After Claire’s decisive defeat of the cyclops, we helped the other adventurers clear out the remaining monsters on the surface. Some people had taken serious injuries, but luckily, no one was dead—thanks to Claire’s immense strength.
No idea what would’ve happened if I’d fought that monster myself.
Once the cleanup was finished, Claire spoke to the Dungeon Association staff members who arrived on the scene. They didn’t look surprised to hear she was the one to defeat the cyclops. Unlike me, Claire didn’t hide her abilities from the world. If she did, the news never would have spread that she’d reached S-rank.
After such a brief but amazing show of her might, I wondered: Just how powerful was Claire? At nineteen years old, how could she already be so strong? If I went to Yoizuki, would I learn her secrets? Before I realized it, I was bouncing on the balls of my feet, eagerly anticipating the answer.
Once Claire finished giving her rundown, she returned.
“I apologize for the delay,” she said. “Let’s be on our way.”
For some reason, with Claire back in front of me, I hesitated.
“Amane-san?”
“Uh, right. Let’s go.”
“One moment. Before that…”
Claire reached down to touch the cyclops. The giant body vanished as if it were never there. Did she fit that hulking thing inside her Item Box? How high a level was her skill? Of course she would take it, if she could. As the one who defeated it, she’d earned whatever prize she wanted.
With the cyclops out of the way, we resumed our drive to Yoizuki.
✦ ✦ ✦
As I climbed out of the car, I inspected the fancy building that stood tall before me. The ostentatious design fit the bill for the HQ of the top guild in Japan.
“My first time at Yoizuki…” I said to myself.
“This way, Amane-san.”
“Coming.”
I followed Claire inside the building. The hallway was sparkling clean, and as we walked, passersby spoke to Claire in familiar tones.
“Good morning, Claire-san.”
“Oh, Claire-chan! Heya!”
“Yes, good morning,” she replied.
A lot of the Yoizuki members we passed were in their twenties. How rare. Younger adventurers kept up the hustle and boosted their levels, but most of the really good ones were in their thirties and forties. Seeing people close to my age was surprising, as was how they spoke to Claire like she was their friend.
“You sure are popular,” I remarked.
“They like me well enough, I suppose, but I think that’s more because I’m the daughter of the guild master than anything else.”
“You are? I had no idea.”
As we spoke, we reached the guild master’s office. Claire knocked, and a voice called from inside.
“Enter,” he said.
“Please excuse us,” Claire said politely as she opened the door. I followed her inside, where an older man sat at a desk heaped with stacks of paper.
Huh. Unexpectedly, I remembered this man from somewhere. Had we met before?
Claire took the lead while I tried to place his face. “I brought Amane-san as you asked. Also, a collapse occurred at Shiranui along the way—”
“That’s fine. The Association called me, so no need to report. Well done, Claire.” After thanking her, he turned his focus to me. “And thank you for coming, Amane Rin. I’m Yoizuki’s guild master, Kisaragi Daisuke. We’ve met once before when I tried to recruit you. Do you remember me?”
“You tried to recruit me…?” The memory struck. “Oh!”
That was why I remembered him. He was one of the few to approach me about joining a guild after I left the Kings of Unique. At the time, I was burnt out on making friends, so I barely listened to his pitch and turned him down. Definitely the same guy.
Wow, I received a direct invitation from the guild master back then? Dang, that was a shock delayed by a whole year!
“I’ll take my leave now,” Claire said with a sense of finality. Mission accomplished for her, I supposed. She left us alone in his office without another word.
“Take a seat on that sofa,” he suggested. “This isn’t a standing conversation.”
“…Right.”
I obeyed and sat on the tidy guest sofa, feeling uncomfortable as I set my hands on my knees. It was a bit like sitting in the principal’s office back in school. He pulled a number of documents off his desk and sat on the opposing sofa.
“Let’s jump in, Amane,” he said. “Do you have any intention of joining—”
“Before that, can I ask one question?” I interrupted.
It was rude, but he seemed unbothered. He nodded. “Of course. Ask away.”
“Why recruit me now? Is it like last year, when you saw potential in my unique skill?”
If he had nodded, it would’ve loosened some of the tension in my shoulders. That was not to be, as he instead smiled cockily and said, “You’re partially correct. I do detect value in your unique skill, but…” He paused, as if for dramatic effect. “I have a theory that your potential is no longer a question anymore. I believe you’ve already awakened to something amazing. To put it bluntly Amane, are you hiding your true power?”
His words quickened my pulse. Everything, from what he said to the way he said it, told me he had a solid basis for his belief.
I stayed calm and asked him levelly, “What makes you think that?”
“Is it enough to say the collapse at Kenzaki Dungeon and the Sumifuku Dungeon murder incident convinced me?” he replied.
I kept my mouth shut, but this time, I couldn’t hide my unrest as I shifted my legs. I needed to assume he’d uncovered everything. That said, I wasn’t going to outright confirm it for him.
“What’s your proof?”
“Now, now, don’t be hasty. I’ll explain everything.”
Like a surgeon removing shrapnel, he meticulously pulled out everything about the two incidents that formed his theory: the possibility that I’d entered the boss room during the Kenzaki collapse with Dungeon Teleportation, and the fact I appeared at Sumifuku after I killed Yanagi to save Hana’s life. As much as I hated it, his guesses were close to the heart of the truth.
Still, it was just a theory.
“You’re assuming I have the power to defeat Kenzaki’s final boss and Yanagi-san,” I countered. “You’re aware that my abilities are inferior to those of others my age, aren’t you?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think that’s true anymore. Your teleportation skill was unlike any other. It’s possible that it evolved in a direction that changed it into a powerful weapon. Instant teleportation could enable so many things—evasion, closing gaps, or even warping items from long distances. Maybe you could even place Exploding Stones inside a monster’s body. Regardless, if you were creative, you could defeat much stronger enemies.”
I sat there, completely speechless. The part about teleporting items was off, but the part about instant teleportation was spot on. Time Zero had elevated my combat abilities significantly.
Lucky for me, he hadn’t realized where Dungeon Teleportation’s true worth lay. It was so fantastic, it was hard for even someone like him to imagine. My skill’s real bread and butter was the ability to bypass the Span—meaning I could dive as much as I wanted.
It sounded like he was far from realizing that, but I didn’t want him anywhere close to sniffing things out. So I feigned a How did you know? expression to throw him off the scent.
He nodded with satisfaction at busting me. “Ah, it would seem that I’m correct. If you want to hide your power, that’s up to you. There was a firestorm around your unique skill when you first got it, but once it proved ineffective, the tables turned. I can imagine why you don’t want widespread attention again, even if your skill has improved.”
After a brief pause, he continued.