Can Even a Mob Highschooler Like Me be a Normie if I Become an Adventurer?

Episode 19: Have you ever been so hated...?

『Now the first round, sixth match. First of all, players please enter! 』

　Prompted by the announcement, I was greeted by dazzling lights as I passed through the gateway.

　The interior design was reminiscent of the amphitheater in Rome, and when I actually stood here, I got the impression that it was really savage. The smell of dust added to the atmosphere.

　The bleachers were packed with spectators who won viewing tickets, and although I couldn't spot them, my family was among them.

　A few seconds after my entrance, Minamiyama appeared. He was glaring at me with a terrible look on his face.

　It really is Minamiyama. That guy, even though he didn’t say anything, he participated too.

『The next two are classmates who go to the same high school! The two of them, who usually study side by side, are forced to fight due to a twist of fate. Shigeno-san, the commentator, was also present at the registration of these two adventurers.』

　Hearing the emcee's words made me involuntarily look at the commentary seat.

What, Shigeno-san?　What is he doing??

『Well, I have an impression of the two of them.』

『Hoo, they left an impression on Shigeno-san, a former Self Defense Force officer with a record of clearing a B-rank dungeon? What kind of impression were they? 』

『I got the impression that Minamiyama-kun is solid and Kitagawa-kun is a gambler. 』

『Oh, you say he likes gambling? 』

『Well, I can't go into details, but I can say that he has the strength of will to throw everything away for the sake of his goal. I remember him well since this type either disappear early or rise to the top with overwhelming speed. 』

『Hoho, according to the information, Minamiyama-kun has been an adventurer for more than half a year and is a one-star adventurer, while Kitagawa-kun has already become a 2-star adventurer despite having only been an adventurer for about 2 months.』

『Two stars in two months is pretty fast, isn't it? 』

『How will these two contrasting characters battle it out? I'm looking forward to see it!』

　...... I smiled wryly at the personal information that was being leaked out of nowhere. But as expected, he didn't reveal the fact that I had suddenly taken the gamble of buying a pack of cards.

　However, I had no idea that Shigeno-san was a former Self Defense Force officer. Well, it's not so strange when I think about it.

　I heard that the guild actively recruits former adventurers. It is no surprise that retired high-ranked adventurers become employees of the guild to seek stability. After all, Japan is very strict about young unemployed people, no matter how much money they have. In this respect, the title of civil servant is a different kind of security.

　What is strange is that Shigeno-san is specifically invited here. ......Well, it doesn’t matter. It's always the case that ex-adventurers are called in for commentary.

　Rather than that. This emcee...... what is he saying? Forced to fight due a twist of fate? I'm sure you've got it all planned. What are the odds of suddenly meeting someone you know in the first round?

　But that's okay. Somewhere in the back of my heart, I wanted to settle the score with Minamiyama.

　The words that Minamiyama once said to us still remain as a lump in my heart.

　He seemed to have his own thoughts about me, too, and the tension between us as we stared at each other grew at an accelerating rate.

『Well ten, let the game begin! 』

　The bell rang, and at the same time, we called out our cards.

『Both players summoned their cards at the same time!　In Kitagawa’s side is Ghouler, Sandman, and...... Oh? I can't seem to see the last one. 』

『It seems to be hiding with a skill. 』

『On the other hand, Minamiyama's monsters seem to be a Boar Orc and two High Kobolds. 』

　I clicked my tongue when I saw the monsters Minamiyama had called out, especially the boar-headed beastman.

　Damn, a proliferation party.

　Boar orcs and high kobolds have the ability to summon lower races at regular intervals. It is a similar ability to the water tiger we had fought before, and although the ability of each one is reduced, their strength is that they can compensate for quality with numbers.

　There are two ways to deal with it. Either persist until the opponent's summoning limit is reached, or finish off with a quick attack.......

　I would choose the latter, of course!

“Summon them, guys!”

“Sandman!"

　The orders were simultaneous. Just before the three cards on the enemy side raised their summoning howls, Sandman's [Sleeping sands] were scattered all around them.

　The D-rank card, Boar Orc, shook his upper body for a moment in resistance. However, the two E-rank High Kobolds fell down with a thud, their white eyes glazed over.

“Hey, High Kobolds?!”

『Kitagawa's abnormal status skill confronted Minamiyama's vassal summoning!　The two High Kobolds were put to sleep! 』

『The Sandman’s acrtions are quick. Is it well-trained, or is it some kind of skill? 』

『However, the Boar Orc resisted and summoned one Orc. Hitting the High Kobolds will easily wake them up. Now what to do! 』

　What the emcee said, Minamiyama noticed and so he gave an instruction,

“Wake up the high kobolds quickly!”

　The Boar Orc and the Orc went to wake up the High Kobolds, but they were too late.

