The sight of the Clan Master's office, somehow nostalgic. I sank into the specially-made chair and let out a deep, satisfied sigh.
Sunlight streamed through the large window. Yggdrasil wasn't bad either, but Zebuldian really was calming. Eva's arrangement of the Clan Master's office had a sense of "order" that was completely different from Yggdrasil, which had been overflowing with natural elements.
Even the smell of the air was slightly different between Yggdrasil and Zebuldia. Yggdrasil's air should have been cleaner, but the fact that I felt more at ease in Zebuldia's air probably meant that, before I knew it, I'd gotten used to this great city.
Without further ado, I flopped onto the desk with both arms and let myself collapse. It should have been over a month since I'd been here, but there wasn't a speck of dust on the desk.
Eva must have been cleaning it regularly. I'd need to thank her when I saw her.
But right now, all that mattered was—I was exhausted. I'd gone all the way to Yggdrasil for over a month, so nobody could complain if I lazed around for that long.
Still, my body felt heavier than usual this time... A comfortable vacation really is precious, isn't it?
I'd also realized what a bad state things would get into if other people used it, so next time I wouldn't lend it out—I'd use it myself.
And then, just as I'd gotten that far in my thoughts, I realized something terrible and furrowed my brow.
Oh no...
I'd lent my comfortable vacation to Sellen.
I'd remembered it from time to time. There had been a huge fuss about gods and whatnot, and when that settled down everyone had been busy scurrying about, so I'd completely forgotten to get it back.
Would I have to go to Yggdrasil again? It wasn't something I needed immediately, but what a pain. My smartphone hadn't turned up either—maybe leaving early had been premature... It was too late to realize it now, but still.
Well, the main goal had more or less been accomplished, so I'd worry about the details later.
Escaping reality, I closed my eyes. As I drowsed, I heard the door suddenly open.
"!? Eh!??? Ah... Eh? Eh!? Klein!? Why!?"
A somewhat nostalgic voice. After all, almost no one was allowed into the Clan Master's office.
I opened my eyes and, still with my cheek pressed flat against the desk, smiled at Eva, who was standing there looking dumbfounded.
"Hey, Eva. It's been a while."
Eva was always perfect no matter when you saw her. Polished shoes, not a single wrinkle in her Clan uniform. Behind her slim red-framed glasses, her wide-open eyes were distorting, and creases were forming on her forehead.
"...W-When did you get back?"
"Just now. Sellen—the princess of Yggdrasil—sent me back. Ritz and the others said they'd explore a bit more around Yggdrasil before returning."
From Zebuldia to Yggdrasil was quite a distance. On the way there, I'd used a carriage and it had taken several days—I'd entered a forest, been attacked by monsters, and suffered all manner of indignities. But the return trip had taken an instant. Sellen had used teleportation magic to send me directly to the Clan Master's office. Without that, I would have ended up accompanying Ritz and the others on their potentially endless exploration of the Great Tree Sea.
Teleportation magic. It was a legendary magic that could move vast distances in an instant.
While it was well-known and the spell formula itself apparently already existed, it was said that hardly any human users existed due to its complexity and the enormous drain it imposed. In theory, it was barely possible to achieve point-to-point teleportation by pre-installing a complex magic circle, but activating even that pre-installed circle required multiple skilled mages—so you could imagine how high-level this magic was. Needless to say, even Lucia couldn't use it yet.
The strain was apparently enormous, but to be able to use such magic without any preparation and moreover entirely alone—that was the Spiritfolk princess's prestige in a nutshell, one might say.
Eva had been watching me with suspicious eyes, but when I smiled at her, she let out a small sigh and spoke.
"There are several things I'm curious about, but... What about the entry inspection? I've arranged for you to be contacted the instant you returned to Zebuldia."
"Yeah, well, a lot happened. If I explained everything it'd take forever, so I won't."
"...Understood. I'll handle the inspection."
As expected of Eva—quick and to the point, just what I needed. The inspection... I'd completely forgotten about it.
High-level Hunters received preferential treatment during the entry inspections conducted when entering or leaving the capital, so I didn't recall being subjected to any particular scrutiny. But that didn't mean the procedures were unnecessary.
"This time, Branch Chief Gaark also stationed someone at the gate to confirm my return. He apparently wants to talk with me immediately once I'm back."
