Dragged Into Another World Because of My Otaku Friend-Chapter 74: To The Trial

"Well, hello, Bel-bel. Thank you for inviting me today. It’s been such a long time since I last took a quest in this kingdom." Alice smiled at Beltimore.

Bel-bel?

Bob and I almost burst into laughter. That nickname was hilarious.

"Ahem!"

Beltimore let out a sharp cough.

We both immediately straightened up and froze in place.

"Well, if there’s nothing else, let’s get moving," he said, brushing past us.

As he passed, I caught a glance at the book he was carrying. It had an intricately designed cover, thick and bound with gold edges. In the center was a swirling blue crystal embedded like a magical eye.

A magic item for sure, I thought. The way it pulsed... that book wasn’t just for show.

"All the best, Alan and Bob! You two can do it!" Evelyn waved as we headed toward the exit.

"When you return successfully, let’s have a toast, all on me," William said, smiling.

"Just return in one piece," Maya added.

Which I assumed meant: Please be safe.

We waved back and began our journey toward the trial.

"Is the cave far?" Bob asked, adjusting the pack strapped on his back. William and the others had kindly given us some food for the road.

"It’s just outside the city, near the Mountain of Coldshire. It’ll take about four hours to get there," Beltimore replied. He was now dressed very differently from yesterday. He wore a thick blue coat with soft fur lining the shoulders and collar, along with gloves and winter boots.

Why’s he dressed for a snowstorm when it’s so sunny?

Was he not overheating?

"Why are there two of you? I thought only one of you was the S-rank?" Alice asked, now walking gracefully ahead of us, arms folded. Every step she took was long and poised. Heads, especially those belonging to men, turned as we passed. I knew none of them were looking at me or Bob, but it felt... awkward.

Bob walked beside me, clearly mesmerized, his face flushed red as he stared at Alice from behind.

"I’m going to tell Yui," I whispered to him.

"Don’t you dare," he hissed back.

"This man insisted his companion come along too," Beltimore said, walking beside Alice. He glanced briefly at me.

He did not mention the real reason she was invited, to keep an eye on me, the supposedly classless deadweight. If he had told her that, she probably wouldn’t have come at all.

"Hmm... what rank and class are you?" Alice turned to me, her tone curious.

"I’m G-rank. No class," I said plainly. I’d come to accept my fate as classless.

"Classless?" She raised an eyebrow. "To think someone actually exists without a class... and meanwhile you," she pointed to Bob, "have all the classes."

She stopped walking and turned toward us fully, now looking intrigued. Her gaze was intense and unreadable.

"Very intriguing," she said, smiling.

This woman was impossible to read. Normally, I was decent at picking up on people’s emotions, maybe it was just being observant, but Alice was an enigma. Her smile did not match her eyes.

What is she thinking?

Maya and the others had said that S-rank was the pinnacle of adventurers, the elite, those who stood above the rest. And Bob was one of them. But the way Beltimore and Alice treated him... it didn’t match that title. Were they just unimpressed because we were beginners? Or could it be that they themselves had power that rivaled an S-rank?

The first option made sense. The second, though... if it were true, then the two people walking ahead of us weren’t just strong, they were monsters in human skin. The kind you shouldn’t ever mess with.

As I sank deeper into that thought while walking with the party, we were suddenly stopped by someone.

"Good morning, Alan and Bob," said a familiar voice.

We turned around.

It was Linus.

He wore that same hooded robe, with a staff strapped to his back. He smiled as he approached.

"Where have you been?" I asked. We hadn’t seen him for days, we honestly thought he’d already left the city.

Beltimore glanced at Linus, his expression unreadable, but I could tell something about Linus intrigued him.

"I told you, I went to visit a friend of mine," Linus said casually. Then his eyes shifted to our bags and gear. "Where are you two off to?"

"We’re doing a quest," Bob replied stiffly, still wary around Linus.

"A quest? Let me join you!" Linus beamed.

"I’m afraid you can’t," Beltimore interrupted firmly. "This quest is for Dawnbloom Guild members only. Outsiders are not allowed."

