SpiralBaka

Level Down 50

Volume 2 Chapter 8 - Work as a Wood Class Adventurer

RAW

Two days after he acquired the identity of Nella and had various things happen with Iseria on the 9th floor of the Lilac Dungeon, Allen came to the Adventurers’ Guild in his usual appearance at around 7 in the morning.

Although Nella was a mithril class adventurer, Allen himself was still a wood class adventurer, so he was thinking about taking a request in order to raise his rank.

At the Adventurers’ Guild, new requests are posted on the bulletin board at 5:30 in the morning. This is because Lilac’s gates open at 6:00 a.m., so the Guild wants to make sure that adventurers who take requests from a distant place can leave the city right after the gates open.

That said, that is not the whole reason; immediately after posting requests, adventurers rush to receive a good request, so by posting it early in the morning, they aim to disperse their number even by a little.

When Allen was providing for his younger siblings, he would go to the Guild early in the morning so that he could take requests that were as safe and well-paid as possible. That said, there are many adventurers who think the same way, so there was always a competition for good requests.

Even knowing this, this time, Allen still came at 7:00 a.m., a long time after the requests were posted, this was so he wouldn't steal requests from adventurers like the old him.

Because currently, Allen's goal is to rise in rank, and the reward is secondary.

Although he has money that he earned as a Nella, Allen's living expenses now that he's living alone are not that big in the first place.

Above all, Allen had been earning quite an amount of money recently, so it can be said that his pockets are warm.

“Now then, I wonder if there's any good request here. I wish there’s a request that’d give a lot of contribution points to the Guild.” (Allen)

While muttering something like that, Allen walked towards the bulletin board where several adventurers were standing in front of it and looking at it.

Although it was only for a short time, Allen had been an employee of the Guild, so he had some knowledge about requests that had high contribution points to the Guild. He was a little curious about the hidden circumstances that he never knew about when he was an adventurer, so he asked Matilda to tell him about it.

Of course, it would fluctuate depending on the type of request and the reward amount, but Allen had a general idea of the trend. That's why it should be easier for him to raise his rank compared to a normal adventurer, but...

“Ah, Allen. Just in time.” (Matilda)

Just as Allen was about to reach the bulletin board, he heard that voice, and his face stiffened as he looked toward its source. From the level-up trap application counter, Matilda was waving her hand at Allen with a smile on her face.

Although she was the oldest among the receptionists of the Adventurers’ Guild, Matilda's beauty had not diminished yet, so when she smiled at Allen, the surrounding adventurers looked at him with jealousy. In the midst of all those adventurers, Allen started walking toward her, clearly unenthusiastic.

“Good morning. Today is a good day, isn’t it?” (Matilda)

“Good morning. I wish it's a good day for me though...” (Allen)

Matilda didn't seem to be fazed by Allen's sarcastic line at all. Seeing her all too familiar state, Allen acutely felt a bad premonition coming his way as Matilda tilted her head a little and smiled softly at him.

“Of course. And so, I have a perfect request here for Allen to make it a good day.” (Matilda)

“Let me see... wait, isn’t this a herb collecting request? I knew it!” (Allen)

As Matilda took out a request form from under the counter and handed it to him, Allen felt his bad premonition turn into certainty, but he still accepted it and skimmed it over before he slammed it down on the counter.

It was the same request that Allen had been half-forced to accept by Orlando, the Guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild, and had only managed to complete it after much difficulty.

“It seems that the other side has nominated you. You sure are liked, Allen.” (Matilda)

“Nominated, you say, only iron class or higher are supposed to receive a nominated request. And even if that obstinate geezer likes me, you know.” (Allen)

‘Haa,’ Allen sighed heavily and became depressed while Matilda gently watched over him.

Indeed, as Allen said, the nominated request system in which the adventurer who would receive the request was nominated in advance was only for iron class adventurers and above.

That said, this is not to say that anything below that cannot be nominated at all. Cases like this where the Guild prioritizes the wishes of the client and offers flexibility, while rare, it does happen.

“But he definitely likes you, Allen. He nominates you every time, and the amount of reward is also increasing.” (Matilda)

“I guess I'm honestly happy that he appreciates my skill, but.” (Allen)

“But it's 30,000 zenny for a day of collecting medicinal herbs, you know. It's so outrageous that even an iron class adventurer would turn pale. They might also turn red from anger though.” (Matilda)

“Might be.” (Allen)

Allen agreed with Matilda's words that she said while laughing.

Before becoming a guild employee, Allen's annual income as an iron class adventurer was about 3 million zenny. He only chose requests that were highly reliable, short in duration, and close to the city, so he didn't get many good-paying requests, and he usually earned around 10,000 to 15,000 zenny per day on average.

Now he earns 30,000 zenny per day as a wood class adventurer, what's more, from collecting medicinal herbs. If Allen from back then had heard something like this, he would have definitely turned red and gotten angry. This is assuming he didn’t know the contents though.

Allen folded his arms and began to think. Although it was written as collecting medicinal herbs, the content was not so simple. To be more specific, it was necessary to collect medicinal herbs growing on each floor of Lilac Dungeon, and in specific surrounding environments, such as in the shade of a tree.

What’s more, it had to be harvested with roots, and there was a condition that it must be delivered within half a day after harvesting. Therefore, in order to complete the request, it was necessary to go back and forth between the dungeon and the city many times. What’s more, if the client found fault at the time of the delivery, the collection would have to be redone.

Because of the client's strong pickiness, the checks on delivery were strict, and the memory of being told repeatedly that it was no good when he first received the request came back to Allen's mind.

As you’d expect, he had gotten the hang of what the client was looking for after taking it so many times, so the nightmare of the first time didn’t happen anymore though.

Of course, Allen has no obligation to accept this request.

Because, even if it was a nomination request, the adventurer side can still decline it, and Allen, being a wood class, couldn’t really be nominated for a request either, so even if he refused it, the Guild shouldn’t hand down any punishment on him.

Still, Allen was hesitating, because...

“But Allen. You actually like this kind of request to collect medicinal herbs, don't you?” (Matilda)

“Ugh, no, well, rather than like it... I just feel like I was saved in the past thanks to collection type requests like this.” (Allen)

“I suppose completing these collection type requests can increase the supply of potions, and if their performance improves, there may be some new adventurers who’ll be saved by them.” (Matilda)

“Right. This request probably won't increase the supply, but it might improve their performance.” (Allen)

Seeing how she could see right through his heart, Allen smiled bitterly.

As Allen completed delivery requests for medicinal herbs, the client took a liking to him and even began to show him the state of his research, leading him to believe that the client's research attitude that could be called obsessive could really improve their performance.

‘Fuu─,’ Allen let out a deep breath, and then handed the request form to Matilda.

“I got it. I'll accept the request.” (Allen)

“That’s good. Then I'll take care of the procedure.” (Matilda)

“Ou, I’ll leave it to you.” (Allen)

Receiving a copy of the request form and leaving the rest of the procedure to Matilda, Allen raised one hand and turned his back to her with a grin on his face. Matilda stopped her hand that was moving to process the request form and looked at his retreating figure.

“Um, Allen.” (Matilda)

“Nn?” (Allen)

As Allen turned around at her call, Matilda’s cheeks turned a little red, and she continued her words.

“My work for today will be over by noon, so could you go out with me for a bit? I found a bargain bed and bought it, but it's too hard to carry.” (Matilda)

“Hmm, I guess it’s fine if it’s just that. What's the reward?” (Allen)

“How about I buy you lunch?” (Matilda)

“All right. Request accepted. Then, I’ll come back at noon. I'll leave myself hungry, so you better be prepared." (Allen)

Allen said that while smiling happily as he left the Guild. Without noticing the thorny stares from the surrounding adventurers.

Matilda, on the other hand, was receiving very interested glances from the receptionists around her, and was running her pen over the paperwork, hoping to complete the request acceptance procedure while it was still calm before the storm.

────

(T/N: I really feel like my translation is getting worse. I hope it’s just my imagination.)

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Level Down 49

Volume 2 Chapter 7 - Various Reasons

RAW

As Allen stared at her with a serious expression on his face, Iseria tilted her head and responded.

“Is it about the talk about the compensation for keeping your secret?” (Iseria)

“That’s right.” (Allen)

“In the first place, I’ve told you that I don't need anything since Nella-sama is my lifesaver. But you insisted, so I said I’d be grateful if you could teach me your knowledge as an adventurer, but I still think this is too much.” (Iseria)

“Ugh, I guess that's true, but.” (Allen)

Allen couldn't help but groan as she stared at him with pure eyes that showed no evil or ulterior motives. In fact, it was Allen who accidentally revealed Nella's true identity in the Dragon Dungeon.

At that time, Allen asked Iseria to keep his true identity a secret, but he couldn't think of anything to give in return.

Allen did think that giving hush money for this would be common, but he also knew that Iseria was not worried about money at all.

Of course, Allen knew that there were people who’d resort to illegal methods such as violence, but Iseria did nothing wrong at all anyway, and above all, there was no way Allen could do something like that.

As Allen was thinking about what to do, Iseria said that she didn't need anything, but after Allen insisted on giving something and discussing it with her, they came to the conclusion that what Iseria wanted was for him to teach her the knowledge she needed as an adventurer.

From Allen's point of view, that suggestion made him wonder if that was really good enough.

“I understand a little how you feel, Nella-sama. You haven't met me for a long time, so you can't trust me, so I'm sure you can’t feel at ease unless you give me good enough compensation.” (Iseria)

“No, it's not that I don't trust you. I think you’re basically a good person anyway.” (Allen)

When Iseria answered in a way that seemed to dismiss her own existence, Allen hurriedly waved his hand in denial.

Although Allen had only been with Iseria for a short period of time, he still had no doubt that Iseria had good nature. That said, Allen wasn't young or naive enough to trust everything based on his impression on her alone.

At Allen's response, Iseria let out a deep breath, and her cheeks, which had been a little stiff, began to open.

“I was actually a little shocked, you know. I thought you didn't trust me. But what you just said reassured me a little.” (Iseria)

Looking back at that soft smile, Allen smiled as well.

Looking at Iseria's smile, Allen realized that at least Iseria's desire for him to teach her how to be an adventurer was genuine, and that this was sufficient compensation for keeping Nella's true identity secret.

“I got it. I'll make you a full-fledged adventurer. I said that, but don't get your hopes up too much. I really can only teach you common adventurer knowledge. I can only teach you what any veteran will know if you ask them normally. Don't ask for specialized or special knowledge. It's impossible.” (Allen)

“How should I put it, Nella-sama is really subservient sometimes.” (Iseria)

“Leave me be!” (Allen)

Looking at Iseria, who was laughing like a bell, Allen pouted a little and sulked.

‘I’m just an eternal iron class adventurer anyway, or rather I’m a wood class now, so I’m not even an iron class,’ Allen thought, beating himself down even more, but once he let out a big breath, he was able to easily change his mood.

The rift between Allen and Iseria has disappeared, albeit a little, and the two continued walking towards Lilac City with a softer atmosphere than before.

There was still no one around, and only the sound of the two treading on the ground echoed around them.

“Come to think of it, Nella-sama. I would like to ask you something related to what we talked about earlier. Why are you hiding your true identity?” (Iseria)

‘What are you talking about?’ Allen replied in a tone that seemed to be filled with exasperation, and Iseria shook her head.

“That’s not what I’m talking about, I mean why are you trying to maintain a normal life? If you have that power, would you not be able to have all the wealth and fame you want?” (Iseria)

‘I see,’ Allen nodded in response to Iseria's words and began to think about something he hadn’t really been conscious about.

And after thinking about it for a while, he easily came to the conclusion that what Iseria said was certainly true.

Allen's strength that exceeded 5,000 in all stats, when he tried to compare it to the mithril class adventurers he had seen during the stampede before, was so far apart that they could not even be compared, Allen realized it again at that time.

However, in reality, even mithril class adventurers have gained enough wealth and fame.

Of course, there are individual differences, but the number of mithril class adventurers who have earned enough money that they don't have to work for the rest of their lives if they retire and enough fame that allows them to make a living through minstrels who sing about their exploits is not few.

Considering these things, it was self-evident that if Allen were to thoroughly demonstrate his power without restraining himself, he would at least be able to achieve more than that, and he’s sure that he could do it as Allen himself, he calmly judged.

‘However...’ Allen thought.

Once he thought about it, since that time when he reached level 500 and was surprised by the power of the Fireball, or maybe when he was able to defeat the boss of the Demon Dungeon, the ogre king, by himself, Allen realized.

That his powers had become extraordinary, far beyond those of ordinary people.

Even so, Allen did not abandon his position as an employee of the Adventurers’ Guild, not simply because he didn’t want to get dragged into trouble...

“Hmm, because Allen is important to me, as the place to return to... I guess?” (Allen)

“I'm sorry. I don't understand what you mean.” (Iseria)

“Sorry. I myself can't find the words to say it properly. I may have acquired this power by chance, but it’s not like the 29 years I've spent so far will disappear. My essence is that of Allen. And I don't want that to change just because I gained power. No, well, I'm honestly happy that I can go on adventures. I'm not saying that I haven't changed, because I've become a little more extravagant, like eating out, and making my house more livable.” (Allen)

Struggling to get his words together, Allen continued to speak, trying to convey his thoughts somehow, and Iseria listened in silence.

As he continued to think about it, the image of his four precious younger siblings came to his mind. At that instant, the hazy feeling he had just a moment ago cleared up as if it was a lie, and Allen smiled.

“So that’s how it is.” (Allen)

“What is?” (Iseria)

“Yeah, the reason I didn't want to change from Allen was because I wanted to make sure that anyone who wanted to come back to that place could come back anytime they wanted. I’m sure I didn't want to do anything that would paint over the place of everyone's memories called Allen, the eldest son filled with so many memories of his younger siblings.” (Allen)

Not knowing much about the situation, Iseria could only understand about half of what Allen said, but she could still guess that it was important to him.

Because, although she couldn't see his face directly because of the mask, his bright atmosphere still reached Iseria.

“Then, Nella-sama will continue to maintain this lifestyle from now on, right?” (Iseria)

“I guess so. If they really came back, it’d be a problem in a different way, but I think it's my role to show my younger siblings that there is a place they can come back to with peace of mind. Normally, I'll just be Allen, but when I go on adventures, I'll enjoy it as Nella. Sorry for being so troublesome.”

As Allen said so apologetically, Iseria smiled while shaking her head in response.

“No, it's not a problem. Still, so you think about different things as you become old.” (Iseria)

“You, old, you say?! No, I know that 29 is old from Iseria's perspective, but.” (Allen)

“Ah, that’s just Ojii-sama’s favorite phrase. Um, I don’t mean that in that sense, but in the sense of accumulating life experience...” (Iseria)

“Getting a follow-up just makes it more painful.” (Allen)

Hurt by the fact that Iseria, a beautiful girl, implicitly called him old, Allen’s pace dropped just a bit. Iseria also tried to give a follow-up, but it was all in vain.

While doing those kinds of exchanges, the two of them headed toward Lilac’s gate that was now looking bigger.

────

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Level Down 48

Volume 2 Chapter 6 - The Birth of a New Trauma?

RAW

Allen made the unconscious Iseria sit with her back leaning against a nearby tree, and quickly cut the treant, who for some reason was showing the whites of its eyes just like Iseria. And then, while being wary of his surroundings, Allen began to process the treant

Even though Allen understood that he should wake her up if he wanted to fulfill his original purpose of teaching Iseria how to be an adventurer, he didn't do it.

(It's enough that we got to the 9th floor today and was able to shake off her fear to some extent. But why is she so desperate? Is it because she’s young after all?) (Allen)

Allen was thinking about that as he worked, trying not to look at Iseria who was unconscious with a face that no one should see.

In truth, Allen was planning to have Iseria fight treants today as he observed her. To see how Iseria would react to a treant, a monster of the same type as hanging tree.

Considering that after Iseria almost died on this 9th floor she went with him as he conquered the Demon Dungeon to raise her level and fought in the Dragon Dungeon, Allen judged that she didn't have much fear toward normal monsters.

Also, regarding the location that is the forest, despite the 1st floor of the Dragon Dungeon having similar terrain, Iseria didn't seem to be concerned about it, so he thought this location would be okay.

That said, at that time, Iseria was excited about meeting the ancient dragon Mizuchi, so it wasn’t definite though.

“Yotto, this is top quality for a simple bed. The blanket is just so-so, but it's probably better than sleeping directly on it.” (Allen)

After nodding with satisfaction at the newly assembled bed, which was much better than the one Allen had used before, Allen placed a blanket on top of it and laid Iseria down on it.

“U-un...” (Iseria)

“!!” (Allen)

As Iseria was placed on the bed, she stirred and made such a sound, and in response, Allen quickly moved away from the place.

Allen made the simple bed so that Iseria could rest as easily as possible, but that voice and figure made him think of a certain idea.

(Crap, doesn't this look like I’m trying to bring her into bed and attack her?) (Allen)

An unconscious young woman, and a bed. And a man standing still next to it. If you look at them from the sidelines, there is certainly a possibility that it might seem that way.

However, this is inside a dungeon, who would go out of their way to bring a bed there? What’s more, the man looked like a clown, so not many people would think like that.

‘Don’t wake up!’ It's unknown if that wish of Allen got through her, but Iseria only shifted her body slightly to the side.

The whites of her eyes and her mouth that were open were both closed when she shifted earlier, so Allen was relieved in another sense, and ‘Fuu,’ he let out a small breath.

As Allen watched Iseria sleeping soundly, he felt a sense of nostalgia.

When his younger siblings grew a little older and were able to prepare their own meals, Allen often worked late to earn money.

That was because, while Allen tried to be frugal, and his younger sister, who was much better at managing money than Allen, managed it firmly, as they grew older, the amount of money they had to spend on things like food increased.

When Allen returned home late at night, dragging his tired body, his younger siblings were naturally asleep. It was only natural, since it was Allen himself who had forbidden them to stay up and wait, and everyone was properly obeying him.

After eating the simple dinner they had prepared, Allen always watched his younger siblings sleep before going to bed to prepare for tomorrow.

Because doing that would make him able to think ‘Let’s do my best tomorrow too.’

“Now that I think about it, I wonder what they’re doing these days.” (Allen)

Allen was lost in thought as he muttered something like that.

The second son, Eric, was in this Lilac City, and he had met him recently, so he knew his situation to some extent, but the other three had already moved away from Lilac City, so except for the occasional letters, he didn’t even know what kind of life they lead.

In particular, he hadn't seen the eldest daughter and third son who were in the capital since they left Lilac. Well, it's not like the third son had left that long ago though.

“It might be a good idea to go see them. I don’t need to be tied to this city anymore anyway.” (Allen)

The expression on Allen's face as he murmured such a thing was softer and kinder than anything he had ever made before.

.

.

.

About two hours later, Iseria woke up and restlessly looked around her surroundings, trying to grasp the situation.

It was natural that she did that, because she had just fought treants on the 9th floor of the Lilac Dungeon and was supposed to be talking to Allen, but she was suddenly put to bed.

As Iseria sat up with her head still in a daze and then put her feet down from the bed, Allen, who was making a desk and chair that was obviously too small for an adult in a place that was just a little further away, called out to her.

“Are you awake? Sorry, seems like I overdid it. How are you feeling?” (Allen)

“No, I was the one who asked for it. Besides, I don't really remember what happened. I don't think I'm feeling particularly bad.” (Iseria)

In fact, Iseria's memory had become vague.

She did remember talking to Allen about the treatment, and that when she heard that there was a possibility to treat it by experiencing something much more frightening than the actual experience, she had suggested trying it.

However, Iseria had no recollection of what happened after that.

Iseria tried forcing herself to remember it, but in that instant she felt a chill and her body began to shiver.

“It seems it’s best if I don’t remember what happened.” (Iseria)

“So it seems. I’m really sorry.” (Allen)

“It's okay. After all, I feel like I've achieved my original goal.” (Iseria)

Shaking her head slightly and giving up on remembering, Iseria turned to Allen, who seemed apologetic, and smiled. Iseria didn't know how much fear Allen had caused her, but she was relieved that she hadn't become afraid of Allen as a result of that.

Allen was about to continue speaking, but when he saw her smile, he scratched his head and stopped himself. Because he realized that any further apology would be tactless.

“All right. Then, we’re going home today. Not pushing yourself too hard is also a ground rule of adventurers after all.” (Allen)

“Yes.” (Iseria)

Iseria stood up as she responded to Allen's suggestion, but when she saw Allen putting the small desk and chair he had made earlier into his magic bag, she called out to him from his back.

“Um, what should we do with this bed and blanket?” (Iseria)

“Aa─h, I wonder what.” (Allen)

After he finished putting away the desk and chair, Allen stood up and started pondering. He had already made a proper bed at his house, and he had recently bought a blanket, so he wasn’t really attached to this.

On the contrary, the thought of using the blanket that Iseria had used is kinda. Then Allen realized that he would never have thought that way in the past when he was struggling with money, and he smiled wryly.

“I'll just donate this to the orphanage. I was planning to give them the desk and chair anyway.” (Allen)

“I understand. Then I'll fold the blanket.” (Iseria)

“I leave it to you.” (Allen)

The two of them moved briskly, and soon everything was put away.

The two then started walking towards the exit. While defeating the occasional monsters that attacked them, and Allen teaching her the mental attitude as an adventurer.

.

.

.

The two of them got out of Lilac Dungeon without incident and headed towards the city. While Allen listening to what Iseria was doing in the dungeon before Allen came, and Allen giving her some advice.

Then, once the topic had died down and the two of them stopped talking, Allen made sure that no one was around, and asked Iseria while lowering his voice a little.

“Look, the knowledge I know is only this much. Are you really okay with just teaching you how to be an adventurer?” (Allen)

As Allen suddenly said that, Iseria stared back at him with blank eyes.

────

(T/N: ‘how to be an adventurer’ is actually ‘ground rules as an adventurer’, but google used the former, and it seems fitting, so I followed it. raw: 冒険者としての心得を教える)

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Level Down 47

Volume 2 Chapter 5 - Trauma Improvement?

RAW

Iseria, who was advancing alone through the forest where treants were lurking, gradually regained her composure after several battles with treants, and her nervous expression gradually began to soften.

“It seems like I’ll be okay somehow. I wonder if I only need to get used to it after all.” (Iseria)

Iseria muttered while looking back on her battles with treants so far.

In truth, when Iseria encountered the first treant this time, she threw a spell so powerful that it engulfed the surrounding trees. However, when she saw the treant collapse so easily, she felt her anxiety disappear.

After that, she was gradually able to control the power, and as more treant fell down, her anxiety decreased.

And now she can walk and fight without getting too nervous.

“I think it's time I check the weaknesses written in the documents.” (Iseria)

‘Fuu,’ Iseria exhaled and made that decision.

Until now, her battles had been relying on the power of her magic, with safety as the top priority. However, the recommended fighting method written in the Guild's reference room was different, and since her condition was getting close to normal, she thought she’d give it a try.

“Treants’ weaknesses are their lack of attack methods and inability to move. It’s unrelated if you attack it from long distance using magic, but if you fight it in close quarters, you should cut off the attacking branches first and you’ll be able to safely defeat it after, like that, right? When I was fighting it with a sword, I had a hard time with the branches swinging around me...” (Iseria)

While Iseria was walking while saying such things, she heard the sound of leaves rustling from above, even though there was no wind blowing inside the dungeon.

At that moment, Iseria's expression sharpened, and she jumped widely to the side.

With a whoosh, a thick branch swung through the area where Iseria had been just a moment ago.

Then, the branch trembled and a treant looked at Iseria, who was standing outside the reach of its branches, with an ugly smile on its face.

“Fuu, for now, let's first use magic to deal with it. Quick Burst.” (Iseria)

While carefully observing the treant, Iseria pointed her hand at the treant and cast Quick Burst, a composite magic of wind and fire.

A transparent bullet of air with a slight red color was generated from just beyond her hand and flew towards the treant, colliding with the base of its branch.

‘Bam’ a light plosive sound echoed, and the surrounding branches and leaves fell to the ground in pieces. Some of its thicker trunks still remained, but many of them were not able to withstand their own weight and were making creaking noises, looking as if they would break at any moment.

Quick Burst is, simply put, a spell that fires a transparent bullet of air which bursts where it hits, scattering blades of wind around it.

It was one of the spells that Iseria often used because of its high power for the small amount of magic power it consumed. It’s a composite magic, so there are not that many people who can use it though.

Iseria cast Quick Burst several times while checking its effect, and after confirming that all the branches have fallen, she approached the treant.

Just in case, Iseria was also being careful so that she could run away at any time, but just as the information from the Guild says, the treant just looked at her with an angry expression on its face and didn’t attack.

Iseria observed the situation for a while but, convinced that the information she had obtained from the Guild's reference room was correct, she nodded repeatedly.

She then aimed her hand at the treant to finish it off.

“Quick B...” (Iseria)

Iseria's words stopped midway through the magic chant.

In front of her was a sword that shouldn’t have been there before, and Iseria was under so much pressure that she couldn't even breathe.

“If you focus only on the enemy in front of you, you'll die. This happens more often to people who let their guard down when they have leeway. This is common sense for adventurers.” (Allen)

As Iseria heard that voice, Allen appeared in front of her in his Nella form. And when he put back his sword, the pressure that had been attacking Iseria vanished as if it had been a lie.

As Iseria slumped down with her hands on the ground and breathing heavily, Allen watched her. ‘I was just planning to surprise her a bit, but I might’ve gone too far,’ while inwardly regretting it.

After a while, Iseria caught her breath and looked up at Allen. Seeing her puff out her cheeks in obvious dissatisfaction, Allen couldn't help but smile as she reminded him of his youngest sister.

“Thank you for your instruction.” (Iseria)

“You don't seem too happy about that though.” (Allen)

“That's... well, it's probably my fault for letting my guard down, but I think Nella-sama also has a bad personality.” (Iseria)

To Iseria's words she said while holding out her hand, Allen silently responded by tilting his head a little, then he took her hand and helped her to her feet.

When she stood up, Iseria slapped her knees and butt, and let out a deep breath. Confirming that there was no fear or terror left in her, Allen smiled.

“I was a little worried, but it looks like your fear of treants and the like is okay.” (Allen)

Iseria looked back at Allen, startled by his sudden words. She then understood what that meant and her cheeks loosened just a little at the fact that Allen was worried about her.

“That's true. I myself was worried that I might not be able to fight anymore. It was written in the book that there were cases like that, so I thought maybe I would too.” (Iseria)

Allen tilted his head as he listened to Iseria's honest words expressing her feelings. Seeing him do that, Iseria wondered if she had said something strange, but she couldn't think of anything in particular.

“What is it?” (Iseria)

“No, can’t fight, you say, Iseria has fought many times haven’t you. Like In the Demon Dungeon and in the Dragon Dungeon.” (Allen)

“No, that's not what it meant.” (Iseria)

Realizing that hers and Allen's thoughts were different, Iseria gave some additional explanation. Hearing this, Allen immediately realized his misunderstanding, but since Iseria seemed to have started speaking, he decided to listen to her explanation until the end.

Because he knew from experience that fear would fade by talking to someone.

“...That’s what I feel. I'm even more scared because I don't really know about the treatment method.” (Iseria)

“That's true. There are certainly some people like that even among adventurers. It varies in degree, though.” (Allen)

“Degree? Meaning?” (Iseria)

As Iseria replied with a question, Allen scratched his head and began to speak.

