Chapter 16 : Adventure Level 5 (5)

The job quest was quite difficult, but as expected, Do Yugeon cleared it easily.
Then, job skills were added to Do Yugeon’s skill window.

[Skill Window]
Basic Skills
◇ Mana Sense ― ON
◇ Presence Detection ― ON
Job Skills
Rookie Swordsman
◇ Rookie Swordsman’s Movement ― ON
◇ Single Strike Enhancement Lv.1

Unsurprisingly, yet feeling quite natural, the System didn’t explain what effects the new skills had.
According to Do Yugeon, Rookie Swordsman’s Movement literally improved his movements.
Single Strike Enhancement supposedly felt like it sharpened the sword edge for one slash.
Looking at his mana revealed no difference, suggesting the Rookie Swordsman job skills were non-magical, non-scientific superpowers, much like the Level Up Effect.

“Single Strike Enhancement!”
Do Yugeon shouted the skill name as he slashed the Slime core.
Ugh, don’t shout things like that out loud…
I covered my face with the spellbook and waited for my blushing face to cool down.
It was embarrassing to be next to him.

Single Strike Enhancement seemed to be an active skill, requiring an activation phrase.
Meaning, you had to shout the skill name to use it.
There was no need to yell it loudly while giggling like Do Yugeon, but you still had to say the skill name aloud to use the skill.
If you were in a party, you had to say the skill name in front of others.
Can’t we just not use active skills?
If shouting skill names was common sense in fantasy, I wanted to pursue the uncommon.
There was no need to blindly follow common sense.
Though I, who now casually muttered “Status Window” or “Login,” would eventually adapt to shouting skill names, it was a future I wanted to reject in many ways.

Still, was it fortunate that active skills didn’t activate just by thinking the skill name?
I didn’t want to experience the cosmic horror of the System reading thoughts.
That kind of future was too bleak.

After Do Yugeon changed jobs, we did some experiments and searched the internet, but I couldn’t find any information helpful for my own job choice.
If I had to pick something, it would be avoiding jobs with cringe-worthy active skill names.

Time trickled by, and September 21st, the day of the Exploration Alliance’s 1st Regular Meeting, arrived.
Do Yugeon and I got off the subway and headed toward the meeting venue.
“Don’t go around boasting about being a genius or whatever. Let’s just quietly observe.”
“Alright, alright. I don’t know how many times I’ve answered this, but what do you take me for?”
“I see you as Do Yugeon.”
“What does that mean?”
“A good meaning.”

Arriving at the venue, I looked around; there was a screen at the front, tables in the middle, and snacks on shelves at the back.
We received necklace name tags and pamphlets from the Exploration Alliance staff, grabbed some snacks, and sat at a suitable table.
I came casually thinking it was just a meeting, but the setup felt more like an event than a meeting.
They must have received quite a bit of corporate sponsorship.

While snacking, chatting with Do Yugeon, and eavesdropping on conversations at nearby tables, the Alliance Leader went up to the podium and gave greetings.
Come to think of it, wasn’t the Exploration Alliance still too small to be called an “Alliance”? Hmm.
The Alliance Leader explained the future vision of the Exploration Alliance.
Mediating System distribution between corporations and explorers, preparing for the invasion of another world, blah blah blah.
Filtering through the talk and getting to the core, it seemed, fitting for the Exploration Alliance, that they would focus on securing income sources for explorers.
Since some people had quit their jobs to join the Exploration Alliance activities, it was a natural step.

“What’s System distribution?”
“It’s literal. Using the System for delivery and shipping.”
“It exploits a loophole in the party system. If you form a party, you meet in the Preparation Room just by Logging in, no matter where you are, right? Then you can hand over items, and when the other person Logs out, the items can be moved to another place very easily. That’s what they’re using.”

Something about a revolution in logistics, enabling immediate transport anywhere in the world without time or cost issues.
If the Exploration Alliance took the lead, they’d surely make money, but most large corporations had already gathered explorers since the early days of the fantasy phenomenon, so I wasn’t sure how big it would become.

The Alliance Leader talked a bit about sponsoring companies before leaving the podium.
According to the schedule in the pamphlet, next up were named explorers sharing know-how and case studies, followed by free conversation time.
I listened for a moment as some named party leader talked about mage injuries and their impact on party composition, then got up from my seat.
“I’m going to wash my hands.”

When I returned from the restroom, Do Yugeon wasn’t at the table.
Looking around, I found him talking to someone wearing a mage robe near the snack area in the back.
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
“Hahaha. It’s nothing really amazing.”
What’s he bragging about?
“No, really, it’s amazing. I was too afraid to fight up close, so I became a mage.”
“Magic is great. I wanted to try being a mage, but I gave up after seeing my friend’s talent.”

I walked up and poked his side.
They hadn’t said much yet, but I was anxious he might suddenly start talking about geniuses or whatnot.
He must have detected my presence, as he subtly dodged my finger.
Ignoring the mage’s gaze, I picked up some snacks.
“Is this the friend you just mentioned?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“It must be tough hunting as a mage. Your friend walks a difficult path. Though I’m not one to talk.”

