“…Fana, Anje. Go stand over there for a moment.”
When I told him that the three girls had cleared the dungeon on their own, Ark gave the two of them that instruction, his expression unusually grave.
“?”
“What are you planning to do?”
Tilting their heads in confusion, the two nonetheless obeyed without protest. Then, without warning, Ark raised his spear and dropped into a combat stance.
“—!”
Instantly, Fana and Anje reacted.
The staff and adventurers who had been in the middle of cleaning up froze, their hands stopping as they took in sharp breaths at the sudden, dangerous turn of events.
Yet neither side moved… and in the end, it was Ark who relaxed his stance first.
“No mistake about it. …Both of you have already surpassed me completely.”
He nodded as if arriving at some realization, then stated it flatly.
“W-what!?”
“You’re saying those two are stronger than the Guild Master!?”
“No way… the Guild Master used to be an S-rank adventurer!”
“And didn’t he say he’s been in just as good shape lately as he was in his prime?”
As disbelief rippled through the room, Ark began to walk.
“Come with me. There’s something important we need to discuss.”
We followed as instructed and were shown into the Guild Master’s office on the top floor.
“…Now then. It’s hard to believe, but it seems you truly did clear the dungeon. If possible, could you tell me a bit more about how it happened?”
In response to his request, the girls gave a detailed account of everything along the way to the seventy-fifth floor—what the journey had been like, the boss’s traits, and exactly how they had brought it down.
When they also laid out the materials dropped by the boss—
“What is this…? Just looking at it, you can tell it’s dangerous.”
“Looks like it could be used to forge a weapon, doesn’t it?”
“What kind of weapon are you even planning to make…?”
Ark let out a weary sigh.
“…Honestly. You lot never fail to casually step far beyond common sense. Still, let’s set that aside for now. I have a proposal for you.”
“A proposal?”
“Yeah. Unfortunately, because of the rules, this will have to concern only you two—Fana and Anje—but… would you consider taking the S-rank promotion exam?”
At those words, Fana and Anje both drew in sharp breaths.
“S-rank…”
“Us… at the very top of all adventurers?”
“That’s right. I never imagined two candidates would appear at the same time, but… in terms of ability, you more than qualify.”
Ark said it with a wry smile, giving them his wholehearted endorsement.
“Hm? What about our master?”
“Of course, that baby over there—and the beastman as well—have strength to spare for S-rank… but as I mentioned earlier, there are rules. To become an S-rank adventurer, you need at least five years of documented achievements.”
He gave a clear answer to Fana’s question.
“Five years… There’s no way a baby could meet that requirement indeed…. And Lill has only just become an adventurer.”
“So that means I’d have to be at least five years old to become S-rank.”
“An S-rank at five years old would be completely unprecedented…”
Well, it’s not like I’m particularly attached to adventurer ranks anyway.
“Where will the exam be held?”
“Oh? Sounds like you’re motivated.”
“Mm. It sounds fun.”
“Yes. I’d very much like to take the challenge.”
“Then I’ll grant you the qualification to sit for it. Among the many guild masters out there, only a very select few—including myself—are authorized to issue eligibility for the S-rank exam. As for the location… it will be held at the headquarters of the Adventurers’ Guild Association.”
“The Adventurers’ Guild Association?”
“It’s an organization that most adventurer guilds belong to. They establish various guidelines for guild activities—and in fact, they’re the ones who set the standards for adventurer ranks. To become S-rank, you need their approval. But because of the chairman’s eccentric tastes—ah, I mean, his preferences—the headquarters is located in a rather remote place.”
Ark pulled out a map and pointed to the spot.
It lay far to the north of Vegaltia, in a stretch of desolate, ravaged land.
“Hardly any vegetation grows there. It’s just endless stretches of bleak, rocky terrain. It’s also so vast that it earned the name the Infinite Wasteland. It’s the most dangerous great frontier on the continent. And near its outskirts, in a place inconveniently remote even by those standards, you’ll find the headquarters of the Adventurers’ Guild Association.”
“Huh. So that’s where it is.”
The Infinite Wasteland was once a region ruled by several particularly vicious demon tribes. It was also the place where, in my previous life, I hunted them down one by one and succeeded in wiping them out completely—an achievement that would later earn me the title of Great Sage.
“Honestly, just reaching it is a trial in itself… but for you lot, it should be no trouble at all.”
After that, Ark prepared their examination qualification certificates. They were issued on special paper infused with the creator’s mana, making forgeries easy to detect.
“By the way, you should know this—only registered adventurers are allowed to enter the Association’s headquarters.”
“Then Karen has to register as an adventurer first. Oh, right… there’s an exam involved.”
Karen, having only just arrived from the eastern lands, hadn’t even registered as an adventurer yet.
“Mm, is that so? What kind of exam is it?”
“There’s a written test and a practical one. The practical shouldn’t be a problem, but the written exam might be tough to clear right away… The East and West have very different common sense, and more importantly, Karen, you’re not exactly the brightest…”
“Indeed, my intellect is somewhat lacking—wait, that was rude, was it not!?”
“Well, don’t worry. I’ll just feed you the answers through telepathy.”
“Hey. Don’t openly talk about cheating right in front of me! Sigh. But you cleared the dungeon together with Fana and Anje, didn’t you? In that case, that fact alone is more than enough. By the authority of the Guild Master, I’ll approve your exam pass and promote you to A-rank.”
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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