Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 16: The Party
After that, the adventurers in the lobby, including Nick, quickly left the hall, as if escaping.
The hooded woman was looking up at the bulletin board to the right of the reception desk.
Although Nick’s words lingered in his mind, Hyde finished filling out the form and handed it to the receptionist.
“Alright, Shou-sama… You’re applying for the role of Attacker, correct?”
The receptionist reviewed the form and passed it to the back.
The section for skills was left blank.
Hyde found it troublesome to decide how to write those four skills, and since it was optional, there was no need to lie unnecessarily.
After waiting for a bit, a card resembling a clay tablet was brought out.
Embedded in the center of the card was a small mana stone.
“Please place your hand over this.”
Following the instruction, Hyde placed his hand over the card, and the mana stone glowed faintly.
For a moment, he felt a sensation of mana being depleted, but it was instantly replenished thanks to【Fountain of Divine Blessings】.
“Alright, your registration is complete. The details are listed on the request forms on the bulletin board next to this desk. When you wish to accept a request, please bring the form back here.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
As he headed toward the bulletin board, he glanced at the guild card he had received.
The card displayed the name he had just registered, his role, and a rank section.
It was marked with an “F.”
It seemed adventurers could increase their rank by completing requests or by submitting mana stones dropped by monsters defeated inside dungeons.
The ranks ranged from F to S, and higher ranks granted privileges such as exemptions from tolls.
(Many adventurers aim for higher ranks to enjoy those privileges, but for me, as long as I can defeat monsters, that’s enough.)
Hunting monsters to prevent gates from appearing on the surface—that was Hyde’s purpose. He had no attachment to rank.
When he reached the bulletin board, the hooded woman was still staring at the request forms with a troubled expression.
Looking up at the bulletin board, Hyde understood the reason.
(There aren’t as many as I thought.)
Hyde had assumed the vast bulletin board would be completely covered with request forms, so he felt slightly disappointed.
That said, the existence of request forms remained unchanged, so he began searching for ones he could take on immediately.
“If you’re planning to take on a request now, you’d better not.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, the hooded woman spoke to him.
Her voice was as clear as the sound of a bell.
Reflexively turning to face her, Hyde saw that she continued speaking softly while still looking up at the bulletin board.
“The guild card must have drained some of your mana. It’s best to approach your first request in perfect condition. …Besides, at this hour, you won’t find party members even if you try looking for them.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your rank is F since you just registered. To complete a request solo, it has to be below your rank. If you want to accept a request, you’ll need to form a party.”
The woman explained matter-of-factly.
“But few people take on requests starting at night. Most accept them in the morning and report completion by evening.”
“I see… Thank you for the advice.”
“It’s nothing. Even if I hadn’t said anything, the receptionist would have explained it to you.”
Her voice was calm, yet Hyde could sense a faint hint of relief in her tone.
(What do you know, she’s a good person after all.)
Hyde wondered what Nick’s warning had been about as he resumed reviewing the request forms.
The forms concisely listed the dungeon name, the target floor, and the required quota of monsters to be defeated.
At the very bottom, there was a section for difficulty rank. Upon inspection, there were no ranks below F.
(This is troublesome. I was planning to take on a solo request, finish it quickly, and return to the mansion by morning…)
According to the hooded woman, it was unlikely to find party members at night.
While he could recruit members during the day, Hyde’s current lifestyle made that option difficult.
“Unbelievable. Are you planning to ignore my advice?”
As he stared at the request forms, a voice laced with a sigh reached his ears.
“That’s not exactly the case, but I’m confident in my mana. However, as you said, there don’t seem to be any requests I can take on solo.”
“If you understand that, you should come back during the day. At that time, there will probably be plenty of newcomers like you.”
“I’d love to, but I can only operate at night…”
When Hyde said this with a troubled expression, the woman looked down, appearing deep in thought.
“Th-then—”
“Yes?”
“…Never mind.”
Hyde wondered what she had been about to say but couldn’t finish, and he was left scratching his head over what to do next. As he contemplated, an idea struck him.
“Um, are you planning to take on a request now?”
“Huh?”
“I know it’s presumptuous of me as a newbie, but would you consider forming a party with me…?”
Ad
For the first time, the woman turned to face him.
Her face was a harmonious blend of youthful innocence and beauty.
Her wide emerald-green eyes locked onto Hyde, startled.
But almost immediately, she averted her gaze.
“…Are you serious?”
“Of course. That is, if you’re willing.”
“You must’ve heard about me from that man, right? That being around me brings nothing but trouble.”
“Well, I did hear something along those lines…”
Realizing she had seen through him, Hyde offered a sheepish smile.
“But you don’t strike me as a bad person.”
“You’re just desperate because you can’t take on a request, aren’t you?”
“That’s part of it, too.”
When he nodded openly, she sighed, calling him “weird.”
After a not-so-brief silence, she finally turned her body toward Hyde.
“Helen. Nice to meet you.”
Ad
“! I’m Shou. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”
Shou extended his hand towards her with a friendly smile.
Helen stared at the offered hand for a moment before turning away without taking it. She plucked a request form from the board and held it up.
“Let’s go with this one. It’s close by, which is best for your first time.”
“Y-yes!”
As Shou awkwardly retracted his hand, he followed Helen, who had already begun walking toward the reception desk.
Just as she passed by him, her voice, barely more than a whisper, drifted to his ears.
“In the end… you’ll leave me, too.”
Her words were so faint, they almost seemed to vanish into the air.