“This is no challenge at all.”
We had moved into the next tunnel with high spirits, but with the monsters proving so weak, we were making quick work of them. This was already our third shaft.
“What do you expect? You’re not going to get a thrill out of Small Rats and Slimes,” Jeff remarked.
“It would be a problem if enemies appeared that actually gave Jeff a challenge, nya. We’d be fine, but it would be way too dangerous for the G-Rank and F-Rank adventurers in the other shafts, nya,” Miya added.
“Our primary responsibility is simply to be present in the abandoned mine in case of an emergency,” Silia said.
Welanna shrugged. “But if we just stand around doing nothing, we won't exactly be setting a good example for the lower ranks.”
Listening to them talk and watching them fight—specifically their combat prowess, which was miles ahead of any bandits I’d encountered in this world—made me certain that they were all high-ranked. For that matter, I still wasn't entirely sure why I was part of this group.
“Hm? Is something the matter, Ryoma?”
“No, I was just thinking... everyone here seems to be a high-ranked adventurer. I was wondering why an F-Rank like me was placed in this squad. Was it just a favor from the Guildmaster? Because it’s easier to work with people I already know?”
“I doubt it,” Jeff said. “The old man is a meddler, sure, but when it comes to formal requests, he prioritizes ability above everything else.”
“It’s likely because if it were just the five of us, we’d have a hard time dealing with monsters that require magic to defeat,” Mizeria suggested. “I think your stamina and overall skill were highly rated, Ryoma-kun.”
“Ryoma-kun, we’ve been moving at quite a brisk pace,” Silia added. “I think an ordinary F-Rank adventurer would have their hands full just trying to keep up with us.”
Welanna nodded. “At first, I planned to slow down if you started looking tired. But since you were keeping up so nonchalantly, we just kept the pace as it was.”
Was that how it was? I hadn't even noticed.
“Ryoma, you’re definitely not F-Rank when it comes to actual skill. Not a chance,” Welanna continued. “What’s the biggest thing you’ve taken down so far?”
“If you mean the most formidable creature, it wasn't actually a monster. It was a Black Bear that lived in the Gana Forest.”
Upon hearing that, the five of them looked at each other with expressions that said, ‘I knew it.’
“An F-Ranker has no business fighting a Black Bear, nya. If you want to hunt one safely, you usually need a full D-Rank party, nya.”
“If you can hunt a Black Bear solo, I’d say you have the ability of a C-Rank, Ryoma-kun. Did you show that kind of strength to the Guildmaster?”
Now that they mentioned it, I had. “During my registration, the examiner for the practical test was the Guildmaster himself.”
“That explains it,” Jeff said.
“No doubt about it. He’s had his eye on you since the start,” Welanna added.
“So that’s why you were assigned to this squad. Makes perfect sense.”
“Since you have the skills, don’t sweat the rank difference. With a little time, you’ll be up at our rank anyway.”
“Come to think of it, I never actually asked. What are your ranks?”
“Didn’t we mention it, nya?” Miya asked.
“We’re all B-Rank,” Silia answered.
“It’s the rank where you can finally call yourself a first-class adventurer,” Jeff said proudly.
“For comparison, Cher, who worked with us the other day, is D-Rank. Gordon is B-Rank. And Asagi and Raypin are both A-Rank, nya,” Miya explained.
As we walked and talked, Welanna suddenly focused her attention on the path ahead, sniffing the air to scout the tunnel.
“What is it?”
“Based on the scent, there's a swarm of Cave Bats up ahead. A big one. It’s not dangerous, but they’ll scatter and escape before we can finish them all off.”
“That’s going to be a pain, nya…”
“Is anyone else currently in that area?” I asked.
“I don't smell any humans. Why? Can you use some kind of wide-area attack magic?”
“It isn't lethal, but I have a spell that should be perfect for this.”
I explained the Sound Bomb, which I had tested just yesterday.
“Heh, you can really do something like that?”
“I’ve never heard of magic like that before,” Silia noted.
That was hardly surprising, given I’d invented it based on my knowledge of Earth.
“That magic just stuns them, right? Can we really finish them off before they wake up?”
“It would be much easier if they were stunned, but I’m not sure we can move fast enough to get them all,” Welanna pondered.
“In that case, why don't we ask the people behind us for help?”
At my suggestion, the five of them nodded in agreement.
“Wait, you noticed them too?” Jeff asked.
“I lived in the forest for three years. I’m quite sensitive to other presences.”
“Fair enough. Well then, let’s wait here for a moment.”
In truth, a group of six had been tailing us from a distance for quite a while. Since they hadn't shown any hostile intent, I’d simply ignored them. After speaking with the others, I learned they were likely fledgling adventurers—G to E-Rank—who didn't earn much. They were likely planning to scavenge the monster corpses we left behind to trade for coin.
