The Portal's Mystery
Rumiel
The novice adventurers and instructors around him were still watching Rumiel with bated breath, their excitement palpable. Among them stood out one man with a notably bald head. Unlike the other novice adventurers who were completely at a loss, he had a clear intent to speak, his hesitation evident.
He stood there for a long time, then made up his mind and slowly approached Rumiel.
“Hey… are you alright?”
Level 33, which was quite high for the early continent. James checked Rumiel's status and nodded to himself, muttering under his breath.
“Ah, you seem fine.”
Then he scratched the back of his head, his expression ambiguous. It seemed he had something to say but couldn't easily bring himself to speak.
Rumiel looked at James and tilted his head. Only then did James gather his resolve, clearing his throat once.
“Hmph! You have truly remarkable courage.”
Then, hands on his hips, with a firm expression, he continued.
“The audacity of jumping down from that high place without a second thought. And the physical prowess to endure that impact!”
James's eyes sparkled.
“From what I see, you have the makings of a warrior!”
“Warrior?”
Rumiel reflexively looked down at his own hands. Ordinary, slender hands. Hands with no muscles, soft and tender.
James also glanced at Rumiel's hands and paused. Then, after a moment, he spoke again.
“…Even if your arms are slender and soft, that's fine!”
Rumiel's puzzled look made James speak even more passionately.
“Even if you look weak now, with proper training, you could have impressive muscles!”
His voice was filled with conviction. Without being asked, he stripped off his clothes to show off his bulging muscles.
“Normally, class changes are only possible at level 10 or above, but thanks to the special privilege of a class change instructor, I can immediately change you to a warrior!”
James puffed out his chest and tensed his abs.
“Become a warrior! Train your sturdy body and obtain power stronger than anyone else!”
He clenched his fist and held it up. But Rumiel still had an odd expression. This NPC was quite passionate. If he had been a newbie back then, he would have immediately changed to warrior.
But while saying that, Rumiel had no intention of changing to the warrior class. He couldn't even if he wanted to. Because ‘Rumiel’ was already a max level character at the pinnacle of the priest class.
But James, not knowing that, kept trying to persuade Rumiel.
“Warriors guarantee strong survivability in all situations! Strong defense, tough stamina, and overwhelming physical attack power!”
Rumiel listened blankly to James's explanation. Just listening was somewhat entertaining, and the warrior instructor's passion was somehow admirable.
But then,
“Wait, I dropped this.”
Suddenly, a voice from the side made Rumiel's ahoge stand on end.
Rumiel slowly turned his head, and a familiar face appeared.
It was the novice adventurer he had met near the Greedy Slime. He looked at Rumiel, took something out of his pocket and handed it over.
“This is yours.”
In his hand were one Village Return Scroll and 5,000 gold.
Rumiel was momentarily stunned. And his ahoge stood up straight again.
“Quest reward. Piolo told me to give it to you.”
The novice adventurer was handing over the items with a proud expression. Rumiel looked at him with a stiff face. The novice adventurer saw Rumiel's reaction and smiled proudly. It seemed he hadn't expected that the one who would come to claim these rewards would be Rumiel.
“No need to be surprised. After all, you were the one who dealt with the Greedy Slime, and I was just in the way.”
He scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly. But Rumiel didn't react to his words. Just quietly, very quietly—
Slowly, he turned his head upward. And looked at the high path in the distance. The entrance to the novice village where Rumiel had been standing just a moment ago. In Rumiel's common sense, to come down from there, one would have to jump directly.
Rumiel turned his head back to the novice adventurer. Looking at him, he slowly opened his mouth.
“…How did you get here?”
“Eh?”
The novice adventurer was momentarily dazed. As if not understanding the words, he just blinked.
“What do you mean?”
But Rumiel was serious. With sparkling eyes, he asked the same question again.
“…How… did you get here?”
In the old days, when Rumiel was a newbie. When his HP was under 100. How much sacrifice Rumiel had made to come here. He had bought a revival item, the ‘Wheel of Fate’, for 3,000 cash. Now it might be a small amount, but for young Rumiel in school days, when each coin was precious, it was a huge sum. The memory of Rumiel's past, where he sacrificed even a Pika-doughnut pizza to change classes, flashed before his eyes.
But here. In the current reality, buying cash items is impossible. But how did the level 8 novice adventurer manage to reach this place? Rumiel wanted to hear the method. No, he had to hear it. Because the reactions of the people on the Ojakgyo just before were not something that could be called ordinary.
That means these people didn't come here by Rumiel's usual “super hero landing” on the Ojakgyo. So how did they come down? He was curious. Really curious.
The novice adventurer looked at him with a puzzled expression and was flustered. For some reason, Rumiel's approach, slowly coming closer to him with sparkling eyes, was both pleasing and absurd.
“W-w-what… by… the portal for novices up there.”
“…Portal?”
The moment he heard the answer, Rumiel's ahoge shook wildly.
“Was there a portal?”
The novice adventurer looked at Rumiel with a strange expression.
“Eh… you didn't know?”
Rumiel looked up at the path to the novice village with a dazed face. After a while, Rumiel's ahoge, which had understood the truth, shook violently.
◈ Returns you to the village
At that time, Rumiel's mind was filled with confusion. The novice adventurer cautiously spoke, waking Rumiel's consciousness.
“Are you okay? Maybe… can I help you with something?”
His voice was deliberately lowered like before, making it husky. The novice adventurer was still trying to maintain the appearance of a ‘strong oppa’. Even though everything was revealed, he was quite persistent.
Rumiel reflexively looked at him and let out a small laugh. And, suddenly, an idea popped into his mind.
Rumiel looked at the warrior instructor James standing beside him and quietly opened his mouth.
“Instructor oppa.”
“Eh? Ah, ah, oppa…?”
James looked at Rumiel with a hurt face for some reason. Rumiel asked with a very calm face.
“By any chance, is that class change privilege… transferable?”
“Hm?”
James, hearing the question, stroked his chin and fell into thought. He hadn't expected such a question, so his face was full of confusion and surprise.
“It's possible… but…”
Suddenly, Rumiel grabbed the arm of the novice adventurer beside him. And stood him in front of the instructor, nodding with sparkling eyes.
“Eh?”
The novice adventurer, too surprised to speak, just gaped and stared blankly at Rumiel. James was the same.
Rumiel looked at them and smiled faintly without saying a word. Then, he leisurely turned and left.
The novice adventurer and the instructor left behind were still staring at each other with dumbfounded faces.
“…What the heck?”
“Ah, um… hello?”
“…Hello.”
The novice adventurer looked at the instructor staring at him with a dazed face. The instructor also had a dumbfounded face, satisfied with the sudden student but still dazed.
Meanwhile, Rumiel's footsteps, urging him on his way, were light.
“I told him about the portal too, so it's a small repayment.”
I hope he thinks of it as a small reward for that. The novice adventurer seemed to want to become a strong being, so becoming a warrior wouldn't be bad.
“Wait a minute!”
Suddenly, the novice adventurer shouted at Rumiel. Was there something to say?
Rumiel stopped and turned around. He still had a red face. He hesitated to continue speaking, but nevertheless, with eyes tightly closed, he gathered courage and said one thing.
“…You! Wh-what… is your name?”
Rumiel looked at him for a moment. The novice adventurer's eyes were full of various complex emotions. Embarrassment, shame, fluttering heart, anxiety, joy.
Rumiel smiled faintly and slowly opened his mouth.
“Rumiel.”