Chapter 4; The old man parties with Phil.

Phil obtained a new cla.s.s that even I hadn’t a clue about. The cla.s.s’s name was Druid and it was a cla.s.s that is only spoken of in stories. A cla.s.s whose potential is unknown and is only unlocked by resetting your level. Since there is such a strict condition to unlocking the cla.s.s, it is highly likely that the cla.s.s has some sort of powerful skill. I wanted to know more about the cla.s.s. However, Phil refuses to tell me about the cla.s.s and only told me to look forward to her demonstration. With Phil in a good mood, we entered the dungeons exclusive for beginners. The dungeon we entered was the dungeon with the Rock Golems. There was a hidden room that fixes your status gain every level in this dungeon, the same dungeon that I had entered with Luna. Similarly, the two of us continued to climb the rocky mountain.

 [Let’s pick up the pace. It’s about to be night soon.] (Phil)

 [I agree. It doesn’t affect Phil since you have your jade eyes but it’ll be rough for me.] (Youya)

Just walking at night becomes extremely difficult due to the limited visibility. Since many of the monsters in this dungeon rely on their sense of smell and hearing, they are able to move about at night without troubles, making exploration much more difficult. I pulled out my blade and observed the surroundings. Ideally we should arrive at the hidden room without encountering a single monster, however it’s a difficult task especially when we didn’t have Presence Detection. If we encountered any monster, then I’ll be the one to deal with them.

Currently, since Phil isn’t in my party, experience points won’t be distributed between us. She had went to the trouble to arrange a patrol quest for me so that I would be allowed entry into the beginner dungeons. Looking at Phil’s actual combat ability, it is possible for her to safely reach the hidden room at level 1, however it is still highly impossible for her to defeat any of the monsters in the dungeon alone.

 [Fufu. Doing this reminds me of my childhood when I was constantly relying on Youya for help.] (Phil)

 [Yeah. You were always afraid and hiding behind my back.] (Youya)

Although she was currently a super-first-cla.s.s adventurer, when we had just formed a party together she was completely frightened and unaware of everything. It was a difficult task to teach her as I had to teach everything from scratch.

 [Even now it is still a nice memory. Youya, behind you.] (Phil)

 [Got it. Be right back.] (Youya)

I ran towards the enemy which Phil saw. Let’s hurry up and wrap up our business here.

After several battles, we finally arrived at the cliff where the hidden room is located. I waited in front of the cliff while Phil heade downwards to the hidden room. Since there wouldn’t be any monsters ahead, there isn’t any reason for me to escort her all the way down. It is actually better for me to stay behind as there is the possibility of other adventurers coming here and noticing the rope, deciding to remove the rope on a whim.

In the end, I took a break while waiting for Phil at the top of the cliff. While waiting, I was thinking of the plan on how to raise Phils level. In this world, experience distributed in a party remains the same regardless of the level difference between the members.

In other words, if a low-level adventurer enters a high-level party, their levels would increase tremendously in one setting. However this poses a danger. If we brought Phil who had a low level into a high-levelled dungeon, the risk of Phil getting annihilated and losing her life in the dungeon was high. Considering Phil’s safety, at best I would like to bring her to a dungeon at least 10 levels above her current level, that way she would be able to survive attacks and traps with her excellent equipment and bonuses from her level reset. Between instant death and able to handle one attack, was a world of difference.

 [It is impossible for me to stay in Rumberg just to raise her level. It’s a little tight but is it possible to slightly raise her level by hunting several Rock Golems?] (Youya)

Thanks to the weekly resp.a.w.ns, the dungeon should be filled with golems as it was impossible for beginner adventurers to defeat a Rock Golem. In that case, we should go ahead and hunt for them. The experience provided by Rock Golems were very high for a low leveled monster. Who knows, it may even be possible for Phil to reach level 10 by the end of the morning. From there, we can raise her level by defeating all the monsters we encounter on the way to Flaregard. If we were to do this, she would most likely be around level 12-14 by the time we arrive at Flaregard. With her current equipment, it should be possible for her to endure at least one attack from a monster in the dungeons there. This sounds reasonable, let’s go with this.

When I took a look at the cliff, I saw the figure of Phil climbing up the cliff, about to arrive at the top. Then, Phil arrived at my location with a light jump.