Confirm my return? What was that all about? And he wanted to talk immediately after I got back... Did Branch Chief Gaark have a grudge against me or something?
Seeing me back but looking thoroughly unmotivated, Eva steered the conversation elsewhere.
"So... Was Luke's curse broken?"
"Yeah, more or less. Oh, and Gaark asked me to pass along—about letting the Explorer's Guild establish a branch in Yggdrasil. He said it was a-okay."
"!? Hah? Haaah?"
"As for the details, apparently the princess of Yggdrasil will be coming here to discuss it, so could you let Gaark know the rough outline? Sorry, but I'm busy."
"...I'm sorry, I don't understand what's going on..."
Well, that was fair enough. But there was nothing more to what I'd just told her. And I really didn't want to have to meet and talk with Gaark any more than necessary. Even Hunters needed their days off.
Eva looked like she wanted to say something more, but whether she'd guessed I wasn't going to elaborate any further, she sighed for the second time that day and spoke.
"Understood, I'll pass it along. Still, Yggdrasil was supposed to be an uncharted city, yet they've agreed to let a branch be established... It's a bit surprising."
"Mm-hmm, right? The person at the top of Yggdrasil is Sellen—she's apparently quite curious and innovative. I brought it up kind of on a whim and got an immediate yes. Haha... Actually, I was about half-expecting to be turned down, so it was a real surprise."
"...Klein, I hope I'm not missing something, but... That Sellen—isn't she a Spiritfolk?"
"Not missing anything at all. Next time Sellen comes by, I'll introduce her to you too. We've become totally friends and everything."
"!?"
True, Spiritfolk were famous for looking down on humans. It might be hard to believe at first, but... When I'd brought up the idea of establishing a branch, Sellen's enthusiasm had been incredible. And Gaark, despite appearances, was expertly managing the Explorer's Guild in Imperial Capital Zebuldia, so a good relationship could well be built between them.
Sellen and Eva would probably get along too. They were alike in how serious they were... Maybe if Eva put on that comfortable vacation outfit, she'd end up like that.
That was everything I had to say. Oh, if possible, I'd like them to keep trouble away from me for a while, but I wouldn't say anything unnecessary. If anyone asked, I'd just use "Ritz and the others haven't come back yet" as an excuse.
"For the time being, I'll contact Branch Chief Gaark. If a relationship with Yggdrasil develops... Klein, you really are headed for Level 9."
Level 9. At those words, my thoughts, which had nearly ground to a halt, started up again.
I lifted my head and put every ounce of my lack of motivation on display for Eva. Rising in Level was also about one's day-to-day attitude, after all.
"Now that you mention it, he did say something like that. Level 9, huh... Honestly, I'm not really interested."
"It's precisely those kinds of people who reach Level 9. Once you reach Level 9, it's not something you can aim for."
"Rosary of the Abyss hasn't budged from Level 8 in ages, and Ark Rodan—the strongest of the young generation—is still Level 7. I'm nowhere close. Besides, I'm honestly a bit too young."
"...Well, that's true—you are rather young. There's no minimum age for Levels, but..."
The exasperated look in her eyes, and the words that cut my hopes clean in two.
For me, who had given up on being a Treasure Hunter almost immediately after arriving in the capital, Levels had always been an imposition.
The level certified by the Explorer's Guild was a metric of trust in a Hunter. The number was determined not by raw strength alone but by a comprehensive assessment, and in the modern era where Treasure Hunters were at their peak, one could say—without exaggeration—that a Hunter's Level represented their social standing.
In principle, after completing quests and Treasure Hall raids at the Explorer's Guild and reaching a certain threshold, a Hunter gained the right to take a Level certification exam. Passing it raised their Level. But that was merely the principle. Levels were tied to the very foundation of a Hunter's career, and as Citry's Level-down penalty demonstrated, there existed all sorts of fine rules, exceptions, and undisclosed information.
Among them was, for example, a measure for dealing with Hunters who didn't want to raise their Level.
In principle, taking the certification exam was voluntary. But the certified Level was a trust metric. Raising the Level of a low-trust Hunter was out of the question, but conversely, it was inconvenient for the Explorer's Guild if a high-trust Hunter's Level stayed low.
I, personally, had never wanted to raise my Level. Once I'd given up on making it as a Hunter, a high Level was nothing but a burden. But the Explorer's Guild had all manner of exceptional rules to deal with members like me.