“The worst one is when they can’t do the adventurer job itself. They can't even join the Guild anymore. And what's a little better is if they can't fight against monsters, or can't go to specific places, like the forest. The little lighter one is if they can’t fight monsters of the same type, or can’t go to specific floors. The really light one is if they can’t fight only specific monsters...” (Allen)

“P-please wait a minute! That knowledge is more detailed than what is written in specialized books, you know.” (Iseria)

Allen's words came as a surprise to Iseria, and she couldn't help but stop him. That was unbelievable for Iseria.

That is because that book that Iseria read is a medical book that would normally be read by researchers. But Allen, who had never been anything but an adventurer, had more detailed knowledge than that. She couldn't hide her surprise at that.

Having his words stopped, Allen tilted his head as he looked at Iseria, who was clearly agitated.

“No, most veteran adventurers know this. There's a lot of opportunity to see guys like that, and when forming a temporary party, this is the kind of information that should be shared. In a sense, this is common sense for adventurers.” (Allen)

“Adventurer's common sense... could it be, the treatment too?” (Iseria)

“No, that’s.” (Allen)

Iseria felt a little down when Allen spoke ambiguously. Because from what Allen had told her, she knew that she was still afraid of just the hanging tree, and that there was a possibility that she would lose control.

Seeing this, Allen decided to continue with his words that he spoke vaguely because it could not be certain.

“It’s not like there aren’t any. It’s not definite though.” (Allen)

“There is?” (Iseria)

Allen nodded, smiling wryly at Iseria's attitude as she raised her head and looked at him as if she had found hope.

“The one I’ve heard is that it can be reduced by defeating the target of fear, or if that is difficult, monsters of the same type can be somewhat effective.” (Allen)

“That, may be true.” (Iseria)

Iseria nodded, remembering how her anxiety disappeared after defeating treants. But at the same time, she calmly judged that even if she defeated any more treants, nothing would probably change.

“Also, I’ve heard that if you experience a fear that far exceeds that, the previous fear will feel inconsequential...” (Allen)

“That’s it, let's try that.” (Iseria)

“Eh, are you serious? But how are you planning to do that?” (Allen)

“I'm sure it’ll work if Nella-sama releases your serious killing intent. Just the warning you gave me earlier was already quite considerable.” (Iseria)

‘Oi, it’s me?’ Allen thought inwardly, but seeing her serious expression, he decided to do it until she’s satisfied. In the first place, there is no definite proof.

Even if it's just on the level of a good luck charm, Allen thinks it's fine if it’ll make Iseria feel safe.

“Understood. Here I go then?” (Allen)

“Yes. Come at me any...” (Iseria)

‘Killing intent, killing intent, huh? How do I go about this,’ Allen thought since he didn't usually have to do it, and remembered the dragon puppy heading towards the dying Eric at the last stampede.

Then, as Allen released his frightening killing intent, Iseria quickly showed the whites of her eyes and passed out while still in the middle of speaking.

Seeing Iseria falling defenselessly, Allen regained his senses and hurriedly grabbed Iseria by her equipment and stopped her from falling.

“No, what do I do with this?” (Allen)

Allen couldn't help but hold his head in his hand as he watched Iseria making a face that couldn't be shown to others with the white eyes and mouth agape that he couldn't imagine from her usual beauty-like appearance.

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Level Down 46

Volume 2 Chapter 4 - Promise with Iseria

RAW

Leaving the Guildmaster's room, Allen handed Matilda the paper given to him by the Guildmaster recognizing his registration as a mithril class, and began his adventurer registration as Nella.

The moment he handed her the paper, Matilda's expression twitched a little, but after that, she went through the adventurer registration process as usual.

From the way she looked, Allen realized that Matilda also knew that the Guildmaster had the authority to certify up to mithril class.

(When I think about it like that, I might have been a delinquent guild employee.) (Allen)

While thinking about that, Allen watched as Matilda briskly went through the registration process.

Immediately after joining the Guild, Allen was instructed to go to the Slime Dungeon without any training. So he only knew about the procedures of the Guild from what Matilda had told him and what he saw himself, such as when he brought the slime magic stones.

Of course, there was the aspect that Allen was not originally hired with that expectation in mind.

However, as a guild employee, Matilda had solid knowledge and determination to fulfill her duties, the sight of her was very dazzling to Allen.

“Now then, the prescribed procedure is complete. However, it will take some time to issue the mithril license, so we will give you a temporary license. You can use it to accept requests and enter dungeons. Do you have any questions?” (Matilda)

Allen received a high-quality piece of paper with the Guild's stamp on it from Matilda, and when he saw the word mithril class written on it, his cheeks loosened a little.

Then he turned to Matilda and shook his head.

“Well then, Nella-sama. Once again, welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild. We welcome you.” (Matilda)

At those words that, although it could be said to be a standard phrase, Matilda said with a big smile on her face, Allen raised one hand in response before leaving.

As Matilda watched his back, she let out a deep breath the moment Nella's back was out of sight.

The atmosphere that had been tense among the adventurers and guild employees within the Guild began to loosen, and the usual noisy atmosphere gradually returned.

As the Adventurers’ Guild returned to as usual, no one noticed Matilda tilting her head in thought, and Matilda herself immediately stopped and returned to her own duties.

.

.

.

Allen, who had happily obtained his citizenship card and his position as a mithril class adventurer as Nella, showed his citizenship card to the south gate of the city and walked through it normally, heading for the Lilac Dungeon.

Up until now, Allen would never have come to the crowded Lilac Dungeon in his Nella form at this hour before noon.

In the first place, even though they had heard the rumors, not many people had actually seen Nella, who was active mainly late at night.

Allen kept sighing as the adventurers he passed continued to stare at him in surprise, but he pressed onward until he reached his goal, the 9th floor.

Standing in that place that was deserted as always due to it being the treant floor, Allen strained his ears.

“That way huh.” (Allen)

A short time later, Allen heard the sound of a battle that sounded like something exploding, and he started running in that direction. Then, he encountered a scene where Iseria, the person he was aiming for, was fighting a treant.

Unlike before when Iseria used a sword, she was now fighting mainly using magic. She even seemed to have a comfortable margin as she was continuing to unilaterally attack from outside of the treant’s attack range.

“Seems like she was fighting by following the theory; by cutting off the branches first. I guess she checked in the Guild properly. Well, with her magic as it is now, I think it's okay to attack the trunk normally.” (Allen)

Allen was observing Iseria’s battle while muttering such things, but he soon discovered a problem.

“That girl, she’s too focused on battle.” (Allen)

Allen could clearly tell that all of Iseria's attention was directed towards the treant in front of her.

Allen thought that if there was no difference in ability between her and her opponent, and she was in a truly marginal situation, there were some things that couldn’t be helped, but this felt like Iseria still had some leeway.

“I guess I'll point it out. I did promise her that I'd just teach her how to be an adventurer if she kept quiet about my true identity.” (Allen)

Muttering that, Allen secretly started moving from that spot.

.

.

.

Iseria left Lilac City first thing that morning and came to Lilac Dungeon, checking the characteristics and weaknesses of the monsters she had been investigating in the Guild's reference room just yesterday as she walked along.

(I didn't realize it, but I’ve been leaving everything to my stats and been brute forcing things, haven’t I?) (Iseria)

‘Go to the Guild's reference room and at least check the floor you're going to and the monsters in that area,’ that was Allen's instructions that Iseria obediently followed, that’s why she had been holed up in the Guild's reference room lately.

In the Guild's reference room, where information from adventurers was collected, there were various documents, from old to new, and Iseria, who had always loved reading, read through them one after another.

As her level increased, her status increased, and her fighting style changed to focus on magic, which she was originally good at, and Iseria could clearly feel the difference.

“Now that I think about it, I get the impression that many of the people who come to the reference room are veterans. I suppose it means that they recognize the importance of knowledge from their experience? I feel that if the Adventurers' Guild started giving that kind of guidance to newcomers, that part could be improved.” (Iseria)

Iseria progressed through the dungeon without any problems, even alluding to organizational reform before she knew it.

In the first place, Iseria was over level 200 due to Allen's power leveling. Furthermore, as a result of continuing to fight in the stampede of the Dragon Dungeon, her level had already risen to 268.

In terms of rank as an adventurer, her strength could be said to be at least gold class, and considering that she can use a wide variety of magic, it would not be strange for her strength to be mithril class.

For Iseria, going through the shallow floors of the Lilac Dungeon, where new to mid-levels adventurers mainly fought, was no different from taking a walk.

And when she arrived at the 9th floor, the meeting place with Allen, Iseria trembled a little as she looked at the forest area that spread out before her.

At that time when she was saved by Allen, her head was so disturbed that she didn't realize it, but she once again recognized that she had almost died here.

Looking at her feet that were frozen and unable to take even a single step, Iseria closed her eyes and took a few breaths.

It was Iseria herself who refused Allen's advice that it would be better not to go to the 9th floor alone just yet and chose this as the meeting place.

Iseria knew what Allen was worried about from her book knowledge. There are people who panic or become unable to move when they see a place that gives them a huge impact. Just as is happening to her right now.

There was no way to treat it in the book Iseria had read. Sometimes it heals on its own, and sometimes it never heals. It only described a process that could not even be called an example of such a treatment.

After repeatedly taking a breath for a while, Iseria looked up and opened her eyes. Then she took a step toward the forest area in front of her.

It was a faint, shaky step, less than half the normal distance, but Iseria certainly moved forward.

Then, breathing slowly, step by step, Iseria steadily moved her feet and entered the forest.

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Level Down 45

Volume 2 Chapter 3 - Mithril Class Adventurer

RAW

“Fumu, you seem surprised.” (Orlando)

Seeing Allen frozen as he stared at the paper in front of him that said [recognized as a mithril class adventurer], Orlando squinted his eyes a little.

Reacting to those words, Allen looked up and was so surprised that the words “Obviously!” were about to come out of his mouth, but he managed to purse his lips tightly and stop himself.

The ranks of adventurers start from wood class, followed by bronze class, iron class, silver class, gold class, mithril class, and the highest rank, orichalcum class.

Basically, new adventurers start at wood class, and by completing requests, they accumulate contributions to the Guild and raise their rank.

That said, in the end, this is just ‘basically’, and it is limited to cases where the person who wants to become an adventurer is a complete amateur with no experience in combat.

Those who have received basic training in combat somewhere, those who are from villages with no defensive walls and have experience fighting monsters, and those who have a certain level of military prowess, such as those who have changed jobs from soldiers, can skip the wood class and register as bronze class adventurers by taking a prescribed test when they become adventurers.

The reason for such a system is that the Adventurers’ Guild restricts the requests that can be accepted according to rank.

Therefore, if everyone starts at wood class, even the highly skilled adventurers will only be able to accept simple requests that even a combat novice can complete.

Of course, the rewards for such requests are low, and if there is a restriction that only such requests can be accepted, they will miss out on talented people who want to become adventurers.

However, the Adventurers’ Guild cannot abolish the restrictions on the requests that can be accepted according to rank.

It’s clear that if they do that, adventurers taking on requests that do not match their abilities and failing will happen over and over again, and accordingly, the number of adventurers who will die as a result will be far greater than it is now.

Due to these circumstances, a rank certification system based on an exam at the time of registration was created.

Allen was also well aware of its existence. Because, while Allen became an adventurer at the age of 12 without any experience and naturally started at the wood class without taking any exams, most people take such exams.

In the first place, many people who want to become adventurers are confident in their abilities. There are also quite a few people like Allen who do it as a way to make quick money as their life is tight though.

Allen took out a piece of paper and ran his pen over it, then showed it to Orlando.

[Can someone who has just become an adventurer become mithril class?] (Allen)

When Orlando confirmed the words, he furrowed his brows and let out a small snort. He could sense from his attitude that Orlando was clearly dissatisfied with this decision.

‘Then why would you do such a thing?’ Allen felt this doubt while staring at Orlando, and after letting out a seemingly deliberate sigh, Orlando opened his mouth.

“According to the Guild’s regulation, it is possible to register up to mithril class with the authority of the Guildmaster. That said, it’s only after several difficult conditions are cleared, so in effect, it is virtually impossible to be registered as a mithril class. In my experience, the highest I've ever seen was a former knight registered as a silver class.” (Orlando)

Hearing Orlando's explanation, Allen, who had no idea about this, was impressed. Because his image of Orlando was someone who was fat and obese, sarcastic toward employees, and pushed troublesome works on them, and it turned out he had solid knowledge as a Guildmaster.

Partly because of his resolute attitude when dealing with the stampede last time as well, Allen felt that Orlando's stock was rising within him, and he threw in an interjection before urging him to continue.

“There are three conditions to become a mithril class. You must have experience of traversing a dungeon with 20 floors or more. You must deliver more than 50 million zenny to the Guild, and the last and the most difficult one is that, you must be recommended by royalty or titled nobility.” (Orlando)

Allen tilted his head involuntarily at Orlando's words that he said with a furrowed brow.

He can accept the one about having the experience of traversing a dungeon with 20 floors or more. The Demon Dungeon that Allen often went around was a 30-floor dungeon. It was only natural that the Guild would know about it since he had consigned the sale of the magic stones of its boss, an ogre king, to the Guild.

However, Allen had no idea about the remaining two.

Allen had cleared the Demon Dungeon alone a total of six times so far. For the first five times, he delivered both the magic stones and the horns to the guild, but for the last time, he only delivered the magic stone.

The reason is that he wanted the horn to be used to repair Allen's beloved sword, which was now Eric's sword.

The sales value of the magic stones and horns was approximately 6 million zenny per delivery. Although the price dropped slightly after multiple deliveries, it was still at least 5.5 million zenny. The last sale of only the magic stone was 3 million zenny.

In other words, no matter how you look at it, it's nowhere near 50 million zenny.

And more than anything, Allen had no idea of any recommendation by royalty or titled nobility. ‘In the first place, I don’t have any noble acquaintances,’ Allen thought that far when he suddenly realized.

(Could it be, the recommendation came from Count Lilac? No, but either way, the amount of money shouldn’t be enough for the delivery part.) (Allen)

“The dungeon with 20 floors or more is the Demon Dungeon. There may be others that you have traversed, but the Guild is not aware of them. Next, regarding the delivery of 50 million zenny or more, this is from consignment sales of the Demon Dungeon and things like the dragon puppies from the stampede. Many of them were in good condition because they had been frozen, but accordingly, it took a lot of time and labor to dismantle them. The amount of money you’ll get will be after deducting that, but you’ll still get a considerable amount that you can obtain at a later date.” (Orlando)

After listening to Orlando's explanation, Allen nodded his head. ‘Now that I think about it, didn’t I use Ice Coffin to freeze the dragons just before they headed for the exit in order to save Iseria?’ while thinking that.

After saving Iseria, Allen was worried about Eric and went straight to him, and the frozen dragons completely disappeared from his mind. He ran away as soon as things were under control, so he didn't remember even just a shred of it until Orlando told him about it.

“The recommendation came from Count Lilac. If you are going to work as an adventurer, he has asked me to assist you to the best of my ability.” (Orlando)

Allen could see that there was something bitter in Orlando's face as he said that. He waited a while, but then, sensing that he had no intention of saying anything else, Allen took the letter in his hand and stood up.

Thinking that there would be nothing to do even if he stayed here any longer, he thought it would be better to leave.

And just as Allen turned his back to Orlando, he heard the sound of the sofa creaking behind him. Allen stopped in his tracks as Orlando stood up and called out to him.

“I'm sorry. I know that you're the savior of this city, and that you didn’t desire to become mithril class. And that, in a sense, I'm alive thanks to you.” (Orlando)

There, Orlando paused and closed his eyes. He has a pained expression on his face that Allen couldn't see.

“But... But what was my life as an adventurer? What were the days I spent risking my life with my comrades? I feel like the position of mithril class adventurer that I finally gained after my comrades were injured and collapsed has become so light, I still can't sort out my feelings. I'm really sorry.” (Orlando)

At his words that were filled with emotion as if he were crying, Allen couldn't say anything. Because he understood that feeling all too well.

Being an adventurer is a dangerous job. Even Allen, who has always prioritized safety in this job, has come close to death more than once or twice.

It's not hard to imagine that much more happened in the process of Orlando becoming a mithril class. And that may include someone's death.

Allen thought about whether he should turn around and say something, but after thinking about it a bit, he decided against it.

Because he thought that if he were in Orlando's position, he wouldn't want to be seen right now.

However, Allen couldn't just leave things like this. While still having his back to Orlando, Allen opened his mouth.

What came from there was a low voice so deep it feels like you’ll sink into it.

“It's not just adventurers who cross the line of death. I just happen to not be an adventurer, that's all. It doesn’t change the weight of your life. So be proud of yourself, for the sake of your fallen friends too.” (Allen)

After saying that in a changed voice, Allen left the Guildmaster's room. While inwardly thinking to himself, ‘Who the hell do you think you are, acting so high and mighty.’

Unaware of Allen's thoughts, Orlando fell to his knees in the room where he was left alone, his hands covering his face, his voice muffled, he continued to cry as the tears overflowed.

────

(T/N: Sigh, these chapters are way too hard to translate, the translation feels so bad.)

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Level Down 44

Volume 2 Chapter 2 - Nella’s Adventurer Registration

RAW

For his achievement in defending against the stampede in the Dragon Dungeon, Allen gained the Lilac citizenship for his Nella disguise. In other words, the existence of Nella was officially recognized as a single human being.

There were many benefits to having citizenship. There would no longer be a need for him to jump over the defensive wall to enter and leave the city as before, and he would now be able to do things that would not be possible without guarantee of identity, such as buying and living in a house or starting a business.

There were also disadvantages to having citizenship, such as poll tax and various other taxes, but for Allen, who was trying to enjoy a double life, having his identity as Nella guaranteed was something that was extremely welcome.

Of course, Allen wanted citizenship not because he wanted to buy a luxurious mansion and live a comfortable life as Nella.

When he was living with his four younger siblings, he might have wanted to give them a better life, but now that they are all independent and he’s living a single life, Allen seriously thought it’s fine if he can live a moderate life.

Of the necessities of life that is food, clothing, and shelter, for the most important thing for Allen, which was food, he was fully satisfied with it thanks to the skills he stole by eating out and seeing the cooking techniques there. As for shelter, although his house’s exterior still looked worn out, the interior had been renovated using treant materials, making it look brand new. As for clothing, it’s not something Allen was interested in in the first place.

Then, why did he want citizenship? It was to obtain separate adventurer licenses for Allen, which he already had, and for Nella.

.

.

.

This was when Allen dressed up as Nella and went to the Adventurers' Guild bringing his citizenship license that was proof of his citizenship.

“Eh? You want to register as an adventurer...?” (Matilda)

Matilda froze, unable to conceal her surprise when she saw the paper Allen handed her with the words “I want to register as an adventurer” written on it, and Allen watched, thinking how unusual it was.

Other guild employees and adventurers who heard Matilda's surprised voice began to talk in hushed tones, and Matilda quickly regained her usual state and smiled.

“I will be talking about this to the Guildmaster, so could you please wait a moment?” (Matilda)

When Allen nodded his head in response to that question, Matilda thanked him and said, “Thank you very much,” and then quickly walked towards the Guildmaster's room.

(Now then, me going to talk to the Guildmaster is as expected but, I don’t know what will happen. Still... it doesn't feel comfortable.) (Allen)

The surrounding adventurers and guild employees talked in a whisper about Nella's registration as an adventurer, and Allen, who was left alone, smiled bitterly under Nella's mask as he felt the intermittent glances they sent him

After waiting for a while in such a situation, Matilda returned not long after.

“The Guildmaster would like to speak with you directly. Is that okay?” (Matilda)

At Matilda's words, Allen shook his head vertically again and Matilda began to lead him to the Guildmaster's room, and he followed after her.

The Guildmaster's room of the Adventurers' Guild was located at the back of the second floor.

Since it’s just an office, it had no fancy decorations or paintings, but there were things that were typical of adventurers, such as an elegant thin sword and a giant fang of a monster, hanging on the walls, if those could be called decorations. It's that kind of room.

Inside was a large wooden office desk piled with documents in front of which was a table with sofas placed on both sides of it. Standing beside that was Orlando, the Guildmaster of the Adventurers' Guild, and he turned his gaze to Allen as he entered.

“So you're Nella. I’m Orlando, the Guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild. Please have a seat.” (Orlando)

At Orlando's urging, Allen sat down on the sofa opposite Orlando. Although he was inwardly startled by the soft, enveloping feeling of the sofa, Allen managed to feign calmness and not show it.

As Allen was thinking, ‘What an expensive-looking sofa,’ Orlando sat across from him.

Orlando was known as the Gale when he was an adventurer, but now that he had retired and became the Guildmaster, he had gained a lot of weight, and that weight made the sofa let out a creaking sound, as if it was screaming.

(Isn't the sofa going to break?) (Allen)

As Allen began to worry about something so out of place, a cup of tea was placed in front of him. When Allen looked up, he saw Matilda giving him a smile in reply, then she placed a tea in front of Orlando as well, and she bowed and left the room.

Now, only Allen and Orlando were in the room, and as if he had been waiting for that, Orlando opened his mouth.

“I heard that you want to be an adventurer. Is that true?” (Orlando)

Orlando asked while leaning forward just a little. Allen kept his silence and nodded his head in reply.

Orlando, sensing Allen's lack of interest in talking, frowned for a moment, then brought the tea to his mouth to hide it. Allen had been staring fixedly at his face, so it was obvious though.

Not knowing this, Orlando put down his cup, let out a small breath, and then opened his mouth again.

“The Adventurers’ Guild always welcomes a strong person to join, but may I ask why you're doing it now? I've heard that up until now, you've turned down our invitations.” (Orlando)

In response to that question, Allen took out a piece of paper from his pocket. He prepared it in advance since he thought he would be asked that question.

While watching Orlando read the paper on the desk, Allen was thinking, ‘I knew he’d ask me that.’

As Orlando said, while he was active as Nella, Allen was invited to join the Adventurers’ Guild many times. They asked at every opportunity, such as when he entered a dungeon or when he received money from the sale of magic stones.

At those times, Allen had no intention of joining the Adventurers’ Guild, so to be honest, he thought it was annoying, but it’s not like he couldn't understand why they did that.

The Adventurers’ Guild receives many requests to fight monsters, that’s why strong people are human resources they desperately want.

The Adventurers’ Guild has many sources of income. They range from dungeon management fees they receive from the Lord, to sales from the bar set up on the first floor of the Guild, and mediation fees from affiliated inns and stores.

However, its main revenue is the intermediary margin that connects clients and adventurers, and commissions on sales of materials for monsters that adventurers deliver.

The reward that adventurers receive is the amount after deducting the Guild's share and taxes, and not all of the money paid by the client to the Adventurers’ Guild, and the money from the sale of materials, are given as a reward.

At first glance, it may seem like going through the Guild is a waste of money, but by going through the Guild, the client or material purchaser can avoid unnecessary trouble, and for adventurers, the Guild can handle cumbersome administrative procedures such as tax payments on their behalf.

In the first place, just the fact that it is a place to match clients and adventurers can be said to be of great benefit to both parties.

Leaving that aside, if you think about the Guild's main source of income, it's obvious why the Guild wants strong people.

The more difficult the request is, such as defeating a strong monster, the higher the request fee will be, and the rare materials obtained from that monster will sell for a higher price.

In other words, the income the Guild receives will also increase. Along with that, the value of the Adventurers’ Guild that can handle such requests will also increase.

It’s not like he thought about it that deeply but, having been an adventurer for many years, Allen knew that the Adventurers’ Guild was looking for strong people.

That's why, even though he thought it was troublesome, he didn't do anything to make things worse, and simply refused every time. He may have felt a little sense of superiority of being thought to be strong though.

Having read the words written on the paper Allen handed him, Orlando looked up and stared at Allen.

Even though Allen was exposed to that gaze that seemed to peer into the depths of his soul, he remained completely unfazed. Because what is written there is undeniably Allen's true feelings.

“In short, you want to test your abilities, is that right?” (Orlando)

Even while feeling a bit taken aback from having the reasons he had written so long summarized, Allen nodded his head.

The reason Allen decided to register as an adventurer as Nella is because he was obeying the thought that came to his mind when he realized that he might be able to gain great strength by using the level-down and level-up traps; that he wants to go on an adventure like an adventurer.

Allen realized this again after experiencing the stampede in the Dragon Dungeon, which is said to be the most difficult dungeon.

That his strength was greater than he had imagined. That it was no longer possible to go on an adventure like an adventurer in a normal dungeon.

Of course, there were other dungeons other than the Dragon Dungeon that were said to be difficult. However, most of them have restrictions on their entry.

There’s no way to clear it other than to become an adventurer and raise his rank.

That's why Allen decided to become an adventurer as Nella.

As Nella, he could do unreasonable things. Allen anticipated that his rank as an adventurer would quickly rise, and although there would be some negative effects that would come with increasing his rank, he thought that he would be able to deal with it somehow.

Since Nella was recognized as a single human being, in the worst case scenario, he could put all the blame on Nella, that vague advice of Iseria's may have been a big factor.

Orlando sighed at Allen's response, then stood up and took out a piece of paper from his office desk drawer. After quickly putting his signature on it, he sat down again on the sofa in front of Allen and placed the paper on the table in front of him.

Allen looked at the paper, then froze. What was written there along with Orlando's signature was...

[By the authority of the Guildmaster of Lilac Adventurers’ Guild, Nella is recognized as a mithril class adventurer.]

That unbelievable statement.

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Level Down 43

Volume 2 The Omnipotent Life of the Wood Class Veteran Adventurer

Volume 2 Chapter 1 - Veteran Wood Class Adventurer and Construction Request

RAW

On the central continent that is said to be the largest continent in the world. In the southwest of Eliard Kingdom, which boasts a size that ranks among the top three among the countries that exist within it, lies one of the country's leading metropolises that is flourishing as a trading hub, Lilac City.

In addition, it has a privileged location of being surrounded by four dungeons, which naturally attracts merchants and craftsmen in search of magic stones and resources, and in order to meet that demand, many adventurers fight monsters there. In other words, it can be said to be a city filled with energy.

However, even though it is such a city, no, precisely because of that, slums exist. The more people gather, the more people fall behind. It takes no ordinary effort for someone who has fallen to climb back up again.

Such people naturally gather together and accumulate resentment, bitterness, and frustration. In a place where such muddy emotions all jumbled together, real criminals establish their stronghold and things become even more chaotic.

There was such a slum near the western wall of Lilac... that’s how it was supposed to be.

“Oo─i, Allen. Hurry up and bring me the lumber.” (Nick)

“Hey, you’re being too rough with people!” (Allen)

Nick half-teasingly called out to Allen, who was carrying a piece of lumber that was clearly longer than he was tall. Allen couldn’t help but think about throwing the lumber he was carrying at him, but as expected, with so many people around, he didn't actually do it.

Allen carried the lumber to the spot Nick pointed after which, he straightened up and stretched his hips. ‘This place changed quite a bit too,’ while thinking that as he looked around.

The area used to be full of houses with decaying slanted pillars that looked like they were about to collapse at any moment, or houses that had been haphazardly added on over and over again and had become something like avant-garde art. There were no traces of those buildings left, the land had been cleared, with huge amounts of materials piled up on it, and one part already had some new homes under construction.

There was no stagnant air anywhere, and the place had transformed into a space filled with people's lively voices.

Of course, not all of the slum had changed into such a space, just the part of the entrance that used to be around the orphanage, but Allen smiled a little at this change.

