O Month X Day

An adventurer visited me today. A swordswoman. Cause of death: killed by her companion's spell. She had pinned down a demon general, and shouted at her partner to blast them both. He didn't hesitate, and thanks to them, the demon general was defeated. Could there have been another way? I don't know. The swordswoman didn't have any regrets though. She saw it as the only option, and her companion trusted her judgement to the end. I wonder what it's like to have someone you trust with not only your life, but also their own. The closest thing I have to a companion is Aqua-senpai.

…

The swordswoman asked if she could wait to be reincarnated so that she could start her new life at the same time as her companion. It's a bit unorthodox, but I decided to make an exception.

Did I hear that right? Dustiness? If I remember correctly, that's one of the top noble houses of this kingdom. The "Shield" of the royal family, I think. Its members are known for their remarkable hardiness.

And one of them has come to me…

"So, Dustiness-dono –"

"Please, just call me Sirius. I'm not much for formalities." He flashed a gentle smile as he said that. Yep, definitely a noble.

"… okay then, Sirius-san. Someone like you should have your pick of the strongest parties in the country. Why are you trying to party with an unknown newbie Thief like me?"

"…"

The smile froze on his face. I quickly glanced around the room. The other adventurers all avoided eye contact.

Hey. There's something you guys aren't telling me, isn't there.

… well, let's not be too hasty in judging him. After all, it's not like I have a wealth of options here.

"Well, nevermind that. So, what's your job and level?"

"I'm level 27, and I excel at dealing out damage! If it's firepower you're looking for, I'm your man!"

Did he think I wouldn't notice him so obviously dodging the first half of my question. I don't have time for this.

"May I see your adventurer's card?"

"… no."

"Yeah, I don't think this is going to work. Any other applicants?"

"H-Hey, what's with that sudden rejection!? I'm not lying, I really am strong!"

"If you can't even trust me enough to tell me your job, I don't see any future in working with you."

He seemed taken aback by my scolding, but after a few seconds, he took a breath and resolved himself.

"… alright, but only if you show me your card too."

What's with that? Well, it's not like I mind show– oh wait, my luck stat. My hand hovered over my pocket.

… I'll just say it was a technical error. I pulled my card out and we swapped them.

Hm, as expected of Dustiness, his vitality stat is absurd. Though I don't think it's to the point of negating the need for armor…

"Um, what's with–"

"Technical error."

"Ah, I see."

His strength is also excellent, so it seems he wasn't exaggerating about his attack power. In fact, his only subpar stat is his magic, which shouldn't be a problem for him. As for his job…

…

"… Berserker?"

Even though I've been watching over this world for a long time now, I've never heard of this job before. He also had a bunch of skills I wasn't familiar with either. I looked up, but he refused to meet my gaze. So this unusual job is probably related to his strange circumstances. I looked around the guild again, only to notice that the other adventurers had all tried to subtly move away from where we were talking. Is this job really that problematic?

I looked back at Sirius. He was staring at the floor with a mix of emotions. Embarrassment. Anxiety. Hope. I considered my objectives again. Kill monsters to level up, so I can learn more skills and start hunting my first relic. If he's capable of dealing damage to help me kill monsters, then that's good enough, isn't it?

And there's also the fact that he's my only option at the moment.

"Have you ever hunted giant toads before?"

His face went from depressed to bursting with joy faster than I could blink. This guy is surprisingly childish.

We crouched below the crest of a hill, observing a giant toad just 20 meters away. Sirius's lack of armor does make him more stealthy than the average warrior, though the fact that he's around 190 cm tall counteracts that a bit. I'm assuming that his Berserker job skills must have something related to fighting unarmored. Either that or he's a weirdo that enjoys getting hit directly… nah, there's no way people like that actually exist.

"Okay, here's the plan. I'm going to sneak up and make the first strike, then, while its attention's diverted, you run up and lay into it. Meanwhile, I'll go back into hiding, and then deal the final blow once its weakened. Sound good?"

"You'd better be quick with that final blow if you want the kill, cause I'm not going to hold back. After all, I've got to show you what I can do, right?"

He drew his greatsword, bringing it down and behind him on his right side, without breaking his gaze on the toad. He definitely seems competent, so what is it about him that makes people not want to work with him?

Well, I suppose I'm about to find out.

I activated Lurk as I crept up on our target. Unlike last time, as I used Assassinate, I held back on my power a bit to avoid my weapons getting stuck. The toad, eerily unflinching as always, immediately tried to grab me with its tongue, but I was ready and leapt back. I strafed around it, forcing it to repeatedly turn to face me. Once its back was facing Sirius, he dashed forward, holding his sword in that same position.

Wait, how is he moving that fast? His speed stat was good but it wasn't that good. In an instant, he was crouching in front of the toad's back. Thrusting upwards with his entire body, he unleashed a mighty upswing, cleaving through the toad's rubbery hide as if it were butter. Having felt what it was like trying to cut through that myself, I was speechless. The upward moving sword then continued around until it was over his left shoulder, and a beat later he segued into a vicious horizontal slice. The frog hadn't even turned around yet, but its back was already in four pieces. If the sword had been longer, this battle would've already been over. I immediately came to my senses and rushed in to get the final blow. I hadn't even had time to hide and prepare my Assassinate again; in a single breath he had already struck twice and was preparing his third attack. I realized that I wouldn't reach the toad in time, so I threw my daggers. Both of them pierced the toad's chest right as Sirius split the remains of the toad from top to bottom.

I checked my adventurer's card, and to my relief I had gotten the kill. With the exp from that toad and the one from yesterday, I leveled up. I think I only need one more level to get the skills I wanted. Thankfully, Thief skills are relatively cheap in terms of skill points.

