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Episode 88
Inferiority complex (4)
“Keeeeeek!”
Woof─.
Crunch──!
dump!
A hobgoblin killed in one blow.
Marco and Hancock stared at the monster lying at Riley’s feet with bewildered expressions.
“What, how could it be so easy… … .”
The attack was progressing smoothly.
It’s hard to believe that Riley is the only one in charge of all the tasks, including pathfinding, combat, and dismantling traps.
The mercenaries just stood behind Riley and watched her take off her sword.
“Phew.”
Riley took a deep breath and spoke to me with a satisfied expression on her face.
‘It’s fortunate that the monsters are weaker than I thought.’
[I know.]
In fact, it was somewhat expected that the dungeon raid would proceed more easily if Riley took the lead.
This dungeon was intermediate to advanced level.
For Riley, who already had experience clearing top-level dungeons like “Ruins,” this would be a piece of cake.
Moreover, this dungeon was in the form of a stage.
A dungeon with a continuous structure that presents the player with another choice through a fork in the path after overcoming one difficulty.
The characteristic of these dungeons was that the density of monsters was relatively low.
This means that it is an extremely advantageous location for a single-stage specialized wizard like Riley.
[Well, by the way… … .]
I stopped my thoughts and looked ahead.
[… … The dungeon’s structure is really complicated.]
A fork in the road that branches out into dozens of directions.
At this point, it’s understandable that Philip had no idea what was going on.
Just because it was a mid- to high-level dungeon, not everyone was of the same level.
Each dungeon has a specific theme, and the method of clearing it varies greatly depending on that theme.
In that sense, this dungeon had a rather extreme tendency.
Although the level of the monsters was lower than that of the lowest-level dungeon, its complex structure was comparable to that of a high-level dungeon.
A dungeon where combat is not involved and you must rely solely on Pathfinder’s skills.
It’s fortunate that Riley has excellent mana affinity, but if a normal wizard had been assigned to Pathfinder, the difficulty of the strategy would have doubled.
It must have taken months of wandering through the labyrinth.
Wandering through narrow tunnels.
While eating the meat of monsters.
“Ugh, Raoul.”
It was when I was thinking like that by myself.
Suddenly, Hancock’s trembling voice was heard from beside me.
“Ah, the fork in the road stretches out a whopping 22 ways… … .”
Hancock muttered with an anxious expression.
It seemed like the guy still thought Riley was a novice wizard.
but.
Normal people who don’t practice magic can’t really tell the difference between a magician’s level and another’s.
Because in their eyes, magic will all be the same.
Moreover, Riley was finishing the battle quickly using minimal magical power.
Since it is a common stereotype that higher-level wizards use more flashy magic, Hancock cannot help but view Riley as a lower-level wizard.
‘If you just think about it a little logically, you’ll quickly figure out the truth.’
[huh.]
Riley is doing what even Philip, Wilhelm’s top Pathfinder Guild wizard, couldn’t do.
Even in this situation, you think of her as a beginner who just learned magic for the first time today.
Even if you’re a mercenary, that’s the case.
Hancock, that guy seems really stupid.
He may be someone who doesn’t think flexibly.
“… … .”
Well, Marco, on the other hand, is silently following Riley’s words.
The guy already knows.
The fact that Riley is hiding her powers for some reason.
The reason I don’t bother to ask in detail about the reason is…
Perhaps it was also because he realized that Riley wanted to hide her identity.
You’re quite quick-witted.
After watching him for a while, I realized that Marco was a mercenary with quite a sharp edge.
In contrast, Hancock looked a little dull.
If these two continue on the path of mercenaries after this mission ends, I think the one who will survive longer will be Marco, who is quick-witted.
Mercenaries weren’t a job that was easy to get into simply because they had good fighting skills.
You have to be reasonably quick-witted and sometimes even clever to survive for a long time.
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“Raoul, do you think you can find your way this time?”
It was then that Hancock asked the question again, as if urging him on.
Instead of answering his question, Riley closed her eyes in silence.
Wooooowow─!
As Pathfinding unfolded, her magical power began to extend forward.
“… … .”
[… … .]
Through the power of bonding, Riley’s feelings began to be shared as they were.
New information is input into my head every moment.
I used this to brainstorm options with Riley.
The first path was dangerous.
It doesn’t seem like a second path either.
The third way is a bit ambiguous.
And the fourth way is… … .
[… … Here it is.]
‘… … Here it is.’
The answers came out at the same time.
Riley opened her eyes and took a step forward without hesitation.
The mercenaries began to follow her.
Thud, thud─.
“Cool… … .”
“… … .”
[… … .]
By the way, Philip was still unconscious.
The guy who collapsed while being carried on Hancock’s back.
According to Riley, when he knocked Phillip out, he pressed on a blood vessel that wouldn’t wake up easily…
Judging from the way his nose is still twitching, it looks like it’ll take a while for him to wake up.
