The three idiots who couldn't become heroes are preparing a man's meal today as well. - Chapter 5

Episode 5: Level Up

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(Airi’s POV)

“Whoa! That’s amazing! How do you cut through it so cleanly!?”

“You mean this, Bro*? It’s a knife made from a special metal called mithril. And that’s not all—it’s specifically designed for dismantling, with its shape and blade thickness carefully calculated. There are different types too.” (*Raw just say ‘Nii-chan’,)

“Seriously!? That’s awesome! I want one so bad!”

“With a knife like that, even those tough boars would be easy to dissect!”

…What is with these guys?

As they requested, I brought them to the dismantling site for the recovered monsters, and as expected, their excitement skyrocketed.

Generally, most Walkers don’t do their own dismantling.

If they need materials, they only retrieve the necessary parts, cutting out proof items as evidence.

In cases where large amounts of beast materials are needed for armor and weapons, some hire dismantlers—but that’s pretty rare.

After all, they’d have to fight while protecting the dismantler.

And Walkers capable of hunting beasts that yield rare materials almost always carry magic bags.

So they just toss the whole corpse into their bag and request the necessary parts to be processed at the dismantling site.

That’s the standard practice for Walkers.

At an average level, they only collect proof parts and magic stones.

Yet here they are, getting hands-on dismantling lessons and looking ridiculously excited.

Why?

“So, who are they? I get that those idiots from earlier were the ones in the wrong, but… what exactly is this?”

“Um… I don’t know either.”

I had already explained their registration details and the previous incident to the Branch Chief.

Other Walkers who witnessed the scene also backed up the explanation, so that situation was quickly settled… but now, how am I supposed to explain this?

Honestly, I’d rather have someone explain it to me.

“But this seems to assume you have insanely sharp blades to begin with…”

“Not necessarily. Watch closely—this is just a regular knife. But if you use it properly… Hup!”

“No way!? How did the blade go through so cleanly!?”

“Amazing, amazing! Is there some kind of trick to it!?”

“Hahaha! Even guys who want to be dismantlers aren’t usually this eager! I like you lot—alright, I’ll teach you my secret technique!”

“Yes, please!”

…They’re getting really into it.

That’s probably not ending anytime soon.

As I thought that, I glanced nervously at the Branch Chief’s expression.

“…That looks fun.”

He seems… restless.

Wasn’t he a former Walker too? But to be this interested… maybe he has a similar mindset to them?

I don’t really get it.

“Huh? What are you doing with that meat? Stuffing it into a bucket?”

“Huh? This? It’s beast meat. Of course, I’m throwing it away.”

“What a waste! It’s delicious!”

…What?

What did they just say?

It had been a lingering question in my mind.

They only carried a single day’s worth of rations—so how had they survived for a whole week?

Sure, some Walkers hunt and eat wild animals to survive.

But that’s rare.

It’s much easier to just finish the job quickly and eat in town or bring preserved food.

If someone had to hunt for food, it’d usually mean they were stranded with no other options.

Hunting for sustenance is a job for specialists, not Walkers.

And more importantly… their words just now sounded like they had actually eaten monster meat.

If that’s true, this could be really bad.

“Airi, we need to appraise them immediately.”

“Y-Yes!”

In this world, it is an absolute rule:

Monster meat must never be eaten.

Monsters are creatures transformed by corrupted miasma.

Their flesh and blood are tainted, and consuming it is said to corrupt the eater as well.

Beasts turn into monsters.
Humans turn into demons.

It’s an old legend, but it’s so deeply ingrained in common sense that no one dares eat monster meat.

At least… that was how it was supposed to be.

“Everyone! Please come here at once. You will all undergo an ‘appraisal’ again!”

At my call, the three immediately gathered in front of me—but they averted their gazes.

As I suspected, these people had eaten monster meat.

They must be afraid that they’ve already turned into demons…

“But… it’s expensive, right?”

“…Huh?”

“We’re kinda low on funds right now, and we need to upgrade our weapons too… so we can’t really afford extra expenses.”

“I’m honestly happy to check our levels, but we also need to buy gear for our next job…”

Muttering to themselves, the three of them looked completely dejected.

Wait.

I feel like there’s a major disconnect between what I’m worried about and what they are worried about…

“This appraisal won’t cost you anything. We have our own reasons for wanting to do this. If you cooperate, we might even be able to help you out a little.”

The moment the Branch Chief said that, the three of them lit up with huge grins.

They’re probably older than me, but… their reactions are adorable.

Wait, is that rude to think about men?

Still, compared to the Walkers I usually see, they’re way more straightforward.

I’d rather avoid the drunkard types from earlier, but these guys… I feel like I wouldn’t mind getting along with them.

Well, that depends on the results of the appraisal.

“Alright… let’s move to my office. We’ll conduct the appraisal there.”

With a serious expression, the Branch Chief led the way, while the three followed him, practically bouncing with excitement.

This whole situation is messing with my sense of normal…

I just hope the results aren’t bad.

(Kitayama POV)

“Whoa!!! Our levels jumped to 30! In just one week! Hey, receptionist-san, what does level 30 mean in terms of rank?”

“Um… it’s just before the mid-tier rank. From there, leveling slows down. Levels 40–50 are considered veteran. At 60, you’re an expert. If you reach 70 or 80, you’re a hero-class warrior. At that point, there are only a handful of people in the entire country at that level.”

Having clear numbers makes it easier to understand progress.

Not just me—Nishida and Azuma, too.

All of us had reached level 30, and without thinking, we did a group fist pump.

Nothing else in our stats had changed, but at least we knew we had gotten stronger.

