As usual, I returned to the guild to cash in after our hunt. This time, we didn"t accept any requests so I will just be cashing in the materials and drop items we obtained in the dungeon

[Uhm, hey Youya. This morning I was telling you about how it"s weird that you got level 11 in such a short time.. Right?] (Phil)

[Uhhh.. Yeah.. You were definitely saying that..] (Youya)

[So HOW are you already level 18? Whats more you have two people who are already graduating from being novice adventurers!!?] (Phil)

Adventurers are only truly considered an adventurer once they reach level 20. Once you reach level 21, the beginner dungeons available in Rumberg will be out of limits as you aren"t considered a beginner anymore. The dungeons available in Rumberg were beginner dungeons for level 10 and below, beginner dungeons for level 20 and below and ordinary dungeons. Once you obtain level 21, you will have to survive on your own power and enter ordinary dungeons. Every 10 levels, the experience required to level up increases exponentially, causing most adventurer"s pace to slow down once they arrive at this point.

[Well if you try really hard, it"s not that hard to reach up to level 20 in this short amount of time.] (Youya)

[There is still a limit to everything!. It"s supposed to take two weeks to reach level 10, one year and a half for level 20! I have never heard or seen of anybody reaching level 18 in a week! If people knew about this, they would just call it a fairy tale!] (Phil)

[Well I think so too.] (Youya)

I do think that I have overdone on the hunt for the Hermit Crab. If someone were to tell me that they killed a Hermit Crab at level 11, I would never believe it.

[Even if you told me that there was a plan. I wasn"t told that the plan included confronting the grim reaper of the seafloor dungeon! Who was the one that told me to avoid that monster at all cost and abandon all thought of defeating it!?] (Phil)

Originally, the Hermit Crab is a monster that should be avoided at all cost. The only way to defeat it is to abuse it"s weakness to the Wind (Lightning) element with a magic spell. However, a Magic Caster capable enough of defeating the crab is as threatening to the crab as the crab is to the Magic Caster. When the crab detects a magical reaction, it will immediately activate it"s rushing technique to take down the Magic Caster capable of defeating it. And because of the monsters in the surroundings, the front-line will have difficulty acting as the shield for the rear guard.

[I challenged the Hermit Crab because I was confident of defeating it safely.] (Youya)

[Sigh. I won"t bother asking anymore. Changing the topic, do you know about the festival taking place in Rumberg four days from now?] (Phil)

[Of course I do.] (Youya)

In Rumberg, there is a big and flashy festival that occurs once every year.There are also tournaments held where adventurers can partic.i.p.ate, while tourists rush to obtain tickets to witness these tournaments.

[There is a tournament meant for new adventurers to partic.i.p.ate. It consists of a one on one combat with a weapon made of wood. The level limit is 20. Skills are prohibited and one good blow or exiting the ring will end the match. It"s also a safe tournament as the medical team will be on standby outside the ring.] (Phil)

[So what does that got to do with me?] (Youya)

[I thought about sending you a recommendation for partic.i.p.ation as the deadline for applications is today.] (Phil)

[Let"s stop right there.] (Youya)

It is unfair for me to partic.i.p.ate in this kind of tournaments meant for beginners. By definition, I am not a rookie adventurer plus I received a reset bonus along with my fixed status increase. In the first place, old men like me shouldn"t steal the limelight from the young and upcoming adventurers.

[I thought so.. However, the victor will not just receive money, but also a rare item you know. It"s a rare item that you could never see again you know.] (Phil)

I took a look at the doc.u.ments taken out by Phil and gasped at its contents.

This is..! I didn"t think that it actually existed. I definitely want that item. However, I still feel that I should not partic.i.p.ate in the tournament.

[Youya you"re late. I"m hungry! Hurry let’s go to the bar!] (Luna)

It seems that quite a fair bit of time pa.s.sed since we returned to the guild that Luna became impatient. Hmm? Wait a minute. I just thought of a good idea.

[Luna, how do you feel about testing your swordsmanship?] (Youya)
[Hmm? My swordsmanship?] (Luna)

Luna tilted her head.

[There is a tournament coming up where adventurers level 20 and below compete to see who is the strongest.] (Youya)
[Sounds interesting.] (Luna)

Luna"s eyes started to glow.

[Wait a moment, Youya. She"s just a little child.] (Phil)

[You should know from experience not to judge a person"s strength on their appearance.] (Youya)

The difference between Luna"s status and her actual physical appearance was extremely large.

[Youya! Luna will attend the tournament!.] (Luna)

[My thoughts precisely. Luna is much more suited to the tournament than I am.] (Youya)

Luna has shown countless times that her speed has surpa.s.sed what her status implies. She doesn"t feel fear from battling against monsters as well. However, when it came to battles with humans, her experience is far from sufficient. This tournament could be a good experience for Luna…. And when she does win it, she"ll ask for something else in exchange for the tournament reward because she wouldn"t have any interest in it.

[Okay! Luna wants to join the tournament!. Youya! Train me more!.] (Luna)

[Of course. We"ll make Luna stronger by the day of the tournament! At the end of the day, I guess I won"t be able to teach you something other than the thrust.] (Youya)

Our course of action will be to spend tomorrow and the day after to reach level 20, and spend the rest of the days teaching Luna the basic hand-to-hand combat and self-defense techniques and have her master them. I might as well have Til join in on the training as well, she should learn to be able to protect herself for worst case scenarios. I won"t be able to raise our levels beyond level 20 untill the end of the tournament. This is actually a good way for us to slow down our progress. It"s a good chance for us to train and practice other strengths as they could be insufficient if we raise our level too quickly.