Putting his arm around Allen's shoulders as if to embrace him was Allen's best friend and a carpenter, Nick. He has short red hair that stood on end and a manly smile on his face. He too, was happy.

“Hopefully this will change things a little bit for those slum guys.” (Nick)

“I hope so too.” (Allen)

Allen nodded in agreement to Nick's words.

Although neither Allen nor Nick live in the slums, they both live in this neighborhood, and both have led a life of poverty. There was a common understanding between the two that if they made one mistake, they too might have ended up living in the slums.

It’s not like people in slums like being there either. The two of them knew this very well, that’s why they thought it would be good if someone could be saved by this, and that’s why they were smiling.

“Oi, Nick. How long are you going to play around?” (???)

“Uwah, boss! I'll go now. See you later, Allen.” (Nick)

“Ou, do your best.” (Allen)

The boss of Brandt Workshop Nick belonged to yelled at him, and he jumped up and ran off at that while shouting to Allen. Without turning around, Allen bent one arm and made a strong fist in response, and he smiled wryly.

“Now then, should I continue as well? Or rather, this is clearly too much of a burden for a normal wood class adventurer. That bastard knew that and gave it to me, that damn Guildmaster.” (Allen)

Allen sighed as he looked distantly at the large amount of wood piled up as his own quota.

Although it was just one part of the slum, it was a large area where more than 100 people could live there, and they were building simple houses to temporarily house the people living in the slum. So it was clear that the amount of building materials required wouldn’t be anything to scoff at.

The request that Allen was half-forced to accept was to transport the building materials. Of course, there were other adventurers who had received similar requests, but Allen's quota was all about thick and heavy ones that would become the central pillar of a house.

It was obvious that someone's evil intentions were contained in it.

“Shit. Not this sort of time-consuming request again.” (Allen)

Even as he grumbled to Orlando, the Guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild who was as fat as a toad and had a wide grin on his face, Allen was carrying the heavy building materials in an all-too-smooth pace.

After discovering that if you defeat a slime after stepping on a level-down trap, your status will uniformly increase by a random number, Allen used that level-down trap that appeared in the Slime Dungeon after it changed, as well as the level-up trap there to get to level 500.

What's more, his attack power, defense power, vitality, magic power, intelligence, agility, and dexterity all exceeded 5000, achieving inhuman stats.

Considering that the average stats of a normal adult male is around 50-100 at level 1, it becomes clear how ridiculous Allen's stats values are.

To put it bluntly, the building materials he was carrying felt like nothing more than a twig to Allen, so this was a natural result.

While completing his own quota, Allen watched Nick and his colleagues build houses at a speed that is far beyond that of other craftsmen, and smiled.

“As I thought, people whose level has increased sure move differently. If it’s like this, the request might be completed sooner than I expected... but in the end, this is just going around and around, right?” (Allen)

Although he had only vaguely felt it, Allen's expression broke down and he let out a big sigh as he came to that thought again.

The reward Allen would receive for completing this request was 20,000 zenny per day. It was an extraordinary reward for a wood class adventurer.

Accordingly, the work was hard and strenuous; continuously carrying heavy building materials, but this did not apply to Allen, who had inhuman stats. In other words, Allen was not dissatisfied about the amount of reward.

Even so, Allen’s expression still broke down, because...

(Why am I working and getting paid myself for this work that was done with the money I entrusted to the Lord?) (Allen)

Allen tilted his head with such gloomy feelings in his mind. Although he didn’t know what to do about his feelings that he shouldn’t tell anyone about, Allen continued to work earnestly.

────

Author Note:

I received messages that you wanted to read the continuation, so I decided to cancel ending it, and resumed posting.

However, since this story has received a completion boost once, we plan to exclude it from the rankings when the story is completed next time.

Thank you very much for reading.

If you don't mind, I look forward to your continued support.

────

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Level Down 42

Volume 1 Chapter 42 - This Is a Fun Double Life

RAW

The stampede of the Dragon Dungeon has ended, and Allen's life has changed completely. Having said that...

“Damn it, that Guildmaster. He's got a grudge against me for something so small. In the end, there was no damage and his own head didn't fly off, so he should just hurry up and forget it.” (Allen)

Allen cut the three ash wolves that surrounded and attacked him even while grumbling.

“Oooh, brilliant skill. As expected of a former iron class adventurer.” (Nick)

“Don’t say former, just don’t!” (Allen)

“No, you are, aren’t you. Or maybe ‘former guild employee’ is better?” (Nick)

“I'll leave you behind, Nick.” (Allen)

This is the 8th floor of Lilac Dungeon. Following behind Allen were several people he recognized, starting with Nick, who was teasing him. They were Nick's craftsmen friends who helped repair the orphanage.

At first, they were intimidated by the unique atmosphere inside the dungeon, but seeing Allen and Nick interacting as usual, their nervousness had disappeared and they were even able to laugh.

“Hey, you two, get moving. I’ve got to quickly finish this request and raise my level more, you know.” (Dolban)

As the two tried to continue their exchange, Dolban, a dwarf walking at the end of the group, snapped at them. Dressed in full metal armor and holding a pole axe longer than his own height, to put it bluntly, he looked far more like a veteran than Allen.

“Un, as I thought, it feels really weird that Shishou is an adventurer.” (Allen)

“Or rather, wasn’t he a blacksmith? For one, he’s...” (Nick)

At that moment, a paraspider that has paralyzing poison swooped down on them, and Dolban casually slashed at it.

To prevent its paralyzing poison from spreading, he cut off just one of the paraspider’s legs and redirected it, and when the paraspider fell to the ground like that, he smashed it using his poleaxe.

Dolban showed brilliant skill, but he didn’t particularly boast and continued walking while lightly wiping the body fluids on his poleaxe with a rag.

“Huh, he’s not a blacksmith, is he?” (Nick)

“In the old days, people used to say that a blacksmith was only a full-fledged blacksmith if he could handle all the weapons he created.” (Allen)

“Dwarf blacksmiths, not half bad.” (Nick)

“Oi, move those legs!”

““Yes!!”” (Allen & Nick)

As Allen and Nick were secretly talking, they were once again scolded by Dolban. Sensing a clear anger in there, the two replied while straightening their backs in the same way as if they were looking at each other in a mirror, and then they started walking a little faster towards their goal, the 9th floor.

.

.

.

“That's what happened.” (Allen)

“Fufu, sounds like you had a rough day.” (Matilda)

Allen finished his report while complaining to Matilda about the request for power leveling of craftsmen including Nick, which he did in Lilac Dungeon while in a party with Dolban.

Normally, this reception is for the level-up trap of the Slime Dungeon, but since there aren't always people applying for it, it's also possible to report on regular requests here. Well, not many people know about it though, even among adventurers.

As Matilda was listening to Allen's complaints with a smile on her face, she placed the bag containing the request reward given to her by another guild employee in front of Allen.

“Here, the reward of 20,000 zenny.” (Matilda)

“It’s strange after all. This amount of money!” (Allen)

Although the amount was as stated in the request, the amount doesn’t match the contents of the request, which involved spending the whole day from morning until night taking amateurs to the 9th floor of Lilac Dungeon. Allen knew this very well, that’s why he couldn't help but cry out.

Moreover, the 20,000 zenny was the amount for both Allen and Dolban. In reality, Allen only earned 10,000 zenny for working all day today.

“It’s about average or a little above average for a wood class adventurer.” (Matilda)

“I'm telling you, I know that. Why is a request like this given to a wood class? What’s more, it wasn't my choice, it was semi-forced, semi-forced. That baldy...” (Allen)

“Go on. ‘That baldy,’ what, I wonder. Dear me, you should have received enough reward for a wood class, and to think you still have the energy to complain at the reception even after the request... could this be an appeal to me to receive a special request?” (Orlando)

Smiling brightly while bearing a dark shadow that radiated pressure behind it, the Guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild, Orlando, cut into their conversation. Allen gave a strained smile, and Matilda thought ‘Oops’ as she frowned for an instant, trying not to let Orlando see her.

However, as expected of the experienced Matilda, she quickly returned to her normal face so as not to cause any damage to herself. Allen, who witnessed this, looked at Matilda as if she was a traitor, but Matilda passed it off with a nonchalant face.

“No, no, we were just talking about how a wood class should do work that is typical of a wood class.” (Allen)

“Fumu. Then, we have a request to collect medicinal herbs. I believe the client is particular about the quality of the herbs, and even specifies the method of collection and freshness. Matilda-kun.” (Orlando)

“Yes, this is the request.” (Matilda)

“Matilda─!” (Allen)

Matilda smoothly pulled out the relevant request form, and Allen couldn't help but raise his voice at her. In response to that, Matilda folded her arms in front of her chest with a serious expression, and spoke to Allen with sparkling eyes.

“Allen, you can do it. I believe in you.” (Matilda)

“You, you're just trying to keep the damage from getting to you, didn’t you!” (Allen)

“Now then, the deadline is one week. I hope you can get the medicinal herbs that the client will be satisfied with. If you fail, you will only get further from increasing your rank. So don't worry.” (Orlando)

“I’ll worry! Damn it, remember this.” (Allen)

Seeing Allen off as he snatched the request form and left, Orlando and Matilda looked at each other and laughed. Matilda's laugh may have been a little strained though.

.

.

.

A few weeks later, Allen was on the third floor of the Dragon Dungeon in his Nella form together with...

“Nella-sama. You seem to be somewhat tired.” (Iseria)

“Ou. I've got some stuff going on with the guild request.” (Allen)

Although Iseria shouldn't even be able to see his expression through the mask, she sensed it and looked at Allen with concern. They had already finished mapping this floor, so he didn’t need to be that cautious, but that it would be meaningless if he were to be distracted by worry, Allen thought as he let out a sigh and roused himself a little.

“Adventurers shouldn’t let their guard down in a dungeon. Well, it's not like I get to say it since I was worried myself.” (Iseria)

“No, it's a learning experience.” (Allen)

Allen and Iseria proceeded through the dungeon while exchanging such words.

In order to fulfill the promise that Iseria had requested in return for protecting Allen's secret; to teach her common sense as an adventurer.

It's true that it would be bad if his true identity was revealed, but Allen actually had another purpose.

(If I want to go deeper, I won't be able to do it alone anyway.) (Allen)

So that he can go to a floor that matches his ability someday. He’s going to try to raise Iseria, whose potential he had no problem with, as a candidate for a partner for that time.

“What's wrong?” (Iseria)

“No, it’s nothing.” (Allen)

Noticing his sharp gaze, Iseria asked, and Allen shook his head in response. Iseria tilted her head a little, then nodded her head as if she was satisfied and smiled.

“Let's go take the dragon trial someday.” (Iseria)

Iseria said that with a nice smile, and Allen, facing her with a big smile under his mask, replied.

“Absolutely, no way.” (Allen)

Allen's happy double life had just begun.

────

Author Note:

Thank you very much for reading.

This is the end of the story. There are many elements left unfinished, but this is just a revision to what I have written in the past, I more or less only wrote the plot until this point.

Many more people than expected have read, rated, and reviewed it. Thank you very much.

If I read your review and come up with a continuation, I may write more, so I hope to see you again at that time.

(*゜▽゜)ノ

※2021.5.13

Many people were interested in the continuation, so I resumed it. Details regarding this will be provided in the afterword of the next chapter.

Please take care of me.

────

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Level Down 41

Volume 1 Chapter 41 - Reason for Reward

RAW

After the conferment of rewards to the key figures in the successful defense of the stampede of the Dragon Dungeon, Naveen, the Lord of Lilac City, headed to his office.

The reward paid to the adventurers starting with Kenneth was by no means small, but even so, it can be said that the amount is small compared to the last time when the city suffered damage.

One of the reasons for this is that the reward for Allen, who had done the most of all, was not money, and moreover, it was something that Naveen could manage to some extent at his discretion.

Arriving at the office, Naveen left his knight escort in front of the room, and went inside alone. He frowned slightly at the pile of papers related to the recent stampede neatly stacked on his desk and turned his gaze to the person sitting on the sofa in front of him as she comfortably sipped a cup of tea.

Noticing that Naveen had come in, the person slowly placed the cup in her hand on the desk and smiled softly at Naveen.

“Welcome home, Uncle Nav.” (Iseria)

“When you’re the one who says that, I feel like I'm also getting old.” (Naveen)

“Fufu. So how was it?” (Iseria)

“Yeah. Everything ended just as you expected. I thank you for your advice, Iseria.” (Naveen)

As Iseria giggled, Naveen briefly told her about the conferment of the reward while sitting down on the sofa opposite of her.

The way Naveen sank into the sofa to rest his tired body where there was not even a single servant, let alone a guard, showed his trust in Iseria.

Seeing Naveen like that, Iseria personally poured tea into the cup in front of him, and Naveen's eyelids twitched at that natural movement.

“You're used to it.” (Naveen)

“Yes. A kind person told me that delicious tea has magic, so I did my best to learn it.” (Iseria)

Saying that, Iseria giggled while looking meaningfully at Naveen. Naveen replied with a wry smile at Iseria as he put the tea she had brewed into his mouth.

The taste seemed to have deteriorated a little because it had been some time after it was brewed, but the taste of Iseria's brew reminded Naveen of the past.

Of the young Iseria when, although she didn't know anything, she lived happily while surrounded by servants in a small miniature garden isolated from the outside world.

“Iseria, what happened in the capital? Why are you here alone?” (Naveen)

Naveen asked Iseria exactly what’s been weighing on his mind since he reunited with her.

The way Iseria smiled quietly in response to that question made Naveen feel that, although she still had some traces of her childhood on her face, there was a shadow that wasn't there back then.

Then, slowly, Iseria opened her mouth.

“His Highness Sharolic, the second prince, he...” (Iseria)

“I got it. I’d rather not hear any more.” (Naveen)

Naveen immediately judged that this was not something he should hear, and forcibly stopped Iseria from speaking. Iseria's smile deepened slightly at that, and didn't say anything further.

Silence reigned for a while, and only the faint sounds of the two of them relaxingly drinking tea echoed in the room. Naveen was trying to sort out the situation from the fragmented information he had obtained while remaining calm and not showing his inner irritation.

The ‘Sharolic’ that Iseria mentioned is the name of the second prince of the Eliard Kingdom, to which Lilac belongs. He is not the child of the queen but of a concubine, but that concubine is from a marquis family and is officially recognized as a member of the royal family, making him the second in line to inherit the throne.

Above all, he was the only hero egg in the royal family, and he was also quite popular as one of the captains of a unit of knights in the capital.

But that's just on the surface. In reality, there is more than one hero egg among those who have royal blood. Because Iseria, the person in front of Naveen, is exactly that person.

A maid the king laid his hand on became pregnant, and Iseria was born from her. Since she was from a baronet family, which was the lowest end of nobility, according to custom, maids who become pregnant with the king's child are to be given a certain amount of money and returned to her parents' home.

On the condition that they do not reveal whose child the child is, more than enough money to support the child will be paid in the name of pension, and although the father is not present, the mother and daughter can live without any inconvenience. That was how it’s supposed to be.

But fate was cruel. Iseria that was born was a hero egg, what’s more her maximum level was 999, which had unprecedented potential.

And so, mother and daughter were separated. Iseria was raised in a sort of half-confinement in an isolated part of the royal palace where no one could come near. Of course, young Iseria has no such awareness. Because that small miniature garden was everything to Iseria.

Even if someone planned to use her as a piece that could be conveniently used in an emergency without anyone else knowing about it.

With Naveen's thoughts sorted out to a certain extent, a question suddenly arose within Naveen. He had some idea as to the cause of Iseria's expulsion, but he knew there was someone who would be the first to oppose it.

The person who led Naveen to meet Iseria was...

“What is Mentor Melchizelem doing?” (Naveen)

“Ojii-sama has work in the royal court, so he stayed behind in the capital. ‘Think of it as a good opportunity to escape from the miniature garden. First, head to Lilac and ask for Naveen,’ he said.” (Iseria)

Hearing Iseria’s words as her expression softened upon hearing the name Melchizelem, Naveen felt his long-held doubts melt away.

Melchizelem is a semi-legendary figure who has reigned at the pinnacle of magic in this country for many years as the chief magician in the royal court. Even though Naveen is the son of the Lilac house of count, one of the richest houses in the country, Melchizelem would not normally associate with him.

However, Melchizelem called out to Naveen, introduced him to Iseria, and revealed the secret of her birth.

The question of why he did that has been in Naveen's mind all this time.

The answer was the situation right in front of him. Naveen wondered since when and how long had he imagined that a situation like this would happen and took steps to prevent it, and he was once again fearful of Melchizelem's deliberation, but he also felt his mouth relax at the fact that such a man deemed him trustworthy.

Naveen put down the cup that was hiding his mouth and slowly looked at Iseria.

“I seem to have been helped before I could be of help.” (Naveen)

“It's just a coincidence. Besides, I'm a hero egg after all.” (Iseria)

Those words reminded Naveen of Iseria when she was a child, when she pestered him to talk about the hero Artigald with sparkling eyes.

Naveen coughed a little, trying to cover up the fact that he was about to reach for her head as he had done at that time.

“By the way, was it really enough to just give Nella citizenship? Considering his achievement, I could have given him a court rank or reward of some kind.” (Naveen)

“Yes. Nella-sama wishes to live freely, not attached to status or money. In fact, if you poorly try to tie him down, he will run away. I think secretly backing him is just the right relationship.” (Iseria)

“I see. It'll be troubling if a hero runs away.” (Naveen)

Naveen replied with a wry smile to Iseria's confident words.

Naveen had ordered an investigation into an unidentified being called Nella, but it wasn't just to confirm whether he was a disturbing element. It’s normal for such beings to hide their existence, yet Nella's actions were too conspicuous.

Rather, the main purpose of the investigation was to see if it was possible to somehow win Nella over.

All of the ogre kings’ magic stones that Nella had sold through the Guild were obtained by the Lord, Naveen. Magic stones of monsters as strong as ogre king hardly ever appear on the market, and he had succeeded in getting them after several bothersome negotiations.

Naveen judged that if he could get Nella into his hands, his value would be immeasurable.

Naveen, who was scheming to create a connection even if it was by force, was stopped by Iseria, who came as a key figure in the defense against the stampede. Following her plan, Naveen succeeded in building a somewhat good relationship with him.

A certain connection of Nella becoming a citizen of his territory.

“Then I'll be leaving. Uncle Nav too, I hope you don't push yourself too hard.” (Iseria)

After saying that, Iseria stood up and glanced at the documents piled up on his office desk, to which Naveen replied, “Yeah.”

Toward the back of the girl, who was no longer an innocent girl who didn't know anything, instead had grown up to the point where he could feel her will as a human being, Naveen called out.

“Iseria, do you know Nella's true identity?” (Naveen)

Iseria stopped at those words and turned around to look at Naveen with a big smile on her face.

“No, not at all. Because, to me, Nella-sama is Nella-sama.” (Iseria)

Leaving those words behind, Iseria left the office.

After staring at the door for a while, Naveen took his gaze away and looked at his office desk. Then he let out a big sigh.

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Previous | Next

Level Down 40

Volume 1 Chapter 40 - Reward for Stopping the Stampede

RAW

A few days after successfully stopping the stampede of the Dragon Dungeon within the dungeon due to Allen’s great effort (?), those who participated in the battle gathered in the audience room of the Lord's mansion in the center of Lilac City.

Naveen El Lilac, the Lord, sat in a chair several steps higher than the prostrated adventurers, and expressed his gratitude to the adventurers.

Kenneth stepped forward as the representative, then received a list of rewards from a servant.

After Kenneth returned to his original position, servants then handed over lists of rewards to the adventurers. These were chosen by the adventurers in advance from among several candidates, including money and weapons from dungeons.

After the awards were given to the adventurers, the servants urged them to leave the audience room.

As mithril class adventurers, they often receive requests from nobles, so they are used to it to a certain extent, so their responses were smart and no problems occurred.

Of course, not all adventurers of mithril class and higher are able to respond in this way, and there are some exceptions who are indifferent to such things but are allowed to do so because of their nonstandard strength, but fortunately those who participated in the battle were all adventurers with common sense.

In the audience room, which felt a little deserted now that the adventurers were gone, Allen, dressed as Nella, wondered, ‘Why am I in a place like this,’ escaping reality a bit.

Allen had made the decision himself after thinking about various things, but the hurdle was a little too high for him, as he was not accustomed at all to such a respectful place.

Since his face was hidden behind a mask, no one could sense Allen's emotions, and the situation progressed as a servant informed him of the progress.

“Soldier leader, Eric. Come forward.” (Servant)

“Yes, sir!” (Eric)

Eric, hearing his name called, moved forward with a brisk gesture and stopped at the same spot where Kenneth was given the list.

Seeing him looking more dignified than the previous adventurers, and his beloved sword slung around his waist made Allen's cheeks loosen involuntarily.

Eric pulled out that sword, held it in both hands, and presented it to Naveen, his head bowed. And when he sensed that Naveen had received it, he quietly knelt down.

“I have heard of your arduous activity in the battle to defend against the stampede. For your valor and achievements, I appoint you as a knight and give you the rank of baronet. From now on, you are to take the name of Eric Zem Falx and serve as a shield that protects the people.” (Naveen)

Naveen held the sword he had received upright, and placed the slightly reddish blade on Eric's shoulder as he proclaimed his knighthood.

Then Naveen held out the sword to Eric, who took it and solemnly announced.

“My sword, my life is for Lilac.” (Eric)

Then Eric kissed the hilt of the sword, and now a new knight was born. Although there was no applause or cheers, the knights and soldiers who saw this were smiling softly, and a warm atmosphere of congratulations for Eric spread through the audience room.

While looking at such a scene, Allen was doing his best to hold back his tear glands that were about to loosen.

(I’m glad for you, Eric. You've been working hard all this time for this after all.) (Allen)

Suppressing the urge to run up to him and praise him, Allen desperately tried to keep his composure. But it was very difficult.

His figure waddling along behind Allen.

His figure reading books to his younger siblings in Allen's place.

His figure attending the swordsmanship dojo and swinging his sword with all his might, saying he wanted to become an adventurer to help Allen.

His figure coming and checking on the house, taking up the little free time he had after becoming a soldier, bringing souvenirs bought with his meager salary, and smiling shyly when he heard Allen's words of gratitude.

Memories of Eric from his childhood were running through Allen's head.

In addition, Eric's anguish over having his beloved wife, Julia, abandon her noble status, that Allen understood all too well.

Eric didn't show it outwardly or confide his worries to Allen, but as Allen had been watching over him since he was a child, it was all clear to him.

However, there was nothing Allen could do about it, and he wasn't asked for help, so he couldn't do anything about it, but he was still worried.

Although he is a baronet, the lowest rank among nobility, his treatment will be distinct from that of a commoner.

Starting with his status as a noble being guaranteed, he will be given a mansion, although it won’t be that large, and in addition to his salary as a knight, he will receive an annuity as a noble.

That said, his annuity as a noble would be just enough to hire servants to maintain and manage the mansion, so it cannot be said to be that much money.

Of course, there are not only advantages but also disadvantages of becoming a noble. A typical example is the obligation to serve in the military during wars, but that disadvantage is not that different to knights who put their bodies into battle.

In other words, the advantages overwhelmingly outweigh the disadvantages when it comes to knights.

However, from the Lord's point of view, the more nobles there are, the more his expenses will increase. In addition, among the noble families that had been in existence for generations, there were a certain number of them who disliked the idea of commoners becoming nobles.

The reason why Eric was able to become a baronet this time despite that was largely due to his achievement in defending against this stampede, but this can also be said to be proof of his high level of competence and the fact that his work on a day-to-day basis was beyond reproach.

As Allen watched on while holding overwhelming feelings, Eric sheathed the beloved sword that Allen gave him and stepped down.

No one noticed Eric's worried glance in Allen's direction for a moment on his way down.

Eric was worried. He followed Naveen's order to invite Nella, and although it was Eric himself who casually told Allen about today's event, he never thought that he would actually come as Nella.

‘Could it be, because I told him that I will be knighted here?’ That kind of worry was swirling inside Eric.

Eric's prediction was half correct.

Being knighted is a big moment that might or might not happen once-in-a-lifetime. Moreover, it is something that the general public will never be able to see.

Being able to legally watch his younger brother's big moment held a very high weight in Allen's heart.

But that wasn't the only reason Allen bothered to come here.

“Hero Nella, come forward.” (Servant)

‘Gufuh’ Allen received damage in his heart at the unexpected words spoken by the servant, but Allen still stepped forward as he did.

The moment Allen moved, the audience room became filled with tension, as if the celebratory mood from earlier had been a lie.

(Oi, oi, don't look like you’re about to put your hand on the hilt of your sword.) (Allen)

Allen's cheeks twitched as he noticed the hands of the knights around Naveen twitching around.

As expected, they seemed to have restrained themself from doing anything beyond that, but it was clear what they would do if Allen showed any suspicious behavior.

(I wonder if this situation is really okay. I believed her because she was so confident, but now I'm starting to feel anxious.) (Allen)

Allen grumbled inwardly toward Iseria who wasn't here as he advanced and then stopped in the same place as Kenneth and Eric.

While hearing someone let out a sigh of relief, Allen bowed his head and got down on one knee.

“Hero Nella. Thanks to your efforts, peace has been maintained in Lilac City. I thank you.” (Naveen)

After saying that, Naveen bowed towards Allen, causing a stir among the people around him.

Allen couldn't see him as he was bowing his head, but he could clearly tell that something bothersome was happening.

“I was planning on responding to your wishes as much as possible as a reward, but... are you really okay with that?” (Naveen)

Allen was shaken by the sudden question.

(Didn’t she say it’d be over if I just kneel down and wait?) (Allen)

Because it was different from what he had heard beforehand. As he thought about what to do, an awkward silence and a disturbing atmosphere spread around Allen.

Realizing this, Allen resolved himself and nodded his head slightly. In response, Naveen's cheeks relaxed, even though it’s just a little.

“Understood. I will certainly grant the wish of my citizen. I will make sure to have your citizen card that was lost somewhere delivered through the Adventurers' Guild.” (Naveen)

Hearing those words, Allen secretly felt relieved that things were going to go as he had originally planned.

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Level Down 39

Volume 1 Chapter 39 - Reason for Stampede

RAW

“Fumu, as expected of a clown. You make me laugh.” (Mizuchi)

“...I can't hear what you're saying, but I'm pretty sure you’re wrong.” (Allen)

In contrast to Mizuchi's cheerful smile, Allen, having heard his roar of laughter right in front of him, frowned as he replied. Iseria, who had cunningly covered her ears next to him, removed her hand from her ears when she saw that the two of them had started talking.

For a while now, Allen had been checking his ears by letting out “Aah” sounds while shaking his head, and when they were finally back to normal, he sighed in relief. Looking at Allen like that, Iseria smiled.

“Mizuchi-sama's laugh is a little loud after all.” (Iseria)

“You have some nerve when you cunningly covered only your own ears, you traitor.” (Allen)

“I've experienced it too after all. Besides, I didn’t particularly betray you.” (Iseria)

As Iseria shook her head while still smiling, Allen sharply looked at her. However, since he didn't understand what she was saying, he didn't pursue it any further.

‘However,’ Allen thought.

Although Allen was told that the blue-scaled ancient dragon in front of him was the Mizuchi from the story of the hero Artigald, it hadn’t really sunk in.

‘I remember well about Lyle, the hero's dragon mount, but was the ancient dragon that sent it even named?’ it was only at that level, and the ancient dragon’s screen time was low.

