Volume 2 Chapter 3 Not A Jack Of All Trades, But All-purpose
" Adventurers... promotion exam... meet at the forest entrance..."
The one who signaled us to assemble was a young woman dressed in a black jacket and white shirt.
She had short golden hair and droopy, sleepy eyes.
She looked like she could fall asleep right there, showing signs of dozing off.
Given her similar outfit to Ms. Terra, she was probably a guild staff member.
In fact, I had seen her a few times at the guild.
Although she always looked sleepy, she handled her reception duties accurately, and I heard that her gap between that and her pretty face made her a secret favorite among rookie adventurers.
I think her name is...
"Mm... Exam supervisor? Mhm, that's me, Elionte Lumière. You might know me already. Zzzzzz...."
Ms. Elionte said this with a soft laugh.
It was hard to tell if she was yawning or laughing.
Anyway, I was glad to see a familiar person as the examiner.
I had seen her being kind to adventurers, so I figured the exam wouldn't be too harsh.
"Mmm... alright, let me explain the promotion exam real quick. This time... I want you to play tag... in this forest..."
"Oh, tag?"
Everyone showed a similar reaction.
Tag for a promotion exam? It was a completely unexpected explanation.
Tag means someone will be chasing someone else, or maybe being chased?
"Mm... well, you could call it hide and seek too... Right now, there are... 'many of me'... hiding in this forest... and the first to find and catch one... passes the exam..."
"..."
There was a word mixed in that was more than just curious.
Many of me.
I wondered what that could mean, and I noticed other adventurers were also murmuring in confusion.
In response, Ms. Elionte continued to explain.
"My job class... is 'Sun Knight'... I specialize in light attribute magic... One of my spells creates doppelgangers. They're already scattered all over this forest..."
Hearing this explanation, I almost peeked into Ms. Elionte's Divine Revelation with my Divine Eye.
However, I held back with a steel will and just listened.
Peeking feels guilty, so I try to avoid looking at other people's Divine Revelations as much as possible.
Still, the fact that she can create doppelgangers is a type of magic I've never seen or heard of before.
But if she can use doppelganger magic, then I can understand the earlier explanation.
"My doppelgangers... they’re as strong as the monsters a rank 4 adventurer would face. If you safely catch one... and bring it back... you’ll all be promoted to rank 4 adventurers..."
It's a test to capture the examiner's doppelganger.
Now that I think about it, Rose's test was somewhat similar.
It involved defeating a summoned beast equivalent to the monsters faced by rank 4 adventurers.
This way, it's easy to measure the participants' abilities, so it makes sense.
The opponent is a doppelganger created by the guild staff, so even if we can't win in a fight, there's no worry about being killed.
In the test I took before, I had to defeat a designated monster, and I can't even count how many dangerous situations I faced.
Anyway, with the rules explained, the test is finally about to start.
When I reach the starting point, Cosmos grins mischievously and says,.
"The one who catches it first wins. The loser buys juice."
"Wait, that's not a rule."
Don't turn the promotion test into a competition between us.
If we both pass, we should just celebrate each other honestly.
I mean, normally I should be super nervous about the promotion exam, so why is this kid so relaxed? Even I, who have already moved up to rank 4, am feeling a bit anxious.
"Time limit... two hours... starts... now..."
Hearing that sleepy voice that makes me feel like I could zone out, we all dashed into the forest at once.
"Why are you faster than me?!"
About an hour into the exam, while I was chatting with Rose at the entrance, Cosmos came back with a glowing figure.
I felt exasperated and puffed up my cheeks at Cosmos.
"Why? Well, given the content of this exam, it's only natural that I'd have the upper hand."
"What's with that confidence! You even admitted the other day that I've gotten stronger!"
Well, I did say that, but still.
"If it's just about simple combat ability, then of course Cosmos is way stronger. I wouldn't feel like I could win if we fought head-on."
"Then...!"
"But in this game of tag exam, besides simple combat ability, there are also exploration ability and detection ability, and a bunch of other qualities that come into play, right?"
"Ugh..."
It seemed like Cosmos understood that too, letting out a groan as if I hit the nail on the head.
If it were a test of strength, I wouldn't stand a chance, but for this exam, I should actually have the advantage.
In fact, I had come back about ten minutes ago.
So while waiting for Cosmos, I was just having a casual chat with Rose, who came to cheer me on.
"By the way, Mr. Roezé, you were the first to come back, right? I wasn't surprised since it's you, but how exactly did you catch this glowing figure?"
"First, I secured my mobility with the support magic 'Accel,' and then combined it with the detection magic 'Searchingg' to look for the target. After that, I quickly found the glowing figure, or rather, the examiner's clone, so I used 'Hide' to sneak up from behind..."
"That sounds like the work of a seasoned kidnapper or something."
"Isn't that a bit too harsh on my reputation?
Now that you mention it, it does sound a bit like kidnapping, but I have no intention or history of doing such a thing.
I just used my support magic, which is my strength as a Trainer, to make my advancement exam go more smoothly.
"Well, that's why I was able to finish the exam faster. You can't underestimate the support magic of a Nurturer, right?"
"Ugh, I should be stronger if I fought properly..."