[Alright, then I will file an application for Luna to enter the tournament. Also, what about this?] (Phil)

[There is an event where adventurers will be battling monsters in the stadium. It also has a level limit of 20 for all entries.] (Phil)

[I"ll like to appeal that this event is safe for newcomers to enter.. But, this time the monster in question is a little dangerous.] (Phil)

Fights against monsters in the city is a common spectacle for an adventurer city as audiences enjoy watching monsters and adventurers fight for their lives.

[Killer Ape. That isn"t a monster for beginners to fight.] (Youya)

[I objected against it, however the guild chief approved of the monster without consulting anyone. Lucky for us, the event won"t be a true one on one battle but rather a three versus one.] (Youya)

A gigantic ape monster, Killer Ape. It has power, speed and hair on it"s body that acts as armour against any slashing weapons. It"s one of the monsters that possess high attack power, defensive power and speed. Furthermore, ape-type monsters have the ability to use martial art skills and techniques. Based on it"s level, it is only level 25. However, if you are pitting three level 20 adventurers against it, then those adventurers might as well be stronger than their level implies.

It isn"t a monster that ordinary adventurers can beat. In fact, even with a medical team nearby, there is a high risk of the adventurers dying to the monster in the battle.

[I understand. I"ll join that event. I won"t take no for an answer. There is something fishy about that event.] (Youya)

[Thank you, Youya! Actually the other two adventurers have already been decided! When it comes to their skills.. Well it"s just standard, along with the arrogance that comes with it. I was worried that there would be no one to wipe their a.s.ses should s.h.i.t hit the fan.] (Phil)

[Aren"t you even worried about me?] (Youya)

[Youya will definitely win.You may have avoided showing me your status up till now, but you mentioned that your status is doing much better than before. Youya with a strong status is undefeatable.] (Phil)

Phil talks so confidently about my victory as if it was fact. It makes me embarra.s.sed.

[Whatever the case is, I will partic.i.p.ate in that battle.] (Youya)

[Alright. My work today has officially ended. If its alright, can I join you for a meal? I"ll like to advise Luna and Til about various things as well.] (Phil)

[Of course you can. I"ve also wanted to have a meal with you..] (Youya)

Phil"s face started turning red.

[But remember to control yourself when it comes to alcohol. You might as well be considered a drunkard at this stage.] (Youya)

[After all, Youya is a meanie.] (Phil)

With this, Luna"s partic.i.p.ation in the tournament is confirmed as well as my challenge against the Killer Ape.

I"m looking forward to watching how Luna performs in the tournament. Since she doesn"t have much experience battling other adventurers, I am unsure if she is capable of defeating a dedicated swordsmen who has undergone proper training. Still, there is something about Luna that makes me wonder.

I"m waiting at the guild hall as Phil went to change into her personal clothes. Then, a familiar face appeared.

[Youysan! I saw someone having a conversation with Phil-san and I knew it just had to be you! I have a favor to ask of you.] (Boy)

So far the only person in the trio with a name is Kevin. I am unsure of who is talking here so I’ll leave it as Boy

It was one of the boys that got involved in an incident with us whom we saved from the Rock Golem. Luna stood behind me warily as she stared at the boy.

[What is it?] (Youya)

I"m not such a nice guy that I will accept the request without knowing what it is, but I"m not so evil to decline without listen to the details.

[Truth is.. I"ve talked with my older brother about the challenge against the Killer Ape and advised against it. The two of us have been training together ever since we were young and we were both confident of our skills. We also received strong equipment from our parents when we started adventuring. However, because of Youysan, I"ve come to understand that we are in over our heads by attempting battles that were out of our league. That"s why, I hope that Youysan will look after my brother in the challenge as I am afraid that he would make the same mistake as I did.] (Boy)

I let out a wry smile at the boy"s request. Following what Phil mentioned earlier, I am guessing that this boy"s brother probably started adventuring over a year ago as he managed to achieve somewhat close to level 20. I bet this is the overconfident adventurer that she had mentioned was in the challenge as well.

[Alright. Let"s pretend this conversation never happened and you blurted out his partic.i.p.ation thanks to alcohol. Irregardless, since I am partic.i.p.ating in the challenge as a party member, I would never intentionally leave my party members out to dry.] (Youya)

[Thank you very much! I am also thank you on my brother"s behalf!] (Boy)

The boy lowered his head at a 90 degree angle.

It seems like both my challenge and Luna"s tournament has their stakes risen by quite abit. However, the limitation on the battle is somewhat suffocating. I have the duty of looking out for his brother and I won"t have the leeway to utilize Magic Customization as freely as I would like. If possible, I would like to avoid using it in a situation where it will become a spectacle.

Well I"m sure it"ll turn out alright somehow. After all, I am also strong with just a sword.

[Youya.Til.Luna. Thank you for waiting. Shall we leave now?] (Phil)

When Phil showed up, the boy"s face turned red as they turned away. Well Phil is the idol of the guild after all. It"s likely that this boy is one of Phil"s diehard fans.

[I"m heading over to a bar at the moment, would you and your friends like to join us?] (Youya)

[Uh.Of cou–. I mean. Uh. It"s okay.It"s a pleasure especially since Phil. but .. uh. I"m sorry!!] (boy)

The boy ran away, despite coming over so cheerfully with a favor.

[Youya, what is wrong with those children?] (Phil)

[I don"t really understand either.] (Youya)

Phil is scratching her head at our current situation. It looks like she hasn"t noticed it herself. Ignorance may be bliss but insensitivity is a sin. Anyway, it"s time for us to return to the bar at the inn. There are plenty of things to prepare for tomorrow"s hunt.

Next chapter will be coming out on Friday!