 [Welcome back, Phil.] (Youya)

 [I’m back Youya. I’m safe and I have fixed my status gain at the hidden room. I’m looking forward to raising my level from now on.] (Phil)

Phil said that with sparkling eyes. As expected, first-rate adventurers know first hand how amazing having the maximum status gain every level is. It is completely different from occasionally having the maximum based on luck. Even I got extremely excited when I exited the room, with the urge to quickly raise my level even one second earlier. Although in my case, I was even more excited due to the ma.s.sive difference between my original status and my current one.

 [In that case, let’s hurry up and go hunt monsters. It may be slightly dangerous but let’s go hunting for Rock golems now. It’s efficient for us and impossible for beginners to hunt so we don’t have to feel bad hunting them. Although it would be bad if we were to defeat any monster other than the Rock Golem on the way.] (Youya)

I’m not worried about hunting monsters besides Rock Golem due to efficiency issues, but for the fact that a higher level adventurer like me is hunting monsters meant for lower leveled adventurers. Even if they will resp.a.w.n on a weekly basis, monsters were still a finite resource within the week. I do not want to disrupt any adventurers who are hoping to become strong.

  [As expected of Youya, that is very Youyesque. As much as possible, let’s avoid other monsters while climbing the mountain.] (Phil)

 [If anyone knows me best it’s you Phil.] (Youya)

Just as when she was a receptionist, Phil still has compa.s.sion for other adventurers.

 [Phil, send a party request to me. I’ll accept it.] (Youya)

Phil smiled brightly as she heard my words.

 [I am finally in the same party as Youya again. Fufufu. I’m so happy. I’m glad to be in the same party as you again. I am the druid Phil.] (Phil)

Phil actually gave another formal greeting as we officially joined party. It was so out of place that I couldn’t help but laugh.

 [Likewise, nice to meet you and please take care of me from now on. I’m the Magic Knight Youya. Together, let’s aim for the strongest.] (Youya)

We shook hands as our eyes caught each other’s’ gaze. Our faces turned red as we both let go of our hand. Then, together the two of us headed towards the top of the mountain aiming for the golems that reside there. Having Phil in my party again, gave me a feeling of nostalgia and a strong sense of security.

As the time approached the late hours, neither the stars nor the moon had appeared in the sky, and my entire vision was covered in darkness. Similar to the underground cave dungeon, I took out the light crystal to give myself even the slightest bit of visibility.

 [Our luck is good, we haven’t encountered a single monster on the way here.] (Phil)

 [I don’t actually know if we have been lucky up until now. Actually… Ignore that. We are definitely lucky, our target has just appeared in front of us.] (Youya)

I heard the sound of heavy footsteps although I was unable to see the figure of the enemy. The source of these footsteps are definitely Rock Golems.

 [It’s going to be the first prey of our new party. Let’s defeat it in one go. Youya, I have a request. Please challenge the golem without any magic or skills. I’ll show you the power of the Druids in this battle.] (Phil)

Phil said something unreasonable as Rock Golems had the highest cla.s.s of physical nullification while having extremely high defensive stats. Even with my level difference, it isn’t a monster that I can defeat using my physical attacks alone.

 [I understand. I’ll believe in you and cut it with all my might.] (Youya)

Phil said that she would use the Druid skills to win the battle. Considering her manner of speech, it doesn’t seem like she’ll be firing off a magic attack to defeat the Rock Golem. While I was thinking about what kind of skill she’ll be showcasing, I ran towards the source of the footsteps.

Shortly after, the gigantic figure of the Rock Golem was illuminated by the Light Crystal. Rock Golems didn’t spot adventurers by their sight, but rather their heat signatures, thus even in this darkness there wasn’t any hesitation in their movements. It swung its thick arms down onto me, making it easy for me to deflect the attack, however I took the other option.

 [It’s heavy, however it is still possible for the current me to take it.] (Youya)

I wanted to test the amount of physical strength I had currently possessed now that it was possible. That is why I dare to receive the Rock Golem’s blow head on. Although fighting a battle using power based on the status is the direct opposite to my fighting style, it is still important for me to test out and increase the number of strategies I am capable of using. I turned around to look at Phil, confirming to her that the situation was under control.

 [Youya, please attack it with all your strength.] (Phil)

 [Alright.] (Youya)

If I were to try and cut the Rock Golem which had the highest level of physical nullification and defense, it’ll merely serve to damage your sword and wrist. However, Phil told me to do it , thus I’ll do it. That’s all the reason that I need. I jumped onto the golem’s arm, pulled out my sword and swung my blade from the top down with all my strength. At that moment, I felt Phil’s magical power.

