Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 156

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Chapter 156 – Promotion Test (Close Combat)

“(Hmm… I wonder if the people from the Audit Office are still here?)”

On the way to the Hunters’ Guild.

I activated the Investigation as soon as I started moving, thinking that it wouldn’t be strange if they were watching me after what happened yesterday.

The first person I checked was Fanmera-san, the one with the long face and the glasses.

There was no response within a 30-meter radius when I used the word ‘Fanmera,’ so I started the Investigation with the word ‘glasses,’ but although there was a response, it was a different person.

Not knowing if I would be successful, I searched for the word ‘Auditor,’ but there was no one around to match the search, so I thought I might be worrying too much, but I went to the Hunters’ Guild anyway.

“Excuse me, I was called by Orlando-san. Should I go directly to the Guild Master’s room?”

The person I spoke to was the usual talkative old lady.

I was surprised to see people lining up even at the usually empty old lady’s counter, probably because it was morning.

Still, I’m still standing in line with the old lady, so I guess I’m pretty much the same.

“What? Gilmas called you… did you do something wrong?”

“No, it’s about the promotion test.”

“What a surprise! So you’re going to have a promotion test, huh? You’re going to be a big shot, aren’t you? It’s busy right now, so you can go straight to the guild master’s room, okay? Do you know where it is?”

“Yes. I visited it yesterday, so it’s okay. Thank you.”

As soon as I said that, I was about to leave,

“Oh, by the way, my name is Tarmia! If you’re having trouble finding a marriage partner, come see me! I’ll introduce you to a good girl!”

Even after I left the counter, I could hear some commotion behind me, and I wanted to say, “Are you really that busy?”

At the point of introducing someone, I think Tarmia-san is a good person who likes to help out.

I smiled wryly and bowed as I went up to the guild.

When I visited the Guild Master’s room where I was shown yesterday, Orland-san was sitting in a luxurious leather chair looking at a wooden board.

Is he getting old? He squinted and moved the woodblock closer and further away.

“Good morning!”

“Oh, you came straight here? It must have been very busy downstairs at that time, right?”

“Yes. I had to stand in line at Tarmia-san’s counter, which is always empty, so I got permission to come here directly.”

“You’re going to be even busier from now on! You’d better get more counters while you can. Hahaha!”

Looking around the guild master’s room again, I see a number of high-quality furnishings along the walls, and on the shelves, I see expensive-looking liquor and beautifully decorated glasses.

There are also several paintings on display, and it’s a world away from the office-like room where Yagov-san worked, surrounded by a mass of wooden boards.

Well, I know that being able to get things done smoothly while delegating work to others is also a talent, so I won’t worry too much about that and get straight to the point of the promotion test.

“So, have you decided who you want me to have a mock battle with?”

“Yes, I’ve already chosen them. They’re waiting for you downstairs in the restaurant, so we can start right away, but what do you think?”

“Then let’s start right away. It would be bad to make them wait forever.”

“We’ll pay them a not inconsiderable per diem under the guise of being examiners for the promotion test, so don’t worry about that.”

“Hmm? Them? Are there more than one?”

“I didn’t know what kind of job Loki had or what kind of fighter you were, so I got you two guys, one for melee and one for ranged. Since I’ve already hired them, why not fight with both of them?”

“Y-yes…”

When I think about it, which one am I, the melee or the ranged character?

Normally, people would develop the skills they choose and make them their own, but in my case, I seem to be getting new skills one after the other, so I feel like I’m not really getting anywhere.

The only thing I use properly is my sword.

So, am I a melee type?

When I look at the profession field on the status screen, I’m still listed as a salesman… It’s probably better that I’m not listed as unemployed, but if I can’t choose my profession, I don’t know what to say in situations like this.

“Excuse me, Orlando-san. Is it normal for people to disclose their occupation?”

It’s something that suddenly occurred to me.

If it’s normal to reveal one’s occupation in this world, then I’ll have to think of a “setting” for when I’m asked about it in the future.

There’s no way I could honestly say that my job is a salesman for some reason.

“It depends on the person, but I don’t think it’s something to hide. Sometimes, you narrow down the jobs you’re looking for when you’re recruiting for a party, and sometimes, you look for a party where you can announce your job. Most people who aren’t hunters have a job related to the one they have, so there’s no need to go out of your way to check.”

“Ah, I see.”

