Read Novel Full Vol 24 Chapter 16
Vol 24 Chapter 16
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Chapter 16 – Level Up
After formally welcoming Mear-san into our group and signing a confidentiality agreement through a contract with the God of Commerce-sama, I explained my circumstances to her, including the Ship Summoning. Then, I activated Mear-san’s level-up plan. I was surprised when Mear-san’s weapon was decided to be a whip, but our activities on the Southern Continent are going smoothly… I think. Probably.
“Fufu, Wataru-sama, I’ve never felt this wonderful in my entire life.”
We held a small celebration for Mear-san at the main restaurant.
To give Mear-san, who had worked hard for three days, a chance to enjoy the luxury liner, I hosted a simple dinner party.
We decided to hold the full welcome party for her when everyone could be present. Even this simple gathering, however, had a rather pleasant atmosphere befitting the main restaurant of a luxury liner. The waiters were Saporabi, though.
Drawn into the atmosphere, perhaps, Mear-san, having downed her champagne, now radiates an incredibly bewitching aura.
However, I suspect her wonderful mood stems not from the main restaurant’s ambiance but from whipping sea monsters senseless for three straight days.
At first, she moved cautiously, then more carefully, and finally actively forward. She reached a level where she began utilizing the whip’s capabilities and employing techniques.
Of course, since it was rushed training, there are likely flaws. However, considering her enhanced physical performance, which is proportionate to her level, even a group of common thugs attacking together wouldn’t be a problem. Alessia-san and the others have approved of her performance.
Reaching that level while blowing off steam by smashing monsters? Of course, it felt exhilarating. She even started laughing maniacally partway through.
Seriously, Ship Summoning is a cheat. Being able to summon a safe, unsinkable ship is incredible enough, but using it to easily train high-level personnel takes it to another level. That might make the word “cheat” feel too mild.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. We’re companions now, so I think we’ll have plenty of fun times together from here on out.”
Well, I’m over twenty, so I won’t say what I’m thinking. Mear-san, did you take a liking to the whip? Even though she’s dressed elegantly for the restaurant, she’s got a whip slung around her waist.
“Speaking of which, what level are you at now, Mear? Oh, it’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it.”
As I was inwardly intimidated by the whip at her waist, Alessia-san joined the conversation.
It seems that Alessia-san’s words about working hard together weren’t a lie. She’s started treating me with a level of familiarity that goes beyond our previously comfortable relationship.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what changed, but it feels like she’s stepped from being a close friend to being part of the family.
“My level? Sure, I don’t mind. Hmmm, this is weird. Am I already drunk?”
Mear-san rubbed her eyes while checking her status.
“I’ll make it visible, so please check it, too, Wataru-sama and Alessia-san.”
Mear-san made her status visible, and Alessia-san and I looked at it.
“It’s weird, right? Up until the second night, it was around 50, which is incredible, but now it’s this number. Am I drunk after all?”
The level displayed on Mear-san’s status was 120. She had raised it by around seventy in a single day, so it was no wonder she doubted her sanity.
We were shocked when it surpassed 50 between the first and second days. It’s common knowledge that leveling up gets harder the higher you go.
Gaining seventy levels in roughly fourteen hours of grinding, from early morning until night, is definitely abnormal.
“You’re not drunk. It’s certainly an insane number, but after all that effort, it makes sense.”
As Alessia-san said, it was a number we could understand.
Mear-san was laughing loudly and smashing monsters left and right. She probably didn’t notice, but she’d achieved incredible efficiency this time, leveling up at a pace that would be suicidal anywhere else.
The reason was Mear-san. Perhaps because she was having fun, she swung her whip with incredible force, and her ability to land precise hits on monsters improved dramatically.
Her attacks were powerful enough to take down mid-level monsters in a single blow, let alone weaker ones. Most of her attack power came from her rare Dragon Tail Whip, but…
This meant the waiting time for her attacks became minimal, as did the time needed for our attacks to clear out the monsters.
Plus, we had extra time to lure monsters with flashy sounds and get all the seconds we wanted.
After luring and hunting down all the monsters in that area of the sea, we moved further into the ocean and repeated the process.
The farther we got from land, the more powerful the monsters became and the higher the levels increased.
Once one reaches level 100+, they’ve entered the advanced tier among adventurers. In terms of rank, it’s the high end of the C-rank range, with the most common level being B-rank.