The story about obtaining the dragon mount Lyle, called the Three Trials of the Dragon's Valley, is very famous, and Allen too, has told it many times to his younger siblings.

After that, Lyle, together with Artigald, continued to play an active role in subjugating the demon lord. At the end of the story, it protected the hero from the demon lord’s attack and suffered a fatal wound, and yet it still let out a breath that made the demon lord flinch, creating a gap that let Artigald thrust his sword into the demon lord’s heart. In a sense, it is the dragon that is the leading actor behind the demon lord’s subjugation, it is impossible for him to forget it.

However, the ancient dragon that sent Lyle has never appeared after the Dragon Valley. When Allen was talking, he recalled the story again, and was convinced that the name Mizuchi has never been used in the story.

Allen didn't know why it sounded familiar though.

“Iseria. I also know the story of the hero, but I don't think the name of the ancient dragon comes up.” (Allen)

“Aah, then I’m sure that the story Nella-sama knows is the simplified version for children. The story of the hero Artigald is famous, so the content may have changed considerably depending on the year it was published and the target audience. The reason it sounded familiar is probably because Mizuchi-sama's name is also sung in the stories told by minstrels and the like. It's interesting how so many different stories were originally just one, isn’t it?” (Iseria)

“Surely so. I couldn't help but laugh when I heard that that crybaby boy was described as a hero who had overcome the trial.” (Mizuchi)

Iseria merrily answered Allen's question, adding more information than he was looking for, and Mizuchi agreed.

‘My doubts have been cleared up for now, but could it be that Iseria is a hero Artigald maniac?’, and a new doubt had arisen in Allen. As expected, Allen wouldn't do something so foolish as to ask that in this current situation though.

“Or rather, Artigald was a crybaby?” (Allen)

“Umu, he cried so much during the trial that his saintess comrade spanked him.” (Mizuchi)

“The saintess he’s talking about is Virginia-sama, who later became the queen of the country founded by Artigald. Haa~, even though Virginia-sama became his friend right before Dragon Valley, they started exposing themselves to each other from around that time, it’s wonderful, isn’t it?” (Iseria)

As he watched Iseria's cheeks turn red as she said such things ecstatically, Allen felt the image of the hero inside him quietly crumble. As he felt him change from a distant presence to a man he felt close to, Allen smiled wryly.

Perhaps thanks to talking about this, Allen felt calmer and remembered his original purpose for coming here.

“Well, let's leave that aside, Mizuchi-sama. Now that I’ve come here, does that mean you’ve achieved your purpose? My brother is also worried, so I want to take Iseria back with me.” (Allen)

Allen asked Mizuchi, hoping to somehow end this peacefully. Seeing Iseria's expression change to one filled with bitterness at those words, Allen ignored it even though he had some idea why.

Iseria may want to talk more with the legendary being, but as expected, she can't afford to let the damage from the stampede increase. Because, at worst, Eric might be among them.

Mizuchi gave a small nod in response to Allen's request, then opened his mouth as he tried to remember.

“Aah, wait. O mighty clown, if you wish to undergo the trial, please come to the Dragon Valley on the 81st floor and beyond.” (Mizuchi)

“Mighty clown...” (Allen)

“Trial! Could it be that you can undergo the trial just like Artigald?” (Iseria)

“Umu. It is the role of us dragons and this dungeon to guide the strong in preparation for the coming day. Then, I have told you. May we meet again someday.” (Mizuchi)

Saying that, Mizuchi raised his body and spread his huge wings. Then, flapping his wings as if he was about to fly into the sky, leaving behind the two who were about to be blown away by the wind pressure, Mizuchi disappeared. Abruptly, as if the fact that he had been there until now had been an illusion.

Allen restlessly looked around for a while, but when he confirmed that the presence of Mizuchi had completely disappeared, ‘Fuu,’ he let out a small sigh.

“I'm glad I wasn't forced to fight, but... what did he want in the end?” (Allen)

“Just knowing that the Dragon Valley is on the 81st floor and beyond and you can take the trial is a historic event, you know.” (Iseria)

“No, that might well be true, but...” (Allen)

It's not like he didn't understand what Iseria was saying with her eyes sparkling, but for Allen, who had come prepared to risk his life, it was still a very disappointing ending.

However, considering that the person involved, Mizuchi, had already disappeared, it was hard to imagine anything else happening. After thinking this far, Allen came up with a hypothesis.

“There’s no way he caused this stampede just to call me here and talk about the trial, right?” (Allen)

Allen said it out loud and reorganized his thoughts again.

If you think about it normally, those words seem impossible, even ridiculous, but after actually talking to Mizuchi and realizing the scale of the situation, Allen couldn't completely deny that possibility.

“What’s wrong?” (Iseria)

“No, it’s nothing.” (Allen)

Seemingly not hearing his muttered words, Iseria asked worriedly, but Allen shook his head and answered.

As if to shake off his own ridiculous hypothesis.

(It's finally over. For now, let's not think about anything that might be troublesome.) (Allen)

Changing his mood, Allen was once again healed by Iseria’s gaze filled with concern, and he smiled. Allen certainly felt that his strained string of tension was loosened by Iseria.

As if to cover up the feelings that were rising within him, Allen twirled his stick and pointed it in the direction he had come from.

“Okay, let's go back. Eric is probably worried too.” (Allen)

“Eric-sama, is it? If I'm not mistaken, he was the reliable captain-san who was in charge of all the soldiers. Are you close?” (Iseria)

“Ou, he’s the younger brother I’m proud of after all.” (Allen)

“...Younger brother?” (Iseria)

“Ah!” (Allen)

Allen stiffened as he realized his own verbal slip. And Iseria stared straight at Allen as he did.

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Level Down 38

Volume 1 Chapter 38 - Ancient Dragon

RAW

Allen was running through the forest on the 1st level of the Dragon Dungeon to rescue Iseria, as requested by Eric. But...

“Damn, isn’t this place bigger than I heard? Is this really the right way?” (Allen)

Allen cursed while scanning his surroundings.

Of course, Allen has never entered this Dragon Dungeon due to its restrictions on entry. He did get some fragmentary information about the dungeon, such as the absence of traps, and the general state of its 1st through 5th floors from the story of the hero egg party that took care of him a long time ago, despite that, he can’t even be sure that the path he’s taking is really the right one.

“Still, ancient dragon, huh? That’s a real legendary monster, isn't it? Geez. What are you doing, Iseria?” (Allen)

Even Allen, who was born in Lilac City and spent a long time as an adventurer, had never heard of any sightings of an ancient dragon.

Some adventurers who enter the Dragon Dungeon sometimes encounter semi-legendary creatures such as mithril class and orichalcum class, and there are rumors in this Lilac City about the dragons that those adventurers have defeated, but at most it's up to adult dragons.

“Ancient dragon, I feel like it was mentioned somewhere, but I wonder what the story was about.” (Allen)

Allen felt like it appeared in some kind of story and tried to remember it, but he shook his head.

At first, he thought that it might be of some help, but then, he reconsidered because, in the end, it was only a story, if it was poorly adapted, he might have gotten the wrong information and might cause him to suffer an embarrassing defeat.

Allen put more strength into his leg and increased its speed even more.

This would be an opponent that Eric and mithril class adventurers could not even touch. The fact that there was not much time left conversely means that there was still some time left, but the criteria for that will depend on the ancient dragon.

The only thing that was clear was that the time for Iseria's fate was getting shorter with each passing moment.

Allen spotted a group of monsters including dragon puppies ahead of him and clicked his tongue. The group, which had been staying still as if waiting to receive someone's orders, began to move at once upon discovering Allen's figure.

“Preparing for the stampede, huh? Thank you for going out of your way to huddle together. Ice Coffin!” (Allen)

Allen cast an upper-intermediate level water and earth composite spell that was written in the Magic Encyclopedia, Ice Coffin. Normally, this spell would trap one monster in a coffin shaped ice, but Allen unleashed it with all his might, trapping the entire group in a single coffin of ice.

Allen lightly shook his head, slightly dizzy from over-enthusiasm, and then jumped over that coffin of ice.

“Just stay frozen forever.” (Allen)

Leaving those words behind, Allen ran in the direction of the stairs leading to the second floor, where the ancient dragon that had taken Iseria had disappeared.

.

.

.

After a while, Allen finally caught sight of the ancient dragon. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say that the small blue hill that had been visible for a while now turned out to be the ancient dragon.

His body that was so huge that the dragon puppies that Allen had dealt with earlier seemed as small as ants was letting out a somewhat overpowering atmosphere.

“Uwah. How am I supposed to fight that?” (Allen)

Allen instinctively stopped running and stared at the ancient dragon. He had his back to Allen and his face was down, so Allen could only see his tail from its back.

Allen had faced his fair share of monsters during his long life as an adventurer. Among those, there were monsters that were much larger than him, but there was no way he had ever fought a monster so large that he could mistake it for a hill.

“Rather than a monster, it's more like a moving mountain, isn’t it?” (Allen)

As he said this, Allen pondered.

As it stood now, it didn't seem like the opponent had noticed Allen, and what's more, he showed his back and was defenseless, this would be a perfect opportunity to attack. Allen thought about using a tactical class spell that was his trump card, but if he unleashed that, the trapped Iseria's survival would be hopeless. That would be pointless.

“Should I just straight up cut it? Nonono, it seems like we can understand each other, so it’s best if we can end this with just a talk.” (Allen)

Allen furrowed his brows as he tried to organize his thoughts that were spinning around in circles, and then came to that conclusion.

In fact, Allen's ultimate goal was not to defeat the ancient dragon, but to rescue Iseria. If anything, there's no way he could fight a legendary being and come out safe, so the safest and surest thing to do would be to somehow succeed in the dialogue and have Iseria released. That's what he thought.

But just before Allen was about to move to put that thought into action, it happened.

“UGAAAAA─!!” (Dragon)

Hearing the ancient dragon's deafening shout, Allen reflexively threw away all his thoughts and started running towards the front of the ancient dragon, where Iseria must be.

The ancient dragon's shout continued with a unique ‘ga ga ga’ rhythm, and to Allen it sounded as if it was carving away at Iseria’s remaining time.

(Damn, make it in time!) (Allen)

The worst possible situation flashed through Allen's mind; the sight of Iseria in a pool of blood lying on the ground like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

As if to shake off those thoughts, Allen ran at full speed and circled right in front of the ancient dragon, throwing up a cloud of dust.

And the sight he saw there made Allen speechless and froze.

As Allen expected, Iseria was there. There's no particular problem with that. The reason that made Allen speechless and froze was...

“Ara, Nella-sama. What’s wrong?” (Iseria)

As if she was having a picnic, a rug was spread out on the ground, and Iseria was sitting on it with all her equipment removed. Moreover, the words she said when he saw Nera's appearance did not contain any fear of her death at all.

“I-Iseria. Are you okay?” (Allen)

The scene was so far beyond his imagination, but Allen managed to squeeze out those words. Iseria tilted her head slightly in a thoughtful gesture at those words, but then clapped her hands together and nodded her head apologetically.

“I see you have come to my rescue. My sincerest apologies for having bothered you.” (Iseria)

“No, that doesn't matter. What’s this situation?” (Allen)

In front of Iseria's eyes was the huge face of the ancient dragon. Although he didn't feel any particular hostility, Allen was under more pressure than he had ever felt just from his outward appearance.

There was so much pressure that the old Allen might have fainted.

“Fumu, is this the strong one Iseria was talking about? He's dressed very bizarrely.” (Dragon)

“Shut it! Wait, that’s not it. It's not like I'm hostile. Don't misunderstand me.” (Allen)

“Kusu kusu.” (Iseria)

Allen instinctively retorted at the ancient dragon and tried to follow up while panicking. Seeing that situation made Iseria giggle.

Hearing that giggle, Allen realized that the situation was quite different from what he had imagined, so he let out a deep breath, and turned to Iseria while roughly scratching his head.

“So, what's the situation? I heard that you were kidnapped by an ancient dragon and your life was in danger, so I came to save you, but.” (Allen)

“That's true. But more importantly, I found out something even more amazing than that.” (Iseria)

Iseria replied with a happy face as she rose and stood right in front of the ancient dragon's face. Then, as Allen tilted his head and looked at her, Iseria pointed at the ancient dragon with her palm as if to introduce him, and opened her mouth.

“This ancient dragon-sama, is the famous Mizuchi-sama.” (Iseria)

“Mizuchi? Uh, I feel like I’ve heard that before...” (Allen)

Allen felt like he’d almost remembered it, and it came up to the base of his throat, so he started to ponder about it, Iseria was a little disappointed at that before continuing.

“He’s the one from the story of the hero Artigald who gave the hero a trial, and sent Lyle, who became his dragon mount, to him after he passed that trial, it’s that Mizuchi-sama, you know.” (Iseria)

“Ah, I see. No wonder it sounds familiar... Haa!?” (Allen)

Allen let out a voice of surprise and hurriedly shook his head between the ancient dragon and Iseria to confirm, seeing this, Mizuchi, the ancient dragon, laughed in a voice that sounded like a deafening shout.

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Level Down 37

Volume 1 Chapter 37 - Trample

RAW

Taking his gaze away from the dragon puppy, crushed and half-mangled by his stick, Nella’s clown mask that had tears spilling out checked the surroundings. At monsters rolling on the ground, and at monsters that were still moving even now.

“All of you, disappear!” (Allen)

Allen took out red and blue balls one after another from the bag he wore on his waist, stuck them together, and threw them at the monsters.

The balls were fired at such a speed that they could not be seen, and their momentum blew away the monsters, furthermore, the balls exploded and the monsters screamed as their bodies melted from the purple liquid coming out of it.

The peculiar and unique smell of acid enveloped the area.

There were no more monsters flying in the sky. All of them had crashed to the ground, struggling as their bodies melted.

Allen stabbed the remaining monsters that were still wriggling with his stick, choking the life out of them. It took only a few minutes from the time Allen appeared until all the enemies were annihilated.

After confirming that no more enemies appeared, Allen hurried back to Eric. From what he's seen, although he was injured and tired, he didn't think he was hurt enough to be in danger of dying, but he was still worried.

Allen reached into his magic bag and pulled out a high-class potion that he had purchased as Nella in case of an emergency when he goes on an adventure.

“Eric, are you okay with your injury? For now, drink this.” (Allen)

“Aniki?” (Eric)

“...You’re wrong. I'm Nella. I'm definitely not your brother.” (Allen)

Allen instinctively put his hand on Eric's shoulder and, in a quiet, admonishing tone, refuted Eric's statement. Then, as if to deceive him, he half-forcefully shoved the high-class potion he was holding into Eric's mouth, and poured it in without giving him a chance to say no.

As expected from a high-class potion that cost 1 million zenny, its effects were outstanding; the blood that had been flowing from his wounds both large and small had stopped, and the burns had gradually peeled off, revealing new skin underneath.

Although Allen was relieved by the change, he was also panicked in another way.

(Crap. I completely forgot myself. No, but Eric was about to get killed, so I couldn't help it!) (Allen)

To the point that he was thinking of excuses like that to who knows who.

Allen had decided to go help Eric, but of course he had no intention of revealing that Nella is him. Because he knew that in Eric's position, if he learned of Nella’s true identity, he would have no choice but to report it.

Allen had thought that he would keep quiet if he asked, but he thought that doing so would likely cause him to get into an unnecessary commotion. So he decided that in that case, it would be better for him not to know anything.

However, when Allen saw Eric almost being killed, he completely lost his temper. Hiding his true identity is suddenly relegated to a trivial matter, saving Eric, and annihilating those guys who did such a thing. Everything beside those two things disappeared from his mind.

He said, “My precious little brother,” as soon as he appeared, so there was no way to pretend otherwise. It wasn't a very loud voice, so it got lost in the sounds of the battle, so no one else could hear it, but Eric, who was right next to him, definitely heard it.

While being forced to drink the potion, Eric couldn't see his facial expressions due to the mask, but when he confirmed that Nella's left hand was opening and closing repeatedly, he let out a small laugh. That was because Allen had a habit of doing it when he was troubled and in deep thought about something.

Eric was already convinced. That Nella's true identity is Allen. The question of why never went away, but it still easily made sense.

Eric was thinking. What is the most optimal response? And...

“Thank you very much, Nella-sama. We are grateful for your rescue.” (Eric)

“O-ou.” (Allen)

Even while a little confused by Eric's sudden formal expression of gratitude, Allen replied. Then Eric released his posture of gratitude and continued his words.

“I'm sorry, but I have one request to make. An adventurer named Iseria, who was helping with the defense here, was taken away by a huge dragon. It's probably the legendary ancient dragon. That dragon had a message to Nella-sama; ‘Strong one, come and rescue her, time is not so long.’” (Eric)

“Iseria? Geez, that idiot.” (Allen)

“I apologize for our lack of strength, but could you please come to her rescue?” (Eric)

Scratching his head, looking as if he was chewing a bitter bug, Eric asked Allen that.

To Allen, that face was similar to the face Eric, who was never selfish, showed when he really wanted to ask for something when he was a child, even though he had grown up and was already an adult.

Like when he asked him to let him attend a swordsmanship dojo because he wanted to work as an adventurer like Allen.

Allen nostalgically remembered this, and his expression softened as he nodded his head.

“Got it. Now I’ll head to the rescue.” (Allen)

“May fortunes of war be with you.” (Eric)

After two of them exchanged those words, and just as Allen turned and took one step to run, he stopped and turned to face Eric again. Eric wondered why, and Allen put his hand into his magic bag, rummaged around, pulled out a single sword and held it out to Eric.

“I’ll give you this. Use it with care, you hear.” (Allen)

After confirming that Eric had received the sword that vaguely resembled the one that had been broken by the dragon puppy, Allen kicked the ground and started running. His figure disappeared from the scene in the blink of an eye.

While the remaining soldiers and adventurers stared blankly at the place where he disappeared to, Eric took the sword he had received and pulled it out of its scabbard.

Its slightly reddish blade had no nicks in it and looked like new, but it didn't have that inorganic impression that is typical of new equipment, and on the contrary, its rugged yet beautiful appearance gave off a warm feeling, and Eric's expression loosened at that.

Although its appearance had changed, Eric could tell that it was the sword that Allen had been using for many years.

“That's a good sword. Did he give it to you?” (Kenneth)

As Kenneth called out to him, Eric nodded and laughed.

“Yeah. ‘Use it with care,’ he said. It's a sword given to me by a hero. Of course I'll use it with care.” (Eric)

“Hero, huh? He just seems like an oddball to me. I admit that his ability is in a different league though.” (Kenneth)

“Well, I think that outfit is kinda meh too, but he's still a hero.” (Eric)

‘At least for me, he’s always been one,’ holding those words in his heart, Eric was relieved that they were able to stay just short of the collapse, and then began to move to regroup and call for rescue in order to prepare for the next wave.

While carrying the sword he received from Allen on his waist.

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Level Down 36

Volume 1 Chapter 36 - Collapse of the Battlefront

RAW

The ancient dragon looked around at the soldiers and adventurers. As he did, everyone couldn't even move as if they were paralyzed. Their instincts as a living being had made them acutely aware of the difference in status, and their consciousness refused to move their body.

“Fumu. It seems that some of you have quite the aptitude, but I don't think he is among you. I'm sorry, but could you guys please move out of the way?” (Ancient Dragon)

As if being manipulated by those words, the adventurers and soldiers moved away from the entrance. However, none of them felt relieved that they would be saved. In fact, some even trembled in fear that their bodies had moved on their own, even though it was not their intention to do so.

In the midst of all this, there were those who, contrary to the ancient dragon's words, did not move from their spot. Eric, Kenneth, and Iseria, these three people.

Even though they were afraid, the three of them turned their gaze towards him and showed their will to fight, and the sight of them made the ancient dragon break down into a grin.

“Fufu, good, good. The mark of a true strong person is to stand up to someone who you know you can't reach. Nn? You girl, I can feel the mana of a strong one from you, but I know not whose.” (Ancient Dragon)

“!!” (Iseria)

Iseria's body trembled when she was suddenly called, and her expression became stained with panic. Iseria didn't know what the ancient dragon's intention was in asking such a thing, but she could easily imagine that the strong one he was talking about must be either Ojii-sama or Nella.

Both are people to whom Iseria owes a great debt. But, despite her desire not to cause trouble for either of them, she was unable to hide her trembling under the pressure of the ancient dragon as he kept staring at her.

“When I look closely, you seem to be a hero egg. Fumu, very well. If that person comes to help you, good. Even if he doesn't, it'll be a good way to kill some time.” (Ancient Dragon)

After saying that, the ancient dragon raised his long neck, brought his face close to her, and opened his big mouth in front of Iseria.

“Ah.” (Iseria)

Iseria's figure disappeared into his mouth, leaving behind that small voice. At that moment, although it was only slightly, Eric and Kenneth's bodies moved to block him, but were stopped once again by the ancient dragon's giant eyes staring at them up close.

The ancient dragon, sensing the anger in the two’s eyes, narrowed his eyes in happiness.

“You brave people who are holding anger at the unreasonable. Tell this to the strong one. Time is not so long.” (Ancient Dragon)

Telling that to the two, the ancient dragon gently floated up and started flapping its wings in the direction of the 2nd floor.

““WAIT!”” (Eric & Kenneth)

The moment he floated up, Eric and the others were able to move as if their paralysis were broken, and they tried to obstruct him somehow, but they were unable to even touch the ancient dragon.

The ancient dragon completely disappeared from view, and Eric and Kenneth fell to their knees. Their expression was ghastly pale, and it was obvious to anyone that they had already exceeded their mental limit.

“I guess going to save her is completely hopeless. We’ve got no choice but to ask that ‘strong one’ guy, but I don't think there is anyone in Lilac who is stronger than us though.” (Kenneth)

Kenneth spoke while catching his breath, and Eric was about to nod in reply when he stopped.

There is no doubt that the people here are Lilac's greatest battle strength. Currently, there are no orichalcum class adventurers in Lilac, and even among the other mithril class adventurers who are away from the city for a short time due to requests and the like, there is no one who is clearly superior to Kenneth.

However, the reason why Eric still stopped was because he thought of the unidentified person who easily shook him off, even when he was one of the most powerful people in Lilac.

“Is it Nella?” (Eric)

“Nella? The one from the rumor?” (Kenneth)

“Yeah, there's no one else that seems fit. But even if he told me to call him...” (Eric)

‘We don’t have the means to do that.’ Eric was about to continue with that, but his words were interrupted by the warning voice raised by one of his comrades behind him.

“Appearance of dragon puppies confirmed. This may be the seventh wave!” (Scout)

At those words, Eric and Kenneth stood up with bitter faces.

“If you want us to call him, I wish you’d let us rest.” (Kenneth)

“This is probably a trivial thing for that dragon. Regroup. You'll die if you don’t. Get back your fighting spirit!” (Eric)

The two exchanged idle complaints, and then Eric started giving instructions to his comrades. Kenneth also called out to his fellow adventurers to check on the situation, but found that several of them would be of little use to him because of the shock of encountering the ancient dragon.

‘This is our limit’, that thought crossed Kenneth's mind. Even last time, they were just barely hanging on, and now a capable magician named Iseria was missing, and the other members were also in shambles.

‘There is no way we will be able to survive the seventh wave like this.’ He calmly made his judgment.

Kenneth looked at Eric. Although the two were not close enough to be good friends, they had a stronger connection than acquaintances. Their relationship was one where they both recognized the other.

Knowing Eric's personality, Kenneth was confident that no matter how hopeless the battle was, as long as there was something to protect called Lilac City behind him, Eric would continue to fight.

‘No matter how foolish I try to tell him it is.’ (Kenneth)

“Eric. My brave and foolish friend. I'll make sure to watch over your moment of death and let people know. I now have a reason to retreat that is to ask for help from the strong one anyway.” (Kenneth)

Kenneth murmured as if praying and took his gaze away from Eric.

Then he called on his party members to gather together. To tell them in advance to fight with the assumption that they will retreat.

.

.

.

Soon after, the seventh wave arrived. The monsters that appeared remained the same, but the battle had changed completely.

Shortly after the start, two people were swallowed by a breath due to a mistake in coordination, and from then on, the situation became hopeless as the number of people who could fight dwindled one by one.

Most of them were not dead, but were sent off due to injuries, but their injuries were still serious enough to prevent them from returning to the front immediately.

The situation worsened at an accelerating pace, to the point where there were not enough soldiers to carry the wounded.

“Right front, Breath!” (Eric)

Eric continued to raise his voice on the battlefield, where even the soldiers responsible for observing and issuing warnings were already gone. Despite his warnings, he heard the screams of a soldier who was unable to avoid a breath of flame and had one hand burned off as he sprawled on the ground, and he clicked his tongue.

It was not against that soldier. It was against this hopeless situation, and against his own worthlessness in being unable to break out of it.

Eric thrust his sword into the brain of a dragon puppy as it was spitting out breath, defeated it, and immediately ran to save his comrades.

There were very few soldiers who could fight properly. The adventurers were still better off, but they were half destroyed. The only one that still functioned as a party was [Homura].

However, the enemy's momentum showed no sign of abating, and Eric sensed that the footsteps of complete collapse were close at hand.

(Maybe you thought you could retreat if I died, but sorry, Kenneth. There are many important people behind me. Please stick with me until the end and slaughter as many dragons as you can.) (Eric)

Eric glanced over at Kenneth, who was fighting with strength to spare even in this situation, and gave a small laugh. However, his thoughts were diverted only for a moment, and Eric quickly immersed himself in the battle.

As the number of people decreased, the number of monsters that one person had to deal with increased.

The heroic sight of Eric, whose whole body was dyed dark red in blood of his enemies he was unable to even avoid as he continued to fight, would have been terrifying to an ordinary person.

Eric was already in a state in which he had no proper consciousness, and his body was being forced to move by his unconsciousness, which had been etched into him through training.

Eric avoided the flame breath of a dragon puppy, which he had already slaughtered an unknown number of, even while the surface of his arm was lightly burned, and then thrust his sword into the dragon puppy, who was unable to move due to its breath. And at the same time a sound was heard.

Snap

The sound of metal breaking, signaling the end.

“ERIC!” (Kenneth)

Staring at the broken sword in his own hand and hearing Kenneth's screams from behind, Eric regained consciousness for the first time in a while.

Eric watched in slow, seemingly drawn-out time as the dragon puppy he couldn't kill tried to turn its breath toward him.

(I'm sorry, Julia. I don't think I can keep my promise to return home. And sorry, Aniki. I couldn't repay you until the end.) (Eric)

Eric looked at his own broken sword and smiled. It was strange, and somehow funny, that he felt calm, even though he had nothing but regret.

And when the heat from the flame breath finally began to burn Eric's skin, it happened. A gust of wind blew across the battlefield. It was...

“What the hell are you doing to my precious little brother, you damn dragon?” (???)

Due to the sudden appearance of Nella, a clown man who crushed the dragon puppy to the ground with his stick while saying such a thing, right in front of Eric's eyes.

────

(T/N: the ancient dragon spoke in archaic grammar or something like that, but I don’t know how to sound like that, so I used standard English. Another reason is because archaic grammar is hard to understand though.

Also, I just noticed, ‘Nera’ should be ‘Nella’. I think it’s supposed to be ‘Allen’ spelled backwards, well, I guess I can change ‘Allen’ to ‘Aren’ instead, but I’ll stick with ‘Allen’. Sigh, I’m so stupid to not notice that.)

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Level Down 35

Volume 1 Chapter 35 - Divide

RAW

Although the waves allowed them to take a break after the battle started, nearly six hours had passed and Eric and the others were gradually accumulating fatigue when the fifth wave arrived and they were forced to struggle. However, the cause is not their fatigue.

