I was enjoying a leisurely breaststroke in the empty grand bath when Arnold suddenly showed up.
I'd been so relaxed that I hadn't noticed him come in at all. For a split second, I thought I was having a nightmare.
The open-air bath in my room was too small, and the inn's grand bath was still under construction, so I'd deliberately gone out of my way to find a different hot spring — only to run into none other than Arnold there. Could anyone reasonably predict that? There was a limit to bad luck. This was practically stalking.
I took a spectacular tumble inside the bath, and when I hurriedly raised my face, the first thing I saw was Arnold's expression, twisted into a grimace.
Desperate to show I meant no hostility, I flashed a smile and gave a small wave.
Seeing Arnold's physique up close in good light, it was clear his body was developed in perfect accordance with close-combat professions.
A Hunter's growth tendencies were closely tied to Mana Materials. Simply put, those who sought muscular strength developed more muscle, while those who prioritized speed tended toward leaner builds. In the case of female Hunters, as Rize demonstrated, visible muscle development was often minimal. This was believed to stem from their pursuit of beauty alongside strength.
《Mighty Thunder Flash》's physique was far more developed than mine in every conceivable way. His limbs alone had to be more than twice the thickness of mine.
Those armor-like muscles would surely not budge even if he took one of my punches unprotected. It was commonly said that humans were physically inferior to Monsters, but looking at the man in front of me, that was hard to believe.
Almost by reflex, I touched the Barrier Ring on my finger. The fact that Arnold, who was fighting barehanded, was far stronger than me with a Treasure Weapon equipped — the world really was unfair.
Then again, given my absurdly terrible luck, I was well accustomed to running into situations like this.
The conflict with the Thunder Dragon of the Mist had been resolved through discussion with the vice-leader, so the chances of him attacking me immediately were slim.
If I showed fear here, it might反而 provoke Arnold. I put on the bravest front I could muster toward Arnold, who was trembling for some reason.
"Fancy… running into you here. What a coincidence…"
"…! …L-lis-listen…!"
"…Listen to what?"
"Li-listen — How could such a coincidence happen, you bastaaaaard!! You! What the hell are you after?!"
I'd done it. Blurting out exactly what I wanted to say was one of my bad habits.
Arnold's face turned beet red and he stomped his foot. Just stomping — and cracks ran through the stone floor while fragments of rock pitter-pattered down from the ceiling.
The water droplets clinging to his skin evaporated, turning into a white mist.
Energy was heat. I'd seen it with Rize too, but for Hunters with inhuman energy reserves, this was a fairly common phenomenon.
I shouted with the dignified bearing befitting a Level 8 Hunter.
"Calm down, Arnold! I was in the hot spring first — you're the one who came after!"
"…!? Are you telling me this is a coincidence?! That by chance, a Level 8 Hunter was doing breaststroke in the hot spring I happened to enter?!"
Arnold had snapped. He'd always had a quiet image, but the experience in the City of Ten Thousand Demons must have really gotten to him.
Still, hearing it put that way — he was crazy. Between me relaxing in the open-air bath as a dragon and this situation, which was really the more shocking sight?
Arnold barked at me as I silently grimaced.
"What? Have you come here to laugh at me?! Are you mocking me?! Are you messing with me?!"
"Calm down, look, take a deep breath! Listen, if I'd known someone was coming, I never would have done breaststroke. Swimming in the hot spring is bad manners, sure, but I checked that no one was here, and I didn't do anything to dirty the water! I was just having fun swimming, that's all!"
"A Level 8 Hunter should not be swimming in a hot spring!!!"
Arnold's scream echoed through the grand bath.
A fair point, honestly. If Eva found out, I'd definitely get scolded. The world was a harsh place — I was paying good money to be here, so a little leniency would be nice.
I slowly backed away while half-crouching, then decided to try reasoning with Arnold, whose eyes had gone bloodshot. At this rate, he might lunge at me and start punching.
"That's right — Arnold, you've got the wrong idea! I wasn't just swimming!"
"…!? If you've got a reason I can accept, then spit it out!"
"……Training?"
"…Ahhh……AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Arnold let out a roar and began slamming his head into a dragon statue nearby that was spewing water.
The dragon's horn snapped off, cracks spread, and water burst forth with violent force. The head of a Level 7 Hunter was apparently harder than stone.
Scary… He was way too unstable. But I'd seen a scene like this a few times before, so I recovered my composure quickly.
