The Explorer's Guild Imperial Capital Branch, which managed the hunters based in Imperial Capital Zebuldia. In the branch master's office, Gaark sank deep into his large chair and let out a sigh.
"Well, well... At last, the cleanup from the curse incident has finally settled down."
The curse incident that had shaken the capital to its core. The whole debacle had originated from a prophecy by Zebuldia's Arcane Arts Council, and it looked like the capital was finally getting back on its feet.
That incident had been truly horrific. The damage was enormous, but what became the real issue was that neither the knights nor the hunters could prevent the fallout despite being mobilized. For the past month or so, the Explorer's Guild had been buzzing like a kicked hornet's nest.
For the past month, Gaark had been rushing about day after day without rest, coordinating with various parties.
The biggest problem was that nobody—not on the Empire's side, nor on the Explorer's Guild's side—had a complete grasp of everything that happened.
In the end, even after pressing the investigation forward, they couldn't determine the root cause of the incident. Ultimately, they had no choice but to negotiate with the government and fabricate an official explanation.
To dispel the unease that had once spread throughout the Empire, they needed to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. Though honestly, considering how bad things had gotten, the fact that it was settled after only a month of scrambling was only because no one had died.
That incident could have easily resulted in hundreds of casualties. Whether that was a stroke of unfortunate luck, or whether that man had intentionally planned things to go that way—Gaark couldn't tell.
Kaina, who had been working alongside Gaark without rest as his support, wore a weary smile and spoke.
"Getting away without being pursued was a blessing, wasn't it?"
"There's no evidence, is there. No deaths, and considering his accomplishments, nobody wants to go after Klye."
The curse incident in the capital still had many unknowns, but there were also established facts.
One of them was that the person who had first brought the cursed demon sword into the Sword Saint's dojo was Luke Saikol, and the one who had given the demon sword to Luke was "Thousand Transformations."
Under normal circumstances, that information alone would have been enough to declare Klye Andrich the culprit. Among Zebuldia's nobles, there were those who viewed hunters with hostility.
But in the end, it was decided that everything had been orchestrated by the "Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox" mentioned in the prophecy, and Franz Aargmann, who had been in charge of countermeasures, ended up taking the blame.
Honestly, it was doubtful whether an organization had truly been behind it all. At least, as far as the joint investigation between the Explorer's Guild and the Empire could determine, everyone who had been suspected of being a member of the Fox had vanished from the Empire.
But even taking that into consideration, laying all the responsibility on Klye would have been far too consequential for anyone.
Klye Andrich was the man who had prevented the assassination of the Emperor and pushed the Fox's executives to the brink at the Martial Emperor Festival. Going after such a person without clear evidence would send shockwaves through the capital.
That only proved that the young man had become someone whom even the Empire's nobility couldn't casually lay a hand on.
"Those guys who were calling for us to bring Klye in—they went quiet once we told them he'd headed to Yggdrasil."
"There were rumors that Yggdrasil is looking for a cursed Spirit Stone, after all. That's credible enough."
"Having us set up a branch there is still unrealistic, but... well, if we can get even a little information, we'll take it."
The land of Spiritfolk—Yggdrasil. A legendary country that everyone knew existed, yet no one had ever visited.
Presumably, they had their own culture, their own technology. That information would be worth its weight in gold. Some countries even had bounties out for Yggdrasil-related intelligence.
Gaark knew almost nothing about the country himself, but precisely because of that, within the entire Explorer's Guild, the importance of Yggdrasil information was rated highly.
Conquering uncharted territory was a hunter's bread and butter. That was exactly why Yggdrasil's value was so great.
Depending on what information and technology they brought back, Level 9 might genuinely come into view.
Perhaps thinking the same thing, Kaina spoke with a contemplative expression.
"Now that you mention it, the deadline for High-Level Certification Review applications is coming up soon."
"Yeah... That's right. If we miss this one, it'll be another year. But... if Klye doesn't come back, there's nothing we can do."
The certification levels for hunters issued by the Explorer's Guild. It was common knowledge that as levels got higher, the prerequisites and examinations became more difficult. From Level 8 onward, an internal review by headquarters was required as a prerequisite to even sit for the certification exam.
