Chapter 103 Oooo, Wennn
――He had always admired heroes.
Owen Wick, the leader of the Adventurer Party "Bastard", had always admired heroes.
The heroes in myths, the heroes in stories, or the heroes in history.
And――the heroes who lived in this era, not in history.
The first hero he admired was probably the Sword Saint who defeated the Imperial Flame Dragon.
The legendary explorers whose stories were known not only in Necronia but also in neighboring countries. Their amazing adventures, which updated the unexplored floors of the "God's Remains Labyrinth" one after another, were truly inspiring.
Just listening to their heroic stories made Owen's heart burn with excitement when he was a young boy. It was easy to admire them.
He couldn't resist the impulse that grew in his heart, and he became an explorer.
He undoubtedly had talent, and he was also lucky to have good companions. Owen and his party "Bastard" made rapid progress, updating the floors of the labyrinth one after another, in just a few years since their formation.
Just then, Owen met a new hero he admired.
A massive stampede occurred in Necronia.
Monsters flooded the streets, and the sounds of screams and angry shouts filled the air, creating a scene like the end of the world.
At that time, Owen and his party were still low-ranking Advanced Explorers, and they couldn't make any notable achievements, just like many other explorers.
However, some explorers received awards from the Guild and the Council for their outstanding performances.
But Owen didn't admire them――
――"Extreme Sword"
A mysterious combat group that suddenly appeared, with unknown members and numbers. All that was known was that one of them was a swordsman, and the rumor spread, eventually earning them the name "Extreme Sword".
However, no one doubted their incredible strength.
The owner of the strength that annihilated numerous armies led by Ignitor the Imperial Flame Dragon, the Giant King Nord, and the undead Lich, among others, with an extremely small number of people.
――It's insane.
He couldn't help but feel that way.
When he heard the legend that only showed the results, a shiver ran down Owen's spine, and he was filled with a sense of admiration like when he was a child, which he still remembers vividly.
(Ha, haha...!! What's that...What's that...!!)
An impulse to scratch his chest. Admiration and longing for the person who achieved an unbelievable feat.
The Sword Saint Logan.
Until then, his object of admiration, which was overwhelmingly number one, suddenly changed to ≪Extreme Sword≫.
Rather than the explorer's broad abilities, he sought overwhelming strength alone.
The source of Owen's admiration, which he had been seeking, was now clearly shown before his eyes.
He wants to become stronger.
Just overwhelmingly strong.
That's what Owen realized he truly desired.
From then on, he became even more engrossed in his activities as an explorer. It wasn't for the sake of money or anything. He sought to experience battles with stronger monsters in deeper layers to become stronger.
While dreaming of the day he would be called a hero, Owen and the ≪Bastards≫ continued their rapid progress.
However.
What stood in the way of their rapid progress was the cruel reality.
A phenomenon commonly known as the "Talent Limit"――the appearance of the "Limit Mark".
Compared to many explorers of the same age, Owen had repeated growth at an incredible speed, experiencing Job evolution. His Job had already reached 'Advanced Swordsman', and it wasn't a dream to awaken to a Unique Job soon――he had come that far.
But his Job stopped growing without awakening to a Unique Job, just as he was about to reach it.
Reaching 'Advanced Swordsman' is undoubtedly a testament to his Talent. Moreover, Owen has acquired many skills, a rare feat even among Advanced Jobs.
If this weren't Necronia, his Talent would be hailed as genius.
Yet, Owen was consumed by despair.
(No way...!)
This is hopeless.
He'll never catch up to 'Sword Saints' or 'Extreme Sword', or any other heroes.
Unless he awakens to a Unique Job, he'll never reach the strength he desires.
――Now that he knows his dreams will never come true, should he give up? That's the realistic choice.
After all, Owen and his friends are already Advanced Explorers, earning a good income. At 19, they've achieved social success, with no need to be greedy.
But if it were that easy to give up, it wouldn't be a dream.
Owen refused to give up.
If individual strength has its limits, then perhaps party strength can make up for it.
Fortunately, 2 members of 'Bastard' have awakened to Unique Jobs. The others, like Owen, have reached the limit of their Advanced Jobs, but they're all still Advanced Jobs. As a party, their overall ability is high, and they can still aim higher.