He must have cut himself — crimson liquid began mixing into the hot spring water. Yet Arnold didn't stop bashing his head.
"Fine, fine, I get it! Arnold, you've just lost your cool. You're probably a little tired. Leading a Party below the appropriate level to the City of Ten Thousand Demons — it's only natural. …If you've got something on your mind, I'm willing to listen."
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH! I have nothing — absolutely nothing — I need to discuss with you!"
At my well-intentioned words, Arnold stopped smashing his head — then grabbed the dragon statue with both hands and ripped it out of the ground.
I stared in disbelief. With a sickening crack, water erupted skyward. Caught off guard by the unexpected development, I instinctively backed away.
It was a terrifying spectacle. Arnold, lifting the stone statue with both arms and standing like a Nio guardian while glaring at me, was the kind of thing you'd see in your worst nightmares.
But I'd seen similar scenes a few times before, so I managed to hold onto my sanity. Maybe from now on I should carry a camera around, collect shocking moments, and make an album — it could help pay off my debts.
"Hah… hah… acknowledge it? As if I could ever acknowledge it!! Thousand Transformations! Losing to you and retiring as a Hunter would be a disgrace that would last until the end of time!"
"Huh? ……Yeah, yeah, sure…"
"We're redoing this! I will absolutely redo it! As many times as it takes! Just you wait — let's see how long you can keep that composure! I'll make you regret ever looking down on us!"
How had this turned into me looking down on them? I didn't have any particular interest in Arnold's group, but making an enemy of them would be bad.
I tried to smile to show I meant no hostility, but even I could tell it came out as a grimace.
"W-wait, I'm not looking down on you. I'll correct you on that much! Please remember this one thing — I have incredibly high hopes for you and your group! I'm on your side, Arnold!"
What came back wasn't a verbal response — it was the shattered stone statue hurtling toward me.
The statue flew with tremendous force, bounced off the Barrier Ring's barrier, and crashed spectacularly into the bath. The gushing water and spray stuck my bangs to my forehead, which was annoying.
If he threw another one, even I would have no choice but to flee in the buff. But the spray settled, and what I saw was Arnold's broad back retreating with rough, heavy strides.
Scary. I was used to it, but that didn't make the fear go away. This was why I could never let go of my Treasure Weapon.
I'd made an enemy of him. This was my last chance — I had to say something… something.
"Arnold!! Aren't you going to use the hot spring?"
"……"
"I'll be sending you the bill for the facilities you destroyed!"
What came out of my mouth was something utterly unhelpful.
Ahh… it was hopeless now.
There was no reply. A deafening boom shook the air as the door slammed shut.
Silence returned. I sat in the half-destroyed bath, hugged my knees, and let out a deep sigh.
§ § § His brain felt like it was boiling. Arnold, who always tried to stay calm no matter what, could not endure this searing heat.
Arnold's full power was so immense that it caused problems in daily life, so he normally held back. But today, he couldn't rein himself in.
When Arnold returned with footsteps heavy enough to crack the floor, Ei peeked out from the room.
Seeing Arnold's face, Ei's eyes went wide. Arnold's expression must have changed drastically from when he'd stormed out.
Gritting his teeth so hard they seemed about to shatter, Arnold said in a low voice: "Ei! We're retraining! I refuse to be bested by that cocky bastard! I'll show him what a truly high-level Hunter looks like! What's this about breaststroke as training?! What's this about 'listen to what'?! Damn it! Does he think I'm a chicken?!"
"Y-yes, sir! …I was surprised by the City of Ten Thousand Demons too, but Arnold, you held your own in battle. If we clear the Treasure Hall in order and everyone raises their strength, we'll definitely be able to conquer it someday."
Ei hurried to respond. The Party members who had been gathered in the room heard Arnold's rough voice and wore expressions of both trepidation and something approaching excitement.
Arnold braced his fist against the wall, forgetting all about how he'd been contemplating quitting being a Hunter just moments ago, and shouted: "Obviously! I can't stand having a man like that above us! What was that — 'I'm on your side, Arnold'?! This anger will absolutely not subside until I surpass him! You think I can rest in a place like this?! We're leaving tomorrow — get ready!"
"Tomorrow…? That's another short stay, then."
"Can't be helped. I figured it wouldn't be a long recuperation, but I didn't think it'd be just one day."
"Yeah… I haven't even been in the hot spring yet…"
At Ei's exasperated remark, the Party members who had been silent until now began grumbling one after another.