The Crimson Wolf Knight That Appeared The crimson Wolf Knight that appeared showed its martial prowess with its very presence alone.
The armor covering its entire body could easily repel most attacks, and the fact that each individual carried a different weapon made it impossible to narrow countermeasures down to a single approach.
The strike unleashed from its powerful arm held enough force that even mid-rank hunters, bolstered by Mana Materials, couldn't afford to let their guard down.
But that was only a threat because information about it hadn't been provided in advance.
If the enemy was tough, then you simply prepared armaments capable of piercing through.
If it wielded diverse weapons, then you simply prepared countermeasures for all of them beforehand.
And if facing it was too difficult for mid-rank hunters—then you simply gathered hunters who had received an even higher Level certification.
In front of White Wolf's Den—a cavern hidden within the dense, overgrown forest—over ten Treasure Hunters had assembled at this Treasure Hall, designated as Level 3.
Their weapons and appearances were not unified; ages and genders varied. The only common thread among the hunters gathered here was that they were all top-tier, holding Level 5 or above certifications.
The average certification level for Treasure Hunters was said to be 3. That was because reaching any higher required not just experience, but talent and luck as well.
The hunters assembled here were well-known even in the Imperial Capital Zebuldia, where aspiring hunters of every caliber flocked to what was called the Holy Land of Hunters. Among them were some who had even earned epithets.
High-level-certified hunters were humans who had absorbed so many Mana Materials that they had partly transcended the boundaries of ordinary humanity.
For hunters who typically explored Treasure Halls far above Level 3, even a Wolf Knight—several tiers stronger than the Phantoms that normally appeared—was not a Phantom worth particularly worrying about.
Having cut down a sentry Wolf Knight through its thick armor with his sword, a male hunter widened his eyes at the feel of the strike remaining in his hand, then called back to a companion behind him who was intercepting another Wolf Knight with arrows.
"This place really was Level 3, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. Apparently the Monster level suddenly spiked. They say the spear user, Rudolf Davou, got taken out. The boss was apparently a real tough one."
"Seriously? Huh—but I saw Rudolf at the Guild today."
"The rescue made it in time, apparently."
"Huh, so that kind of thing really happens."
Even as they exchanged casual conversation, their hands never stopped.
An arrow loosed pierced through a skull, and the Wolf Knight's massive body toppled over.
The reason the hunters had been gathered this time was to assess the situation at White Wolf's Den.
It was rare for a Treasure Hall's difficulty to spike suddenly, but not entirely unheard of.
When an irregularity occurred, the Explorer's Guild would issue investigation requests to hunters deemed capable and re-evaluate the Level certification.
Because the Empire and the Guild offered substantial rewards, those requests were well-paying jobs for high-level hunters.
"But still, it's amazing he survived…"
A puzzled voice.
The Explorer's Guild had only issued investigation requests to the hunters a few days ago. That meant the hunter who went for the rescue hadn't known about this Treasure Hall's anomaly in advance.
They'd have been on guard since a Level 5 hunter had gone missing, but even so, the rescuer becoming the victim wouldn't have been out of the question.
In response to that question, a fellow hunter who had lowered his enormous bow answered with a grim expression.
"Yeah. Apparently that 'Thousand Transformations' guy dragged him out…"
"!? Ugh… Level 8? Why does he always have to—"
"Who knows. He's an unpredictable guy. But I'm sure he has some intention that we wouldn't understand."
"Fair enough, I suppose."
Even in the hunter-rich Imperial Capital, only three people had received Level 8 certification. Every single one of them had conquered countless Treasure Halls, contributed to various fields, and been recognized as exceptional by the Explorer's Guild.
Among them, Thousand Transformations was the one most deserving of being called a specialized Treasure Hunter.
He had done nothing particularly special.
He was the leader of a Party with exceptional members—'Mourning Specter'—the Master of a rapidly expanded Clan, who had conquered numerous Treasure Halls and steadily raised his Level, and yet—he was a strange man about whom you almost never heard any rumors.
