“—[Abyssal Reaphrit].” Lekhard places his teacup back on his table. He proceeds to pull out a stack of documents from underneath his desk, precisely sifting through them one by one. Finally picking out the one that he was looking for, the man began narrating out its contents with a low tone,

“Type: “Phantasm”, an apparition-type monster known for its cruelty towards life. The only officially recorded skill is its race skill,「Wraith Body」: the ability to phase while being unaffected by physical damage. Last seen— 740 years ago.”

Seven ...Seven hundred and forty…! At the side, Heinesia suddenly voiced out,

“Guild master, you mean…”

“Yes, the [Abyssal Reaphrit] is an Archaic monster.”

Archaic monsters, I’ve read about them before from the records of the past. Strong, bloodthirsty creatures that were forced to adapt and survive during the dark ages. It is said that the archaic monsters were also one of the driving forces that brought the world to ruin. The world had become uninhabitable for humans because of them because even the weakest archaic monster was considered to be at least of A-rank difficulty if they were to be assessed using the modern ranking structure. 

For example, the Archaic type slime in the past was one of the apex predators in the food chain amongst monsters. It was said to be far more corrosive, one touch of its acid would burn through your skin completely, leaving unhealable wounds. The Archaic Slime was also known to be resistant to all attributes, which meant that it could camouflage itself even in the harshest environments to hunt prey. Many monsters during the dark ages shared similar hunting abilities, which brought humans to the brink of extinction...

But those were merely information spread through word of mouth. Before the standardization of information through the guild system, many known characteristics of monsters during those past generations were lost to time. This was why people call them, the Archaic monsters.

“Archaic monsters don’t appear out of thin air like this. Since the beginning of the wars against the Demon King, there had only been one remaining method to bring them back into this world.”

“...Through Ancient Summoning?” Heinesia replied.

Lekhard nods grimly, and continues, “...That’s the only logical conclusion. And in addition to the monster outbreak that happened simultaneously, everything begins to fit into place. The archaic demon has been brought to life for a clear reason; to facilitate the ruin of Halvan, the forefront walls against the Dark Territories. And the only one who stands to gain from all this, can only be that particular individual…”

 

“...The one who rules over perpetual evil, the Demon King.”

 

A long silence ensued in the room, broken only by the sounds of my nervous swallowing. Lekhard suddenly coughs and continues,

“...Of course, this information is merely a conjecture, it may have also been a coincidence. The Demon King hasn’t been resurrected yet, it has only been sixteen years since the last war after all. Besides, incidents where demons have intruded into humanity’s lands are plenty throughout history, so this may not necessarily be the work of the Demon King.”

I agreed with the guild master, it may be too rash to jump to conclusions. The demons have never been friendly to begin with. It was just rare for an archaic monster to appear since it had never happened before. The war only occurs every 50 years, so there was no way the demon invasion would begin so quickly after the last one. 

...But somehow, the findings I acquired on the origins of the Demon King’s increasing powers continued to bug me in the corner of my mind. I felt like there was definitely a deeper reason why an archaic monster like the Abyssal Reaphrit had appeared in Halvan.

“That said, if we’re talking about an archaic monster like the [Abyssal Reaphrit], then the reinforcements from the capital wouldn’t even be enough. The only ones that can deal with them, are adventurers. And even then, I can already count the number of people in this country that are able to fight it evenly with just my fingers.”

Lekhard refers to the nine Adamantite-ranked adventurers in this world. The ones who have reached, or came close to the Level 50 growth limit for normal beings. Due to hearsay, even I was aware of their names and influence around the taverns I visit. And because of that, I also heard of how difficult their personalities were. It came as no surprise as they are all individual wielders of power and influence. It was easy for them to challenge the guild's authority because of the scarcity of competition. As I wondered how Lekhard was able to employ their help, the man reassures me,

“I have connections with a few adamantite adventurers of my own, so they will surely come to my aid if I call for them. They are dependable allies who won’t stand by and watch.”

"Excuse my rudeness, guild master, but I'm curious about one thing."

"Mm? Go ahead." Lekhard smiles at me.

"If it has the ability to... you know, become invisible to the eye, how are you going to know when the Abyssal Reaphrit shows up again?”

"Good question."

Lekhard stands up and walks towards a wall with his hands behind his back. He stops before a map of what seems to be the entirety of Halvan, and taps his finger at the center of the map.

