Chapter 4: Daily Adventurer

Cecile overslept. The sun was already high in the sky when she woke up. She looked around; the room still seemed orderly except for the pillow lying on the floor. She thought what happened to her last night was a dream, but the unmistakable stench of her love juice still persisted in the room. Grabbing her clothes, which had avoided the disaster, she went down to ask the innkeeper for a mop.

After cleaning her room, she hurried to the knight order's headquarters to ask for Captain Sheena. However, she was denied entry since she was merely a civilian. Inquiring about the lewd worm brought no results; the stationed knights merely shrugged her off with an "I don't know.". She then remembered that the existence of the lewd bug was a secret, so it was obvious that regular knights wouldn't know about it.

With a heavy heart, she left the knight's headquarters and went to the adventurers' guild. She had no choice. She felt fine now, but worry continued to linger inside her. If the lewd worm attacked her in the forest, she would be incapacitated, and monsters would kill her. As a female, a fate worse than death might befall her; she could become a breeding ground for goblins and orcs until the knights saved her again.

She didn't know that if it were not for the sentient Hiro inhabiting her, she would suffer an even worse fate. Fortunately for Cecile and the city of Horaine, Hiro was a sentient parasitic tentacle. A normal parasitic tentacle would have consumed her in a day and propagated throughout the whole city. Without intervention, a densely populated city like Horaine could fall within a week.

Cecile walked with a heavy heart to the counter, where a woman named Agathe was professionally sorting documents. It was already noon, so no adventurers were coming to her. Cecile spoke up, trembling.

“I am adventurer Cecile. The quest has failed." She reported.

"Yes. I have heard from the knights. The quest to guard merchant Omnus has failed. The penalty for failure is two gold. Will you pay it now, or will you deduct it from future quests?" the receptionist said coldly. Adventurers must take their work seriously. If they fail, it tarnishes their reputation. For beginners like Cecile, it was akin to a death sentence.

"I... I will deduct it from future quests."

"Very well. All future quest commissions will be deducted by fifty percent until the debt is paid. I suggest you take on easier quests, such as slaying goblins or wolves. You can run away in those cases, unlike escort quests. Bandit strength varies, and we understand that you merely had terrible luck. However, it would not do for clients to know their guard could lose.

Moreover, the escort quest's level requirement was ten, and yet, through the power of your party leader, who is level 14, you somehow sneaked into the quest. The higher-ups aren't pleased with such rule-breaking. All escort quest level requirements will be increased to level 15, and all members need to be equal to or higher than the level requirements." The guild receptionist sighed. Cecile merely nodded.

She then walked to the commission board. As advised, she chose a goblin extermination quest. The reward was 4 silver for five confirmed kills. Her cheap inn was priced at 4 silver a day. If this didn't go well, she would be homeless in two days. She then picked two more slime commission quests, which rewarded 1 silver for ten cores.

She then headed out. With her short bow and sword, she went into the nearby forest. A slime poked out its head. The gelatinous membrane of the slime was easy to cut. Its speed was also slow, like a snail. All you needed to do was cut its outer skin and remove its core. Hunting them was child's play, but Cecile did it nevertheless.

The day ended after Cecile completed her work. Hiro frowned at her activity; she didn't take any risks. Hiro calculated she would be in the red for this day. Sure, she had enough for her inn, but she needed to feed him too now. He chose not to do anything to Cecile today since her nutrients were dangerously low at 30 after he took his portion for the day. When he did, he noticed the cell storage's number ticked to 2. Hiro smiled, knowing he was at least getting a bit stronger, even without doing anything. Judging by his previous research, this meant he could grow his tentacle to two meters now.

[Cecile has leveled up to level 6

Level: 6/100

STR: 15->20

Dex: 18->22

Mag: 2]

Usually, a person only gets 2 points out of every level. But Cecile got 5. This was all because of Hiro's new skill, the enhanced growth. Cecile was only level 6, compared to someone like Captain Sheena, who easily surpassed level 70. With Hiro, Cecile had the potential to surpass her. Hiro shouldn't be too excited, though. While potential is always there, who knows what fate lies ahead? Cecile might be killed by the entire knight order if they knew she harbored a parasitic tentacle within her body.

The next day, Cecile woke up early. Her hunger grew worse, but she persevered. Her smile brightened as the bug didn't do anything to her yesterday. Unlike before, she came to the adventurer guild early and chose three goblin quests and four slime quests, only to be stopped by a party consisting of a handsome man and two beautiful girls.

