Chapter 67
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Good Connections
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The first thing that came to mind was a question.
A buff?
On me?
Following the doubt, what tickled my heart was resentment.
Even as I thought there was no way I'd be in this state if I had a buff.
Resentment passed, and in its place, a faint "maybe" bloomed, lifting my head.
Come to think of it, the adventurers I'd met since stepping onto this path had mostly been kind to me.
Ban was like that from the start.
Even though I wasn't wearing sunglasses and all I felt from him should have been disgust, he approached and treated me kindly.
It was the same after that.
Tori and the kids approached me without hesitation, offering their immature affection, and Shan started with suspicion but became a great pillar of support afterward.
First impressions hold enormous weight when judging people.
That's why forming good connections for someone like me was nearly impossible without a miracle.
Yet, good connections kept forming.
Marcel was the same.
He started by picking a fight, but once I proved I could pull my weight, our relationship warmed up in an instant.
Human relationships...
aren't this easy.
Once you've picked a fight, even if it's revealed I'm no burden, the normal reaction is to nitpick and make an issue out of something trivial.
It's normal to hate admitting you were wrong.
I wondered if I was being too pessimistic, but at least the people I'd encountered in this world mostly acted that way.
But...
Marcel didn't.
Just because Marcel has a good personality?
No way.
Marcel thinks simply and hates deep reflection.
He has a hot-tempered nature and a rather vicious streak.
He acts friendly toward me, but when dealing with others, his violent side shows without fail.
He was clearly kind only to me.
And not because he likes me as a person.
If it was just a game buff surrounding me, I'd be disappointed.
Not in anyone else, but in myself.
My heart sank heavily.
It felt like the connections I'd earned weren't from my own merit but forced upon me by the buff, filling me with self-loathing.
"...Fuck."
I wasn't happy despite winning.
I wasn't thrilled despite gaining so much.
The red potion forced down my throat made me want to gag, but I couldn't spit it out.
When I chose the subspatial bag, the bronze tag handed over with it was a little special.
A normal bronze tag was plain, just the name and issuing location.
But mine had an embossed wing emblem.
Engraving anything arbitrarily on an adventurer tag is illegal.
In the worst case, the tag itself gets revoked.
In that sense, this wing emblem carried deep meaning.
Proclaiming victory in the martial tournament.
Still, I wasn't happy.
A silver adventurer judging the event looked at me enviously and smacked his lips at my chosen subspatial bag.
I realized it was truly valuable, but my mind was elsewhere.
The silver adventurer gave a brief congratulatory speech, but not a word registered.
The apprentice adventurer tournament thus came to a close.
I left immediately.
Maybe because of the skills I showed on the arena stage.
Or the incident at the underground tavern.
Either way, no short-sighted fools tried picking a fight now.
I ran as fast as I could.
I shoved past a few people, but upon seeing my sword, they chose to step aside rather than get angry.
I arrived at the clearing where Shan and Marcel were.
They were training, clashing axe against spear.
So immersed they didn't notice me.
Actually, they had to be immersed.
The training was so perilous that losing focus meant your head could really fly off.
I had questions, but I held back and waited.
Even from over fifty paces away, the wind pressure from axe and spear tousled my hair.
At silver rank, they barely seemed human anymore.
They could rip goblins apart barehanded with ease, and with weapons, as long as not completely surrounded, they could dismantle villages like the goblin one I'd cleared—several of them.
One swing would dismantle three or four goblins.
Boom! A roar echoed.
Marcel failed to dodge Shan's axe and blocked with his spear shaft.
In that instant, his stance crumpled under the downward force.
Marcel yelled in desperation, swinging the shaft, but it lacked power, slowed, and Shan grabbed it.
Marcel laughed hollowly, frowning as he clutched his wrist.
Seemed like his wrist was sprained from the forced block.
"...Shan, Marcel."
The training seemed over, so I called out and approached slowly.
Tension hung in the air.
If the buff I had was really gone, how would they react?
Would they look at me with disdain like others?
Spit curses? Or maybe I'd take a few hits?
I swallowed dryly and drew near slowly. They looked at me with indifferent expressions.
"Oh, you're here? Heard you roasted that young master."
The utterly normal reaction loosened my tension, my legs nearly giving out—I almost collapsed right there.
"You already heard?"
"Yeah, didn't we meet? Those guys from the tavern brawl."
"We did."
"I sent them to cheer you on. They came back and told me how you fought."
So that's what happened.
Figures I'd wondered why they showed up out of nowhere.
They acknowledged me, but wouldn't cheer without reason.
More importantly, Marcel's attitude hadn't changed.
He rubbed his wrist, stood, and approached me. I flinched back a step, and he looked puzzled, lightly patting my head.
"They said you offered your neck and charged? Lucky the guy was green—don't pull that gamble often."
"I know..."
In ten fights, I'd lose at least seven.
That's why the game system rated it hard.
And why winning required tricks or gambles.
Unfortunately, my brain wasn't sharp enough for real tricks.
So it always boiled down to simple gambles.
Gambles staking my life.
"Get lucky once and repeat it, you might go down hard next time."
Marcel's warning was utterly reasonable, leaving me nothing to say.
I caught a hint of worry in it.
So, I felt relieved.
Even if the buff was gone, existing bonds wouldn't snap.
"...You crying?"
"I'm not. Just yawning."
I clumsily wiped the tear with my hand, and his visible fluster showed plainly.
Even that reaction matched the Marcel I knew, easing me further.
The buff vanishing didn't mean past connections vanished.
It meant new good ones would be hard to form.
If so, no problem.
I didn't expect much from relationships anyway, and as long as what was given wasn't taken back, I'd be content.
"Anyway, congrats on the bronze tag."
Marcel grinned and gripped my shoulder hard.
"Got nothing for the master who taught you so well?"
"Poison?"
"...Don't joke like that, scary."
He backed off awkwardly, and I didn't hide my smile.
Then Shan approached.
"You roasted that young master bad, so lay low for a bit."
"...Yeah."
I knew that.
Just prioritized figuring out the buff loss first.
In a brutal deathmatch tournament, sparing his life was my mercy.
But that's my view—the victim's might differ.
"Would he retaliate over this?"
"Maybe not him, but his escorts might not let it slide. World's full of misguided loyalty."
Hearing Shan and Marcel, worry crept in.
No way they'd assign weirdos to guard a noble young master.
The few times I'd seen them, their presence was impressive.
If one came with killing intent, I'd be dead before I could react.
"We can't help if it comes to that. Feuding with nobles is tough."
Shan was cold, but reasonably so.
Silence fell briefly, then Marcel broke it lightly, nodding at me.
"Best move? You go first."
"Me?"
"Bring a gift, pay a sick visit. Talk it out—if vibes are good, even loyal dogs won't bite right away."
"Haa..."
"Won fair in the tournament, why deal with this? Unfair, right?"
No trace of that feeling would be a lie.
"What can you do? Class society's a bitch."
"...Stealing my line."
"Anyway, I'll head out. Temple clinic, right?"
"I'll come too—wrist bone's cracked. Shan never holds back."
Saying that, he patted my back.
Couldn't protect me, but wanted to stay by my side—I felt it.
"...Thanks."
"For what?"
He grinned playfully, feigning ignorance, but his averted eyes betrayed him.
"...Come to think, I have temple business too."
Shan muttered casually and followed us.
"Jerk, can't be honest."
"I really do."
"Sure, sure."
Shan and Marcel bantered ahead, and I stared before nodding and following.
I did have 'good connections'.
And even without the buff, those two stayed by my side.
"Haa..."
I hurriedly wiped the sudden tears.