Don't Hype Me Up as a Super Rookie
The sickening sound of meat and sinew twisting filled my ears.
Crunch— CRACKLE—!
“Graaaaagh!”
My muscles coiled like pretzels. The sensation of being forcibly stretched past their limits hit me as pure agony.
It’s breaking. It’s actually going to break.
Then that mechanical voice rang out again.
Checking compatibility with possessed skill Swift Sword.
Skill fusion requirements met.
Fusing C-rank skill Feather Step and C-rank skill Swift Sword.
......
Acquired B-rank skill Wind Blade.
“What? Fusion?”
Skill fusion? What the hell was going on?
“Wind… Blade!”
But panicking would only waste time. The only thing that mattered was whether this power could reach the monster’s throat.
Shwooo—!
A green aura exploded from the tip of my dagger. An overwhelming storm of wind clung to the blade.
“Haaaaaaaah!!!”
I launched myself into the air, slashing across the harpy’s neck as I passed.
Slice.
The cut felt so light it was almost imperceptible, lighter than slicing through empty air.
“Krrgh!”
I hit the ground and rolled immediately. My body couldn’t handle the momentum and kicked up a cloud of dirt.
When I looked back…
“Goddammit…! It didn’t do anything?!”
The harpy was still floating in the air. A chill ran down my spine as I realized I’d failed.
That was when it happened.
“Kii… kiiiiii—!!!”
The harpy’s eyes began to lose focus. Its pupils rolled upward until only the whites showed.
“Did it work?!”
A thin red line had appeared around its neck. Then, the very next instant—
WHOOSH—!!!
The harpy’s massive head shot into the sky. Blood gushed from its body like a fountain, soaking the meadow.
I clenched my fist and let out a cheer.
“Hell yeah!”
The headless corpse finally lost its balance and crashed down.
BOOM—!!
The impact was so heavy the entire ground shook. A storm of dust erupted where it landed…
“…Wait. That spot is…”
Exactly where Mina had been standing.
“Mina!”
I screamed and started running toward her.
But the moment I took that first step—
Crack! Crunch!
“Aaaaaaaaagh!!!”
The muscles and bones in my legs twisted together in a grotesque knot. Pain slammed into me, so intense I couldn’t even think of moving.
“Krrgh…! Move! Please!”
I instinctively understood. This was the backlash from forcibly replicating the harpy’s speed and movements.
So this is the penalty from that forced optimization or whatever the hell it is? Goddammit, the timing couldn’t be worse!
Even so, I dragged my body forward.
“Mina!! Minaaaaa!!!!”
I clawed at the ground with my nails, crawling desperately toward her.
“Hey! Mina! Are you alive?! Answer me!!!!”
“Ugh… aaaah…!!!”
Mina was pinned beneath the harpy’s wing, struggling. I forced my screaming arm muscles to shove the wing aside.
“Mina! Thank god! Are you hurt?!”
“I’m not hurt so just get me out of here already…!!!!!”
Fortunately, Mina was completely fine aside from being a little dirty. I let out a sigh of relief.
+++++
“Haaah… I’m alive. Thanks, Nixie.”
“If you’re thankful, how about paying back what you owe?”
“That’s a separate issue.”
Only after I pulled Mina free could I finally collapse spread-eagle on the ground. Every muscle in my body was screaming.
It hurts like fucking hell…!!! I’m serious…!!!!!
Mina stared blankly at the harpy’s severed head with a dazed expression. She approached the corpse with trembling hands, picked up the magic stone it had dropped, and examined it from every angle.
“…It’s definitely an original. The density of the magic stone is completely different from a lesser harpy.”
Her eyes had turned golden. She was probably using Precision Appraisal.
“Everything about this is great, but why the hell did a harpy original pop out on the first floor?”
“Beats me. What’s certain is that this is something the guild needs to investigate.”
Mina walked over to me.
“How’s your body? Your legs—do they hurt a lot?”
“……”
I answered with nothing but ragged breathing.
Wind Blade was definitely powerful. But the price was just as steep.
They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch in the labyrinth. My body’s been turned into complete garbage.
Astaroth’s Blessing strengthened me, but it always demanded an equal price. On paper my output was that of a B-rank or even A-rank explorer, yet this new body couldn’t handle it.
If I kept pushing like this, I might eventually explode from the inside.
I looked at Mina and spoke as calmly as I could.
“…I’m fine. This much is just itchy.”
“Liar. Your blood vessels are all twisted up. It looks painful just watching you.”
“…No, I’m okay. Really.”
I said that, but I was actually on the verge of death.
+++++
The walk back to the guild was silent. Every single step sent my muscles into convulsions of pain.
When we finally reached the explorer guild in District 2, I was barely standing.
“Ugh… guuuurgh…”
“You look like complete shit. Are you really okay?”
“I said I’m fine…”
Still, Mina’s worry was completely understandable. My clothes were soaked in blood and torn to rags, my hair was a wild mess, and now my legs had started spasming. I looked like half a cripple.
I dragged myself to the reception desk and slammed the sack down.
“Call the branch master out. Why the hell did something like this appear on the first floor?”
The receptionist’s face turned pure white the moment she checked the contents.
“Th-this… is a harpy original?!”
Her scream acted like a signal flare. The entire guild began to stir.
Explorers who had been drinking knocked over their chairs as they stood. Everyone stared at me with disbelief.
“A harpy original showed up on the first floor?”
“That little girl is the one who killed it and came back?”
“A harpy original is at least B-rank, right? So she’s B-rank?”
