Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Record - 1
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As soon as we entered the forest, I ran into that red-haired adventurer who had hurriedly fled the scene earlier.
Denying that she was a stranger wouldn't do any good.
No matter how I looked at her, it was a familiar face.
In the end, Senior's reaction nailed it down.
That woman was indeed the famous ranker, Amelia.
"The guild master is on the 1st floor..., no wonder recruitment fell through."
Priya's wailing seemed to echo in my ears.
She couldn't possibly be here, tied up on the 11th floor until she caught that demon.
For the request I got from the receptionist sister—the Slime Extermination quest—catching just five would be enough.
If slimes took too long to kill, my low level would hold us back, but Senior or Amelia wouldn't waste time on them.
If the goal was to clear the request quickly, that's surely how it would go.
"You're really okay with this, right?"
"If you're that worried, go plug her mouth yourself."
"If rumors spread and more people flock to the 1st floor, it'll hurt you too! Why are you so calm?"
"Right now..., I'm not exactly calm."
I watched the two bicker.
It seemed impossible to wrap this up quickly.
'How long are they going to keep talking just between themselves? I want to hear the next intel already.'
If I'd known this would happen, I should've just listened quietly when Senior shifted the topic to info on the upper floors.
Late regret washed over me for interrupting.
Stopping him mid-sentence and throwing out my question had been reflexive.
It just didn't make any sense to let it slide.
For that brief moment inside the smithy, the atmosphere between Senior and Harman had been off.
Harman showing bewilderment at that nameless sword.
Senior's expression hardening more and more.
Harman had even teared up, embracing the blade with his whole body the moment he completed it.
There was no way reacting like he didn't know who made it was normal.
Yet Senior came out and casually brought up the 12th floor like nothing happened. It was too strange to ignore.
There was definitely something between him and Harman.
"If you want to achieve that goal, it's better not to know."
But his response jolted my drowsy mind awake in an instant.
Senior probably meant it as "no need to answer," but it revived the goal that had faded over the past few days.
There was no need to question incomprehensible actions.
Not understanding them wouldn't hinder my own objective anyway.
Fame, power, records.
Catch up and surpass in every way, until I finally bested the Sword Saint—
"Hoo..."
Honestly, I had no idea.
It wasn't like I didn't care, but letting emotions drive me was even less my style.
Harman and Mariel, the 1st floor and the 11th.
There were clearly multiple secrets I didn't know yet.
The reality where neither knew of the other's existence was a profound tragedy.
When Harman regained his memories, I'd felt sorrow at the sight.
When I first saw Mariel, I'd been bewildered by the situation.
But in the end, I realized it had nothing to do with my goal.
With climbing demanding all my focus, I had no spare energy to get hung up on every little mystery.
Senior's advice not to listen was probably for this reason.
If I hadn't met Senior or spotted his uniqueness with my trait, he wouldn't have shared intel either.
If there was no benefit to me, would I have bothered caring about their lives?
Was completing the sword Harman longed for truly to quench his thirst?
Was the time pondering Mariel with Senior out of genuine worry for their bond?
Or was it because I saw thickening ties with Senior as ultimately profitable for me?
Let's be a bit more honest.
Even following him into the forest wasn't purely out of worry for Senior, was it?
Seeing his dark expression, I'd thought he needed to shake it off quick to get the 12th floor info properly.
I knew exactly what kind of person I was.
Better than anyone.
"I'm no position to judge Priya either."
Maybe everyone who enters this tower—her included, perhaps all adventurers—isn't quite right in the head.
Stress relief, confirmed.
Comparing me to those two would be an insult, but I'd conquered the 11th floor in my own way, so slimes were easy pickings now, proof of my growth.
My first slime hunt had been tough—unfamiliar sword feel, that soft, slimy surface.
Exaggerating a bit, it was like barely grazing its cheek.
But now? Two or three swings ended one.
A clean hit sometimes shattered the core in one go.
No worry of counterattacks from these monsters. Nothing easier in the world.
Three slimes cleaved at once.
Wait, four?
"Whoa, feeling extra strong today?"
"......"
"Hey, wait! Leave some for me! What if you hog them all?!"
In the meantime, another slime pack got massacred.
Completely immersed in his swordplay, Senior didn't even reply to Amelia.
"The guy who usually grabs exactly five and bolts like clockwork—what'd he eat today?"
"Huh? What'd you say? Missed it."
"Nothing. I'll hunt somewhere else."
Realizing proper hunting next to Senior was impossible, Amelia moved.
The problem? Right toward me.
"Ahem. You're doing well with the slimes?"
The Amelia who'd bolted from the request office and hidden behind Koon pretending not to exist.
Now she approached me first.
"Why'd you deny it? You are Amelia."
"Ugh. Can we skip that?"
"Why's a staff user wielding a sword...?"
The Amelia I'd seen on screens was perfection incarnate.
One command to control her guild's full might, blasting paths through hordes with overwhelming firepower.
Seeing her in the tower with my own eyes made that perfection vivid.
Sharp gaze, commanding voice laced with intimidation.
Composed demeanor, aura of a true powerhouse.
No one aiming for this tower wouldn't idolize her.
But now, even her records didn't impress me much.
The spots for her flashy gear were filled with low-grade equipment, no different from mine.
Chatting with Senior, approaching me—it all clashed with the Amelia in my head.
In common terms—
"My illusions are shattering..."
I'd rather forget it.
"You won't spread it around, right?"
"......"
"Seriously, no!"
"Yeesh, fine, I won't..."
Amelia hunted slimes beside me.
First time seeing her with a sword.
No showed mages wielding blades.
Her current look? No one would guess mage.
The rank 1 guild master's swordsmanship... was just okay.
Maybe my standards rose after Senior and Instructor's spar, but it fell short of expectations.
Less technique, more level gap suppression?
No need for finesse against slimes, sure.
"Never seen him hang with anyone. Actually, no other adventurers come down here this early."
"I've never heard of a ranker on the 1st floor at a time like this either."
"Training someone personally? Not like he's skipping climbs for successor grooming."
Amelia seemed curious about me and Senior's relationship.
Even I, the party involved, couldn't define it clearly.
Not just adventurer-to-adventurer, but no label fit perfectly.
We weren't climbing together, so not companions like Priya.
Friends? Hardly.
Senior advising a junior seemed closest.
"Nah, nothing like that. I'm not rocking a Unique trait like some."
"Traits helped me, sure, but climbing taught me other factors matter more. Different grade doesn't mean you can't reach my level."
'What? Amelia had a Unique trait too?'
I'd meant Priya.
I didn't know her trait name, but she'd shared the grade.
Priya explained the recruitment pitch hinged on that high grade.
Amelia was hooked by Priya's aggressive moves in the fight, but the grade sealed it.
Even pulling her from guard custody to bring her along? Clear intent to raise her properly.
But Senior, thinking my trait was Common, wouldn't see potential in me.
He'd skipped parts of his 11-floor journey in stories.
*
*
Amelia and Senior both.
Seemed they'd never seen a trait grade change before.