Chapter 15 : Adventure Level 5 (4)

The System announced that jobs had been added.
It told us to change jobs.
Do Yugeon leaped up from his chair, letting out a cheer, and shouted for his Job Window.

Jobs, huh.
Why jobs?
I chewed my chicken.
Why was reality, which wasn’t a game, telling us to choose a job and class change like in a game?

As I ate chicken and thought, Do Yugeon poked my shoulder repeatedly.
When I looked, he pointed at the Job Window he had opened with a strange expression.

[Job Window]
No Job Selected. Please choose your 1st Job.
□ Rookie Swordsman – Recommended
□ Rookie Spearman

Rookie, indeed.
According to the System, even a talent who had never been injured while hunting until now was apparently just a rookie.
Should I be glad I wasn’t called a fledgling?
It was pretty much the same thing anyway.

Do Yugeon grumbled with a disappointed look.
“Putting ‘Rookie’ in front of the job name—are they telling me to pick it or not?”
“Maybe the System likes rookies.”
“What’s your job?”
“Job Window.”

[Checking Aptitude.]

Instead of the Job Window, a message popped up.
I waited a moment, then tried opening the Job Window again, but it still didn’t appear.
Maybe the System was overloaded because too many people were accessing it suddenly.
Hmm.

Do Yugeon, who had been waiting, grabbed another piece of chicken and spoke toward his Job Window.
“Job description. Rookie Swordsman description. Rookie Swordsman job description. Recommended job description. First job description. Isn’t there a job description?”
He muttered, but no System window appeared.
“The System is as unhelpful as always.”

It felt like you absolutely needed to understand the System, and the System itself fostered that anxiety, yet it explained nothing.
It was always bad, but showing only the job name and telling us to choose this time was really too much.

[Once chosen, a job cannot be changed. Please choose carefully.]

What were we supposed to do?
You need to know something to choose carefully.
Do Yugeon pondered, then pressed his finger on the part that said “Rookie Swordsman” and held it there.
A usage method fitting for the digital age.
Could it be that we were wrong all along, and the System was actually touch-based?
The System had never told us, but it wasn’t exactly user-friendly, so maybe we just forgot?

I waited with a faint sense of anticipation, but nothing happened.
Typical System.
He thought for a moment more, then said, “Rookie Swordsman, touch.”
Trying to use touch via voice recognition was a surreal approach.

[Do you wish to select ‘Rookie Swordsman’? Once chosen, the job change cannot be undone.]

The voice recognition actually worked.
Do Yugeon looked dumbfounded.
“Seriously, no explanation at all?”
“Calm down and sit.”

Do Yugeon sat back down in his chair.
I offered him a piece of chicken.
He readily accepted it.
“I wasn’t expecting a hidden job or cheat key, but to not even get a proper job description…”
“What, you expected something like that? You hoped for the impossible.”
“It’s not impossible. Hunting is easy, leveling up is smooth, and if there are two geniuses, isn’t it plausible to stumble upon something like that while playing a game?”
“Dream big, why don’t you. Even if you believe the System is a game, it’s impossible. If this were a game, it’d be an online game. Online games need to provide a fair starting point and fair growth methods to be sustainable. Adding hidden jobs would ruin it.”

Do Yugeon leaned back heavily in his chair.
“You can even pay to win, so they could definitely add hidden jobs. You have no sense of romance.”
“Why? The party system allows power-leveling, doesn’t it? Hiring people to level up for you—what else is that but paying to win?”

The party EXP distribution method was divided into differential distribution based on hunting contribution and equal distribution based on the number of members.
Since Do Yugeon and I could hunt alone, we used party distribution to avoid hassle, but typical parties unable to hunt mobs solo preferred the contribution method.
Still, the party distribution method wasn’t unused.
A representative use case was power-leveling.
The method was incredibly simple: hire a party with money, and then don’t hunt while the party hunts.
Then, even if you did nothing but sleep at home, your level would rise.
If you hired multiple parties to run a 24-hour rotation, you could aim for the top levels through explosive leveling.
The System must know about this method, but seeing as it wasn’t blocked, it didn’t seem interested in fairness.
But even so, would there really be hidden jobs like Do Yugeon said?
That seemed like too much of a stretch.

