Chapter-16

"Mr. Lucian, if you ever decide to change classes and take Berserk as your next class or any other class, you can join our party. We are all pretty experienced in our roles now. This guy is about to reach level 10 in a day or two," the Berserk guy spoke as he pointed towards his friend.

"Ah... Yeah, why not?" Lucian replied with a smile.

'I don't want to join a party. Joining a party means I have to trust them, and my trust is not that cheap,' Lucian thought as he looked in the other direction and suddenly noticed some guys running around in order to catch a slime.

"Look at that... Rich assholes are here," the Archer spoke from behind as he pointed towards some men who were wearing pitch-black coats, similar to the dress that servants used to wear in the 16th century.

All of them were running behind a slime with a small cage in their hands.

"What are they doing? They're not trying to kill that slime, are they?" Lucian asked with a confused expression.

"Nope, these guys are trying to catch it for their young master. All the Royal Houses do this; they order the servants to gather slimes for their family's most promising child. After gathering slimes, they bring them back to the Royal House, and then the child kills them. These assholes get a power boost in leveling. Where it takes us 4 to 5 months to get up to level 10, they do it in only 2-3 months. Once leveled up to 10, they are sent to the 'Royal Academy of Swords and Magic.' Then they get selected as Royal mages and Knight captains from there, then get married into another rich household and have kids. This cycle continues for eternity," the Berserk guy explained.

"What about talent? What if a normal guy has talent?" Lucian asked with a curious expression.

"Oh, they will be silenced as soon as the Royal houses find out. No commoner is going to work in the Royal castle, man. No one has, no one ever will. Our fate is this... Take quests from Royal guys and live our lives. Find their missing cats or hunt monsters for them, so they can have food to eat in the winter," the Archer replied.

"Don't you start again with this sad talk, man... We can have fun too. He is new to this... Why are you making him all depressed?" the Berserk guy spoke with a serious expression.

"I-I am sorry..." the Archer replied.

'Why would you want to work for anyone? I don't understand. Just build your own safe space and work freely. Don't show off your skills, and you will be good to go,' Lucian thought.

"Well, we will take our leave now, Mr. Lucian. But do inform us if you change your class," Sylvie spoke with a smile as all of them turned around and left.

'4 to 5 months!? That's the normal time for a party to get to level 10 in this world? That means I was right; leveling up solo is four times more beneficial than leveling up with a team. Well, I shouldn't waste time too; I need to find slimes as well,' Lucian thought with a smile as he started walking inside the forest.

*Tick*

Suddenly, Lucian heard a ticking sound coming out of the pocket watch that he was holding in his hand.

"Hmmm...?"

Lucian immediately looked at the watch and noticed that the minute hand was ticking rapidly at 3 o'clock.

"What's happening with you now?" Lucian asked as he started tapping over the watch, but the ticking wouldn't stop. Instead, it was getting louder and louder.

*Tick-Tick-Tick-Tick*

"What the heck is wrong with this watch's prob-" Before Lucian could complete his sentence, a slime jumped out of the bushes.

*Boing*

"Slime... Inferno!" Lucian pointed his wand towards the slime and started casting his spell, but suddenly, the butler from the Royal house came in front of him and interrupted Lucian's casting.

"Hey, I have got one here," the butler shouted as he called out to the other servants.

"Coming, Sir..." a servant shouted as he immediately came to the spot with a cage and captured the slime.

"Phew~ Nice work, boys. Little master will be very happy with us today. How many did we catch today?"

"With this one, it's 13, Sir," a servant replied.

"Umm, excuse me?" Lucian spoke from behind.

"Hmmm...?" The butler immediately turned around and looked at Lucian.

"That slime was mine... I was standing here from the start," Lucian spoke.

"Kid, don't you know that we are from the Sun Household?" The butler spoke with a serious expression as he pointed towards a sun sticker that was on his left chest pocket.

'Sun... Household. I have to handle this carefully. I don't want to fight the final boss at level 1,' Lucian thought.

"I am sorry, I am new here... So, I don't know anything about the Sun Household," Lucian replied with a confused expression.

"Well, just remember one thing... Mess with anyone you want, kid, but not the Sun household, or you won't have a family or house to sleep in by tomorrow," the butler immediately threatened.

'I don't have both, but from the looks of it... It's clear that this Sun House is not a small house. I better find another slime... but, I will remember this, and one day, I will get back at you, Old F...,' Lucian thought as he looked at the butler.

"Well, I am sorry for not knowing about it... I will leave now," Lucian spoke with a smile as he started leaving.

"What a prick..."

"What was he saying, Sir?"

"He said... 'It was my slime, how can you take it? I will complain about it to my mama.' I told him to get the heck out of here... Hahaha."

"Hahahaha..."

"Hahaha..."

All of them started laughing.

'Control, Lucian... Every dog's day will come. For now... I have to focus on leveling up, and to do that, I need more slimes,' Lucian thought as he went deeper into the forest.

*Tick-Tick-Tick-Tick*

Suddenly, the clock started ticking again.

Lucian took it out and noticed that it was now ticking at 9 o'clock.

"What the heck is wrong with this watch... I don't need you," Lucian spoke as he immediately threw the watch away.

*Shhh*

But, Suddenly... He felt the bushes on his left vibrating; it was as if something was moving in them.

"Woah..." Lucian immediately pointed his wand towards the bushes.

*Boing*

Suddenly, a slime jumped out of the bushes.