Level. 3 You Have to Accept That Things Won't Always Go Your Way

'level. 3: You Have to Accept that Things Won't Always Go Your Way (思い通りに行かないのが 世の中だと割り切るしかなくても, Omoi Dōri ni Ikanai no Ga Yo no Naka Dato Warikiru Shikanakutemo, Even If Things Go Awry, That Is How the World Works) is the third volume of Hai to Gensō no Grimgar' light novel series. It was first published on March 25, 2014.

Synopsis
Haruhiro's party members' biggest challenge yet―their very first large-scale raid battle!

"Choco... Wait, could it be that Choco...?"

Haruhiro and his comrades have become famous due to achievements no one expected from them. With his comrades more confident, Haruhiro is still agonizing over what to do when more experienced volunteer soldiers come to him. Among them is a girl whose name is still in Haruhiro's memories.

At that same time, the town of Alterna moves to retake the Deadhead Watching Keep held by orcs. Looking to earn some of the reward money, Haruhiro's party ends up joining their first raid alongside Renji and Choco.

The tale of high drama and high fantasy continues!

Chapter 1: Social Status, Talent, and a Slight Bitterness
The volume opens with Haruhiro's party battling against a kobold foreman in the Cyrene Mine. Haruhiro tries to feel the faint line that allowed him to defeat Death Spots, but fails to see it, recalling Barbara's words that "anyone who’s gained some experience will have seen it once or twice".

Moguzo soon takes down the kobold foreman with a Thanks Slash, now using the cleaving blade of the defeated Death Spots, named The Chopper. Ranta takes on a follower of the foreman while Merry and Yume take on another. Using a newly-acquired skill, Reject, Ranta manages to defeat the follower while Moguzo takes down the other, just as a new foreman and three followers arrive as reinforcements. Moguzo takes the foreman, while Ranta takes on one of the minions, Haruhiro and Yume dealing with the two remaining ones. Yume uses Weasel Somersault, a machete fighting skill to dodge her opponent's blows.

Haruhiro uses his new Arrest skill to take down his opponent, while Shihoru casts a recently acquired spell on Yume's opponent, Shadow Complex, confusing it and allowing Yume to take it down. Moguzo blocks the foreman's attack with his new Steel Guard skill, before taking it down. The battle ends with Ranta killing Yume's opponent, to which she objects. The two bicker as Ranta makes crude comments about her chest, telling her to squeeze it if she wanted it to grow. To everyone's shock, Yume cluelessly complies, until Shihoru steps in to stop her. Haruhiro ponders on Ranta's crudeness and everyone's distaste of him.

Ranta later confronts Haruhiro about his strange behavior during the fight, having noticed Haruhiro's attempt to take his opponents down in one blow, trying to see the faint line. Haruhiro is surprised by Ranta's perceptiveness. Haruhiro quietly wishes he could somehow control the line for his teammates' sake, before Merry snaps him back to reality from his thoughts. Haruhiro refrains from opening up to her about his concerns.

Chapter 2: Coincidence
Upon returning to Alterna, the party sell off their loot and go to sleep. Haruhiro leaves his bed, sitting outside and contemplating, dissatisfied that it had only been luck that allowed him to slay Death Spots. He agonizes over the fact that they've been getting lucky and should avoid relying on it.

He is surprised by two new arrivals, both girls, not knowing how to react for a moment. One of them stop to look at him, Haruhiro noting the slight bags under her large round eyes and her bob cut. Her friend calls her by the name of Choco, which sounds surprisingly familiar to Haruhiro, feeling as if he remembers it. An quick, awkward conversation ensues before the two girls leave. Haruhiro repeats the name to himself, confused about its familiarity, thinking it an odd coincidence.

Chapter 3: A Story of Impossible Dreams
Ranta crudely wakes up Haruhiro the next morning, telling him and Moguzo about a piece of special information he gathered while going to get bread in the morning. Ranta tells them about the system of orders in Alterna. According to Ranta, orders are issued for volunteer soldiers by the Alterna Frontier Volunteer Army Corps, Red Moon. However, despite being called orders, nobody is required to follow them, though not accepting an order could cause other volunteer soldiers to look down on a party. The reward for orders is given in the form of coins.

While eating soruzo (Grimgar's equivalent of ramen) at a food stall, Ranta explains how orders work to the other two. Ranta and Moguzo talk about soruzo's good taste and what ingredients it may contain. Moguzo displays his culinary knowledge as he identifies the ingredients. This excites Ranta, who offers to open a restaurant together after their career as volunteer soldiers.

Ranta then talks about the order he had heard about, dubbed "Operation Two-headed Snake", an operation to retake Deadhead Watching Keep and Riverside Iron Fortress. The order is to participate in the operation, with 20 silvers paid upfront and 80 upon completion, totaling in one gold. Ranta explains the history of the kingdom with the keep, being unable to take it due to reinforcements arriving from the fortress, and the operation consisting of targeting both at once. Ranta insists on accepting the job at once, but Haruhiro decides to hear out the opinions of the girls first, to which Ranta begrudgingly concedes.

Chapter 4: Don't Go With The Flow
After another day of work at the Cyrene Mines, the party goes to have a drink at Sherry's Tavern. A loud Ranta, after declaring Moguzo his business partner, bickers with Shihoru and Yume. Haruhiro mentions to the others of Ranta's supposed plan to open a soruzo shop. Yume ponders on how soruzo is similar to ramen, and the party ponder on the unknown yet familiar word. Moguzo then turns to Ranta and offers to open a restaurant together, but making it a ramen shop rather than soruzo.

Haruhiro then brings up the order. Ranta gets enthusiastic and excited, trying to spread it to Moguzo, who reluctantly doesn't push him away. Ranta says to do a majority vote for going to the mission or not, with him and Moguzo voting in favor. Haruhiro, reluctant after seeing Moguzo siding with Ranta, pushes the vote to the next day, to which the rest of the party (except Ranta) doesn't object.

Chapter 5: That’s What it Feels Like
In the hall of the volunteer soldier lodging house, Haruhiro ponders on how he was unable to find either Shinohara or Kikkawa in the tavern to ask about the mission. He remembers Kikkawa mentioning a place called the Wonder Hole, somewhere in the Quickwind Plains. Based on the thoughts of other volunteer soldiers, he considers that the job might be safe to accept, tempted also by the pay of one gold.

Haruhiro wonders if his caution is actually a lack of faith in his comrades, and more so than that, in himself, questioning his ability as a leader, and the responsibility on his shoulders. As he is buried in thoughts, the arrival of a lone girl snaps him back to reality as she stops by to say hey. They have an awkward conversation once again, during which he learns that her name is Choco. She calls him a "weak-willed wussy", which shocks Haruhiro, the words sounding oddly familiar. Haruhiro asks her if she remembers her past before arriving in Grimgar, to which she responds negatively. They discuss the possibility of having known each other before their memory loss. Choco starts calling Haruhiro by the name of "Hiro", which also feels familiar. Haruhiro learns that she is a thief like him, with her having the nickname of "Cheeky Cat", under a different mentor than Haruhiro's. At the end, they talk about the order concerning the operation on the orcs, and Choco reveals her party will be participating.