Chapter 38
Nell, Amina, and I finished allocating our status points.
Only I was left.
"Well, for me..."
That said, I already had a clear idea of how I wanted to build my character, so I quickly finished allocating my status points and was done.
『Liberta Class 1 / Level 9 Basic Stats: HP 11, MP 7 BP 0 EXBP 0 Skill 1 / Skill Slots 3 Spearmanship Class 2 / Level 94』
"Wait, you're already done?" "Yeah, I already knew what I wanted to do."
My stat allocation was the opposite of Amina's—three parts HP to two parts MP.
"Come to think of it, I never asked you, Liberta, what kind of style you wanted to aim for." "True." "Are you curious?" "Yeah, Nell, you're curious too, right?" "Of course. It’s kind of unfair that only Liberta knows about us."
After quickly finishing my stat allocation, I was about to think about what to do next when Nell peeked at my status screen. The allocated stats were already displayed there. Then, Amina popped her head in from the other side, and suddenly my face was sandwiched between Nell and Amina's.
"Are we really going to talk in this situation?" I thought to myself.
"The name of the style I'm aiming for is a bit... violent." "Violent? Now I’m even more curious."
I hesitated to say it, thinking that if I used the game's slang term, Nell and Amina might get scared.
"Come on, it’s just the name that’s violent. It doesn’t mean Liberta is violent, right?" "Is that so? Well then..."
Amina, sensing my hesitation, smiled and assured me it was fine, so I decided to reveal my ultimate goal.
"The style I’m aiming for is... the Headhunter Assassin." "Eh?" "Whoa, that’s even more violent than I expected!"
True to their word, neither of them seemed scared, but they both had question marks floating above their heads.
"Wait, Liberta, are you trying to get revenge on someone?" "No, no."
Nell, knowing I was an orphan, seemed to think I was aiming to take revenge on whoever abandoned me, but I quickly waved my hands to deny it.
"It’s just a combat style that doubles as a scout. My main weapon is a spear, and my skill set is similar to an assassin’s, so that’s why it’s called that."
I have no interest in assassination or anything like that. It’s just a style I loved using in the game because it was effective both solo and in a party, so I decided to go with it in this world too.
Headhunter Assassin. A spear user specialized in critical hits, targeting weak points with surprise attacks.
"My skill set consists of four passive skills: Spearmanship, Scythemanship, Scouting, and Assassination. It’s a style that works well both solo and in a party."
The name "Headhunter" comes from a skill dropped by a specific monster, which is not only high-damage but also cost-effective.
"Hmm, I think Liberta could become a Hero." "Or maybe a Sage." "Those classic styles are too predictable and easily countered. I know they’re strong, but... they don’t feel appealing to me."
They seemed to have some thoughts about the name, suggesting typical heroic styles like Hero or Sage, but those were just strong, one-dimensional styles in the game.
The Hero is an all-rounder, capable of healing, using powerful skills, and balancing sword and shield. Strengths: Versatile. Weaknesses: Jack of all trades, master of none. The Sage is a magic-focused class with a wide range of spells and high damage output. Strengths: Broad magical attacks and high firepower. Weaknesses: Physically weak and vulnerable to magic resistance.
"Eh?!" "Hey, it’s not like I’m doing anything shady. You two are pursuing the styles you like, so why can’t I do the same?"
Both styles felt overused and lacked excitement. Sure, they’re strong in the hands of skilled players, but they’re just not for me.
"But still..." "Hey..." "Alright, alright, let’s end this conversation. We have an early start tomorrow, and we need to get enough sleep to level up efficiently." "Okay..."
Once the sun set, the only light came from the moon and stars. Outside the tent, Dent and the others were gathered around a campfire, and its light seeped through the gaps in the tent.
We had brought a lamp, but staying up too late would affect tomorrow’s performance. There were no sleeping bags, so we laid out blankets on the ground and covered ourselves with another blanket—a primitive way to sleep.
"...You two, aren’t you a bit too close?" "Well, the tent is small, so what can we do?" "Besides, it’s warmer this way. My wings are great for insulation." "And I have a high body temperature." "Uh, but being this close... okay, I’ll shut up."
It might be a bit too warm for this season, but since there’s no greenhouse effect here, it gets fairly cold at night. The blankets were just enough to keep us comfortable.
Sleeping close together like this was practical, but the scene looked questionable enough that I worried someone might call the cops. I wanted to ask them to give me some space, but when they both gave me a glare, I had no choice but to give up.
"I’m turning off the lamp." "Okay." "Sure."
Nell reached over and turned off the lamp, plunging us into darkness.
If only we could fall asleep that easily.
"..." "..." "..."
None of us could sleep. Despite being exhausted from the day’s activities, sleep just wouldn’t come.
"Hey, are you asleep yet?" "Nope." "Not yet~ This is weird. Normally, I’d be asleep by now." "Maybe it’s because we don’t have pillows?" "I can sleep without a pillow." "Me too. Maybe it’s because it’s not our usual bed?" "Are you talking about that bed filled with slime cushions?" "Yeah, those are great. I even put some in my room’s bed."
We tried closing our eyes and forcing ourselves to sleep, but it didn’t work. So, we ended up chatting lightly until we felt sleepy.
The ground was harder than usual, and the pillow was just a towel wrapped around a leather bag. In terms of comfort, it couldn’t compare to the slime cushions we usually used.
"...Hey, tell us something." "Like what?" "Anything."