—In an instant, the map pulsated and formed a big ripple that spread to the edges of the sheet just like a sonar wave. Lekhard smiled and adjusted his glasses slightly. This is...

“This is my Gift.” Lekhard speaks as he slides his finger around the map fluidly. Waves emanate from his finger, with differently-colored dots appearing on the map.

“[Monster Navigator]— allows me to sense the presence of monsters in a wide radius. I was not in Halvan when it happened, so I was unable to detect it before. But I’ve confirmed it earlier as we spoke. I could sense the presence of a powerful monster in the city. Its exact location isn’t very clear since my gift is more effective against tangible targets. The Abyssal Reaphrit is most likely using its「Wraith Body」to hide itself. However if I exert the full extent of my Gift, I can still draw it out.”

“In that case…!”

“But there is no rush in doing so. Since it’s showing no signs of making any moves right now, this gives us some time to pass down the evacuation messages to civilians in the city. For a few days when the soldiers from the capital arrive, the guild will work with the authorities to bring the residents to the temporary shelters.”

As expected of a guild leader. He’s looking further beyond simply defeating monster. Lekhard is also responsible for finding ways to reduce casualties in a battle.

In any case, it looks like Halvan is going to become even more dangerous after this. I couldn’t help but remain concerned about Ruru’s safety.

As I was lost in my own thoughts, Lekhard walks up to me and places a hand on my shoulder, “Marlet-san. The reward for the information.” 

“...I understand, I will be right back.” 

Heinesia nods after a delay and as she passes me to leave the room, she glances at me with a conflicted look on her face. 

I found myself alone in the room with the guild master in the meantime.

“Did you think you would leave empty-handedly after providing the guild with such crucial information?” 

Lekhard smiles when I nodded.

“You're rather honest, aren't you." The guild master chuckles and returns to his seat.

"The guild endorses fairness regarding all matters. As they say, information is power. As long as it’s new and beneficial data, the guild will purchase it. Some adventurers even work as full-time cartographers instead of completing quests to earn money.”

I see. I would be lying if I didn’t expect compensation when I came here, but it still felt nice to earn some pocket change.

“I’ve kept you waiting, White-sama.” Heinesia returns with a pouch on tray and handed it to me. When I opened the pouch, I saw a pile of silver coins. My mouth fell agape. Was selling information on monsters always this profitable…? There were at least fifty silver coins in here!

“Don’t be reserved, White-kun. You deserve at least this much.” Lekhard simpered, looking pleased with my reaction.

After another bout of gratitude, I accepted the reward money and kept it in my robe. Since I’ve finished my business in the guild, I thought it was about time I returned to the dormitory. It was getting rather late, and Ruru must be waiting for me to cook dinner. 

Lekhard seems to have noticed my intent to leave, opening his mouth to speak. “Another thing, if I may. White-kun.”

“...Guild master?”

“Ah, it won’t take long. Just a few minutes.” 

I guess it wouldn’t hurt to hear him out. Knowing the guild master, he must have something important to say. 

Noting my silence as a favourable response, Lekhard smiles and continues with a surprising statement:

“White-kun, are you interested in experiencing a dungeon run?”

I spat out the tea that I was drinking, and looked back at the man with a stupefied expression on my face. Heinesia came up to me and cleans my clothes with a smile as well. However, my mind was still shaken from what I’ve just heard so I didn’t react to her hands on my lap.

“What an amusing reaction.” Lekhard’s smile deepens as he interlaced his fingers on the desk.

“Dungeon runs are rare and precious for adventurers, White-sama. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to listen what Lekhard-san has to say anyway, right?” Heinesia persuades me from the side.

“That’s right. You don’t have to make your decision right away since I’m sure you have many doubts about the proposal, so how about hearing me out for now? I’ll give you an explanation in detail, and you can go back and think about it. So how about it?”

“...”

A dungeon run huh… 

Risks accompanied adventure. However like Heinesia had said, dungeons were also priceless resources to an adventurer. Rarely would someone find a dungeon because their existence were coveted and information would be monopolized amongst adventurers. It was without question that a dungeon run sanctioned by the guild master himself would be much more enticing. 

My curiosity won over caution, “...I’ll hear you out at least.” I sat back down on my seat, and  wearily picked up the cup of tea that I had been drinking earlier.

… … ...

As I listened in on the guild master’s explanations, I had a feeling that slowly but surely, the daily life I'd been living thus far... was already beginning to change.