Ai's Tangent - An Escape From Boredom

Ai Kisso was an Ivy: a rather sedentary race that normally lived about four hundred human years. They lazed around in a field of grass, absorbing nutrients and mana. A rather peaceful life, but to Ai…

It was boring.

Doing nothing but stare at the sky? That’s stupid! she thought. However, Ivies didn’t reach adulthood until sixty human years had passed, so there wasn’t much else she could do until then.

So, to pass the time, she decided to research plant magic: a skill all ivies had the talent for, if they actually decided to use it. As such, at the ripe old age of ten (about forty in human years), she raised her skill to C-rank, deftly able to manipulate vines with a single thought. However, it wasn’t long before she hit a roadblock.

The border between C and B-rank involved controlling two spells of the same skill independently, or in Ai’s case, moving two vines in different directions at the same time. Even after becoming an adult, she made absolutely zero progress. She didn’t even understand how it was possible. The most that had come out of her wasted years was a doubled lifespan, something she had no desire for. Ai had already started to go crazy from the monotony, so she left home, trying to escape from her encroaching boredom.

Given how isolated the Ivies were, it took around two weeks to reach the closest town. Ai made sure to keep up her practice, experimenting on any beasts she happened to stumble across. Her excitement boiled over the first time she stepped into a city. Paved streets were much easier to walk on than a grassy hill. Tall, man-made structures – some standing three or four stories high – lined the sides. Unknown technologies filled every corner of her vision.

This is it! I’ll definitely be able to find a hint here!

However, no matter who Ai asked, nobody gave her the time of day. She made sure to ask politely too, compared to her normally crass manner.

“Tell me how to improve my magic, you bastard!” See? Look at how nicely she asked.

No matter what city or town she visited, everyone always gave the same response. She started wondering if reaching B-rank even mattered. She already defeated every beast with one attack, so was there any point in being stronger? But there was no other way Ai could stave off the boredom, so she sallied onwards.

Eventually, she ended up in the small town of Akamai. There wasn’t anything noteworthy, so she only planned on spending a single day exploring the marketplace. Her usual questioning received the familiar cold response. That is, until someone tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey, do you want to join a party with me?” A brown-skinned boy in his late twenties stood behind Ai. She was rather confused by his question, but his voice reminded Ai of her hometown, so she was intrigued enough to ask why. Cordially, of course.

“And why should I do that?”

“Because you want to get stronger, right?”

Not really, but he wasn’t wrong that skill ranks did correlate with strength, so she had some interest in the prospect. “What makes you think that creating a party will help? It’s a pretty stupid idea.” Ai was only an adventurer for the money. She had heard that those with at least B-rank skills, according to a receptionist, were almost impossible to meet.

But then, the boy said something unbelievable. “I heard that when you take the B-rank up exams, you are assigned an A-rank proctor.” That was exactly what she needed! It was way too good to be true, but it didn’t seem like the boy was lying. Still…

“Huh. But why don’t I just do it solo, then? There’s no reason for me to join up with you.”

“Well, you’re required to complete a certain number of quests to take the exam. If we’re in a party, we could complete the requirements much faster. Or do you really want to wait twenty, thirty, maybe even fifty years to reach it on your own?” He… had a point. “You should be lucky to even live that long. I’m a red wolf, and I don’t have the skill to increase my lifespan. I’d be dead in another fifteen at most. So, please, join my party,” he bowed.

Somehow, this slightly condescending boy found just what Ai was looking for. She had already spent twenty years doing absolutely nothing, and she wasn’t planning to wait twenty more. Plus, his bow was starting to make her feel uncomfortable.

“Ugh, fine. Why not?” she happily accepted.

He looked up, revealing a confident smile on his face. “Awesome! I’m Rufus, by the way.”

“Ai.”

“Well, Ai, let’s do our best to make it to B-rank.” He pumped his fist in the air. Ai responded the same with a shrug.

“Whatever.”

Ai and Rufus completed requests at a rapid pace, breaking records left and right. As the seasons changed, Rufus brought some more interesting people into the party.

First, there was Aster, a rather quiet streaker whose regeneration abilities outpaced even Ai’s. Seriously, as long as one part of her survived, she could regrow the rest of her body. That was practically cheating!

Then there was Emma, who joined right after she graduated. She was a Human: a race incapable of using mana without some conduit. Even out in the middle of nowhere, Ivies were well aware of the stigma. However, you had to be crazy to call Emma weak. Her supporter skill was unparalleled, whether it was finding rare herbs or cooking delicious foods. Apparently, she had also grown up in one of the border villages, which made her all the more competent. Ai wanted to be friends with her, but Emma seemed to fear her for some reason.

“Hey, you $#@-!@!#$!@ human!” and then Emma would run away. It made no sense.

Well, regardless, with these four, their quest completions skyrocketed into the hundreds, if not thousands, every year. To increase their efficiency, they used any return crystals liberally to take on quests further away. It wasn’t like they were using them for anything else.

Then, on the 60th day of Summer, just before the two suns Otonal and Calidis began their annual exchange in the sky above, they were finally able to take the B-rank up exam. There was only one thing for Ai to say:

“I’m booorrred!”