Evil Avalon - Volume 1 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Heartache

I trudged along the road home after my first dungeon raid after defeating the merged slimes without exerting too much effort. But the round trip had taken three hours of walking, and my feet were ready to give in.

Damn you, Piggy, I thought. Couldn’t you have tried to get in shape before attending Adventurers’ High? What did you think you were signing up for?

I dragged myself through my front door and took my shoes off. There was nothing more I wanted to do than crawl into bed, though my stomach grumbled its demand for food, and I went into the living room.

Inside, a handsome, kindly man who looked to be in his twenties was eating. On closer inspection, the wrinkles by his eyes and the odd strand of gray hair told me that he was in his forties. He was Piggy’s father as well as the owner and manager of “Narumi’s General Goods.” I’d already summoned Piggy’s memories of him, so I’d probably keep up conversationally.

“Souta,” he called, “I hear you’ve been down to the dungeon.” He raised an eyebrow as he spoke, sounding genuinely interested. His face was just as expressive as Piggy’s sister.

“I have,” I replied. “I was just killing slimes, though.”

“I wish I could’ve made a living as an adventurer,” he said wistfully. “When you’re down there, keep an eye out for anything interesting we can put in the shop window.”

Piggy’s father had adventuring experience from his youth, and he was currently level 4. To this day, he would still go into the dungeon with his drinking buddies and had even made it to the fourth floor before. That hadn’t made him enough money to support a family, and he hadn’t been skilled enough to level up further and explore deeper.

Adventuring only paid off if you had talent, he’d said before. He’d still longed for the adventurer’s life, and his zeal had driven him to open a little shop selling adventurer goods. With this, he made the most of his knowledge of the trade and landed where he was now.

Through sips of beer, he grumbled advice at me, saying, “Only the very best can earn a living as an adventurer” and “You had enough talent to get into Adventurers’ High, so make your dad proud.”

He had high hopes for Piggy, but even with my experience from the game, I was all knowledge and no talent.

“I’m gonna try to enjoy the dungeon and the school at my pace,” I said. “And I’ll bring any treasure I find back here to sell, so keep some space free on the shelves.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Aim high, boy! Ha ha ha!”

I had the next two days off from school, so there’d be plenty of time to raid the dungeon. As I was mentally planning my raids, my hands reached for seconds, but I hurriedly drew them back.

“Bro, what’s Adventurers’ High like?” Kano asked. She’d been sitting in the chair next to me, listening eagerly to our conversation, and she pounced at her chance to get the details of my trip.

“What’s it like?” I repeated. “The facilities are amazing.”

“Amazing how?” she asked more enthusiastically. “And what about the dungeon?”

I hadn’t actually used the facilities yet as this was my first day in this world and school. Of course, I’d used them plenty in the game.

“I didn’t get close to the facilities,” I said. “They said we can’t use them until completing orientation next week. And I’ve only been to the dungeon once, so I have little to tell.”

My sister hummed appreciatively and said, “I can’t wait to see the dungeon. I saw some people advertising a dungeon tour in town, but you have to stay behind the guide. They won’t let you fight anything, and I wouldn’t learn anything worthwhile.”

She wanted to learn the ins and outs of the dungeon to help her with her entrance exam for Adventurers’ High next year.

Looking through Piggy’s memories, I recalled that the entrance exam measured students’ academic skills, athletic abilities, and latent powers.

Wait, latent powers? I thought. Are they like innate skills or unique starter jobs?

In DEC, players could learn skills by reaching high enough job levels in certain jobs. The character creation tool sometimes randomly generated a skill whenever one started the game. An example was Piggy’s weird Glutton skill he had from the get-go. While most characters’ first job was Newbie, sometimes they could start with a rare job. These weren’t always desirable as there was a drawback: Reaching the max job level of 10 as a Newbie awarded the player with an important skill. The Newbie job was unique because players couldn’t switch to it from any other job.

I couldn’t see the school giving much consideration to either innate skills or different starter jobs in their selection process. A good innate skill provided a slight advantage initially, and the rare starter jobs weren’t better or worse than starting out as a Newbie. Both came with advantages and disadvantages. Even if they looked at applicants’ innate skills, it baffled me how Piggy had gotten through the supposedly strict exam with his useless Glutton skill and hopelessly unfit body. Was there some secret to Piggy that I wasn’t aware of? Maybe he was a child genius.

