Saya's ability runs in the blood. She is the only one left now, but it seems every member of her clan could use some form of supernatural power, to a greater or lesser degree.
Feared as a family of witches, they had always lived in remote places far from human settlements. The catalyst for Saya becoming a Hunter was the mana disaster that struck the Terrace region.
An army of Monsters pouring through a vortex of unknown origin—a Gate.
On that day, she fought for seven days and seven nights against the hordes that should have annihilated the fortress city of Terrace. It was then that Saya was able, for the first time, to step into the light.
The last of the witch clan. Having repelled the Monster army single-handedly, for no particular reason other than wanting to fight, Saya was taken in as an adoptive daughter by Coralie Cromiz, the Terrace branch chief of the Explorer's Guild. Coralie gave her ability the name "Sarasara" and raised her rank through an extraordinary measure.
It was partly because Terrace needed every bit of combat power it could get, but more than anything, it was a decision made with Saya's well-being in mind.
By being given a name, Saya's ability became at least something that had a proper title.
And at Level 8, one was allowed to possess terrifying power beyond human comprehension.
The training ground in the basement of the Clan House was even more spacious than Saya had imagined.
A high-ceilinged, wide-open, empty space. Countless scars marked the metal floor and walls, making it easy to imagine just how much use this room had seen.
Along the walls, several dozen Hunters from Beginning Footprint had gathered, watching Saya.
There was no fear in their gazes. They must have known Saya's Level, yet they showed no signs of being afraid.
Was it because they had seen a Level 8 up close? The bearing that came from having survived countless life-or-death battles. To have trained this many people to this degree—one had to credit Thousand Transformations. At the very least, it was something Saya could never do.
Saya took a deep breath and scanned the room.
The number of visitors inside was modest compared to the crowd outside. But once the mock battle began, they would swarm in.
She had almost no experience fighting other people. And yet, strangely, her chest fluttered at the prospect of facing a human opponent again.
Hunters who wielded swords, bows, staves, and clubs as their respective specialties, none of them afraid of Saya. She reached into the Space-Time Bag she carried and drew a weapon.
Saya had no real need for a weapon, but challenging them empty-handed would be rude.
What she pulled out was a silver rod. When she raised and swung the roughly ten-centimeter stick, it extended to about seventy centimeters and locked into place with a sharp click.
Its unassuming appearance looked woefully inadequate compared to the other weapons, and Liliz's eyes went wide.
"That's a baton. Fancy, so that's your weapon, Saya?"
"The world is a big place. It's rarer than a bow."
"It's metal, but it's not a staff either. Are you being underestimated?"
An alloy-reinforced special baton. Hard, light, and capable of shattering rock if swung with full force, but fundamentally non-lethal. Too weak against Monsters, and too weak against humans too.
But that was exactly how Saya liked it. It wasn't that she was underestimating anyone. This was just right for her.
Among Treasure Hunters, strength was the foremost measure of one's value. The strong were respected and acknowledged. Saya was simply the exception to that rule.
Gripping the baton, Saya pointed its tip at the Beginning Footprint Hunters and spoke.
"Come at me whenever you're ready. You don't have to go one-on-one."
Saya knew. The pressure contained in her words was considerably weaker compared to Hunters of the same Level.
Even in the Code's evaluation system, Saya's score was far lower than Kaiser's.
Because Sarasara, invisible to all, could not convey its presence to anyone.
But the Beginning Footprint Hunters' expressions showed not a trace of carelessness—impressive composure, really. Their leader, Thousand Transformations, must surely be a master of disguise as well.
Were there other Hunters besides Liliz who could interfere with Sarasara?
As Saya tried to figure this out, a single girl stepped forward from among the many Beginning Footprint Hunters.
A girl with black hair tied by a bright red ribbon. Simple, mobility-friendly attire in black tones, with a short sword belted at her waist.
Younger than the other Hunters, but for her age, she radiated a startling level of strength.
Her jet-black eyes, which weren't as sharp as Liliz's but still conveyed a powerful will, stared at Saya.
"Big sis, please let me have the first bout! I want to test what I accomplished at Yggdrasil!"
"Tii-chan, oh my… getting all excited like that. You were practically dying when you climbed the World Tree."
"Right, give it your best! But make sure you don't let us get looked down on, Tii! Saya, this is my disciple, Tii—be nice to her."
She was Liliz's disciple?
The girl took a deep breath, then lunged forward with a shout.
"Level 4, Tinno Shade. Here I go!"
"!!"
She'd caught Saya off guard.
Tinno closed the distance in a single step. Her movements were supple, her attacks executed without a shred of hesitation.