“There are people who can’t get jobs for financial reasons, so it’s not mandatory to disclose your job, and you don’t have to answer if asked. For mid-level and above jobs, or special jobs involving divine revelation, people will often tell you their job without being asked, and conversely, for lower-level jobs, you can assume that most people will only tell their family members the minimum necessary information.”

“Hmm, hmm, hmm… Thank you very much. I’m learning a lot.”

In the end, they’ll be proud of having a good job, and they’ll avoid talking about being unemployed or having a low-level job as much as possible, so it’s just like the harsh, realistic structure of the real world.

Even though it’s like a game, it’s still a solidly realistic world.

If someone were to brag about their job in front of me, it would be no different than being unemployed, and I might end up punching them in the face.

But now I can relax.

If anything happens, I can just say, ‘It’s a secret,’ and get away with it.

Since I don’t plan on forming a party, I won’t be exposed to situations where I’m a garbage job with no human rights, like the ‘only recruit healers and tanks’ that often happens in games.

I followed Orlando-san to the first floor of the guild.

From there, we walked in the opposite direction of the tavern, and I think we came to a room about the size of a tennis court.

I was led into a room surrounded by stone walls with no roof.

The floor was still dirt, and there were various weapons of different shapes and sizes lying around the walls. I could tell from the color that they were all made of wood.

There were also round targets hanging on the walls, like those used in archery, so maybe they were practising archery here.

“The test will be held in the training hall here. I’ll go get the other two and the remaining examiners, so Loki, please choose a weapon you like.”

Orlando-san said as he went back the way he came, so after looking for a moment, I picked up a dagger by process of elimination.

Unfortunately, there were no short swords, and the long ones were too long for me.

As I searched the shelves where the equipment was kept, wondering if there was some kind of solid protective gear like in Kendo, I heard some voices behind me.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Loki. Let me introduce you to your opponents for today’s mock battle: B-rank hunters Ino and Raran.”

“Hey, hey, isn’t that a kid?”

“Hey, at least introduce yourself.”

“Tch… I’m Ino.”

“I’m Raran. It’s a good day when I get paid for dealing with such cute examinees.”

Both are probably around 20 years old. The man with brown hair who is smiling but whose eyes are staring at me sharply, and the red-haired woman with heavy makeup who is holding a large, curved cane.

I don’t think Ino-san is in a very good mood, but Lalan-san seems to be fine.

“My name is Loki. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hey, are you human, kid?”

I turn my head at Lalan-san’s words.

“You’re quite small, and you have a skin color that’s not found here. Actually, you could have some elf blood in you, or you could be another race that’s older than us, right?”

“Oh, is that what you mean? I’m human.”

“I see… then I’ll make you cry with a nice voice.”

Lalan-san licks her lips and stares at me with a sadistic look in her eyes.

Oh no.

Maybe none of them are normal.

What does that mean?

The stronger the hunter gets, the crazier they get!

I looked at Orlando-san as if to appeal to him with my eyes, but he just ignored me.

Everything continued as if nothing had happened.

“Right, I’m not exactly free, so let’s start this test. Anyway, since Loki also has a dagger―wait, doesn’t Loki have armor?

“I broke it the other day, so I don’t have it anymore. I’ll just have to do it like this.”

“Kuhahaha! I don’t care if you pee yourself and scream in pain! This is a test, after all.”

“Ah… This is the best.”

“I see. Then you first, Ino.”

“Sure, sure. Kid, I’m a dagger user, too. I’ll show you an example so you can learn from the pain.”

At the urging of the two guild members that Orlando-san brought with him, we faced each other in the middle of the training ground, leaving some distance between us.

And then we were left alone.

I believe that these three people, including Orlando-san, will judge whether or not I have met the B-rank criteria based on the content of the mock battle.

“Let me explain the rules. The only attacks you can use are those with the daggers in your possession. Attacks to the face or vital points are forbidden. The use of magic or other skills is also forbidden. Not causing serious injury to your opponent is also part of your skill. I’m not saying you have to stop just before you hit, but please be careful not to hurt your opponent. And while the outcome of the match won’t affect your passing grade―Loki, you understand?”

Orlando-san looked at me.

I know what he means.

If it’s about beating King Ant, then I should win by a landslide.

Is that what he means?

If I just go through the motions, then it’ll look suspicious if I really beat King Ant.

But what should I do?

There are a lot of things I want to try this time.

I don’t want to take anyone lightly, and I want to get as much information out of them as possible.

“Then let’s begin!”

As soon as Orlando-san gave the command, Ino-san grinned and got ready.

He kicked up the ground right after lowering his waist and then charged at me while keeping his stance low.

