Tutorial Boss Matches the Party and Takes in Elena
I'd matched up the party for the tutorial boss fight and taken Elena under my wing. She felt surprisingly light in my arms as I carried her. I shot Jeina a look, and she sealed the deal with the final verdict. The winner: Elena. Darko hadn't been a match for her after all.
"B-Bro..." Darko looked up at me from where he lay sprawled on the ground. "You and me, we go way back, right? How can you side with some girl you've barely known for a few days... I-I'll do better, I swear... Let's just call this match off, yeah?"
"You started this shit. You deal with the consequences yourself."
"Y-You know who I am. That lord won't let this slide."
Darko had parachuted in as a sword instructor thanks to his noble connections. Even I, an A-rank adventurer named Eck, had gotten a message from one of the nobles' lackeys asking me to look out for him and help him settle in. If I stuck my neck out before the nobles weighed in, I'd just catch unnecessary backlash. And this idiot didn't even seem to grasp what he'd done.
"Unbelievable. The nobles won't cover for you tripping over your own dick."
"Bro...!"
"Shut your damn mouth before I feel like killing you."
"Guh..."
I started helping Elena toward the guild but stopped short.
"Darko."
"..."
"Maybe you should thank the lord. If it weren't for him, I'd have killed you already."
"E-Even now, you're... joking like that? Not funny..."
"Does it sound like a joke?"
Ridiculous.
"I'm sure the lord's got some killer jokes up his sleeve too."
"......Huh?"
I didn't need to look back to know what his "huh?" meant. He'd finally realized the power he'd been wielding was now turning around to choke him out. He went dead silent, like a mouse.
The next day, the guild was buzzing as usual. Adventurers chugged booze from midday on, swapping stories and news with the merchants mixed in among them.
Merchants had a keen eye for A-rank adventurers.
"Hey, that's the guy, right?"
"A-rank adventurer, the Black Wolf Eck."
"The one who took a newbie straight to C-rank in one go."
Eyes started drifting my way. Being an A-rank drew attention enough, but raising Elena like that had really hooked them.
Thud.
Jeina set down her glass.
"Getting popular must feel nice."
"Unwanted attention."
I tilted my glass, ignoring the stares. But I couldn't plug their mouths.
"Three days? Beat a C-rank in just three days?"
"The way that girl dodged that bastard Darko's attacks... like this. Not even most C-ranks move like that. Just lacks raw power, but give her time—she could aim for B-rank."
"So, the girl's better than Eck? How blessed is she?"
"Nah, the girl has talent, that's why she grew so fast."
The chatter from one corner drilled into my ears. It grew louder.
"But honestly, Eck's the impressive one. Talent's useless if the teacher's a moron."
"Thought he was just some boozehound thug."
"A-rank's not for show."
Adventurers stole glances at me. I pretended not to notice. Bunch of idiots. They couldn't judge people for shit—that's why game-Elena went through hell. But I didn't bother arguing.
Fine, keep misunderstanding if you want.
If those rumors reached Elena's ears, she'd firmly believe it was all thanks to my guidance. If I hyped her talent and they hyped my teaching, I wondered which side she'd buy into. Looking forward to that.
"And take this."
Jeina plunked a pouch on the table.
Thud. It hit heavy, coins jingling and clinking as they settled.
Money.
"Settlement from yesterday's bets."
"Not bad."
"Merchants have been flocking lately, so it piled up. Scored a nice cut myself, thanks to you."
"You bet on Elena too?"
Jeina smirked.
"Rebecca sis said if Eck's dead set on something, follow him. He sniffs out winners like nobody's business."
"That so. She's still the same, huh."
"But Eck."
"What now."
"When you gonna meet up with sis?"
"..."
Rebecca. My old colleague. She shows up in the game too—after Elena kills Eck, she sneaks into hunting grounds to mess with her. Straight-up, Rebecca couldn't beat Elena. But as a monster tamer, she'd aggro forest beasts into a mock monster wave. Even Elena struggled against dozens at once—got gangbanged by monsters more than a few times. For all her vengeance for Eck, though, Rebecca was always curt with him in my memories. And I'd once thrown her into a monster horde myself. She'd even given birth to one. Meet up with that woman?