Owen may not have acquired new skills, but he's made other efforts.
As party leader, he's honed his command skills, and as a Swordsman, he's practiced his fundamentals. He may not have mastered flashy skills that can take down deep-floor monsters with one hit, but he's learned how to support his teammates.
Thus, after defeating the undead Lich and his army on the 30th floor and reaching the 31st floor, 'Bastard' finally earned the title of Expert Explorer.
But from there, he would come to realize the limits of his Talent.
Their progress through the labyrinth would slow to a crawl, a stark contrast to before.
The route to update their hierarchy is already investigated and understood. Yet, they're still struggling against the giant monsters that keep coming at them. The only difference is that the damage they receive from them is reduced, but in return, they can die from just one hit, making it a tense situation all the time.
However, his friends who have awakened to Unique Jobs and acquired high-powered skills that even work on giants are not struggling like that.
The ones holding them back are those of them, including himself, whose growth has stopped at Advanced Jobs.
(Damn... damn it... damn it all!!)
He doesn't know how many times he's cursed.
Advanced Jobs and Unique Jobs.
He never thought that there would be such a huge and cruel wall of Talent between them. After all, even Advanced Jobs are considered to be in the genius category in the general public's eyes.
But when faced with true geniuses, he can't help but realize his own inferiority.
At this rate, he won't even be able to reach the front lines of the labyrinth conquest, let alone defeat the 35th floor's guardian, Nord.
It was during this time of despair that the retired sword saint, Logan, formed the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ as the Clan Master.
Owen could only watch their achievements from the outside with envious eyes.
And Logan's team managed to set up a teleportation circle on the 46th floor, albeit with some sacrifices.
Although it was a collaborative effort by the entire clan, it's clear that everyone involved has the strength to at least clear the Dragon Mountain floor. They're explorers on a completely different level from him, who are stuck on the giant floors.
There must be some among them who have also reached the limit of their Talent with Advanced Jobs, but Owen, who has lost all confidence, couldn't even imagine that he or his friends could ever be like them.
And so, time passed, until the shocking news spread that the sword saint and the Hermit had both gone missing.
It wasn't even a month since then that the "Great Outbreak" occurred in [God's Remains Labyrinth].
At that time, the ones who excelled in subjugating the monsters that caused the Great Outbreak on each floor were the powerful members of the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫, and especially the names of the Sage and Aaron Gale became widely known for taking down numerous Unique Individuals at the forefront.
Among these two, rumors soon spread that Aaron Gale might be the ≪Extreme Sword≫.
(What a joke)
At first, Owen didn't believe it.
The strength of the ≪Extreme Sword≫ is legendary. It's on par with the tales of heroes from the age of the gods.
It's hard to believe that a suddenly appearing explorer is the real deal. Moreover, Aaron doesn't seem to have the charisma to convince those around him that he's the ≪Extreme Sword≫.
It's more believable that the Sword Saint is the ≪Extreme Sword≫.
Despite Owen thinking this way, the rumor that Aaron Gale is the ≪Extreme Sword≫ continues to spread.
Many explorers who were saved by Aaron after almost being killed by Unique Individuals excitedly talk about the battles they witnessed. Or, many explorers who pretended to be the ≪Extreme Sword≫ challenged Aaron and were defeated, which increased the credibility of the rumor among the onlookers.
(What a load of crap! That guy is the ≪Extreme Sword≫? No way!)
Even so, Owen refuses to believe it.
He didn't want to believe that his unattainable idol, whose true identity he had been searching for, was actually a man with no charisma like that.
What he couldn't forgive the most was Aaron Gale lying to those around him, saying he was a 'Beginner Swordman' Job. And to make matters worse, he even got a tattoo of a fake 'Basic Limit Mark' on the back of his left hand. He had no idea what he was thinking, but anyway...
(I just can't stand it...)
There's no way a 'Beginner Swordman' could get as strong as he is.
He knows that better than anyone, since he's an 'Advanced Swordsman' who's already reached his limit.
If a genius like him looked down on ordinary people, Owen would probably feel frustrated and resentful, but he could understand it. After all, Owen himself is considered a talented explorer by the general public.