According to Welanna, rewards for G through E-Rank were meager. Between daily living expenses and the cost of equipment maintenance, it was common for new adventurers to be perpetually broke.
“Unless you have another source of income, your life doesn't usually stabilize until you can handle D-Rank requests,” Silia explained.
“Until then, you’re always one injury or unexpected bill away from disaster, nya.”
“A lot of people save up before they start, but how long it takes to rank up depends entirely on performance. If you make a mistake on an unfamiliar job, your promotion gets pushed back, your funds dry up, and then you’re in real trouble.”
“On the other hand,” Silia continued, “once you can reliably handle D-Rank requests, you earn enough to cover your expenses and live comfortably. C-Rank is where you can actually start getting wealthy. That’s about when Miya bought her house. I think she jumped the gun a bit with that purchase, but still, there aren't many jobs where someone our age can save enough to buy a home. It’s a perfect example of being an adventurer—the rewards are high because the risks are high.”
Looking at her, Miya appeared to be in her early twenties. I didn't know exactly when she’d bought the house, but she was basically the age of a university student back in Japan. Buying a home with your own hard-earned money at that age was incredible. I’d lived in a cramped, cheap apartment until the day I died.
“Once you hit B-Rank, the requests get more dangerous and there aren't as many of them, but the paychecks are massive,” Jeff said. “Unless you're a total spendthrift or a lazy bum, you’ll never have to worry about money again. The ones who have it the hardest are the E-Ranks and below. That’s why the group behind us is almost certainly sub-D-Rank.”
Technically, the ownership of a monster killed during a cull belonged to the slayer. However, if the slayer couldn't carry the loot, they would often discard the less valuable parts. Since discarding them constituted an abandonment of ownership, other adventurers would often follow behind to scavenge.
While not strictly forbidden, it wasn't exactly a respected practice. It often led to disputes, making it a "gray zone" activity that most people didn't do without at least a nod of permission.
After we rested for a bit, the group behind us realized we had stopped and halted their own progress. Welanna called out to them at the top of her lungs.
“Hey, you lot following us! We’ve known you were there for ages! Come out!”
The six of them panicked momentarily before slowly stepping into the light.
There were four humans and two beast-kin, a mix of men and women. They looked, for lack of a better word, shabby. They were definitely the struggling adventurers we’d discussed. They also looked young—likely only a few years older than my current physical body.
“What do you think you’re doing, tailing us?” Welanna demanded.
“We were... picking up... the monsters you left behind...” one stuttered.
“Look, we aren't necessarily going to stop you,” Welanna said, which seemed to ease the tension in the group. Their faces brightened. “But I want to hear why you’re doing this.”
“Y-Yes! To be honest, we’re still G and F-Rank... and we’re desperate for money...”
“We had a little saved up, but after buying weapons and armor, we were flat broke.”
“I messed up a cull request and had to pay a penalty. That wiped me out.”
“We’re barely eating as it is. We’ve been scraping by, so when this request came up, we jumped at it. We thought we could earn enough to live on for a while. The monsters are weak, the participation fee is guaranteed, and the corpses are worth money. We figured we had to earn as much as we could right now!”
“Then we saw your party heading in here, and we thought...”
Their stories were exactly like the examples I’d just heard. It really was a common struggle. I listened quietly until Jeff pressed a human girl who had hesitated.
“And you thought what?”
“We thought...”
“Look,” one of the boys blurted out, “we saw that kid following you. We figured if you were the kind of people who’d take a useless brat like that into the mines, you might be soft enough to look the other way while we took the leftovers. We thought you’d be lenient.”
The other five scavengers looked immediately awkward. It was one thing to follow us, but quite another to call a member of our squad a "useless brat" to our faces. However, none of them spoke up to correct him, whether because they agreed or were just too ashamed to speak.
Welanna’s expression darkened. “You lot clearly don't understand your place—”
I put a hand on her arm to stop her. There was no point in taking the bait.
“It’s fine, Welanna-san.”
“Ryoma, people like this need a reality check.”
“Even if we argue, his opinion isn't going to change. It can't be helped that I look weak on the outside.”
Welanna sighed. “Fine. But listen up! If you're going to scavenge, have the decency to ask first! Don't just skulk around and take things like thieves!”
““““““We’re very sorry!!””””””
They offered us the corpses they had already collected, looking ready to tuck tail and run, but Silia and Mizeria stepped forward.
“Wait! We scolded you for doing it without permission, but we don't actually mind you taking the corpses.”
“If you're that hard up for cash, you should keep them.”
The scavengers’ faces lit up. They showered the five veterans with thanks and praise. Welanna looked annoyed, but Miya moved the conversation toward the task at hand.