“Don’t worry, Kano, you’ve got ages to prepare, and I’ve only been there a day. I’ll keep an ear peeled for anything that’ll give you a leg up in your exam.”

“You mean it?!”

“It’s all rigged anyway, isn’t it?” our father said, waving his glass of beer with one hand. “You need to know somebody there.”

“Bro got in, so networking can’t be that important,” my sister argued.

“You’ve got me there! Ha ha ha!” our father exclaimed, laughing. He turned to our mother and said, “Pour me another glass, would you?”

“You’ve had enough, dear,” our mother replied. “Go and have your bath, Souta.”

I wanted to keep eating but fought the urge and went up to the bathroom. Later, I sank into the tub and massaged my weary feet to get them ready for another dungeon raid the next day. As I bathed, I let my mind wander and thought about this world.

It was strange having a family since I’d been alone my whole life up to this point. I felt perfectly at ease here, like I belonged. Perhaps it was just Piggy feeling this, not me. Even so, I wanted the best for them.

Moreover, I still had no idea how to return to my world. I could not confirm whether my body still existed there or how to log out. I still wasn’t sure whether this was a game or real life. It could well be an elaborate virtual world, but the sheer amount of detail made real life the most likely option. Was my knowledge of the game enough to help me live here? I planned to go to the dungeon tomorrow and could gather more information by experimenting while there.

I noticed then that my stomach was empty. I’ve only just eaten! I thought. How much room do I have down there?

***

I woke up early the following Saturday. After all, it was when Narumi’s General Goods was busiest.

My parents were still rushing around the store, checking the goods and getting vouchers to give out. They’d been at it since waking up.

Meanwhile, I did stretches in front of the house while wearing a rucksack filled with everything I’d need for the dungeon. I paid particular attention to stretching my thick legs. Getting cramps inside the dungeon could be fatal. While I grinned in surprise at the flexibility of Piggy’s body, I heard a hoarse voice call out to me from behind.

“Morning, Souta. How are you doing?”

I turned around and saw a rugged-looking middle-aged man... He was Tatsu Hayase, the owner of Hayase’s Metalware and Kaoru Hayase’s father.

“Good morning, Mr. Tatsu.”

His wares ranged from everyday goods like pots and kitchen knives to weapons and other tools for adventurers. He made all these as he was a skilled craftsman. The Hayases and the Narumis had been family friends before Piggy’s birth. Tatsu even joined Piggy’s father and their friends on their raids in the dungeon. In DEC, Tatsu had been a minor character who would come to the player’s aid if they had befriended Kaoru Hayase. He was a kind man, even to Piggy.

“Kaoru’s practicing her sword fighting techniques in the garden,” he said. “Why don’t you join her?”

He had good intentions but didn’t know how much Kaoru loathed me. It would’ve been rude to refuse, so I went to greet her.

The Hayases’ garden was of the traditional Japanese style and smaller than average. Flowers and trees of all seasons resided there and said trees had their branches artistically pruned. The goldfish pond was a lovely touch as well. Looking at the garden brought up years’ worth of memories of Tatsu tending the garden for hours. Evidently, I was growing accustomed to drawing on Piggy’s memories.

Kaoru stood in the center of the beautiful garden, diligently swinging her wooden sword. I gazed at her from a short distance away, mesmerized. Although I wasn’t sure whether I should disturb her, Kaoru settled the matter by speaking to me first.

“Is that you, Souta?” she asked. “A bit early for you, isn’t it? You do know it’s the weekend, don’t you?”

“Hi, Kaoru. I bumped into Mr. Tatsu outside. I thought I’d better come and say hi.”

“I see,” she said and paused briefly. “I’m afraid I’m busy and am about to head out.”

Piggy had addressed her as “Kaoru,” so I’d done the same to avoid coming across as unnatural. Not that it did me any favors. She’d been glowering at me from the moment she noticed my presence. Her pretty face, so serene a few moments before, was now scrunched up in irritation.

