Party Member Reroll

After the duel, in the central plaza.

"Damn, that thing's got a gorgeous finish."

Jun gazed at Sil-iens — the sword etched with mysterious wave patterns and runic script — and smiled with deep satisfaction. He had been staring at it for several minutes already, and still the grin refused to leave his face.

"Tch. You like it that much?"

"Of course I do."

Fortuna, spearing a piece of cake with her fork, grumbled as if she were jealous. Under normal circumstances he would have set the sword aside at once and soothed her — but for the moment, she would have to wait. Sil-iens was simply that fine a weapon.

The three most critical attributes of any blade — cutting power, durability, and aura amplification — all sat at Medium-High, the absolute ceiling for a Silver-grade item. On top of that, it carried one of the most coveted elemental engravings of all: Wind Manipulation, the single most versatile magic among them. Functionally, it outclassed more than a few Gold-grade weapons.

Which was precisely why certain adventurers — people who, like Trichi, appeared to be backed by the Merchant Coalition — had come at him with threats and alternative offers, trying to reclaim Sil-iens. Jun had refused every one of them. Instead he had leveled the sword at their faces and returned threat for threat, warning them to watch themselves. That had almost certainly locked him into open hostility with their faction — and he did not regret it in the slightest. Sooner or later they would have become enemies anyway. There was no point straining to keep the peace.

Besides, even as enemies they hardly seemed like a real threat. The Lightning Storm he had unleashed at the end of the duel must have left a lasting impression; when he casually wrapped Sil-iens in a light coil of wind and electricity just to make a point, their faces went deathly pale and they fled as if their lives depended on it.

"Hell, I'd have done the same. That Lightning Storm still gives me the creeps just thinking about it. Look — goosebumps."

Tatsu shoved his arm forward to prove it, the skin pebbled with gooseflesh. Jun had no desire to examine a burly man's muscular arm in detail, so he scowled and flicked a spark of electricity from his fingertip. Tatsu yelped and yanked the arm back.

"More importantly, buddy — mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Questions all of a sudden? Something about the duel bug you?"

"Yeah. Feels like there were a few things that never made it into your self-introduction."

At that, Jun cast a sidelong glance around them. A great many people were leaning in with ears pricked, waiting for him to open his mouth.

He's covering for me, isn't he.

Tatsu already had a complete party. He had no personal reason to press Jun with questions like these. The only explanation was that he wanted to head off the inevitable hassle before it started — to let Jun answer everything in one clean sweep so the crowd would leave him alone.

Looks thick-headed on the outside, but he's surprisingly thoughtful underneath.

Jun was genuinely grateful for the consideration. He needed it right now. After the duel he had intended to leave the cleanup to Carol and Yuna and go find Pirbyon, to have the dwarf inspect Sil-iens — the blade had made an alarming cracking sound during the fight. He had abandoned that plan almost immediately. The spectators from his duel with Trichi had lit up with interest and started trailing after him in a glittering, eager pack.

Jun had not spoken with Pirbyon at great length, but the man was clearly a prickly old codger. Showing up at his forge with a noisy entourage in tow would irritate him no matter how fond he was of Jun.

They're following me because they have questions. If I answer Tatsu's, they'll peel off on their own.

Decision made, Jun tucked Sil-iens away into Dowonhyang and settled into a posture that said, Ask away. Taking the gesture as silent consent, Tatsu began.

"How the hell did you tank Trichi's poison like it was nothing? You didn't look even slightly affected."

"I've been taking the Potion of Growth for a long time. Most of my resistances are extremely high because of it."

There was more to it than that — the physical reconstruction he had performed through Realize, and the Blessing of Health granted as compensation for dying unjustly — but he could hardly say any of that out loud, so he left it unmentioned.

"And how did you draw that much power out of Sil-iens's magic? Even if your aura outclassed Trichi's, the gap in output shouldn't have been that massive."

"Tatsu, you seem to have forgotten because I'm holding a sword — I'm a mage too."

Aura, mana, or psychic power: any of the three could drive an item (though older models sometimes ran on mana alone). Their natures had diverged through the cores, but all three shared the same root — mana. That did not mean their output was equal. Psychic power specialized in concepts; aura specialized in reinforcement. Mana, the force that became something else, produced superior results when channeling an item. Even when aura was used to reinforce a weapon, the special ability itself still hit harder when triggered with mana.

"Is that really all? I've seen an adventurer who awakened both an Aura Core and a mana core use items before. The difference wasn't anywhere near that big."

"What do you think is the second most important factor in driving an item, after mana itself?"

"Imagination and willpower, obviously… wait. Super-Intelligence! The trait!"

"Exactly. I used Super-Intelligence to visualize the output I wanted, then trusted the trait attached to it — Endless Willpower — and spent willpower without holding back. That was the decisive factor."

