Minus Skill: The Story of Four Nuisances… - Chapter 20

“Let’s turn this person over to the guild!”
Kokoru, who had made a bump on Tet’s head and tied him up, says so in a fierce tone.
“We can’t let this thief run around solo attacking other adventurers! It’s unfortunate, but we should go back to town at once with a teleport item. We could always come back here again!”
“…..Yeah.”
Melina nods with a sigh.
“At the very least, we can’t continue this adventure with things like this anyhow. We can’t let this guy go unchecked, and on the other hand, I wouldn’t be able to sleep well at night throwing this guy out in the middle of the dungeon.”
“Oh~ How kind of you Madame.”
Melina sharply glares at Tet who talked sarcastically.
“On second thought, is it really that bad? We could just leave him tied up in front of a bunch of Mermen.”
“That’s going too far…..”
“Alvin, think about what happened earlier. He may have purposely lured those monsters to have them do his dirty work and take us out. In other words, he set us up for a Monster PK. Since it’s us we’re talking about, we beat the horde with a problem, but if it were any other 3 person party with low levels, they’d have been in deep water. This guy might be worse than a thief.”
“………….”
An adventurer killing a fellow adventurer.
If it was PK’ing there are various methods to it. One of it was pulling aggro from a horde of monsters and throwing it to other adventurers.
Of course, what method you use is hardly the problem. Player Killing is a grave taboo.
“How cruel of you to think of that. It was a real accident. I was surprised to see you guys here.”
“I doubt that. Sir Alvin, may I?”
Kokoru pulls an object from storage, curled parchment paper. An expensive item called “Map of Recall” lets you return to the entrance of a dungeon no matter where you are inside it.
It’s a must have item for any adventurer that plant to go to the depths of a dungeon.
“If it’s ok with you Sir Alvin, we can return with this. We should leave this person to the proper authorities at the Guild.”
“I’m in favor of that too. Your call Alvin.”
“Hmm…..”
I think back on the sequence of events that happened.
After a brief hesitation, I respond.
“Wait…..Can you give me a minute?”
“Sir Alvin?”
“What’s wrong?”
They curiously asked.
After another brief interval, I lay down my explanation.
“It’s probably impossible to hand Tet over to the Guild. He has a type of skill that can help him get out of restraints after all. If it comes down to it, he can get out when he needs to. There’s a reason he is calm and composed.”.
“……..”
Tet’s eyes widen for an instant, and then a smile curls up from him.
“Haha.You’re overthinking things Mister. Skills aren’t that conveniently had.”
“If you were a normal adventurer with one or three skills, I would have thought so too.”
“……….!”
“Thieves fight close quarters and are easily restrained by monsters so the general consensus is that skills suited for escaping have more value to them than other Jobs. Going on that train of thought, adventurers usually choose a profession that suits their skills……Isn’t that the same for you?”
Tet looks away, as if embarrassed.
Melina and Kokoru were watching me in curiosity, not following the conversation.
I continue.
“I’m not an educated man but……when things are out of the norm, I try to think about the “Why”. A former adventurer that taught me the way of the sword won’t stop bugging me to do so. So I thought about the “Why” this time too, yet… no matter how much I think about it, it just doesn’t fit.”
I then ask Tet.
“Tet, tell me this. Why did you only try to lift the items that’s essential for adventuring.”
I thought back to when I returned the dropped items to my inventory after he scavenged it.
The items Tet tried to steal were all things I had prepared for my dive into the dungeon.
But….my Map of Recall wasn’t among the items that were stolen.
“At the very least, the “Emerald Ore” and “Merman’s Tears” should go for a higher price than cheap potions. Why did you choose only the potions and spare equipment I had and ignoring the expensive monster drops and even the Map of Recall”
“………”
“You said you had worked your way down to the Boss Room. I might be mistaken but…….Did you want us to stop going any further? Is that why you’re not making a fuss once you were caught?”
After a brief silence….. Tet heaves a huge sigh.
“It’s great that you’ve guessed that much~ so I’m wondering if you could just go home quietly for me~. Since you helped me, I thought that I should at least stop you guys from going further at least for today but….. Oh well, I guess you won’t listen to anything I say till you challenge the boss yourselves.”
“……….”
“Sigh. You adventurer lot are just downright stupid. That right there’s the reason I don’t like any of ya.”
“…..Why do you say so?”
Kokoru asks in a low voice.
“What do you know about the boss that makes you stop us…?.”
“You’re all just going to die if you continue on.”
Tet’s mouth raises from end to end, laughing sarcastically..
“The boss of this place has a secret to it…. And I’m positive that no one can win against it.”