The game 'Hero's Party' didn't just have a main quest about defeating the Demon King; it also had sub-quests.
By completing sub-quests, you could level up, earn money, and obtain items with useful effects.
That's why players would turn to sub-quests whenever the main quest started to feel a little difficult.
And the place to accept those sub-quests was none other than the Adventurer's Guild.
"Hello. How may I help you?"
At the Adventurer's Guild reception desk.
A beautiful, orange-haired receptionist greeted me with a smile.
"I'm here to accept a quest."
"Of course. Could I see your Adventurer's Pass, please?"
"Adventurer's Pass?"
"Hmm, have you not been issued one yet?"
"No."
"Then we'll need to issue you a pass first. Please follow me."
The receptionist came out from behind the desk and started up the stairs to the second floor.
I tilted my head in confusion and followed her.
An Adventurer's Pass? There was nothing like that in the game.
In the game, all you had to do was visit the guild and get a quest from the receptionist.
Is it because I haven't revealed I'm the Hero?
That seemed highly likely.
In the game, you start by announcing you're the Hero right from the get-go.
Should I reveal it now, then?
I considered it for a moment before shaking my head.
I don't even know the state of my own body yet; nothing good could come from revealing my identity. It'd be a pain if they gave me some difficult quest just because I'm the Hero.
Besides, they might figure out who I am just by looking at my status.
I'll see how things go and decide then.
"Please go in here and wait for a moment."
I entered the room the receptionist pointed to.
It seemed to be a guest room, as the table and chairs were in decent condition.
I sat down and waited. Soon, the door opened and a middle-aged man walked in.
A man with a large, impressive scar on his face.
"The name's Walter."
The man introduced himself out of the blue and extended his right hand for a handshake.
I shook it with my left hand.
He then squeezed his right hand, trying to crush my left with his grip.
Walter, age 42.
He was one of the Adventurer's Guild's branch managers.
He's young.
That was his first impression of Cloud. As a former adventurer and current branch manager, he knew the psychology of those who came seeking to become adventurers all too well.
Especially the younger they were.
Judging by his gear, he looks like he comes from a wealthy family. A family like that wouldn't let their kid become an adventurer, so he must have run away from home.
Some of these young masters, raised like hothouse flowers and naive to the ways of the world, hated being overshadowed by their parents' prestige.
They would run away from home with the baseless confidence that they could be the best at anything they tried.
But how could these pampered boys, who've lived with full bellies and warm backs, possibly know how harsh the real world is?
Most of them get knocked around a bit before giving up and crawling back home.
There are exceptions, of course, but those types are destined to succeed no matter what they do.
And in Walter's eyes, Cloud was the former, not the latter.
He'll run away eventually. What a pain...
Walter suppressed a sigh and extended his right hand to Cloud.
"I'm Walter."
"Cloud."
Cloud clasped Walter's right hand with his left.
Walter squeezed firmly.
It was a sort of power play he used on every new adventurer. But today, he put more force into it than usual.
Look at this brat's attitude.
Cloud's demeanor had rubbed him the wrong way.
Without loosening his grip, Walter studied Cloud. This act wasn't just for intimidation; it was also a way to size up his opponent.
Whether they got angry, flustered, or found it amusing.
By observing their reaction, he could get a sense of their personality.
But...
No reaction at all?
Cloud was staring back at him with the same expressionless face he'd had when Walter first saw him.
He wasn't squeezing back or even resisting, as if asking how long he intended to keep up this little farce.
So he's not just some kid...
For the first time in a long while, his judgment was wrong.
Feeling awkward, he let go of Cloud's hand.
But Cloud... I feel like I've heard that name somewhere... Ah, right. One of the new Heroes is named Cloud.
Could this young man be that Hero?
...No way. Why would a Hero be interested in becoming a mere adventurer?
Walter shook his head and sat down.
"First, let's start with a few simple questions."
Walter asked about the region Cloud had lived in, his family background, his parents' names, and so on.
It was all just a formality, things one could easily make up. The guild didn't have the manpower to verify if someone was lying, so they recorded whatever was said.
The reason for these questions was the same as for the handshake.
Unless someone was an exceptional liar, people showed subtle signs when they lied. It was up to the branch manager to notice these tells and make a note of the person's character.
'From the Duchy of Policia. Lived in the city of Riverton, parents are fairly influential merchants in the city.'
Walter tapped the desk with his index finger.
It didn't seem like the kid was lying. His answers came naturally every time he was asked.
The Hero Cloud is from the Prona Kingdom, so is this kid just someone with the same name?
That was the most likely explanation.
Actually, there was no need to even think about it. All he had to do was check the kid's status and the matter would be settled.
If his stats were abnormally high, there was a good chance he was the Hero. And if he was the Hero, then everything he'd just said was a lie.
A Hero who lies as naturally as he breathes.
That's pretty funny.
"That's all for the questions. The last thing I need to do is check your status. This is crucial for determining an adventurer's rank, so it can't be skipped. If you don't want me to see it, you can turn around and walk right back out the way you came."
"I don't mind. However, I'd like you to show me what you record."
"Hm? You don't know your own status?"