"Hello, I see you took on solo quests. We need an all-rounder. Wanna do some orc quests with us? We shall split the reward equally." The party leader jabbered. He was a handsome teenager. The girls beside him seemed to be of similar age. Hiro frowned at the apparent harem-making wannabe. The receptionist smiled, though.

"I recommended you to them. This is Alex. He is the son of Count Balto, and he is currently undergoing training in the adventurers guild. They needed an all-rounder. You have skills as a vanguard and a bow. You would be a perfect fit." Agathe smiled at him, then at Cecile.

"Orc quest level recommendations are 12, right? I am sorry, but I am only level 6."

"Don't worry. I am level 15, and our archer is level 10. We plan to form a long-lasting party here. Trust is important, after all. It would be good if we grew together." Alex's smile was mesmerizing. If this was a Shoujo manga, he would have flowers drawn on the background.

"Okay…" Cecile nodded. Orc Quest was priced at 1 gold per body. Even when it was divided by four, it would still net Cecile 25 silver. Orcs rewarded such a good price because all of their meat was edible, with each monster weighing over three hundred kilos; the amount of meat one could obtain was enormous. Moreover, the guild will also lend them the cart so they can bring it back for free. She desperately needed money, so she took it.

They plowed through the forest. One downside of hunting orcs was their distance from Horaine. It would take Cecile almost a day to get there and another to return. If done the usual way, the precious meat would spoil. However, this party had a mage from the mage university named Rebecca, a beginner mage. The plan was for Rebecca to cast a freezing spell to preserve the meat on the way back to the adventurer guild.

After a day of travel, they camped out in the wild. Cecile ate the bird and rabbit she had caught, roasting them vigorously over the bonfire. As the night grew darker, she tried to make small talk with her newfound party members.

"Rebecca, why did you become an adventurer?" Cecile asked the blonde-haired beauty. Unlike Cecile, who came from a poor village, Rebecca was the fifth daughter of a count. Her haughty attitude, petite body, straight blonde hair, and blue eyes all screamed of nobility. As the fifth daughter, she had no chance of inheriting any title. She had made friends with Nana and Alex at Horaine Academy, which was different from the adventurer academy Cecile attended, especially in terms of the price of admission.

"Well, I was supposed to be accepted into the Knight's Order, but I failed the exam," Rebecca replied with a wry smile. The world is harsh, even for someone as privileged as Rebecca.

"I-I see. I thought the kingdom needed every mage they could find. They are rare, after all," Cecile nodded. Only one in ten people had the aptitude for magic. Cecile was not one of them. Sure, she had magic stats, but to use magic, she also needed to have mana sensing and mana manipulation skills.

"The kingdom needs high-level mages. Well, I'm not giving up, though! Once I gain levels from adventuring, I plan to apply for the examinations again!" Rebecca puffed out her nonexistent chest.

"I see. It's nice to have a dream. I just want to become rich. Ehehehe," Cecile smiled sheepishly.

"Becoming rich is fine, too. I am the same. Ah, my name is Nana. Nice to meet you. I am a commoner, by the way, so there is no need for any honorifics." Nana was the daughter of a merchant. Since she couldn't inherit the store, like Rebecca, she planned on getting rich by applying to the Knight's Order and mooching Alex.

Alex, on the other hand, was the epitome of a sheltered and spoiled noble who had never faced any hardship in life. He was handsome, had prestige, and although sheltered, he wasn't pompous or arrogant. Similar to Rebecca, who had failed the mage's exam, he also faltered in the knight's exam. However, being the first son of a count, he was still destined to receive a knighthood and inherited his father's knight order. So, Unlike Rebecca, his future was secure. Hiro deduced that was the main reason Nana and Rebecca gravitated towards Alex. Hiro spent the entire night contemplating how to dispatch Alex in his sleep but found no opportunity. Besides, despite being an evil parasitic tentacle, Hiro still possessed a human heart. He couldn't bring himself to harm others without good reason.

Morning arrived, and they reached the plains where orcs gathered. Orcs possessed bulky bodies and tusks protruding from their mouths. Nana skillfully sniped one with her longbow, the arrow tracing an arc through the air and striking the orc directly in the skull. This tactic, known as kiting, involved luring monsters from a distance to thin their numbers and gain a tactical advantage. Cecile also utilized this strategy against a group of goblins yesterday by dispatching three goblins with her bow from afar, thereby only needing to engage with two remaining goblins.