A piercing thrust bearing down on her—Saya held her breath.
Fast!
Or rather, slightly unfair. She'd launched forward well before she'd even finished her announcement.
Well, no matter. But it was clear that, unlike Saya, Tinno was quite experienced in fighting humans. She had probably sparred extensively with her master.
Saya deflected the jab with her baton. A heavy sensation traveled back through her hand. The follow-up kick was immediately absorbed by the baton. Tinno's breathing hadn't faltered at all.
Strong. Movements you wouldn't expect from a Level 4. Was this what Levels in the capital were like?
The reason Saya could keep up was simply that she had absorbed more Mana Material and had higher physical ability. In terms of martial technique, Tinno was unquestionably superior.
And since she was Liliz's disciple, if she was a martial artist, her movement style would be different—so she was probably a Thief.
Saya blocked and deflected the relentless flurry of blows without letting Tinno catch her breath.
Incredible. Fierce. Despite unleashing such an intense barrage, there was no trace of fatigue on Tinno's face. Her stamina must have been rigorously trained as well.
"Wow, Tinno's gotten even better again."
"Fighting your way through hell really is the best training, huh?"
Citry was chatting leisurely with the spectators. Tinno's momentum showed no signs of slowing.
The strikes were sharp and direct, with almost no feints. Saya could still handle them, but there was no room to counterattack.
A baton counterattack would only work against an opponent she could overpower through sheer physical ability difference.
A flicker of doubt crossed Tinno's eyes. She must have sensed something off about Saya being entirely on the defensive.
Normally, a Level 8 (Saya was provisionally Level 9) against a Level 4 wouldn't produce any kind of real fight. Tinno's actual abilities were far above the average Level 4, but even so, the gap between a high-Level Hunter and a low-Level one was absolute.
Doubt led to hesitation, and hesitation created openings.
But Tinno shook off that doubt in an instant—and accelerated.
"!!"
Could it be—she had deliberately been holding back her speed!?
To deploy feints against someone of a higher Level than yourself took incredible nerve. The thrust, which shot forward with a piercing sound, completely outran Saya's baton.
The fingertip bearing down on her field of vision. A hesitationless strike aimed at a vital point. Without resistance, Saya accepted it.
For the first time, Tinno's expression twisted in shock. The spectators murmured in commotion.
Her lips trembled, cold sweat running down her pale skin.
"This—!?"
"Impossible…"
Tinno's strike had not so much as scratched a single layer of Saya's skin. She must not have understood what was happening at all.
The fingers stopped one centimeter from Saya's skin—Tinno did not grasp the significance of that single centimeter.
A visitor had intervened and caught the blow in the palm of their hand.
"Guh…!"
But Tinno didn't stop thinking or moving. She immediately retracted her arm and, in a fluid motion, unleashed a roundhouse kick.
Saya didn't move.
A shadow person gently caught Tinno's kick. Thrusts, punches, kicks—even swords, bows, and magic could not break through this defense.
After finishing what looked almost like a performance of strikes, Tinno finally retreated a step. Clear agitation. Her breathing was ragged.
"Absolute… defense?"
"The same as… Thousand Transformations?"
"Does every Level 8 have absolute defense!?"
!? Well… that was probably taking things a bit far.
Saya raised the baton and pointed it at Tinno, who had taken distance and was warily readying herself.
This was not a weapon. It was not a magic staff. It was more like a指挥 baton for commanding the shadow people.
As if responding to the movements of Saya's baton, the shadow people closed in. But Tinno couldn't see any of them.
Their arms, transformed like hammers, swept across Tinno's unguarded torso.
"!?"
Tinno's small body was sent flying. She adjusted her posture midair, kicked off the wall, and landed cleanly.
The damage wasn't that severe, but her expression had lost all composure.
An attack of unknown origin sapped the opponent's morale as well as their stamina.
"What was that!? What happened?"
"She got blown away without even being touched… Could she have the same ability as Master!?"
"Eh!?"
Saya herself was surprised every time someone said something like that. What exactly was Cly?
But she set those questions aside, shifting her mental focus to face the opponent before her.
Tinno was strong. Cool-headed situational judgment, doing her best in the face of an invisible ability.
But that was about it. The interference against visitors that Saya had hoped to see from Liliz's disciple had not materialized.
The match was decided. Tinno had potential, certainly, but for now, there were fighters of this caliber in Terrace too.
Though she couldn't hide her shaken composure, Tinno charged in aggressively, closing the distance. Her initial burst speed exceeded even Saya's dynamic vision.
A dull thud as she kicked off the ground hard. Her form vanished from Saya's field of vision for an instant, and Tinno launched a surprise attack from behind.
