ch321-ch340 · 330-ch330

Chapter 330: The Beginner's Course

"Wonderful. You're finally free of egg dishes. Congratulations—starting tomorrow, let's train the opposite direction: putting your strength out. Your long-awaited dungeon—let's have you fight goblins on Floor 2."

When I cleanly cracked the two eggs held in my non-dominant left hand, Dr. Amamiya declared me a pass.

It started with simply holding the eggs, moved on to practicing clean cracks, and now—as you can see—I can crack them one-handed.

By the way, Soushi cooked the cracked eggs up deliciously, so rest assured. (Consideration)

"Goblins! At last, my adventurer debut!"

Well, I'm already Double-Rank, though.

The strength-control training ends here, but starting tomorrow I'll gradually train at using my real strength—and only when that rehab is finished, too, will I be cleared to go deeper into the dungeon.

"Haruki-san, today you won't be doing exam study—you'll be taking the beginner's course. Nod off and I won't forgive you!"

So says Watanabe-san, who squeezes in time between work shifts to accompany me.

I feel guilty about it, but apparently she'll stay by my side until my rehab is completely done.

The branch holds frequent evacuation-drill-like events, and whenever Kasumi-san gets called away, I end up stranded in the warehouse.

Just dozing off a little during those drills earns me a fiery scolding from Watanabe-san, who normally never gets angry.

Lately, Soushi and Aikawa have taken to showing up for every drill to make sure I don't sleep.

Well, sleeping during a drill IS bad, I suppose.

Yesterday it was "Plan A-B-C" and "Formation X-Y-Z" and pure chaos.

It's just an evacuation drill—I wish they'd calm down a little.

"Hm—while we're at it, let's observe how the skills activate, too."

"Doctor, that's—!"

Watanabe-san raises her voice.

Well, I suppose overusing skills is what cost me my memory.

Can't blame her.

"You can't very well go the rest of your life without skills, can you? Just be careful not to activate them simultaneously. And 【Charge・Spear】—the super mode, was it? That is, of course, forbidden. That's not how it's meant to be used, after all."

What's a "super mode," I wonder?

【Charge・Spear】 was in my skill list, I remember.

It's the 【Charge Spearman】 skill.

Apparently I picked 【Charge Spearman】 as my first job on Floor 10.

A romance job that fights with the one-strike-one-kill 【Charge・Spear】, huh.

I took 【Scout】 at Floor 20, so in my party my role is the scout.

Playing scout with the high-Status 【Charge Spearman】 while sniping in killing blows from behind.

Sounds like me, I guess?

Though Soushi being a magic job does bother me.

Did they make the three girls fight while the two boys schemed in the shadows?

Huh? "Totally like you"? Hey—!

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"Then let's begin the beginner's course. First, checking your Status. Please say 【Status】 out loud."

"Okaay. 【Status】!"

Name: Kasugano Haruki

Job: 【Charge Shielder】【Charge Armorer】【Charge Spearman】【Scout】

Lv: 44

HP: 3300/3300

MP: 880/880

Strength: 176

Endurance: 220

Agility: 154

Magic: 88

Skill: 【Gate】【Charge・Armor・High】【Charge・Armor・Armor Enhancement・Armor・High】【Charge・Armor・Strength Up・High】【Charge・Armor・Endurance Up・High】【Charge・Armor・Agility Up・High】【Charge・Armor・Magic Up・High】【Charge・Armor・Impact Nullification】【Charge・Armor・Armor Manipulation】【Charge・Armor・Armor Shot】【Charge・Shield・High】【Charge・Shield・Armor Enhancement・Shield・High】【Charge・Shield・Strength Up・High】【Charge・Shield・Endurance Up・High】【Charge・Shield・Agility Up・High】【Charge・Shield・Magic Up・High】【Charge・Shield・Shield Shock】【Charge・Shield・Magic Shield】【Charge・Spear】【Charge・Spear・Weapon Enhancement・Spear】【Charge・Spear・Strength Up】【Charge・Spear・Endurance Up】【Charge・Spear・Agility Up】【Charge・Spear・Magic Up】【Charge・Spear・Aiming】【Presence Concealment】【Presence Detection】【Scouting】【Night Vision】

Skill Points: 0

In the usual warehouse's second floor, just me and Watanabe-san, the beginner's course begins.

"The one thing you must remember above all is the special skill—the most powerful kind of skill. In your case, it's the first skill in your skill list. Special skills, unlike other skills, often hide extraordinary power. There are even skills everyone envies, like 【Agelessness】. Around the holders of such skills, recruitment battles—and in the worst cases, kidnappings—happen constantly. So you must never tell anyone what your special skill is, not even Association staff. Understood?"

So my 【Gate】 is one of those, then.

There's also the option of telling only the Association and getting protection, I suppose.

I hear several people with such secret special skills live in the HQ building—but as an ordinary civilian, I have no way of knowing what skill holders there actually are.

To avoid being kidnapped, keep it absolutely secret—got it.

Never tell anyone; never use it in public; no cash-ins that could hint at it; avoid standing out; don't post on forums; and so on......

Watanabe-san's lecture rolls on.

Always challenge the dungeon in a party; camp only at designated spots; turn back before your MP drops below half; make a thorough plan in advance and submit it; never overdo it; weapons must be spears—swords are out of the question; the sword thread is the enemy! ......Huh?

"Kasumi-san—is this really a beginner's course?"

"Of course! Everyone learns this and follows it faithfully. Understood? You must never break these rules."

"Riiight."

Is that true?

"Continuing. Cashing in must always go through your assigned staff member—in your case, me. Never take stones to any other staff member, understand?"

So this is the "personal receptionist" thing.

I can't believe that system actually exists......

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good answer. Next: troubles that occur inside the dungeon. There have been reported cases of people pestering the opposite sex, and the Association has decided to deal with these harshly. What is said to have triggered the Umemoto incident was exactly this kind of trouble between men and women. So even if you see a woman in the dungeon, you must not speak to her. You must not let her speak to you, either. Association staff included. If you persistently make advances toward staff, you become subject to punishment—so do not speak to them. Stay as inconspicuous as possible; if you need something, ask me or a male staff member. Same outside the dungeon. Do not speak to women, and do not let them speak to you. Naturally, that includes school. Even if a girl greets you in the morning, ignore her!"

"Whoa whoa whoa! There's NO way I can follow that, right? What's this 'don't speak to women' business? That's impossible, isn't it?"

Something's wrong. This is clearly wrong.

"Haruki-san, this is about mindset. It is not a matter of whether you keep these rules or not—what matters is the mindset of trying to keep them. Now, continuing."

"There's MORE!?"

"Naturally. We're not even halfway through, you know?"

The lecture goes on.

Curfew is 7 PM.

Be home by then and always eat dinner together with the family.

(Oh? Strict, but this one's actually reasonable?)

If I can't make it home by curfew, I must always call.

An allowance system.

Adventuring expenses get replenished only in the exact amount I report, itemized by what I spent each month.

"Hm? What's this 'allowance system'?"

"Oh dear—this isn't an adventurer's rule, it was our party's house rule. My apologies. But Natsukawa-san and Aikawa-san have both accepted the allowance system. Cashing in requires the utmost caution, so we handle it this way."

If Soushi and Aikawa are fine with it, I suppose it's fine for me too......

Being an adventurer is tough, huh.

Watanabe-san's beginner's course ran right up until curfew.