I'm Actually Not Overpowered!

"Could you spar with me, if that's alright by you?"

Great, it has already come to this. I knew what this Zabdel dude was trying to do.

He most likely wanted to confirm my strength with his own eyes.

Usually, I would jump at the opportunity to prove my strength, but was there really a need to in this situation?

I had already passed, and there was nothing he could do about it. If he decided to doubt my abilities, I had tons of witnesses who saw me being a badass.

There was no way he could refute that.

'Fighting him wouldn't be so bad; if only I was guaranteed to win…'

This wouldn't be the first time I was challenged by a Level 30. Lucy was also at that Level, and even though she was extremely strong, I managed to secure victory.

However, unlike back then, a few things were different.

For one, Lucy was a warrior, making her attacks limited to movements and strikes.

If she had been a Tank, or some other Class, I would have lost that match.

But now, one of those meddlesome Class Holders was now challenging me to combat.

Of course, I couldn't see the details of his Status Window, but his HP, MP, and Level were clearly displayed there.

'He has a ridiculous amount of MP, that is proportionate to his HP.'

There was no doubt about it at this point… Zabdel was a Mage!

'Fighting someone who can use Magic is practically suicide! There's no way I'll accept.'

"Of course, I'll make this challenge worth your while." Perhaps the Vice Guild master sensed my hesitation, because the next thing he did was to press the issue.

'Heck no! I'm not doing this no matter what you say!'

"Depending on the results, you could be promoted to S Rank. Only three active Adventurers have this Rank, you know? So, what do you say?"

"That is indeed a tempting offer…" I murmured, still maintaining my façade.

Unfortunately for the man who was trying his hardest to sell his pitch, I didn't need a rank as prestigious as S Rank.

Having too much attention drawn to me at this time was bad enough.

A Rank was good enough to get by, and it wasn't like I planned on establishing an active position amongst the Adventurers.

I just wanted access to Quests.

"… I'm going to have to refuse."

"Oh? Any particular reason why?"

Tch! This guy just didn't want to butt out of my business.

"There's something… I must do…" My face left him and went to the exit.

I once read that you could give various signals to a person through body language. Anyone with common sense would be able to sense if another person is comfortable by watching them fidgeting and looking elsewhere.

And so, by placing my gaze on the door, I was trying to tell the Vice Guild master to 'LET ME GOOOO!'

"Ah, I see. So it's 'that' matter, uh?" He smiled at me.

'Eh? What matter?' What the heck was this guy talking about now?

"I know there's no time to waste. But, are you sure you'd be capable of handling it?"

I was literally lost.

What was the 'it' that this dude was talking about?

I have absolutely no idea what he is talking about.

"Seems like you caught on. Yes, I'm in a hurry. I'll be meeting my associates now. They're waiting for me."

"Ah, I see. You work fast. So that's why you took the exams today. I understand…"

Well, I would simply let him assume whatever he wanted. If that meant I could leave and avoid fighting him, then I could not be happier.

"Alright, then. I'll be putting my trust in you. I suppose I'll see the results soon."

'What results? Weren't you here when Gerund gave them to us?'

Well, at this point, I was just going to let things go on autopilot.

"Then, till we meet again, Vice Guild master." I smiled coolly, taking my leave.

"When next we see, I hope you'd be able to call me by my name. So, please make sure you definitely come back."

There seemed to be a hint of pain in his voice, but maybe he simply had a sore throat.

'Of course, I'll come back. I need to get my Badge tomorrow so I can take the Quest.' Nodding my head as if every single word the dude spouted made sense to me, I opened the door and left the room.

'Haa, it's finally over.' I heaved a sigh of relief after making sure the coast was clear.

These guys didn't have any CCTV, did they? Nah! Primitives like them never stood a chance.

'Let's return to the inn. I should avoid much interaction with Sarah and Gerund, or else they'll want to know how well I fared in the exam.'

It wasn't all bad though, but wouldn't it be better if they heard of my exploits from others? That would have a better effect than self-promotion.

'Alright then! I'll do just that.'

****************************************

"Sir, were you serious? Is he really going to—?!"

Gerund's face was scrunched up, displaying an obvious expression of worry.

"I got a report that two people were asking around about the recent cases of disappearances… and those two happen to be his acquaintances." The Vice Guild master responded succinctly, smiling softly.

Zabdel had connections all over the city. In addition, he was also extremely intelligent and perceptive.

It didn't take him too long to connect the dots.

"The rules were changed recently because Adventurers have been dying a lot more these days. Many people don't know the reason for their deaths…"

But, the real question was how the Examinee, Sam, figured it out.

'As I thought, he's no ordinary guy…' Zabdel reasoned within himself.

"He had his associates scour the city for clues on the missing cases of Adventurers, and the sudden spike in the mortality rates—even for simple Quests. Plus, he seems to be in a hurry to 'do something' about it."

Zabdel had gotten all he needed to hear from the young man to understand his intentions.

Still, even though Gerund had been the one who saw Sam in action, he couldn't fathom how the Vice Guild master considered something so absurd.

Something so dangerous!

"But… that monster… even S Class Adventurers can't beat it. How will he even—?"