But Saya's defense had no blind spots. None at all.
Though invisible to everyone, more than five shadow people were already stationed around Saya. The incoming kick was easily caught by a shadow person.
Tinno, her foot grabbed, was swung around by the shadow person. There was no intent to kill, of course, nor to cause serious injury.
Suddenly, the sound of wind being cleaved. One of the spectators—Sven, whom they had met at the Clan House entrance—had fired an arrow.
But even the godspeed arrow never reached Saya; a shadow person caught it midair.
Being unable to interfere meant being unable to deal damage. Sven's eyes widened.
"This… is Level 8, huh… Man, no wonder Ark can't seem to level up. Just in defense alone, she surpasses Cly?"
"Floating…?"
The number of arrows the shadow people had caught exceeded ten—firing that many in that instant was extraordinary.
To an outside observer, the arrows would have looked like they were floating in midair.
As if losing interest, the shadow people released the arrows. They clattered heavily against the floor.
The thrown Tinno landed neatly on the ground.
But when she rose, what was remarkable was that the light of fighting spirit still burned in Tinno's eyes.
How had she forged her mind to such a degree? Saya's ability was something one would be perfectly right to fear.
Looking around, the other Hunters still showed no fear of Saya either. At least, not the way the Hunters of Terrace did.
Excellent. But could they maintain that composure from here on out?
The air was tense. Tinno shifted into a stance, carefully measuring the distance. She had switched from an offense-heavy approach to a defense-heavy one.
Was she trying to determine the range of Saya's ability? But that was off the mark.
Sarasara barely had a "range" to speak of. She didn't even need to command.
Tinno was already within Saya's attack range. So were the other watching Hunters.
It was probably Saya's turn to attack. Seeing Saya raise her baton, Tinno hurriedly stepped forward— At that moment, a roar echoed through the room.
"TI—!! You brat, how many jobs have you done with Cly!? Don't fall for feints! You should be used to unknowns by now! Why don't you look properly, you idiot!? Observe!"
"!?"
The deafening shout shook the metal room, and Tinno flinched. She forced herself to stop mid-step and retreated.
"…Look carefully?"
Tinno didn't respond to Liliz's words. Her body trembled at her master's rebuke, but her attention never strayed from Saya.
Cautious footwork. The jet-black eyes that kept searching for Saya's opening opened even wider, as if taking the master's advice to heart.
What was Liliz talking about?
Visitors were invisible to everyone. That was precisely why Saya's clan, who could see and interact with them, had been feared as witches.
But Tinno was, to this point, the only Hunter who had managed to interfere with a visitor.
Saya kept her baton aimed forward and used her gaze to hold the visitors in place for the moment.
Tinno's line of sight was completely ignoring the visitors standing between her and Saya.
Their eyes met. Sharp, perceptive eyes trying to read the situation.
And then—at that moment, a look of confusion crossed Tinno's face.
"!! …Eh?"
"!?"
Tinno's gaze flickered back and forth between Saya and the visitor standing just to her right front.
The eye movement was obviously unnatural. She couldn't understand what was happening.
Liliz was one thing, but for a disciple who had only received a bit of advice to also become able to see them—!
No… could she see them?
No. Tinno could not see the visitors. There was more than one visitor in the training ground, after all. If she could actually see them, her gaze would shift to those as well— Saya directed a shadow person to run toward Tinno, who was staring intently at her.
"!?" Tinno thrust toward the approaching shadow person while retreating.
The thrust pierced the shadow person's body, making it warp and twist. Tinno then grabbed the arm that had been ensnared by the shadow person, whose hands had been instantly reshaped, and shook it off with a violent swing of her arm.
"!? S-something's there!?"
She could interfere. But she couldn't see them. Tinno's eyes weren't tracking the shadow person.
What Tinno was looking at—was Saya.
Come to think of it, when Liliz had first interfered with a shadow person, she too had been looking not at the shadow person, but at Saya.
More precisely—what she had been looking at were Saya's eyes.
"Tii!! Don't mess around! Just crush her already! You're at a disadvantage no matter what if you know where she is!"
Liliz shouted. This was— "Could it be… they're reflected in my eyes?"
"!? Ah!? Saya, you seriously didn't know!?"
So that was it. There was a way to break through Sarasara like this.
That the visitors were reflected in her eyes, and that Tinno could interfere with them through that—this was all new information.
What was most incredible of all was the perceptive ability of Liliz Smart, who had noticed a trait of Sarasara that Saya herself hadn't even realized upon first encounter, and Tinno Shade, who had immediately grasped the meaning of that advice after receiving only a few words of guidance.