I’d done what I’d come for, so I turned to run away and resume my stretches. Before I could do so, a cheerful voice rang out.

“Morning!”

Mr. Tatsu had sent more visitors this way. Among them was Akagi, whose upright posture and bright red hair that glittered in the sunlight gave him a dignified impression far greater than the average first-year high schooler. Sakurako Sanjou, AKA Pinky, scurried in behind him with her voluminous, curly pink hair and adorable skittish movements. Another boy followed them, and I recognized him as Naoto Tachigi. He was intelligent and looked the part with his glasses and middle-parted chin-length dark hair. He was Akagi’s roommate and a major character in the game’s main story, where he acted as the protagonist’s trusty partner.

“There you are, Kaoru,” said Akagi.

“Oh, it’s you, Yuuma,” greeted Kaoru with a broad, happy smile. “I wanted to practice a little before we go to the dungeon.”

She hadn’t been as pleased to see me. But Piggy was there to be hated, so it made sense. It surprised me that they were already on a first-name basis. Akagi’s main character charm was at work, turning strangers into friends in no time.

“Ah?” After the four of them finished their morning greetings, Akagi noticed the interloper standing awkwardly near them. “Oh, you’re, err...” he started, but it seemed he’d forgotten my name. That was fair enough. After all, I hadn’t hung around after the entrance ceremony.

Tachigi leaned over and whispered into Akagi’s ear, meaning he’d at least recognized me.

“Oh, you’re in our class too?” asked Akagi. “We’re about to go to the dungeon. Wanna come with us?”

His friendly tendency to welcome anybody into his group was probably one of the sources of his charisma. It also showed that he sometimes didn’t read the subtleties of social situations. Kaoru and Pinky looked aghast that he’d invited me, but he was oblivious.

I wasn’t sure what I’d done to make Pinky so wary. Maybe it was my appearance? My awful, sweaty appearance? Yep. Say no more.

Tachigi sensed the problem and acted quickly, saying, “You’re putting him on the spot, Yuuma. Let’s go by ourselves for today.” He’d smoothed out the creases caused by Akagi’s obliviousness—his sole flaw—offending no one.

“Y-Yeah!” Pinky added. “I only brought lunch for four, anyway.” She cradled four lunch bags decorated with bunnies that it looked like she’d prepared.

I’d been planning on raiding the dungeon solo. I worried that, in my unfit state, I’d get in their way if I tagged along. Plus, I wanted to run experiments to test the applicability of my game knowledge, which would go smoother alone.

“Don’t mind me,” I said. “I have things of my own to do. Best of luck!”

“Okay then,” Kaoru said. “I’ll get ready.”

The four of them began chatting about their coming dungeon raid with excitement. Kaoru was beaming with the rest, her enjoyment different from when I’d shown up.

The sight caused my heart to ache, and a voice inside me pleaded, Don’t lose Kaoru to them. Don’t give up on her. These emotions didn’t belong to me, indicating Piggy really loved her. But I wished that what remained of Piggy’s heart could see things my way.

Kaoru’s opinion of me was decidedly negative, unlikely to change if I started a fight over her with the handsome protagonist. I’d have better luck forgetting about her and finding love elsewhere than stalking and harassing her, hoping that she’d look my way. That path would lead to my downfall.

I couldn’t deny that Kaoru was a catch. She was both breathtakingly beautiful and adored by all for her kind personality. But the classes of Adventurers’ High had plenty of beautiful girls and handsome boys. Since this world originated from a game, they looked for skill in a partner rather than attractiveness. My best plan would be to find a nice girl of my own while working hard at getting fit and leveling up.

The girl who would become the student council president came to mind. She’d been my favorite heroine in the game, and the idea of pursuing her was appealing. In essence, she was wise, beautiful, rich beyond belief, and a member of the titled nobility. Also, she wanted her future husband to be a skilled adventurer, and she didn’t care what he looked like, how he acted, or how lowly his birth was. In short, she was a prime target for a gold digger and Piggy’s best hope of snagging someone with all his faults.

I hadn’t come across her yet, but I hoped I’d get the chance to let Piggy’s brain get a glimpse of her.