When I looked up from my card, though, I noticed something strange about Sirius. Or rather, the lack of Sirius in the immediate vicinity. I quickly glanced around, and after a few seconds I caught sight of him halfway across the field, charging at another toad. Oi, where the heck are you going? And seriously, how are you moving so fast?

I ran over, but by the time I reached the toad, it was already lying in pieces, and this guy was already heading towards the next one he saw.

"HEY! Get back here!"

He didn't show any indication that he heard me. I'm beginning to see the problem with the Berserker job. I thought about using my new skill points to learn Bind and try that, but then I realized I didn't have any rope to use. Instead, I sprinted after him to try and tackle him. The moment I got within reach of his sword, however, it flashed towards me in a blinding arc. I managed to duck beneath the swing, but I felt the rush of air as the blade whistled over my head and severed some of my longer hairs. He had pivoted his body around to face me during that attack, and for the first time since he started fighting I saw his face: his blue eyes wild and frenzied, and his mouth a freakish smile.

I leapt back and prepared for his next attack, but it never came. As soon as he got a clear look at me, he froze in place. The crazed expression left his face, his sword dropped from his hands, and he crouched down, holding his head and muttering to himself.

"I did it again… I did it again…"

Um… what am I supposed to do now?

After a few minutes, he started to calm down, so I tried speaking to him.

"Um–"

"I'M SO SORRY!"

The moment I opened my mouth, he moved from crouching straight into a kowtow. Even though I was the one who almost got decapitated, he's far more distraught than me.

"I understand if you don't want to party with me, and I also understand if you want me to pay damages for endangering your life, not that I'm trying to say that your life can be bought off with money, but–"

"Dude, you need to chill."

Those words felt a bit weird coming out of my mouth, but they seemed to have the desired effect. He closed his mouth, and looked at me with watery eyes. I think I'm starting to get a grasp on his circumstances now. This clearly isn't the first time this has happened to him, yet that doesn't seem to be making it any easier on him.

"… if it's that much trouble, why don't you just change to a different job?"

"I refuse."

Once again his mood changed in an instant as he gave a firm declaration. This guy is really troublesome.

But for some reason, I just can't leave him alone.

"Can you tell me why?"

As I asked that, I realized why I couldn't ignore him. The grief in his eyes reminded me of the souls I've met. Many of them had troubles and regrets. They were confused and scared, and not a small number of them had lost faith in themselves.

Just like Sirius right now.

The young man in question shifted into a sitting position.

… this isn't going to be a long story, is it? There isn't much daylight left.

"Berserker is a job only I can use. Of all the martial jobs, it is the ultimate in offensive power, even more so than the legendary "Hero" job. Everyone else calls it a cursed job."

"Because you can't control it?"

"No, because I unlocked it by touching a cursed sword when I was a child."

Oh.

"When I go into battle, my Berserk skill activates and increases my speed, power, and defense by several times. However, I get lost in the thrill of battle, and end up attacking enemies recklessly and without restraint. If an ally gets too close to me without me seeing them, I might reflexively attack them too."

Well, even regular soldiers sometimes attack friendlies by accident in the heat of battle. I'm partly at fault for rushing at him from his blind spot. But I have indeed just seen firsthand how being unable to restrain oneself makes teamwork difficult.

"I see. But you still haven't told me why you won't change your job."

"…"

He looked surprised for a second, then took a deep breath. It seems like what he's about to say isn't something he's told anyone else before. Or maybe no one else bothered to ask. After a bit, he appeared to resolve himself.

"Have you… ever felt like there was more you could be doing? That you weren't living up to your potential?"

I have.

"I know this job has serious problems. But when I fight as a Berserker, it's the only time I feel like I'm truly at my best. It makes me feel as if I'm the greatest possible version of myself. If I switched to a different job, I wouldn't be able to live with myself, knowing that I'm holding myself back from what I could be. I know it's selfish, but that's who I am. What's the point of my life if I'm not making the most of my potential? That's why, even though it might be wrong, I'm not going to change. Because this is the meaning I've found in my life."

He's so young, yet he's already had such serious contemplations. Have I ever reflected that deeply on myself?

"… I'd already come to terms with the fact that I can't function in parties. And I had resigned myself to forever being a solo adventurer. But when I saw you sitting there, alone, searching for a companion, I decided to give it one last try. I thought, maybe this time will be different. And because of my selfishness, I almost hurt you. So again, I'm sorry. I'll make sure to never bother you again, and I'll send some reparations to–"

This childish idiot. I gave him a flick on his forehead.

"Ow! What're you doing?"

"Hey. I'm not hurt, so you don't need to apologize. And you don't need to give me money either."

I let out a sigh. I'm possibly about to make a terrible mistake, but if I leave this guy alone like this, it'll weigh on my conscience forever.

"Sirius, you're the greatest warrior I've ever worked with."

Technically true.

"I have goals of my own that I want to accomplish, and to do so, I could really use someone with a lot of firepower."

His eyes lit up again.

"Ideally someone who won't lop my head off, of course."

"I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises. Will you still have me anyway?"

"Well, you're not my first choice, but I'll make do with you."

I smirked as I said that unnecessarily snarky line. I think I might be getting too into this roguish persona.

Suddenly he lunged forward and threw his arms around me.

Eh? Wait, hold on, I didn't think he was that bold, this is too sudden–

"You're a real pal, Chris. If you're ever in trouble, I'll be there for you, you got that?"

But the words coming out of his mouth weren't romantic at all. Huh. I guess he's just the touchy-feely type then? I'd think that his noble upbringing would've curbed that, though.

I awkwardly patted him on the back.

"Uh, yeah, no problem. So, now that that's settled, could you let me go? I still need to retrieve my daggers from the first toad."

And with that, I added one (1) Berserker to my party. Life as an adventurer is turning out to be more interesting than I had anticipated.