She couldn't help wondering why the Terrace Hunters she had fought alongside for so long had never noticed, but perhaps it was unavoidable.
They had feared Saya, and hadn't been willing to look her in the eye— Tinno took quick, shuffling steps into the shadow person's reach and unleashed a palm strike. Saya widened her eyes, watching the display.
The shadow person's body bounced away. If Tinno was fighting based on what she saw reflected in Saya's eyes, then she should only be able to see the shadow person's back. Yet her spacing was flawless. This could only be called a feat born of experience and resolve.
The shadow person turned to mist and dissipated. It hadn't died. It was probably just… a bit startled.
Saya had noticed this during Liliz's fight too—they didn't seem accustomed to being attacked.
"Ha—!"
With the obstacle cleared, Tinno lowered her body and surged into Saya's range in a single breath. Even during that fleeting movement, her gaze never left Saya's eyes.
Just as her clenched fist was about to be raised, Tinno's body was swatted aside by a black palm coming from the side.
"!?"
As if crushing an insect, the palm swung down from directly above, batting the airborne Tinno to the ground and pinning her there. The sickening sound of flesh slamming against the metal floor rang out.
If one had to describe it, it was a spider. An oblong, caterpillar-like body with countless long, slender arms extending several meters, each ending in a visitor's form.
Embedded in its body was a face resembling a human one.
The visitors summoned by Sarasara varied in power. If the shadow people were Level 1, this "Human-Faced Spider" was Level 2.
"This—!"
"A hand…?"
The human-faced spider's footprints on the floor—handprints that looked like bloodstains.
Those who came from deeper places left faint traces in this world. They would eventually fade with time, but— The spectators were murmuring at the bizarre sight. But none of them seemed concerned about Tinno being pinned to the floor.
Perhaps they were used to it?
Unfortunately, the thread Liliz had found could not be used to combat the visitors. Because they could operate even where Saya wasn't looking.
But while she couldn't dispel the Explorer's Guild's concerns, the fact that a trait no one had noticed during her short hours in the capital had been uncovered was cause for considerable hope.
"Haah… Tii, you lose! Anthem, heal her up."
"Very well."
Anthem, nearly twice the size of the other burly Hunters, approached Tinno, who was pressed flat against the floor.
His presence was like standing before a towering mountain. The sheer weight of him made the room tremble ever so slightly with each step.
Perhaps for some reason, five shadow people closed in around Anthem as he approached Tinno. They wrapped their long, extended arms around his legs, arms, and entire body.
"…?"
"!?"
Anthem's brow furrowed for a moment, then he resumed walking.
There was no trick to it. With pure, overwhelming power, he disregarded the shadow people coiling around his entire body and continued toward Tinno.
One wrapped around his neck, but he didn't even seem to notice.
Each shadow person possessed considerable strength. If they coiled around someone completely, even the most powerful Hunter would be immobilized.
As Anthem reached for Tinno, the human-faced spider attacked from above, trying to crush him flat. Its force should have been far greater than the shadow people's, but Anthem's body didn't budge. Even the downward pressure couldn't so much as unbalance his stance.
Moreover, Anthem wasn't looking at Saya's eyes. Despite hearing his sister's words, he acted as if none of it mattered— Overwhelming brute strength and toughness that surpassed even the fox leader. And an unshakable mental fortitude to face invisible opponents without any means of fighting back.
Perhaps… he might be her most difficult opponent.
This man would charge straight at Saya regardless of how many defenses she had. If she had to fight him, she couldn't just stand still and leave everything to the visitors.
"Oh right, is Anthem going next?"
"Indeed."
Anthem, having healed his wounds in an instant, turned toward Saya with his heavy movements.
His colossal frame, clearly built with Mana Material allocated toward endurance and power. Compared to the petite Saya, his towering build would make it extremely disadvantageous for peering into Saya's eyes.
But there was no hesitation or fear in his movements. Even now, a shadow person was trying to twist his neck, and he showed absolutely no sign of caring. How sturdy could he possibly be?
As Saya couldn't help but tighten her cheeks at his absurdly oversized form, the spectators began to raise their voices.
"Hold on, Anthem. Everyone's been waiting for their turn at the mock battle. If you go next, no one else will get a chance!"
"Challenging a Level 8—and such a safe Level 8 at that—is something that almost never happens!"
"That's right, that's right!"
"Hmm…"
Safe!? Did they just call me safe!?
The capital… what a terrifying place. What were the capital's standards for a Level 8?
For the first time, Saya felt genuine fear at the difference from her home in Terrace, as a new challenger stepped forward before her with a confident grin.