Chapter 142
The royal exhibition match ended three days ago.
I fully expected to have an audience with His Majesty afterward, but it seems Duke Edelgard firmly refused on my behalf and arranged things so no further interference would occur.
I was assured that, barring extraordinary circumstances, they wouldn't directly approach me again, allowing me to return to my daily life.
In games, this kind of scenario usually involves running into some troublemaker like Jakaaran on the way back and getting dragged into another fight, but thankfully, that didn't happen. I let out a sigh of relief.
Saying "the trouble has settled" sounds nice, but I can't shake the feeling that something bigger is brewing.
To shake off that ominous premonition, the best course of action is to resume the training that's been on hold lately.
"Finally got it!!!!"
I strike a triumphant pose.
I've been grinding diligently whenever I had free time, but gathering enough Skill Ascension Orbs for everyone was a massive pain.
I never want to see another one of these again, but thanks to Nel—who's absurdly lucky—we somehow managed to secure enough orbs for me, Nel, Amina, and Ingrid.
"That took forever." "Yeah, it really did." "I thought we'd never finish, but thanks to Lady Claudia, our efficiency improved, and we finally got them all." "I knew they were necessary to grow stronger, but this required more focus than any training I've ever done. It was a valuable experience, but it's the first time I've ever thought, 'I never want to do this again.'"
I genuinely want to tell the girls, Good work.
"When Claudia resets her level, we'll all pitch in to help, so don't worry about that. By then, we'll probably have access to better farming spots with higher drop rates anyway."
We had to use Mochi to get golden keys, then use those to open treasure chests for a chance at the orbs.
It was like playing a rigged slot machine or pachinko—even if you hit the jackpot, you still had to land in a specific zone to actually get what you wanted. The stress we endured was probably off the charts.
"But... shouldn't we prepare some for Lady Claudia too?" "Amina, I'll be resetting everything, so don't worry about me. In fact, if we tried to gather my share now, it would take even longer and delay my turn."
On the table lay items referred to as legendary in this world.
To us, they're familiar by now, but Ingrid and Claudia, who'd never seen them before, were understandably baffled as to why we were farming them here.
When I first explained how to obtain them, they were full of questions. But as we kept grinding, their confusion turned into resignation, and eventually, they just accepted it as one of those things.
Now, Claudia just smiled and reassured Amina.
"Alright, let's upgrade our skills. We've got a packed schedule ahead."
The initial excitement of finally obtaining the orbs had faded, leaving only the mechanical task of using them.
"Amina, upgrade your Singing skill. Nel, raise your Axe skill to Axe Mastery. Ingrid, you..."
For myself, the choice was obvious.
Since boosting my spear's firepower is the top priority, I'll upgrade Spear Mastery to Spear Saint.
Liberta – Class 2 / Level 100 Base Stats Title: Hide-and-Seek Expert HP 240 / MP 160 BP 0 EXBP 0 Skills: 4 / Skill Slots: 7
Spear Saint – Class 1 / Level 1 Magic Edge – Class 10 / Level 100 Scythe Mastery – Class 10 / Level 100 Stealth – Class 7 / Level 77 Headhunter – Class 6 / Level 89
I upgraded it effortlessly—I've done this countless times before. Now, all that's left is to hunt some Marsh Dragons to max out the skill and free up a skill slot.
Once that's done, I'll be ready to advance to the next class.
"...Upgrade your Sword skill to Sword Mastery. Also, use this Life Magic skill scroll to learn that too." "Understood."
But Class 3 is where things get brutal—it's known as the character creation gatekeeper, a hurdle that breaks the spirits of casual players with its unforgiving optimization requirements.
"Liberta, I'm done. Can you check for me?" "Yeah, sure."
Only those who clear this gate earn the right to become truly powerful.
Nel, the first to finish using her Skill Ascension Orb, showed me her status.
Nel – Class 2 / Level 100 Base Stats HP 320 / MP 80 BP 0 EXBP 0 Skills: 4 / Skill Slots: 7
Spear Mastery – Class 10 / Level 100 Axe Mastery – Class 1 / Level 1 Cleaving Battle Axe – Class 10 / Level 100 Water Armor – Class 2 / Level 3
"Looks good. Now, just max out that Axe Mastery on Marsh Dragons, and you'll be ready for Class 3." "Finally." "Sorry for making you wait." "It's fine. I know you're thinking ahead for all of us when you plan things out."
Right now, Nel has the fewest skills among us.
But once she reaches Class 3 and acquires her job, those empty skill slots will fill up fast.
A Merchant doesn't truly shine until they get their job.
That's why we kept her skill loadout minimal until Class 2.
"Liberta! I'm done too!" "Nice, let me see."
I had Amina learn as many skills as possible.
Amina – Class 2 / Level 100 Base Stats HP 160 / MP 240 BP 0 EXBP 0 Skills: 5 / Skill Slots: 7
Staff Mastery – Class 10 / Level 100 Alchemy – Class 10 / Level 100 Singing Mastery – Class 1 / Level 1 Song of Acclaim – Class 10 / Level 100 Tailwind Song – Class 10 / Level 100
I wish we could've filled a few more of her skill slots.
I wanted her to learn Spirit Magic, Summoning, or even Golem Craft from Alchemy.
But the skill scrolls for those are absurdly rare.
Even Duke Edelgard doesn't have them, and they never appear in shops.
