Chapter 169: What Exactly Is He?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 169: What Exactly Is He?
The low growls of Katrina, who wanted to take me to the Guild, and Sepira, who wanted to take me to the Mayerbridge Union, filled the first-floor dining area.
Neither was the type to raise their voice loudly, but as is often the case with two diametrically opposed opinions, neither was willing to back down an inch.
"Ha, is that so? But what can we do? I'm sure a warm cup of tea and refreshments at the Mayerbridge Union would be far more appealing than the Guild, which offers nothing but uncomfortable questions and interrogations."
"Oh, I don't know about that. The Guild has a reward for uncovering the truth behind an Irregular entity and a promotion waiting. And from what I hear, Orion Aura is practically gnashing their teeth at Aven for subjugating a boss that was supposed to be their achievement. Isn't that right?"
An oppressive noise flowed around us. Ravi, whose forehead had been pierced by Walter’s sturdy beak, asked me with half-open, drowsy eyes as the pain finally began to subside.
"Yoo Eon... what did you catch in the Labyrinth...?"
"I took down a Megido Serpent on the 30th floor. It was an Irregular entity, and it was quite strong."
"Megido Serpent... Irregular...? Ugh... my head hurts..."
The sudden influx of information made Ravi’s already aching head throb even more. She clutched her messy hair and shook her head from side to side. I gently caught her small head with one hand and showed her the food; she immediately began munching on her salad again.
I suppose I should stop those two first.
"Stop thinking and just eat for now. And you two over there."
"Hm? Yes. Aven, it's best if you decide."
"Exactly! Where would you like to go first!?"
I planned to visit both, and it was a difficult choice. However, out of a sense of moral obligation, Katrina had arrived slightly earlier. I had no choice but to go to the Guild first this time.
"Ms. Sepira, I'll wrap things up at the Guild quickly and then visit the Mayerbridge Union. Katrina did arrive a bit earlier, after all."
"Ha! You see that, Purple-head?"
"Urgh...! Understood...!"
Looking incredibly frustrated, Sepira shot Katrina a sharp glare before sticking her tongue out and scurrying out of the inn.
They aren't children; why are they having such a power struggle over this? Katrina wore a relaxed expression, savoring the winner's leisure, but as soon as Sepira was gone, she let out a shout.
"Did you see that? Those Stone Foundation bastards have grown a bit, and now they're trying to talk back to the Guild!? Maybe I should give them a taste of some 'customs fees'?"
"Does the Guild manage things like that too?"
"No? It's just a figure of speech."
"Ah, I see."
* * *
"It's been a while."
"Good to see you again, Sir Dexter."
"I should start by thanking you for handling the anomaly on the 30th floor so well."
"Haha, it's nothing. I was just trying to stay alive."
Arthur Dexter, the Southwest Branch Manager, nodded and gestured for me to sit. Once I was seated, the first thing Sir Dexter brought up was this:
"Congratulations. You've been ranked as Cobalt Grade."
"Me... sir...?"
"Yes. Solo subjugations of the 2nd Stratum boss occur quite frequently. The reason is that low-grade explorers lack immunity to mental attacks."
The Orc Chieftain has a large following, and the boss's individual combat power isn't low. Even so, the environment of the 1st Stratum is friendly to novice explorers, and the journey to the 10th floor isn't particularly long, which are advantages.
If you gather enough people—ranging from Lead Grade at the lowest to Gold Grade at the highest—and push through with sheer numbers, it can be managed to some extent.
However, because a Lich possesses wide-range destruction skills and magic attack power, including mental attacks, pushing through with numbers leads to immediate death. In the worst-case scenario, dead explorers are resurrected by the Lich's necromancy to become enemies, or even if they don't die, they go mad and become unable to distinguish friend from foe.
It means a war of attrition is meaningless, and a small elite force must step forward.
A four-person Platinum-grade party or a solo Cobalt-grade explorer is usually enough to handle a Lich. There are exceptions if there's a mage or an artifact that can effectively nullify mental attacks.
"However, the Megido Serpent of the 3rd Stratum is difficult even for a Cobalt Grade to solo due to the terrain and its unique characteristics. Only explorers who have acquired underwater breathing skills or equivalent underwater combat skills can occasionally manage a solo subjugation. Or perhaps those of Palladium Grade or higher who possess overwhelming firepower."
"I see."
And then an Irregular entity of such a Megido Serpent appeared. According to the Guild's difficulty rating, it was on par with a 5th Stratum boss. To hear that such a boss was soloed was truly surprising.
In truth, it wasn't exactly a solo kill. I had my father's help, and the creature's strength had already been drained to some extent.
"Actually, there was some pushback regarding the Cobalt Grade assignment. From the other regional Guild branches."
"Are you talking about the Northwest, Northeast... or perhaps the Southeast?"
"Indeed."
Because the Southwest is a neighborhood with a lot of cheap infrastructure, not many high-grade explorers use the Southwest branch. As a result, the Southwest branch's voice within the Guild is somewhat weak.
Still, it was only because Sir Arthur Dexter, a former Titanium-grade explorer, was established as the manager that they were able to push back this much.
What they took issue with was the Labyrinth entry record that Dahlia had logged. Despite being Gold Grade, I had entered the Labyrinth with four Cobalt-grade explorers. Naturally, the reaction was: if a party of one Gold and four Cobalts entered and killed a boss, what could a lone 'Gold-plate' have possibly contributed?
