Can Someone (Anyone!) Please Turn Off the Auto-Skill Setting?! - Chapter 20
She knew full well that she wasn’t any good at fighting. But seeing her pitifully low stats in cold, hard numbers was both shocking and disheartening.
It was no surprise, but this made it even clearer that she needed to prioritize hiring people who were good at fighting.
Fortunately, plenty of applicants were flocking to her, drawn by the fame of the title ‘Hero’.
“I guarantee my skills. My power level is around 5,000.”
It was some guy—Nancy had lost track of how many applicants she’d seen at this point. Just as she thought that sounded decent, the skill 〈Piercing Gaze〉 activated on its own.
He’d inflated his number by almost double! If it weren’t for that skill, she might have hired him right on the spot, trusting his word.
Nancy couldn’t have a fraud in her party, so she told him to leave and met with the next applicant.
“I can handle swords, axes, spears—you name it.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than 〈Piercing Gaze〉 kicked in again. It really was a useful skill.
The downside of the skill was that it often revealed information she didn’t really care to know. It would’ve been great if she could use it only when needed. She looked into how to turn off the automatic activation of the skill.
So the system was basically saying she had no sense of judgment? That was a stretch. Maybe she wasn’t perfect, but she wasn’t that bad. At least, that’s how she saw it.
Anyway, this applicant was another bust. His power level was around 4,000, which wasn’t bad, but he was asking for a salary of 10,000 gold, which was way too high.
Nancy was about to send him on his way when old man Rivel butted in.
“What do you think a sword is?”
Rivel had shown up when he heard she was holding interviews for the party. Now, he’d seated himself beside her and was grilling the applicants.
“A weapon. The most commonly used one.”
“Terrible answer. Get out.”
He was acting like he was the interviewer now, even though Nancy hadn’t asked for his help. What was funny was that the applicant left with a bitter expression, not saying a word.
“Mr. Rivel, aren’t you supposed to be at your forge? Shouldn’t you be heading back by now?”
“I can’t do that. You’re bound to hire a bunch of useless folks.”
“What makes you think that?”
“It’s obvious. You’re too young and blinded by money. You’ll just hire based on who asks for the least pay.”
Nancy felt a pang of guilt. She had no retort, and as she pouted, Rivel scoffed as if he knew it all along.
“The most important thing is the heart. A strong will—that’s what gets you through adversity.”
“There you go, sounding like an old geezer again.”
“What was that?”
“I was going to send that guy away anyway, so it’s fine. But from now on, no more butting in, okay?”
Nancy warned him. Rivel clicked his tongue and grudgingly agreed. Then, as if sulking, he clammed up, refusing to say anything more.
Still, he didn’t leave.
Nancy shook her head and waited for the next applicant. Soon, someone knocked on the shop door.
“Nancy, are you in?”
It was Aaron. She wondered if he wanted to join the hero’s party, but that wasn’t the case.
“I’ve got money today, but I guess you’re not selling anything?”
The timing was unfortunate. Nancy clicked her tongue in disappointment. But she couldn’t just send away the man who had saved her during the crowd crush.
“How about some tea? I’ve got popcorn stashed away for the second or third day of the Hero Selection.”
Aaron thanked her for the offer and naturally sat beside her.
Before she knew it, Nancy was sandwiched between Aaron’s armor and Rivel’s bulky frame. The sofa should have easily fit three people, but with both of them being larger than average, she was left in a rather uncomfortable position. The interviews resumed in this awkward setting.
“The power level’s too low.”
“He doesn’t even maintain his weapon properly. Hopeless!”
The strict interviewers had now doubled in number.
Nancy appreciated their intention to help, but the situation was getting out of hand. Every applicant was being turned away, and now no one else was showing up.
If this continued, she’d be left without a party and wouldn’t even be able to leave.
“At this rate, I’m going to have to head to the Demon King’s castle all by myself.”
Nancy grumbled, prompting Rivel to glance at Aaron.
“What about the knight sitting next to you?”