Reinforce the weapon with aura. Activate the magic with mana. Control everything with psychic power. The overwhelming force that had stunned the crowd was the product of those three actions fused into one.

"I already thought it was a solid ability because it wouldn't get pushed around by the Demon Castle's traits — but hearing this, it's way better than I gave it credit for."

"It's not only useful for items. When you activate any supernatural ability, whether you fire Super-Intelligence alongside it makes a huge difference in power. People treat Super-Intelligence like some boring office skill, but it is absolutely not a boring skill."

"Don't get worked up about it, man. The higher your reputation climbs, the more the public perception will bend your way."

Apparently Jun had been quietly stewing over the fact that Super-Intelligence — the single greatest contributor to everything he had achieved — was undervalued by the world at large. To cool the heat rising in his chest, he reached for the peach juice he had ordered earlier.

The cup was far too light. He had taken only a single sip, and somehow the contents had vanished.

"…"

"It wasn't me! Dohwa drank it all!"

"I—I am deeply sorry. It was so delicious I could not help myself."

Jun fixed a long, pointed stare on Fortuna, the prime suspect. She pointed at Dohwa with an expression of pure injustice. It was no lie — Dohwa's face had gone scarlet as she apologized. The little one had quite the appetite, come to think of it. Maybe it came from spending so long as a seed.

Jun took her circumstances into account and, rather than scold her, quietly raised a hand to call the waitress.

"One more drink, please."

"And another cookie set!"

"Wait — you're still eating?"

Jun recoiled and stared at his two wives. Criticizing someone over food was generally poor form, but he had to ask. The two of them had already polished off an entire chocolate cake several times larger than their own bodies — mini-mini mode bodies, that is.

"It's fine! I can still eat more!"

"This humble one is also capable."

"You're going to turn into pigs."

"Nuh-uh. For doesn't gain weight."

"This humble one is the same."

"…Fine. Add a cookie set as well."

Grit.

"Understood. Please wait a moment."

For some reason the waitress ground her teeth as she wrote down the order, then bowed and vanished at speed. Why did her retreating back look so pitiful?

To punish the angel and the divine beast who had wounded a woman's heart, Jun jabbed them both repeatedly with a terrifyingly pointed index finger. The angel bared her teeth and lunged at him; the divine beast blushed shyly and copied the motion.

"Buddy, play with them all you want — but answer just one more question for me."

"There's still more?"

"Yeah. And it's the most important one."

Tatsu said it while sweeping a look around the plaza the same way Jun had earlier. Every adventurer whose eyes met his held the gaze without flinching, silently pleading. Turning back to Jun, Tatsu delivered the message the surrounding adventurers so desperately wanted spoken.

"You said you'd become a party leader and start recruiting members, right? When are you opening recruitment?"

"Shortly."

The answer came immediately — but not from Jun. He smiled and turned to greet Carol as she approached.

"Welcome, Carol. All finished with the cleanup?"

"Yes. The Merchant Coalition side protested that Sil-iens was an item they had lent to Trichi and demanded its return, but I told them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flatly that the responsibility lay with Trichi and they should take it up with him."

"Thank you. And sorry for dumping the hassle on you."

"Not at all. That's my role."

Carol said it, then cast her gaze around the plaza once more.

"It will also be posted on the notice board, but anyone wishing to join the party Jun is forming should submit an application at the counter. Anyone who attempts to contact Jun through any other method ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠will receive a guild-level penalty. Please keep that firmly in mind."

"That seems like overstepping."

"The guild shouldn't meddle so heavily in adventurers' affairs."

"Did you even ask his opinion before making that announcement?"

The moment Carol finished speaking, several adventurers shot to their feet and protested. Every ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one of them carried a formidable presence. The marks on their equipment suggested each belonged to some organization or another. They fixed Carol with high-handed glares.

Carol did not so much as blink.

"Jun is under the Church's Special Protection Status and is a priority support target of the guild. Both organizations intend to spare no protection or support, and in exchange have been delegated certain ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠authorities. This is a contract established with Jun's consent, and the application process I just described is his own preference."

"Both organizations are backing him? Tch. We're screwed."

"Damn it. They moved first."

"I will file a formal complaint regarding this matter."

They grumbled and sat back down. Carol surveyed the plaza in silence, as if inviting anyone else who had something to say — but no one raised a hand or stood.

"Full details will be written in the notice board announcement. There are application requirements, so please review the notice carefully before applying. That concludes the announcement. Jun — is there anything you would like to add?"

Every gaze that had been fixed on Carol swung to Jun. The weight of those stares was considerable, and he nearly said no on the spot — until he looked at Tatsu in front of him, reconsidered, and rose to his feet.

Then, channeling a character he had once adored, he declared with absolute confidence: