The hidden room connected to the Clan Master's office.
A windowless chamber, chosen for security purposes, was crammed floor to ceiling with Treasure Weapons on display.
Treasure Weapons. Special tools that manifest extremely rarely in places with a high concentration of Mana Material.
I sighed in frustration as I examined each one, the collection I'd gathered over time through money and effort.
This was bad. Almost all of them had lost their mana.
I'd anticipated as much, but it still stung—roughly half had gone completely dry.
Collecting Treasure Weapons was one of my hobbies, but it was also one of the few means of self-preservation I had.
Most skilled Treasure Hunters carried a trump-card-level Treasure Weapon or two, but for someone with absolutely no talent like me, things were different.
For me, a Treasure Weapon that could produce the same effect regardless of who wielded it was my lifeline.
The beauty of them was that, with a diverse range of abilities, even someone without personal strength could handle virtually any situation—as long as you had enough of them.
But such convenient Treasure Weapons had two major weaknesses.
The first was that Treasure Weapons found in Treasure Halls were almost always one-of-a-kind, and the more powerful they were, the more expensive they became.
The second was that, to activate one, you had to pre-fill it with an energy called mana.
The first problem could be solved with money, so it was relatively manageable. But the second was a serious burden for me.
Mana resided within the bodies of living creatures.
Filling a Treasure Weapon with mana was done entirely by hand, and on top of that, operating one required a considerable amount of mana.
Even among Mages—the ones with the highest mana reserves—filling even a few would leave them feeling severely fatigued.
Moreover, the mana you filled didn't stay put. Even if you never used it, it would slowly leak out over time.
That was why Hunters, despite their usefulness, rarely carried many Treasure Weapons. For a Hunter, a Treasure Weapon was both a trump card and a heavy cost to bear.
The Explorer's Guild recommended that Hunters carry only as many Treasure Weapons as they could fill with their own mana.
For a Hunter who wasn't a Mage, you could realistically use one, maybe two at most. The standard practice was to decide based on your own mana capacity.
Even for Mages with large mana pools, the numbers didn't stray far from that.
My collection, on the other hand, had just recently surpassed five hundred.
I didn't equip all of them at once, of course, but I always made sure to keep their mana reserves filled, just in case something happened.
And naturally, that refilling wasn't something I could do myself.
There was no way someone like me, with a below-average mana capacity, could fill that enormous number of Treasure Weapons.
The task of replenishing the Treasure Weapons' mana had always fallen to the rear guard of the 'Mourning Specter,' since I was too pathetic to do it myself.
They'd topped them off before my departure this time too, but it had been over two weeks since the last refill—by now, most of the Treasure Weapons had become nothing more than paperweights.
A few could still be used, but they wouldn't last long.
The Barrier Ring consumed mana at a slow rate, so it wouldn't run dry for a while yet, but the Barrier Ring was ultimately insurance—you couldn't use it to break out of a crisis when it really counted.
You might think, "You've been holed up in the Imperial Capital the whole time—what's the point?" But I'm a coward. Even though I tried to keep a low profile, my face was fairly well-known.
Heading outside without any means of self-defense or escape was out of the question.
The security in the Imperial Capital wasn't bad, but among Hunters, there were those who'd pick fights with anyone and everyone just to make a name for themselves.
I tossed the 'Dark Wings of the Night'—which had run out of mana and become nothing more than a good-looking cloak—onto the floor, heaved a sigh, and collapsed onto the bed.
At this rate, I couldn't even go out for ice cream.
And I couldn't ask the clan members for help. One or two, maybe—but hundreds of them had run dry.
Even if I used every single Mage from every Party under 'Beginning Footprint,' it would be difficult to fully recharge every Treasure Weapon.
Besides, if I actually asked for that, I'd get an earful.
Even Liliz, the only one who'd come back, was useless for something like this.
I'd asked her once, but after filling the third one, her mana was completely empty and she started swaying on her feet. She still wouldn't stop even then, so I had to be the one to halt her. Way too little braking power.
I lay on my back in bed, staring up at the seamless ceiling, and breathed slowly.
I wondered what Luke and the others were doing right now.
If the exploration was going according to plan, they should be heading back any time now.
Even without Ark, having Luke and the team return would be a huge relief... But there didn't seem to be any problems on their end, so maybe they'd just taken a detour? ...That seemed entirely likely.
Just then, footsteps echoed from the corridor.
I scrambled to my feet, snatched the 'Dark Wings of the Night' off the floor, and straightened my disheveled clothes.
Very few people were allowed in this room.
The only entrance was behind a bookshelf in the Clan Master's office, and the office itself was generally off-limits to Hunters.
