Poor Noble Nord’s Adventure

12. Companions

“Hey, you. What are you groaning about over there?”

In the adventurer’s guild tavern, Nord sat at a wooden table, staring at a request form. A voice called out to him.

When Nord turned around in response to the voice, he saw a girl standing there. She was beautiful. Her wavy red hair reached down to her chest, and her eyes had a determined shape that left a strong impression.

She carried a spear wrapped with cloth at the tip, and wore light leather armor with plating only at key points, with a curved metal breastplate layered on top.

It was about halfway between morning and noon, and most adventurers had already set out on their quests. The guild was quiet, with only Nord and one other adventurer, a bearded man who was on self-imposed rest and drinking in the middle of the day.

The bearded adventurer wasn’t making any noise, just quietly drinking with some snacks. This allowed the girl to hear Nord’s continuous, unconscious groans, which must have piqued her interest.

“Hmm? Oh, sorry about that. I’ve been stuck on something.”

Nord had been sitting there, lost in thought for almost an hour.

Yesterday, Alec had asked him to make money for their house, so getting promoted to Gemstone Adventurer was a must. He had checked the guild today to see if there were any new rank-up quests, but unfortunately, there were none.

Therefore, Nord had no choice but to accept the quest to slay Rock Wolves, and he was racking his brain trying to figure out how to complete it.

However, he just couldn’t picture himself taking down a whole pack of Rock Wolves solo. Every time he thought of a possible solution, he’d immediately find a flaw in it and groan again.

“What’s bothering you?”

The spear-wielding girl asked as she took a seat next to Nord. Her curious eyes peeked out from behind her red bangs, which were long enough to stay out of her view but not too long to be in the way.

Adventurers come in all kinds, but she seemed like the type who was eager to poke her nose into things out of curiosity. Without hesitation, she sat next to Nord, clearly ready to listen.

––Well, this could be a good distraction.

Nord decided to explain honestly, while keeping the Felice family situation to himself. He told her he needed to gather money by next month, wanted to be promoted to Gemstone Adventurer, and that the only available rank-up quest was the Rock Wolf hunt. But he was the only adventurer eligible to take it, and he couldn’t think of a good strategy to deal with the Rock Wolves solo.

There was no reason to hide any of this, as long as he avoided mentioning the Felice family’s “scandal.”

Also, she didn’t seem like a bad person. Of course, judging someone by appearance is risky, but even keeping that in mind, Nord didn’t feel the need to be on guard with her.

“Hmm, I see. That sounds rough. So, what kind of monster is this Rock Wolf? And what are these ideas you’ve come up with?”

Though his story couldn’t have been that interesting, she seemed to get more invested, urging him to continue.

Nord had gotten the information about Rock Wolves by buying drinks for people in the tavern, so he hesitated for a moment about sharing it for free. But, without much hesitation, he generously explained to her.

Maybe, he thought, she might come up with an idea that he hadn’t thought of.

Still, that was just wishful thinking. He wasn’t expecting too much.

Unfortunately, after hearing Nord’s explanation, the red-haired girl didn’t have any groundbreaking strategy for defeating the Rock Wolves.

“…Hey. What’s your name?”

She lightly pressed her clenched fist to her lips and chin, furrowing her brows slightly. It seemed to be her thinking pose.

(Ah, I guess I never introduced myself.)

Nord realized she was waiting for him to share his name, and finally, he introduced himself.

“Ah, right, I hadn’t introduced myself yet. My bad. I’m Nord, Nord Felice. Nice to meet you.”

When Nord gave his name, the girl nodded deeply and introduced herself in return.

“I’m Elsa, Elsa Chronicle.”

They lightly grasped each other’s outstretched hands in a handshake.

“So, Nord…”

Elsa kept holding his hand as she continued.

“Why don’t you form a party with me?”

Her fiery red eyes stared straight into Nord’s. Their hands remained firmly clasped together.

§

Although Elsa didn’t come up with a groundbreaking strategy, she did offer another solution.

Elsa was also a Slate Adventurer, and with a few more contributions, she would be eligible to accept a rank-up quest. The reason Elsa had shown such interest in Nord’s story earlier was that she was intrigued by the information about the rank-up quest, which she would soon face herself.

After hearing Nord’s situation—how the Rock Wolf quest was currently the only available rank-up quest, with no new ones expected anytime soon, and that Nord was the only adventurer qualified to take it—she proposed.

“If I complete one or two more quests, I’ll be able to take the rank-up quest too. If we form a party, we can finish those quests quickly, and then we can challenge the Rock Wolves together as a party.”

Nord saw the merit in Elsa’s proposal.

The biggest disadvantage of fighting solo is the risk of being attacked from behind. Humans have forward-facing eyes, so our field of vision is limited to the front and sides—180 degrees at best, even with effort. While it’s possible to detect enemies outside of your field of view using hearing or other senses, these are merely supplementary. In a fight where even a split-second delay can be fatal, the most reliable information comes from what you can see.

Nord, as an experienced adventurer who had leveled up through many battles, could detect the “telltale signs” of movement through even the slightest muscle twitches. But in a solo battle, the constant anxiety of an attack from behind could diminish his focus and accuracy.

Therefore, when Nord fought alone, he always made sure to position himself with his back to a barrier—like a thick tree trunk or a large rock—limiting the directions from which he could be attacked.

Even so, fighting alone is no match for the advantages of a party. In a well-coordinated team, not only can you rely on someone to watch your back, but your ally can intercept unavoidable attacks or increase your kill speed by attacking the same target. Even with just two people, the number of moves doubles compared to fighting solo, making the battle far easier. Most importantly, if you become incapacitated—by paralysis, poison, sleep, or even critical injury—your party members can save you (or at least leave you with a fighting chance).

While taking on a pack of Rock Wolves solo was nearly impossible, the chances of success with a party were much higher.

Nord decided to accept Elsa’s proposal.

§

Afterward, Nord and Elsa formed a party and began completing Slate-tier quests to accumulate Elsa’s contributions. Elsa’s fighting style focused on mobility, which was not hindered by her light leather armor.

Nord, on the other hand, was clad in full armor, made from tough materials. It was heavy, especially when paired with the chainmail underneath and the shield he carried. Though this gave him a solid defense, it slowed him down considerably. In contrast, Elsa’s light armor allowed her to move quickly and dodge enemy attacks with ease. She danced around the battlefield, confusing enemies, and delivered precise, deadly strikes with her spear.

The two completed two quests together as a party. The first was against a Giant Toad, while the second was to hunt a pack of Forest Wolves.

It was good practice for what was to come. Nord and Elsa displayed teamwork as if they had been partners for years, quickly dispatching the pack of Forest Wolves.