Well, I think if it were Stardust Magician Cosmos, a direct confrontation would show off their skills better.
But this time, the exam didn't really allow for the special strengths of a Stardust Magician to shine.
I mean, why did she even think to compete with me?
"Anyway, go report about the exam. Other participants are starting to come back, and it's getting crowded."
"Yeah, I know. More importantly, you better decide on the juice you want me to treat you to."
"Is it the one who's treating that says that, Cosmos?"
What a diligent girl.
Anyway, I decided to wait with Rose for Cosmos to finish their report while thinking about what I should ask to be treated to.
I thought I'd head home as soon as Cosmos got back when suddenly someone called out to me from the side.
"Are you the adventurer who came back first in this exam?"
"Huh?"
When I turned around, there was a young man with black hair dressed in light armor.
He looked about my age and had sharp eyes, giving off a very refreshing impression.
I wondered why he was talking to me, but I reflexively answered the question.
"Y-yeah. I was the first..."
"I thought so. I'm sorry for suddenly calling out to you. I was just looking for a capable adventurer, and you didn't seem to be part of any party, so I was wondering if you'd like to join my party."
"Ah..."
So it was a party invitation.
It's been a while since someone approached me like that, and I felt kind of happy.
However, I'm sorry, but I didn't nod in agreement.
"Uh, I'm sorry. I'm not planning to join any parties right now..."
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry for inviting you so abruptly."
"N-no, it's fine..."
The conversation ends rather abruptly.
As I ponder whether I should explain my reasons for declining, the young man seems to notice my hesitation and asks.
"Is there a special reason for that?"
"Well, right now I'm focused on something else in Hyamars town, and being an adventurer feels more like a side gig than my main job..."
"So, what is your main job then...?"
"Um, I'm a 'Nurturer'..."
The young man looks puzzled, clearly not understanding what a Nurturer is.
Realizing this, I quickly start to explain.
"Oh, um, a Nurturer is someone who helps other adventurers grow, so basically, I assist them in leveling up."
"Wow, really? I didn't know that kind of job existed."
I might be the only one doing this, but maybe somewhere out there, someone else is doing a similar job.
At least it seems like I managed to convey the gist of what a Nurturer is, so I bowed my head again.
"So, I'm currently looking to help out beginner adventurers in Hyamars town. I'm really sorry for turning down your invitation..."
"No, if you have something you want to do, prioritize that. In fact, I might ask for your help as a Nurturer someday."
"I-I would love that..."
After that exchange, the young man left the area.
I felt a bit guilty, but at the same time, I was unexpectedly happy to have promoted the Nurturer role.
If I could gradually get more people to know about Nurturers, maybe my client would increase over time.
Just being able to promote it to that young man might have made participating in this promotion exam worthwhile.
As I secretly clenched my fist, Cosmos returned, swapping places with the young man from earlier, tilting her head in confusion.
"Who was that just now? Hitting on you?"
"Why do I have to be hit on by a guy? I mean, I'd be surprised if a woman hit on me too."
I shrugged, exasperated by Cosmos's nonsensical comments.
"They just invited me to a party. They seemed to be looking for skilled adventurers, and since I was at the top of this exam's results, they approached me."
"Oh, I see. So, did you properly decline the invitation?"
"Yeah, I felt bad about it, though... Wait, what do you mean 'properly'? Why do you act like I had to decline?"
"Well, of course, that's because of me..."
...Because of you?
I wondered what she was about to say, and Cosmos suddenly blushed bright red, looking flustered.
"N-Never mind! Anyway, I've finished my report, so let's hurry back to town!"
"...O-Okay."
She seemed like a busybody.
I thought about heading home and glanced back at Rose to signal her to leave.
I hoped this exam would lead to some promotion for Nurturer as I started to walk──.
The moment I turned around, I saw a "large shadow" right in front of me.
"Whoa!"
Someone was standing directly behind me, and I couldn't help but let out an ugly sound.
I was startled; I hadn't sensed their presence at all.
Plus, the shadow was bigger than me, which made it even more shocking.
My heart was still racing as I looked up at the figure in front of me.
Then, I discovered something even more surprising.
The figure was a woman.
"..."
And she was silent.
She just stood there, looking down at me without saying a word.
From the gap in her blue bangs, her emotionless gaze was directed at me.
It was hard to grasp what she was thinking, and the lack of words created an unusual atmosphere.
Given her somewhat light attire and the "large shield" she was carrying, she was likely an adventurer.
But who was she?
Rose and Cosmos, who noticed the woman late, were bewildered by her strange aura and were frozen, lost for words.
She wasn't saying anything, but she was definitely looking down at me, so it was clear she had something to say.
However, since she didn't say anything at all, I decided to muster up my courage and speak to her.
"...Um, excuse me, is there something you need?"
"..."
When I asked, the woman turned around without saying a word.
After that, she just walked away briskly.
Left behind, I was at a loss for how to react and felt completely confused.
"W-What was that all about?"
"I-I don't know...?"
She was a rather mysterious adventurer, but what could she possibly want from me? I had no way of knowing the answer now.
Anyway, despite that lingering feeling, we managed to finish the promotion exam safely.
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