“Tch, they’ve finally come, huh?” (Eric)

“Well, we knew that sooner or later, monsters from the 6th floor and beyond would come.” (Kenneth)

In contrast to Eric's bitter expression, Kenneth was dispassionate as he cut down a dragon puppy who attacked him from above.

A dragon puppy is a juvenile dragon. The word ‘juvenile’ gives the impression that they’re very weak, but this is not true. Adult dragons are easily over 10 meters long, and even in their juvenile form, they have a body length of over 3 meters, and on top of that...

“Front, the breath preliminary movement has started, attribute is fire!” (Unknown Scout)

The adventurers and soldiers immediately reacted to the warning and left the area. Immediately after that, a pillar of fire covered the area where they had been until now. The wyverns and other monsters that had been defeated and left on the spot there were turned into pitch black charcoal and began to emit a burning smell while making smoldering noises.

“UOOOHH!” (Dragon Puppy)

As the dragon puppy stopped moving while spewing flames from its mouth, Eric closed in on it and used his momentum to point his sword at its brain. The dragon puppy tried to fight back by changing the direction of its flames, but its movements were too slow.

Eric stabbed the dragon puppy in the brain, and it went limp and lost its strength, and the breath it was spitting out from its mouth disappeared leaving behind a whooshing sound.

“I know it already, but this thing is still troublesome.” (Eric)

“You should just avoid it. Using magic to defend against it is just a waste after all.” (Kenneth)

“You say it as if it’s easy.” (Eric)

Eric and Kenneth returned to the formation while exchanging banter. While they were both acting as if this was a trivial problem, Eric's inner feelings were different.

(This is tough. I wish we could just withdraw some of the soldiers, but if we do that, we won't have enough hands...) (Eric)

While thinking like this, Eric never stopped fighting.

Eric was the captain of the unit that defends against this stampede. Of course, the overall command was given to another person outside, but the command inside the dungeon was left solely to Eric.

There were soldiers of higher ranks there, but none of them were strong enough to take on a dragon.

They might have foisted it on Eric for their own safety, but as a soldier who was normally close to his comrades, it made sense for Eric to take command. Because he also understood the capabilities of each individual, he would be able to make the best decisions.

The current situation was so bad that Eric judged it to be tough.

Of course, as long as they could demonstrate their abilities as usual, Eric believed that they were capable enough to deal with dragon puppies. However, given their current state of fatigue due to successive battles, he did not know when an accident would occur, he thought.

But he couldn’t show it on his face. Because he is fully aware that, as the captain, his unrest will affect the entire unit.

(In the first place, we can't escape though.) (Eric)

The mission given to Eric and the others was to maintain the defense line in this area, and hold off the flood of monsters until support arrives.

If they were to pull out from here, Lilac would definitely suffer damage, so in a sense this could be called a natural mission, but on the other hand, abandoning the mission and retreating was not allowed. In other words, they would have to defend until all their allies are dead.

“Julia.” (Eric)

Eric muttered the name of his wife, who said she fell in love with him at first sight, yearned for him and had remained faithful to him even after being divorced from her family and stripped of her nobility, and he put his strength into his hand that held the sword.

Completely ignoring the difference in status, Eric fell in love with her, was infatuated with her, until they got where they wanted to be. And with the agent of that small miracle in his heart, Eric swung his sword. ‘I will definitely return,’ to keep that promise.

* (T/N: I don’t really get it, ‘the agent of that small miracle’ refers to Allen, right?)

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.

.

Eric and the others managed to survive the fifth wave without any deaths. However, the results were by no means favorable. Several of the soldiers were unable to avoid the breath and were seriously wounded and had to drop out.

Fortunately, if it’s okay to say that, the adventurers and other soldiers didn’t sustain any serious injuries and were able to recover with potions, but it doesn’t change the fact their number had decreased. A somber atmosphere was starting to drift in the area.

“Looking objectively, we’re almost at our limit. I want to recommend that you retreat, but.” (Kenneth)

“Impossible. But there is hope. Lilac’s gates should be open by now. There is still a possibility that support will arrive.” (Eric)

“I don't think wishful thinking is good for either soldiers or adventurers though.” (Kenneth)

The adventurers who were listening to Kenneth and Eric's conversation while taking a break nodded their heads in agreement. All of them had fought many battles in the past, and Eric himself was well aware that Kenneth’s judgment of the situation was correct.

Even to the adventurers, the current situation was that the boundary between life and death was gradually approaching. They were still calm because they had judged that they could survive for a while longer.

If the adventurers judged that the limit had been exceeded, they would not hesitate to abandon this place. They only remained here as a result of the agreement between the Adventurers’ Guild and the country, and there were very few who remained voluntarily.

They knew full well that no matter what punishment the Guild handed them, it would not be worth their own lives.

“Umm, magic potions and other supplies have arrived, so how about I support more with magic? My level has also increased a little anyway.” (???)

Perhaps unable to bear the somber atmosphere, a voice that sounded reserved but clear asked them, and Eric and Kenneth replied.

“I believe you came here to support us, the hero egg....” (Eric)

“Iseria, wasn’t it?” (Kenneth)

“Yes. I'm still inexperienced, but I'm somewhat confident in the variety of magic I can use.” (Iseria)

‘What do you think?’ Iseria asked, and the two looked at each other and smiled wryly. Both of them realized that the battle line was stable thanks to Iseria, who came to support them and used her magic to assist in the battle.

Normally, when it comes to magicians, many prioritize training in two or so attributes that they are good at, but Iseria used magic of various attributes depending on the situation, so it was clear that there was no lie in her words.

However, it was hard to say this, but her way of thinking was that of an amateur in combat. The current situation was not so easy that the outcome could be changed by the actions of just one person. Even if Iseria used more magic than she currently does, there was no way that there would be any major changes.

“I appreciate the offer, but it's best to maintain the status quo.” (Eric)

“Right, right. Even if you can recover with a magic potion, there is a limit after all.” (Kenneth)

“Is that, so? My apologies. I said something unnecessary.” (Iseria)

Seeing Iseria apologize clearly even while a little depressed, the surrounding atmosphere softened, even if only a little. Even Eric looked fondly at that, and was about to express his gratitude to her when it happened.

A huge shadow covered the soldiers and adventurers, and pressure so overwhelming that it seemed to crush them, making it impossible for anyone to move.

“Fumu, I was wondering why they couldn’t quite get out, so they were being held back here. To think I had to reveal myself, that’s quite the backbone you guys have here.” (???)

The one who called out to them in a good mood was an ancient dragon with blue scales and a huge body, around several times the size of an adult dragon.

────

(T/N: 分水嶺 - watershed; divide. Sigh, these chapters are way too hard.)

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Level Down 34

Volume 1 Chapter 34 - Those Who Defend Against the Stampede

RAW

Time goes back a little.

Just before the gates of Lilac City were closed, information that there were signs of a stampede in the Dragon Dungeon brought by a scout from the mithril class party [Homura] was immediately conveyed to the Adventurers' Guild, and soon it was transmitted to the Lord.

The Lord of Lilac City, Naveen El Lilac’s decision was quick. He found out about it before Orlando, the head of the Adventurers' Guild, arrived to report it, and had already begun preparations to dispatch soldiers.

While the fact that there are four dungeons in the vicinity can be said to be the primary factor in the prosperity of Lilac City, it can also be said that the land is at a much higher risk of stampedes than other cities.

Furthermore, there was no way Naveen could have forgotten the memory of the stampede 12 years ago. Because it happened soon after Naveen inherited his position as a Lord.

Although there was a difference that, unlike this time, he was unable to grasp the signs, causing his judgment to be delayed and the damage to increase. That bitter memory was etched in Naveen's mind.

Thanks in part to Naveen's quick decision, selected supporting soldiers were soon sent to the Dragon Dungeon. And as Allen had expected, Eric was among them.

Chosen as part of the select group, Eric entered the Dragon Dungeon with his fellow soldiers and joined up with the adventurers who had set up a defensive position surrounding the entrance to the dungeon.

The atmosphere was strained with tension, but when Eric arrived there, no signs of stampede could be seen from there.

A wyvern, a monster that lives on the first floor, could be seen circling above in the distance, but it didn't seem like it was going to attack.

Slightly relieved by this, Eric approached an adventurer who was his acquaintance.

“Hey, Kenneth. Seems like there’s no problem for now.” (Eric)

“Eric. It’s only for now though.” (Kenneth)

The man who replied to Eric with a somewhat tired expression was the mithril class party [Homura]’s leader, Kenneth.

Even though he was carrying a sword so large that it could cover his own body, Kenneth looked slender and somewhat lanky, but Eric had performed mock battles with him countless times, so he was well aware that his ability was anything but superficial.

“I want to exchange information now while it’s calm.” (Eric)

“Got it. Everyone, I'm counting on you for a while.” (Kenneth)

Kenneth called out to the surrounding adventurers, and then reported about the situation that he had grasped to the soldiers who had arrived. And in return, Eric and his comrades also told them about the situation outside the dungeon and the defense plan for Lilac City.

“I guess the problem is the lack of archers and magicians.” (Eric)

“Right. Starting with wyverns, many dragons have the ability to fly. This is the only place they can exit from, so they’ll end up having to come down to the ground though.” (Kenneth)

“How about fighting in the entrance hallway? We won't have to worry about the sky then, plus we won't have to deal with so many of them.” (Eric)

“If they threw their breath at us, we won’t be able to take cover. If we can't see them, we won't be able to even detect the signs.” (Kenneth)

Kenneth gently but immediately rejected Eric's idea. And no one objected to that.

This was because they know that Kenneth has been exploring the Dragon Dungeon on a regular basis, so he can make more accurate judgments than them.

Being active in this Dragon Dungeon, [Homura] of course always have magicians among their members. Because if they can't deal with dragons attacking them from above, they won't be able to even explore it, so it’s natural.

Further, there were several other adventurer parties besides [Homura] here, and each of them always contained someone with some kind of anti-air attack.

The only adventurers here were those who could enter the Dragon Dungeon, and these people possessed outstanding abilities even among adventurers.

However, their power was only enough for exploration, not for a stampede where dragons attack one after another.

Humans accumulate fatigue, there was always a limit to their stamina.

“Don’t you guys have such people over there?” (Kenneth)

“Archers are prioritized for the defense of the city because of supply issues, and there aren't that many magicians in the first place. Their numbers decreased quite a bit in the battle 12 years ago, and they haven't been able to replenish them in time.” (Eric)

“The heck’s that.” (Kenneth)

“Well, a stampede occurring in such a short period of time is beyond expectations after all. They were probably planning to get the number over a longer period of time.” (Eric)

As Kenneth looked at him in exasperation, Eric gave a wry smile while making a rough follow-up.

If there were soldiers here who blindly believed in the Lord, there might have been some who objected to Kenneth's words, but the ones here were relatively young soldiers in their twenties, including Eric. Moreover, all of them were from commoner backgrounds.

That's why their inner feelings were actually not that different from Kenneth's. Well, it’s probably good that they had enough loyalty to not say it out loud.

“Then I guess we can only hope for the supporting adventurers.” (Kenneth)

“You think they’ll come?” (Eric)

“I can’t go on if I don't believe it. Well, my luck is good, so I'll believe that miracles will happen. Then, I'll be counting on you in the battle.” (Kenneth)

Saying that, Kenneth returned to the adventurers. Even though he knew the situation was hopeless, he acted calmly, as if he never thought he would die.

“Miracle, huh? I think that's not something that happens, but something that you grasp even if you have force it. Right, Aniki?” (Eric)

Thinking of his older brother, Allen, who earnestly worked hard while carrying the baggage called younger siblings, and miraculously succeeded in sending them off on their own separate paths, Eric laughed a little, and then began to prepare for battle.

.

.

.

“Up above, 1 wyvern left” (Adventurer 1)

“I will drop it down. Air Hammer!” (Adventurer 2)

As the wyvern was circling in pursuit of its prey, its body deformed as if it had been hit by a giant invisible hammer and fell to the ground. With the wyvern writhing, its wings broken due to the damage it had received when violently slammed into the ground from the sky, Kenneth used his huge sword to slash at its neck.

The wyvern’s neck was easily cut off and it plopped down to the ground as if it were a joke, and Kenneth took a glance at it before putting his greatsword back on his back.

“Fourth wave, complete. Collection team, hurry!” (Eric)

Under Eric's instructions, soldiers carrying magic bags desperately collected the corpses of wyverns, two-headed hydras, and others scattered all over the place.

As Eric was watching the scene while keeping an eye on his surroundings, Kenneth approached him. His figure, while it didn't have a single scratch, was stained in dark red in places due to the blood of his enemies, showing how fierce a battle it was up until now.

“They’re just wyverns and two-headed hydras from shallow floors, but with that many, it'll be a fortune. The prices seem like it’ll crash for a while, though.” (Kenneth)

“We’re not collecting them for that, but if we can get through this safely, that might happen.” (Eric)

It seemed Kenneth called out to him for a small talk, and Eric replied with a wry smile. Of course, the reason they go out of their way to collect defeated monsters is not to make money, but to reduce the unevenness of the battleground even just a little.

This was to avert the danger of being caught by surprise or having their escape routes blocked because of the corpses left behind, but now that he said it, the large supply of wyverns and hydras will probably cause their price to crash. Eric can understand that.

The monsters come in waves, and Eric and the others have already survived the fourth wave.

Thanks in part to being able to take adequate breaks in between, they've been able to fight through without anyone dying so far, but...

(Some people are getting tired.) (Eric)

That worried Eric. Of course, it’s not like all of them fought at the same time, they have a system in place where they are rotated so that they could take long breaks, but, among some of the soldiers, especially those who were talented but relatively young, he could see this tendency.

Eric guessed that it was probably because they were too tense even during the break, but he didn't have any effective means to solve it.

“That's bad. Eric, did you notice?” (Kenneth)

“Are you talking about the young soldiers?” (Eric)

“Nah, that's just as expected. What I'm talking about is your sword. That sword you told me had magic in it back in the day, it's already at its limit.” (Kenneth)

“...Yeah. I noticed.” (Eric)

Eric stared at the sword hanging on his waist. This was not something issued to soldiers, but a sword made by Dolban, which Allen gave to Eric for his exam.

Of course, it held no magic in it, it was a pure steel sword, but to Eric it was a magic sword. He had been handling that sword with great care, and used it in every battle when the need arose, and it had survived all of those battles.

However, for a while now, Eric himself had been noticing a discomfort with the sword. It’s not like there were any visible cracks in it, and he couldn't tell from the outside at all, but because they had been together for so many years, Eric could clearly sense the minute differences.

And what that means.

“If you know, that's fine. It’s still fine now because we happened to have a good magician among the supporting adventurers, but I recommend replacing it as soon as possible.” (Kenneth)

“My bad. I'll think about it.” (Eric)

Even as he said that, Eric didn't move, and Kenneth smiled wryly at him and left.

And soon, the fifth wave began.

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Level Down 33

Volume 1 Chapter 33 - What Allen Himself Can Do

RAW

Although Allen glared at Orlando with sharp eyes, he was unable to utter any objections. Mistaking this as an effect of his own pressure, Orlando felt a little proud that he hasn't grown rusty yet, and looked away from Allen.

Confirming that he had gathered the attention of not only the guild employees but also the adventurers near the bulletin board, Orlando raised his voice.

“The Lord has already dispatched soldiers and requested relief from not only the surrounding guilds but also from the country. Although it is not certain yet, there is also information that there are orichalcum class adventurers coming nearby.” (Orlando)

The word ‘orichalcum class’ caused a great stir among the adventurers. Everyone knows that high class adventurers are all monsters, but even among them, the orichalcum class that is the highest rank is so out of the ordinary that it has become the stuff of bardic tales.

‘It might work out somehow’. Such an awareness begins to emerge within everyone.

“Adventurers of Lilac. As people living in this land, let us fight to the end with pride. You may not actually fight, but this battle will one day be sung and reverberate around the world. Who among you would not like to be one of those characters, and one day drink wine while listening to your tale?” (Orlando)

‘Bam,’ Orlando took a step forward with a loud footstep, spreading his hands out as he said that, and for a moment, silence fell over the scene. And immediately after that...

“““OO─HH!!””” (Adventurers)

As if delirious with fever, several adventurers let out a war cry as they declared their participation, and as if pulled along by them, others decided to follow their lead and participate in the emergency request for support personnel one after another.

Some of the guild employees, especially the younger ones, looked deeply impressed as they performed their reception duties, and the Guild suddenly began to come alive.

Satisfied with the change, Orlando turned his gaze back to Allen.

“Having experienced the previous stampede, you must be fully aware of the role the Guild should play. Employees with experience as an adventurer are valuable. I hope you will continue to work hard here as a fine coordinator. I myself won't be here for that long after all.” (Orlando)

Orlando said that in a low voice that only Allen can hear, and patted Allen on the shoulder. From those words and the momentary look of sorrow on Orlando's face, Allen understood that Orlando was already prepared for his own death.

His appearance was not one of the usual unpleasant guildmaster who handed over duties with a grin on his face, but of someone whose tale about his exploits during his adventurer days Allen has heard, Orlando the Gale.

If Allen hadn't used the level-down trap and his stats remained the same as before, he might have agreed with those words just like the adventurers and employees around him.

Although he would be worried about his younger brother Eric, he wouldn’t have the strength to directly help him, so he would make every effort to increase his chances of survival, even a little.

However......Allen had already obtained power.

Allen gave a small smile back at Orlando, and then took off the badge from his chest that was proof of being an employee of the Adventurers' Guild and placed it in Orlando's hand. He then said, “Thank you for your care all this time,” and passed by Orlando who was frozen with a surprised expression on his face, and headed towards Matilda.

When Matilda saw that figure of Allen, she shook her head with a tearful face, but when she realized that Allen was standing in front of her and didn't move, she smiled awkwardly and opened her mouth.

“Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild. How may I help you?” (Matilda)

“I want to register as an adventurer. My name is Allen.” (Allen)

“Allen-sama, is it? Would you like an explanation about the Adventurers' Guild?” (Matilda)

“No.” (Allen)

The surrounding people watched the exchange between Allen and Matilda. Those are the standard words exchanged between a guild employee and a new adventurer when they become an adventurer. One that Allen had once experienced and that Matilda has given to various adventurers countless times.

“If you were to take the exam, you can register from bronze class, but what would you like to do?” (Matilda)

“I don’t mind if it’s wood grade.” (Allen)

“Understood. We will issue you a guild license, which is proof of being an adventurer, in another day, so please come and pick it up. Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild. We welcome you.” (Matilda)

After that short exchange, silence fell between the two. The two did not exchange any more words. But something was certainly communicated between them.

Matilda even now managed to keep a smile on her face even though she looks like she's about to cry, and Allen gently smiled at her.

“Sorry, Matilda. I can't leave Eric alone after all. Thank you for everything until now.” (Allen)

After saying that, Allen turned his back to Matilda and started walking. He headed toward the front entrance of the guild that he had never used since becoming an employee. Matilda continued to stare at his retreating figure with her blurred vision, and just as his figure disappeared, tears began to fall from her eyes.

“I knew, I knew that. I've been watching you all this time after all...” (Matilda)

Matilda's voice never reached Allen, and disappeared among the noise of adventurers taking reception.

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.

.

After leaving the Guild, Allen hurried home, headed to the basement, packed everything he needed into his magic bag, put it in his favorite backpack, and headed for the east gate, the closest gate to the Dragon Dungeon.

And after a few minutes of running, Allen arrived at the east gate and saw a heavily closed entrance and a large number of soldiers guarding it.

“Tch!” (Allen)

Allen clicked his tongue at this and switched directions. As expected, Allen didn't expect the east gate to be sealed so quickly. For a moment, Allen thought that he should head to another gate, but he immediately denied that idea.

Certainly, there was a good chance that the other gates were not sealed. However, Allen could easily imagine that those places would be crowded with people who had heard rumors of the stampede and were trying to escape from the city.

“If I show them my guild license... right, it’ll be issued at a later date. And I haven't accepted any requests either.” (Allen)

Allen looked around as he said that. The area around the gate was already on high alert, and perhaps because evacuations were already underway, there were hardly any people around. Allen immediately made a decision, turned into a side street, and continued on for a while.

Arriving at a house in one corner deep in the alley, Alen destroyed the door to its storeroom without hesitation, and disappeared inside.

After a while, Allen came out dressed as Nera. He let out a small breath, placed some gold coins from his magic bag under the broken door of the storeroom, and immediately started running.

Allen then headed towards the east gate, ignored the soldiers who were warning him and tried to stop him, and made a big jump, leaping over Lilac’s defensive wall. The soldiers could only watch his back in shock.

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.

.

The Dragon Dungeon is a dungeon located to the east of Lilac City that normally takes two hours to walk to from the east gate. Its entrance being a huge monolith, shaped as if it represented the mouth of a dragon swallowing its prey.

Currently, soldiers and magicians were surrounding this entrance with mounds of earth, and were beginning to steadily build an encampment. Many of the soldiers here were still inexperienced, and were trembling about when dragons would come out of the entrance.

However, they did not stop moving, because they knew that this was the last line of defense, and more than anything, they knew that their own comrades were inside, holding the monsters back.

“I wish we could just seal the entrance.” (Soldier 1)

“It'll just get absorbed into the dungeon. Stop talking nonsense and get your hands moving. Our seniors are still fighting for their lives there.” (Soldier 2)

“Yeah.” (Soldier 1)

The two soldiers were having this conversation while working hard building an encampment when they were hit with a gust of wind together with a cloud of dust. The two went alert at the sudden happening and restlessly looked around, but they found nothing, and once the dust settled, they returned to work.

That was the residue of Allen, who had passed by at a speed unrecognizable to ordinary soldiers while hiding his appearance with magic.

────

(T/N: ギルド証 - guild license. I think I translated it as ‘guild certificate’ before. But the 証 part can mean ‘certificate’ ‘license’ or ‘membership card’, ‘card’ and ‘license’ is usually in katakana, but ‘certificate’ isn’t something you usually carry around, so I choose ‘license’. Btw it might also mean badge, emblem, symbol, crest, et cetera et cetera. So confusing.)

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Level Down 32

Volume 1 Chapter 32 - The Situation Has Become Critical

RAW

Having brought the level-up reservationists back to Lilac City from the Slime Dungeon, Allen was walking in a good mood along the main road leading to the Guild.

Although it was morning and there weren't any genuine stores calling out, Allen watched with a smile as the people interacted with each other, somehow more lively than usual.

Normally, while he wouldn't be in a bad mood after the boring and tedious job of crushing slime in the middle of the night, he often feels lethargic, but today was different.

The reason for this is because of Allen's beloved sword hanging from his waist.

It’s unknown if it’s because they've been fighting together for so many years, or if it's just Allen's own bias, but it felt very fitting to have his beloved sword that he had repaired there.

The sensation felt different compared to when he hung a sword he made as a prototype, and his cheeks went slack at that.

“Aah, I feel like I want to go on an adventure with this guy.” (Allen)

Allen muttered while stroking the sheath of his beloved sword. He didn't realize it, but someone who happened to be walking behind him heard it and quickly changed course, his face twitching a bit.

It couldn't be helped, because someone who was saying things like that this early in the morning and rubbing his scabbard on the main streets of the city was extremely suspicious. He should be glad he wasn't reported.

Allen's delusions continued as he walked down the road leading to the Guild. He was wondering which dungeon would be better if he wanted to go on an adventure with his beloved sword.

“If I go in the proper order, it has to be Lilac Dungeon, but if I’m going to go to all this trouble, I feel like I want to challenge the top.” (Allen)

The Slime Dungeon was out of the question, and the Demon Dungeon, which he had conquered many times, was already not in the realm of adventure for Allen.

If anything, he now thought of it as a training ground for magic and the like.

So if it’s going to be an adventure, going to the depth of the Lilac Dungeon where he was stuck on the 40th floor would be the proper order, Allen thought.

‘With my current ability, going until the 40th floor is possible, and going toward the untrodden land of the 41st floor and beyond is not impossible, isn’t it?’ Allen thought.

However, on the other hand, he also wanted to go to the last of the four dungeons around Lilac, a place called ‘the dungeon where adventurers end up’.

“But you know, it's got a restriction on entry there. I'm pretty sure you need an individual rank of gold class or higher, right? So since Nera’s not an adventurer, he can't enter.” (Allen)

As Allen said that, he let out a sigh. This was just a delusion, so it shouldn’t have any meaning, but his expression looked like he was seriously disappointed.

In actuality, going to that dungeon was a kind of dream for Lilac City's adventurers, and perhaps part of Allen was still drawn to it.

The ranks of adventurers start from wood class, followed by bronze class, then iron class, silver class, gold class, mithril class, until the highest rank, orichalcum class, but about 80% of adventurers are in iron class or below.

By the way, Allen's rank when he was an adventurer was iron class, and his ability was among the higher one of that class. In other words, among adventurers, he was quite a skilled one. Although, it should be noted that this was only among ordinary adventurers.

The fact that only the remaining 20%, no, if it’s only above gold rank, then less than 10% of the adventurers can enter shows how unique that dungeon is.

The name of that dungeon that is the only one that has restriction on entry, because unless you have a certain level of ability, you will simply die, is the Dragon Dungeon.

It’s an extremely brutal dungeon where the only monsters that appear are dragon-type monsters.

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.

.

As his delusions subsided, Allen arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild, entered through the back door for employees, handed the bag containing slime magic stones to a passing employee, and was about to head home.

“Nn?” (Allen)

However, he noticed that the atmosphere within the Guild was a little different than usual and stopped his feet.

At this time when some time has passed since the gate was opened, adventurers had already finished taking requests, and if there are people in the Guild, they would be people whose party are on vacation and want to accept easy requests to earn some extra money, or those who are gathering information in advance, their number aren’t supposed to be high.

But right now, there were many adventurers in the guild hall, gathered in front of the bulletin board and restlessly discussing something.

“Allen!” (Matilda)

“Ooh, Matilda, huh? Did something happen?” (Allen)

“Don’t ‘something’ me!” (Matilda)

Seeing Matilda's unusually impatient expression, Allen guessed that an emergency situation was happening and rushed over. When Allen saw the paper spread out on Matilda's desk, his face stiffened.

“There are signs of a stampede? And from the Dragon Dungeon? Is this certain?” (Allen)

“If it's a lie, all of us will have our heads cut off. This is information brought in by the mithril class party [Homura]’s scout at the risk of his life, so there's no need to worry about that. Well, it's the same in the sense that there's no guarantee to our life though.” (Matilda)

“Seriously? Isn't this a repeat of the nightmare from 12 years ago?” (Allen)

Allen muttered with an astonished expression.

The nightmare 12 years ago that Allen mentioned is the incident in which Lilac City was devastated by a stampede from the Dragon Dungeon.

Fortunately, the damage to the city was not that great, but it was a tragic incident in which part of the defensive wall protecting the city collapsed, resulting in many casualties among adventurers and soldiers.

As a result of that incident, a good thing happened that was a mass recruitment of soldiers, and Allen’s younger brother Eric becoming a soldier, but on the other hand, an adventurer he knew died, and the party of the hero egg was hired with generous benefits, causing him to lost ties with them and he returned to a life of poverty. It was an incident that left bitter memories for Allen.