"It's been a while since I've seen it."
"Hmm... Alright, I will."
It wasn't that unusual.
Unless you asked someone else, it was difficult to see the status written on your own back.
Cloud began to remove his armor and tunic.
A more well-trained body than I expected.
I expected him to have a pretty boy's body to match his face, but I was surprised.
Once Cloud had taken off his shirt, Walter moved behind him to examine his status.
===========
Lv. 17
Strength: E (115)
Agility: E (105)
Endurance: F (85)
Magic Power: F (70)
============
Just as I thought, he's not the Hero.
There was no way the Hero who had supposedly defeated a Goblin Lord and thousands of goblins would be a mere level 17.
Walter felt a small sense of relief.
Still, he must have trained quite a bit to get to this point.
Level 17 was quite skilled among adventurers. After all, a level 17 could hold their own against a typical kingdom guard. On top of that, the kid was young, so he still had room to grow.
It's been a while since we had a decent one walk in.
His assessment had completely reversed from his first impression, but Walter didn't mind.
The understaffed Adventurer's Guild always welcomed skilled newcomers.
"All done. You can put your clothes back on."
Cloud began to slowly get dressed. Once he had his breastplate fastened, Walter showed him the status he had written down.
Cloud's eyes narrowed as he looked at it.
"...Are you saying these are my stats?"
"That's right. You're pretty impressive for a kid."
"You didn't write them down lower on purpose to work me cheap, did you?"
"If you don't believe me, I can call someone else in."
At that, Cloud pressed his lips together.
"What? Disappointed they're lower than you thought?"
"...Yes."
Cloud looked genuinely disheartened.
He's got a competitive streak, too. Excellent.
The corners of Walter's mouth lifted a little higher.
The Netorare Masochist route.
A route you could enter by neglecting character growth and focusing only on the heroine events.
Once on this route, the heroines are quickly subjected to NTR, and by the mid-game, they leave the Hero.
Unable to bear it, the Hero constantly lingers around them. Naturally, he ends up peeping on the heroines having passionate sex with the other heroes, and he gradually becomes addicted to the perversion of it all.
The other heroes notice this and, seeking to use the protagonist, suggest he join them. The protagonist accepts.
From then on, the protagonist is slowly molded into a netorare masochist by the heroines and the other heroes, and the game ends.
Naturally, it's a bad ending.
Why am I bringing this up?
Why? Because I'm on the goddamn express train to that bad ending, that's why.
Just look at my pathetic stats.
===========
Lv. 17
Strength: E (115)
Agility: E (105)
Endurance: F (85)
Magic Power: F (70)
============
How the hell are these the stats of a mid-game character?
By this point, he should have been at least level 30, maybe even 40. But that bastard Cloud was too busy fooling around with the heroines to level up.
No wonder this body felt so damn weak.
As I was sighing heavily, Walter took the paper with my stats on it.
"With stats like these, I think we can give you a B-rank."
"Is that so..."
"Don't be too discouraged. A B-rank at your age is incredible."
"Yes..."
"Well now... In any case, your Adventurer's Pass will be ready by tomorrow. Come back then."
"Understood."
I left the Adventurer's Guild and returned to the inn.
I flopped onto the inn's bed and thought.
Forget gear and all that crap, leveling up comes first.
I've played this game three times, so I know where to find every piece of equipment. My plan had been to go find that gear after checking my status.
But after seeing my stats, I had no choice but to change that plan.
What good is great gear?
Not a damn bit if my base stats are garbage. It's just a pearl necklace on a pig.
Besides, my current equipment isn't that bad. It's mass-produced stuff you can buy anywhere, but it's appropriate for this stage of the game.
Ah, speaking of equipment, I wonder if the Holy Sword is okay?
I pulled out the Holy Sword from under the bed. As I unwrapped the cloth, the pure white blade was revealed.
It looked fine on the outside.
What about the inside?
I channeled mana into the Holy Sword to inspect its interior.
...It was pretty badly damaged.
"I knew it."
In the game, the Holy Sword is treated as a limited-use attack-enhancing skill. It's especially powerful against demons and evil beings. But now, its uses were almost gone.
Four times.
From what I could tell, four more times was the absolute maximum.
So that's how he made it this far... by overusing the Holy Sword and barely scraping by...
This is ridiculous.
When things got tough, he should've thought about hunting monsters to level up, not just spamming the Holy Sword like an idiot.
I don't care how much he likes women.
Guy's got a small dick, too.
Sigh, whatever.
What's the point of thinking about it now?
Nothing's going to change.
I let my body sink into the bed and closed my eyes. This would probably be the last night I get to sleep peacefully.
"Here is your B-rank Adventurer's Pass."
I took the pass from the receptionist. It was engraved with the personal information I'd given her yesterday and a large letter 'B'.
I was about to leave when the receptionist called out to me.
"Sir Cloud, this is your first time as an adventurer, isn't it?"
"That's right."
"In that case, how about joining a goblin subjugation quest to gain some practical experience? It just so happens there's a party that's short one person."
The receptionist said, pointing in a certain direction.
I turned to where she was pointing and saw a group of four men and women sitting at a table.