“Actually, there’s another reason we called you out, nya. There’s a massive swarm of Cave Bats ahead. It’ll take us too long to finish them all off, so we want you to help us, nya. You can keep all the corpses you finish off, nya.”
The six of them jumped at the chance. While I confirmed the area was clear using Detection magic, Miya briefed them.
“First, Ryoma is going to hit them with a spell, and then we charge in, nya.”
“Wait, that kid’s magic? Won't that just alert them?” the boy from before asked.
“If you’ve got a problem with it, go home!” Welanna snapped. They backed down immediately, though they continued to whisper among themselves a short distance away. They were clearly skeptical of me but willing to endure it for the money.
Ignoring the chatter, I set up a Soundproof Barrier once I was sure no one else was in range.
“Ready.”
“Alright, do it, Ryoma. Everyone else, get ready to move!”
“Here goes. ‘Sound Bomb’!”
I activated the spell. A massive explosion of sound erupted within the tunnel, though we couldn't hear a thing thanks to the barrier. To the scavengers, it looked like a total dud.
“Nothing happened?”
“It failed, didn't it?”
“It was a success,” I said calmly. “It’s wind-attribute magic, so it’s invisible to the eye.”
I led the way inside with Welanna and the others close behind. The scavengers followed, their faces full of doubt—until they saw the floor of the inner chamber. It was carpeted with an incredible number of fallen Cave Bats.
“They’re only stunned, so split up and finish them off quickly,” I instructed.
I got to work immediately. By the time we finished delivering the final blows, we had reached the end of the shaft. We decided to head back out, leaving the six scavengers to handle the cleanup. It was a win-win; they got the loot, and we saved time.
As we walked back, Welanna turned to me. “Ryoma, were you really okay with not saying anything to that kid?”
“I think showing them what I could do with one spell was enough. If someone sees the results and still refuses to believe the truth, then talking to them is just a waste of time anyway.”
“I guess you have a point, but still...”
In my experience, if a person is reasonable, they’ll be convinced by the facts. If they just want to complain or find a target for their frustration, nothing you say will matter. Even if those kids were the latter, I simply wouldn't associate with them again. Trying to "change" someone takes an enormous amount of time and effort, and even then, there's no guarantee. Some people will never change, no matter how much you help them. It’s better to just accept that’s who they are and move on.
“They’re broke and desperate,” I said. “Let’s just chalk it up to them being cheeky teenagers who were worried about their next meal.”
“Cheeky teenagers... coming from someone younger than them?” Silia laughed. “I think the oldest of them was fifteen.”
“Ryoma-kun, are you sure you’re only eleven?” Welanna asked.
“Well, if Ryoma-kun is okay with it, then I guess it’s fine, nya,” Miya added.
My body was a child's, but my soul was that of a forty-two-year-old man. I didn't have the energy to get worked up over the antics of children. The others had already scolded them for their manners, and I’d demonstrated my utility. The rest was up to them.
“Actually, there is one thing... Do I really look that weak?”
I’d survived three years in the forest by my own strength and fought off bandits. Thinking about it now, the question bothered me a little.
“Normally? You don't exactly scream 'powerhouse,'” Jeff admitted.
In my previous life, my subordinates used to whisper that just being in the same room as me felt like a "high-pressure interview." I suppose physical appearance really does change everything.
“I mean, we know you're strong because we’ve seen you in action today,” Welanna said. “But when you’re just standing there... you don't 'look' strong.”
“It’s rude to say, but you just don't have the aura, Ryoma-kun,” Silia added. “I knew you had stamina and could hunt, so I figured you wouldn't be a burden, but I had no idea your actual combat skills were so high.”
“Once you reach a certain level, you can usually sense an opponent's strength, nya,” Miya said.
“To be honest, I was surprised by how well you’ve been fighting,” Welanna admitted.
“Aura is a sensory thing. Some people are dull to it, but we Beast-kin are usually sharp. But with you, the aura and the ability are totally disconnected. Are you hiding your strength on purpose?”
“No, not intentionally.”
I didn't feel the need to put up a front like I did in my corporate life. At most, I just tried not to be unnecessarily threatening, which I considered basic common sense.
“Then I guess it’s just your personality,” Welanna shrugged. “Your humanity, or whatever.”
“Is that it? When I ran into bandits in the forest, they underestimated me every single time. I always won, but still.”
“I can see why,” Jeff laughed. “Man, those bandits were unlucky.”
“They probably thought they were just hunting a slime, nya.”
“And instead, they found something more dangerous than a bear,” Silia noted. “Which means... Ryoma-kun is basically a natural trap.”
Before I knew it, I had been labeled as a "bandit-magnet."
As we joked around, it became clear that lunch would be ready soon, so we made our way back toward the square.