Yuuno POV
"My dad was scammed. He lost everything," I said, recalling how my father cried when he found out about the scam.
I began with the ending—how my once hardworking father, whom I had been so proud of, became a deadbeat at home.
"I see. How did he get scammed? Did he borrow from somewhere?" Makoto asked. His face tinged with worry. He was such a nice person. I think he knew about me trying to swindle him with unfair portions, but he chose not to say anything about it.
"The debt was legitimate. Dad used it to fund his new enterprise. It was successful—for a time," I said, holding back my tears. It had been four years, but every time I thought about my father, it still broke my heart.
"My father could pay the debt. He had already transferred the money!" My voice rose. It was as if I had vented all my frustration to him.
That's right. He had the money. He had paid the debt.
"Huh? Then why are you still in debt?" Makotogasped. Noelle too. They looked at me wide-eyed.
"He paid into the wrong account. The loan shark claimed they never received the payment, and there was no proof that they had," I said. That was the worst part. My father had paid the money.
"He got swindled?" Makoto asked.
"I attended the court hearings. My father insisted that he had transferred the payment into the loan shark's account. But without proof, the judge ruled against him. In the end, my father was ordered to repay the loan with full interest again," I said.
When my father nearly committed suicide under the pressure, that was when I received my blessing.
I proudly told my father that I would shoulder his debt. I was a blessed person. An adventurer. A dream job everyone envies. I would become an adventurer. Once I did, our money problems would disappear.
How naïve I was.
Only a small fraction of adventurers ever made it to the top. I wasn't lucky enough to receive some overpowered cheat ability. I had to level up by consuming arcane stones. But I also needed those same stones to pay my father's interest.
"… I see." Makoto rested his hands on my shoulders as if trying to comfort me. "Thanks for telling me, Yuuno. I appreciate it. I'll make sure my friend doesn't suffer the same fate as your father. As for your father's debt, I'll try to help as much as I can. You're receiving forty percent of the spoils, right? I won't complain about it. In the future, when we strike it rich, let's clear your father's debt first. I hate scammers too, you know."
"M-m-me too!" Noelle said.
I wiped my tears away.
Most people, including my guildmates, kept their distance from me. After all, I have no future. With this debt dragging me down, I can't properly develop my talents and skills.
Most adventurers spend eighty percent of their income on equipment, skills, and supplies—mostly supplies. But because of this debt, I live paycheck to paycheck. I can't save enough to buy a secondhand weapon from a higher-ranked adventurer. I can't use arcane stones I gather to unlock skills from my status screen. I can't buy materials to enchant weapons. And most importantly, I can't afford status-boosting or even health potions often made by high-ranking alchemists.
"Thank you, both of you. I'm sorry for getting you involved in my problems."
"I can't pay off your debts, but I'm fine with our current arrangement. We just have to do better," Makoto said.
"I-I-I don't need money. Um… You can take it all!" Noelle said.
Ah, she is the sister of Seraphine, a guild leader. She certainly doesn't have money problems. But if Seraphine finds out I mistreated his sister, he would surely turn against me. Without my teammates, my earnings would plummet.
More than that, I don't want to trouble her. Noelle is my friend. She has a bright future ahead of her. I won't drag her potential down with me. The least I can do is support her and become a stepping stone for her success.
I couldn't forgive myself if she died in a dungeon because I leeched off her.
"No. I can't do that, Noelle. Please let me keep my pride as a senior adventurer. The least I can do is pay you fairly," I answered. "You still have much to learn, Noelle. Adventurers are strong, but they are not immortal or omnipotent. My problem is currently bigger than you. Only when you are as strong as your big brother can you consider helping me."
"… I see."
"How large is your debt that you would need to become a guildmaster to pay it, Yuuno? Is it in the millions?" Makoto asked, shocked.
"Well, my debt and its interest total around 100,000. But remember this, Makoto. Adventurers earn much less than the mass media claims. You need money to buy supplies too, you know. Top-tier adventurers might earn millions a year, but they also spend heavily maintaining their gear and buying potions," I said.
"I see."
"Alright! Let's stop with my sob story and raid this dungeon! Those stones are ours for the taking!" I pumped my fist, and my friends followed.
"Yeah!!"
Makoto POV
I saw this greedy blue-haired girl in a new light.
Now I knew Yuuno wasn't materialistic. She was fighting for her father. Just like me and Sakura, I guess everyone has their own burdens.
I'm not a hero. I can't just swoop in and save the day. The most I could do was introduce her to the lawyer my father once trusted. But she had already gone to court. That meant she had her own lawyer—and she still lost. There was nothing I could realistically do for her.