I thought this was a mock battle to show off the examinees’ skills and test their abilities, but he attacked without paying any attention to that.

Maybe that’s why I didn’t have to worry about him, so I thought it was easy.

“(Is that all there is to it?)”

Before the mock battle began, I had already checked my status.

Among the various skill values that had suddenly increased, the ones that currently benefited from the status bonus were Strength, Magic Defense, and Dexterity.

On the other hand, defense, agility, and luck had not increased.

That’s why I had high expectations.

My characteristic and strength is that I can acquire a large number of skills.

On the other hand, my weakness is that I can’t choose my profession and enjoy its benefits.

Against an active B-rank hunter, how can I compete with my Defense and Agility, which don’t make much use of my strengths?

If I can’t compete, it means that the benefits of choosing an occupation are quite strong, and if I think I can, I can expect that the benefits of choosing an occupation won’t be as strong.

Well, at level 56, it should probably be a pretty high level for a B-rank.

I have to take that into consideration, but…

To sum up, Ino-san’s movements were pretty normal.

Maybe he’s actually fast, but the movements I can see are neither good nor bad.

The speed I feel is only slightly slower than the Small Wolf of Lulub I faced when I was around level 10.

Maybe it’s because of my experience fighting Ril, who came at me at such a speed that I thought she was teleporting.

Having experienced that kind of speed, I know how to deal with that level of speed.

I have enough time to think about a few moves.

However, I deliberately did nothing.

I followed the dagger in Ino-san’s hand with my eyes and thought about where I should let it hit me.

“(I guess the arm most likely to be unaffected if I take more damage than expected is the one that isn’t the dominant arm, right?)”

Then I’ll just leave it as it is.

I made some slight adjustments so that it would hit my arm…

“Ugh…”

I am about to experience the extent of the ‘strength’ of an active B-rank hunter.

“(I don’t think Ino-san is serious either, but there’s no pain that intense from just a shock… it’s just a small bruise, that’s all.)”

Even if there is a blade, I don’t think it will suddenly be a fatal wound, right?

I feel a sense of relief to be able to feel that kind of security.

If this is the case with a B-class opponent, then the possibility of me dying even if I get into trouble in the future seems to have been greatly reduced.

Now, all that’s left is to strengthen myself until that possibility becomes 0%.

“Hey, doesn’t this hurt?”

“Eh? Yeah, it’s fine.”

“…..”

“Well then, I’ll attack.”

“…..”

Ino-san suddenly jumps backward and takes a large distance.

His expression is completely serious, a complete change from before.

“(Has he become cautious…?)”

I felt that, but I couldn’t make any progress like that, so I closed the distance as I walked.

Clink… Clink… Clink…

It was a long gap for a dagger, about three meters.

When I got that close…

Ino-san, who had been crouching, stepped forward again, perhaps losing patience.

“Shh!”

The movement was much quicker than before.

The dagger in his reverse grip came close to my shoulder.

If I tried to move now, it would be too late.

So I twisted my body on the spot and hit the dagger.

Unlike a long sword, a dagger has no guard, so depending on the angle, I could just push it away.

I aimed for the little finger of Ino-san who was holding the dagger.

I aimed there and…

“Ouch!”

…I twisted it slightly and swung it out with a little force.

Is it because my skill bonus value is high that I can hit the target?

There are still so many things I don’t understand…

When I looked back, Ino-san had dropped the dagger from his hand and was crouching down, holding his fist.

“Are you okay?”

I tried not to use too much force.

Still, since it was his dominant arm, I feared that it might affect his future activities as a hunter.

“Ramoc, take a look!”

“Yes!”

One of the men acting as a referee approached Ino-san and, while holding him close, led him to the side of the training ground.

“I thought I was being careful, but are you okay? I could give you a potion… oh, no! I left it at the inn!”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Loki. It’s not like his arm was torn off, and that sort of thing is probably a common occurrence for hunters, right? On the contrary, I’m thankful that it was only that bad. It must have been a good opportunity for him as well.”

——No way.

Could it be that Orlando-san is a bad influence and that he chose the people for this time with the intention of training some B-rank hunters who are of poor quality?

I look at him suspiciously, but he still pretends that he doesn’t know anything, so I feel like I’m being deceived.

But if that’s the extent of my frustration, it’s still better than nothing.

The problem is.

“Get ready for the next one, Raran.”

It must be that person.

What happened to the atmosphere from before?

I silently watched Raran-san, who was still stuck to the stone wall and didn’t even seem to move.

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