　Eliza was already closing in on the orcs.

　She kicked the Orc with the same momentum of a sprint. The weaker than normal orc could not withstand the blow of a ghouler with maximum combat power, and was obliterated with a single blow, spewing blood.

　Just like that, Eliza then approached the Boar Orc.

『Kitagawa-kun's Ghouler kicked the summoned Orc to death with a single blow!　Tremendous power! 』

『Oh, that Ghouler is well trained. The lower level undead are difficult to train, but this one is brilliant. However, the Boar Orc has a higher initial combat power than the Ghouler. What will happen? 』

　The Boar Orc held up an iron axe toward the approaching Eliza.

That axe...... wasn't brought in. He had it with him when he appeared. Then it is Boar Orc's initial equipment. In other words, there is no special effect.

　The two sides move in to each other’s range. The first one to set up was the strong boar-headed beastman. Taking advantage of the difference in reach, he swung his axe down. On the other hand, the beautiful blonde corpse-eating undead slides near the opponent's hip and then kicked him on the back of his knee.

　The Boar Orc lost his balance, and he fell to the ground. Then she swung her foot up to the sky and dropped her heel hard. The foot struck against the thick nose, and the momentum of the foot swinging slammed the giant body against the ground.

　The people in the venue who saw this fluid series of movements let out cheers of "Ooooh!”.

『Ghouler defeats the opponent with superior combat power with splendid techniques!　Strong and beautiful!　 Shigeno-san, I have not seen many adventurers using Ghouls, but is it such a strong card? 』

『No, Ghouls are the weakest of the D-rank cards. Its initial combat power is low, and its lack of ego prevents it from making complex moves. However, this Ghouler's movements just now were as smooth as, or even better than, those of a real human. This is clearly a correction due to skill. On top of that, those series of moves was clearly planted. But there was no command of any kind!　 I've never seen a ghoul that has been raised this far! 』

『Highly praised by Shigeno-san!　Is this already over?　But there are still two High Kobolds left, no, wait!　The High Kobolds have disappeared!　When did it happen?!』

『That black haze is ...... I see, it’s Nightmare. Perhaps it possessed the High Kobolds at the same time they fell asleep.』

『I thought I couldn't see Kitagawa's third monster, but I understand now, it turned out to be a Nightmare. 』

『He put them into a fast sleep with Sandman. While stalling for time with Ghouler, the Nightmare would take care of the High Kobolds. This must have been Kitagawa-kun's strategy. 』

　Minamiyama, who heard the live commentary, glared at me hatefully.

"Kitagawa......!

“........................."

　In response, I silently gave the next instruction.

　This game was already won. But even if I tell him to surrender now, Minamiyama won't listen.

　Therefore.

“Eliza."

　She accurately responded to my short command, which was to call her name.

　She quickly moved away from the Boar Orc that she was holding down with her leg and headed toward Minamiyama.

　Before that though, she beat the Boar Orc with a blow faster than it could get up.

“Hii......!”

　A translucent wall appeared around Minamiyama, who crouchds down to protect his head. It was a defensive magic that all the players have. After a moment of resistance, the wall was shattered into tiny pieces.

　I won.

　…Actually, I could have had the Boar Orc card destroyed, but that would have been too much. Even if we were no longer friends, Minamiyama is still a classmate. I don't hate him enough to make him lost his card. The direct attack was my way of showing mercy.

『Deci ——ded!　The battle between the classmates ended with Kitagawa-kun’s victory!　Both player’s cards were of D, E, E ranks combination. But when it was over, I got the impression that Kitagawa-kun won easily. 』

『Yes, I guess there is a big difference in experience. The combo of Sandman and Nightmare that Kitagawa showed is something you sometimes see when you dive into an E-rank dungeon, a combination that can destroy even a party that includes D-rank cards. Beginners should watch out for that.

Minamiyama, a one-star adventurer with a longer career, did not know this, while Kitagawa, who had a shorter career but have managed to come to E-rank dungeon, did know. . I guess that's what made the difference between this victory and defeat. 』

『I see... Although he lost, let’s applaud Minamiyama-kun for putting up a good fight! 』

　Amidst the sparse applause from the audience, I was looking down at Minamiyama.

　To be honest, I was disappointed...that was my true feeling.

　When I found out that my opponent was Minamiyama, I was shocked. He had started more than half a year earlier than me, so it was no surprise that he had used his cards more than I had.

　I seriously regretted not registering with my best cards, and when I saw a party consisting of a Boar Orc and two High Kobolds, a concept of quantity over quality, I panicked to see that he was serious.

　In fact, it would have been pretty dangerous if his whole cards had resistance to status ailments. I kept my eyes on his hand, wondering if he might use magic items to cure the status ailments.