The Southwest branch had verified my grade plate, but the others sarcastically questioned its accuracy. To anyone else, it looked like four Cobalt-grade explorers were giving a Gold-plate explorer a 'bus ride.'
"I'm asking out of curiosity, but do you have any intention of moving your residence to use another branch?"
"No, not really."
"Does that mean you're not staying in the Southwest just because the cost of living is low?"
"Yes. If I wanted to go to another neighborhood, I could... but the place my heart is set on is here in the Southwest."
"That's good news."
Sir Dexter nodded, looking satisfied with my answer. An unnamed Guild employee listening from the side scribbled something down busily before whispering something to Sir Dexter.
"Right. For now, I've used my influence to set you at Cobalt Grade."
"Was there a problem?"
"I mentioned there was pushback from other branches. To silence them, a meeting has been arranged."
"What kind of... meeting?"
"I'd like you to have a sparring match with a Cobalt-grade explorer prepared by the Northeast branch."
"A sparring match..."
A duel with a Cobalt-grade explorer active in the Northeast. It seemed that if I completed this successfully, the opposition would be silenced, and I could officially rise to Cobalt Grade. It was a test from other Guild branches who didn't want to see an increase in high-grade explorers rooted in the Southwest.
"I heard you were a former Titanium Grade, Sir Dexter."
"That's right. Though it was quite a long time ago."
"Then, would it be alright if I sparred with you instead, Sir Dexter?"
"That..."
Sir Dexter let out a short "Hm," stroking his chin rough with stubble, before nodding his head.
"That sounds interesting."
* * *
"Lord Delbaheim! Explorer Aven went to the Guild first!"
"Is that so, Sepira? It was somewhat expected. There's no need to be so disappointed."
Within the Mayerbridge Union, public opinion regarding Yoo Eon's promotion to Cobalt Grade was split down the middle. The total explorer population of Calax is about 3,000. Roughly 7.5 percent of the 40,000 residents are explorers.
By the standards of modern Earth, where population capacity exploded due to nitrogen fertilizers, this might seem like a very small number. However, considering the population of a typical small medieval city was between 1,000 and 3,000...
Roanmarie, which has about 2.7 times the population of Calax, and Hechituk, which is even larger, are truly extraordinary mega-cities. Calax itself is considered to have a massive population.
The number of explorers stationed here alone is enough to form a small city.
"In the end, Aven will have to duel."
Among them, Cobalt Grade and higher explorers are a tiny minority. Excluding wandering explorers, the number of resident Cobalt Grade and higher explorers barely exceeds triple digits.
Remember that even in the full party of the top-ranked clan, Mayerbridge Union, Rubia—a Platinum Grade—is included. Even Lance, a mere Silver-plate, was admitted with much fanfare as a prospect for a small-to-medium clan.
A Cobalt-grade explorer is high enough to hold the position of clan leader in most small-to-medium clans.
From the perspective of the leaders of those small Northeast clans, who have a decent number of members and act like big fish in a small pond, hearing that an unknown explorer was suddenly becoming their equal... it was enough to make them scream in protest.
Thus, under Delbaheim's leadership, the Mayerbridge Union had intended to take Aven under their wing.
"Unfortunately, since things have turned out this way, we must trust that he will overcome the duel well."
While Delbaheim considered Yoo Eon an excellent explorer, she hadn't met him recently and thus couldn't gauge his growth. Furthermore, he would be fighting an explorer from the Northeast, who would have plenty of money and connections.
Even if the Mayerbridge Union expressed discomfort, the Northeast explorers weren't the type to simply swallow their pride and back down.
"What do you think, Lord Delbaheim...?"
"About what?"
Sepira asked for Delbaheim's thoughts. When Delbaheim's name had come out of Yoo Eon's mouth, Sepira had simply assumed they had some level of acquaintance. But hearing Delbaheim speak now, she seemed quite concerned.
"The man I remember... is an explorer with excellent combat endurance and an outstanding ability to overcome environments."
Being an explorer isn't solely about a continuous string of combat, fighting, and killing. It's closer to a marathon, enduring intermittent battles and an inhospitable environment.
The reason Delbaheim highly valued Yoo Eon wasn't because of monstrous one-on-one combat ability, but because of the mental strength and persistence he showed while holding out against hundreds of Orcs. In reality, his swordsmanship hadn't been that impressive.
"However, a one-on-one battle with a Cobalt-grade explorer... honestly, it feels unreasonable."
The Small and Medium Clan Alliance would surely choose an explorer extremely strong in one-on-one combat, someone who could crush Yoo Eon before he could even put up a fight. For a stage prepared to evaluate an explorer's grade, the focus was entirely misplaced.
Since it wasn't a test that fully utilized survival skills and knowledge within the Labyrinth, Delbaheim shook her head.
Sepira nodded vigorously in agreement. Since it was said by Delbaheim, a senior of a vastly higher caliber, it had to be true.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Lord Delbaheim! We have word!"
"Come in."
A clan employee rushed in and reported the progress of the situation to Delbaheim.
"Explorer Aven is set to duel in 30 minutes... but..."
"Is there a problem?"
The sweating employee pushed up his glasses with trembling hands and read the contents of the delivered message.
"He said he would duel the Southwest Guild Branch Manager, Sir Arthur Dexter..."
"Eh?"
Sepira's dazed reaction was met with Delbaheim's silence.
After a moment, Delbaheim pressed the back of her fountain pen against her furrowed brow and spoke.
"Sigh... just what exactly is he?"