The review conference was held only once a year. Miss this year's, and the next chance was a year away.
"What about Ark's Level 8?"
"...Ark has several big commissions on his plate. The timing's bad. Besides... hmph. Ark wouldn't want to reach Level 8 right now either. The man has his pride."
As the top young hunters in the capital, Ark Rodan of "Silver Star Ten Thousand Thunders" and Klye Andrich of "Thousand Transformations" were constantly compared.
In terms of bloodline and combat ability, Ark likely had the edge. But if Klye and Ark were both at Level 8, Ark fell short on accomplishments.
If Ark were to reach Level 8 now, people would inevitably attribute it to his bloodline.
In truth, lineage and political power were indeed factors in level certification, but Ark Rodan would want no part of that.
"That leaves Klye, then. Level 9 is... in a completely different league from Level 8."
Gaark had originally been a hunter who had earned a title and reached Level 7 himself. He understood what levels meant to a hunter, and there were things you could only see once you became a branch master.
Ark's Level 8 could probably be pushed through. At minimum, he wouldn't be denied the chance to sit for the exam. But Klye's Level 9 was a different matter.
Levels grew harder to climb the higher you got, but the Level 9 certification exam was in a class of its own.
"I think his accomplishments are more than sufficient, but Level 9 is a matter of mutual back-scratching..."
"Every branch master wants to be the one who puts out a Level 9 from their branch."
Between Level 8 and Level 9 lay an enormous wall. Reaching Level 8 made one a hero of sorts, but among those heroes, almost none progressed far enough to even qualify for the Level 9 certification exam.
A hunter's required qualifications varied with each level.
Up to Level 8, what was needed was accomplishment and strength. The Level 9 certification exam's prerequisites did not require either.
Accomplishments and strength were expected—that was a given.
What was needed to take the Level 9 certification exam was—a high degree of charisma.
The challenge began when an Explorer's Guild branch master decided they wanted their affiliated hunter to take the Level 9 certification exam.
Distinguished individuals with high credibility across multiple nations, along with staff from Explorer's Guild headquarters and various branches, were gathered. A vote was then held to determine whether that person was worthy of the title of Level 9 Hunter.
What was required was a unanimous vote.
Endorsement from distinguished figures across various fields, plus endorsement from every branch of the Explorer's Guild. Only when everyone agreed that the hunter deserved the rank of Level 9—that they were worthy of it—could the candidate stand at the starting line.
Conquering high-level Treasure Halls was possible with strength alone, but recommendations were another matter. At minimum, achieving it while remaining within a single country was nearly impossible.
The names and reasons of those who cast their votes were made public.
Level 10 was a special level. In terms of recognition based on trust, Level 9 was the true ceiling.
Klye Andrich's exploits were nothing short of extraordinary, but saving a single country wasn't enough to reach Level 9.
"Once you fail the review, the bar goes even higher the next time..."
"Because it requires a unanimous vote. Normally, it doesn't pass. You need accomplishments that everyone is forced to acknowledge."
There were reasons to cast a dissenting vote against Klye Andrich.
His youth could be perceived as a lack of experience, and because the Party he led was so powerful, some would question his individual abilities as a hunter. Convincing those skeptics was the job of whoever first nominated him.
Nobles from various nations, royalty, presidents of massive transnational trading guilds, heads of academic and research institutions...
The composition of voters varied from year to year, but the scope was broad. Based on Gaark's current understanding of "Thousand Transformations"'s reputation, it didn't look promising.
But that reputation could be bolstered by accomplishments in Yggdrasil.
At Gaark's words, Kaina wore a troubled expression.
"...Well, if the accomplishments are too extraordinary, people might think they're fabricated, though..."
"That's exactly the problem. The guy resolves incidents too quickly. Even I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't been stuck doing all the cleanup work myself."
In Gaark's estimation, even with the Emperor of Zebuldia in their corner, whether the review would pass was highly uncertain.
"Thousand Transformations" didn't come from a prestigious Treasure Hunter lineage—it lacked the background to shore up trust. And his name probably wasn't that widely known yet.
