Chapter 5

I levelled up, yet I don't know what to invest into.

After the boss fight that Sniper easily carried me through, we got home to a worried Hyouketsu. He gave me and Sniper an earful, but he was just glad we both made it back.

I then told him I was power grinding, to which I had to lie about me being level two.

It's now the next morning, and there's going to be a lot happening. For starters, I heard a great Knight will be coming to town for a business visit. Though I want to avoid that as much as possible.

Problem is, I have to get a new sword. My sword got shattered last night by that wolf when I guarded against its chomp. Some level 5 equipment would help drastically, but I can't suddenly do more damage. That'd be suspicious, and I can't expose Sniper like that.

But even more than that, my right shoulder still has broken effects. Healing can only close the wounds, but I have to let time heal my damaged shoulder. That'd mean I'd have to start using my less dominant hand- and magic will be harder to activate for sure.

"AHH THIS SUCKS!"

I ruffled about my messy black hair, looking into the mirror. I was a mess. Sleep deprived at 6am. What time did I sleep last night? I was busy trying to figure out where to put my skill points. But even now, I still have some left over.

Suddenly, someone was knocking on my door. At this time- just... why?

"Keshin? Are you in there?"

That voice belongs to Sniper. What business may she have at this time of the morning?

I quickly opened the door, to which I saw her in her dressing gown. She was not prepared at all. I'm taking this as she barely socialises.

Sniper:

"U-um. I wanted to talk about your sword."

Keshin:

"Perfect timing!"

Sniper:

"Huh?"

Ah- she can't hear thoughts. Well this is just convenient. I wonder what she has to talk about.

After sitting down, I prepared her a cup of coffee with my portable kettle. It was neat one powered by my own mana. My mum had some weird antiques from her days as an adventurer. Weird but very useful.

Sniper:

"Thank you."

Keshin:

"No problem. Anyways, what is it about my sword?"

Sniper:

"Well, I do have swords I kept in my inventory. I never sold them since I planned to save them for Hyouketsu, but I don't mind giving one to you."

Keshin:

"Really? What kind of sword we talking?"

Sniper opened her inventory- and on the empty table appeared a sword sheathed in its blade. I tapped on it, which opened the investigating menu.

Keshin:

"A-A level 20 sword?!"

I suddenly felt her foot thwomp mine.

Sniper:

"Shh!"

Keshin:

"I-I can't equip this.."

Sniper:

"The strength requirement is 40, and I have no doubt that yours barely beats 10 right?"

Keshin:

"That's right."

Sniper:

"So take this too."

She suddenly held my right hand before inserting a ring onto my ring finger. I let out a grunt, the pain on my right shoulder was sharp for a moment- I couldn't resist the urge to hold it with my left hand.

Sniper:

"I'm sorry Keshin. I couldn't prevent the wolf from destroying your shoulder."

It's not her fault. I recklessly came thinking that I was in the right.

Keshin:

"Don't be. I chose to follow you. Besides, something good came out of this."

I smiled, indicating friendship.

Sniper:

"Thank you. This ring gives you a power boost of thirty. It's a pretty basic item but it should allow you to use this sword."

She isn't wrong, I could definitely feel the power surge. It would help, but I can't always rely on her. I'll take the sword. Part of me wants to keep it forever, but I know it won't be any useful after becoming level 30.

Keshin:

"Seriously Sniper, thank you!"

Sniper:

"Um... Look. I haven't told anyone this, so don't blabber this to anyone."

Keshin:

"Mouth's closed. What is it?"

Curiosity beats me everytime. I have to know this secret.

Sniper:

"My name isn't Sniper. It's Hajikeru."

Keshin:

"Nice to meet you, Haji-san."

Hajikeru:

"Don't tease me about it!"

Keshin:

"Sorry, sorry, but mind if I ask why you changed your name?"

Oh god. Story time.

Haji:

"Well... it started a while back. Remember how I said my party disbanded?"

Keshin:

"About three months ago right?"

Haji:

"Yeah. Well for starters, it wasn't disbanded by choice. Rather it was forced."

Keshin:

"What do you mean by that?"

I eased up a little, rather than being tense. She's clearly in need of comfort, so I should do just that.

Haji:

"The final member was forced to disband it because the others left. That final member was me."

Keshin:

"It must have been tough, being alone."

Haji:

"It was. I didn't know what to do at first. But then I saw this party. I saw how much fun they were having, and how much that was lacking in my previous party. I wanted to forget about that. I joined this party so I could have fun- but I ended up doing the opposite. I isolated myself, thinking back on my previous mistakes and how I wanted to see them all again."

Keshin:

"It's not too late. You can still see them."

Haji:

"Keshin... Yeah. I hope so."

That's deeper than I expected, but I can see why she didn't want to talk to the others that much. But she should still try regardless. If she doesn't, then this team will be disjointed.

Keshin:

"Hey, let's get ready and do some early morning grinding. That'll energise us for the day."

Haji:

"... Yeah. Let's do it!"

