Chapter 124
"Ah, he's back!!"
"I'm home."
We managed to escape the orc forest without much trouble since I prioritized stealth after dealing with the monster house.
"Liberta, welcome back! Did you get the title safely?" "Yeah, got it! Wanna see?" "Show me, show me!!" "Ah, that's not fair! I want to see too!"
They had been waiting in the same spot where we first set out, sitting on a sheet I had stored in the magic bag, sipping tea Ingrid had brewed while taking a break.
Amina ran up to greet me, seemingly eager to confirm whether I had obtained the title. To meet her expectations, I showed her my status.
**Liberta** Class 2 / Level 100 **Title:** Hide-and-Seek Expert **Base Stats** HP: 240 MP: 160 BP: 0 EXBP: 0 **Skills:** 4 / Skill Slots: 7 Spearmanship – Class 10 / Level 100 Magic Edge – Class 10 / Level 100 Sickle Arts – Class 10 / Level 100 Stealth Arts – Class 7 / Level 23
The only major change in my status was the addition of the title. Other than that, Stealth Arts had leveled up slightly.
"It's really there." "Did you doubt me?" "W-well, just a little..." "You little—" "Ahahaha! Stop it!"
In this world, titles aren’t particularly rare, but those who possess them are still considered uncommon.
And if you’re aiming for a specific title, the difficulty spikes dramatically.
The conditions themselves aren’t necessarily hard to fulfill—the real challenge is that no one knows what they are.
That’s why Amina was half-skeptical when I said I was going after a specific title.
I ruffled Amina’s hair playfully, making her laugh, but Nell, who was watching quietly beside her, remained silent.
"Nell, what’s wrong? You’re awfully quiet." "Yeah, I was just thinking about something." "Thinking? Something on your mind?" "There’s a title I want too." "A title you want?"
She had also been doubtful about whether I could actually obtain the title I was aiming for, but the moment she saw it was possible, she turned serious.
The title Nell wanted—what could it be?
As a combat merchant, there are a few titles I’d recommend for her. The most straightforward one would be **Investor**, a title that enhances merchant-type skills and helps with building the wealth needed to unleash **Gold Smash**.
Another option, more suited for a warrior build, would be **Destroyer**, a title that purely boosts offensive skills for higher damage output.
The former is for merchants who want to efficiently gather gold and unleash their ultimate attack multiple times. The latter is for those who prioritize raw firepower in combat.
Most combat merchants I’ve seen go for one of these two. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other viable options.
FBO is, after all, a game that prides itself on letting players freely customize their builds.
"Yeah..."
Nell fidgeted slightly, as if worried I’d reject her choice. But I just gave her a thumbs-up.
"Sure, let’s go for it."
I’m only here to teach her the path to becoming the strongest—if she wants to make it her own, I’m not about to stop her.
"Really?" "Of course."
Well, if she were aiming for some villainous title, I’d step in, but otherwise, I’m all for it.
"Then... I want to become **The One Who Sees the End**!" "Ooh, that’s a deep cut. Solid choice."
And fortunately, the title she wanted was actually a great fit for a combat merchant.
**The One Who Sees the End**—a title granted to those who have journeyed across the entire world. It’s the final evolution of the **Pioneer** title.
From the name alone, you might think it’s a mobility-based title, but due to the divine will that "health comes first when traveling the world," this title actually boosts resistance to status ailments.
At first glance, it might seem underwhelming, but **The One Who Sees the End** grants a **50% resistance to all status ailments**—an absurdly powerful effect that lets you shrug off half of all debuffs thrown at you.
It’s a must-have for tank builds, but since tanks usually prioritize defense over status resistance (often opting for the **Healthy One** title instead), it’s rarely seen.
"Alright, first we’ll need to get the **Pioneer** title." "Pioneer?"
I immediately understood why Nell was drawn to **The One Who Sees the End**. She had mentioned wanting to become a traveling merchant, selling goods in all sorts of places.
When I asked her about it after arriving in this world, she showed me a worn-out picture book with a smile. Titled **The Merchant of the World**, it told the story of a peddler traveling far and wide.
The book was clearly well-loved, its pages dog-eared from countless rereadings. And at the very end, the merchant, having seen the entire world, became **The One Who Sees the End**.
"Seeing the world" might sound simple, but in game terms, it’s a grind-heavy endgame challenge. The reason the title is so overpowered is precisely because of how hard it is to obtain.
To get **Pioneer**, you must first achieve **10% world map completion** and then touch **any one** of the guiding steles scattered across the world. Meanwhile, **The One Who Sees the End** requires **100% map completion** and touching **all one hundred** guiding steles—something you’d only do post-game.
"You start with **Pioneer**, then evolve it into **Chronicler**, then **Guide**, and finally **The One Who Sees the End**."
100% map completion is a test of patience and determination. Honestly, in a world without a minimap system, it’s one of the most grueling titles to pursue.
For a moment, I considered explaining this to dissuade her—but whether she goes for it or not is her choice.
Besides, we’ll be traveling a lot from now on. Even if she doesn’t reach **The One Who Sees the End**, she could still become a **Guide**, which grants **30% status resistance**—still incredibly useful for a frontline fighter like her.