But what's unforgivable is that a genius like him would pretend to be an ordinary person and look down on both geniuses and ordinary people at the same time.
Aaron Gale's actions felt like he was making a fool of himself.
As time passed, the explorer guild led a mission to defeat the Nord, the true core of the "Great Outbreak".
By this time, Owen and the others in ≪Bastard≫ had managed to break through the 35th floor.
However, it wasn't because of their actual strength. In order to increase the number of explorers who could delve into the 36th floor and beyond for the Nord mission, the guild forced several parties to form a raid and break through by brute force.
At that time, Owen and the others formed a raid with 2 other adventurer parties of the same age, ≪Holy Knights≫ and ≪Silfied≫.
With a total of 17 people, they somehow managed to defeat the normal Nord.
However, they couldn't take him down in the first wave of attacks, and it was a narrow victory.
Anyway, Owen and the others ended up participating in the Nord mission.
There, they witnessed 2 explorers with overwhelming power.
One of them was the 'Sword Dance Maiden', Fiona Ackerman.
When the Unique Individual that had been possessing Nord revealed its True Identity, it was a fierce battle that pushed the Unique Individual to the brink.
And then there was another person, Aaron Gale.
The impression he left when he delivered the finishing blow to the Unique Individual was also remarkable, but even more so, the battle where he single-handedly held off the Nord with its unique body, and the image of him striking Nord with a massive, jet-black aura spear from high above, left him with a sense of shock that turned his initial feelings of disgust upside down.
――He's strong.
Simply, overwhelmingly strong.
His strength was on a completely different level from the explorers around me, including myself.
The only one who had shown comparable strength was the 'Sword Dance Maiden', but from what Owen saw, it seemed that even the 'Sword Dance Maiden' couldn't match Aaron's strength.
The virtual image known as ≪Extreme Sword≫ formed a real image in Owen's mind, accompanied by Aaron Gale's figure.
At that moment, Owen undoubtedly felt admiration for Aaron Gale.
That's why, 3 days later, when Aaron asked at the Nord subjugation celebration, "Do you want to get stronger?!", and urged them to join his clan, saying "Each and every one of us will become a Strongest, a one-man army!", Owen was driven by enthusiasm and decided to join the clan.
There must have been many who shared Owen's feelings.
In the explorer industry――no, not just explorers, but for those who make a living using combat and martial prowess, being strong is enough to grant charisma.
It was because they knew of Aaron Gale's strength from that battle that everyone who participated in the battle joined the clan without hesitation.
They were convinced that with this man leading the clan, they would surely achieve legendary feats in the future.
They thought that by being a part of this clan, they could become heroes themselves.
* * *
"――That's what you're saying, but!! If I actually join the clan, all I'll be doing is practicing with a wooden sword and fighting Treant, or just making wooden swords in the workshop! Is this really going to make me stronger?! We're not aiming to be craftsmen, you know!! I'm already at my limit!! I don't think I can follow that Master anymore!! You guys must think the same way, right!!?"
At the "Drunken Graveyard", a tavern that caters to explorers, Owen Wick, the leader of the "Bastard" party, exclaimed in frustration.
The people he was talking to were not his party members, but the leaders of the "Holy Knights" and "Silfied" parties, who were part of the "Wooden Sword Way" clan.
That day, the 3 parties had gathered at the tavern to drink together.
His goal was to invite the "Holy Knights" and "Silfied" parties to leave the clan together. If only his party left, the damage to the clan wouldn't be that great. However, if all 3 parties left at once, the psychological impact on the other clan members would be significant.
Maybe, it would even lead to a chain reaction, causing other clan members to leave, and ultimately, the clan would disband. That would be the best outcome.
Owen wanted to see that annoying Clan Master's face contort in anger.
That's why he had set up this meeting.
The people he was trying to persuade were the 2 leaders of the other parties. Their party members were sitting at nearby tables, so everyone could probably hear Owen's words, but his main conversation partners were the 2 leaders sitting at the same table.
As mentioned earlier, one of them was Elliot, the leader of the "Holy Knights".
