Chapter 8

Kokoru blinked her eyes when she heard that.

“I- I see. Now that you say it, that is true… Eh? Then the thing you were saying about being together forever was…”

“Yes. I want us to keep partying even after we leave this dungeon.”

“… Ah,”

“Why?”

“… Nooothing~,”

Kokoru then turned away.

I got a bit impatient so I guess I caused her to get angry, but she eventually turned back to face me with a small smile.

“But… I’m happy hearing that. Even with a skill like mine, I managed to end up being useful.”

“Yes, that’s why—”

“But I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Kokoru said with a feeble smile.

Before I can say anything else, she continues—

“Didn’t I already tell you? You won’t get any kill bonuses whatsoever when you’re in a party with me. Like with the battle just now. The amount of exp you received is the same as any party member. That’s how it will always be with me, you know? Is that ok with you?”

“I don’t mind.”

I bow my head with intent.

“I hadn’t mentioned it but my level is already 43. It might be low compared to yours, but it’s plenty high for your average Swordsman. It’s going to be hard to level up any more than this, and there’s a limit to what I can achieve solo. More than experience, what I want is a companion. [1] People I can fight with, comrades in the same party.”

“… But even then, it won’t be a good thing. Even if you form a party with me. There’s only two of us, a Priest and a Swordsman. The number of dungeons we can tackle is sorely limited. There’s no doubt no other members will be added. I’ll take away their experience after all… I’m sure a Swordsman of your caliber can enter a better parry.”

“The ´Limited Number´ of dungeons I can go to is infinitely better than Soloing. I might be able to join a different party if I tried, but… I’m tired of getting kicked out. You would understand that, right? Also, I’m sure that other members will come to us too. It’s got a high level vanguard and support gathered together after all. A promising party, don’t you think so?”

“But… My skill is…”

“If anybody complains about experience, then you can be sure I’ll kick them out. I will be on your side. You can count on that. I mean, with you, I wouldn’t even get half a decent drop anyhow. So, please.”

“Uwu…”

Kokoru casts her eyes downwards and does a brief hum.

Of course, even I stopped speaking after that.

The conversation has stopped, but I don’t know what else to say.

Thinking back, I don’t have a good track record at socializing. Knowing there’s a looming chance of getting kicked out of the party because of a minus skill causes you to avoid getting close to people. In fact, it causes one to be needlessly obsequious.

I don’t even know how to talk to a girl.

Perhaps… Kokoru isn’t fond of the idea because it’s me.

I have been just told recently to fix my personality…

Nonetheless, it’s not something I can give up with a “Is that so? Ok then.”

“Then… If it’s a problem with my personality, then I’ll try to fix it.”

“Eeh. Not at all… You even saved me earlier too…”

When she said so, Kokoru fell silent again.

For now, there’s no point in pushing her. With an awkward smile, I decide to send her a life-float to cling onto.

“Ah… well, you don’t need to force yourself to decide this instant. For now, let’s just stay in the same party while diving in this dungeon ok? We’ll deal on what to do after that.”

“Hmm, okay. Then… It might be just for a short time, but glad to be working with you, Sir Alvin.”

“Same,”

I nod.

That should do it for now. Next up is to give it my all acting as a Swordsman and show her my good side. It’s the same thing whenever I join a new party. I will do my best to be useful.

“Okay. For now, we should…”

Before I could finish my sentence to move on ahead, I spotted a glowing object in the nook of a passageway.

“Ah, It’s a treasure chest, Sir Alvin!”

Following my line of sight, Kokoru seems to have seen the same treasure chest too. I follow behind her as she runs towards it.

“Hmm… It’s not a Mimic is it?”

Kokoru stops in front of the treasure chest and groans.

You can sometimes find good old-fashioned treasure boxes in dungeons. Things such as coins or items could be found inside. There aren’t many things of value, but you can sometimes pick up rare items that monsters don’t drop.

On the other hand, however, there are times when it’s locked or a chance that it could be a mimic in disguise.