Considering her combat skills and exploration experience, she couldn’t quite match those high ranks, but it was a sufficient level for ensuring personal safety. Plus, her weapon is amazing.
It would be even more reassuring if she could also get high-performance armor. However, since Mear-san is a merchant, it’s difficult for her to outfit herself in full gear. Even a whip would undoubtedly draw strange looks.
“I’m not sure if I should ask, but what are your levels like?”
Mear-san timidly asks.
Accelerated cultivation can surpass a hundred in just three days, so, naturally, she’d be curious about our levels, given that we regularly use this environment.
I avoid rapid leveling, though, to prevent my power from overwhelming me, so my level isn’t abnormally high.
Even so, it’s piled up to the high 300s. But since I don’t fight, I don’t really feel like a high-level person.
“We’ve been fighting constantly, so we’re almost at 500.”
500 is an insane number, but considering the legends, there must be people way above that. I’m fairly certain those legendary figures are connected to the Creator God-sama.
“F-five hundred… I-is that even possible?”
Mear-san’s eyes widened, and she stumbled over her words.
“You saw it with your own eyes, didn’t you, Mear-san? Monsters in the open sea don’t discriminate. A-rank and S-rank monsters appear casually. Fighting those kinds of foes makes your level rise surprisingly easily.”
Well, A-rank sea serpents appear as casually as goblins. Though maybe “goblins” is an exaggeration. Orcs appear slightly less frequently than goblins.
Beyond that, there’s an endless list: squid and octopus-type kraken, large mammal monsters like whales and orcas, and large fish monsters like sharks.
Since we’re clearing out these monsters as if they’re trash, our levels naturally climb.
“I haven’t been out as often as everyone else, but I passed level 250 on this voyage. I might even hit 300 by the time we return.”
Donatella-san cheerfully joins the conversation. Leveling up extends your lifespan and preserves your youth. As a woman, she’s thrilled by these beneficial effects, so she actively participates in the hunts.
I wonder how much my lifespan has increased. Wasn’t it around a thousand years for legendary levels? I probably already have a lifespan of over three hundred years.
During the voyage, though, it’s not like the past three days when we gathered and hunted monsters. Whether Donatella-san will reach level 300 is uncertain, but she should level up reasonably.
Honestly, if we just consider levels, we have a group of people with levels close to legendary. However, only Girasole, Ines, and Felicia have the necessary skills.
“Amazing! Truly worthy of being chosen to be by Wataru-sama’s side!”
Mear-san, who had been frozen in place, started moving again and praised me from a different angle. This is bad. Mear-san’s mental state still seems unstable.
The other members around us have also noticed, but they just smile and let it slide.
Normally, putting someone who is mentally unstable in charge would be worrisome, but her instability is balanced by her trust in me. At least I can trust her. It’s scary, though, because she might go off the rails.
“Ahaha, well, let’s put the level talk aside for now. Let’s just enjoy the food and drinks. After all, it’s a celebration for Mear-san’s hard work.”
It’s best to steer clear of topics that might deepen her devotion. If it were friendship instead of faith, I’d welcome it wholeheartedly, but it’s not that simple.
“Ah, right. Wataru-sama, I’ll do my best to enjoy myself.”
“Yes, you’ll be swamped in Gothenburg starting tomorrow, so please enjoy yourself and recharge.”
Amidst the lavish praise, the party resumes. We’re still only at the appetizer stage, but I’m already feeling worn out.
＊＊＊
“All right then, Mear-san. I’ll be counting on you for the Toyoumi Trading Company’s Southern Continent branch.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
The morning after the farewell party for Mear-san, I parted ways with her aboard the Stronghold.
Preparations for the branch had been underway, but today marked the official start.
We’d still be doing the same cargo hauling as always. Meanwhile, Mear-san, as branch manager, would begin recruiting personnel and arranging construction materials.
There was no shortage of manual laborers. The key was to secure reliable personnel capable of directing operations. Once that happened, construction would begin in earnest.
When we return to the Northern Continent, we will still have the regular shipping route project to handle, so we can’t afford to become too deeply involved in the Southern Continent project.
…Wait, it takes eleven days to get back to the Northern Continent. Doesn’t that leave us with very little time to stay on the Southern Continent?
No, we had actually secured ample time originally.
We planned a schedule that allowed for stays of two or three months, but that’s clearly insufficient for full-scale reconstruction.
I should confirm this with Mear-san and Donatella-san.
After all, if we don’t have a clear plan for reconstruction, it’ll just be irresponsible meddling.
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