SWNOVELXO Chapter 12: - Job Change at the Temple
Seventh day of reincarnation. This morning felt unusually cold. It seems like we’re heading further into winter.
“Anneliese, aren’t you cold? If you are, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”
“With just one sheet, it’s quite cold. May I use the blanket we bought for dungeon exploration in the future?”
“Sure, in that case, I’ll get a thicker one for the inn.”
“Is that alright?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
Using a blanket that had been used in the dungeon and had gotten dirty in the inn felt uncomfortable. Since we were staying there for free, it made me even more self-conscious. I’m just a commoner, after all.
While it would be nice to sleep close to a young and cute girl like Anneliese, it was impossible. If I woke up with the face of the witch Anneliese in front of me, I’d worry she might suck the life out of me.
When we left the inn, I could see our breath in the cold air. It felt like winter was already here.
“Is it already winter?”
“It’s still autumn. It’s just a bit cold today.”
Looking up at the sky, there were only a few thin clouds, and the sky was clear blue. It was great weather. Seeing a sky like this, for some reason, lifted my spirits.
Before heading to the dungeon, I bought a thick blanket. I stored it in my item box where no one could see, and we headed to the dungeon at a leisurely pace, matching Anneliese’s walking speed.
Today, we had breakfast near the dungeon entrance again. I thought about having meat today since we had squid yesterday, but the thought of rat meat crossed my mind, so I decided to go with squid again.
I bought five grilled squids and five squid skewers. When Anneliese and I each held five, we checked that no one was around and stored nine of them in my item box.
I told Anneliese she could eat the remaining skewer, and she ate it happily.
Using up nine slots in the item box could be a bit of a burden, but since Anneliese would consume them quickly anyway, it didn’t matter.
I walked toward the dungeon wall, and Anneliese watched me curiously.
“Dungeon Move.”
A wooden door appeared on the wall. It was a simple wooden door.
“Could this be… Dungeon Move?”
“As expected of Anneliese. It connects to the place we advanced to last time.”
“…”
Anneliese held my hand, and we opened the door, entering the corridor on the other side.
When we passed through, the door disappeared.
It consumed 10 MP points. It wasn’t a significant amount. This way, I could use it on the way back as well.
“Master, you mentioned you only have two Unique Skills, right?”
“Yeah, I only have two.”
“Then, what is Dungeon Move about?”
“That’s because my job is Explorer.”
“Your job is a Villager, isn’t it?”
“Since I fulfilled the conditions for the Explorer job, I tried changing jobs.”
“Tried changing jobs… I see.”
A long sigh. I didn’t want to say it, but I had obtained a seemingly good job, so I had to use it.
“Nobody can change jobs outside the temple. So, this must remain an absolute secret, alright?”
“O-Okay, I understand.”
She said it in a cute way, but when she brought her witch-like face close, I was terrified and instinctively moved back. She’s actually quite scary, so please spare me.
However, when I previously appraised the job, the word “temple” didn’t come up, did it? Maybe I need to display more detailed information?
▼Detailed Appraisal Result:▼
Job: When certain conditions are met, you can change to a new job. Normally, this is done at the temple, but Tori can change jobs simply by opening the status screen and focusing. The current available job changes are Traveler, Villager, Cook, Merchant, Porter, Avenger, and Reincarnated Hero.
The contents have expanded…
Come to think of it, during the previous detailed appraisal, the proficiency level was “(微)” (slight), but now it’s “(低)” (low), right? No, that’s not it. I remembered that until I raised the requirement level on my end, the detailed appraisal would show unenthusiastic information. I noticed that during the magic book, didn’t I? If I had requested more information, this content would have appeared.
“Could there be other jobs you can change to?”
Her witch-like face was close.
“It’s not impossible, I guess…”
“How many jobs can you change to?”
“Umm… Traveler, Villager, Cook, Merchant, Porter… and more…”
“What did you say after Porter?”
“Uhh… ven… ge… r…”
“Could you please speak up a bit?”
She covered her ears and pointed them toward me.
Avenger and Reincarnated Hero were things I didn’t want to be known, but…
“Promise you won’t tell anyone?”
“I won’t tell anyone. Besides, I’m a slave, so I’m obligated to keep it a secret.”
“In that case, I’ll tell you.”
“Sure, please go ahead.”
“Avenger and Reincarnated Hero.”
“What… did you just say?”
There was a huge pause.
“Avenger and Reincarnated Hero.”
“It seems like I didn’t mishear you.”
Exhausted, Anneliese rubbed her eyes. Her face was already wrinkled, making it hard to tell, but she seemed quite tired.
“Hehe… I’m sorry for some reason.”
I apologized while patting my cheeks. I didn’t mean any harm, really.
“No, Master, you’re not at fault. You’re just… unconventional.”
“But the fact that you’re a hero…”
“No, I have no intention of becoming a hero.”
“This must be divine providence. I will assist you in your great deeds until the end of my life.”