He apparently lived at the Clan headquarters and rarely appeared on the public stage, so no one had even met him. What people did hear was that he was a rather unimpressive-looking man who didn't seem like a Level 8 at first glance.
Of course, that couldn't be the truth. Level certification exams were not something you could pass so easily.
"All right, let's head in. We'll confirm the upper-rank Wolf Knights and, if possible, the boss. We need to earn at least our reward's worth."
"Roger."
In an instant, they switched their minds over, sharpening their focus for battle.
At the leader's call, each of them tightened their expression and turned their gaze toward the dim Treasure Hall.
Cold air drifted forth, and a roar echoed through the passage, as if to threaten any who would dare invade.
§ § § Exploring a Treasure Hall meant rough work. Fighting the Monsters and Phantoms that inhabited them was a life-or-death endeavor, no matter how carefully you prioritized safety.
That was why skilled hunters never stopped honing their abilities.
The Imperial Capital had several training facilities for ordinary hunters, and smaller ones were even equipped at the Explorer's Guild.
When funds were scraped together to build the base for 'Beginning Footprint,' creating training facilities had been a given.
The training grounds of [Beginning Footprint] spanned five underground floors, each freely accessible to the Clan's members.
The facilities had to withstand the insane power of their hunters, which had apparently cost a small fortune, but the reputation was excellent. I'd only put in my word on the matter, so I didn't know the details, but Eva and the other office staff had apparently gone through a great deal of trouble.
Descending the metal staircase, I passed a Party that looked vaguely familiar.
A mixed group of five, men and women. One of them spotted me and his eyes went wide.
He was a towering, large man with a huge scar running along his cheek. His weapon was a poleaxe that could cleave through a person in full-body armor.
…I definitely recognized him, but the name wouldn't come to mind.
"Lord Klye. What a rare sight—are you here for training?"
I'd gotten somewhat used to it by now, but it was still an odd feeling when someone knew me and I didn't know their name.
They would have no way of knowing I couldn't remember their name.
I masked it with a gentle smile.
"Something like that. You all here for training too?"
At my question, the members exchanged troubled glances.
Bad sign. When this happened, you almost always got a dreaded answer in return.
Trembling inwardly, the big man who acted as their representative furrowed his brows.
"Well… you see, it might be better not to go in right now. Things are… a bit rough in there."
"That's basically torture at this point."
One of the men in the back spoke up, pale-faced. Right, maybe I just shouldn't go…
No matter how you looked at it, Liliz was in there.
Wherever Liliz was, you could find your way there naturally by searching for collapsed humans, Monster corpses, or wherever the disturbance was coming from. It was a sad feature of reality.
Tinno was exceptional. Reaching Level 4 in such a short time truly put her among a select few. And Liliz's training regimen, even by veteran hunters' standards, was grueling.
"Torture" was a bit of an overstatement, but Liliz had just gotten back from a hunt, so it was possible she was running a little hot.
"It's fine, it's fine. Liliz is always rough like this."
"…Ah, that's right. 'Peerless Shadow' is a member of Lord Klye's Party, isn't she."
The group of five sent me indescribable looks.
I'm sorry our girl is always causing trouble.
"She apparently fights back when you try to stop her, so it might be better to wait until she's calmed down a bit—"
I'm truly sorry our girl is always causing trouble.
However rough it was, the expressions of everyone present—who normally faced down Monsters without flinching—were all clouded over.
She'd just gotten back; why couldn't she just rest her body peacefully? Why couldn't she just stay calm? I didn't mind training Tinno, but I wished she wouldn't impose on others in the process.
"It's fine, it's fine. I'll handle it."
"…If Lord Klye says so… we won't stop you."
They were terrified of me. Utterly terrified.
Well, one of our Clan's rules was that everyone should get along…
Since Liliz had learned no restraint and would bite into anyone, and her power had only grown, she was now essentially a monster.