But since we spent so much time together, it was hard to think of something to talk about.
"Okay, let’s talk about that decree the king issued a while ago." "A decree? What was it about?" "Liberta, you don’t know?" "Nope."
Amina brought up the topic, which was a big help. I had been gathering information about this world through Dent, but I must have missed this part.
"It’s not surprising you don’t know. It’s something that affects us commoners, but not directly." "Something that affects us but not directly?" "Yeah. There’s a school for adventurers run by the kingdom. It used to be for noble children and wealthy merchants’ kids, but the king issued a decree saying that commoner children could also take an exam to enroll. It’s meant to discover talent from all walks of life."
At first, I thought it was some kind of riddle, but it turned out to be something that directly affected my future.
"Wait, commoners couldn’t enroll in schools before?" "Of course not. Why did you think they could?" "Yeah, the tuition is expensive, and it’s full of nobles. It’s not a place for commoners." "Seriously?"
In the game, the protagonist was a runaway noble, so they could take the exam and enroll as a commoner without any issues. The word "tuition" never came up, and as long as you passed the exam, there were no problems.
In the game, enrolling in the school gave you countless benefits. What I wanted most was the travel permit. If you achieved excellent grades during your student years, the king would grant you permission to travel to the eastern, western, northern, southern, and central continents.
If things went well, I could obtain this permit in the first year, which would greatly expand my options for acquiring monsters, materials, and skills.
Without enrolling in the school, the only way to get this permit was to build connections with nobles or make significant contributions as an adventurer on one continent—both of which were tedious processes.
But with the school route, all I had to do was enroll and become a top student.
"Liberta, were you planning to enroll in the school?" "Yeah." "Wait, what?!"
There was no reason not to. According to the setting, you could enroll at the age of twelve. So, I figured I had about two or three years before I could enroll.
Nell cautiously asked me, and I casually revealed that I had planned to enroll all along. Amina was shocked by how nonchalant I was.
"Is it really that surprising?"
I thought getting too excited would keep me awake, but it seemed like another gap in our common sense had surfaced.
"Of course it’s surprising! Most people wouldn’t even think about it." "Yeah, I thought Liberta would just continue being an adventurer." "Me too."
I hadn’t realized the class disparity was this severe. Well, thinking about it calmly, educational institutions were places for the privileged.
My Japanese common sense and game knowledge had led me to believe that passing the exam would be enough to get into even the most prestigious schools.
Question everything, even the obvious.
If Nell and Amina hadn’t told me, my plans would have been ruined.
"That’s one option, but if I want to travel the world, I think enrolling in the school is the way to go."
To become stronger, I needed to improve my equipment and skills. Each continent—east, west, north, south, and central—had unique items with distinct characteristics.
There were common items too, but some were exclusive to specific regions, like only the south or only the north and east.
And if I wanted to conquer the dungeons in the central continent, there were limits to what I could do in one place.
The adventurer route Amina mentioned was too inefficient.
"Is it absolutely necessary?" "Not absolutely, but unless something major happens, I plan to go. Luckily, it seems like passing the exam is enough to get in. And if things keep going this way, I should be able to earn enough money."
The only downside to the school was the "noble-related" events that Amina and Dent had mentioned.
Noble-related quests usually had great rewards, but they were often tedious. Plus, nobles had factions, and accepting a quest from one faction meant you were aligned with them.
This made interactions with other factions complicated, increasing the chances of harassment or duels.
The effort required to deepen relationships with nobles just wasn’t worth it.
"Are you sure? Liberta, you might not know this, but nobles look down on us commoners. Some bad nobles might even force you into a duel you can’t win for the slightest disrespect and make you a slave. I’ve heard stories like that." "Yeah, I’ve heard from an acquaintance that someone they knew had a terrible experience. And this decree was pushed through by the king and the prime minister despite noble opposition, so the nobles aren’t happy about it."
Some nobles were named units with unique skills, but even though they were strong, the only real benefit of teaming up with them was the player’s attachment to the character.
I had my favorites too, but if asked if I absolutely wanted them in my party, I’d say it wasn’t worth the effort.
Nell and Amina were against me enrolling in the school.
"Thanks for worrying about me. But if I want to achieve my goals, I’ll have to deal with those issues."
I understood their concerns, but that didn’t mean I would give up.
"Besides, not all nobles are bad, right? I’ve heard the king of this country cares about the people, so not everyone is against his decree. I’ll manage." "Maybe, but..." "Hmm, Nell. If this keeps up, Liberta is definitely going to enroll."
You could call me optimistic, and I’m sure there are things I’m overlooking. But there are things I have to do, even if it means facing those disadvantages.
With me in the middle, Nell and Amina groaned and started worrying.
"It’s not like I’m enrolling right away. I’m not strong enough to pass the exam yet, so it’s something for the future." "That’s true." "Yeah, you’re right."
I said I wasn’t strong enough now, but if the exam was the same as in the game, my current level would be more than enough to pass. After all, it was an early-game exam.
It was designed to be easily cleared by beginners. But that was only if you were just following the story without any extra preparation.
If you wanted to maximize your benefits while progressing, there was a lot more you could do.
With plenty of time left to prepare, I needed to make the most of it.
"Alright, we have an early start tomorrow. Let’s get some sleep." "Right, I’m starting to feel sleepy too." "Me too, I think I’m getting drowsy."
Tomorrow would bring its own challenges, so I closed my eyes and let the approaching drowsiness take me into sleep.