　But, I was the one who won. When it was all over, I had a comfortable victory. As Shigeno-san said, the decisive factor in the victory was that Minamiyama did not know the scary thing about of status ailment.

　In other words, I won by my skill as a master.

　If this had been the strongest member of the team, including Renge and Yuki, I would not have thought so.

　The cards were also my power. But inevitably, somewhere in the back of my mind, I would have thought that I had won because of the difference in rank.

　But like this, I won with the same D, E, E combination as Minamiyama. I won on even terms.

　In the end, as an adventurer, I probably put in more effort.

　Ever since I became an adventurer, I have continued to dive into the dungeon every day. While Minamiyama, was hanging out with his classmates almost every day. He dives into the dungeon only a few times a month. I knew it from the conversations in class and his posts on SNS.

　Even in the past 20 days, Minamiyama had looked at me like I was a fool as I struggled desperately.

　That made the difference between victory and defeat.

“............ Shit, shit!”

　Minamiyama was crying. Did he regret losing to me who he looked down upon?  Or was he regretting that he should have tried harder? Or maybe both.

　Either way, I don't know how he really feels. ......Because we are no longer friends.

　I had a little respect for Minamiyama. He had the same mob character qualities as me, but he had made it into the normie group.

　And more than that, I was jealous.

　If he could do it, so can I. That was my driving force.

　But now it's different.

　I am no longer jealous. Because I realized that I was making more effort than he was.

"... Bye, Minamiyama. See you at school."

　I said that and turned my back to him.

“…………H, hey.”

“......?"

　I turned around when I heard him say something faintly.

　At that moment.

"Don’t fuck with me--! A mob character like you! How dare you, to me! I'm different from you! I'm different from you guys!"

"!?"

　Eh, wha-, what's going on?!

　I was seriously freaked out by his sudden frenzy. With his face covered in snot and saliva, his eyes bloodshot, his teeth bared, and his voice strangely high-pitched and hysterical, Minamiyama's appearance was more terrifying than some monster in the dungeon.

"M-Minamiya..."

"Boar Ooorc!"

"Wha!?"

The Boar Orc responded to Minamiyama's angry shout, leaped to his feet, and rushed toward me on all fours.

　----Dang -er.

　The moment I thought so intermittently in my confused head.

　A golden silhouette rushed over in an instant.

　It's Eliza. She rushed over with her [Protect] skill.

　Thump....... My heart was pounding. I'm gonna fall in love with her if she does this. As expected of the golden shield of our party, Eliza-san, coming at the perfect time in times of trouble!

　Eliza-san acted rationally, while I was making a face like a heroine in a shoujo manga.

　While pushing me away with one hand, she kicked the head of the rushing Boar Orc. The Boar Orc, his direction forcefully twisted by the force of the kick that seemed it could crush anything, got his head deeply buried into the ground.

　Before he could pull his head out of the ground, Eliza-san followed up immediately. She clasped his unprotected back and then bit him on the neck.

　Blood was spraying. The Boar Orc's writhing body was pinned down, and she bit his neck a second and third time.

　Thump!　My heart pounds. This time, it was not a heartbeat of excitement, but a pulse of fear at the sight of a horror movie. I can never get used to Eliza-san's violent side, which appears from time to time.

　Eventually, the Boar Orc's movements weakened... and disappeared.

　Silence fell over the venue.　

　Eliza-san looked up and asked me.

“Are you okay, Master?”

“Ah, yes.”

The moment I managed to nod,

『Ah, hey…!　Staff!　Quickly seize him! 』

　With the emcee's impatient voice, the buzz from the venue revived. At the same time, staff and security guards arrived and seized Minamiyama. I, too, was being taken away.

　As I was pulled to the players' passageway, I took a look at the program's staffs.

　While they were verbally expressing their concern for me, I could tell by the expressions on their faces, which were clearly more tense than mine, that I was in for one hell of a ride.

 I thought absentmindedly,

　‘......Can this tournament continue?’

[Tips] Rewards for conquering dungeons

　The reward for completing the dungeons increases as the rank increases.

・ A rank dungeon: 10 billion yen if you can break through.

・B rank dungeon:  Number of floors x 1,000,000 yen

・C rank dungeon: Number of floors x 100,000 yen

・D rank dungeon: Number of floors x 30,000 yen

・E rank dungeon: Number of floors x 20,000 yen

・F rank dungeon: Number of floors x 10,000 yen

　Professional adventurers, whose main income comes from the rewards of dungeon conquering, are sometimes referred to as ‘professors’ to distinguish them from ‘gladiators’.

　More than money, they are fascinated by the mystery of the existence of the dungeon, and many of them are trying to solve it. The reason they are called professors is because of the fact that some of them are actually teaching as guest professors at universities.