A week had passed since my transmigration. During that time, the only thing I had done was subjugation quests. The day after my first encounter with the blue slimes, I had tried accepting another Rank F quest, but it, too, had proven far too easy. After that, I switched to accepting only Rank E quests.
“Congratulations, Kelvin-san! With the completion of this quest, you have now been promoted to Rank E!” gushed Ange-san.
Truthfully, I didn’t feel a real sense of achievement. The vast majority of targets for Rank E quests were monsters that relied on fighting as a group, such as orcs and kobolds, but their intelligence was only marginally above that of the Rank F monsters. They stood absolutely no chance against Clotho and me — not with our insane stats and telepathic connection.
“I was quite worried when you switched to accepting Rank E quests halfway through, you know? After all, it didn’t look like you were interested in partying up with anyone.”
It isn’t that I don’t want to party up with people, it’s that I can’t. The day I party up with someone is the day I get exposed as a Summoner. And even without party members, I already have a stalwart partner that I can rely on.
::Well, Followers that you Summon automatically enter into a party with you, so technically you’ve been partying up this whole time.::
Technically, yes. But to everyone else, it probably looks like a newcomer — a mage, no less — completing multiple quests above his own rank all by himself. Yeah, I suppose that would draw attention.
::Wasn’t it going to be your policy to not stand out and draw attention to yourself?::
It proved far too tedious. Forgive me.
As I was in the middle of my internal conversation with Melfina, Ange-san abruptly leaned forward over the counter. H-Hold on, you’re way too close!
“Kelvin-san, are you actually someone who’s served as a court mage in another country before? You’re far too strong to be an ordinary newcomer.”
“I-I’m afraid I can’t go into details, sorry.”
“Oh, no, no, no, of course, I’m the one who should apologize for asking such an intrusive question! I know it goes against convention.”
Ugh, yeah, I really do feel bad, but we’ll have to leave it at that.
“You really should be careful, though. Knowing you, you’ll probably be taking on Rank D quests now, right?”
“Yep, that’s right.” There was no point lying about it, as I would need her to process the new quests anyway. “But if I ever feel that I’m in danger, I’ll run away immediately, I promise. My ability to run away from things is the only thing I’m proud of.”
“Please at least buy yourself a new set of equipment! You’re still using the same gear that you started out with a week ago!”
Oh right, I’d forgotten about that. It’s true that I haven’t changed anything out yet. Hubris leads to ruin, as they say, so maybe it’s a good time to use the funds I’ve saved up and get a good set of protective gear.
“Hahaha, all right, I get it. I’ll go buy some proper equipment. So...can I take on a Rank D quest, please?”
“Do you really get it?” she sighed. “Let me see, Rank D quests...”
While Ange-san sifted through the relevant posters, I was suddenly addressed by a man standing next to me.
“If it’s Rank D you’re looking for, how about the Black Spirit Knight subjugation quest?”
“Black Spirit Knight?”
“C-Cashel-san...you’re back...”
Who is this dude? I had been to the guild numerous times now, but this was my first time seeing him there. Although his appearance was that of a suave blond hunk, he gave off a rather nasty vibe. I had no way of backing it up, but my senses were telling me that this guy was the malicious and scheming type.
“Hey there, Ange-san. Yeah, I’m back. Just got in, actually.”
“We...thank you for your efforts, as always. How was your quest?”
“Completed without a hitch, of course. Though we did have to get a bit serious at the lizardman nest,” he chuckled.
Although Cashel was looking at her with a wide smile, Ange-san’s face was frozen into a stiff expression. The vibe coming from the other adventurers in the room had also turned decidedly unfriendly.
“By the way, you’ve just been promoted to Rank E, right? Congratulations! As someone ahead of you on the adventurer’s path, I’m happy for you!”
“And who might you be?”
“Oh, look at me, where are my manners? My name is Cashel. I’m a Rank D adventurer.”
Why are every one of this man’s mannerisms so pretentious and dramatic? Hearing a whispered buzz rising amongst the adventurers nearby, I decided to do a little eavesdropping.
“Look at him spouting those lines despite possessing the strength of a Rank B!”
“It’s not like you don’t know how much he loves destroying newcomers. That overconfident new guy who’s thinking of taking on Rank D quests has definitely caught his eye.”
“And there isn’t anyone in this guild stronger than Cashel. Let’s just stay out of it and pretend to see nothing.”
Those guys whispering quietly to each other in the back of the bar are Rank D, aren’t they? So even those of the same rank as him are afraid to speak up? That lends some credence to their gossip.
“As it happens, my party and I were talking about taking on the Black Spirit Knight quest next. Would you like to come along? From the sound of it, Rank E quests are too easy for you, aren’t they?”
“P-Please hold on a moment! It’s true that the quest is Rank D, but that Black Spirit Knight is especially powerful! It is, in all likelihood, a unique subspecies. The quest is too dangerous for Kelvin-san!”
“Hahaha, it’ll be fine, Ange-san. Weren’t you two just talking about how he was completing Rank E quests all by himself? Anyway, we’ll be there to help him, so there’s nothing to be worried about!”
“That’s...” Ange-san visibly bit back her response.
“I’m very grateful for the offer, but I don’t intend to party with anyone. And it doesn’t benefit you to team up with someone like me.”
“Oh, come on, there’s no need to be shy. Just think of it as a good learning opportunity!”
Damn, this guy is persistent. I definitely have no intention of partying with him, though. Just a few moments before, while Ange-san had been voicing her concerns, I’d snuck a peek at Cashel’s Status. The conclusion that I’d arrived at was that this fellow was bad news.