“I’ll open it. Stand back.”

—I say, as I step forward.

At this level of the dungeon, Mimics aren’t something to be too weary of.

And what’s more, I have a healer behind me.

If I had been solo, I might have hesitated a bit, but there’s no reason to worry now.

I put my hand on the cover of the treasure chest and opened it up.

Fortunately, it wasn’t locked.

“Ermm, how is it?”

“… It isn’t a mimic, but it doesn’t seem good either.”

—I say, as I peer into the treasure chest.

There are no items. There are a lot of coins, though.

The coins you can pick up in the dungeon are not really worth much. They are used as raw materials for minting official currency so they can be sold at a set price, but even if you have a gunny sack’s worth of it, they won’t be worth much.

But it’s good to pick up whatever we can.

“I’ll carry the items and coins. There might be a level difference between us, but I’m certain to have a higher carrying limit. Once we get out, we can split it evenly then.”

“Ah, ok. Please then.”

I open the status window and manipulate it to put the coins in storage.

My storage was already filled with some items and coins, but there was still quite a bit of room.

There might just come a day where it might be filled with drops… My carrying capacity had uselessly gone up together with my level, but a chance for it to be useful has come.

I smirk as I store away the coins.

“… Hm?”

Unexpectedly, I found something other than the coins that were buried in the corner of the treasure chest.

“Ah, if it isn’t parchment paper.”

Kokoru said as she came up next to me, peering into the treasure box.

In silence, I pick up the curled parchment.

You can sometimes find a blank parchment as an item, but this was more of a bundle than anything.

This is probably…

I unfurl it. Sure enough, there were letters written on it.

Kokoru then says—

“It seems to be a text.”

“Yeah,”

Flavor text can sometimes be found in this form. I spread out the parchment so Kokoru can also see as I read through the contents.

“The ▒▒▒▒▒▒ will cause the user to lose a talent.”

“This is…”

It immediately occurred to me. This was the rumored boss drop. A description of the skill-removing item. The other adventurers who had been exploring here had probably found the same text.

-At the same time I remember it.

I remember that I came to this dungeon in order to find this exact item.

“Errm… Sir Alvin,”

Kokoru talked, probably thinking the same thing.

The priestess then continues talking with a smile—

“If we can defeat the boss and get this item… Then you can use it, Sir Alvin.”

“Eh?”

I was taken aback as Kokoru said that to me.

“I owe you a debt of gratitude… And see, you would be the one that’s troubled if my skills are the one to be erased, but if your skills are the ones to be erased, it won’t really bother me. If something happens and you want to join another party… thinking about it, it’s definitely better.”

-Kokoru smiles softly.

My mouth is closed, I take a moment to think of what to say and then—

“… Do you think you’re going to be abandoned again?”

“…”

“Do you think I’m going to get fed up with your minus skill and kick you out of the party one day? Are you testing me on what I’ll do by saying you’ll give up the item?”

After I say so, Kokoru hanged her head down.

I sigh in reflex.

“You know… No. It’s fine. I understand how you feel.”

I’ve been kicked out of parties myself.

Even the people I got along with replaced me out of the blue once they found a substitute.

It’s hard to tell someone to not demean themselves.

“I’ve told you. I have a minus skill too. I will never do anything like betray someone in the same situation as me.”

“Yeah…”

“And also… If it’s the item we’re talking about, then things would probably be fine.”

“Eh…?”

I then explained to Kokoru, who was looking at me in curiosity.

“Boss drops are rarely consumable. In other words, it shouldn’t be onetime use. It said “One of your Talents” so one person can’t use it multiple times but… there is a good chance it can be used by two people.”

“So that means!”

“Yeah. Maybe we can both get rid of our minus skill.”

Kokoru’s face brightens up.

It was the best expression I’ve seen her have so far.

“Then let’s do it! Let’s take down the boss together, Sir Alvin!”

“Yeah, let’s do our best.”

I put the parchment away in storage.

We both turned our backs on the treasure chest and walked further into the depths of the dungeon.