“Currently, it seems like the high-ranking adventurers centered around [Homura] are keeping them at bay, but...” (Matilda)

“In a stampede, enemies get stronger and stronger, so it's just a matter of how much time they can buy.” (Allen)

“Yes. That's why we're currently making an emergency request for support personnel. Although we don't know how many adventurers will accept the request without running away. It seems the Guildmaster has already informed the Lord, and has requested lifting its restrictions on entry and dispatch of soldiers.” (Matilda)

“Even one of them going outside would be bad after all. The Lord will also... will also dispatch soldiers!?” (Allen)

Startled by Allen’s sudden loud voice and unable to speak, Matilda somehow managed to answer with a nod of her head.

If a stampede were to occur and the dragons were to go outside as a result, it would be obvious that the city would suffer damage.

Therefore, they would try to stop them in the dungeon at all cost, even Allen can understand that. This is because fighting inside a dungeon with limited entrances and exits is much easier.

However, even though he can understand this, Allen found it hard to accept the fact that soldiers were being dispatched.

When it comes to fighting dragons, only the best among the soldiers should be chosen. Otherwise, the damage would only increase unnecessarily.

That's the reason why the Guild is recruiting support personnel with an emergency request. That was because, if they let someone lacking ability fight, they will only die, if anything, they may even become a hindrance.

There aren't many soldiers who are capable of fighting dragons. And among them will definitely be...

“Eric!” (Allen)

Allen's younger brother Eric.

Allen couldn't stay still, and the instant he called out that name, he started running towards the back entrance of the Guild. Allen was aware of Matilda reaching out to stop him, but his consciousness was no longer directed there.

“Where do you think you're going?” (???)

Hearing those words together with an overwhelming pressure, Allen stopped in his tracks and turned his gaze in that direction. The person who was slowly coming down the stairs, his fat body jiggling was...

“Guildmaster.” (Allen)

“Let me ask you again. In this emergency situation that requires the Guild to come together as one, where do you think you're going?” (???)

It was the person who presides over this Lilac City’s Adventurer Guild as its guildmaster, the former mithril class adventurer, Orlando.

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Level Down 31

Volume 1 Chapter 31 - Repair of the Beloved Sword

RAW

After completing his deal with Iseria, Allen returned to his usual life. For the time being, he had improved his housing and eating conditions, which he had been dissatisfied with, and he didn’t feel any particular need regarding his clothing, as it was outside of his interest.

That's why these days, he did the Guild work late at night, and on his days off, he spent it training as Nera in a dungeon, and helping Dolban with his blacksmith work, but...

“Oi, Boy. The owner of that armor really didn't say anything, right?” (Dolban)

“That's what I’ve been saying. How many times do you have to ask before you’re satisfied?” (Allen)

“You damn idiot. That's the work of Zomar-shi, the living legend of the dwarves. I might never be able to work on such a work of art again after this. And you still ask if I'm satisfied, you damn bastard!” (Dolban)

“Like I care. Hurry up and concentrate on your work!” (Allen)

Allen prepared for blacksmithing while casually handling Dolban as he tried to attack him.

Ever since he saw Iseria's light armor that Allen requested him to repair, Dolban's behavior clearly became strange. He postponed the work for all the orders he received before that, and devoted himself to repairing the light armor, not caring for the fine he’d have to pay for some of those work for breach of contract.

The way Dolban worked was so ferocious that Allen didn’t want to get close to him and almost ran away, and Dolban was so burnt out for two or three days after completing the repairs that it was as if his soul had been drained out.

“Or rather, for Shishou to say that much, that dwarf called Zomar is an amazing guy, huh.” (Allen)

“It’s Zomar-shi!” (Dolban)

“Aa─h, yes, yes. Zomar-shi, right?” (Allen)

Allen smiled wryly as he listened to Dolban speak passionately. Allen had been in Dolban’s care for a long time, but he had never seen him so excited.

‘You’re letting me take this wonderful job, so I don’t need money’, Dolban said as he didn’t take any payment, Allen had expected that. But what he didn't expect is for his enthusiasm to not subside even after 20 days after the handover.

“I'll ask her if we meet again, so be patient. She won't know what it’s like until she uses it for a while anyway.” (Allen)

“Uh, huh. Well, I guess you’re right. You’ll definitely have to ask her.” (Dolban)

As Dolban said that while heading off to work, Allen turned on his back, let out a deep breath and began concentrating on his consciousness to learn the blacksmithing skill.

.

.

.

After Dolban fell asleep after his usual continuous blacksmithing, Allen was alone in front of the furnace, lost in deep thought. There was already a fire in the furnace, and the flickering of that flame dyed Allen's face red.

Having helped Dolban with his blacksmithing and continuing to absorb his skills, coupled with his high stats, Allen was certain of one thing.

“As I thought, I can't just repair it normally.” (Allen)

Allen muttered while looking at his broken beloved sword hanging on the wall. He thought that with the skills he had acquired, he’d be able to remake it into the same shape as the original.

However, the process was not much different from remaking it from scratch, and Allen predicted that its strength would decrease rather than increase.

And that's not good enough.

It's true that Allen, who has stopped being an adventurer and takes on the form of Nera when he goes on adventures in secret, doesn't need that sword.

However, this was his beloved sword that he was so attached to, he wanted to at least show his gratitude and reborn it into something stronger and more wonderful, Allen thought.

Allen made a decision. He had already obtained the means, so all that’s left was for Allen to make up his mind.

Now that he had learned enough of Dolban's skills, Allen thought that he would be able to do it, ‘no, I’ll do it,’ he held that desire, and a flame lit up in his eyes.

Allen took his beloved sword that was hanging on the wall, and with his other hand he took out a palm-sized cloth bag that he carried on his waist.

That bag was stuffed with a red powder the size of a grain of sand. The red powder is actually the horn of the ogre king that has been crushed into powder.

It is a first-class material coveted by blacksmiths, as it has the property of increasing its strength when mixed with metal.

“Now then, let's get started.” (Allen)

Allen started walking. The expression on his face was one that could only be described as ferocious, like the one Dolban had just the other day.

.

.

.

The next morning, Dolban woke up and got up from the bed where he had collapsed into, feeling a little displeased because he couldn't smell food.

The usual eating space near the entrance to the workshop was left clean and tidy, and there was no food prepared or even Allen there.

Dolban randomly grabbed some alcohol from the shelf near the wall and while gulping it down, opened the door to the smithy.

“Oi, Boy! You haven’t prepared the foo...” (Dolban)

Dolban said that was about to yell at him, but when he saw Allen lying on the ground, he stopped talking and rushed over in a panic.

“Boy! Wait, you’re just sleeping?” (Dolban)

As he got closer and heard his sleeping breath, as well as saw his soft sleeping face, Dolban felt relieved, and then lightly clicked his tongue.

He was seriously worried that something had happened to Allen, but it turned out he was just sleeping. That fact made him angry.

The race called dwarf don’t hold those feelings for long and just release it on the spot. This can be said to be a disadvantage of the race, but it can also be said to be an advantage since there is almost no chance of pulling it in again precisely because it was released on the spot.

As if following his racial instincts, Dolban sucked in a deep breath and tried to loudly wake Allen up, but just before he did that, his eyes were drawn to a sword placed on the stand and he closed his mouth.

What was there was a sword whose blade was slightly dyed red. Its rugged, unadorned appearance was very similar to the one Dolban made, but Dolban sensed a slight difference there.

Dolban checked that Allen's sword, which was supposed to be hanging on the wall, was missing.

“You finally made your decision? You idiot disciple.” (Dolban)

Dolban muttered as he turned his attention back to Allen. Contrary to his words, his expression seemed to be very happy.

.

.

.

It was Dolban who instigated Allen to repair his sword. Dolban had mastered his skills to some extent, and even gained a position as a blacksmith, but recently he felt that he was at a dead end.

No matter how much work he did, he didn't feel like he was growing and he was starting to feel frustrated, that’s when Allen happened to come along.

Dolban liked Allen for his perseverance. ‘I had some time anyway, it might be a good idea to teach Allen until he can repair his sword,’ that's what he thought.

Seeing Allen's perfect preparation for the blacksmithing process, Dolban was excited, thinking about his future growth, but that turned to astonishment the next day after he finished the job.

Allen asked Dolban to check the swords to be delivered, and he did so even though he was a little irritated.

In fact, he told himself that ‘I'll just do what I usually do before I deliver items,’ and thought ‘I think I'll at least poke Allen's head later.’

Dolban was checking the swords smoothly, but he felt a slight discomfort with one of them.

It's not that it's different from others, or that it has something missing. If other people looked at them, all of them probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them, but that discomfort never went away.

Dolban thought for a while, then looked at Allen and finally felt all his doubt cleared away when he saw his expression.

That the sword was not made by him, but by Allen.

Dolban knew that his own thinking was unconventional. His own skills had been honed over many years. It was impossible for an amateur to do the same job.

But it actually happened. Dolban shuddered at that.

Because Dolban knew what he was like in the past, he understood that Allen may have had a talent for blacksmithing, but he knew it wasn't this irrational.

And what that meant.

(A first-class blacksmith must also be a first-class adventurer. I always thought that meant I’ve got to understand how to use weapons, but I guess it meant I’ve got to raise my level. Zomar-shi, your personality is just bad.) (Dolban)

Thinking that, Dolban looked at Allen and decided to overlook the fact that he had switched the weapons. He judged that the quality was more than enough for the order, so there was no problem.

And then he decided. That he will act as his master until Allen finishes repairing his sword. And when it's over...

(I'll raise my level to break through my own walls. I'll do it, I’ll become a first-class adventurer.) (Dolban)

He was holding such passionate feelings in his heart.

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Level Down 30

Volume 1 Chapter 30 - Iseria’s Level Up

RAW

After a while, Iseria calmed down and let go of Allen while hiding her face. Guessing that ‘I probably shouldn’t look at her while she’s like that’, Allen quickly turned around and acted as if he was trying to keep an eye on the surroundings.

(Yeah, I wonder why. It's not like it’s my fault, but this is awkward.) (Allen)

Allen thought while hearing the sound of Iseria moving behind him. Allen, who had been so occupied with providing for his younger siblings, was overwhelmingly lacking in this kind of experience.

It wasn't that Allen had never dated a woman, but he tended to prioritize his very young family members, so it never lasted long.

And by the time his younger siblings became independent, he was already 29 years old, and was already past the marriageable age, which is generally 20 years old, but no later than 25 years old, so he was no longer seen as potential romantic partners.

Of course, this is not to say that there are not others who are not married as well. There are many who enjoy the single life to the fullest, and this tendency was especially strong among adventurers who risk their lives.

Allen himself felt a little disappointed that he couldn't get married, but he wasn't that pessimistic about it, but there was definitely a part of him that felt like he was helpless in these situations.

“I'm sorry. I got your clothes dirty.” (Iseria)

Iseria had fixed herself up, and had almost erased all traces of her tears, but her red, inflamed eyes remained the same. Turning around and seeing her like that, Allen thought for a moment about what to say, but he couldn't think of anything good.

However, in a hurry to say something, Allen said the words that come to mind.

“N-no. These clothes are clothes that I found in a treasure chest in the dungeon and have a stain-proof feature. You don't have to worry about it.” (Allen)

‘Look, it's not dirty, isn’t it?’ Allen said as he stretched out his clothes and Iseria stared at it, and a quiet moment passed between the two.

‘Huh? isn't this the same as saying ‘your tears are dirty’?’ Allen noticed this, and before he could impatiently add a follow-up, Iseria erupted and started laughing.

“Yes. It's very clean.” (Iseria)

“T-that’s right.” (Allen)

Allen could only awkwardly smile back at Iseria, who had a big smile on her face.

.

.

.

The two left the defeated cyclops as is, and began walking in search of a new monster. At first, Allen was a bit awkward by himself, but after thinking ‘what will be, will be’, he started being able to have normal conversations.

“By the way, what’s your level right now?” (Allen)

“I rose to level 46 from that battle earlier. Thank you very much.” (Iseria)

“That’s the deal after all.” (Allen)

Iseria thanked him, and Allen waved his hand sideways to tell her not to worry about it.

What Allen obtained from the deal with Iseria was to have her lend him her magic book called the Magic Encyclopedia, but what Allen offered Iseria in return is not just returning her a level 1 using the level-down trap that Iseria had done the other day.

As evidenced by the fact that they are fighting together in the dungeon today, the deal included helping Iseria level up.

Although it wasn't something she wanted, Iseria had lived with a stats of over 1000 until now. Allen could easily imagine that she wouldn’t fare well if she was suddenly reduced to the meager stats of a level 1. All the more so with Iseria's good looks.

That's why Allen intended to help Iseria level up at least until she reached her previous stats values, and was currently in the process of doing so.

“Still, to think it increased your level by 45 in one go, as expected of a cyclops. It can’t be compared to a treant.” (Allen)

Although it’s only by one level, they surpassed the results of raising Nick’s level by spending a day hunting treants in the Lilac Dungeon. ‘We might be able to get her stats back to before faster than expected,’ Allen thought when Iseria reacted to Allen's previous words.

“It's certainly amazing. I was surprised when I heard the sound of my level increasing continuously. But my level has increased to 44, you know.” (Iseria)

“Hm? But didn’t you say you're level 46 just now...?” (Allen)

“Actually, I was at level 2 then. My level increased in the Slime Dungeon, and embarrassingly, I even cried at that time.”

Iseria said that with her cheeks dyed red, seemingly embarrassed, when Allen saw that, ‘how cute,’ he thought, but he also understood that, ‘I guess that’d happen.’

The effect of a level-down trap is that you only lose all the experience points you earned after reaching that level, and you drop one level.

Defeating a monster after that, no matter what it is, would raise your level, Allen knew that best, having experienced it many times. And as soon as he realized this, Allen felt a bad premonition.

“Right right, God blessed me during my first level up.” (Iseria)

“Hee─h, I see.” (Allen)

Allen replied while feeling his bad premonition growing stronger. And Iseria's words after that, which she said with a smile on her face, confirmed that Allen's premonition was right on target.

“All my stats went up by 10. God must be telling me to work hard as a hero egg.” (Iseria)

“Un, might be.” (monotone)

Allen managed to reply even though his words were broken, but his heart was pounding quickly, like an alarm bell. Fortunately, Iseria didn't hear it.

.

.

.

Allen had work that night, so he didn't have that much time, so Iseria's stats haven’t returned to its previous value.

However, after that, they did leveling several times, including on holidays, and as a result, Iseria's level grew rapidly, until it finally reached level 200.

Respecting Iseria's words that she was better at magic, Allen encouraged her to fight with magic midway through, and her magic-related stats had easily grown to over 1400. On the other hand, her other stats haven't reached 1000 though.

This was quite the stats for an ordinary adventurer. And with the added advantage of being able to use intermediate or higher level magic, Allen judged that she would be able to handle most things one way or the other.

“Then, the deal is over today. Thank you for lending me your important book.” (Allen)

“Me too, thank you very much. I will never forget the favor I received from Nera-sama for my whole life.” (Iseria)

“Like I said, it was a deal.” (Allen)

“Even so.” (Iseria)

In order to return to the city, he killed the ogre king in an instant, and they returned to the 1st floor of the Demon Dungeon. At the place where Allen and Iseria first met, Iseria said that while directing her sincere eyes at him, and Allen, troubled by it, scratched his head as if to hide it.

Allen himself knew that he would look a little better if he could say a clever line here, but unfortunately he couldn't think of anything.

“Well, enough about the favor. Rather than that, if I had to say something as a senior in life; have fun, remember just that.” (Allen)

“Have fun?” (Iseria)

“Yeah. You can’t get too caught up in being a hero egg. If someone with a grim face or a desperate expression saved someone else, the person who was saved will just say I'm sorry instead of thank you, right? That's why Iseria, enjoy your life.” (Allen)

Allen's words were filled with more than enough real experience. Allen frantically tried his best to provide for his younger siblings, but that doesn't mean everything was painful for him.

But Allen was desperate and had no leeway. Because of this, there were countless times when his younger siblings worried about him.

Now that he no longer had to, and now that he had the power, he realized it all over again.

Iseria looked down a little with an ambiguous expression, as if she understood, as if she didn't, seeing that, Allen smiled at her then patted her shoulder and slipped past her.

Because he didn't know what else to say, and he thought it was Iseria who had to draw the conclusion.

Iseria stared at his back as it slowly moved away, but she clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest and looked up.

“Please go on an adventure with me again someday.” (Iseria)

“Ou.” (Allen)

Allen raised one hand and walked away without even looking at her, and Iseria continued to stare at his figure as he left, and even after he was out of sight.

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Level Down 29

Volume 1 Chapter 29 - The Two Exploring the Demon Dungeon

RAW

Two days after meeting Iseria in the hidden room of the Slime Dungeon as Nera, Allen returned from work late at night and immediately left the city without getting any sleep and hurried to the west.

Today is the day he promised Iseria. The meeting time they decided was only approximate, but judging by Iseria's enthusiasm the other day, Allen expected her to leave as soon as the gates of Lilac City opened. That made Allen move faster.

Allen ran at a considerable speed and soon arrived at the entrance to the Demon Dungeon. It has been a while since he came to the Demon Dungeon as Nera. As a result, when he paid the entrance fee, he once again frightened the guild employee who should have become accustomed to him, causing Allen to be slightly shocked as he entered the Demon Dungeon.

Allen proceeded toward the direction opposite of the stairs leading to the second floor, down a passageway rarely visited by people. Until he finally arrived at a place that was even more rarely visited and had no value to adventurers because it was not a place where monsters appeared.

“Ah, Nera-sama.” (Iseria)

“Sorry, I'm late. Did I keep you waiting?” (Allen)

“No, we didn't set a time for the appointment, and I just arrived here myself.” (Iseria)

When Iseria happily greeted him, Allen apologized to her. Considering that she was all ready and waiting, it was obviously a lie that she just arrived here, but Allen didn't dare to bring it up.

(How should I put it, it's like the date exchange I've heard rumors about. Well, the genders are reversed, and it's just the result of a deal though.) (Allen)

As he thought about something frivolous, Allen restrained himself. In fact, the sight of Iseria greeting him with a big smile would normally be seen as her meeting with her lover, and most men would end up thinking ‘doesn’t she like me?’ for sure.

However, due to his current clown appearance and also the fact that this is a dungeon, Allen managed to calmly brush it off.

“Then, shall we go?” (Allen)

“Yes, but are you really okay with this?” (Iseria)

“We have a deal. You lent me such a good book. This much is easy and no problem.” (Allen)

Allen took out and assembled a carrying basket made from the hanging tree from his own magic bag and placed it on the ground, and Iseria silently climbed into it. And Allen casually shouldered it.

“U-um, isn't it heavy? I'm still wearing my equipment, so I think it would be less of a burden on Nera-sama if I at least put it in my magic bag.” (Iseria)

“No, it's not particularly heavy, so I’m fine. Besides, you never know what will happen inside a dungeon. The more unprepared you are for emergencies, the sooner you'll die, you’ve got to remember just that one.” (Allen)

“...Yes.” (Iseria)

Allen, who couldn't see behind him due to the basket on his back, couldn't see Iseria blushing at all, as she thought to herself, ‘That's not what I meant.’

With Iseria in the basket on his back, Allen dashed through the Demon Dungeon. Sometimes he passed by other adventurers, but no one noticed that Iseria was there because she was completely hidden inside the carrying basket.

And Allen finally reached the 25th floor, the hurdle floor of the Demon Dungeon. This was only three hours after entering the dungeon.

“All right, we’re here.” (Allen)

After proceeding through the 25th floor for a while, Allen entered a passageway that was hard to see, and placed the basket on his back on the ground. When he looked at Iseria inside, he saw that Iseria was stiff with a pained expression on her face and her teeth clenched; she had passed out.

For a moment, Allen thought, ‘Why?’ and immediately realized it. That it was his own fault.

Of course, Allen was careful not to put a burden on Iseria, so he didn't accelerate or decelerate suddenly, and he ran with plenty of energy to spare, that’s what he thought. However, that is only based on Allen's standards.

Normally, it would be impossible to reach the 25th floor in 3 hours. It was natural that this would be a speed that the average adventurer has never experienced. What's more, inside the basket, Iseria hardly has any visibility and no way of predicting his movement, so the fear she felt as she experienced it was quite considerable.

“When considering that, she did well not screaming.” (Allen)

Guessing that Iseria was probably holding back her scream out of concern for him, Allen smiled softly as he looked at her. However, considering their original purpose, they have no time to relax, so Allen put a lid on his desire to let her rest a little longer and started to wake her up.

.

.

.

“Is this the 25th floor?” (Iseria)

“Yeah. It's a floor that normal adventurers don't enter. The reward isn't very good for the risk.” (Allen)

Allen walked through the unusually wide passageway with Iseria as she walked nervously. Allen had conquered the Demon Dungeon alone several times before, but he had never met another adventurer in the 25th floor and beyond.

Because of their size, the time and effort it takes to dismantle the monsters and collect their materials increase, what’s more, they also have to take it back with them. And since those materials are harvested from humanoid monsters, some people dislike it, so the demand for them is not that high.

As the two of them walked for a while while talking about that, they began to hear the earth rumbling, and soon a cyclops appeared with a huge club in its hand. The cyclops, with its huge body, squinted its one eye, showed its teeth as if it was a predator facing its prey, and smiled a hideous smile, causing Iseria to have her breath taken away.

An existence that Iseria can’t reach even with her stats before she leveled down. Iseria's body began to tremble due to the pressure, even though she was not conscious of it.

“N-Nera-sama. It's dangerous.” (Iseria)

“That's right. Iseria right now could die from the slightest after-effect, so wait at the corner for a bit.” (Allen)

“Nera-sama!” (Iseria)

Iseria called out to him to stop him, and then, casually waving his hand to her behind him, Allen advanced toward the cyclops with no fighting spirit at all.

The cyclops put strength into its muscles to direct its malice towards the foolish adventurer who had challenged it alone when it happened.

“Earth Bind.” (Allen)

Stretching out his hand, Allen chanted that, then, as if embodying his will, the earth rose from the ground where the cyclops was, binding its entire body like ivy twining around a tree.

The cyclops tried to advance forward until its face turned red, but as a result, it couldn't move a single step and simply fell to the floor without being able to even break its fall.

As the cyclops was lying on the ground, unable to move, and was restrained by the earth, Allen approached it. The cyclops glared at Allen with its huge eyes, laying bare its hostility, but it was unable to move in the slightest.

Satisfied with its state, Allen then beckoned Iseria, who was standing by at the corner of the passageway.

“Alright, Iseria. This guy's weakness is its giant eyes.” (Allen)

“I-I see.” (Iseria)

As Iseria’s thoughts were unable to catch up with the situation, Allen told her to ‘get on with the attack!’ Even in the midst of her confusion, Iseria believed that doing what Nera, whom she was indebted to, say could never be wrong, and plunged her own sword into the eyeball.

“Kuh, it's hard.” (Iseria)

“Of course it is. It's a much higher level monster than Iseria. It doesn't have to be just once. Just do it until you defeat it.” (Allen)

“Yes!” (Iseria)

Iseria followed his instructions and attacked the cyclops' eyeballs over and over again. Until finally, the cyclops’ life ended, spewing a large amount of liquid from its eyeballs.

“Ugh!” (Iseria)

Seeing Iseria saying that while crouching down and holding her head, Allen guessed that her level was continuously rising, and decided to keep being on guard of the surroundings.

After a while with no other enemies coming, Iseria, with a mysterious look on her face, slowly stood up and whispered “Status.”

Iseria's eyes became moist as she stared at the space that Allen saw as empty, and tears started to spill over and fall. Iseria didn't move her gaze for a while, but she slowly turned to Allen and, with her tears still flowing, clumsily smiled.

“I never knew that leveling up is something this happy.” (Iseria)

“That's good. You'll be able to enjoy more happy moments like that from now on.” (Allen)

When Allen replied that, Iseria jumped into his chest and bawled loudly like a child.

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Level Down 28

Volume 1 Chapter 28 - What Iseria Gained

RAW

As usual, Allen took the reservationist of the level-up trap to the place where the trap in the Slime Dungeon was located.

At first, that place was just an empty corner of a dungeon, but now a simple cabin has been built to make the waiting time more comfortable and safe, even by just a little bit. Near the cabin, there was a stall that sold entertainment items, food, and even alcohol.

When the stall vendor first arrived, Allen had his doubts, ‘Can you even make profit in this kind of place that has such a limited number of people?’, but as if to prove him wrong, today too the stall vendor man called out to the reservationists as they entered the cabin.

Indeed, when Allen passed by while doing his work of crushing slime after bringing in the reservationists, he often saw them buying something from the stall.

To put it bluntly, ‘Waiting is nothing but boring, so that’s only natural, huh?’ That's what Allen has started to think recently, and ‘To make such a prediction from the beginning and connect it to business, as I thought, merchants sure have a fundamentally different way of thinking than us,’ he thought as he got a better opinion of the stall vendor.

Allen handed over the reservationists to the guild employee who is in charge of monitoring the trap, and began crushing slimes. Basically, it's just a simple job where he walks around the dungeon and when he finds slime, he’ll stomp on it.

To Allen, his quota of 200 slime magic stones was something that he can easily gather if he become serious, and if he used the magic stones he gathered when he was leveling up, he could slack off for a few days and there won’t be any problem, but Allen was honestly stomping the slimes.

All while ruminating Matilda's words in his mind.

(She is being watched by the top brass of the country, huh?) (Allen)

The words “bottomless swamp” that he heard from Iseria as Nera flashed through Allen's mind. ‘If Matilda's prediction was correct, it would certainly be a bottomless swamp,’ Allen thought with a wry smile.

For Allen, who was just a commoner and a normal adventurer, the top brass of the country, the royalty and nobility, were existences above the clouds. Although it can be said that he does know a noble, considering his younger brother Eric’s case, because Eric's wife, Julianne, is the daughter of a baron.

The baron is the third from the bottom among the nobility, a low-ranking noble who cannot be called the top brass of the country at all.

(Even a baron house is out of my league of understanding. Give me a break.) (Allen)

At that time when Eric's troubles occurred, Allen tried everything he could to help him, but the only thing he understood as a result was that the creatures called nobles think in a completely different way than commoners. Their action was completely incomprehensible to Allen.

Thinking of such a complaint that was not directed at anyone, Allen stomped on the slimes and diligently picked up their magic stones.

After hearing Matilda's story, Allen had made two conjectures.

The most likely possibility is that the people who forced Iseria to level 999 against her will are among the top brass of the country, and are still keeping an eye on Iseria even now. In this case, even Allen could easily predict that if he got involved with Iseria, things would go in a bad direction.

The other possibility, which Allen thinks is more desirable, is that Iseria's Ojii-sama is using his influence to interfere with her activities as an adventurer.

Allen believed that the possibility was not zero, as he was definitely a considerable person, given his gift to Iseria.

(That said, I'm already fully involved, aren’t I? Though it’s as Nera, so that can be said to be the saving grace.) (Allen)

Allen progressed through the dungeon while stomping slimes, and then entered a path that deviated from the passageway that led to the boss room at the deepest. Reaching the end of the passageway, Allen took out his magic bag from his backpack and changed into the clown costume that was inside.

“Well, I can't back out now. I was the one who offered the deal, and thanks to the magic book I borrowed, I can use new spells now, so I’ve got to pay the price properly.” (Allen)

Muttering these words as if to convince himself, Allen headed back the way he came in his Nera guise. And then, he started walking down the path leading to the boss room again, and after a while he arrived at the deepest part of the dungeon, the boss room.