I got to see a new side of the cheery and happy moods the others bring. I got some insane luck at the start, but this is just the beginning. I may be a lot stronger now, but it should be clear that there are two types of levels that really count. One would be my grand level- that being level 6. The other would be my mastery level- and my Single Blade Style Mastery is only level 120. It looks high, but we only get one Sword Art after every 50. Well I say get- but we still have to take time to learn the Sword Art.

I have to keep the mastery level up. Me being level 6 with a mastery of level 120 is an extremely bad ratio. It should be hitting near 200-250. But I blame that on the large amount of experience I gained from the wolf.

I should focus on mastering skills now.

Several moments passed, and I had finished getting ready. Walking out, Hajikeru had came walking out. I should've asked her about what to call her earlier. I guess I'll stick with Sniper. She doesn't want to reveal her name for personal reasons. She should be the one to overcone them, not have me do it for her.

Keshin:

"Alright. Looks like we're all geared up. Time to test this bad boy out."

Haji:

"You'll be very surprised, afterall- it's not everyday a level 1 can have easy access to such a high level weapon."

Keshin:

"I'm a bit worried about my skill level though. Typically using weaker weapons allows for your masteries to level up at a nice pace. If I'm one-hitting everything, I won't be able to master much."

Haji:

"Hm... That's a good point. Well I do have a few ideas of what COULD be done, though I won't suggest it."

Keshin:

"Now you've done and piqued my interest. But I'm guessing you won't tell me, no matter how much I bribe."

Haji:

"You got that right."

Keshin:

"Heh."

I'm definitely starting to feel a connection between her and I. I definitely misunderstood her last night. She was simply cautious about me and soon came to worrying about me. I can't fault her for anything last night. Not at all, especially when it seems like she has enough on her shoulders.

Haji:

"Well, there's no point in just standing around here. Let's go."

She said with a calm tone. Looks like she's putting up that cold act again- though it's not surprising. She had a more energetic and feisty side to her earlier. Guess I won't be seeing much of that.

I followed after her, feeling up my new sheath that was tied around my waist. It felt nice- incredibly nice. It certainly felt more durable too. It excited me, but I shouldn't get too excited. After all, I know for a fact that I'll end up resorting to buying myself some level 5 weapon.

As we were just about to leave- we managed to overhear a few other adventurers who were enjoying their time.

'... you heard it right! He and his party have already arrived in town- so many players have been asking for autographs!'

'He's in town now... I wonder what he's like in person...'

'Who knows? He's a beast when it comes to duels, they say he's this world's strongest player!'

Strongest player huh? That's piqued my interest. Though I can't imagine how large the crowd is going to be. The last thing I want to do is deal with that many people. Walking outside- a lot of players were already about and running despite it only being 7am now. It honestly caught me off guard.

Keshin:

"Something about the greatest player being in town?"

Haji:

"Yeah. Once a year, he comes by to pick out new players to undergo training. He's not only the greatest player, but also known to be the greatest teacher."

Keshin:

"Sounds like a big deal. I wonder if I can train under him..?"

Haji:

"I don't know about that. He picks a handful. He's the perfect example of what not to do as well."

Keshin:

"Elaborate?"

Haji:

"He judges a book by its cover. Only hand picking the starting players who start off with strong gear."

Keshin:

"Huh... So what you're saying is he only picks out nobles."

Haji:

"Put simply, yes. Though with your level 20 equipment, he'd 'see the potential' in you too. Honestly, it's best not to get involved with that stuff."

"Nice to see you two here."

A familiar voice struck me. Turning around, I saw the gentle smile of Hyouketsu and the others.

Nino:

"Since when did you two get so close?"

Hyou:

"Hey, can it."

Santos:

"We thought you two might try and sneak out for some early morning grinding so we made sure to wake up asap!"

I scratched my head, a bit surprised at their actions. Looks like testing may have to be halted. I can't just show them this strength- so I'll stick to Sacred Arts for now.

Effie:

"Why do you look so nervous?"

Keshin:

"Ah- well I think it's more of anxiety. Apparantley some hot shot is in town, so I'd prefer if we got to the fields as quickly as we can today."

Hyou:

"Not a bad shout- but we need to take necessary steps beforehand."

Nino:

"By that, he means we hafta accept quests!"

Santos:

"You know it's rude to interrupt the leader."

Nino:

"You tryin' to lecture me again punk?"

Their rivalry is sparking between their eyes. After the intense battle with Hajikeru, I guess I forgot that we can have fun too. On top of that, I forgot about the existence of quests. That's how adventurers earn a living in the first place.

Effie:

"I'm sure even someone like you should know what quests are."

Keshin:

"I don't know if that was an intentional dig or not- either way that kinda hurt."

Hyou:

"Pahh! Don't pay attention to her- anyway, we should check the bulletin board if there are any quests available. I'm sure with the 6 of us, we can take on quests as high as level 15!"

Keshin:

"Make it 10."

Hyou:

"Eh?"

Haji:

"Shh..!"

Keshin:

"Nothing."

I folded my arms. I am not having another high levelled monster mess. My right shoulder is still messed up.

Hyou:

"Anyway, to the guild hall we go!"

Nino:

"Race you there Keshin!"

Keshin:

"Wh-why me?"

Santos:

"If you don't go after her now, she'll end up forcing you to pay her big time."

I took off- faster than I have ever ran before.