After eating some more chicken, I felt full and put down my chopsticks.
Do Yugeon, who had been lost in thought while eating, looked over at me.
“Between Swordsman and Spearman, Swordsman is better, right? Oh, are you done eating?”
I nodded.
“The spear has a longer reach, so Spearman might seem good, but if the person involved is set on Swordsman, then Swordsman is better.”
“Alright. Then let’s change jobs. Job Window. Select Rookie Swordsman.”

The Job Window appeared, followed by a confirmation window.
“Wait.”
I stopped him.
“Why?”
“There’s no guarantee the job types in the Job Window are fixed. Let’s wait a bit, check the internet reactions, and see if other options appear. Ah, right. It might be good to go to the offline meeting too.”

I hadn’t intended to go to the offline meeting, but it seemed better to go if I wanted to gather some job information.
“The offline meeting sounds good, but by that logic, isn’t there a chance we might miss out on the current jobs entirely?”
“That’s true, but isn’t missing out on Rookie Swordsman a risk worth taking?”

He drank his juice, lost in thought, then spoke.
“No. I’ll go with Rookie Swordsman.”
“Didn’t you say you hated ‘Rookie’?”
“The max level is 100, and I’m only level 7, so Rookie fits. Why would I dislike being called a rookie?”
“You just said you disliked it.”
He waved his hands dismissively.
“Don’t worry. For a genius like me, the rookie stage is just a fleeting phase.”
He chuckled softly, “Hoo hoo.”
“Your arrogance is severe.”
“Anyway. Select.”

The confirmation window disappeared.

[Job Quest ― Rookie Swordsman]
Defeat 3 Goblins.
0/3
Additional Conditions:
▷ Utilize Preparation Room swordsmanship above 90% effectiveness.
▷ Achieve party hunting contribution above 75%.
▷ Quest resets upon Resurrection.
▷ Complete within 14 days.

A job quest appeared.
A quest could appear.
Since the System seems to like games.
But isn’t the job quest too difficult?
This wasn’t rookie level.

Goblins were seriously strong.
I killed them from afar with magic, so I hadn’t experienced it properly, but Goblin swordsmanship was formidable.
Approaching carelessly with a sword would basically get your head chopped off instantly.
Looking online, people didn’t fight Goblins fairly; everyone ganged up on them.
But if the job quest’s additional conditions openly forced you to fight Goblins nearly 1-on-1 and win three times consecutively, could other swordsmen even clear this?

“Easy.”
All sorts of thoughts ran through my head, but as he said, it was indeed easy for him.

[Even if you fail the Job Quest, you can attempt it again.]

Ah.
If retries were possible, then it could be cleared. Probably?
Do Yugeon looked at me.
“Should we clear it today while we’re at it?”
“No. I’m too tired to hunt today.”

I felt less tired after a good nap, but I didn’t want to go out of my way to suffer.
Hmm…… Speaking of being tired, maybe I should head home now.
I stood up from the chair and stretched.
“Leaving?”
“You know me well. Quick on the uptake.”
“Then at least show me your Job Window before you go.”
“Ah. Should I check again? Job Window.”

[Job Window]
No Job Selected. Please choose your 1st Job.
□ Apprentice Mage – Recommended
□ Rookie Healer
□ Rookie Magic Scholar
□ Rookie Necromancer
□ Rookie Alchemist
□ Rookie Cryomancer
·
·
·
□ Rookie Pyromancer

So many……
Looks like I really need to go to the Exploration Alliance offline meeting, if only for information gathering.

Chuseok arrived.
It’s supposed to be the nation’s biggest holiday, but I didn’t particularly like it.
In my past life, I felt neutral about it, but in this life, it’s the day my paternal family gathers, which makes it awkward.
This was because my grandfather, who had championed the eldest son’s succession, suddenly designated my father, the second son, as the heir.
The succession process and sorting things out were mostly finished, so there was less discord now, but the atmosphere still turned icy when the entire paternal family gathered.

