Chapter 8: The Limit of Skill Leveling Up

"Phew, for the first day, that’s pretty good."

I had sold the materials from the monsters I defeated and was enjoying an early dinner at the Adventurers' Guild.

Since just eating was a bit dull, I absentmindedly displayed and stared at my status while eating.

"Limits, huh."

As I looked at the 'Wind Claw (Magic)' skill I had obtained through Steal, I muttered these words.

After leveling up the skill, I had looked for more small wolf-like monsters to further increase 'Wind Claw (Magic)'. However, when I defeated the finally found monsters and used Steal on them, an unexpected message appeared on the status screen.

『Skill integration failed due to skill overlap ×. Reason: Level-up limit reached. Skill: Wind Claws (Magic)』

It seems that there is an upper limit to how many times a skill can level up.

I wonder if the number of times a skill can level up varies by skill, or if skills that reach their level cap can evolve or something.

There's still a lot I don't understand about this.

I'll have to figure that out gradually.

"...Even just eating here draws so much attention."

When I glanced at the adventurer who had been watching me for a while, they quickly looked away when our eyes met.

When I glanced at another adventurer, they too averted their gaze awkwardly.

Why am I drawing so many stares despite sitting in the least conspicuous corner?

Thinking about this, I turned my gaze towards a particularly noisy table.

...Well, I guess it's strange that I'm not there causing all that commotion.

At the table were the members of my former party, "Dragon King's Flame," the party I had been part of until yesterday.

"Great drinking, Kane! As expected from today's MVP!"

Zard gulped down a large glass of liquor and laughed loudly.

On either side of Kane were Lena and Emi, sitting very close to him.

"Kane, you're so strong! You were really cool today."

"Thanks to Kane-san, we won again today. You're really dependable!"

...Is this a hostess club?

Lena and Emi were leaning so close to Kane that it looked that way.

"Really? Was I that cool?" 

Kane responded, looking quite pleased as he enjoyed his drink.

Looking at the other customers, they seemed to be frozen in shock, seeing Kane at the center of the party.

Apparently, Kane was drawing more attention than I was.

They sure look like they're having a lot of fun.

...Oh yeah, they did mention something about a leader inauguration party.

Thinking about that, I smiled somewhat sentimentally.

Kane, who was supposed to be kicked out of the party, has found a place for himself there.

It seems he's really enjoying himself, but I suppose that’s necessary sometimes.

Kane has been oppressed for a long time, so he deserves to have fun at least for today.

With those thoughts, I quietly settled my bill and left the adventurer's guild before the party members noticed me.

I didn’t want to get caught up and be humiliated.

Stretching a bit, I slowly started walking through the town.

"I need to find a cheap inn."

The inn I stayed at until yesterday had great facilities but was unnecessarily expensive.

Since I'll be working solo from now on, I can't be sure how many quests I'll be able to take.

Given that, I'll need to stay at the cheapest inns to keep my expenses low.

I might have to stay in a run-down inn like the ones Kane and his party stayed at in the early parts of the anime—hmm?

"Come to think of it, if Kane wasn't kicked out of the party, what happens to the heroines who were supposed to travel with him?"

Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind.

As I recalled how the protagonist and heroines met, I imagined the worst possible scenario.

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