The mage laughed and continued.
“Still, thanks to the update, changing jobs made hunting enjoyable. Ah, right, want me to show you some magic? I’m a Pyromancer—it should be worth seeing.”
“Sure!”

A Pyromancer, huh.
I was curious about the skills.
We moved back to our original table, away from the crowded area, and the mage changed his system settings to show his skill window.

[Skill Window]
Basic Skills
◇ Mana Sense ― ON
◇ Presence Detection ― ON
Job Skills
Rookie Pyromancer
◇ Rookie Pyromancer’s Mana Sense ― ON
◇ Flame Magic—Fireball Lv.1

The structure wasn’t much different from what I had gathered online.
Job skills consisted of one passive and one active skill each.
Mana Sense seemed to be a common skill for mages, increasing the range of the basic Mana Sense skill.

“Fireball.”
As the Pyromancer spoke, mana moved and formed a specific configuration, becoming flame.
It gathered to create a ball of fire above the Pyromancer’s palm.
Do Yugeon clapped.
This is also mana property transformation.
It seemed Flame Magic, like Healing Magic, was used by changing the properties of mana.
But the mage didn’t even touch the mana; just speaking the word made the System do it automatically. Wasn’t that too reliant on the System?

“Flame Magic looks awesome!”
“Right?”
“I really should have become a mage.”
“You don’t know the hardships of being a mage. It’s gotten much better after the job update, but it’s still tough these days.”
“In what way?”
“Because mages are so specialized, they’re strong, but often avoided as party members. See, magic is easy to use, but once used, it’s hard to control and sometimes harms party members. Even unintentionally.”

Since the System casts it for them, that makes sense.
The Pyromancer continued.
“Just take Pyromancers, for example. If sparks fly and start a fire in the forest, dozens of mobs swarm in, so countless parties won’t accept Pyromancers.”
“Uh, wait a minute. Then can’t you just start a forest fire to hunt?”
“Of course, we tried. But whether it’s Goblins or Slimes, they react so well that starting a forest fire doesn’t kill them.”

The Pyromancer continued while opening a bag of cookies.
“The game balance is messed up.”
“Glad I chose Swordsman.”
“Everyone likes Spearmen, but Swordsmen are good too. If only I could handle close combat, I would have been a Swordsman. Ah, life…… By the way, what level are you?”
“Hit level 9 a while ago. Should be hitting 10 soon.”
“You level up incredibly fast. Your friend too?”

The Pyromancer looked toward me.
“Yes.”
I replied and ate a cookie.
After staring for a moment, the Pyromancer leaned toward Do Yugeon’s ear and whispered, his voice tiny, clearly trying not to let me hear.
“I’m asking just in case I made a mistake, but did I perhaps do anything rude to this young lady?”
Unfortunately, I heard everything.
“No. She’s always like this.”
I hold no ill will, so I wish he wouldn’t worry about it.

The Pyromancer straightened up with a relieved expression.
“Really? That’s good then. Anyway, what were we talking about?”
“You asked about levels, right?”
“Ah, right. Level 9. If you’re level 9, you haven’t met Orcs yet, have you?”

I already knew from searching online that the level 10 mob was the Orc, but there was no reliable information.
Mainly because the sources claimed they fought bare-handed.
There’s a limit to unbelievable lies.
“You wouldn’t believe how flustered I was when I first met an Orc. Some muscular Orc appears and starts throwing punches, like it learned martial arts or something. If you try to stab it with a spear, it snatches the spear, and if you shoot magic, it dodges swiftly. How are we supposed to catch them?”

They really fought bare-handed?
I studied the Pyromancer’s expression, but it didn’t seem like he was bluffing.
Ugh, I hate fantasy so much.
At least stick to minimal common sense!

As I continued listening, the party leader who was presenting on the podium went down, and a new person stepped up and greeted the audience.
Applause erupted from the table with many people in mage robes.
They called him the “20m Mage.”
When coming to this meeting, I had hoped the Exploration Alliance might have brought some hidden genius mage out of the woodwork, but it was a vain hope.
I didn’t know if the Exploration Alliance was incompetent or if the geniuses were just good at hiding.
The world is supposedly full of geniuses, so where were all of them?

“I was quite taken aback when the Exploration Alliance asked me to present. Truthfully, I’m not that remarkable. I was lucky that my Mana Sense range is 20m, but there’s nothing particularly special about me.”
The mage was right.
Like him, I was just lucky to have a wide Mana Sense range; there wasn’t anything special.
We weren’t amazing enough to be called geniuses.
“So, I initially refused. But thinking it over, I realized I might have something to share. Thanks to this job update, mages have gained an even wider Mana Sense range. This has made many things possible, but I know many mages haven’t adapted yet. Therefore, I’d like to share, not as a more talented mage, but as a mage who experienced it first, how to utilize this wider range.”

