Chapter 5
Chapter 5
“Elain…”
“Aah! My head again!”
“Elai—”
“Hyah!”
“El—”
“Die!”
…
…yeah.
The dungeon raid went smoothly.
The Crimson-Eyed Berserker, finally tasting blood after a long time, kept pretending to lose consciousness while smashing goblin heads to pieces.
Her maid outfit was drenched in blood and guts, but she wore a refreshing smile like she had just finished a sauna.
“…I’m sorry, party leader. I lost control again.”
“I understand.”
Of course she “lost control.”
She was just enjoying herself too much.
Still, thanks to that, I managed to collect goblin materials comfortably.
“Leader. A forked path.”
She stopped mid-swing of her axe.
“It’s likely a path toward a named room.”
“Named?”
“Yes. A stronger-than-average monster.”
A stronger monster.
Her grip tightened on the axe.
Good enthusiasm.
Unfortunately, I had no intention of going further today.
“Let’s head back for today, Elaine.”
“…We’re not going further?”
“Yes. Moderation is important. We’ve achieved our goal, and there’s no need to take unnecessary risks.”
I lifted two bags dripping with blood.
Inside were around 200 goblin ears.
Elaine had killed more, but I simply ran out of space.
Going further would only waste stamina.
And—
Her eyes were getting redder. More feral.
The Crimson-Eyed Berserker skill boosts stats with rage, but that’s just text.
This was a real world.
A berserker soaked in blood could lose control at any moment.
An uncontrollable ally is more dangerous than the dungeon itself.
“…Okay.”
She agreed surprisingly easily.
Maybe her affection for me was higher than expected.
“I’ll carry them, leader.”
“I can manage.”
“No, your leg is injured.”
“…Alright, thank you.”
The first dungeon raid of Siwoo Adventurer Party ended successfully.
Returning from a dungeon alive is every adventurer’s number one wish.
Just walking out intact deserves applause.
As we exited the Green Ear Dungeon, all eyes turned to us.
A limping man and a blood-soaked maid.
No one even needed to speak; space was automatically made for us.
Nice.
I walked toward the camp office.
Inside, the clerk froze when he saw us.
“You… again?”
“Siwoo Adventurer Party. We’ve completed the raid and returned.”
“O-Oh…”
He quickly regained composure and marked the paperwork.
“Well done.”
“Oh, there’s an extra fee. I’ll pay it.”
“No need.”
He waved it off.
Good.
As expected.
He had a 2-star badge on his collar—someone fairly high-ranking in the Carlos Adventurer Guild. Probably had enough authority to waive small differences.
He studied us carefully.
A crippled leader. A blood-covered maid.
“…Are you from the Northern Berserkers?”
Sharp guess.
Elaine hesitated.
“Sorry, that’s private information.”
I cut in smoothly.
The man adjusted his glasses.
“My apologies.”
Then he handed me a card.
Business card.
Carlos Adventurer Guild. Kaoli, Dungeon Management Division, section chief.
So he was high-ranking.
“Visit our branch sometime. I’d like to talk.”
“An honor.”
Interesting.
This was probably recruitment.
As we left, Elaine leaned in.
“Who was that guy? Why was he so rude to you?”
“Carlos Guild. Big organization.”
“…So we’re making friends?”
“Business partners. Not friends.”
“…oh.”
Her expression darkened slightly.
Then she smiled brightly.
“I don’t care if someone pays me 100 gold. I’ll stay with you, leader!”
Yeah, right.
Let’s see how long that lasts once she understands her value.
“…I’ll believe you.”
A carriage arrived.
The horse panicked when it saw us.
Probably fair.
Back in the city, evening had fallen.
The smell of people hit us, and my body finally relaxed.
My leg screamed in pain.
“Good job today.”
“No, you worked harder, leader.”
Even the berserker looked tired now.
“Go home and rest.”
“…Home?”
Right.
She didn’t have one.
“Leader, where are you going?”
“Guild. Reporting. Processing loot.”
“I’ll come too.”
“…sure.”
After she “washed” herself by falling into a well, we entered the Adventurer Guild.
The old clerk recognized me and panicked.
“W-What now?!”
“Processing loot.”
I placed the bag on the table.
The smell made him recoil instantly.
“203 goblin ears.”
“...Confirm?”
“Open it if you want.”
“No need!”
He quickly paid.
I checked the money carefully.
Good.
“Ah.”
A missing 1000 silver.
“Here.”
He reluctantly corrected it.
Perfect.
20 gold, 3000 silver.
Our first income.
Elaine’s eyes sparkled.
She had once paid 1 gold just to exist in another party.
Now she saw real money.
I casually handed her two gold coins.
“…For me?”
“First raid gift.”
Her hands trembled.
She looked like she might cry.
Yeah.
Cry more.
That’s good.
After a moment, she bowed deeply.
I leaned back, satisfied.
Then I checked her status.
Name: Elaine
Level: 10
Class: Warrior
Weapon: Axe
Strength 15 / Agility 12 / Intelligence 2 / Stamina 1 / Charisma 0
Skills: Crimson-Eyed Berserker, Flash Step
Level 10.
Finally a proper adventurer.
And she learned a new skill.
Flash Step.
Agility-based attack skill.
Too bad she’s not an agility build.
Still usable.
With Berserker mode, her stats spike enough to trigger it.
Not bad.
I exhaled.
“Finally, some rest.”
Dear Teddy,
It’s me.
I’m doing well in the city.
I joined a new party.
This one is different.
They don’t kick me out for not paying gold.
They even take me into dungeons.
I made a mistake and got my leader injured… but he forgave me.
He’s amazing.
He’s my prince.
He has beautiful hair, sharp eyes, and he smiles like he’s hiding something.
And he fights with only one leg.
He reminds me of a white bear.
He even gave me gold and told me to bathe.
That must be… a proposal, right?
Next time I go home, I’ll bring him with me.
Your friend, Elaine Loveholic.