"Well, to be honest, it's not what I expected. I was hoping for something more exciting, but all we do is make wooden swords. I can understand why you'd feel that way," said Elliot, a young man with brown hair and brown eyes, who looked like a gentle soul.
He's exactly 20 years old, just one year older than Owen.
He's a Holy Knight, a Unique Job in the shield-wielding class, and speaks in a pretentious, over-the-top way, but he's not actually from a noble family or anything. He's the third son of a farming family from a rural village.
Anyway, Owen, who had agreed with him, chimed in.
"Right!?"
"Yeah, with this, we can deliberately wander around the lower floors, teach the new Basic Explorers the ropes, and swoop in to save them in the nick of time. That way, we'll get all the attention and admiration we crave. I agree with your opinion that this is the best way to satisfy our desire for recognition."
"No way, I didn't say that!?"
Not just Elliot, but all the members of the Holy Knights had actually done this kind of thing many times before.
While there are some Explorers who do it for the attention, Elliot was the one who took it to an extreme.
"Enough of that idiot's talk, anyway..."
The one who suddenly spoke up was the last one remaining.
She was Zara, the party leader of the Silfied clan, a female Explorer who was also 19 years old, just like Owen. Her Job was the bow-wielding Unique Job, "Hide Archer".
"We haven't even done any proper dungeon exploration since we joined the clan. We just buy Treant materials from the clan and exchange magic stones for cash. It's a problem that we're not making enough money, considering we're in a party. I thought we'd make a lot more money by joining the clan..."
Zara had a petite build that made her look like a young girl, but she always had dark circles under her eyes, and her gaze was sharp, more like a delinquent's. And she had a foul mouth.
But Owen agreed with her statement.
After all, they couldn't survive on thin air, so not having a decent income was a problem.
"Right!?"
"Yeah, in that case, I agree with your opinion that we should steal the materials from the Ice Elemental Treant that the Master's been hoarding and use them as our severance pay when we leave the clan."
"No way, I didn't say that?"
If they're trying to pin the blame on him when the theft is exposed, he'll make sure to deny Zara's ridiculous statement.
That being said, it seems like both of them are willing to leave the clan.
Owen, feeling a sense of momentum, leaned in and continued,
"So, why don't you guys leave the clan with us? If 17 people quit at once, others will follow suit. Let's give that Master a piece of our minds!"
"..."
"..."
In response to Owen's words, Elliot and Zara exchanged glances. Then, as if they were communicating silently, they turned to face him.
"Well, I was thinking it was about time for me to leave anyway. I'm not interested in giving the Master a hard time, but I have no objections to leaving the clan."
"I didn't need you to tell me that. My party were planning to leave anyway, since we're tired of living in poverty."
"Alright, then it's settled!"
With the agreement of the 2, Owen grinned.
At that moment, a female store clerk brought over a round of beers, as if she had been waiting for the perfect timing.
Beers were placed in front of Owen, Elliot, and Zara.
This wasn't because Owen had ordered them to celebrate their decision to leave the clan...
"Huh? We didn't order these."
Owen didn't remember ordering them, even though he was drunk.
The 3 of them looked at the clerk with puzzled expressions, asking her who had ordered the beers. The clerk pointed to a person sitting at a table in the distance, who was drinking alone.
"It's from that customer over there."
"Huh? ...Who?"
The person was wearing a robe and had their hood up, hiding their face.
All that could be seen was that they were a man with a good build.
When the clerk mentioned Owen's name, the person slowly removed their hood and turned to face them.
"""!!!"""
Owen and the others' expressions froze in shock.
The person, on the other hand, tilted their head exaggeratedly and smiled wryly, speaking in a slow and deliberate tone.
"Ooo, Wen?"
The creepy cat-petting voice was so out of place that it sent shivers down his spine.
"O-oh, o-oh, o-oh."
He reflexively scraped his chair against the floor as he stood up, shouting.
"M-Master?"
It was as if Owen, who had been trained, couldn't help but shout out loud. The master of the Wooden Sword Way workshop――no, it wasn't him.
"Master!? Why are you here?"
"Ah, you, when did you get there?"
Elliot and Zara shouted, just like Owen, because Aaron Gale had appeared out of nowhere.
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