Can Someone (Anyone!) Please Turn Off the Auto-Skill Setting?! - Chapter 21
Now that she thought about it, it actually made sense. She had forgotten, given how naturally Aaron had blended into the interviewer role, that he was a knight—one of the top contenders, in fact.
As soon as she considered him as a potential party member, a status window popped up.
【 Power Level Without Weapon: 8,000 】
【 Hiring Cost: 0 Gold (*Special Conditions Apply) 】
No weapon, yet a power level of 8,000? Nancy’s eyes almost popped out when she saw the “0 Gold” hiring cost. The part about “special conditions” didn’t even register, the offer was so sweet.
“I don’t have a weapon right now. It’s being repaired.”
“What’s the holdup? The blacksmith is right next door!”
Rivel smirked and stood up, saying he’d be back with some decent swords if they waited. It was ironic—he hadn’t budged when told to leave, yet now he was quick to go.
Nancy could only shake her head as she watched Rivel hurry off to his smithy.
“Don’t feel pressured into buying anything just because he brings it out,” she warned Aaron.
Swords weren’t cheap. Nancy advised him to firmly refuse unless he really wanted to buy one.
Aaron folded his arms, thinking deeply, before speaking.
“Nancy, do you want me to join your party…”
But at that moment.
CRASH!
There was a loud crash, and a round, black object fell from the ceiling. The strange thing twitched before slowly unfolding itself.
It was a pitch-black armadillo.
“I am Dillo, a servant of the Four Great Kings, Lord Eije! I’ve come to kill the Hero on Lord Eije’s orders!”
What in the world? Nancy panicked. She hadn’t even set out on her adventure yet, and now a demon had already come to attack her? She’d expected battles after they left, not before!
“Prepare yourself, Hero!”
Dillo declared dramatically, but to Nancy’s horror, it wasn’t her he charged at—it was Aaron.
Dillo had mistaken Aaron for the Hero! Nancy’s luck increased. Not that she was feeling lucky.
“Aaron!”
Nancy called out as Dillo barreled toward him. Thankfully, Aaron dodged the attack, avoiding harm.
Unfortunately, her shop wasn’t so lucky. The impact sent the shelves crashing down, shattering potions and expensive elixirs that had been carefully arranged.
【 -2,200 Gold 】
Her precious stock vanished so quickly that it made her want to scream silently.
“What’s going on here?!”
Rivel shouted as he rushed back, hearing the commotion.
As soon as Nancy saw the sword in Rivel’s hand, she snatched it without thinking.
She had never wielded a sword before, but that was a minor detail compared to the massive financial loss in front of her.
The skill activated just in time. Nancy moved with lightning speed, striking Dillo in the back. He tried to retaliate, but she dodged with an almost superhuman grace and landed blow after blow.
But there was a limit. Even the powerful skill required Nancy’s body to carry it out, and her stamina was running out fast.
“Unghhh… I can’t…”
Luckily, Dillo collapsed before the skill wore off entirely. He muttered something incoherent as he hit the ground with a thud. Nancy grabbed his body and shook him violently.
“Don’t you dare die until you pay for all of this!”
The damage totaled 5,800 gold. Her head pounded as though it might split open from the stress.
Rivel placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“Since you used the sword, it’s yours now. You’ll have to buy it.”
That brought her total losses up to 9,800 gold. Nancy felt her world collapse. The cost of a single swing of that sword had come at a steep price. It was far too late to regret now.
On top of everything, muscle pain hit her, and she couldn’t stand upright. Her limbs trembled uncontrollably.
Nancy sank to the floor and let out a small sob.
Was she really supposed to endure this all the way to the Demon King’s castle? She couldn’t. If this kept happening, she’d lose her mind.
“I can’t do this anymore. Please cancel my Hero status, dear God!” she wept bitterly.
Just then, a voice from above responded.
“Lil bro!”
At first, Nancy thought it was the voice of God, but it turned out to be Arma, Dillo’s older brother. His eyes turned blood-red with rage when he saw his fallen sibling.
Nancy snapped out of her tears, grabbing the sword she had dropped.
【 With Nancy’s current stamina, she can’t use possession skills for more than 30 seconds! 】
Nancy’s trembling hands tried to grip the sword tighter as the system delivered this terrifying news. How was she supposed to fight without that invincible skill?
This time, both her shop and her life were in real danger. She looked up at Arma, who was far larger than Dillo, her face pale with fear.
