My Unique Skill [Gacha] Will Save the World - Episode 31: The Exceptional Rookie

Episode 31: The Exceptional Rookie  

“…Wh-What… What the hell is this!?”  

Three hours after Rindou entered the cave. Kyousuke had come as backup. He let out a shocked yell.  

It was understandable. Not only were there piles of loot scattered in the deepest room of the cave, but even the previous chamber was littered with items. On top of that, Rindou was an E-rank player. He had managed to single-handedly defeat a Queen Ant, a monster equivalent to C-rank.  

“Thank you for your hard work, Yada-san.”  

“…Ah, y-yeah, good job… Wait, why are you so calm!?” 

Kyousuke blurted. He was unable to comprehend how Rindou could act so casual despite his visible fatigue.  

“…Did you really defeat the Queen Ant all by yourself?” 

“Do you see anyone else around?”  

“…Ha-ha, you’re amazing, truly. If anyone’s out of the ordinary, it’s you,” 

Kyousuke said, his expression slightly stiff.  

Unbothered by the reaction, Rindou made his request.  

“Sorry, Yada-san. It’s just that there’s a ton of loot scattered here and in the previous room….”  

“Yeah, I saw it. Or rather, I couldn’t *not* see it.”  

“Haha… Well, I was hoping you could help me transport all this to the Association. I’ll make sure to pay you a proper reward.”  

“I told you from the start—I don’t need a reward,” 

Kyousuke said firmly, cutting Rindou off before he could finish his plea.  

“B-But… with this amount of loot, I feel like just lending a hand wouldn’t be enough….”  

“Well, I can understand how you feel. Hmm………… How about this? Instead of a reward, could you share some of the rare items dropped by the Soldier Ants with me?”  

“Of course! …Actually, are you sure that’s enough? I could even give you some materials from the Queen Ant!”  

Soldier Ants, while dangerous in swarms as D-rank monsters, were individually only E-rank. They were the weakest category of monsters. Even if they dropped rare items, their value wasn’t particularly high.  

Rindou was genuinely worried. He was wondering if there was something more worthwhile he could offer.  

“I can’t accept Queen Ant materials. Besides, while Soldier Ant materials aren’t highly valuable, they’re great for crafting equipment suitable for rookie adventurers.”  

“Really?”  

“Yeah. I’ve got a blacksmith friend with crafting skills, and I’d like to pass the materials on to them,” 

Kyousuke said with a bright smile.  

Still, Rindou couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t properly repaying Kyousuke’s help.  

“Yada-san……”  

“What is it?”  

“If there’s ever, and I mean *over*, anything I can do to help, please let me know! Let’s exchange contact information!”  

“Sure, that sounds good. But first, let’s start by loading the loot into the Magic Bag.”  

“Oh! R-Right, let’s do that.”  

It was standard practice for players to handle everything non-combat related after exiting the dungeon. While the immediate area was currently safe, Kyousuke subtly reminded Rindou as a senior player. It was to note that exchanging contact info inside the dungeon wasn’t the right time or place.  

“Alright, let’s hurry. At this rate, it’ll probably add up to ten hours in total once we finish gathering everything.”  

“Whaaat!? It’s been that long already!?”  

“You didn’t notice? Keeping track of time is crucial. Make sure to be more mindful next time.”

“Yes, sir!” 

Rindou replied hastily. He scrambled to gather the loot and stuff it into the Magic Bag.  

With loot scattered not just in the deepest chamber but also in the previous one, it was inevitable that the task would take quite a while.  

In the end, they went slightly over the ten-hour mark. But since Kyousuke had been on-site as well, no reprimands were issued.  

“Are you coming back tomorrow?”   

“Yes! I’ll be here tomorrow, and the day after, too!” 

“I see…….. In that case, be careful this Friday, three days from now. I have the day off. So if you end up with a haul as big as today’s, it could be problematic.”  

“Really? …Alright, I’ll think about my plans for Friday.” 

Rindou considered Kyousuke’s advice, to which Kyousuke nodded with satisfaction.  

“Let’s head back now. There’s a chance the other guards might get worried and come looking for us.”  

“I’m really sorry about that.”  

“Don’t worry about it. Honestly, I feel like I got to see something amazing today. Are you heading straight to the Association once we’re outside?”  

“Yes, I’ll go directly there. Thank you for everything.”  

“No need to thank me—it’s all part of the job.”  

With that, Rindou left the dungeon with Kyousuke. Together, they headed straight to the Association to exchange the massive amount of items for cash.