besides—
"You’re overthinking it. I enjoy being with you, Milfie."
Having a partner who’s considerate like this is far more rewarding.
As I reached out to pat her in gratitude, my hand apparently brushed the base of her ear.
"M-meoowrr////"
"Eh? Ah, s-sorry!?"
Milfie squirmed and fidgeted in embarrassment.
"What the heck are those two doing out in public?"
"Are they really going at it outdoors...? That’s bold."
"Damn, beastkin girls are too cute."
Flustered, I picked up the pace and apologized repeatedly.
"S-sorry!?"
"N-no, it made me happy! Let’s check the Adventurers’ Guild for more jobs!"
◇
Inside the Adventurer’s Guild, in a conference room.
A private room accessible only to A-Ranked adventurers and above.
It’s mainly used to discuss missions and decide whether or not to accept them.
Since many missions involve confidentiality, the room is specially secured.
Standing inside was a woman with the emblem of an S-Ranked adventurer sewn onto her shoulder—Bridget.
Long red hair, tall, and well-built.
On the mission board, it read:
"Escort and tour guide for Princess Eltia of the neighboring kingdom."
Just then, a Guild receptionist named Karin entered the room.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Since this is a special assignment, we’ll be explaining it in a private room per Guild regulations."
"I don’t mind. Please, give me the details."
"Yes. The request involves luggage handling, escorting, and guiding for sightseeing. After her diplomatic visit, it seems the princess wants to go sightseeing incognito. That’s the nature of the request."
"I see... That explains a lot."
"Y-yes. The Guild will be responsible for everything. Miss Bridget... will you accept?"
"I’m a professional. I’ll take the job. That said, I’ll need more people. Ideally a pair, skilled in transporting cargo and capable in battle."
"Yes, I think I know just the right pair. A man and woman, recently promoted to D-Rank with a license for handling cargo. The other is an A-Rank, so no issues with combat ability. They’ve had excellent success and contributions. And they’re genuinely good people—really wonderful!"
Bridget gave a rare smile at Karin’s enthusiastic response.
"It’s rare to hear you speak so highly of someone. I’ll trust your judgment. I’m fine with splitting the reward—30% for me, 70% for the two of them."
"Eh, are you sure?"
"Yeah. It’s not like I’m strapped for cash."
"Understood! I’ll go get the paperwork, so please wait a moment."
Karin fetched the documents and handed them to Bridget for review.
Attached to them were magical photographs of Tabito and Milfie.
These were pasted on with their consent, to be shown at the time of assignment.
Upon seeing the photo, Bridget’s eyes widened.
"...T abito. Is this photo accurate?"
"Yes, it’s a recent one. Did something catch your attention?"
"... Even if they decline the request, please let them know—I’d like to meet him."
"Understood. Do you know him?"
Bridget held Tabito’s file in her hand and smiled.
"Yes. He’s... the one who saved my life."
What do you think about this chapter?