"...So, got all that? The path from **Pioneer** to **The One Who Sees the End**?" "I understand."
A title earned simply by journeying to the ends of the world. Stack it with status-resistant gear, and you could become completely immune to debuffs.
I explained the effort-to-reward ratio, but Nell’s resolve didn’t waver.
"Liberta-sama, does this mean our next destination is to search for a stele for Nell-sama’s sake?" "Nah, I already know where the steles are. We can reach one easily today or tomorrow."
With that, our next move was decided. I had a rough idea of where the steles were located—including the one closest to the royal capital.
"But Nell’s title will take time and patience, so we’ll put it on the back burner for now. It’s not something we can rush anyway. By the way, Ingrid, do you have a title you want like Nell does?" "...No, not particularly."
In that case, rather than focusing solely on one person’s goal, it’d be more efficient to work on everyone’s titles simultaneously. As expected, Ingrid—the least assertive of the group—shook her head after a brief pause.
Predictable, but still.
"Really?" "Yes." "Not even a little?" "Correct." "Not even something like, 'If I had to choose'—" "No, nothing."
Without a shred of hesitation, she stood there as if to say, *I leave it to you*.
"Well, to begin with, I’m not very knowledgeable about titles. I find some amusement in seeing what form this body will take, so I leave it to Liberta-sama’s discretion." "Ah, okay. Got it."
*Heavy… This is heavy…* I thought to myself, but if she’s leaving it to me, then I’ll just have to give it my all.
"Alright then. What about you, Amina?" "Me neither. I never even thought about getting a title until now." "Then Amina’s gonna be **Rookie Idol**. I mean, if you’ve got no preferences, there’s really no other option." "That’s way too casual! Compared to Ingrid and Nell, isn’t mine way too simplistic?!"
Support-type maids have a narrow range of specialties, making title selection tricky. You could go for something like **Air Cleaner** or **Thermo Controller** to enhance domestic magic, or pick a title suited for **Iaido** to boost combat ability.
You’d need to carefully consider her future playstyle.
But if Amina has no strong preferences, there’s really only one choice.
"If you go from **Rookie Idol** to **First-Class Star Idol**, your Singing and Dancing skills get a ridiculous boost. With your skill set, any other title would actually weaken you. Your job’s already set as **Songstress**—what else am I supposed to pair it with?" "W-well, when you put it that seriously, it’s kinda awkward. Like, I want you to think about *me* too, y’know?" "Don’t worry. The conditions for idol titles are a pain in the ass, so we’ll have plenty of time to think it over."
**Idol**—a famously demanding profession, even in modern times. In this world, idols aren’t a standalone job but rather a title.
"A pain how?" "To become an idol, first you have to establish a 'talent agency'—basically, a merchant guild. Then, you gather staff for operations, assign Amina a manager, go through a bunch of steps, attract an audience, and perform live on stage. Only then do you get the idol title." "...Huh?"
It sounds like a joke, but the process is literally structured like launching an idol career.
"Liberta, are you serious?" "Dead serious. Like, *capital-S* Serious."
I totally get why Nell is concerned. Honestly, I have no idea what the devs were thinking with this system.
"Wait, Amina, it’s *that* much work?"
Nell was the one who reacted most strongly, letting out a shocked noise. Amina, meanwhile, seemed oddly optimistic—probably because it didn’t feel real to her yet.
"Setting up a guild isn’t just filling out paperwork and paying money. You need a commercial track record, proof of active business operations, and approval from the guild. It’s not something you can do overnight."
Nell, knowing the struggles of running a business firsthand, placed her hands on her hips and began explaining.
"And building that commercial reputation is *brutal*! You have to spend *years* doing guild-assigned trades to earn their trust! That’s why all merchants start as peddlers! Depending on the region, the approval process varies, but if you’re trying to establish a guild in the royal capital from scratch? Forget one or two years—you’d need at *least* five, and even that’s optimistic!"
I nodded along as Nell ranted about the hardships of becoming a merchant. It reminded me of when I played as a merchant in-game and needed to establish a guild.
Back then, I assumed it’d be easy—just complete a few quests, right? But no, I had to *actually* travel the world, trading goods in real time.
First, I crisscrossed the southern continent, hauling cargo. Then, I took to the seas for intercontinental trade. Finally, after saving up enough to prove my financial stability, the merchant guild granted me a license.
In short, starting an idol agency from scratch would be *even more* work than what Nell went through.
"Wait, so getting my title would take *five years*?!" "Like hell I’d wait that long. Don’t worry, there’s a shortcut." "A shortcut?"
Now, you might wonder if anyone’s found a way to skip the grind. And of course, the answer is yes—thanks to our beloved dataminers.
"If setting up a new guild is too much hassle, we can just sponsor an existing, reputable one and create an idol division."
That’s right. Instead of building from scratch, we invest in an NPC-owned business and have *them* branch out.
"But where would we find a guild willing to... Wait, no way—" "Yep. We’ll ask Nell’s family."
Luckily, our party has enough funds from the duke to live comfortably for life if we budget wisely. And even more fortunately, Nell’s family runs a business—meaning they’re already a merchant guild.
Realizing this, Nell looked utterly stunned. I just grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.