Chapter 44: Rowene Dungeon(4)

‘Revenge is too grand.’

Bloody revenge for the honor of the master!

It wasn’t that Avalli moved with such a barbaric mindset.

She just wanted to tease her a little.

Sophia, the little girl who had openly ignored Lucy, who was now precious to Avalli.

Just watching Sophia like that made her insides boil.

… It’s not like me.

In the past, that is, in the present, would Avalli have chosen such an active response?

I think not.

Avalli was the type to avoid people who annoyed her rather than confront them head-on.

Human relationships are generally like that.

It would be nice if you could only spend time with people you get along with, but in most cases, you have to share the same space with people you don’t.

It’s better to keep a moderate psychological distance and respond calmly rather than reacting sensitively to everything.

That’s why Avalli is acting so actively now…

‘It must be because she’s gotten stronger.’

Because she has the strength to do so.

When you see someone unpleasant, it’s not about avoiding them, but about getting rid of them in your own territory.

Furthermore, the place where Avalli currently lives is a fantasy world within a game.

Even so, unlike Earth where each individual’s abilities were similar, here, it’s really-

“What are you thinking about?”

“Thinking useless thoughts?”

“… Avalli.

You shouldn’t be thinking about something else after insisting on coming here.”

Avalli nodded in agreement to Hans’s scolding.

I think self-reflective thinking is good, but once you’ve decided to take out your sword, you have to cut it down.

While Avalli lightly tapped both cheeks to regain consciousness, Lucy, who had gone to the receptionist, returned.

“Hans, Avalli, the test will be available in 15 minutes.

It seems the examiner is out for a while.”

The three of them were currently inside the largest barracks located to the south of the tent village.

The entrance to this barracks, which had a larger space inside than outside, had three sparkling star emblems engraved on it, perhaps due to some kind of magic.

The Adventurer’s Guild.

The largest single guild on the continent that aims to explore the unknown.

“… Understood.”

“It’ll take 15 minutes?”

Unlike Hans, who looked very nervous, Avalli didn’t like the wait at all.

“Hans, can you wait here for a moment?

I have something to talk to you alone.”

When Hans nodded, Lucy immediately grabbed Avalli’s arm and left the barracks.

The adventurers who were moving busily looked at the two small girls with curiosity, but their gazes didn’t last long.

The adventurers knew well that talent was not limited by age.

“… I’m just saying this just in case, Avalli.”

After they had escaped to a place where there were hardly any people, Lucy quietly opened her mouth.

“Never, ever use the power of that ‘green eye’?”

“Uh, you can’t?”

“Of course!”

Lucy shouted at Avalli, who was calmly asking the question.

“If you do, you’ll never be able to return to the village quietly.”

“… But can you pass the test on your own?”

“You absolutely will.

Even if you only use a quarter of your usual abilities, you can definitely obtain the qualification of an adventurer.

So never use your full power.

Got it?”

Avalli nodded helplessly at Lucy’s earnest request.

‘The disciple of the guy I ignored is actually an SSS-class adventurer?’

I guess I should put my strategy on hold for now.

To be honest, even Avalli couldn’t have predicted the aftermath of this strategy, so it was fortunate that Lucy stopped her like this.

“And you’re still doing ‘that’ thing I told you about before I left the village, right?”

“Of course, Master. You can check it now.”

“… The flow of all things will unfold before my eyes.”

Lucy gripped her staff tightly and immediately used Detect.

Unlike before, she could feel a faint flow of magical power from Avalli’s body.

It seemed that Avalli had properly remembered Lucy’s request.

In the village, there would be no problem since Lucy was the only magician, but outside the village, the discomfort of not being able to sense any magical power would be quickly discovered.

“That’s enough. Remember this. It seems that Avali’s ‘magic’ is most affected by one’s perception.”

“Having no magic at all is absolutely not normal. Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“I understand. This is easy.”

Contrary to her confident answer, Avalli is a bit bothered by having to constantly release her magic power outward.

Her perception is still closer to the present than that of a resident of this magical world, so she seems to perceive the state of having no magic power as more normal.