The Pyromancer clapped enthusiastically.
As if in response, the mages in robes applauded.
Do Yugeon clapped and nudged me.
“You’re a mage too. Clap, clap.”
“Alright, alright.”

Clapping, I subtly glanced around.
All the mage-like people were clapping.
I didn’t know where the geniuses were, but I understood that the mage currently on the podium was an idol to other mages.
After the mage’s presentation finished, a person introducing themselves as a Spearman took the podium, and the Pyromancer and Do Yugeon, who had been focused on the presentation, started chatting.
They hit it off well.

Since the talk wasn’t interesting to me, I looked around at the other tables.
Many people weren’t paying attention since it wasn’t about their job.
Looking at the Alliance Leader’s table, I saw him talking with someone else, who looked angry.
Looks like the Exploration Alliance is chaotic too.
Wondering what the clapping mages were doing, I saw one Pyromancer creating a fireball, showing off his magic.
I didn’t know if showing off was common among Pyromancers or all mages.

“If that’s not pursuing private interests, then what is!”
Startled, I looked toward the source of the loud voice; it was the Alliance Leader’s table.
Looks like a fight broke out.
Glancing subtly at the podium, the presenter had stopped talking and was looking around nervously.
Poor timing for their presentation.

Do Yugeon nudged me.
“Why?”
“Look over there.”
I looked where he pointed; it was the mage who had been showing off the fireball just moments ago.
He must have made a mistake while using magic because the table had caught fire.
Oh dear.

Do Yugeon asked the Pyromancer next to us.
“What happens if a fire starts while using Flame Magic?”
“Usually, if the casting mage controls it, it disappears, but…”
Looking at the mage who started the fire, he seemed to be trying to put it out, but it wasn’t working well.
Maybe he was flustered because so many people were watching.

The heat from the burning table must have reached the ceiling because suddenly, water started pouring from the sprinklers.
In that brief moment, the Pyromancer who had been sitting and watching jumped up in surprise.
“Uh, wai—”
As the sprinkler water hit the Flame Magic, the flames exploded, spreading fire in all directions.
Fortunately, people had moved away from the immediate vicinity, so no one was hurt.
The mage who had been close trying to put out the fire must have been saved by someone quick-witted, as he was now sprawled elsewhere.

What kind of fire magic gets bigger when you pour water on it?
Someone was trying to suppress the fire with an extinguisher, and some people were heading for the doors.
The mood was completely disrupted.
I still hadn’t properly gathered job information.
Flame Magic seemed particularly potent; extinguishing it with a fire extinguisher looked difficult.
Actually, even if successfully extinguished, the powder from the extinguisher would likely derail the meeting anyway.

Waiting for the fire truck didn’t seem feasible. Should I put it out?
Hmm.
I’ve never used magic secretly around other mages before……
I used mana to lift the fire extinguisher from the person diligently fighting the fire and tossed it out the window.
Glancing sideways at the Pyromancer, he seemed merely bewildered by the absurd sight, unaware of my actions.
Good, good.

“Hey?”
Do Yugeon whispered.
I pressed my index finger to my lips, signaling him to be quiet.
The method to extinguish Flame Magic should be the same as messing up Healing Magic midway.
Probably.
Maybe not, but if so, I could just bring the extinguisher back.

Mana property transformation is quite a delicate process; if the mana configuration isn’t right, the transformation fails.
Once the transformation occurs, the mana configuration gains a certain robustness and maintains itself, but it’s still weak against artificial intervention.
It might be different for more complex transformations, but for a Fireball Lv.1…
I disrupted the mana configuration of the nearest flame.
As expected, the fire disappeared.
It worked.

Flame Magic was peculiar; it seemed to have the property of mass-producing identical mana configurations, so there was a lot to disrupt.
The easiest way would be to pour mana onto it and disrupt everything at once, but that would expose me, so I had to be patient and do it step by step.
One by one, I disrupted the magic and suppressed the flames.
As the fire diminished, the murmuring grew louder, and people started clapping.

Do Yugeon took my hand and mimicked clapping.
What are you doing?
“Clap, clap.”
“Alright, alright.”

Clapping perfunctorily while dealing with the fire, I finally extinguished it completely.
The Pyromancer who had been clapping cheered and shouted to the surroundings.
“Did anyone get a video of this?”
What the.
Is this the modern mindset?
How baffling.

Mages swarmed the 20m Mage, grilling him about whether he had just used magic.
When the 20m Mage denied it, the murmuring grew louder.
Good, the mood is good.
The meeting won’t be completely disrupted.
Let’s start gathering job information now.
Taking Do Yugeon, I stood up from my seat, approached the murmuring mages, and said, “Maybe it was some kind of special skill? How about everyone reveals their skill windows?”

The mages agreed, and Do Yugeon clapped.
Yes, yes.
I know too.
So stop clapping and eat lots of snacks.