The huge slime, the boss of the Slime Dungeon, was not there. Of course, that wasn't Allen's goal, so he didn't make any particular reaction, and instead headed for the ingeniously hidden door, opened it, and walked straight inside.

“Ah, so it was Nera-sama.” (Iseria)

Perhaps having sensed someone's presence, Iseria had been waiting with her sword at the ready, and when she recognized Allen, ‘Fuu,’ she let out a sigh of relief. Then she carefully sheathed the sword in her hand and placed it on the floor.

“Are you hanging in there?” (Allen)

“Yes. That said, I'm basically just waiting though.” (Iseria)

“It's hard to wait, isn't it? There's nothing to do after all.” (Allen)

Iseria replied with a wry smile to Allen's words. It was like saying, unspeakably, that she had hit the jackpot.

“Ah, it's about time.” (Iseria)

As she said that, Iseria walked to the center of the room in a familiar manner, and the level-down trap there was activated and a magic circle appeared. Allen couldn't hear anything, but Iseria was hearing a sound in her head that was proof that she had leveled down

For Iseria, that sound was like gospel.

As can be seen from Iseria's current state, the deal that Allen offered was for her to use the level-down trap to return her level that had been forcibly raised back to 1. This was because Iseria’s level that had been raised to the maximum was nothing more than a hindrance to the fulfillment of her wish.

“Looks like it’s going well. What level are you now?” (Allen)

“Umm, just now... I became level 30.” (Iseria)

“Ha, 30? It's only the fifth day, you know.” (Allen)

Allen's eyes widened under his mask. It was five days ago that Allen made a deal with Iseria and told her about this hidden room where there was a level-down trap. There is no doubt that her level at that time was 999.

Considering that, that means she dropped more than 200 levels per day. Even if she activated the level-down trap every time, there is a cooldown of 3 minutes before it is reset, so she will need at least 10 hours, and considering the accumulation of the small lags, she would have to spend more time to achieve that number.

“There’s also the time when the gate is closed, so how...” (Allen)

After saying that much out loud, and finding a blanket spread out in the corner of the room, Allen understood. Iseria hasn't returned to the city even once for the past five days, and has been staying here all that time.

“Umm, please don't look too much.” (Iseria)

“O-ou. My bad.” (Allen)

As he said that, Allen turned his head away with such force that one could almost hear a whooshing sound it made. Feeling like he had done something wrong, and feeling his heart pounding in his chest, Allen opened his mouth to change the topic.

“Then, it looks like the first stage will be finished before the day is over.” (Allen)

“Yes. That said, as expected, I'm a little tired, so I'd like to rest at the inn tomorrow. There's a guild employee on patrol at night anyway, so I have no choice but to stay here today.” (Iseria)

“Thank you for your hard work. Then I'm going. See you the day after tomorrow.” (Allen)

With that, Allen turned his back and started walking.

“Thank you very much.” (Iseria)

Without turning around, he raised one hand in response to the words he heard from behind his back, his expression softened just a little.

────

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Level Down 27

Volume 1 Chapter 27 - Consideration for the Deal

RAW

“Fufu, it's finally completed. Geez, I thought it would take longer because I got hung up on the details, but thanks to the fact that I was able to shorten the time to build the basement, it was done sooner than I expected.” (Allen)

Allen muttered to himself as he looked around the room with satisfaction. The room, which until recently had been so dilapidated that drafts were blowing in, had its state completely changed.

The floor, where trash always piled up in its corner, has been replaced by floorboards laid out evenly and horizontally. The roof, which often leaked rain, and the walls, which had drafts coming in, have not only been completely renovated, but also made to use wood grain to create a calming space.

Much of the furniture that had been used had been replaced with new, sturdy-looking ones, starting with the bed that had been creaking so much that it sounded like it would break if someone tried to jump into it.

The exterior had only undergone some rough repairs, so the only one who knew that the interior looked like it was brand new was Allen. Well, Allen created the plan so that it would look like that, so perhaps it's only natural

That said, not everything was new, several things that remind him of its former appearance, such as the pillar with many scratches carved into it, were left behind.

They’re irreplaceable pieces of precious memory. Those things show that his younger brothers and sisters lived here, so Allen intentionally left them behind. It can be said that the reason why it took so long was because Allen was lost in the process of sorting through them.

Allen walked on the floor, which did not dent even when he walked on it, and then applied force to a seemingly empty floorboard in the corner of the room. Then, the floorboard made a clicking sound and sank diagonally, and then Allen pulled the raised floorboard and slid them.

“Oo─h, what can I say, it's good no matter how many times I see it.” (Allen)

Hidden under the floor was a staircase leading to the basement. Allen, carrying a lamp, happily descended the stairs, which were so uniform in height that you’d think they were made using a mold.

After walking for a while down the narrow staircase about 1 meter wide reinforced with wood shining slightly black, Allen arrived at an open space.

That space is about 3 meters in height and 5 meters in width in all 4 directions. In the center of the room was a desk and chair made from the same shiny black wood that surrounds the walls.

Allen hung the lamp to a hook on the wall, sat down on the chair with a thump, and looked around the room.

On a shelf set up along the wall, a complete set of Nera disguise costumes and rewards for subjugating the ogre king were placed carelessly, and alongside them, tattered toys and similarly tattered books were lined up carefully.

“Phew, as expected, the underground is dark... Ah, now that I think about it, there was a perfect spell for this, wasn't it? Light Circle.” (Allen)

As Allen chanted this, a circular ring of light appeared on the ceiling and began to emit light like midday. The basement, which had been dimly lit earlier, was indeed brightened, but...

“It's too bright. For now, let's cancel this current one, and then. Light Circle." (Allen)

The floating circular light disappeared, and this time, a ring of soft light appeared. Satisfied with the result, Allen nodded, got up from his seat, and took out a massive book from the shelf along the wall.

He slid his hand over the heavy cover, which he can tell at first glance was made with money, and looked at the words inscribed on it.

The words ‘Magic Encyclopedia’ were written on it.

“Yeah, I thought it was an exaggerated name, but this is some seriously dangerous content. Normally, wouldn't this be considered a forbidden book?” (Allen)

While saying such things, Allen proceeded to flip through that Magic Encyclopedia. Allen had memorized all of the contents after reading it once, but thinking that he would probably never have another chance to read a magic book like this, he read it over and over again.

Magic books are rarely available to the general public. There are quite a few adventurers, including Allen, who have learned magic, but most of them basically learn it by being taught directly by their predecessors, who were also taught in the same way.

Because of this, the level of magic that ordinary adventurers can handle is generally similar and low in level.

The only people who could use magic above intermediate-class were graduates of schools that perform magic research, or rare people who were born into noble families but became adventurers for some reason.

Naturally, there are only a few of them, and those who can learn powerful magic that can be used as a trump card are in high demand, and it is said that if you can use intermediate or higher level magic, you will have no trouble making a living as an adventurer.

However, this Magic Encyclopedia contained not only intermediate level but also advanced level spells, and even tactical level spells that would normally be used by a group of people during war.

In addition to the ranks, it also listed special magic such as [light] and [dark], in addition to the commonly known basic magics of [fire], [water], [wind], and [earth].

The Light Circle that Allen used earlier was also that light magic.

Incidentally, the reason the creation of this basement was completed so unbelievably quickly was thanks to the earth attribute magic written in the Magic Encyclopedia.

Allen finished reading the Magic Encyclopedia at an impossibly fast pace without making any new discoveries, and stretched out.

He then thought, ‘Isn’t this Ojii-sama who entrusted the book in front of me to Iseria a pretty dangerous guy?’, and shuddered.

In the deal he made with Iseria, Allen had her lend him this magic book as a compensation. This was because Allen had a desire to use those precise and sometimes overwhelming magic used by first-class magicians.

That said, the real reason was that Iseria had just mentioned the magic book then, so Allen had just taken advantage of that, but as a result, Allen had gained the right to borrow something outrageous.

Allen was able to understand the theory in the magic book in one go, and was able to use all the spells written in this Magic Encyclopedia. Even the tactical level spell that skilled magicians use in groups, he can use it by himself.

To put it bluntly, he is a walking dangerous object. Well, that might already be the case when all of his stats exceeded 5000 though.

“I learned magic, but it's pointless if I can't use it effectively in actual combat. Well, I'll be diving into a dungeon for a while after this anyway, so I'll get used to it there.” (Allen)

Although he had learned magic and was able to use it, Allen had never used it in actual combat, so he casually thought that and leaned his weight on the backrest.

He couldn't do that with his previous chair because he was worried that it would break, but being the creator, Allen himself knew better than anyone that the chair made using hanging tree material won’t budge at that level.

Allen enjoyed the atmosphere of the secret basement for a while, but then he got hungry so he came out of the basement, ate lunch, took a short nap, and stuffed a few things into his magic bag before leaving the house.

Today was the day when he worked for the Guild at night. Allen put on his usual equipment and showed his face at the Adventurers' Guild.

“Allen.” (Matilda)

“Hey, Matilda. Things a little calmer over there?” (Allen)

Matilda called out to Allen, and he replied in a friendly manner.

Due to the fact that their working hours have been slightly different recently, this is the first time they met and talked properly like this since Allen received the request to repair the church.

For a while, Matilda had dark circles in her eyes due to adjustments and difficulties regarding the use of the level-up trap, but now, although she looks a little tired, her beauty has returned.

Matilda smiled bitterly and beckoned Allen over. As Allen approached her, wondering if she had some business with him, Matilda left the counter and headed towards a hallway in the back of the Guild that was only used by employees, and Allen followed without asking anything.

The two then entered the storage room at the very back, where almost no one, not even guild employees, come into.

“So, what's the trouble? I have work after this, so I won't have that much time.” (Allen)

“Trouble, you say... I guess it is trouble in a sense, but I’m just providing information so that Allen won't get dragged into it.” (Matilda)

“If it’s like that, then you don’t really need to come this far... wait, could it be that knowing that information itself is dangerous?” (Allen)

When Matilda nodded, Allen exaggeratedly slumped his shoulders. In all honesty, Allen didn't want to hear that kind of information, but he thought that if Matilda, whom he trusted, judged that he should, then it was definitely better for him to hear it, so he raised his eyes.

Matilda made a mysterious face and brought that face closer to Allen. ‘Somehow, it’s like she’s going to kiss me,’ Allen thought, trying to escape reality, and blushed at that thought as Matilda whispered to him.

“Do you know an adventurer called Iseria who recently came to this city?” (Matilda)

“...I don't know her directly, but I've heard of her.” (Allen)

“I'm concerned about that small pause.” (Matilda)

Allen shook his head even while he was internally shaken by her stare. ‘I got to know her as Nera, not as Allen, so I’m definitely not lying,’ somehow, he made an excuse in his heart.

Perhaps sensing that feeling of Allen, Matilda's expression returned to a serious one.

“She's a girl so cute that I can't believe she's an adventurer, but definitely don't get involved with her.” (Matilda)

“Eh?” (Allen)

Toward Allen who was surprised and asked back briefly, Matilda spoke without changing her expression.

“That girl is probably being watched by the top brass of the country.” (Matilda)

────

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Level Down 26

Volume 1 Chapter 26 - Hanging Tree Battle

RAW

In front of the hanging tree, which did not move at all, Allen hesitated to move, still taking a stance with his stick.

(Why doesn't it move? Does it have some kind of ace up its sleeve, or maybe... tch, I don't have enough information.) (Allen)

Judging from the resistance he felt from the battle earlier, Allen had predicted that the hanging tree's strength would not be as high as the ogre king’s, the boss of the Demon Dungeon.

However, Allen continued to carefully observe it without letting his guard down. This was because Allen had very little information about hanging trees.

Allen has never fought a hanging tree before. He did take in information about monsters from the Guild, but that's just monsters that are around the floors Allen would go to or the places he would visit for work. Hanging trees were not among them.

He only heard about it from the hero egg that was the leader of the adventurer party that hired the young Allen, and only as a small part of her heroic saga, so he’s not even sure if the monster in front of him is really a hanging tree.

(If I get too close and it uses its ace to attack in a wide area, Iseria might get injured too.) (Allen)

Thinking of that, Allen slowly moved clockwise. He had expected some small reaction once he got out of its sight, but the hanging tree remained calm and did not move.

(Kuh, taking my time here will only give the opponent an advantage. All right!) (Allen)

It was at exactly that moment when Allen made up his mind and put strength into his legs that it happened.

“Um, Nera-sama. Isn't the hanging tree dead already?” (Iseria)

Allen's timing was thrown off by Iseria’s words as she peeked out from behind the tree she had been hiding, and Allen stumbled a step.

At that moment, Allen ended up taking his eyes off the hanging tree. Doing something like that in front of a monster can be fatal for adventurers.

Allen panicked and hurriedly regained his stance, and instantly thought about the possibility of an attack coming towards Iseria, as she had just shown her face, and slid in front of Iseria.

Allen, who acted while only thinking of protecting Iseria, was completely defenseless against the attacks that would surely come toward him.

At such a perfect opportunity, the hanging tree... didn't move at all. For a while, they remained frozen in that position, and a moment of silence passed.

“...Eh, it's seriously dead?” (Allen)

“It’s only maybe, though.” (Iseria)

Telling Iseria to not come out from behind the tree, Allen cautiously approached the hanging tree.

10 meters, 5 meters, 4, 3, 2...

Allen braced himself to be able to respond immediately even if an attack was launched at any time, but before anything happened, the distance finally decreased to 0, and his hand touched the large hole in the trunk of the hanging tree.

The hanging tree still doesn't move. As Allen slowly walked around its thick trunk, he found several trees behind it standing as if they were supporting the hanging tree.

Allen pushed the hanging tree to the opposite direction of the supporting trees. When he did, the hanging tree made a loud sound and disappointingly laid its huge body down on the ground.

“So weak, it died from that one blow earlier? Haah, I feel like an idiot for being so cautious.” (Allen)

Thinking about his actions until just now, Allen smiled bitterly.

After all, in front of the hanging tree which was already dead, he was on guard on his own, slowly changing his fighting position, panicked over his blunder, and was even prepared to take a blow to protect Iseria.

Just like his current appearance, he is nothing more than a clown. That’s what caused Allen to smile bitterly.

Allen relaxed his shoulders and beckoned Iseria, who had been following his orders and continued to stay where she was.

Allen patted the fallen hanging tree to reassure Iseria, who was timidly approaching them.

“It's dead. So, what do we do? Should we just split this guy's materials between us?” (Allen)

“I was just defeated and didn’t fight, so Nera-sama should take everything.” (Iseria)

“If I hadn’t heard your scream, I wouldn’t have known about this guy either, so in that sense, I think Iseria has the right to receive the reward as well. I’ve never seen hanging tree materials in this city, so even if you take only a little, it will probably be worth quite the price.” (Allen)

Iseria quietly shook her head and rejected Allen's proposal.

“I'm not worried about money. Ojii-sama has given me more than I can spend anyway.” (Iseria)

Saying that, Iseria carefully stroked the bag tied to her waist. From that gesture, Allen guessed that it was a magic bag.

From the outside, it looks like just an ordinary bag, but its naturalness conversely showed the rarity of the magic bag.

‘Wow, rich people sure are different.’ Allen thought as one question arose in his mind.

She has plenty of money, and no matter how much she fights, her level that has reached the upper limit will never change. Despite that...

“Why do you fight, Iseria?” (Allen)

“Because I'm an adventurer.” (Iseria)

“No, you have money, right? And no matter how many monsters you kill, your level won't go up. If that's the case, you don't have to go through the adventurer business and just live a different life. The Guild doesn't normally push a request on an adventurer against their will either. I'm sure they won’t force a request on you. Isn't that what your Ojii-sama wished for when he gave you that money?” (Allen)

‘No matter how you look at it, Iseria's outfit is first-class, and since she wears it so naturally, her sense of money is probably far higher than mine.’ That’s what Allen thought.

Since Iseria even said that she had more money than she could spend, it was certain that there was more money in that magic bag than Allen could even imagine.

But if she’s going to work as an adventurer, she doesn't need something like that. The most expensive part of being an adventurer is equipment, but even then, the equipment given to her as a farewell gift is more than enough.

Meaning, she doesn't need that much money.

Thinking about it that way, it seemed to Allen that the person called Ojii-sama didn't want Iseria to go through danger and was deliberately leading her down a different path.

When he looked at her with such feelings, Iseria nodded her head with a complicated look on her face.

“Might be.” (Iseria)

“Then...” (Allen)

“But I am a hero egg. I am the same hero as Artigald, who stood up to protect the peace of the people and finally defeated the demon lord.” (Iseria)

Iseria loudly declared, as if trying to shake off her doubts. Her straight, unclouded eyes were very dazzling to Allen, and at the same time, they evoked a powerful emotion that made him feel longing.

The Artigald that Iseria mentioned is the name of a hero who appears in fairy tales. He rose from a tragic situation of having the village he lived in destroyed, leaving him alone, then he met his friends, grew together, and finally defeated the demon lord who was the root of all evil, that's what his story is about.

And at the same time, he thought. That Iseria's current situation is very similar to his previous one.

She wants to protect people, but she can't. Even if she wants to become stronger, her level won’t rise any higher. Even so, she will struggle to help others. Allen felt his heart tighten as he watched her figure.

As if sensing Allen's state, Iseria, while intentionally acting cheerfully as if in a jest, opened her mouth.

“Well, unlike Artigald, I'm better at magic than swords though. Although I can only use about half of the magic book that Ojii-sama gave me.” (Iseria)

For a moment, the smile she gave to Allen was tinged with regret that she couldn't hide, but even that was quickly covered up by Iseria.

However, there was no way Allen wouldn’t notice that subtle change. Seeing her shyly laughing while hiding her true feelings, Allen let out a deep breath and made his decision.

(I don't know what her circumstances are, but at the very least, Iseria is not the kind of person who should make a face like this. Or rather, treating such an innocent person like this, don’t mess with me!) (Allen)

While hiding the unreasonable anger that welled up in his chest, Allen approached Iseria and held out his right hand.

“Hey, Iseria. How about you make a deal with me?” (Allen)

Seeing Iseria in a daze due to his abrupt offer, Allen showed his teeth and laughed.

────

(T/N: This series once referred to the party that hired the young Allen as ‘those women’, so I assume the hero egg and her party are women.)

Previous | Next 

Level Down 25

Volume 1 Chapter 25 - Iseria's Circumstances

RAW

“I’m just a useless egg though.” (Iseria)

Iseria stuck out her tongue a little and tilted her head as if she was joking as she said that.

Even though Allen was critically hit by that cute gesture, he managed to endure it without showing any signs of agitation.

(Calm down. Calm down, me. It looked like a confession, but the content is completely different. Don't get the wrong idea.) (Allen)

While telling himself that, Allen took a few deep breaths. Not long after, his mind began to calm down and he was able to think calmly about Iseria's words.

“Hero egg, huh?” (Allen)

Iseria nodded her head with a bitter smile as Allen whispered that.

Hero eggs.

They were existences that, while widely known, one rarely meets as a real person.

Normally, people have an upper limit to their level. To be more specific, they cannot exceed level 500. But hero eggs are different. They can break through this level limit and rise to even greater heights.

That said, the upper limit of their level is not fixed and varies depending on the person. To put it in an extreme way, there could even be a hero egg with a maximum level of 501. Even so, the fact remains that they exceed their limits as human beings.

There is no way the country would leave such existences alone. Those who are found to be hero eggs are half-forcibly taken to the royal capital, where they spend their days undergoing education and training. Those who can be used as pawns are appointed as knights and the likes, while those who are not are sent out of the capital.

‘Live up to your name as a hero and save people,’ while giving them that plausible reason.

Ordinary people don't know about these things. But Allen was different. That's because he heard that story from a hero egg themself; the leader of the adventurer party who had hired Allen as a servant and took care of him for a while.

The energetic and good-natured leader said this while drunk; “It was a shitty life, you know. ‘We don't need you, so ptoo. We wish the useless pawn would die,’ like that, you know.” Those idle complaints she let out left a strong impression and etched into Allen's heart.

“Is it for the subjugation duty?” (Allen)

“Huh? Nera-sama knows it well. Do you know anyone?” (Iseria)

“Yeah, a long time ago.” (Allen)

With a face that looks like he's bitten a bitter bug, Allen stared at Iseria, who was smiling in front of him.

Only one duty is imposed on released hero eggs. That is the duty to subjugate monsters.

At present, the existence of demon lords exists only in fairy tales, so the only things that disturb people's peace are monsters.

‘Since they are hero eggs, it’s natural for them to remove the threat,’ that’s their official stance, but this subjugation duty was extremely troublesome.

To put it simply, the subjugation duty can be divided into specifying their location and deprivation of their right to refuse subjugation requests.

For specifying their location, the only thing they need to do is register with the Adventurers' Guild and report to the Guild whenever they move to other cities, so it's not much different from what a normal adventurer does.

There is a difference in that it is compulsory for them whereas it is voluntary for ordinary adventurers, but to put it simply, they just want to always be able to contact them.

The problem was the other one: the deprivation of their right to refuse subjugation requests.

Adventurers can choose their own requests. They can choose the work they want to do, taking into consideration their own abilities and the reward.

Of course, in times of emergency, they may have to accept compulsory requests, but basically this is a free occupation. That is an adventurer. Maybe it's only natural since it's their own life at stake.

However, it’s different in hero eggs’ case. Hero eggs cannot refuse a monster subjugation request from the Guild.

Of course, the Guild rarely makes requests that are clearly beyond their ability. However, basically when the Guild makes a request, there is some reason why there are no adventurers willing to accept that request.

Many of them included circumstances that were fraught with danger.

‘Naturally, if they accept such a request, the result will be...’ Thinking that far, Allen gritted his teeth.

“This hasn't been made into a request yet.” (Allen)

“Might be. But there is no doubt it will be a threat.” (Iseria)

Allen was about to continue speaking when he saw Iseria's determined eyes and let out a small breath. ‘Seems like I won’t be able to move her even with a lever,’ that’s what he realized.

Allen scratched his head slightly and then held out his hand to Iseria. Then he said to Iseria, who was staring at his hand in a daze.

“I'll be the one to defeat it. Iseria can only watch, that's the condition for coming along.” (Allen)

“Yes. But if Nera-sama is in a pinch, I will save you.” (Iseria)

“No, you should run away there... well, whatever.” (Allen)

‘If I say any more, we’ll just go around in circles,’ Allen readily gave up. Then, taking along Iseria, who seemed to be in a good mood as she smiled, he started running towards the place where he encountered the hanging tree.

Allen was running at speed because he didn't want to take too long and have the hanging tree go far away, but Iseria followed him without complaining.

Seeing that, Allen thought, ‘As I thought, her stats seem pretty high.’ After all, he was running at such a speed that the old Allen would barely be able to keep up with him.

That she has more ability than the old Allen, in other words, more than a mid-level adventurer, is something to be proud of. The number of adventurers who can rise above mid-level is by no means high. In other words, even among adventurers, she is among the more skilled ones.

However, when he thought about that, there was one thing Allen didn't understand about what Iseria had said. That was...

“Hey, Iseria.” (Allen)

“Yes.” (Iseria)

“Why do you call yourself useless? I think being able to reach that level of strength at such a young age is something you should be proud of.” (Allen)

“...” (Iseria)

Allen asked frankly, but the awkward silence that ensued made him inwardly regret it.

Allen, who has many circumstances of his own, should know all too well that everyone has their own circumstances. Once he noticed this, Allen continued speaking as if he was trying to smooth over his mistake.

“No, if there's a circumstance behind it, there's no need to talk about it.” (Allen)

“It's okay. I have already made my decision a long time ago. It's just that this is the maximum strength I have, and I can't get any stronger than this..” (Iseria)

“No, Iseria is only about 20, right? If that's the case, increasing it should be...” (Allen)

“The upper limit of my level is 999. And my current level is 999.” (Iseria)

“Haa!?” (Allen)

Allen inadvertently stopped in his tracks when he heard those words. He was surprised by the level limit so high that he had never heard of it, but even more so, he couldn't believe that Iseria's level was 999.

By Allen’s estimation, Iseria's stats is around 1000.

Allen considered the possibility that she was hiding her abilities, and immediately denied it himself. If that was really the case, there would be no way she would let a hanging tree kill her.

“If so, that strength is...” (Allen)

Allen continued speaking that far when he noticed it. A certain possibility.

“Level-up trap, huh?” (Allen)

Iseria nodded her head at those words he muttered.

“It’s as you say.” (Iseria)

“But why would you do that? I can understand using level-up traps once you reach a high level where it becomes difficult to level up, but this makes it sound like...” (Allen)

‘You don’t want to get stronger’ Allen was about to continue with those words when Iseria covered his mouth with her index finger.

Then as Allen’s eyes turned wide, she turned to him and shook her head with a smile that contained a hint of grief.

“More than that is a secret.” (Iseria)

“Secret, you say.” (Allen)

“If Nera-sama has the desire to plunge into a bottomless swamp, I won’t stop you, though?” (Iseria)

Iseria asked, letting go of her hand and forcing a smile like a mischievous child, and Allen raised both his hands to signal his surrender.

This is because Iseria clearly made it clear to him that he shouldn't go any further, so he didn’t want to disregard her feelings.

The two looked at each other for a while, then gave each other a wry smile and started running again.

After a while, they arrived at their previous location. There, where the remains of a battle were clearly visible, was the hanging tree that stood tall even though it had a hole in its trunk.

“Looks like it didn't move. Saves me the trouble looking for it, lucky.” (Allen)

“Yes.” (Iseria)

Allen glanced at Iseria. Her face was pale, and her body was trembling. This was the one who almost killed her once. It’s not strange that it became a trauma.

However, her eyes were fixed on the hanging tree. If Allen wasn't here, Iseria would probably fight it alone again, he could clearly feel that intention in her eyes.

That figure of her was very dazzling to Allen.

(As a hero, huh?) (Allen)

Allen remembered those words of Iseria. Her strength aside, her spirit is at least worthy of being a hero. Thinking that, Allen smiled slightly and stepped forward.

“My battle. Watch over it, Hero-sama.” (Allen)

“Yes, may the fortune of war be with you.” (Iseria)

After a short exchange of words, Allen revealed himself. There is no movement from the hanging tree. Allen couldn't judge if that was because it had some leeway, or if it was wary after receiving his attack once.

However, based on his experience fighting it earlier, Allen didn’t think in the slightest that he would lose. Because Allen's attack can pierce through it, the hole that opened up right in front of him was the proof.

“Now then, shall we resume our battle?” (Allen)

Saying that, Allen twirled his stick and took a stance, and in the midst of a crisp atmosphere, the second round between Allen and the hanging tree began.

────

(T/N: I don’t remember Iseria saying ‘as a hero’ is this my mistake? Did I miss some paragraph? I’ve checked several times, so I don’t think I missed it.)

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Level Down 24

Volume 1 Chapter 24 - Awakening of Iseria

RAW

(Now that I think about it, Iseria fainted last time too, didn’t she? Do we have that kind of fate?) (Allen)

While thinking that, Allen took one deep breath. Then, he slowly lowered Iseria to the ground, took out treant building materials from his magic bag, spread them on the ground, and covered it with a blanket to create a simple bed.

Allen moved Iseria there and covered her with his own robe. As he did, he remembered that Iseria had injured her leg, and hurriedly prepared a potion, but there was no sign or shape of the wound that should have been there.

Allen decided to wait for Iseria to wake up while keeping an eye on the surroundings. With Allen's stats, it wouldn't be a problem for him to return to the first floor while holding Iseria, but he feared that what had happened in the Demon's Dungeon entrance would happen all over again.

