Becoming an Explorer Means You'll Never Have Trouble Finding a Party!
"I'm back, Karin."
Inside the Adventurers' Guild. Evening.
When I called out to Karin, she looked visibly relieved and immediately beamed a full smile.
"Ah, welcome back! … I'm so glad. Thank you for coming back safely."
"Thank you. My first dungeon was fun."
"Fun...? Ah, well, I suppose some people see it that way! But please, don’t get discouraged! Being an Explorer is difficult, so I think it’d be okay to start with easier dungeons next time! Failure is the stepping stone to success!"
"Huh?"
"Ah, I’m so sorry!? But I’m cheering for you! Mr. Tabito, you’re such a nice person, and Milfie is strong too!"
It seems she misunderstood something.
Ah, I see—maybe we returned too quickly.
Using area pins to travel really messes with expectations.
"Milfie, could you bring it out?"
"Okay, meow!"
What she pulled out with a flop were magic cores from monsters all the way to the the fifth floor.
Karin’s face turned pale.
"Wait, is that… the magic core of a Vampire Bat, Tridoa Spider, and the Adonia subspecies…!? H-How did you get these!?"
"I got them in the dungeon. With this, can I be recognized as an Explorer?"
The third floor alone would've been enough, but we had way too much leeway, so we went deeper.
Toward the end, we hit an area with about twenty diverging paths—normally, anyone would be terrified of that.
We could’ve gone beyond the fifth floor, but Milfie said we should head back for now.
Her reason: it was too easy.
No matter how alert a person is, they’re bound to let their guard down. It’s better to take a day off, she said.
I leave the basic decisions to her.
She’s probably been through more life-or-death situations than me. It’s a kind of division of roles.
Her words always carry weight. She’s a precious partner.
"Whoa, did he just say fifth floor!?"
"And only ultra-rare monsters, too. These guys are seriously insane."
"Yeah, this is nuts."
Rumors grow wings—but maybe not even wings, just straight-up truth.
That said, this isn’t a bad thing.
The more famous I get, the more likely it is that someone who knows me—or Milfie’s kindred—will hear about it.
Though that might also bring more danger.
"I-I’ll prepare the Explorer documents right away! I’m so sorry, Mr. Tabito!?"
"No, no, not at all. Please take your time. I’m not in a rush."
Karin hurried into the back.
She always looks busy whenever I’m here, so I feel a little bad.
"Tabito, we’re dropping off lost items too, right?"
"Yeah. At least the ones where we can identify the owner."
That’s something I’ve decided.
Weapons and armor aside, things like notes or personal belongings—I try to return them to the Guild.
Not for the sake of earning some prestigious title, but because I think I’m the only one who can do it.
I don’t want to go into detail, but… I even found a will.
I want to use my abilities for something I can be proud of.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. The magic cores have been verified. I’ll now officially register you as an Explorer!"
"Thank you. So, what exactly changes from here?"
"It’ll be listed in your occupation field, so requesters can view it. Also, people looking for party members will be able to see it."
"I see."
Yeah, like in a game—if you’re looking for a mage, you’d search online.
If I think of it like that, it makes sense.
"By the way, what does your field say, Milfie?"
"Umm, what was it again, meow?"
Curious, I asked Karin to show me.
[A-Rank＋] [Warrior] [VIP Escort Specialist] [Bounty Hunter] [Transporter]"Whoa, she’s got a ton of tags..."
"Milfie is amazing. Especially ‘VIP Escort Specialist’—that only goes to adventurers who are truly trusted."
"Hehe, ehehe~"
Milfie’s bashful smile is adorable.
Or rather—she’s seriously impressive.
"It’s not that big of a deal. Compared to Tabito, I’m nothing. Besides… if we added something like ‘Teleportation’, things would get out of hand."
Milfie whispered that to me secretly.
“Out of hand”… now I’m really curious, but I hold back.
"Here’s your new tag."
The new tag Karin handed me had a drawing of an explorer on it.
For some reason, it was a bird—but apparently, the first explorer was a bird tamer.
That night, we went straight back to the inn.
Yeah, yeah, life is feeling pretty fulfilling right now.
"Yo! Today’s meal is omurice!"
And Rildo’s cooking was, as expected, the best.
The next morning.
After taking on another request at the Adventurers' Guild, I opened the door to head back into the dungeon—only to find a ridiculous number of people.
"We were here first! Stop pushing!"
"Hah! You think someone would join a party like yours?"
"H-Hey, isn’t that Tabito!?"
Huh?
Everyone suddenly turned to look at me.
And then—they all rushed forward.
"Hey! Want to join my party!? It’s full of A-Rankers, and we’ve got mages too! Great benefits!"
"Oh my, come with us instead! It’s all cute girls, and we even have a hideout!"
"Hold up! We’re a warrior corps! Tabito, come with us!"
From the back, Karin was being crushed by the crowd as she yelled out.
"U-Umm, a rumor spread about you becoming an Explorer! And, well! Everyone wants you in their party!"
Huh?
"I knew it… meow, meow~!?"
Milfie had that “I figured this would happen” look—before getting swallowed by the crowd.
W-W-W-What do I do!?
Are Explorers… really that amazing!?
What do you think about this chapter?