They don't even show up in auctions, so the only way to get them is by clearing specific quests. It's frustrating.
"Yeah, this looks solid." "Phew! I was so worried I'd mess up and waste all that effort we put into getting these items." "If that happened, we'd just get more." "Ugh... I don't want to see another Mochi for a while."
Fortunately, she has a solid foundation for job optimization at Class 3.
Once she gets new skills there, Amina's stability in battle will improve even further.
With more than just two buffs available, our party's combat potential will rise enough that—combined with Claudia—we could even take on a Wind Dragon.
"Anyway, Ingrid, you finished too?" "Yes, I've used mine. Please review it when you have a moment."
And finally, Ingrid.
Ingrid Grüle – Class 2 / Level 100 Base Stats HP 200 / MP 200 BP 0 EXBP 0 Skills: 7 / Skill Slots: 7
Staff Mastery – Class 10 / Level 100 Sword Mastery – Class 1 / Level 1 Cooking – Class 10 / Level 100 Butchering – Class 10 / Level 100 Air Clean – Class 6 / Level 58 Thermo Control – Class 6 / Level 58 Life Magic – Class 1 / Level 1
She's the only one in our party with all her skill slots filled.
Her growth has been perfectly on track, just as planned.
"Yeah, Ingrid's good too. Just two or three more days of Marsh Dragon hunting to max out her skills, and she'll be ready for Class 3."
Overall, the lack of certain skill scrolls has slowed our progress, but we're still within acceptable limits.
"Now, I should probably explain what's next." "Next is Class 3! That means we'll finally be recognized as full-fledged adventurers, right?!" "Yeah, when you put it that way, it feels like we got here pretty fast."
By this world's standards, our growth speed is unusually rapid.
"To me, reaching Class 3 in less than a year is astonishing. Even when I was a trainee, it took me about five years to get that far." "I might have never reached it in my lifetime."
Claudia, a top-tier fighter in this world, acknowledges how fast we've progressed. Even Ingrid, familiar with noble circles, admits our growth rate is remarkable.
"Even Lady Claudia took that long?" "Yes. Real combat is never under ideal conditions. Life-and-death battles wear down your spirit, and you can't perform at 100% of what you've trained for. That's why progress feels slower than expected, and many give up out of frustration."
Unlike in games, there's no continue option here.
No dedicated testing teams to optimize efficiency, no internet to share strategies, and every battle carries real risk. The mental toll is unimaginable.
If I'd been born into this world with no prior knowledge, I probably would've given up on grinding and settled for an ordinary life too.
"That's why your smooth progress so far is truly impressive." "Yeah! Liberta, you're amazing!" "Well, I won't say I don't appreciate the praise, but..."
This is only possible because of the collective efforts of all players who came before me, so I'm not sure if I should take full credit.
But denying it feels wrong too, so I just end up smiling awkwardly.
I scratch my head, trying to brush off the awkwardness.
"But once we hit Class 3, things are going to get really tough." "Tough how?" "Well, when you reach Class 3, jobs unlock, right?" "Yeah! Finally, I can become a Merchant!" "I wanna be a Bard!" "For me... a Maid, perhaps?" "I'm going for Assassin."
I decided to just keep explaining.
Merchant, Bard, Maid—all peaceful jobs—and then there's Assassin, sticking out like a sore thumb. But I'll ignore that for now.
Should a hero really be an Assassin? I wonder internally, but then justify it with, Well, it's strong, so what choice do I have?
"But just getting a job isn't enough. You have to optimize it properly."
In FBO, the Attack Holder is a Merchant, but there are many powerful jobs.
One of them is Assassin, known for its exceptional job bonuses and skills.
"Optimize? Nel, do you know what that means?" "It means to carefully select. Are you saying we should think hard about what job we choose?"
Amina tilts her head at the unfamiliar term, while Nel seems to grasp the meaning but eyes me suspiciously, wondering why I'm bringing it up now.
"Not exactly. It's not about whether to become a Merchant or Bard, but how you become one. If you follow certain steps, there's a chance to get a special titled version of the job."
I'm not saying don't be a Merchant—I'm saying optimize which Merchant you become.
"A titled job?" "Yeah. For example, if Nel becomes a Merchant, she could get titles like Arms Merchant (bonus to weapon trading), Grocer (bonus to food sales), or General Store (small bonuses to various goods). These titled jobs get extra bonuses on top of the base Merchant perks." "Oh! So titled jobs are stronger?" "Exactly. You can somewhat aim for specific ones, and when you complete the job trial, you can reject the offered job and retry until you get the title you want."
This is the infamous reset marathon—or resemara for short.
Well, technically, if you don't care about being weaker, you can just accept the first job you get and level up normally.
But the difference between a titled and non-titled job is significant.
"And for each job, there's a peak-tier title with the best possible bonuses. If you get that, your stats will outclass other titled jobs by a wide margin."
Of course, these peak-tier titles aren't easy to obtain.
"In that case, we have to aim for them!" "Yeah! The best one? That sounds awesome!" "Glad you think so! Let's go for it together!"
But let's be real—getting those peak titles isn't simple.
"Resemara might take months, but let's do our best!!" " What ... ?" "Months?!"
In-game, it could take two months. In real-world terms, maybe even longer.
I give a thumbs-up, then immediately regret it as I see Nel and Amina's horrified expressions.
Too late—I've already dragged them into the grind swamp with me.