No to Being the Suffering Heroine!

So, I became a NEET.

I still retained my legal status as an Adventurer of the Guild, but…

Legally, sure, but what’s the difference between a part-time worker with no work and an unemployed person?

To me, they felt the same.

Especially since money kept flowing out with no work in sight.

“I’ve been seeing you quite often lately. Have you quit being an Adventurer? If you’re leaving the room, you should have given me a heads-up two days ago—”

It seemed others were thinking the same way too.

Looking at the Innkeeper who handed me my order of stew while subtly asking if I had indeed become jobless.

Well, I certainly looked like a NEET with nothing to do.

When I was busy, I used to leave the inn and come back only after two to four days, but lately, I’ve only been enjoying the inn bed.

“No, I’m just taking a short break.”

“Those who quit always say that.”

“I’m serious! If I wanted to quit, I would’ve done it ages ago. It was during my Wood Plank days when I was tormented by those Iron Plank guys.”

I shook my head while accepting the bubbling stew.

Contrary to the Innkeeper’s misconception, I hadn’t quit; I was simply put on hold.

…Though honestly, that’s not much of a difference either.

I was under an indefinite suspension of assignments.

To be frank, if another Iron Plank Adventurer received this kind of treatment, they would have packed up and left for another city.

Unlike those Light Plank Adventurers who could take a few weeks off and not worry about starving, most Iron Plank and Wood Plank Adventurers were pretty broke.

Just taking a week off could mean not being able to pay for the room.

Unless you were particularly tough, there was no way you could endure starving while uncertain if you could pick up another assignment.

Thus, anyone receiving a suspension would have no choice but to flee to another city to get reemployed at the local Adventurer Guild.

I’d lose all my previous experiences and have to start from Wood Plank level again… but hey, it beats starving, right?

So, in essence, receiving a suspension was not much different from an expulsion order.

Generally speaking, that is.

Of course, I was an exception. My wallet wouldn’t run dry just from two or three weeks off.

While I lived day by day like everyone, unlike other Adventurers who splurged whenever they had a bit of extra cash.

Thanks to the earnings I racked up over a two-month journey and the generous loot handed over by bandits.

Each one didn’t amount to much, but when you kill about forty of them, you can build quite the fortune.

So, I wasn’t worried about survival.

Of course, if this situation persisted for not just weeks but several months, then I’d be in trouble… but I didn’t need to worry about that just yet.

The receptionist girl assured me that if I just kept a low profile for a while, she’d somehow get my suspension lifted.

She even said it would take at most two weeks.

Thus, for me, the suspension was essentially just an extended vacation.

See, it’s all about connections and knowing people. I was glad I saved that girl named Yuni or whatever.

Even if she didn’t particularly like me.

Could it be because I told her I couldn’t care less about her life when the thieves took her hostage? Like, “Go ahead and kill her if you want”?

Well, I couldn’t help it back then.

Showing concern for a hostage’s life would just lead to being taken advantage of, right?

Nobody in their right mind would drop their sword after hearing that nonsense about “If you don’t want her to die, surrender.”

All that would happen is I’d end up a 1+1 bonus, unable to rescue the hostage.

The receptionist girl understood this well, so even after hearing the whole story, she expressed gratitude without showing any resentment.

Yuni, though, perhaps because she was still a child, was grateful but still sulked about how I didn’t care for my own life.

Well, maybe “sulked” isn’t the right word… more like, “felt uneasy” with me? That kind of vibe. Grateful but too scared, I guess.

Kids are such creatures.

◆◆

A maximum of two weeks of vacation.

For modern folks who can’t escape the corporate rat race, it would be a sweet escape that could bring tears of joy…

“…I’m so bored I could die. Is there any fun news or anything?”

Maybe it’s because I’ve fully adapted to this world. Days dragged by in absolute boredom.

When I think about it, it’s kind of obvious.

Unlike Earth, which was overflowing with entertainment, here the options were pretty limited to drinking, gambling, and watching Drake races or the likes.

Drake racing was pretty… no, honestly, extremely fun, but that only happened on weekends, and on weekdays like today, there was nothing to watch.

Wandering around the bustling streets was fun for the first couple of days, but after three days, it became tiresome.

