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After using the wooden tablet within the residence, Vur’s group was transferred to the fourth floor. As usual, they ended up within a tunnel that had a light at the end of it, leading them to the main plaza. Upon exiting the tunnel, a large building greeted them, and behind that building in the sky, there were four holographic projections of a shield, a sword, a bow, and a staff.
Tafel turned her head towards Lindyss. “What’re we doing on this floor?” the demon asked. “Not more weapon training, right?”
“Learning about party compositions,” the cursed elf said. “We’ll get an introduction inside the first building. Later, we’ll be separated into different groups.” Lindyss pointed at the projections in the sky. “Tanks, melee attackers, ranged attackers, supports.”
“The first few floors really are like a crash course to becoming an adventurer,” Tafel said and nodded. “And to move on the next floor we have to…?”
“Form a party with other examinees and use what we learn to defeat a series of enemies,” Lindyss said. She turned towards Melody and Kax. “Do you two already know how to fight in a party?”
Kax nodded. “Kax swing axe. Kax hit enemy, no hit ally.”
“Back on Earth, there were games that had similar concepts,” Melody said. “Although I’ve never fought in a party before, I know what I should and shouldn’t do.”
“Alright,” Lindyss said. “We’ll skip the lessons and go straight to the written exam. Once everyone passes, we can form a party to challenge the advancement exam.”
A sigh escaped from Melody’s lips. “I thought I was done with written exams for the rest of my life, but I can’t even escape from them in a fantasy world.”
“You didn’t mention there’d be a written exam,” Tafel said. “If I knew, I would’ve studied a bit first.”
Lindyss rolled her eyes. “You’re an SSS-ranked adventurer,” the cursed elf said. “Quit whining. As long as you’ve maintained your common sense, you’ll ace the exam.” A furrow appeared on Lindyss’ brow, and she turned her head towards Vur. “If you fail, threaten the test grader into giving you a passing mark.”
Vur nodded. “I already knew that.”
“Good,” Lindyss said and took a step forward. A frown appeared on her face, and she turned her head towards the side.
“What’s wrong?” Tafel asked, turning her head as well. “More muggers?”
“Rather than muggers, they’re more like sentries,” Lindyss said, narrowing her eyes at some people in the distance who were looking at them while talking into their root bracelet. After a moment, she shook her head and continued forward. “They’re probably a part of an information-collecting group, or they’re from a guild and tasked with looking for someone.”
“The tower politics are pretty messy, huh?” Tafel asked and scratched her head as she followed the group. “I wonder if they’re from the alliance or if they’re like members of the Virtuous Hand. Speaking of which, who do you think is the strongest out of all the lords?”
“I didn’t realize you liked to gossip,” Lindyss said and raised an eyebrow. “You learned more than just flame control yesterday, huh?”
“Yeah,” Tafel said, nodding her head. “The smiths are surprisingly gossipy; they love drama.”
“It doesn’t matter which lord is the strongest,” Stella said, popping her head out of Vur’s chest. “Because Vur’s going to beat them all. Also, guys! Guess what!?”
“Oh, whatever could it be,” Lindyss said, her voice as dry as a desert. “Let me guess. Chicken butt?”
“No, dummy,” Stella said, scowling at Lindyss. A second later, the fairy queen’s expression brightened as she beamed. “Mervin’s sprout is finally showing signs of growing! It’s turning into a vine, and eventually, it’ll flower, and then Mervin will be reborn!” A goofy grin appeared on Stella’s face as she chuckled to herself, and without waiting for anyone to say anything, the fairy queen vanished back inside Vur’s chest.
The group paused for a second before continuing forward, and Melody looked around. Was no one going to comment on that? Who was Mervin? She did notice the runes on Vur’s body flashing one after another as if they were conversing. Even though she was curious, Melody didn’t say a word, following behind the group with Kax at her side. Loud clanking and thumping sounds drew her attention, and she turned her head to look behind herself. A red and black blur zoomed across her vision, and a second later, a gust of wind surged past, causing her hair to fly backwards. “What the…?”
“Tafel! You’re here!”
“Huh?” Tafel blinked at the figure that had stopped in front of the group. “Mary?” Before the demon could say anything else, she was crushed by Mary’s embrace. “H-hey! You’re squishing me!”
“Sorry, sorry,” Mary said and released Tafel. The red-haired woman beamed. “I was waiting for you for so long. It’s great that you’re here. Now, we can work together to become strong enough to slay the evil dragon!”
“Is that what you’re doing here?” Lindyss asked, causing Mary to flinch and glare at the cursed elf. “I see; I thought you got cold feet and gave up on trying to beat Grimmy.”
“Don’t look down on me,” Mary said and clenched the hilt of her sword. “No matter what, I’ll avenge Mary Junior.”
Tafel’s gaze shifted back and forth from Mary to Lindyss. Although Mary looked like she was ready for a fight, the cursed elf was simply standing there with her arms crossed and a bored expression on her face. Tafel cleared her throat. “Mary Junior’s still alive,” she said. “Grimmy hasn’t eaten her.”
“What?” Mary asked. She blinked at Lindyss. “Didn’t you say Grimmy ate Mary Junior?”
“Yes, I did,” Lindyss said. Upon seeing the look Tafel gave her, the cursed elf heaved a sigh. “But it looks like I was mistaken. Your precious turtlesnake is still alive—for now. You see, someone attacked Grimmy’s family, and he’s mighty upset about that. I wouldn’t be surprised if he took his anger out on the helpless little turtle you so heartlessly abandoned.”
“Auntie, stop riling her up!” Tafel said and pursed her lips. “It’s technically your fault Gloria was hurt. If you hadn’t provoked Mary into attacking Grimmy, would that whole mess with the Dragon Slayers have happened? Speaking of which”—Tafel’s voice lowered to a whisper—”I wonder if Grimmy knows you’re the reason why Mary was so bent on vengeance.”
“You’ve grown enough to blackmail people now, huh?” Lindyss asked, raising an eyebrow. “You were much cuter when you were still a kid.”