Liliz and her crew completely ignored that rule and came and went as they pleased, but Liliz and the rest of the 'Mourning Specter' members made absolutely no sound when they walked.
There was only one visitor who would make audible footsteps.
As expected, it was Eva who appeared. I caught my breath and answered at the sound of the knock.
The door slowly opened. When Eva saw me spreading out the 'Dark Wings of the Night,' her eyes went wide.
"...What are you doing? In a place like this?"
Close call.
Being caught slacking off was nothing new, but if she'd found me lying around in the middle of the day like this, there was no telling what she'd say.
I'd also turned down Gaark's summons. As the point of contact for the clan, Eva would have every right to complain.
"Just, you know, looking into something..."
"???"
Eva's expression shifted to one of puzzlement.
Granted, this was my private room. Other than the Treasure Weapons, it contained only the bare minimum of furniture.
If I were in her shoes, I'd think, "Research? In a place with nothing in it? What are you talking about?"
But Eva was one of the few people who knew my true nature. She could read the room, so she'd surely pick up on the hint— "Research into what? If you'd like, I can help!"
She hadn't picked up on it at all. It wasn't like she'd actually believed my words at face value...
I averted my gaze from her fixed stare.
"No, it's fine. It's something only I can do, and I just finished up anyway."
I spread out the velvet-smooth 'Dark Wings of the Night' and hung it on its hanger.
What research? What kind of research could you even do in here? What do you mean "only I can do it"? Is that really something worth turning down a summons from the bigwigs at the Guild?
The barrage of self-directed retorts wouldn't stop. For the record, the answer to all of them was no. A strange sweat had broken out.
I couldn't stop my face from tensing, and then I heard Eva's quiet sigh.
She'd figured it out... She'd figured out that I'd been slacking off and lounging around in my room.
But really, the fault lay in having no way to leave.
Should I hire a bodyguard for situations like this?... As I seriously began considering this, Eva said something unexpected.
"...Is there anything I can do to help?"
!?
"No."
I reflexively blurted the answer, and Eva's brows furrowed in displeasure.
Was she actually taking my word for it? Was there really anything believable about what I'd just said?
I was completely in the wrong for lying, but having watched my usual behavior, it was actually somewhat understandable that she'd believe me.
Or maybe she was being sarcastic? That seemed like the more likely possibility, honestly.
Eva's pale violet eyes scrutinized my expression as though trying to read my very thoughts. I couldn't tell from her face whether she truly believed me or had seen through the lie and was quietly holding me accountable.
I quickly gave a small cough.
"I'm not saying you're useless, Eva. This is—an extremely delicate and, well... dangerous matter. Only I can handle it. Even Ark or Liliz couldn't do this."
"!?"
Eva's cheek twitched. I hurriedly added a clarification.
"Oh, no. It's not that complicated—don't look so alarmed... I appreciate the offer, but I'm fine on my own."
Within 'Beginning Footprint,' the authority of the office staff who managed operations generally superseded that of the Hunters. When establishing the clan, we'd set that rule because if the registered Hunters stopped listening to the staff, it could cause serious problems down the line.
If Eva misunderstood and rumors started spreading, it could get ugly.
Now that I thought about it, I probably should've just said I'd been inspecting the Treasure Weapons. It wouldn't justify turning down Gaark's summons, but still.
"That's—" Eva began.
"This matter is closed to discussion. I won't take any questions, and I need you to keep this strictly confidential."
I cut off whatever she was about to say. Best to sweep this under the rug before it unraveled any further.
If I said that, then regardless of the truth, Eva—being lower in the hierarchy—couldn't push back.
"...Understood."
Eva's expression flickered with frustration for just an instant before returning to her usual blank mask.
Not to be harsh, but if you've got time to deal with me, you'd be better off doing your actual work.
The air between us was tense. I said, half-jokingly: "Let's see... If you really want to do something, how about scouting out that trendy ice cream shop everyone's been talking about..."
"...Understood."
Without so much as a chuckle at my joke, Eva nodded with a dissatisfied expression.
§ § § "No changes in the surrounding Ley Lines, I see..."
Gaark Welter, branch chief of the Explorer's Guild's Imperial Capital Zebuldia branch, let out a low growl as he reviewed the report laid before him.
With his intimidating, fearsome features and his powerfully built frame, he looked and sounded almost like a growling bear.
His displeased expression made the member of the Third Knight Order of the Zebuldia Empire—the unit responsible for domestic security, who had delivered the report—straighten his posture.
Ley Lines, in a manner of speaking, were like the blood vessels of the earth.
Stretching in every direction underground, they were pathways of power, and anything in their proximity was heavily influenced by them.
