Today is also a two-part story, but since we've entered Chapter 4 and the number of episodes has increased, I'm worried that new readers might hesitate to catch up. So, starting from tomorrow, I'll post one part at a time. If something special happens, I might post multiple parts again. (1/2)
"Shouta, are you going to the second floor as usual today?"
"Yeah, that's the plan. I'm going to start with the Wolf area, but the problem is when our hunting grounds overlap with other teams..."
"Oh, you can rest assured, Shouta-kun. That's what the skip rank is for."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
According to the two of them, high-ranked adventurers have several privileges. One of them is that lower-ranked adventurers must not interfere with the hunting of higher-ranked adventurers. In this "Beginner Dungeon," where even C-rank adventurers are rare, my A-rank status allows me to exercise this right against anyone.
It sounds a bit vague, but in simple terms, if a higher-ranked adventurer is hunting, you should try not to get too close. It's not like they'll shout, "A-rank is passing through! Get out of the way!" as soon as they reach the hunting ground. That's reassuring.
However, some adventurers seem to misunderstand this.
"Up to D-rank, they're only judged by the points they submit, so you can't tell if they're dangerous. From C-rank onwards, there are interviews with the branch chief or deputy chief and behavior evaluations, so they can be filtered out to some extent."
"Hmm."
"In that regard, I can trust Shouta-kun."
"In other words, in this country, the higher the rank, the more reliable the adventurer is in terms of both skill and character."
Being praised by the two of them makes me feel good, but my lips can't help but curve.
But if others keep their distance, there are various things I can do. First, I can prioritize confirming the spawn points of rare monsters in the hill area without a team. Even in the hill area with people, if I focus on the spawn points, no one will come near.
There are other privileges, but they didn't seem very relevant to me, so I let them pass.
"Then, I'm off. Can you put this in the fridge for me, Ayane gave it to me?"
"Understood. Ah, Shouta-san, I'm resuming my send-off from today."
"Then, let's go together until halfway."
"Ah, right. We're officially dating now."
We walked together to the dungeon entrance, and Ayra and I dove into the dungeon.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
"Master."
When we arrived at the second floor and the surroundings were clear, Ayra spoke to me.
"What is it?"
"There's something I need to tell you. We can talk while moving."
"What is it?"
I slowed down a bit and ran side by side with Ayra.
"From now on, until the young lady returns, I will be accompanying you... During this time, I am not required to report any events that occur."
"Is that from Ayane's mother?"
"Yes. She said it was a reward for noticing the secret between us."
"Well, if my 'Intuition' hadn't worked, it would be something that most people wouldn't notice."
"I think she also has high hopes for your extraordinary 'Luck.'"
"I see..."
I clearly understand that 'Intuition' requires 'Luck.' Both she and the other person do.
In that case... there's something I've been wondering about, so I might as well ask.
"Ayra, this conversation isn't going to be reported, right?"
"Yes."
"Got it. My 'Luck' is 1000."
"!? Is that true?"
Even Ayra, who is usually expressionless, can't hide her surprise.
"Have you ever seen anyone with this much 'Luck' before?"
"...No, I haven't. However, I've heard rumors that someone who initially had 10 SP and allocated all of it to 'Luck,' even as their SP decreased, managed to reach over 600..."
Hmm? Did you say decrease?
"Ayra, does SP decrease?"
"Yes. When you continuously allocate SP to 'Luck,' both the level-up bonus and SP visibly decrease. Eventually, it's said that the level-up bonus becomes all 1, and SP becomes 2. It's the same as your case."
"Wow... Well, if you can't handle it, you can't survive, right?"
"Few people have the resilience to not be discouraged like Master."
Well, the feeling might be different depending on whether you started that way or fell from the top.
"However, if you allocate SP to normal stats, both the growth values and SP can return to their original values, but it requires a significant level to do so."
"I see."
So, it's difficult to maintain strength while increasing 'Luck.' Without personal firepower, you can't deliver a satisfying finishing blow. In higher-level dungeons where normal monsters are stronger, you might not be able to fight properly.
Well, it's a relief that the growth curve can return.
"Master, you respected me for the time I spent leveling up. But I think Master is the one who deserves respect. You've fought alone without anyone's help."
"...Thanks. Today's Ayra is quite talkative."
"...! I'm sorry!"
Ayra turned away.
Maybe because Ayane isn't here, I'm seeing a different side of Ayra. Perhaps this is her true self.
"No, it's fine. I appreciate it more this way."
"Mm. Then, I'll do that."
We laughed and stopped, then headed in another direction.
"Ayra, let's hunt a 'General Goblin' to celebrate our growing friendship."
"Understood, Master."
I opened the map and confirmed an empty hill area. As before, only the front right and back right areas showed multiple people. So, we went to the front left corner, hunted goblins, and defeated a 'Hobgoblin' and then a 'General Goblin.'
【Level Up】
【Level increased from 7 to 18】
【Level Up】
【Level increased from 18 to 41】
I gave the 'Super Strength II' that the 'General Goblin' had to Ayra, and her 'Super Strength' became 'Super Strength II,' confirming the overwrite from the base level. It's a bit wasteful that it didn't become 'Super Strength II (1/3)' or something, but it's a significant improvement.
"Still, I thought I was the only one trying to increase 'Luck,' but there are more people than I expected."
"Yes. This is a secret, but I have permission to share it. The Association has repeatedly made contracts with level 1 adventurers who had an SP value of 8 or more, to only increase 'Luck.' However, due to the phenomenon I mentioned earlier, no one could keep up with the front lines as their growth rate dropped, and they all retired in despair. As a result, all parallel projects failed. The plan was also abandoned because it was considered inhumane."
Many promising adventurers couldn't endure the hardship of increasing 'Luck' and retired. They had the potential to become high-level adventurers with high SP and level-up growth curves. If they were wasted, it's understandable that the plan was scrapped.
Except for the 'Level Gacha,' once you increase your level or SP, you can't revert it.
To the readers
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