Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: The Newbie Hero Recruits Companions
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One day before the dungeon opened.
Ruel's party all stepped onto the portal heading to Raider together.
Pew—!
"Ughhh!"
"Ruel still gets motion sick from portals, huh."
"I-I just can't get used to it... But this is that Raider!"
Ruel was thrilled to arrive in Raider, the hottest city in the current empire that he'd only heard about in rumors.
But...
Clatter clatter clang!!
"Huh?"
"Grab them!!!"
"What did I even do wrong!!!"
The city seemed incredibly chaotic.
Eyes soon turned to the Lowell party, who had been in the city the longest.
"Sorry, but staring at us like that won't..."
"Huh?! Eric, aren't those beastkin?"
"Yeah, they are."
Eric and Serkan spotted ears and tails on the fleeing figures, who looked human otherwise.
The two adventurers' faces fell.
"So that's why the city's in such a mess."
"The guards must be exhausted."
"Um... I've never seen beastkin before. Is there something wrong with them?"
"Tons, and I mean tons."
The two adventurers gave Ruel, who was seeing beastkin for the first time, a crash course in beastkin trivia.
"The beastkin from Bestria live by survival of the fittest, and their society revolves around blood ties to the powerful."
"Why is that..."
"In short, petty theft is everyday life for them."
What humans saw as minor crimes were utterly routine for beastkin.
The strong take from the weak.
What could be simpler?
To beastkin, the city's shopping district was basically a free-for-all.
In the end!
"You think you weaklings can catch me?! Then come and knock me down right here!"
"Here!! We need backup here!"
"Damn beastkin scum!!"
The beastkin rampaged through the city streets.
And the city's public order crumbled fast.
******************
The guards were pitiful thanks to the beastkin causing havoc.
But they needed to secure a place to rest before nightfall.
Fortunately, the imperial family had given the three heroes massive funding, so money wasn't an issue.
Hyrim's party took on finding an empty inn, while Lowell's party escorted Ruel and Liberia to the adventurer's guild so they could enter tomorrow's dungeon.
Creak!
"Welcome... Huh? Look who it is! Eric and Serkan!"
"Yo! Long time!"
"Man, you've packed on some pounds."
"Forget my weight—worry about yourselves backing up Hero Lowell properly."
Lowell's party, with its famous high-rank adventurers Eric and Serkan, was known to everyone here.
Plus, the papers had reported they were traveling with Ruel, so everyone recognized him too.
"Ooooh! So this is the famous hero—the girl!"
"Nice~ Meeting a celeb thanks to Eric and Serkan!"
"Really glad to meet you, Hero!"
"But who's that cold-faced girl?"
"Oh, academy uniform?"
The adventurers paused at the mysterious girl, Liberia.
But when she introduced herself, she just said she was Ruel's classmate.
"Ah, right—Hero Ruel's a second-year from the academy?"
"So the academy connection lasted all this way!"
"Man... that's friendship."
""Hahaha... ""
In truth, they had zero connection back there.
But everyone was seeing it in a positive light now!
No one corrected the misconception.
Amid the warm welcome, Ruel and Liberia quickly got their adventurer certifications.
"My adventurer cert!"
"It's different from the ones I knew."
"Have you seen adventurer certs before, Miss Liberia?"
"H-Hero, everyone... just call me by name. I've long since given up on titles and power."
"""Oh..."""
Everyone pitied the girl who, despite her youth, wore the face of one who'd surrendered.
Ruel, expecting a different vibe from the adventurer's guild he'd imagined, asked a question.
"Ah... it's only been recent."
"What was it like before?"
"Adventurer guilds were made by jobless sword-swinging layabouts who couldn't even join the army, just to make a buck. Management was a mess, atmosphere was toxic."
"And with hero parties around~ regular adventurers were treated like dirt and had crap personalities too."
"But the adventurers here have such sparkly eyes?"
"Ruel's right. It's amazing."
"That's all thanks to the Abyss Depths."
With hero parties worldwide endlessly challenging the Abyss Depths, dungeons everywhere were wide open.
They could gather spirit stones and specialties from sky islands via the Abyss Depths.
And procure all sorts of goods via the sea.
Adventurers' baseline had skyrocketed.
"In short, everyone's fat and happy now."
"Think about that guy at the entrance! Gut like a balloon..."
"Pfft, yeah."
"I knew from reports that this dungeon was good for the empire. But I didn't realize the impact was this huge."
"Makes sense for Liberia."
"Yeah... Huh?! Your turn now? Ruel, Liberia, good luck!"
""Yes!""
Afterward, Liberia and Ruel smoothly obtained certs for the Abyss Depths and got various warnings from the instructor.
"Don't gooo!!! Don't go if you're not skilled enough!! Don't challenge the main dungeon!!!"
"Yes?"
"What..."
"Sigh... You're all too young. Even sky islands or the sea can traumatize you for life if you're careless!"
""Eek.""
The instructor helping with cert exams was a holy knight from the church order. He'd seen many who entered dungeons meet bad ends.
Like rookies blinded by pricey abyss coins—what happens to them in the main dungeon?
Instant death, obviously.
Not heroes or seasoned warriors, they'd suffer phantom pains torturing their bodies.
And it wasn't just the main dungeon.
Sky islands: butchered by spirits.
Ruins: crushed by golems or traps.
Even the sea: lucky if drowned—instead, ghost ships and undead might finish you clean.
Having seen folks return home traumatized by such gruesome deaths, the instructor explained.
So the two girls were briefly scared by his advice to be extremely cautious.
