Volume 1, Chapter 15 – The Road to Leveling Up

“Chris-san, I’d like to start accumulating EXP and aim to Level Up soon.”

“Ah, so Fiene-sama has finally resolved to walk the path of the Saint! Leave the escort duties along the way to me!”

No, I’m a Vampire, so I don’t think I’ll become a Saint!

“So, how do I Level Up? Is it through monster hunting and such?”

“No, since Fiene-sama is still Level 1, I believe staying active around town would be more suitable.”

It seems there are ways to Level Up even within the city.

In AnnyOn’s blind playthrough video, I think he headed straight for monster hunting.

Maybe in this Event Route, that’s not recommended?

“What should I do then?”

“For a Healer, methods include going to the Temple to offer prayers, seeking out the injured or ill and healing them, or serving as an assistant to high-Level Healers or Priests while learning from them.”

“Eeeh…”

Rеаⅾ οո ΚatRеаⅾiոɡСаfе

First off, I’d really rather not go to the Temple to fight my abs.

Also, even if I became an assistant or disciple to other Healers or Priests, aside from learning new types of magic, I feel like I wouldn’t gain much out of it.

Mainly in terms of Levels.

In that case, it’d probably be a better use of time to read Grimoires at a library or something… assuming Grimoires even exist here.

“Out of those, I guess… healing people around town?”

“I see. You wish to save those who suffer. How kind of you, Fiene-sama.”

Somehow, the misunderstanding keeps escalating on its own.

That’s not it. That’s absolutely not it!

“About how long until I can go monster hunting?”

“Let me see. If you focus solely on healing activities, the usual path is to spend around 5 to 10 years at it, raise your Status above 100, and only then form a Party to go monster hunting.”

Reαd oո KαtRеаԁіnɡСаfе

“Eeeh?!”

“Pardon my words, Fiene-sama, but monsters are incredibly strong compared to us humans. Even the weakest monsters are said to have average Status exceeding 100.”

That’s way too long! I can’t spend five or ten years doing this! Wait, don’t you just Respawn if you die? Is the Death Penalty really that brutal?

“Fiene-sama, please don’t make such a face. I am confident I could protect you from a few monsters. However, if we were surrounded by dozens of them, there is a possibility I could not. You only have one life. I beg you, please do not push yourself.”

‘Only one life’? What is this, Extreme Mode? This is beyond Hard Mode.

Besides, in games like these, aren’t there usually plenty of weak monsters that even a Level 1 can beat?

“Therefore, if you were to go outside now, we would need to hire over ten guards to surround and protect you. However, in that case, you would gain almost no EXP, so you wouldn’t achieve your goal.”

“What do you mean?”

“Fundamentally, EXP goes to those who attack the monsters. Simply being protected in the back yields no EXP. If Leveling Up were that easy, the knight orders, mercenary groups, and hunters would’ve been full of high-Level people by now.”

I see. It seems Power Leveling isn’t possible under this system. I think it’s necessary for beginners to catch up to advanced players, but…

Rеαⅾ oո KαtReαⅾіոɡСаfе

If it can’t be done, then there’s no helping it.

“How high is ‘high-Level’?”

“Well, it depends on the Class, but for the numerous Warrior-type Classes, exceeding Level 20 is considered high-Level. This is also because free Class Change becomes available from Level 20. Around Level 15, one is considered fully capable. For Healers… I apologize, but it’s hard to say.”

“Why is that?”

“Healers are few in number, and even fewer venture to the front lines. Even if they join a Monster Subjugation Squad, they typically stay off the front lines, surrounded by guards, specializing in healing. Healers inevitably have low Defense and HP, and if the Healer is taken out first, the Party collapses. So, this is an unavoidable circumstance.”

I see. I understand the situation now.

Because Power Leveling isn’t possible, Healers can’t Level Up properly, so their Status stays low, which means they can’t go to the front lines, which means they can’t Level Up.

Meanwhile, the frontliners keep getting stronger, and the monsters they fight keep getting stronger too.

Which just makes it even harder for Healers to go to the front lines.

And since Parties need Healers, the moment they find one that’s at least somewhat usable, they keep them close and never let them go, so their Level ends up stagnating, and…

Rеаԁ oո KаtRеαⅾiոgCαfе

Yeah, that’s a complete negative spiral.

Huh? Isn’t this basically a terrible Class for anyone who wants to go on a rampage?

“…-sama? Fiene-sama? Is something the matter?”

Oh, Chris-san is looking at me worriedly.

“No, I was just thinking. For now, I think I’d like to go to the library or something to study.”

“I see. To heal people, one must first acquire knowledge about illnesses, like the Pope. How astute. Fiene-sama, leave it to me. I will make arrangements immediately, so please wait in this room today.”

With that, Chris-san dashed out of the room.

No, well. That’s completely wrong, but…

I watched Chris-san run off, completely fired up over a misunderstanding, while I sank into a gloomy mood.