Somehow, I ended up walking down the staircase accompanied by a group from a nameless Party.
In front of the training facility on the second basement floor, numerous members were gathered. A strange sight indeed.
One of them noticed my presence and turned around.
A man with dark greenish-black hair. He was about the same height as me, but his sculpted physique, visible even through his clothes, marked him as a veteran hunter. He was a few years older than me but still counted as young among hunters.
One of our Clan members. An exceptional Archer. Sven Anger.
Within the Footprint, he was one of the top—a Level 6 certified Party leader of 'Black Gold Cross.' "…!! The Master! Finally, someone's come! Stop Peerless Shadow for us. We can't use the training grounds."
"Monster extermination isn't really my specialty."
Rather, Sven and his 'Black Gold' were supposed to specialize in Monster and pest extermination over Treasure Hall exploration. What use was there for a ceremonial Clan Master like me to step in?
"She's YOUR monster! She got even stronger, didn't she!"
What an awful thing to say. We were supposed to be from the same Clan.
"Huh, really."
"!?"
But even if they told me that, I had no idea.
Unfortunately, my friends had long since exceeded the bounds of my comprehension. I could no longer judge just how powerful they'd become.
Wasn't it enough that I could swat away—or rather, catch—gunfire while completely blinded?
The elite hunters squinted as they glared at the thick door, letting out quiet sighs.
"…Neither Anthem nor Lucia—they're not around either. Why is it only Liliz who came back?"
Sven and the companions behind him spoke wearily.
If it were him, he could probably hold his own through sheer strength, but if he fought Liliz, one of them would keep at it until the other went down…
The members of Mourning Specter—my childhood friends—were generally split into two categories.
The troublemakers, and the relatively level-headed members.
And in our Party, it was usually Liliz or Luke causing a commotion, while Anthem or Lucia calmed them down. That was the equation.
Without a stopper, Liliz right now was far worse than any random Monster.
I'm truly sorry our girl is always causing trouble.
"She apparently cleared all the traps, made it to the boss room, and then suddenly felt like going home, so she dumped him there and came back on her own."
"…The objective this time was [City of Ten Thousand Demons], wasn't it?"
Sven furrowed his brows as if he'd heard unbelievable words. I couldn't believe it either.
Liliz was truly, freewheelingly wild.
Normally, abandoning an ally in a Treasure Hall and heading home was unforgivable, but our Party—aside from one new recruit who'd tried joining on a whim—was entirely childhood friends, and everyone was something of a free spirit, so it somehow worked out.
Well, the one she'd left behind wasn't the Healer, and there was still another Thief, so they'd probably manage.
Sven urged me on, as if pressing me to hurry.
"If you don't stop her soon, Tinno's going to die."
"Ha ha ha, you're exaggerating. People don't die that easily."
"N-no, I'm serious…"
Liliz was indeed the one-woman massacre type who latched onto everything and everyone wherever she went, had been arrested by guards numerous times over fights, had bounties placed on her behind the scenes, and would turn up dirt in every corner if you dug into her past—but she was not the kind of person who would kill her own disciple.
Sven and the others took a step back. I smiled wryly and slowly opened the door to the training grounds.
Liliz was standing in the center of the training area.
Her pink-blonde hair, tied back, combined with her petite frame to give her a cute appearance.
If she hadn't been directing a bone-chilling voice in a flat monotone at the rag-doll-like lump rolling at her feet, she would have looked even cuter.
"Hey? Why aren't you standing? Why won't you stand? Are you at your limit? That can't be right? Are you slacking off? Are you mocking me? Do you want to die? Want to die? You don't think I'll kill you? You don't think I'll do it? I will, you know. Nothing precious to you? Nothing you want to protect? Why are your limbs still attached but you're not moving? If you won't—or if you can't give it your all unless I do this—then just die."
"All right, that's enough!"
I stepped in, clapping my hands together, without letting my smile waver.
Internally, of course, I was completely horrified. Please, just live a little more calmly…