[CHARACTER STATUS]
› Name: [Ryan]
› Level: 70 — Rank: B
› Class: Priest
› Title: Wolf Hunter.
› Strength: 1,000 | Magic: 748 | Agility: 700 | Psyche: 1,120 | Defense: 1,230 | Luck: 100 |
› Available Points: [100]
› EXP: 90,000 / 250,000
'My stats improved a lot. Though based on how this world works... it shouldn't be possible, but now I have stat points very close to A-rank. I should become A-rank upon reaching level 95, shouldn't I?'
'I feel like I'm cheating, but it's ridiculous for a human to end up in another world without any warning. At least I have this advantage; otherwise, what would become of me?'
Ryan sighed as he continued reflecting.
'However, with the church being so insistent, I must be careful about how I use my hidden skills...'
...
After the long journey, they entered the adventurers' guild and went to speak with Sophia, who received them with lingering doubts in her eyes.
Ryan thought she was probably curious to know what the duke had said to them in that sudden meeting.
"I'm not telling you anything," Helen told Sophia, who kept staring at them.
"I don't care about you telling me anything; I'll find out later anyway," Sophia replied, crossing her arms and looking away.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just give me the quest details," Helen exclaimed.
"Helen, you're always so impatient," Ryan intervened. Instantly, Helen turned to look at him with a pout, puffing out her cheeks.
Ryan turned to look at Mirian and added:
"Learn from Mirian; she's always calm. No, wait... at least since we left the dungeon."
Mirian clung to Ryan's arm and stuck her tongue out at Helen.
"See, you brute? He prefers me."
"You dummy! Get away from him!" Helen grumbled, pulling him by his other arm.
"That's enough," Ryan intervened, making them fall silent.
After a moment, Sophia handed him the quest details.
Since it was a direct request from the guild, they didn't have to worry about the rule of finishing in under a week. Or so they thought, as Sophia told them those materials were needed urgently, and she expected them back in ten days at most; if they took longer than that, then the agreement would be canceled, and they would have to pay the penalty for the previous quest.
Sophia clarified that it would actually take four days to reach that city, and she estimated they would return on time if they didn't do anything crazy and focused solely on fulfilling the quest.
"And don't fail the quest this time, you idiots! If you do, I'll revoke your licenses!" Sophia threatened them.
Ryan's group made a dismissive gesture. They left the guild, headed to a transport caravan, and climbed aboard after paying their fare. Only the three of them and an old man were traveling in the same carriage.
"The journey will be long, and we'll make few stops, so hold on tight," the carriage driver said before moving forward.
The journey was relatively smooth. Although they encountered monsters along the way, they didn't need to step down from the carriage; the simple fact that Mirian was there was a huge advantage for everyone.
She only had to shoot arrows from the carriage, and in a matter of seconds, she would finish off any threat.
By nightfall on the fourth day, they finally arrived at the border city.
The atmosphere in that city was quite lively, and they saw more people than they expected.
'How can a place be so densely populated when they have the threat of the demon king so close by?'
"I haven't been here since I was a little girl," Mirian commented.
"Really? And did you come with Helen?" Ryan asked with curiosity.
"No, we didn't even know each other back then."
Helen leaned forward slightly to look at Ryan's face as she walked.
"Yeah, I met this idiot about four years ago," Helen replied mockingly.
"I see. That explains why you two are such good friends."
"We don't get along!" they complained in unison.
As they walked through the city, Ryan paused for a moment. A little girl with blue hair was floating in the air wearing a normal dress that was neither elegant nor noteworthy.
She floated as if it were nothing, and no one seemed surprised.
"Inspect."
But what he saw left him somewhat surprised.
A Wizard, but her stats were all at 100 points. And her Psyche was rapidly decreasing as she drifted away, maintaining her position in the air.
'No rank? It must be because she's just a child. But her title is Cursed Mage; how strange,' Ryan evaluated in his mind as he watched the mysterious girl disappear in the distance.
"Hey Ryan, don't get distracted, let's look for an inn," Helen exclaimed, pulling him from his thoughts.
"Alright."
And they kept walking toward an inn; they needed to rent a place to stay during those days. Before entering the inn...
An anxious voice echoed in the distance.
"Please help my daughter, please help her."
A man came running directly toward the inn, carrying a very young girl. She could easily pass for an elementary school student.
The man was shouting that his daughter had been poisoned.
The man entered the inn.
"Please help," he screamed, seeking help from the adventurers inside the inn.
Since Ryan's group was supposed to enter that same inn, they went inside as well; the man was desperate.
"Ryan, maybe you should help her," Mirian suggested.
"We shouldn't get involved; it's better to let them give her some potion," Helen commented.
"Well, whatever, I'll just do it..." Ryan commented and approached them; the girl's father was kneeling on the floor with the girl in his lap.
"Make way, Ryan will save her!" Mirian exclaimed.
"Save her? Is he a healer?" the girl's father asked.
"Yeah, something like that," Ryan said.
"Are you serious? Can you help her?" The girl's father stood up.
"Of course," he affirmed. Ryan stepped closer and pointed his hand toward the girl's stomach.
"Recovery."
The girl opened her eyes and began to cry upon seeing her dad, who embraced her. The gathered crowd applauded Ryan's feat, and then Mirian approached.
"I thought this intervention might benefit us in some way."
"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.
"Well, how should I put it... helping her will make us known quickly, and maybe we can find a mage here who wants to join the party so we can return to the S-rank dungeon," Mirian explained, winking at him.
"I see, you're right." Ryan approached the little girl and patted her head.
"Alright, starting today, don't disobey or worry your parents, understood?"
"Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Healer," the little girl thanked as she hugged her father.
Then the system notification sounded.
[Debt collection applied]
[Debt Bonus: +50 points]
[Debt Bonus: +45,000 EXP]
Once everyone calmed down, Ryan sat in one of the chairs at a table inside the inn. And while talking with Helen and Mirian...
A shrill, high-pitched voice began speaking to him from nearby.
"Fu fu fu, you adventurers are in luck."
The voice came from a blue-haired girl, her height quite similar to that of the girl Ryan had just healed.
'This brat is the Wizard. What is she doing here?'
"What do you want from us? Brat, you'd better go find your parents," Helen told her in a curt tone.
"Helen, don't call her that. Can't you see she's really cute? She looks so adorable," Mirian said, placing a hand on the young girl's hair and starting to stroke it.
"I'm not a child! I'm the most powerful mage in this city!"
"Yeah, right," Ryan looked at her sideways.
'I'm going to ignore her.'
"Don't ignore me! You were talking about recruiting a mage, right?"
She held her head high and added:
"Well, here I am!"