If this perception were to completely change, she would naturally discharge magic power even in her usual disguise state…but it seems that it is still a long way off before she gets to that point.

‘Well, this has its advantages, but’

Unless it’s the night of a full moon or she has her green magic eye open, Avalli’s basic default is 0 magic power.

That means she can confuse her opponents about how much magic power Avalli has at will.

‘So-called ‘power breathing’ is possible.’

The guy I thought was an E-class magician was actually the holder of SSS-class magic power?

The corners of Avalli’s mouth twitched upwards at the thought of using a strategy.

“… You’re having a strange thought again, Avalli.”

“No, not at all.”

“Haa…I think Avalli used to be a little cuter.”

Hearing her mentor Lucy’s sigh, the two returned to the adventurer’s barracks.

Perhaps because the conversation had gone on for a while, Hans was already taking the test in front of the barracks.

“Huh… This brat, what kind of power is this ignorant!”

The one pushed back was a swordsman with a rugged build who seemed to be the examiner.

Hans swung his sword at an honest trajectory while maintaining his own breathing.

“Good job, brat!”

“Take that old man to task!”

“It looks like another useful guy has emerged.”

The adventurers watching the test cheered at the unexpected turn of events.

The birth of a new rookie always becomes the subject of gossip.

“… He’s a lot better at fighting than I thought.”

“Even the village chief would lose to Hans if he fought recently, right?”

“I had no idea. I’ve never been there to see him.”

“Hehe, Hans is really strong.”

Avalli said, crossing her arms as if she was more proud of herself.

“If this continues, Hans will pass without a hitch, right?”

“… I don’t know. Most of the people who are qualified to be examiners are veteran adventurers.”

The moment Lucy said that, the examiner slightly distanced himself and immediately kicked the floor.

“Oh, mister!

You’re cowardly!”

“What are you doing to a kid!”

“Foul play! Foul play!”

The examiner threw dirt from the floor toward Hans’ eyes.

Naturally, the onlookers jeered, but the examiner ignored them and charged forward.

Although he was strong, he still seemed to lack practical experience.

So I thought he wouldn’t be able to easily deal with such an unexpected situation-

“… Excellent. Sword, where did you learn it?”

“The village chief.”

Hans, as if he had expected a counterattack to create a variable, immediately pushed the examiner’s sword blade aside and aimed the sword at his neck.

“That village chief, he must have been quite the big shot back in the day. Alright, I passed. I’m completely defeated.”

The examiner let out a bitter smile and dropped his wooden sword to the ground.

Then, the adventurers around him applauded and cheered.

“Wow, that’s amazing, kid!”

“Even if he’s a piece of trash, he wouldn’t lose so easily.”

“C-class? Or B-class?”

Instead of responding to each and every one of those cheers, Hans kept his mouth shut and looked around.

“Over here, Hans!”

Hans, who had heard a voice calling him, quickly approached and stood next to Avalli, then lowered his head and avoided people’s eyes.

“You little brat, how embarrassing.”

Avalli, who was poking Hans’ side for no reason, heard the receptionist’s voice calling her name.

“Next, Magician Avalli.”

“Oh, me! Me!”

Avalli raised her hand and shouted.

She looked like a middle school student about to give a presentation during class.

“Are you part of the group?”

“You look younger than that kid just now?”

“There are many wizards who are young but still amazing.”

“If it’s that great, then it’s probably already famous.”

There were whispers from around them.

Although there was no sign of ignoring them, perhaps because of Hans’s performance earlier, there were still many suspicious looks.

“… Hey, Avalli.”

Just as Avalli was about to leave for the test, Hans spoke from behind her.

“Yeah, Hans.”

“Do well.”

“What, are you cheering me on?”

“Think about it yourself.”

Avalli smirked as she watched Hans speak without even making eye contact.

“Who’s worried about whom?”

Even if you cheer me on, it’ll be a mess.

If you fail, I’ll tease you for a long time.”

“Avalli, don’t forget what I said earlier. Got it!”

Both Hans and Lucy were worried about Avalli, but the content inside them was completely different.

The irony made them laugh, but they swallowed their amusement for now-

“I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”

Avalli walked briskly.