The effects varied. Sometimes, powerful Monsters drawn to the constant flow of strong energy would congregate nearby. Other times, by effectively harnessing the energy flowing through them, large-scale magical rituals could be conducted with fewer catalysts.
And above all—Treasure Halls tended to manifest near Ley Lines.
The Imperial Capital Zebuldia itself had been established with consideration for the Ley Lines running beneath the earth, and if those shifted significantly, it might even become necessary to relocate the city entirely.
In fact, it was known that among the magical civilizations of the past, there were those whose core city rituals had gone berserk due to Ley Line shifts, destroying them overnight.
Of course, the positions of Ley Lines rarely changed.
The greatest cause of Ley Line shifts was large-scale tectonic movements such as major earthquakes. Naturally, if such an event occurred, the Imperial Capital would suffer tremendous damage.
"But if the Ley Lines haven't moved, then what's causing this...?"
The investigation had been launched this time because of the anomaly at the 'White Wolf's Den.' The 'White Wolf's Den' was a Treasure Hall certified at Level 3. The 'Phantoms' it produced matched that tier in quality.
'Phantoms' were alive, but in the strictest sense, they were not 'living creatures.' They were pseudo-life forms generated when Mana Material was given a particular directional impetus.
Their quality was proportional to the concentration of Mana Material in the area, so if their strength had suddenly changed, the most straightforward explanation would be a change in Mana Material concentration—a shift in the Ley Lines.
It didn't have to be a major shift. Even a slight change in direction could dramatically increase or decrease the power flowing into the 'White Wolf's Den.' But this time, the specialized unit the Knight Order had dispatched had found nothing.
The Treasure Hall's level had undeniably risen. The strength of the 'Phantoms' appearing there had increased significantly. The details were still under investigation, but it had likely jumped from Level 2 to Level 3.
The Imperial Capital was home to a great many Hunters. Even if the certified level of the 'White Wolf's Den' had gone up, there was no need to panic—but the unknown cause gnawed at Gaark, a veteran Hunter himself, as deeply unsettling.
His eyes moved across the documents, but his mind was elsewhere.
"Could it be人为... no, but—"
Treasure Halls were dangerous zones, but they were also the greatest mysteries produced by nature itself. Since the dawn of recorded history, countless researchers had devoted themselves to studying them.
Yet so little was understood.
There had been those who tried to forcibly bend Ley Lines to artificially create Treasure Halls.
There had been those who captured 'Phantoms' from one Treasure Hall and attempted to transport them to another.
There had been those who tried to merge multiple nearby Treasure Halls into a single large one, and others who attempted to fix the spawn point of Treasure Weapons to acquire them safely on a regular basis.
But as far as Gaark's memory went, none of those cases matched the current situation.
He closed his eyes in thought for a while, then slowly opened them and fixed the knight with a piercing stare.
"...We'll send our own people too. Let me know the moment you find anything."
At Gaark's words, the man saluted and left the room.
The current level of the 'White Wolf's Den' wasn't particularly high, but the fact that the cause was unknown meant there was no guarantee it would stop here.
If the level kept rising, it wouldn't be long before almost no one in the Imperial Capital could handle it. There was even a possibility that the northern highway would become unusable.
Unraveling the situation was urgent.
Nothing came to mind for Gaark. There was nothing similar he could recall.
But there might be someone who knew.
He exhaled a deep breath and turned to issue instructions to Kaina, his deputy branch chief, who had been standing behind him the entire time.
"I want to speak with Klye. Send a messenger."
"He refused last time, saying he was busy."
"If he refuses again, tell him I'll come see him personally."
At the rough edge in Gaark's voice, Kaina's expression soured slightly at the corners of her eyes.
All Hunters registered with the Explorer's Guild were obligated to follow its directives in emergency situations.
But the scope of that obligation was not clearly defined. Refusals were not uncommon, and 'Beginning Footprint' had already established a considerable presence among the capital's Hunters.
Reading Kaina's reluctant expression, Gaark added: "Don't worry. Even Klye wouldn't run away in a situation like this. Besides, that guy... knows something. I'm sure of it."
He gathered the disheveled documents on his cluttered desk and handed them to Kaina.
To Kaina, who still looked unconvinced, he continued: "A man who hadn't set foot in a Treasure Hall in ages deliberately went to one. That means there had to be a reason."
His words carried absolute conviction.
If he were just any ordinary Hunter, a shrug and a "bad luck" would have sufficed.
But 'Thousand Transformations' was different. There was no element of chance in his actions.
In the years since arriving in the Imperial Capital, the trail Klye had left was more than enough to warrant that belief.
At Gaark's words, Kaina nodded without further objection.