"Nice kiting!" Alex said. Hiro almost popped his eye; he barely had any as a worm, but he was surprised. Nana hit it square in the head, but somehow, the orc was still alive. It was so strong that the arrow didn't pierce through its brain.

"Alex! Go!" His fangirls started to cheer him up. Even though Hiro was disgusted, Cecile was beginning to follow their example.

"Cecile, Back me up!" Alex ordered. He dashed toward the running orc with his two-handed sword like some hero in a fairy tale.

When the orc came close, Hiro activated Amphetamine injection skill on Cecile. The effect was immediate. This is a skill and not real medicine, after all. Cecile moved faster and better because of it, surpassing even Alex. However, the orc locked on Alex and ignored Cecile. Her sword couldn't penetrate the orc's skin. Hiro then injected Adrenaline into Cecile, Raising her strength stats.

As the orc moved to eliminate Alex, Cecile jumped from its blindspot and pierced its throat from behind. With the help of the adrenaline injection, Cecile managed to lodge her sword down its throat. The orc roared. Even after another arrow pierced its eye and a sword jabbed through its throat, it didn't go down. Only after Alex jabbed it through the heart with his longsword did it go down.

[Cecile has leveled up to level 7

Level: 7/100

STR: 20->24

Dex: 22->25

Mag: 2]

Another level for Cecile. Hiro cheered at her growth. However, his excitement was dampened in an instant when Nana came to Alex like a whore.

"Alex! You are so cool!" Nana yelped and hugged him. Disgust roused up within Hiro, and he began to seriously ponder whether he would kill Alex later. Nana was in his strike zone. She was a black-haired beauty with nice boobs and ass. He would love to train her just like he did with Cecile.

"Nice! This was easier than I thought. How many can you freeze, Rebecca? Thank God we brought a cart. Carrying such heavy meat would be so tiring!" Alex asked, his arm traveling around Nana's waist, half-hugging her. His hand disgustingly approached her ample bosom, but Nana only blushed. She didn't resist and seemed to enjoy his caress. Rebecca didn't seem to mind either as she answered while pondering her ability.

"I think I could freeze about three bodies... Um... but I won't have mana left for fights."

"Then three it is. We are going to party tomorrow! And you, Cecile, nice job." Alex then approached Cecile and hugged her. "Orcs are dangerous. I thought we would only be hunting one today, but it was easier thanks to you."

"Thank you. It was nice to—Hyaa!!" Cecile thanked him, only to squeal. It wasn't because she was shy; in fact, she liked it when Alex embraced her. She cried because Hiro, in his jealousy, vibrated his tentacle, sending sensations to her nether region, making her yelp. Alex released his hug and apologized for being too friendly.

"Ah. By the way, orcs are tasty, right? How about we cut a quarter and eat it now before hunting ano—AAGH!!" An arrow flew and hit him in the calf, eliciting a shriek of pain.

"Alex!" The girls all surrounded him. Nana, being the archer with the best eyes, scanned the surroundings and saw a group of bandits approaching.

They were remnants of the bandits Captain Sheena had brought down. All of them were above level ten, so a beginner group like Cecile's would lose even if Alex were in top form. Despair washed over the group as two of the bandits even rode horses. With Alex wounded, there was no chance of escape. Within minutes, over fifteen bandits surrounded them. Half-crying, Cecile dropped her sword. The others followed suit.

"Hello there! May I know why you are in my territory?" The bandit leader tried to be polite, but his attempt was met with ridicule from his comrades.

"Boss! Are you trying to play a noble? Hahaha!"

"Well, the lady over there seems like a noble, right? They might not understand the bandit words we use. Hahaha!"

"Damn it! Cowards! The knights will eradicate you, scum!" Alex cursed. Despite being spoiled, his hatred towards the bandits was apparent. Nobody here knew, but he had lost his nanny in a bandit attack ten years ago. That's why he was so apprehensive towards them.

"Well, aren't you a brave fella?" Despite his apparent hatred, Alex wasn't the protagonist of the story. The bandit merely smirked as he shouldered his battle axe and lopped off Alex's head. "There goes your head! Capture the girls, lad! We will sell them in the next city! Hahaha."

"AHH!!! Alex!!" Nana screamed as she ran towards him, but she was quickly subdued by the surrounding bandits.

"Scum! You killed unarmed people! Where is your honor?" Rebecca cursed, but the bandits merely smirked. With a wave of his hand, the three girls were quickly bound by ropes and carried away like sacks of potatoes. The lustful bandits occasionally smacked their butts for their disgusting enjoyment as they carried Cecile, Rebecca, and Nana to their camp.