Thankfully, perhaps due to the worsening atmosphere each holiday, an unspoken agreement seemed to have formed. For the past two years, family members visited the main house on different days, avoiding each other as much as possible.
Grandfather seemed quite displeased, but I thought this was the best possible solution.
I couldn’t even imagine how troubled Dad must have been creating this situation.
However, awkwardness aside, I was a middle schooler who didn’t need to be perceptive. So, having woken up at my usual 5 AM with nothing to do, and since it was Chuseok, I decided to visit the main house first.
I’d eat breakfast at the main house while I was at it.
I liked Mom’s cooking, but the main house had a professional chef, so there was no comparison.
Sorry, Mom.

Passing between mansions with high walls, I went through the main gate of the family house.
As I walked through the garden, I saw a man pacing nervously in front of the entrance, sweating.
Judging by his suit, he seemed to be an executive, but I didn’t recognize his face.
A lost little lamb?
As I approached, the man noticed me and came closer.
He then greeted me and introduced himself.
Something about becoming the CEO a month ago and working hard.
I didn’t know why he was telling me this.
Given the sweating, maybe he was just flustered right now.

The man continued with excessive flattery, saying things like the rumors about the young lady were understated and the group’s bright future would become even brighter, before finally asking, “By the way, where might the other executives be……?”
This seemed to be his main point.
“The other executives?”
“Isn’t there a tradition for the executives to gather at the Chairman’s residence every holiday? But I haven’t been able to meet any of them.”
“Ah, that tradition. Didn’t that break two years ago?”
“Pardon?”
“Everyone should know…… Did you hear somewhere that this time would be different?”

The man’s gaze drifted aimlessly, and his smile crumbled as he failed to maintain his composure.
Just then, the front door opened, and Grandfather came out.
Grandfather glanced at the man and spoke.
“Why are you here?”
“Chairman, about that……”
Grandfather clicked his tongue and turned his gaze toward me.
“Haneul, come in quickly. Isn’t it hot?”

I glanced at the man and followed Grandfather inside.
I didn’t know what the situation was, but if they were going to sort out group politics, I wished they’d do it without involving me.
Although my sudden visit was the cause this time.
Entering the living room, I sat on the sofa.
It wasn’t that hot outside, but being indoors felt really nice.

“If you plan to come, please call ahead. This old man gets startled even by things like this at my age.”
“You’re perfectly healthy—stop exaggerating.”
Grandfather smiled and moved a bowl of strawberries from the table closer to me.
I picked one up and ate it.
Delicious.

“I heard from your father that you’re learning magic?”
“Dad is bad. Spreading rumors without my permission.”
I levitated a strawberry with magic, spun it around, and then ate it.
“Oh…… Truly convenient. By any chance, could you teach your grandfather?”
“It’s not about teaching or not—it’s a matter of talent, so there’s nothing I can do. Grandfather, can you sense mana?”
Grandfather shook his head.
“Then it’ll be difficult. It would be different if you could Log in, but you can’t, right, Grandfather?”
“If only I were 10 years younger, I would have caught a Slime and Logged in. It’s hard enough just to run, honestly. Speaking of which, isn’t there someone you Log in with? His name is Do Woo…”
“It’s Do Yugeon.”
“Right. That was the name. I remember because Haneul was cutting back on her usual reading to Log in. Is Logging in fun enough?”
“It’s less about fun and more like Logging in feels like taking a walk.”
“Walks are good. But by any chance, does that child, Do Yugeon, bother you?”

Huh?
That question felt somewhat abrupt.
“He’s not bothersome.”
“Not bothersome?”
“If I had to say, there are times when he’s annoying, but not to the point of being bothersome.”
Grandfather smiled faintly.
“Haneul. May this old man tell you something uninteresting?”
“Do as you please.”
“A person’s heart, you see, is like a fish tank. It needs to be cleaned before it gets dirty. But the more you clean it, the more scratches the tank inevitably gets. Therefore, it’s important that the tank itself doesn’t get dirtied. If you feel even slightly annoyed by that child, organize the relationship. Before you need to clean it.”

I wondered why this old man was acting like this, but the sudden thought of Yu Mina gave me an idea.
“Grandfather, I’m not dating him, you know?”
“If organizing it is difficult, this old man will help you directly.”
“I told you, we’re not dating.”