arc03 · 074-ep68

Episode 68: 『Braver』 (3)

In the end, we kept the conversation going for about two hours, and it had gotten close to noon. More brunch than breakfast, this one.

The talk itself was mostly me getting the details on how 『Braver』 usually goes about things, so the information I disclosed was surprisingly little. Stats came up over the course of it too, and apparently they share them openly, plain and simple. Though it's not as if they broadcast the things far and wide—from what I hear, it's more a matter of answering when asked.

And so—these are the stats of Yuya, supposedly the strongest in the party.

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【Level】 18

　・HP: 360 / 360

　・MP: 60 / 60

　・STR: 82

　・VIT: 72

　・AGI: 68

　・DEX: 62

　・INT: 45

　・LUK: 12

【Held Skills】

　・Limit Break

　・Sword Arts (Lv. 2)

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Hmm. Compared against other adventurers, that really is a pretty strong spread of stats, isn't it?

Feels close to that adventurer I saw on the net way back—the one they called a genius. I mean, come on—that LUK is high.

"So what kind of skill is 【Limit Break】?"

"Ah, right—it's not a famous skill, so of course you wouldn't know it. This one doubles every stat you've got, but only for ten minutes. In exchange, for an hour after use, all your stats are halved, and the cooldown runs about twelve hours—a real double-edged sword. Pick your moment well, though, and it's genuinely powerful. It's gotten us through some dicey moments before, too."

"I see—strong. That's a great skill."

"Yeah. Although, thanks to this thing, our party name got settled as 『Hero』—so I've got slightly complicated feelings about it."

"Hm? Did you not like it, Yuya-san?"

"The hell do you mean, Yuya? It's fine, isn't it? It suits you, and you got your fair share of the perks, didn't you?"

"Perks……?"

"Ah, well, how do I put this————"

What came next was, for me, the biggest shock of the whole day.

This was about the skills you can take with SP. It's an application—or whatever you'd call it—of something everybody knows: 'the actions you take inside the dungeon influence which learnable skills appear.' Apparently they reasoned that naming the party 『Hero』 and shaping their composition into what you'd call a hero-party setup would influence the skills that popped up for them. And in practice, that's how Taishi learned Shield Arts, Mimi Attack Magic, Akihiko Bow Arts, and Suzuna Holy Magic—or so I'm told. Naturally, Yuya's Sword Arts must be the same deal. For every single member to be able to pick a leveled skill—the XX-Arts or XX-Magic kind—that's no small feat. And the fact that all five of them properly landed 10-SP skills is staggering too. Yeah—calling this a hero party makes sense, no argument here.

But to think role-play would factor into it… Honestly, I take my hat off.

Turns out 『Braver』 thinks through plenty in their own bid to be the strongest. And not just them—maybe everyone's got something original of their own, each in their own way.

"So it wasn't just chuunibyou after all……"

"Yes—exactly that. That's what makes it embarrassing, being seen that way……"

"Now, now, Yuya-kun—it's about time you got used to it, don't you think? You're bound to get more good skills down the line, after all."

"……True enough. If it makes us stronger, it's a trivial thing."

"Nice—that's the mindset. That's how I think, too."

Could it be that epithets play into this too, maybe? Like the S-rank 『Thunder Emperor』, for instance.

I kind of want an epithet of my own, honestly. But that's not something you pin on yourself…… and at this rate, mine's going to end up 『Jersey-kun』…… Crap, I've got to get on improving that, and fast……

"Well then—shall we call it here? I got answers to plenty of what I wanted to ask, and I'd say this turned into a fruitful bit of time. Thank you all very much."

"No—if anything, this was supposed to be about OUR amends, and instead we came away with all sorts of useful knowledge. I'm truly sorry—and thank you. If you'd have us, I'd be glad for us to build a good relationship from here on."

"Yes—as it happens, I'd been meaning to grow my circle of adventurer contacts anyway."

"There's still a real gap in ability, but we'll keep working at it until someday we can catch up and pass you."

"And I intend to keep at it too—so don't count on me waiting."

"That's exactly how it should be."

To wrap up, I shook hands with every one of them, exchanged contact info with Yuya, and we went our separate ways.

It had been a close-to-worst-case first meeting, but they'd genuinely reflected on it. With no grudges on either side, from here on we're comrades—adventurers aiming for the strongest. I've no intention of yielding, or of losing, mind you—but I'll be glad if they grow the way they should. It's a boost to my own motivation, too.

◇

The 『Braver』 members were nervous at first, but in the end we managed to part on friendly terms. Back then, in that moment, I honestly couldn't muster a single good impression of them—but after talking today, I came away thinking they'd never do anything like that again. Their impression of me may have changed too, but that's the kind of thing I could take or leave. From here on, if they catch up, all the better if we can push each other to improve—and even if not, being able to trade information now and then would be plenty. They apparently do material gathering too, so it wouldn't hurt to arrange for them to supply Aizawa. I've got little interest in gathering myself, so wouldn't that make it a Win-Win in every direction? Well—that's a matter for after I ask Aizawa.

And so, the first item on today's agenda took a decent chunk of time, but it ended in a satisfying result. There was unexpected information mixed in, too—pretty nice all around. Plus I stuffed myself on a free meal. Yep, that place is tasty as ever.

Next item on the agenda.

Have Sakurai-san help me pick out armor—or clothes, rather—and once that's done, it's back to the dungeon.

Time to choose my armor properly. I'd been in the couldn't-care-less camp, but factoring in the whole epithet business too, I realized the way things stand now isn't exactly a good look.

I've got no eye for that sort of thing, so it may well end up entirely her call—but here's hoping it turns out something befitting a clan representative, too.

"Sakurai-san, the meal with 『Braver』 is over. Thanks to you, I think it ended without either side carrying a grudge. Thank you very much."

"Not at all—I only played the go-between. Now then, shall we go take a look at armor? I'll let my supervisor know, so please wait just a moment."

"Roger that. No rush—take your time."

Right—today's the day the jersey graduates, too.

Here's hoping they've got something good—easy to move in and built to last. Time to learn a thing or two.