Those rules came at me in various forms—sometimes forced exam participation, sometimes a forced Level-up by Branch Chief authority. There was even a time when my Level went up without me noticing because the achievements I'd already accumulated were quietly evaluated. Some people might say it's impossible for your Level to rise without your knowledge, but truth is stranger than fiction—that old saying really nails it.
And so, a Hunter with no real ability whatsoever had explosively come into existence at Level 8. In principle, a Level was supposed to be a rank that didn't match someone without the ability to back it up—but the higher-ups at the Explorer's Guild had failed to account for a mediocre person being propped up by geniuses.
But Level 9 was a completely different story from Levels 5 or 6.
The basic rule was: the higher the Level, the harder it was to advance.
A mid-class Hunter at Level 3, then surviving and gaining experience to reach Level 4, talent to reach Level 5, and luck to reach Level 6. That was the ceiling for what a single Explorer's Guild could certify. Beyond that—the requirements grew ever more stringent. From Level 8 onward, even the prerequisites for taking the exam were kept completely secret.
Even Ark Rodan of House Rodan, heir to the most immensely popular family in Zebuldia, and Anthem Smart, who had saved countless people and earned the enormous trust of the Church and the nobility, were at Level 7. And Rosamere Puropos, the Witch known as "Rosary of the Abyss"—who had reigned for ages as one of the capital's foremost mages, reducing humans, monsters, and Phantoms alike to ashes and inspiring terror—was only at Level 8. Moreover, even though Rosary of the Abyss had been Level 8 for quite some time, she apparently still hadn't taken the Level 9 certification exam. That alone told you how difficult it was to advance beyond Level 7. (Well, there was also the possibility that the old hag had burned too many people, her trust had tanked, and she couldn't take the exam.)
Level 9 was not a rank that an incompetent man who'd simply drifted along as a Hunter deserved to hold.
And furthermore... There was exactly one Level 9 man in Zebuldia, and even he was older than Rosary of the Abyss. A young man like me taking the Level 9 certification exam wasn't even funny as a joke. Just thinking about it was enough to make me want to vomit.
But well, I was probably worrying too much. Level 9 couldn't be forced through by Gaark's brute determination alone.
"Level 9 apparently requires world-saving-level achievements, power, and fame to even have a chance... So I think I'm safe."
A realm you might not reach even if you had everything. That was Level 9.
Between Level 8 and Level 9 stood a thick wall. An impossibly thick wall.
"What are you worried about? ...The world isn't exactly in crisis every other day, after all. But Yggdrasil is a bundle of possibilities, and if real exchange with Yggdrasil begins and enormous profits start flowing—there will likely be many people who would support Klein. Mind you, it's just a rumor, but I've heard that when determining Level 9, the Explorer's Guild not only consults the nobility and royalty but also the merchant guilds."
I'd never heard that before. But if Eva, who had come from the Wells Merchant Guild, said so, it was probably true.
The Mourning Specter didn't exactly have a stellar reputation among the Empire's nobility, and I hadn't taken any particular actions to raise my trust rating.
I acknowledged Yggdrasil's potential, but even if exchange with Yggdrasil did begin and enormous profits materialized, it would surely take a long time. I should be safe for a while...
My mood was lifting a little.
I sat up and looked at Eva. Almost all my Treasure Weapons were inside Mimi-kun, so I had nothing on hand.
"I wonder what the Level 9 exam actually involves?"
"According to the information I've gathered—the content varies, but apparently it's a Solo trial. It evaluates individual ability, I'm told..."
"...Wow, impressive. Isn't the Level 9 certification exam classified as top secret?"
"Our Clan Master is Level 8, so researching it is only natural."
As my mood took another nosedive, Eva said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Solo would mean death. Even with the Mourning Specter at full strength, I'd nearly died this time—I absolutely did not want to take it.
Maybe I'd been too hasty in asking Sellen about establishing a branch... But it was too late for regrets now.
"Then I'll go contact Branch Chief Gaark. Please rest well today. We can talk again later."
As if she'd read my feelings, Eva wrapped up the conversation and turned on her heel.
As I blankly watched her back, she turned around just before leaving the room and said: "Klein, I forgot to say—welcome back."
"Yeah... I'm home."