The biggest issue would be the votes from each branch master of the Explorer's Guild.
Having a Level 9 emerge from one's own branch was a tremendous honor. For a branch master, it was also a major accomplishment.
Explorer's Guild branch masters were required to be impartial, but once they held the position, each had their own favored hunters. Their gaze would naturally tend toward scrutiny—and sometimes dissenting votes were cast due to grudges with the nominator.
Faced with the various problems all over again, Gaark felt a headache coming on and sighed.
This was Gaark's first attempt at applying for a Level 9 review. He felt like stepping down from the branch master's seat and returning to being a hunter.
Sensing Gaark's mood, Kaina offered a quiet smile.
"If Klye-kun doesn't come back, the application can't go through anyway. For now, why don't we just spread the word casually? Even if it doesn't work out this year, it could carry over to next year, and Zebuldia might put in a good word for us as well."
"That's true. Besides... there's also the matter of the exam itself."
Even getting to take the Level 9 certification exam was a long road, but the exam itself was no simple affair.
Since the only prerequisite was charisma, what the exam tested was—the candidate's own abilities.
The content of the exam was simply to complete a commission, but the catch was the commission chosen as the challenge. From among the commissions brought to various Explorer's Guild branches, ones that remained unfulfilled for various reasons were selected.
Calling it a "challenge" was generous—calling it an ordeal would be more accurate. In most cases, the commission in question was one that high-level hunters had repeatedly failed, one that no one had managed to complete—a notorious job.
If you were unlucky, a commission that even a Level 9 hunter had failed at might be selected.
Since the exam content was drawn from commissions, the difficulty varied enormously depending on the circumstances.
There had been complaints about this before, but since the Explorer's Guild's founding, the exam rules had never changed.
Accomplishment, strength, and—luck. One needed all three to reach Level 9.
"I've heard rumors... headquarters seems to be stirring a bit. They may have received an unusual commission."
"...Maybe we should hold off on the nomination this time."
The commissions chosen as Level 9 certification exam challenges were all eccentric in their own way. They had assigned Klye various commissions before, and those had all been winnable. This time... who could say?
As far as Gaark knew, the Explorer's Guild headquarters held several commissions that no one had been able to solve for a long time.
The Explorer's Guild also had a role in protecting its hunters. They had no intention of assigning a commission that was almost guaranteed to end in failure. Other branches would feel the same.
But first and foremost, this was about Yggdrasil. Without producing some visible results there, the Level 9 nomination would likely fail.
"Is Klye-kun going to be all right in Yggdrasil?"
"...He has a bad habit of provoking people. I'd like to think he won't do anything foolish since Luke's curse has been lifted, but—"
The other party were the royal family of the Spiritfolk. Their pride would be formidable. Combined with the unpredictable "Thousand Transformations," even Gaark couldn't predict what might happen.
He had given Klye words of encouragement just before the young man left the capital, but Gaark understood Klye's personality well enough. When told that Level 9 was within reach, the young man hadn't changed his expression in the slightest.
Gaark wasn't asking for much. A branch was out of the question. But he wanted Klye to at least deepen friendly relations. No—at the very least, avoid doing anything to anger them.
Honestly, ever since getting to know Klye, Gaark had become far more patient than he used to be.
Just as these thoughts crossed his mind, there was a knock at the door. A subordinate entered.
"Branch master, I've received contact from the Vice-Master of 'Beginning Footprint.' 'Thousand Transformations' has returned."
"What!? I posted guards at the gate—why am I hearing from Eva first?"
It was Gaark who had prioritized sending Klye to Yggdrasil despite knowing it would cause complications.
The fact that Klye had headed to Yggdrasil was already common knowledge. The government and various other organizations were waiting for his return.
He couldn't let them get to Klye first. The Yggdrasil information had to flow to the Guild before anyone else.
Hurriedly, Gaark opened the letter his subordinate had brought. He quickly scanned the contents, read it twice, read it three times, then raised his face and crushed the letter in his fist.
"Kaina, start preparing the application for the Level 9 certification exam. I'm going to talk to Eva. We're about to get busy."