 [Magic Enchantment: Water.] (Phil)

Phil’s spell activates and magic power in the form of ice appeared around my blade. This was Phil’s magic power. I see now, this was the nature of the druid cla.s.s. My sword swung down onto the Rock golem, smoothly slashing through its entire body as if it was b.u.t.ter. The trick was simple to understand. The Druid skill Magic Enchantment: Water changed the attribute of my attack from physical to water. Rock Golems had near absolute defense against the physical attribute, however it was weak to the Water (Ice) attribute. Thus my attack had easily pa.s.sed through and the damage dealt was doubled.

 [Phil, that’s a powerful skill. It doesn’t just change the attack’s attribute, it also increases the target’s attack power.] (Youya)

 [That is the power of my cla.s.s, Druid. It is similar to Spirit Archers where I am able to cast spells while simultaneously firing my bow, however the spells that I can cast aren’t attack magics but rather enchantment magic and recover magic, allowing me to change someone’s attribute and increasing their attack power.] (Phil)

That was a powerful skill, more powerful than it actually looks. It allows us to change the attributes of our physical attacks at any time to Fire, Water (Ice), Wind (Lightning) attribute. It is a powerful skill best used by adventurers who were experienced and knowledgeable about the nature of monsters. If you are able to identify the enemy’s weakness and change to the appropriate attribute, the amount of damage inflicted can be increased tremendously at once and the additional bonus 1.2times damage is also great. Furthermore, it’s been one minute and the icy aura around my blade hasn’t dissipated. The effective time of the spell was also quite long. After watching my sword closely, it looks like the effects last for about 90 seconds. There is no way that a skill which increases your attack power and changes its attribute could be considered weak. Although upon further consideration, it also has a important weak point.  If we were to use it without identifying the weakness of the enemy, and accidentally changing it to an element the opponent has a resistance to, it’ll reduce our damage output significantly, possibility killing ourselves unless you were skilled enough to survive.

 [It is a skill that is perfect for Phil. Being a super-first-cla.s.s adventurer and having a ton of experience as a receptionist. With all your experience, you should pretty much know the weakness of all monsters by now. Did you learn the enchantment for all three elements?] (Youya)

 [No I didn’t. I’ve only learnt the Fire and Ice enchantment since the skill has to be raised to the max to obtain the attack power increase. For Wind (Lightning), Til is capable of casting spells in that element, that is more than enough for monsters who are weak to that element.] (Phil)

 [That sounds great. However Phil, did you make sure to leave some skill points in the event that you encounter another good skill?] (Youya)

The explanation Phil gave me wasn’t wrong, since we wouldn’t be using the lightning enchantment due to the lack of need. There should be other skills that she have learnt that could be showcased right now.

 [Ehh, for spells besides the enchantment magic, I won’t be showing them today so look forward to them! Even if I want to show them to you, I won’t be able to show them yet. I’ve already exhausted most of the skill points by learning the enchantment magics and recovery magics.] (Phil)

Phil stuck out her tongue as I gave a small chuckle.

 [With just that skill, it has become much easier for us to defeat the Rock Golem. From now let’s defeat all the Rock Golems in the area!] (Youya)

 [Yes! Let’s give it our all!] (Phil)

I had expected it to take a little longer for us to defeat the Rock Golems but looks like we’ll be able to finish the hunt much sooner than expected thanks to the magic of the Druid cla.s.s. In that case, looks like we’ll be able to get some sleep even after hunting the Rock Golems.

 [Youya, I’ve found our second Rock Golem.] (Phil)

 [Then let’s hurry!] (Youya)

As expected, I enjoy hunting with Phil the most. While thinking of such things, I started swinging my sword while running. Let’s defeat the Rock Golems instantly and head back to the inn to love and rest our bodies. Then, we’ll leave for Flaregard first thing in the morning.

Hey guys! Hope you’ve been enjoying the chapter as always. So as to update you guys on my current schedule, I’ll be completing my basic military training in March and until then, it’ll be extremely hectic and difficult for me to continue any editing or translating. Any errors in the chapters will probably be edited then, and once my stockpiled chapters are exhausted, I’ll probably be reuploading the edited chapters on a regular basis (The speed will depend on my translating speed then.) since it’ll take a lot of time to manually reupload each individual chapter while simultaneously releasing chapters.

Until then, I hope you continue to enjoy this series and any feedback is welcome!