“Okay, okay.”
[… … .]
By the way, why has Philip had such a bad expression on his face since a while ago?
‘I think I’m having a bad nightmare.’
[I know.]
Well, it wasn’t really our job.
We turned our attention away from Philip and focused on clearing the dungeon again.
* * *
The view was dark.
I couldn’t see anything.
In that wilderness of the unconscious, someone spoke to him.
-Hey, kid.
-Tell me your story.
Hearing that voice, Philip Borogedor began to tell his story as if possessed.
‘I am…….’
They say nothing torments people more than ambiguous talent?
Philip wholeheartedly agreed with that statement.
The low-ranking “Novice” who reached the age of mid-20s , and then joined “Pamela’s Familia”, the most famous Pathfinder Guild in Wilhelm.
okay.
Until then, Philip Borogedor was convinced that he had succeeded as a wizard.
“What? The Pamela’s Familia guild? Wow, that’s amazing. That’s the most famous Pathfinder guild in Wilhelm.”
“You did it, Philip. As expected, a wizard with such great skills as yours will be recognized one day.”
“Heh, heh heh… … . Thank you.”
All the members of the small school to which Philip belonged envied his talent.
The mere fact that he had joined the famous guild of Wilhelm made Philip special among them.
The new students looked at him with admiration, and his colleagues all congratulated him.
Of course, sometimes those with twisted personalities were jealous of him, but Philip didn’t really care.
Originally, jealousy was something only losers felt.
“Hello! My name is Philippe Borogedor, and I am a new recruit!”
“Oh, right. You’re Philip?”
but.
From the moment he entered the guild, Philip’s position changed in an instant.
“Well, it’s not bad.”
“… … ?”
“Let’s keep working hard from now on, Philip.”
Swish─.
Guild leader Pamela von Haselpart reached out to him.
But Philip couldn’t easily take his hand.
The guild leader’s words lingered in his mind.
-Not bad.
Not bad.
Those were the first words uttered by the guild leader who first encountered him.
‘… … It’s not that bad?’
Philip couldn’t hide his confusion when he heard those words.
Could it be that he was referring to his own talent?
His talent is so outstanding that everyone in his own small school recognizes it?
Philip couldn’t understand what the guild master was saying.
“… … .”
But as time goes on in the guild.
Philip began to understand the meaning of the guild master’s words.
“Philip! Why can’t you do this too! I told you to focus!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry… … .”
Philip was a frog in a well.
A frog trapped in a well called the Small School.
Wilhelm was just a typical pathfinder who was everywhere. A consumable that could be replaced at any time. The low-level 「Noivce」 wizards were at that level.
‘I, I… … .’
The world was wide and there were many geniuses.
And Philip’s talents did not even reach the level of those geniuses.
‘… … I am ordinary.’
Now I had no choice but to admit it.
But even so, Philip never gave up hope until the end.
‘You just have to work harder!’
If I work hard, it will work out. If I work harder, it will work out. Then, someday, I too can become a special person.
Foolishly, Philip harbored such illusions.
Gilbert Winifred.
Until I met that fucking genius kid.
“Okay, Philip.”
“……yes?”
“This is Gilbert Winifred, who will be your disciple from today. Get along well. Okay?”
One day, the guild leader brought in a boy who looked grumpy.
His name is Gilbert Winifred.
Philip naturally became Gilbert’s successor because he joined the Guild before him.
Although there was quite an age difference, these two lived together.
We slept together, ate together, and practiced together.
For the same amount of time, the same training continued.
Woohoo──!
But strangely enough.
It was Gilbert Winifred who was always ahead.
“Why can’t the death penalty do this too?”
“… … Huh, huh?”
Philip was often ignored by Gilbert, who was much younger than him.
However, Philip, who was a soft-hearted man, could not even harass Gilbert, who was acting so rudely.
Instead, Philip only blamed himself and tormented himself.
Why can’t I be like Gilbert?
Why do I always end up at the same place no matter how hard I practice?
A strange feeling rose up from within me.
A stuffy and sticky state of mind.
It was only too late that Philip realized it.
This is precisely the emotion of jealousy.
‘You’re jealous? Me?’
Jealousy was something only losers did.
then…….
Am I that loser now?
Am I going to become the same person as those guys who ignored me in the small school?
‘ah.’
My mind became complicated.
From that day on, Philip stopped competing with Gilbert.
I realized that it was easier to settle for reality and live a moderately leisurely life than to live a loser’s life endlessly competing.
‘No matter how hard I work, I can never catch up with a genius… … .’
He began to spend his days indolently, making excuses.
‘Yeah. It was a good thing that I reached the lower ranks in my mid-20s.’
‘It’s a good thing that you joined Wilhelm’s famous guild at this age.’
‘That’s right. For an ordinary person like me, this is the best.’
but.
No matter how many excuses he made, the fundamental desire deep in his heart was not resolved.