Now that I think about it, when we fought those tough-looking Walkers earlier, it did feel much easier than expected.

Back in Japan, if we had fought some thugs, there’s no way we would’ve handled it so smoothly.

More likely, we would’ve gotten beaten up instead.

“I knew my legs felt lighter lately! I bet I could set a new record in the 50-meter dash!”

Nishida was already fast to begin with. He’s shorter than the rest of us, but he’s incredibly quick.

This is good to know—he’s probably the best choice for chasing down prey during hunts.

“I also thought it was easier to hold off beasts compared to before… so it was because of my level. That means I can go even more aggressive now!”

Azuma’s raw strength is something I’ve seen firsthand… but honestly, watching him fight is kind of terrifying.

At the very least, we need to get him some new armor before I can feel comfortable letting him be the tank.

The first thing we buy has to be Azuma’s armor.

Weapons can wait—we can always whittle some wooden stakes with a knife if we have to.

…That said, I did feel like I’d gotten more muscular.

But unlike those two, I don’t really have a clear, “Hell yeah, I got way stronger!” moment.

What’s up with that?

Oh well. No point overthinking it now.

That would just be depressing.

“A level increase like this in just one week… And no adverse effects from eating monster meat. Is the level-up because of the monster meat? Or are they just special…?”

Muttering to himself, the Branch Chief kept studying our adventurer cards with a serious expression.

There’s no way there’s anything that interesting written there, though.

What’s got him so curious?

Well, whatever.

We need to head to the weapon shop the Branch Chief recommended.

Maybe, with his introduction, we can get a discount.

As we were getting excited and about to leave, I casually said, “Alright, guess we’ll be off then—”

“Wait, hold on. I want you to add one more person to your party.”

The one who suddenly said that was the Branch Chief.

Huh?

I’m happy to have more companions, but… why?

I don’t see how teaming up with us would be beneficial in any way.

“There’s something I want to test. Take one more person with you, have them live the same lifestyle and under the same conditions as you, and then return to me in a week. Of course, I’ll cover the cost of the evaluation at that time and provide some form of reward.”

Some strange conditions have been placed on us.

Still, it seems like we only stand to gain from this.

What exactly is this person trying to do?

“By the way, who would this companion be?”

Adding someone who doesn’t get along with us could easily lead to fractures in our party’s trust.

But considering that we’re just rookies, I highly doubt we’d be given someone particularly skilled…

“You may choose. I will provide the funds.”

“…Huh?”

The Branch Chief handed me a card—was it a business card?

It unmistakably had the words “Slave Trader” written on it.

(Airi POV)

After the three of them left, I let out a deep sigh, now alone in the room.

“Is this really okay, Branch Chief? We’re talking about people who have eaten monster meat. And now, you’re involving a slave…?”

“Aren’t they the perfect test subjects? Did they grow stronger because they ate monster meat? Or was it that they were able to eat it without issue? By observing the state of the slave we send with them, we’ll have a clear answer. If we sent one of our Walkers instead, things would get complicated if something went wrong… But with just one slave, well, we can manage.”

“I don’t really like this… This method.”

What the Branch Chief was proposing was, to put it bluntly, human experimentation.

They were sending a slave with them just to observe their condition afterward.

That’s why they imposed the condition that the group must return in a week.

But no matter how you justify it, that’s too cruel—just because they’re a slave doesn’t make it right.

“It’s not as if I’m choosing this method because I enjoy it. But tell me—do you think we can conduct an experiment by eating monster meat right here and now?”

“……”

“Then, for now, just stay quiet. I’ve given them another job. This time, it’s an Ogre Boar. It won’t be an easy hunt. And in a week’s time… No matter how much preserved food they bring, it won’t be enough. Unless they pull a cart, that is. And if that happens, they’ll inevitably resort to eating monster meat.”

At that moment, I realized something.

The Branch Chief had made a mistake.

Or rather, I had forgotten to report something.

“Um, Branch Chief… My apologies. They’ve already taken down an Ogre Boar. When they incapacitated those Walkers who got in their way, they threw one at them.”

“…What?”

The Ogre Boar.

A monster found in the nearby forest, notorious as a rookie killer.

It has devastating charging power, sharp tusks, and its thick hide is said to be nearly impervious to blades.

Even veteran adventurers can lose their lives if they let their guard down.

The boar’s pelt is valuable, traded at a decent price in the guild’s market.

I don’t know if they understood its worth, but since they didn’t bother selling it, it’s likely they just used it for combat.

Or rather, in their case, it was hunting.

“Is this… verified information?”

The Branch Chief looked at me, his face twitching slightly.

I could only offer him a strained smile.

What else could I do?

“They mentioned something about ‘lots of boars’… I’m pretty sure they meant Ogre Boars. I also confirmed the pelts myself. They were treating them quite carelessly.”

“Specifically…?”

“They threw them over their opponents and then proceeded to beat them down.”

“The fu-… damn it.”

The Branch Chief isn’t actually a bad person.

He genuinely tries to minimize civilian casualties and ensure Walkers are given the right tasks.

It’s because of that mindset that he misjudged these individuals and resorted to using a slave for an experiment.

Because to him, those three seemed too dangerous and unpredictable.

Using a slave wasn’t necessarily the wrong decision—not entirely, at least.

But those three… they seem to value compassion quite highly.

Considering their personalities, they wouldn’t treat a slave cruelly.

And if they were to find out about this experiment…

“Walkers who can take down multiple Ogre Boars with ease… If anyone’s getting beaten down next, it might be you, Branch Chief.”

“Please, for the love of god… spare me. I’m nowhere near strong enough for that…”

With that, the Branch Chief buried his face in the table, groaning in despair.