In fact, it might be even more troublesome than the Demon Dungeon since this one is much larger and the number of people using it is also in a different league. Allen's prediction is probably not wrong.

(Still, what was that light?) (Allen)

Allen wracked his brain, remembering the situation where Iseria suddenly started emitting light. Since it happened right after his tears fell on her, that seemed to be the trigger, but Allen knew better than anyone that his own tears had no effect.

If that was the case, it seemed like it's the effect of the mask he's wearing, but it's hard to believe that the mask Allen had been wearing all this time has such an effect.

When Allen found the mask, he couldn't help but shed tears when he saw himself wearing the mask reflected in the water while thinking, ‘even though it was a treasure I finally found, why was the design so hard to use?’ But at that time, nothing happened.

As Allen continued to be on guard, feeling hazy over the unanswered question, Iseria began to stretch her body while letting out an “Uunn─” sound. Iseria then raised her upper body with a dazed expression, looked at the robe draped over her, and then slowly turned her gaze toward her surroundings.

Then, that gaze turned towards Allen and stopped. When Iseria smiled at him, still with dazed eyes, Allen continued to look at her, a little bewildered.

After a while, Iseria's eyes firmly focused, and in that instant, she jumped up like a spring doll and began to look to her left and right, restlessly on guard. Allen guessed that she's probably looking for the hanging tree, so he tried to tell her ‘don’t worry,’ but then he realized that ‘come to think of it, I’m in Nera's form now aren’t I?’ so he changed his mind and closed his mouth.

‘Nera is so troublesome, I know I need it but,’ Allen thought in his mind as he took out a black slate and a white stone to write on it from his magic bag and began writing on it.

[If it’s the hanging tree, it’s not here. Don’t worry] (Allen)

After writing that and letting her know by hitting the slate, Iseria put her hand on her chest and let out a deep breath.

“Thank you very much. Nera-sama saved me, I see. From that tree monster, uh, from the hanging tree.” (Iseria)

As Iseria said that with a soft smile, Allen was a little mesmerized and slow to react, but he nodded his head. He felt that Iseria's slightly moist eyes contained not only her gratitude, but also her complete trust towards Nera.

(Uwah, if I'm not good at this, I'm going to get the wrong idea, aren't I? What an old man killer) (Allen)

While trying to calm down his pounding heart with such a joke, Allen looked away, and once again showed the slate with letters written on it to Iseria.

[If you want to go back to the surface, I’ll accompany you to the stairs.] (Allen)

“That's true. I'm sorry to have you do something like that after you've saved me, but as expected, I will be going home today. I'll also need to do some maintenance on the equipment that was damaged in the battle... AAH!” (Iseria)

Iseria shouted in grief. She just realized that the light armor she was wearing was missing after she calmed down. Iseria then moved her head around to look for it, and found her light armor fallen behind her. Because Allen had forcibly removed it, the joints and the likes were bent, and it was clear that it would no longer be possible to use it normally.

Looking at Iseria's back as she was probably looking at it in a daze, Allen was inwardly panicking.

(Crap. I didn't worry about it since it was an emergency, but that was pretty expensive equipment, wasn’t it? I wonder if she'll get angry and ask me to pay for it. No, judging from how Iseria is, I feel like she'll say ‘it can't be helped’ if I tell her the truth.) (Iseria)

Allen was thinking that as he watched the situation, but his anxiety grew as Iseria didn’t move at all.

When Allen slowly moved around and secretly saw her face to check, Iseria was holding back her voice as her face contorted and she just continued to shed tears.

Seeing this unusual situation, Allen's thoughts about his position as Nera and what to do about compensation were all blown away.

Because it became clear to him that there was more to it than just losing equipment.

“Sorry. I didn't know it was important and just tore it off because it was getting in the way of CPR!” (Allen)

Allen resolutely put his hand on his chest and confessed that it was his fault, as if embodying the lesson Allen had always told his younger siblings: to immediately apologize when you do something wrong.

Iseria raised her head and looked at Allen with tear filled eyes. Allen waited patiently for what she would say, his heart beating faster.

“Nera-sama, your voice...” (Iseria)

“Ah, crap!” (Allen)

Allen unintentionally spoke even more, repeating blunder after blunder as he panicked. Perhaps finding this situation strange, Iseria's expression loosened slightly, and ‘fufu,’ she laughed.

“So you were able to talk.” (Iseria)

“Aa─h, well, yeah. I just didn't speak because I didn't want people to know my true identity.” (Allen)

There was no point trying to deceive her now, so Allen shook his head side to side with his hands raised. Then, he sat down in front of Iseria and looked at Iseria's broken light armor with a serious gaze.

“My bad. You were attached to this, weren't you?” (Allen)

“Yes. It was given to me as a farewell gift by someone that’s like my Ojii-sama, I am very indebted to him.” (Iseria)

Allen's expression turns pale at those words. Partly because he had destroyed her cherished item, and partly because he was thinking about the background of the person she called ‘Ojii-sama,’ who would give an obviously high-class light armor as a parting gift. If he is a commoner, he is probably a wealthy person such as a large merchant, and if he is not, there is a high possibility that he is a noble. Allen could easily imagine that it would impact him either way.

Iseria, who was looking nostalgically at the broken light armor, returned her gaze to Allen, and smiled as the atmosphere was about to become strange.

“It's okay. Ojii-sama is a kind person, and since it was necessary to save my life, he would praise it and not treat it negatively. He was a person who detest unreasonable things after all.” (Iseria)

“No, I don’t particularly think that... I appreciate the information.” (Allen)

“I'm the one who should be grateful.” (Iseria)

Encouraged by Iseria's laughter, Allen finally smiled. That said, he was wearing the Nera mask, so his expression couldn't be seen, but Iseria could still feel it from the atmosphere.

“I wonder if it can be fixed?” (Iseria)

“I know a skilled blacksmith, so I'm going to ask him. Can I borrow it for a while?” (Allen)

“Yes.” (Iseria)

Allen let out a sigh as he looked at Iseria, who seemed happy with the proposal and replied instantly. Then he scratched her head and opened his mouth.

“No, Iseria, you gotta remember to be suspicious. There's a possibility that I'll just make off with it, you know.” (Allen)

“But Nera-sama wouldn't do that, right?” (Iseria)

“That’s true, but,” (Allen)

“Then there’s no problem.” (Iseria)

Her response, as if she had full confidence in him, caused Allen to fall silent, unable to continue speaking, and then he let out a sigh again. And in contrast, Iseria watched with a smile as Allen picked up her light armor and stuffed it into his magic bag.

Iseria stood up and moved her body to check its condition. Relieved as her body moved without any hindrance, Iseria smiled, and then Allen told her.

“Then I'll take you to the stairs. Sorry, but I have something to do first, so if you're not comfortable leaving the dungeon by yourself, you should wait there.” (Allen)

“What is Nera-sama going to do?” (Iseria)

“Aah, I blew away the hanging tree, but I left it alone because I prioritized rescuing you. If that guy was still there, there might be more victims, so I wanted to get rid of it first.” (Allen)

Although no one but eccentric people would come to this 9th floor, there are also those who pass through it in order to move on to the lower floors, and conversely, those eccentric people do come here. ‘I don’t want to leave things be, and then regret it later when I hear that there have been victims.’ That's what Allen thought.

Allen noticed that Iseria's expression changed to a serious one as she listened to his words.

“Could you take me there?” (Iseria)

“No. With Iseria's stats, you can't beat that guy. It might be frustrating, but a good adventurer needs to be able to make that kind of decision and change his mind...” (Allen)

Allen was about to continue with his somewhat preachy words, but he was stopped by Iseria's straightforward gaze. In front of Allen, Iseria closed her eyes, and with her cheeks turning red as if she was about to confess her feelings, she opened her eyes.

“I'm a hero egg.” (Iseria)

────

(T/N: Ojii-sama mean ‘grandfather’ but I don’t want to regret translating it to ‘grandfather’ so I used ‘Ojii-sama,’ and in fact, I’m relieved that I left it as ‘Ojii-sama’ already, because using ‘grandfather’ in some of the sentences I translated is just not fitting.)

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Level Down 23

Volume 1 Chapter 23 - Unique Monster

RAW

A hanging tree is, as its name suggests, a monster that has ivy hanging from its branches that it can freely manipulate, and kills people by hanging them by their neck. Its ivy is so strong that it can’t be cut with an average sword, and what's more, its tree part is incomparably harder and thicker than a treant.

Unlike a treant, it can move on the ground at a considerable speed, which makes it a threat, but what makes this monster even more feared is its brutality.

In fact, hanging trees can use quite powerful earth magic. Their magic is powerful enough to instantly kill an adventurer on the level that comes to this floor. However, hanging trees don’t use this magic to kill people. At most, they’d aim at the feet of those fighting them and injure them.

And then, once its prey is weakened, a hanging tree would then entangle them with its ivy and hang them by the neck. It then would continue to stare at them as they struggle with a hideous smile on its face until they stop moving.

(Tch, I've heard about it, but this guy has a bad taste) (Allen)

Allen gritted his teeth when he saw blood trickling down from one of Iseria's legs.

Allen has never fought a hanging tree before. He has only heard about how it's an atrocious monster from high-ranking adventurers, and from the fact that those women had a hard time defeating it, it must have boasted quite a bit of strength, he guessed.

Seeing the Windcutter's wind blade, which he fired quite seriously, captured and cut off the vines that hung Iseria, Allen smiled a little, and then he used the stick he was holding to sharply thrust toward the trunk of the hanging tree that was approaching right in front of him.

The hanging tree was blown backward, making ‘mekya’ sound like something being crushed, and the other trees that were caught in the Windcutter that Allen had released fell over the top part of its trunk.

(Not yet. I’ve heard that it was the best in terms of durability, so I'll take Iseria and leave for now.) (Allen)

Allen immediately turned around and forcibly tore the ivy from Iseria's neck, then ran off to leave the area with Iseria in his arms.

Allen clicked his tongue as he looked at Iseria's body that seemed to have lost all of its strength, and at the red marks left on her neck.

(She isn’t breathing too. Damn it, I went all this way to save you, so don't die!) (Allen)

Allen increased his speed even more while hugging Iseria tightly. There is no point in treating her in the vicinity and having the hanging tree interfere with the treatment. Because treatment requires a certain amount of time.

After about a minute, having gained a considerable distance, Allen stopped in a place in the forest where the density of trees was a little thin and visibility was wide, and hurriedly lowered Iseria to the ground. He judged that he had bought some time here, and that he would be able to detect the attack of the hanging tree in advance.

Allen checked Iseria's pulse and breathing as she lay on the ground. And the result was the worst, as Allen had feared.

“Ah, damn it. I was seriously hurrying, damn it. Don't you dare die on your own!” (Allen)

While spewing curses that shouldn't even be heard, Allen used all his strength to tear off Iseria's equipment which seemed to be of good quality. It was so strong that it would have felt strange to a normal Allen, but to Allen who was desperate, it meant nothing at all.

What Iseria was wearing under her equipment was clothing made from high-quality monster material, but seemingly not noticing this, Allen readily placed his hand on the center of her chest, which was asserting its presence in its own way.

“I learned CPR at the Guild a long time ago.” (Allen)

Remembering the CPR he had learned in a guild class when he was an adventurer and still in his teens, Allen pushed on Iseria's chest. He stretched out his arms straight and pushed rhythmically, not with his whole palm, but just its base to move her heart, a method that could be described as ideal.

Allen then lifted Iseria's chin, held her nose, and carefully blew in two breaths while checking the movement of her chest.

“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Hey, wake up now!” (Allen)

While repeating the pressure on her chest, Allen continued to complain to Iseria, who remained motionless with her eyes closed. Allen had prepared potions and other recovery items in case the worst happened, but he didn't know of any medicine that would work on the dead, so there was no way he had them.

Allen had heard rumors that it is possible to resurrect the dead with the church’s secret ritual, but this place is not a church but inside a dungeon. The only thing he could rely on was the CPR he learned a long time ago.

Allen single-mindedly repeated this over and over again. Even though it is called cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Allen knows from experience that it is only one of the many methods of resuscitation that has been accumulated. There is a limit to everything, and there are always lives that cannot be reached. And it was through this experience that Allen himself learned CPR.

Even if he single-mindedly repeated it over and over again, Iseria won't move. ‘But even so, even so...’ Allen didn't give up. He didn't know why, but Allen's intuition told him that he couldn't let Iseria die.

“Don't die. Iseria, come back!” (Allen)

A single drop of tear fell from Allen's eye. It ran down his Nera mask and onto Iseria's cheek. It was at that moment. A dazzling light enveloped Iseria.

Allen narrowed his eyes as he was hit by light so bright that it robbed him of his vision, and wind so strong that he felt as if he were about to be blown away. But, perhaps thanks to his mask, Allen was not completely robbed of his vision, and was able to see a fantastic sight of Iseria floating in the air as if being supported by someone he could not see.

“What the hell, is this─!!” (Allen)

As if in response to Allen's scream, Iseria emitted an even stronger light, but the next moment, the light disappeared, as if the scene up until now had been an illusion.

At the same time, Iseria, who had been floating at about Allen's chest height, began to fall freely. And Allen caught her in a panic.

Iseria's eyes remained closed in his arms, but her pained expression had changed to a calm one, and above all...

“Haha, she’s breathing.” (Allen)

Catching the sound of slow sleeping breath, Allen flopped to the ground, as though drained of all strength.

────

(T/N: I just realized recently, I think Allen’s ‘stick’ is the size of a walking stick, I thought it was the size of a conductor’s baton.)

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Level Down 22

Volume 1 Chapter 22 - Acquisition of Building Materials

RAW

It had only been about an hour since Allen left the house. Allen reached his desired floor at the Lilac Dungeon on the south of the city at an incredible speed, considering the usual mess that happened when he entered as Nera.

That was the 9th floor, where he went with Nick just yesterday.

“Alright, as usual, no one’s here.” (Allen)

Allen muttered as he looked around right next to the stairs he had descended from. He tapped his shoulder lightly with the stick in his hand, and then grinned.

“Then, shall we start cutting down trees?” (Allen)

And Allen ran off toward the floor full of building materials (treants).

.

.

.

“Yosh, found the fifth one. Windcutter.” (Allen)

The instant the treant responded to Allen's purposely slow dash and made just a slight movement, Allen sensed it and used magic.

Windcutter is the weakest spell of wind magic. It has the same power as the Fireball spell of fire magic that Allen often uses and is usually effective against monsters on the 1st to 5th floors of this Lilac Dungeon such as goblins and lacks decisive power against monsters on the 6th floor and beyond.

It should have been nothing more than that, but the blade of wind that Allen released passed through the treant as if there was nothing there, and in fact, that blade sank halfway to an ordinary tree that happened to be there behind it.

The treant fell to the ground while letting out a ‘zuun’ sound, and the tree behind it slowly inclined its trunk while making a cracking sound, then stopped, supported by other trees.

“Uwah, the power is still too high, huh. I'm trying to keep it pretty low though.” (Allen)

Allen approached the treant while muttering something like that.

Back when Allen was active as an adventurer, he often helped other parties as a helper, so he was able to generally use magic. However, he could only use beginner-level magic, and it was inferior to a professional’s, so he hardly ever joined a party as a substitute magician. He was extremely popular for things like starting fires and replenishing water though.

Because of this, Allen wasn't that familiar with using magic, and as a result, he had a harder time adjusting the amount of force with it than with a sword.

“If there were other people behind it, they’d probably be cut in half, so I’ve got to adjust it more.” (Allen)

Allen muttered something like that to himself, then ‘fuu,’ let out a breath and used Windcutter consecutively. Those blades sliced through the trunk of the treant, and what was left was a neatly aligned square pillar about 10 meters in length.

Allen then used Windcutters to cut the pillar even more, resulting in a large number of planks that could be easily used as building materials, measuring 15 centimeters wide, 3 meters long, and 3 centimeters thick. Allen tapped the planks lightly, and his cheeks loosened with satisfaction at the dry sound it produced.

“Man, this is really easy. You can defeat it with a single hit of Windcutter, you can immediately use it, and it’s durable on top of that, treant is the best.” (Allen)

While saying that, Allen put the planks he industriously made into his magic bag.

Of course, Allen's words don't apply to ordinary adventurers. It takes a certain amount of effort to defeat a treant, and what's more, it ignores the biggest reason why the 9th floor is hated; the fact that treants are extremely difficult to transport.

It’s true that treants are an excellent building material. However, the place treants appear in Lilac Dungeon is the 9th floor. In other words, it is necessary to carry the defeated treants through that many floors.

Since each floor is connected by stairs, they can’t even bring in a cart to transport the treants, they can only be carried by hand, which naturally results in a limited number of treants.

There is a demand for treants, and if you bring them home you can get a decent price, but you can make much more money if you bring home large quantities of other materials. Well, the reason why the price is only decent is that there is a place where treants appear in the shallow floor of a dungeon near the neighboring city.

That said, to Allen who has a magic bag, transporting it doesn’t take any effort. It might be the same for other adventurers who have a magic bag, but there is no way an adventurer skilled enough to have the rare magic bag would hunt treants.

“Alright, let's go to the next one.” (Allen)

Allen already had 5 treants worth of material. He should have clearly obtained enough building materials to repair his house, but, ‘somehow, this is fun,’ Allen thought that as he continued to immerse himself in making building materials.

.

.

.

“Alright, it’s filled to bursting.” (Allen)

Allen, who had already turned treants into building materials so many times that he didn't know how many he had defeated himself, smiled with satisfaction as he held the building materials that wouldn't fit into his magic bag even if he tried to put them in.

The magic bag Allen bought cost 17 million zenny. In terms of the capacity of the magic bag, which varies depending on the item, it was in the lower-middle, and boasted a capacity that could fit about two of Allen’s houses.

In other words, he completely overhunted.

But Allen wasn't particularly concerned. Because, in addition to repairing the above-ground part, he was also planning to build a basement as a hidden room, and that even if there was some leftover, there would be some way to use it, he thought casually.

“Hmm, it might be interesting to also build a secret base outside of the city. If I surround it with treant trunks and make it so that you can only enter by jumping over it, I'll be able to prevent intrusions to some extent anyway.” (Allen)

Allen was having such a delusion when it happened.

“Kyaa─!!” (???)

Faintly hearing that scream, Allen instantly reacted and ran in the direction it came from at full speed.

(Damn it, make it in time!) (Allen)

Frustrated by the fact that he couldn't hear any sound after that cut off scream, Allen ran through the forest at such a speed that the ground he kicked was gouged.

Allen knew that if one fights monsters in a dungeon, they would be responsible for everything no matter what happens. Others don't have the obligation to go and help, and on the contrary, there is a possibility that your own life will be in danger.

Still, Allen wouldn’t abandon them. Allen himself had been saved more than once or twice by adventurers who happened to be passing by. He could also think that, because of that, he was able to survive and feed his younger brothers and sisters.

That's why Allen actively helped adventurers in trouble whenever it was within his ability. It wasn't without trouble, but he was doing it partly for his own satisfaction, so Allen wouldn't stop doing it.

Thanks in part to such actions, Allen's reputation among beginners and starting mid-level adventurers is by no means bad at all. They won’t say it loudly too often because he is thoroughly disliked by several powerful parties, starting with the aforementioned Lionel though.

The fact that Allen was accepted as a guild employee too, was because his actions were highly evaluated, but there is no way for him to know that.

And Allen finally arrived at the place. The first thing that caught his eye was a giant tree with thick, withered branches spread out and a maniacally smiling face plastered to its trunk.

Next was the figure of Iseria, hanging by the neck from the ivy hanging from its branch. One of her hands, which seemed to be desperately resisting, let go of the vine and hung loosely in front of Allen's eyes.

“Windcutter─!” (Allen)

Allen shouted that, and at the same time ran towards the giant monster that shouldn't be on this floor; a hanging tree.

────

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Level Down 21

Volume 1 Chapter 21 - Renovation

RAW

Allen almost reflexively said that he didn't know him, but he managed to stop himself from saying that. Nera, who conquered the Demon Dungeon by himself, is now known to everyone in Lilac City. It was impossible that he didn’t know him.

“Uhh, you mean more than rumors, right?” (Allen)

“Yeah. Last night, we tracked him down and he went in this direction. He managed to shake us off on the way, and we searched all night after that, but we couldn't even find a clue. But there have been a lot of reports of his sightings in the slum area for some time now, so we think they live around here.” (Eric)

At Eric's words, Allen thought in his heart, ‘no wonder the voice sounded familiar,’ and was at a loss as to how to respond.

In particular, Allen did not commit any crimes while acting as Nera. He supposed jumping over the wall to go in and out of the city can be called a crime, but it's not like he's causing any trouble to anyone else. Well, there is a possibility that the patrolling soldiers would be punished if that was discovered, but at present, that doesn’t seem to be happening.

That's why Allen had no idea why the soldiers were looking for him.

“Or rather, why are you chasing him? Is he a criminal?” (Allen)

“No, as of now there is no evidence that he has committed a crime, but... Actually, the Lord has secretly ordered us to investigate him. He seems to be wary that a person who is capable of walking through dungeons on his own is from the slums.” (Eric)

“Aa─h, so it’s like that.” (Allen)

Eric told him in a whisper, and Allen was deeply convinced. Certainly, he could imagine that a person in power would be feeling uneasy at the existence of a powerful person who was not under his control with an unknown background, what’s more he was lurking in the slums.

If Allen had dangerous ideas and started a rebellion against the Lord, in all probability, he could accomplish it. Allen could easily imagine this because he knew Eric, who had the highest level of ability among the soldiers.

“Hmm. Sorry, but I don't know anything more than rumors. I've never seen him before either.” (Allen)

Allen responded while thinking ‘I can’t actually see myself, so it wasn't a lie,’ in his mind, and Eric simply replied, “I see,” and laughed a little, then got up from his seat.

“Sorry, Aniki. I asked you something strange. Well, I don't think there's any need to be that cautious myself, so don't worry about it. The food was delicious.” (Eric)

“Ou, come again, future knight-sama.” (Allen)

“Haha, then next time we meet, maybe I'll ask Aniki to prostrate before me.” (Eric)

“Like I’ll do it, i─diot.” (Allen)

.

.

.

After exchanging such jokes, Allen and Eric parted ways. Allen saw off his younger brother who had grown up, and continued to stare at the closed door for a while.

After Eric left, Allen was thinking about Nera's future actions, but just as he was able to sort them out a bit, he remembered what he had been thinking about yesterday.

It's about his home repairs.

Regarding the gold coins, Allen had decided to keep them for emergencies, but his house was in tatters. It's located close to the slum, and the building itself was so tattered that even though he closed everything, cold air still comes in through the crack. Allen's nerves are not thick enough to calmly leave a large sum of money in such a place.

It's not like he can’t put them in the magic bag and always carry it with him, but partly due to a habit he had developed in his adventuring days, Allen thought it impossible to carry a large sum of money with him on a dungeon exploration where he might lose his life at any moment.

That was because if Allen left them at home, there was a chance that his remaining siblings would discover it and put it to good use, that would be better for him.

“I guess I’ll just have to renovate it. I should build a hidden room afterwards.” (Allen)

Having come to that conclusion, Allen began preparing to go out to the city to procure the things he needed.

.

.

.

Since his recent days off were spent smithing with Dolban and going to the Demon Dungeon as Nera, he hasn't been walking around the city other than going to his regular shops, so he hasn't seen much of the city, but it hasn’t changed much from before.

Although it was obvious.

Allen walked slowly through the city while thinking about what he needed. This Lilac is one of the largest cities in the country, so even though it was a half-assed time at 10 a.m., the streets were lined with people who, like Allen, were out shopping or sightseeing. And stores are making strong calls to attract people.

(Even if I left the exterior as it is, as I thought, I’ll have to reupholster the whole interior. Is the basement the best place for the hidden room? The ground around there is solid, so it shouldn’t collapse. But first I should fix the leaks, right?) (Allen)

While window-shopping, Allen’s plans for the renovation were solidifying. By seeing the orphanage being repaired, he naturally understood how it should be repaired. As time went on, Allen gradually began to have fun. He's building a secret room, so he can't rely on others. In other words, Allen had to do everything by himself.

Up until now, Allen had been doing things like repairing the bad leaks himself because he didn't have the money, but he had never done any major renovations like this before. However, now that his stats had risen, he wanted to test how much he can do.

When Allen arrived at the lumber shop where he usually buys lumber to fix bad leaks, he was asked by a familiar clerk, “Fixing the leaks again?” and checked the items he needed while being chatted up by the talkative clerk.

He had been thoroughly refining his plans just a while ago, so he knew the approximate amount of materials. And just as he was thinking about buying them, he realized. That he shouldn’t buy them.

Although it was small to begin with, if he tried to renovate an entire house, he would need a considerable amount of lumber. It's not like he can't buy them with the money he has now, but if he were to buy them, he would stand out quite a bit. Because if Allen was planning to completely renovate his house, it would be natural for him to hire a carpenter.

Besides, Allen doesn't intend to do much to the exterior to prevent it from standing out. He realized that if the exterior still looked worn-out even though he had bought a lot of wood, it would be unnatural instead.

Allen was relieved that he realized this just before he failed, but at the same time his shoulders slumped as his plan stumbled from the beginning. Not buying anything after coming all this way would also be unnatural, so as usual, Allen only bought enough wood to repair the leak, and trudged back home.

.

.

.

After arriving home and quickly repairing the roof, Allen decided to revise his plan.

Buying lumber normally at a lumber shop is impossible. If so, the only way is to obtain the lumber himself. But that has its own problem.

There is a forest outside Lilac City. However, it is the property of the Lord who governs Lilac. It's not a problem for licensed lumberjacks to cut down a set amount of trees, but cutting down trees without permission is, of course, a crime.

If he were to cut a tree in one go in the middle of the night as Nera, he might not be noticed, but it’s common knowledge that wood that was just cut contains a lot of moisture, so they cannot be used as building material.

It is common for new adventurers to make the mistake of trying to burn raw wood while taking on a request, such as when camping out, and Allen was well aware of this because he had actually experienced it.

He can't buy them. Cutting the trees himself is also impossible. After coming to that conclusion, ‘fuu,’ Allen let out a sigh.

“In that case, there's only one option after all. I'm a little worried since there are too many people there, but I’ll be wearing a mask and dressed differently, so I guess they won't be able to tell.” (Allen)

In fact, Allen was aware that rumors were spreading about a mysterious person who has been repeatedly conquering the Demon Dungeon alone, and that the Guild is also having trouble with inquiries about him, as he had heard from Matilda. Furthermore, Eric, a soldier, had also come to ask about him, so there was no doubt about it.

However, there didn't seem to be any suspicion on Allen. Allen has been active as an adventurer in this city since before he became a guild employee. His ability was a well-known fact, so no one should connect him with Nera.

Having roughly decided on his future plans, Allen quickly crawled into the futon and closed his eyes. After a while, Allen's breathing as he slept was heard.

.

.

.

Then, late at night, after waking up and finishing his meal, Allen changed into Nera's clothes as usual, put on a robe that covered his entire body over it, and left the house carrying a backpack filled with various items. He then quickly passed through the slum, jumped over the defensive wall, and landed outside the city.

“Now then, shall we go?” (Allen)

Allen said that in a mutter, took off his robe, stuffed it into his backpack, and started running toward his destination. The direction was not west toward the Demon Dungeon, but south.

────

(T/N: the title is actually ‘reform’ in katakana, but it actually means renovation. I started capitalizing the ’Lord’. It seemed like an official title.)

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