“I told you, I’m not becoming a hero.”
“Although my lifespan is not long…”
Anneliese mumbled to herself. Is she even listening to my story?
I waited a bit until Anneliese’s consciousness returned before starting the exploration.
The Skill Treasure Hunting automatically activated within the dungeon, so if there was a treasure chest nearby, I could somehow sense it.
“I’ve never heard of a treasure chest being found on the first floor.”
Well, that’s disappointing.
I immediately spotted a Gray Rat. It was level 2.
I defeated it in one blow. I felt much lighter on my feet compared to last time. Moreover, the quick movements of the Gray Rat that felt fast before now seemed slower. Well, it’s still fast, but it’s not as nerve-wracking as before. This alone justified the job change.
“My sword skills are still terrible, but I feel more agile than last time.”
“I see…”
Anneliese spoke frankly, which I didn’t mind at all. In fact, I appreciated her straightforwardness.
“Why don’t you become a hero?”
“If I’m known as a hero, it would definitely lead to trouble, right?”
“True. Up until now, it was taken for granted that a summoning occurred with heroes. But since you’ve been reincarnated, it could become a huge mess.”
Her words were filled with excitement. Her expression seemed brighter too. Are you enjoying this?
By the way, when she mentioned “up until now,” does that mean hero summoning has occurred multiple times? I don’t know the background, but I’d rather not get involved.
I dispatched the appearing Gray Rat. I was in a good mood.
“By the way, how did you manage to change to the Explorer job? Normally, you can’t obtain that job unless you defeat the boss on the 10th floor of the dungeon, right?”
Anneliese asked as she picked up some rat meat. Since I revealed that I could change into the Reincarnated Hero job, has our distance shortened?
She mentioned the Avenger job too, but she’s ignoring that?
“You can become an Explorer if you single-handedly defeat 20 monsters on the first day of dungeon exploration.”
“I’ve heard that there are several conditions for job changes, but I didn’t know about this condition.”
It seems not all job change conditions are known. Having some mysteries makes it more interesting, but maybe it’s better that job changes are limited, preventing reckless challenges like becoming an Explorer on the first day of dungeon exploration.
“I don’t see many people with the Explorer job, though. Why is that? If defeating the boss on the 10th floor satisfies the condition, right?”
“By the time you explore the 10th floor, most people have already changed to swordsman or spearman jobs. Explorers are convenient, but in terms of combat capability, swordsmen and spearmen are stronger. So, few choose to change to the Explorer job.”
Prioritizing combat capability over convenience… That’s quite a straightforward way of thinking. You shouldn’t underestimate the importance of mobility!
While we were discussing this, I felt something was amiss. It came from a direction where there should have been a stone wall in a regular corridor.
“Is something wrong?”
I stopped, and Anneliese tilted her head.
“No, it just feels like there might be a treasure chest over there… Haha, it’s probably my imagination.”
“That’s a wall over there, so it’s just your imagination… Unless…”
Anneliese began tapping the wall with her staff, looking serious.
“Master, could you please step back a bit?”
I moved as she instructed. What is she planning to do?
“—Mana Hand!”
Anneliese’s arm extended from her, translucent and thick. She began punching the wall vigorously, producing loud thuds, and the wall crumbled.
“Wow!”
Behind the collapsed wall was another corridor, just like the one on this side, made of stone.
“I can’t believe there’s a passage like this on the first floor…”
“Is it rare?”
“Yes, it’s unusual. I’ve never heard of such a thing. It’s probably hiding a treasure chest. Dungeons do elaborate things like this.”
When she says she’s never heard of it, it might mean that they’re withholding information. If they revealed this kind of information, others might take the treasure chest.
**Chapter 12 (Continued)**
“It’s a trap, and there’s magic in it, but it looked no different from the other walls. I was careless.”
“You know, magic users aren’t all-powerful, so don’t blame yourself too much.”
“Thank you.”
But more importantly, let’s take a look at the treasure!
The corridor was about 10 meters long and ended in a dead-end where a treasure chest sat.
“Don’t worry. There are no traps.”
“I’ll open it.”
“Yes.”
I opened the sturdy wooden chest reinforced with metal fittings. It had a keyhole, but it wasn’t locked.
“A potion?”
It was a bottle containing a colorless, transparent liquid.
I already had three types of potions: one for healing HP, one for restoring MP, and one for curing poison. The HP potion was blue, the MP potion was green, and the poison antidote was yellow. This colorless, transparent potion was different from all of them.
“W-What is this?”
“What’s wrong, Anneliese?”
“I can’t believe…”
Anneliese’s behavior was odd. Her body was trembling, her eyes bloodshot, and her breathing was heavy. Was she going to die?
She was really scary with her witch-like face and bloodshot eyes, so I had to calm her down.
“Hey, are you okay? Sit down for a moment. Breathe.”
What on earth had happened to Anneliese?
Her eyes had changed color when she saw this potion. What in the world was this potion?