But the hero girl and her follower had to press on.
While they bragged their certs to everyone, the guild suddenly grew chaotic.
"No way..."
"Nah?"
What else could cause chaos in the city?
Beastkin, obviously.
So what was stirring the guild?
"Hand over info on that wolf-man from the dungeon!!!"
"""Sigh..."""
A silver-haired female warrior with wolf ears and tail was yelling in the adventurer's guild.
***********
Remember those beastkin insta-killed by Ferguson at the dungeon entrance?
The ringleader this time was Skala, the silver wolf tribe's female warrior leading that pack.
Furious at her humiliating death, she'd quietly gathered info to challenge Ferguson again.
But beastkin rampaging in the city meant no one would tell her anything.
Rejected everywhere, she stormed into the guild and flipped out.
"Uh... Who's the wolf-man that silver-haired beastkin lady's talking about?"
"Probably Mr. Ferguson."
Perk!
"Gulp?! I'm in deep shit— what do I do?!"
"Farewell, Serkan."
"We won't forget your sacrifice, Serkan."
"You'll suffer a bit."
"W-Was it my fault?!"
"Ruel, Serkan was just careless."
The silver wolf's ears twitched big at Serkan's words.
Meaning she'd heard him.
Lowell's party shook their heads at Serkan's grim fate.
"You!!! There!!"
"Oy vey..."
"If I were to advise Serkan, just spill coolly and split—best move."
"G-Good luck."
"Ughhh..."
To quickly ditch the charging silver wolf, Serkan spilled what he knew.
But he heard shocking news from her.
"Mr. Ferguson was that strong?"
"He turned me into a retard!! Sob!! Now I can't even get married!!"
"N-No, say that quieter."
Skala's pathetic cowering before Ferguson? All surviving beastkin saw it.
She'd been demoted from young beastkin leader.
Serkan had heard from the knight captains not to mess with Ferguson when around them.
Now he knew why.
From what the female beastkin ahead had endured!
"Isn't that just reaping what you sow?"
"Shut up!!"
"So you're heading to challenge Mr. Ferguson?"
"Yeah! I'll reclaim my honor!"
"Uh... good luck with that."
Skala would die a ton to reach Ferguson.
What could you do?
Serkan pitied her future.
As they exchanged info and parted,
"Um... Are you challenging the dungeon too, Miss Skala?"
"Huh? You?"
Ruel looked at Skala with sparkling eyes.
***************
Skala clearly looked like a powerful warrior.
Ruel thought it'd be great to have her in the party and suggested traveling together temporarily.
"H-Humans... together..."
"What do you think?"
"Hmm..."
Honestly, Skala was being shunned by beastkin now, so Ruel's offer was a godsend.
Lowell's group watched, wondering if they should stop it...
Or let it be.
They whispered so Liberia couldn't hear.
Whisper whisper.
'In the end, party member choices are up to the hero Ruel. I got ditched a bunch before meeting you all.'
'Shouldn't we pick more carefully?'
'Better to take the first hit. Plus, Ruel's party already has three frontliners.'
'C'mon Martin, our party's a disaster combo and we survived.'
'And with Ruel's affinity, it'll work out somehow?'
Lowell's party was stacked with four near-frontliners, all macho dudes.
So Ruel's three-frontliner setup would be fine too.
Thus, Skala temporarily joined Ruel's party.
Ruel figured she'd fight for leadership.
"Ruel, you're party leader."
"Huh? You sure?"
"After that mess, I don't think I'm fit to lead."
Beaten badly by Ferguson, reality-checked Skala was surprisingly obedient.
But the problem...
"Hmm..."
"Tch..."
Cold city girl Liberia and fiery Skala were like water and oil.
Both eyed Ruel, so it seemed okay for now.
Yeah, it'll work out!!
—Lowell's party thought, then freaked.
"Uh... You're looking for party members this time?"
"""Ruel?!!"""
Ruel approached a female elf recruiting at the guild like she was mesmerized!
Lowell's group—minus priest Martin—knew the elf very well.
""Aresa?!"
"Did you finally get discharged?"
"Huh?! Hero Lowell! Everyone!"
It was Aresa, the troll elf they'd met via strategy team when first encountering Lowell, Serkan, and Eric.
*************
Aresa had once joined Lowell's group and a hero party, reaching the mid-boss first in the world.
But after being turned into a donut by nameless Anima, her death trauma worsened.
She'd been in a mental hospital since.
"Hahaha... Hero, everyone, sorry about back then."
"N-No, it's fine. You're so bright now—relieved."
"You were super dark then, and now..."
"Hehe, I thought a lot in the hospital. And Queen Elfrida stepped up—I can't just sit!"
Queen Elfrida had visited the mental hospital for image control once.
Aresa was one elf who'd sobbed holding her hand.
Plus, inspired by "Steel yourself!" when donutted to death, she'd steeled herself against death now.
Regaining her sanity, she aimed for the dungeon!
[ The dungeon will be closed for 3 days. ]
"Eek?! Gotta find a new party!"
Balak's personal issue shut the dungeon doors, disbanding her hard-won temp party.
So she came to rebuild.
And caught Ruel's eye!
Thus, Ruel's temp party formed.
But to the guys watching...
Uh...
L-Let's sum up.
Super happy newbie hero Ruel.
Black-hearted cold urban swordswoman Liberia.
Brainless hot-blooded silver wolf female warrior Skala.
Mental elf mage Aresa, bomb waiting to blow.
Put together... Th-This was!!!
The birth of a total disaster party!