"Why the hell should I?"
"Uh... m-maybe I overstepped. I'll head out."
I lifted my empty glass. Jeina refilled it and brought it back.
That's when the adventurers who'd been eyeing me cautiously stood and sauntered over.
"Um... Eck."
"What do you want."
"Take us as disciples?!"
"No."
My answer was flat. The female adventurer sat beside me, sliding her hand onto my thigh.
"Not even me?"
"..."
I slammed my glass down. It hit with a sharp thunk, rattling the table. They flinched.
"Get lost."
"S-Sorry..."
Rejected outright, they slunk back to their seats, pouting.
"You took Elena but not more?"
Jeina brought food—my usual breakfast fix. Meat chunks in sauce. I speared some with a fork and chased it with booze.
"One's hassle enough."
I tore into the meat and downed more drink. Approaching Elena first was pure self-preservation—a surefire lottery ticket. Not because I wanted to play teacher to those clowns.
Jeina sat across from me, propping her chin.
"Got something to say?"
"Me? Heard a juicy secret from sis."
"Secret?"
Jeina cupped her hand like a wall and whispered.
"Darko's fired."
"Would've been weirder if he wasn't."
Sword instructors were guild figureheads. Whether Elena outclassed her rank or had killer talent, a C-rank losing to an I-rank smeared the guild's rep. This world values fame highly. It's hard to build, so no patron could shield Darko from blame.
"Sword teacher beaten by an I-rank? Who'd train under that?"
Jeina grinned. Her face lit up for some reason.
"Never have to see that creep's mug again—such a relief. His meaty paws spanking my ass hurt like hell. It'd be beet red by quitting time, remember?"
She rubbed her own butt. Whatever.
"But that's not the point. Darko was handling one job..."
Jeina leaned in, voice dropping lower.
"Sis's message: wants someone to fill his spot."
She glanced at me slyly.
"What about Eck?"
"Me clean up his shit?"
"Just asking your thoughts. But~ if you stepped up, it'd save sis face. Maybe even forgive some old beef?"
"Hm..."
Bitter taste in my mouth—cheap booze or her pitch? Hard to tell.
"Depends on the job. What's the gig?"
"Troll extermination in the eastern woods."
Troll. B-rank monster. Smaller than an ogre but twice a man's size, with insane regen and innate Green Magic. Quasi-boss tier, full of patterns.
"Troll blocking trade routes, merchants taking hits. Darko was on it—planned to lead rookies for experience."
Explains the merchant surge today. Troll jam.
"Deadline?"
"Within a week."
A week. Troll event's in the game too.
Going by the script?
But things were diverging. Normally, failed troll hunt shifts the quest to adventurers. Side quest—optional. Not protagonist-exclusive.
Darko takes it and flops, huh.
Rookies couldn't handle variables. Overreached for cred at peak season, bombed hard.
Still kept his job? Patron's bigger than I thought.
Guild master's wary at least. Didn't appear in game, but Eck's memories narrowed it down.
"If I say no?"
"Ask other adventurers? But it'd take at least a fortnight. Trade blocked that long, merchants suffer, prices spike... Elena might struggle to make ends meet."
Jeina grinned, pointing at my empty glass.
"Another?"
"Cheeky."
I held it out.
"Gotta thank Elena. I like this Eck better."
"Tch. Just bring the booze."
"Yessir~."
I clicked my tongue and chugged what she brought.
Rookies vs. troll.
Darko and his guild overseer cronies' greed. They'd brag, "We can take a troll with rookies alone!" Power and clout for them. Predictable.
Still, overkill for rookies.
I could solo it in under a day.
But their bravado complicated shit. Good thing I had a card.
Bring Elena.
Real combat vs. B-rank. Lord's request too—success means name-dropping to bigwigs. Elena needs fame. Start building rep now.
Perfect timing. Gear's done—test run.
I downed my drink. Bitter slide down my throat.