Chapter 2
Chapter 2
The Adventurer Formed a Party
“Um, Leader. Is something wrong?”
“…No. Nothing’s wrong.”
For a moment, I was caught off guard by the sudden window that appeared. But I quickly regained my composure.
One of the few truths I had learned living in this world was simple: keep your heart cold, and your mind colder.
“I’ll just review the contract for a moment. You did sign it rather hastily.”
“Oh, y-yes!”
Elena fidgeted with her fingers and sat awkwardly on the sofa, unable to even lean back properly.
If you treat people too kindly, they climb over you. That’s just human nature. I let her stay tense.
While pretending to skim through the paper, I checked the window that had appeared.
It didn’t require any physical interaction. It simply responded to my will, displaying its contents.
『Skill “Dice of Fate” LV.1』
“You can ‘reconstruct’ the fate of others.”
“Currently, the only available category for reconstruction is ‘Stats.’”
“One die is consumed per reconstruction.”
“…Hah, damn it.”
So it really was a dice of fate.
To put it simply, it was a reroll system.
In roguelike games, such systems were everywhere—essential tools for refining builds and making gameplay satisfying.
But in R.O.F., there was no reroll system. You just prayed for luck like an idiot.
『Your records are being evaluated.』
“Play time: 88,000 hours”
“Achievements obtained: 1,024”
“NPCs encountered: 5,820”
…
“Allocated dice: 15,644”
“Current dice count: 15,644”
The number looked huge, but I couldn’t afford to relax.
There were many unknowns—how many dice higher-tier rerolls would cost, or how low the odds of getting desired stats could be.
I exhaled slowly.
“Alright, the contract itself is fine.”
“Oh, th-thank goodness!”
I already understood the situation.
Now I just needed to assess Elena’s worth.
If she had potential, I’d invest in her properly. If not, I’d train her minimally and eventually outsource her as a mercenary.
Name: Elena
Level: 8
Class: Warrior
Weapon Aptitude: Axe
Strength: 3 Agility: 10 Intelligence: 7 Stamina: 1 Charisma: 3
Skills: “Berserker of Crimson Eyes”
…Huh.
A seedling worth nurturing can usually be recognized at a glance.
But this one?
Completely hopeless.
A warrior with axe affinity, yet Strength 3 and Intelligence 7.
Realistically, Strength should be at least 8. That’s basic logic.
Agility 10 was decent, but for a warrior, agility was only secondary.
This was a bad roll. A very bad one.
Elena shrank even further under my gaze.
“Um… have you been to other parties before?”
“Ah, y-yes… about five. I even visited the Bluekill party once…”
“Bluekill? That’s a fairly well-known group around here.”
“Yes… but I was only given menial work…”
“Hm.”
This was actually a test. Not of her history—but of her personality.
In this line of work, trust was rare. Betrayal was common.
Someone who talked too freely about themselves was dangerous in their own way.
“You should stop saying things like that from now on. Even if your leader asks.”
“Huh? A-ah, yes…”
“It’s like advertising your weak points.”
“I-I understand…”
Elena lowered her head.
I didn’t have the luxury of being picky either.
Even a trash-tier stat sheet like this had to be accepted—for now.
“Let’s talk salary.”
“Y-yes! Thank you very much, Leader!”
Elena bowed again.
I ran the numbers quickly.
I had about 60 gold left from my remaining retirement funds.
I couldn’t afford to dip into personal savings for party expenses.
“50 gold per month. Six-month contract. How does that sound?”
“…F-fifty?”
Elena froze.
Exactly as expected.
“Take it or leave it. With your lack of experience, this is already generous.”
“I-it’s not that I dislike it…”
Her voice trembled.
In truth, I may have been too harsh.
In this world, even a high-ranking adventurer earned around 100 gold per month—but they also had to pay for all their own gear and supplies.
50 gold would barely cover food and maintenance.
“…Um, Leader…”
“What is it?”
“…In my previous party, I had to pay 1 gold just to stay…”
“…What?”
“Yes…”
What kind of monstrous party was that?
They were charging her rent just to exist?
“Bluekill.”
“…Again?”
“They said I was useless. That I should pay for the privilege of staying…”
I sighed.
That wasn’t exploitation.
That was extortion.
At this point, concern outweighed pity.
But at least she wasn’t lying.
“Don’t worry. I’m not like them.”
“Th-thank you…”
Thus, the contract was finalized.
The rest would be proven in the field.
“Tomorrow morning. We’re heading into a dungeon.”
“…R-right away?”
“We’re adventurers.”
“Understood.”
She nodded stiffly.
After she left, I prepared as well.
I didn’t particularly want to enter a dungeon myself, especially in my condition.
But throwing a rookie into one alone was no different from murder.
“Damn it… I’m already crippled, and now this…”
I sighed.
Then I checked her status again.
Something caught my eye.
“Berserker of Crimson Eyes…?”
I focused on it.
Skill: Berserker of Crimson Eyes LV.1
Grade: Hidden
Effect: Increases Strength and Agility when in a “rage” state (up to +20)
“…Hidden?”
Very rarely, NPCs in R.O.F. were born with innate skills.
And those skills often defined their entire value.
Elena had one.
A hidden skill.
A warrior with Berserker-type potential—for only 50 gold a month.
“…How did I miss this?”
A chill ran down my spine.
Then I looked at the contract fee again.
This was not just a bargain.
This was absurd.
“…Heh. So luck hasn’t completely abandoned me.”
My injured leg throbbed.
Things had just changed.
“Let’s use the Dice of Fate. Target: Elena’s stats.”
“Rolling dice…”
“Stats adjusted: 5 / 5 / 6 / 0 / 8”
“Again.”
“Rolling dice…”
“Stats adjusted: 10 / 2 / 10 / 1 / 1”
“Again.”
“Rolling dice…”
…
The dice kept rolling.
The Next Morning
7:00 AM.
The city gate was always crowded.
This free nation, Primera, had no real laws or order. Everything was based on instinct and power.
It was ruled by the three strongest adventurer guild leaders.
Naturally, it was the perfect place to start a guild.
Today was our first dungeon expedition.
After a month of struggling, the Siu Party was finally going on its first real mission.
“L-Leader! Sorry I’m late!”
Elena finally arrived.
But the moment I saw her, my expression froze.
“…Elena.”
“Yes, Leader!”
“You said we were going to a dungeon, right?”
“Yes!”
“Then what is that?”
“Pardon?”
She pointed at a massive backpack, larger than her entire body.
“I was told to prepare thoroughly…”
“You’re bringing that into a dungeon?”
Inside the bag were food supplies, water, meat, vegetables, a portable generator, a knife, even a stuffed toy.
“…What is the stuffed toy for?”
“It’s Kuma-kun…”
I sighed deeply.
This wasn’t preparation.
This was a picnic.
I took the torch lighter from her bag and tossed it aside.
“L-Leader?!”
Before she could react, her supplies ignited.
“Listen carefully, Elena.”
My voice turned cold.
“This isn’t a trip. It’s a dungeon.”
She swallowed hard.
“Inside are monsters, traps, and death.”
I handed her a rough axe.
“Your job is simple. Crush their heads.”
“…Heads?”
“Yes.”
Her expression trembled.
“If you don’t like it…”
I leaned closer.
“Then die.”
For a moment, Elena looked like she was going to cry.
Then—
The fear disappeared from her eyes.
Good.
That was better.