I could give her my share since I don't urgently need money or arcane stones for leveling right now. But what can a mere hundred or two hundred dollars do against a 100,000-dollar debt?
Even at just 10% interest, that means Yuuno has to pay 10,000 dollars a year just to cover the interest—on top of her living expenses.
Yuuno never mentioned her father again. But I assumed he received the same treatment as mine. He was in debt, and once people knew he couldn't pay, they would distance themselves from him—including potential employers. Nothing is more dangerous than a desperate person.
We stared at the entrance to the fourth floor with grim expressions.
I had researched this dungeon on the official website as well. This floor no longer had just goblins and hobgoblins. Orcs appeared here too. It would be much harder than the normal goblins we had faced before. But as people say, no pain, no gain.
"From here on, the difficulty will rise exponentially. Keep your guard up," Yuuno said.
We nodded.
As we stepped into the dark, cavern-like corridor, we soon found what we were looking for: a lone orc and a hobgoblin.
A hobgoblin was just an enlarged goblin. Same teeth. Same vicious expression. Only larger. No longer crawled like a frog, but standing upright. Some adventurers found hobgoblins to be easier to fight than goblins because it was larger.
The orc, however, was the embodiment of grotesqueness. People often called them pigs, but they bore little resemblance to actual pigs. They were tall, with dirty fur matted in grease. Their tusks protruded downward with a disfigured head as if it was a misshapen meatball with a pair of eyes sinking beneath it. Unlike goblins or hobgoblins, which were mostly naked, orcs wore crude leather armor.
People often said that killing an orc meant you had become a real adventurer. They were bulkier, not the fat kind, but the muscle kind. I could see its arms were almost as thick as my head.
"Are you ready?" Yuuno asked.
We all nodded.
"On my mark. Kill the hobgoblin first. Watch out for the orc. It has an axe. Don't let it hit you. Don't block it either, deflect or divert it. You won't last in strength constest against it."
"Got it."
I checked my status screen. There was nothing I could realistically use in combat—I was just looking out of habit, wondering if there was an upgrade I could buy.
But to my surprise, the orc's status appeared as a valid target for my Body Swap skill.
I froze for a second.
But before I had processed my new skill, Yuuno had already moved. There was no time to think. I rushed in behind her while Noelle flanked from the side.
And that was the moment everything went to hell.
The cavern trembled as Yuuno engaged the orc and the hobgoblin.
The plan was supposed to be simple. Noelle would kill the hobgoblin with her spear while I distracted it with my sword, and Yuuno would keep the orc busy in the meantime.
But the walls cracked and was smashed to pieces from within.
We stared in horror as three more orcs armed with clubs burst through, revealing a new corridor behind them.
"Don't get distracted! Retreat!" Yuuno yelled as she moved beside me, deflecting a knife thrown by the hobgoblin with her buckler.
I forced my body to move.
Idiot. Freezing inside a dungeon is the stupidest thing an adventurer can do—and I just did it.
"Noelle!" Yuuno shouted.
She was closest to the wall. Just like me, she froze up. Her body moved a second too late as one of the three orcs caught her off guard. The orc whirled its club at her, and she was thrown against the wall as if struck by a sledgehammer.
"Kyaa!" Noelle screamed as her body slammed into the stone. She collapsed. Her arm bent at an unnatural angle.
We feared the worst, but I could still hear her groaning.
She was alive.
"Noelle!" Yuuno dashed toward the orc that attacked her. She positioned herself where all the monsters could see her. Activating her skill, she drew the orcs' attention.
"Noelle! Are you okay?" I ran to her side.
"Ugh… it hurts…" she groaned.
Her arm had bent into unnatural angle, but apart from that, she was fine. After a moment, she tried to stand, her steps unsteady.
"We need to retreat now." I grabbed her shoulders and supported her as we tried to flee.
"But what about Yuuno?"
I looked toward her.
Part of me hoped she had some hidden trump card to turn this situation around—but I doubted it. There was no way she could afford high-grade potions or emergency items while burdened with debt.
"Argh!" Yuuno was sent flying as an orc slammed its wooden club against her buckler. A loud clang echoed through the dungeon as metal met wood.
"Yuuno!" Noelle staggered forward, trying to steady herself as she pointed her spear with her good hand.
"Damn… We're completely screwed if this doesn't work," I muttered as I opened my status screen.
My gaze locked onto the orc wielding the axe.
I selected it as my new target.
"Body Swap," I whispered.
My vision went dark.