So, I started showing up at the Request Office, even though I couldn’t take assignments, just to chat with a few acquaintances.

“Don’t keep any interesting news to yourself. Share it with me, will you?”

“…Hilde, I’m not just assigned to you, right?”

“What does it matter? Today looks pretty slow anyway.”

I shrugged as I scanned the strangely quiet Request Office.

Empty tables and neatly arranged chairs.

It had only been three days since I took out some bandit named Hans, so what was happening in the meantime?

The Request Office, once bustling with Adventurers, was now as empty as a gambler’s wallet.

“Anything happen?”

I pointed behind me with my thumb, asking about the situation.

“Hah… I guess I can tell you about that.”

The receptionist laid down her pen, stretched, and explained the details to me.

It wasn’t a very long story.

There wasn’t even anything particularly grand about it.

Simply put, a dungeon entrance had suddenly appeared somewhere in the mountain valley just five days from here.

A mid-level dungeon that seemed to have at least ten underground floors.

“The Light Plank and Dark Plank folks mostly headed there. A new dungeon, especially a mid-level one, is worth the risk for a quick fortune.”

That wasn’t a false statement.

Mid-level dungeons, unlike low-level ones that only extend 1-4 floors, were considerably dangerous but offered commensurate rewards.

Plus, if it was a new dungeon never seen before, that made it even more enticing.

So, it’s no surprise Adventurers were losing their minds over it.

Not just Adventurers, but the wealthy clients who entrusted them with dungeon exploration requests felt the same way.

“A mid-level dungeon… Do you have any idea how many floors it actually has?”

“We’ll have to wait until the exploration is done for that. From the info that orcs were met right at the entrance, it’s definitely mid-level or higher.”

Orcs…

I feel like I could win if it was a one-on-one fight, but with a bunch of them, it might not be the case. Brunhilde’s instinctual swordsmanship isn’t all-powerful.

Still, the information about a new dungeon was quite intriguing.

Even though I couldn’t get the permit to enter since I was still a mere Iron Plank, once I level up to Light Plank, I’d be able to check it out someday.

If I wanted to live a long life, I should steer clear of deep dungeons, but mid-level dungeons are places where an Adventurer spends their life with, like partners.

Low-level dungeons were a waste of time for pocket change, and deep dungeons were fraught with danger since they connected to the Demon realms.

Those who step into deep dungeons without knowing the value of their life were usually warriors with a reason.

Kingdom knights who are obligated to intercept demons coming from dungeons or hero parties that need to venture into the demon’s territory to slay their kings.

Unless you were one of those strong characters, it was rare for someone to set foot in a deep dungeon.

On the other hand, mid-level dungeons had a moderate level of danger but guaranteed quality loot.

Mid-level dungeons were merely remnants of deep dungeons that had been abandoned for years.

Unlike deep dungeons, where elite demon troops resided, mid-level dungeons housed only mediocre mooks that had strayed from their troops.

Things like orcs or trolls.

Such creatures could easily be taken down by a group of Light Plank Adventurers or two or three Dark Plank Adventurers.

So, it was only natural for Adventurers to go crazy over it.

The danger was relatively low, and once you catch them, there was a slim chance to loot some old demon army gear.

…Of course, right now, it was just a pipe dream for me.

◆◆

After that, I spent some more time chatting with the receptionist girl.

Since all the Light and Dark Plank Adventurers bolted off for dungeon exploration, the frustrations and anger of the higher-ups were diverted toward them rather than me.

And it was also a relief that Yuni, who adamantly declared she wanted to be an Adventurer, has taken an interest in becoming a receptionist.

I rambled on about such things for a couple of hours.

I wondered if it was acceptable to say I was relieved her family didn’t choose the Adventurers path in front of an Adventurer…

But I could understand it to that extent. The death rate is pretty high in this profession.

And really, the outcomes didn’t always end with death.

The receptionist girl probably understood this better than anyone, so she must have felt relieved her younger sibling wasn’t chasing the Adventurer dream. Such is family love.

◆◆

They say you can’t predict the future.

Unexpectedly, the mid-level dungeon discovery incident turned out to be a stroke of luck for me too.

Just two days after I spent chatting with the receptionist girl.

“Hilde, a designated request just came in. Are you interested?”

And I got a job offer again.

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