"You guys joined a guild? Why didn’t you tell me sooner!?" Linus suddenly grabbed Bob by the collar, his eyes wide with urgency.

"Where is it!? I want to register too!"

I was completely startled by the sudden shift in energy.

Just as I was about to step in and diffuse things—

"T-The guild is just five blocks from here," Bob stammered. "Turn left, then right..."

"Alright!" Linus released him and dashed in the direction Bob pointed.

"Wait for me here! I’ll be quick!" he called over his shoulder.

After a few steps, he turned back again. "Don’t leave without me!"

"Alright, we’ll wait," I replied.

Ten more meters.

"Wait for me, Alan and Bob!" he yelled again.

Alice crossed her arms and let out a long sigh. "What is wrong with that guy?"

He finally turned a corner and disappeared.

Or so I thought.

"Please wait! I really want to join you!" Linus’s head popped out from behind a building before vanishing again.

We waited in silence.

Thirty seconds passed.

He didn’t reappear.

"Think he left already?" I asked Bob.

"I think so," Bob replied.

"Who was that? A friend of yours?" Beltimore asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Not a friend," Bob muttered. "He’s a weirdo obsessed with me and Alan."

Alice’s eyes widened at Bob’s words.

Oi, oi... don’t say it like that! People might really get the wrong idea. I’m not looking to have my preferences questioned over a misunderstanding!

"You gave him wrong direction, but he’ll find the guild eventually," I said, scratching my cheek.

"Hah, let him. He missed the initiation ceremony yesterday," Bob grinned. "He’ll have to wait another month now."

"I think you misunderstood that part," Beltimore chimed in.

"The initiation ceremony was only for people without a class or a known rank. There are still individuals out there who already have their class, but haven’t registered with any guild yet. That guy..." Beltimore paused. "From what I felt, he already has a class."

Bob’s eyes widened. "So that means he can register today?"

"Yes," Alice answered with a smirk.

"Oh no. We need to leave. Now."

Bob suddenly bolted forward. "Let’s go, everyone! Pick up the pace! I’m not letting that guy tag along!"

Beltimore and Alice exchanged a glance before calmly following him.

I lingered for just a moment, glancing back at the spot where Linus had last appeared.

Then I chuckled quietly to myself, and hurried to catch up.

---

"Thank the gods, we finally arrived," Bob said dramatically, dropping to his knees and raising both hands to the sky like a man saved from death.

I slumped down beside a nearby boulder, trying to catch my breath.

After more than six hours of travel, we had finally reached the entrance of the cave. We were nearly two hours late, our constant breaks dragging the journey far longer than intended. Neither of us was in peak condition for a nonstop four-hour hike. Ever since arriving in this world, it had been nothing but physical and mental torture.

"How do you two already look like corpses before entering the cave?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow. Despite the long walk, she still looked effortlessly elegant, not even a hair out of place.

Beltimore let out a long sigh.

"You have ten minutes. Then we enter," he said, sitting down on a stone and cracking open a thick book as if nothing had happened.

Bob instantly pulled out his oversized water bottle and guzzled it like a desert traveler finding an oasis. I sipped more conservatively from my pouch, then stood and stepped back to observe the cave more closely.

The cave mouth was carved into the side of a towering mountain. The peak was so high, wisps of clouds curled lazily around its summit. Patches of green dotted the higher slopes, and I spotted some mountain animals climbing across narrow ledges with ease.

"Vice Guildmaster Beltimore..." Bob started.

"Just call me Beltimore. You have a question?" he interrupted without looking up, his eyes still fixed on the pages of his book.

"You mentioned during our trip that this place is one of the dungeons in the kingdom. But... why haven’t we seen anyone around here?" Bob asked, glancing around the eerily empty surroundings.

Now that he mentioned it, I realized it too. For the past hour, we had not seen a single soul, not a traveler, not a guard, not even a nearby camp.

Alice turned her head toward us, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Do you want to know why?"

Me and Bob both nodded.

"Because this place has become a grave for many adventurers."

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