The stares stung. Mina nudged my shoulder and whispered in my ear.
“Wow, who would’ve thought a fifteen-year veteran D-rank explorer would receive this much attention?”
“…It’s honestly embarrassing.”
Right then, Branch Master Gallidus descended from the second floor.
He examined the spoils one by one before letting out a hollow laugh.
“Heh… heheheh! A harpy original! I can’t believe it even after seeing it with my own eyes.”
He seemed to be recalling the measurement stone results. Every stat—strength, agility, stamina, magic power—had come back as E-rank. Yet the result was a B-rank monster subjugation. It was completely illogical.
“I can’t tell if the measurement stone is broken, or if you’re simply an irregular that can’t be measured by ordinary standards.”
“…Who knows.”
“I’m starting to get confused. In the forty years I’ve spent in this city, I’ve never seen or heard of anyone like you.”
Because Gallidus had spoken loudly, the surrounding commotion grew even louder. The word “super rookie” began circulating among the explorers in earnest.
“At that level, couldn’t she eventually reach S-rank?”
“She might even be a Z-rank candidate, right?”
Z-rank? Aren’t they getting way too worked up?
Z-rank explorers. The five beings who stood at the absolute peak of Labyrinth City Astaroth, far surpassing even S-rank.
I remember hearing that among the Z-ranks, the Iron Demon King Valter Cromwell single-handedly defeated an army of twenty thousand from one nation.
In short, they were transcendent beings closer to natural disasters than humans.
Before I knew it, the corner of my mouth had curled up slightly. The old me from my previous body had been a bottom-feeding D-rank whose name no one even bothered to remember.
But the pleasant feeling lasted only a moment. Praise was sweet, but standing out in Astaroth was no different from drinking from a poisoned chalice.
“This… getting this kind of attention is pretty dangerous.”
Mina tilted her head at me.
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“Becoming famous means becoming a target.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? Super-large guilds might scout you. For example… the Seven Stars guilds or something.”
“Just imagine the Seven Stars guilds fighting each other to recruit me.”
They’d definitely bite and tear at each other like rabid dogs. And I’d be the shrimp caught between those whales.
“Ah……”
Mina finally seemed to understand and nodded.
“So. This should be enough proof, right?”
I hardened my expression and urged the branch master. Right now, tangible rewards mattered more than the praise coming from all sides.
“Of course. There’s no room for doubt about your achievement.”
Gallidus looked at me.
“However, I cannot promote you to B-rank immediately.”
“…Why not?”
I had solo-killed a B-rank monster. Promoting me to B-rank right away should have been the natural course, right?
Gallidus looked down at me and answered my puzzled question.
“There are procedures. You need a recommendation and must accumulate more documented achievements.”
“Then what happens to me?”
“We’ll register you as C-rank for now.”
Gallidus scribbled something on a piece of paper, then handed me a single card.
It was an explorer card.
Explorer Card
Name: Nixie Ocelot
Rank: C-rank
…For some reason, it feels strange.
It was the promotion I had desperately wished for over fifteen years. A rank I could never reach no matter how hard I struggled back then had fallen into my hands in just a single day.
“Miss Nixie.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll grant you qualification for the B-rank promotion test right away. There’s no need to challenge it immediately, though.”
Gallidus’s eyes sharpened. Without another word, he slid a single request form toward me.
“Subjugate the boss monster Mordraine that rules the Reverse Aqueduct on the fourth stratum.”
“……Fourth stratum.”
I had been to the third stratum a few times, but the fourth was an unknown territory I had only read about in books. In my previous life, I wouldn’t have even stepped foot near the entrance.
Gallidus seemed to read my expression and added,
“You are free to refuse. Those without confidence to return alive usually settle where they are.”
“……”
I gripped the newly issued explorer card tightly. Cold sweat had formed on my palm, making the smooth surface slick.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t afraid. But for some strange reason, my heart was pounding.
With this body, maybe it’s possible. The absurd dream of conquering every floor, reaching the deepest part, and making a wish.
It was time to say goodbye to the life of desperately struggling as a D-rank for fifteen years.
That’s right.
I would do it. I would push all the way to the end and resurrect my precious friend no matter what.
“I’ll do it.”
I gave a short answer and left the guild. Mina followed silently behind me like a shadow.
“Good. The next goal is B-rank promotion.”
But before that, I needed to sort out my equipment.
I stared straight at Mina and opened my mouth.
“Mina. Lend me some more money.”
“Ugh……”
* * * * *
Deep in the night.
The door to the explorer guild opened.
Creeeeak—
The atmosphere inside the guild froze instantly. The explorers who had been raising their glasses shut their mouths as if on cue. The receptionists lowered their heads, and even the branch master stood up to show respect.
The woman who entered through the door spoke.
“The air in this place is still terribly filthy. It feels like it might ruin my mood.”
She approached Gallidus with a gentle smile.
“I heard a super rookie has joined.”
“……Are you referring to Nixie?”
The woman smiled. It was an elegant smile that concealed a blade sharpened to a razor’s edge.
“Nixie. What a cute name.”
She tapped Nixie’s registration documents on the desk with her fingertips and continued.
“A brand-new recruit who just registered managed to hunt a harpy original. I can hardly believe it.”
“……Yes. That is correct.”
“How interesting.”
The woman’s smile grew even deeper.
“Will you tell me everything you know about that child? If you refuse…”
She opened her fan wide.
“Oh dear, it might really put me in an extremely bad mood?”