Let's be treasure hunters.

It was a long time ago, when I was still a child of less than ten.
One of my childhood friends, one of the friends in the group I used to play with, said.
He was a reckless, strong-armed, but brave man friend.

Let's become a treasure hunter. Explore the world's treasure halls to acquire wealth and glory.
There is only one goal, to become the world's strongest hero. We, ......, the six of us, can be it.

My friend, who is very fast and dexterous, agreed to the proposal without any evidence.
My friend, who loves to read books, followed him slowly, and my friend, who is a little less talkative but more dependable, nodded loudly.
My sister, who was always close behind me, looked at me and I also agreed with her.

Treasure hunters, who travel around the ruins of various places and bring back many mysterious treasures, have always been in the spotlight. There is no quicker way to acquire wealth, honor, and everything that exists in this world and become a hero.

Of course, there are risks. A tremendous risk in the form of death.

And a few years. As a result of our friendly competition, we successfully qualified as hunters.
Though, you can get a hunter's license as soon as you apply.

My brave, reckless, and strong-armed male friend became a warrior swordsman, and my very quick and dexterous friend became a thief (not that he was a thief, but that's what he was generally called) who could see through traps and lead the whole party.
And the rest of my friends - fortunately or unfortunately, each of them had a gem of a talent needed to be a hunter.
A glimpse of this talent was already evident when they were training in different roles before they became hunters.

I was the only one without a talent.

I was the only one who could not do anything better than others.
My four friends, my sister and me. Out of the six of us, I was the only one. I was the only one who couldn't do anything.

I was the only one who couldn't see a way to be a hero.
That was five years ago.



§ § § §



I felt like crap this morning.

The sky was covered with thick black clouds. When I closed my eyes, all I could hear was the sound of raindrops hitting the ground. The smell of water. The smell of mud.
The ground was completely muddy after three days of bad weather. It is still daytime, but it is dimly lit outside.

In front of a sturdy stone building. Despite the pouring rain, people of all ages, men and women, lined up.

Some were dead-eyed, some were shouting and yelling, some were purely human, others showed characteristics of other races. The only thing they have in common is that most of them are dressed in fancy clothes.

Some wear filthy armor made of leather of unknown material. Some wore thick cloaks that covered their entire bodies. Some of them are even equipped with heavy metal armor that covers their entire body. Many of them carry weapons such as swords and heavy weapons.

Due to the bad weather, there was hardly any traffic on the street, but only one area was filled with a strange heat.
Everyone had gathered here in search of the few opportunities that existed.

They were here to show their skills to the famous and active treasure hunters and to be included in their party.

Treasure hunters are and always have been a popular profession.

The risks are infinitely higher than any other profession, but if you have the talent, you can have it all: wealth, honor, and power. You have to be born into a noble family or a famous merchant family to be able to attain such glory.

Hunters often work in groups of several people called parties. If you can join a party with a lot of experienced hunters, you can reduce your risk much more than if you start from scratch.
Active hunters are also always looking for skilled companions. That is what we are doing here.

I thought there wouldn't be too many people since it was raining, but there seemed to be a lot of people. Sighing once, I lined up at the back of the line.

Because of the lack of a roof, everyone lined up outside was soaking wet.
I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head and shrunk down to wait. Not knowing anyone, standing alone in the queue made me feel lonely.

'Aaahhh! Why are there so many people here! I can't get inside at all!

A frustrated cry came from the front, making me shrink even more.

The waiting list is not only long, but it's also cold and rainy, which makes it worse. I understand the frustration, but it's the same for everyone.
Hunters have strong arms. Many of us are short-tempered. No one is happy if they get involved in a fight.

One of the talents of hunters is their physique. I am of average size, but most of the men around me are a head taller than me.
They were monsters in human skins, capable and courageous enough to go toe-to-toe with monsters that were far more powerful than they were.

All I could do was pray that the situation would pass as peacefully as possible.

Fortunately, it seems that my prayers were answered this time, which is rare, and the situation did not escalate further.
The line moves forward a little. As I shrank back and was careful not to make eye contact with anyone, the person in front of me suddenly looked back at me.

His beautiful blue eyes reflected mine.

'Hey, what's up? Do you want to party too?

'Oh, ...... yes.'

Her voice is unusually cheerful. Since ignoring it might cause trouble, I reluctantly look a little below the eyes.

The person who approached me was a female hunter in her late teens. She had well-groomed light brown hair and large blue eyes. She wore a long coat and a large pouch set on a sturdy belt. Her clothes were those of a standard hunter, but with her undamaged hair and friendly appearance, she did not look like a hunter exploring a dangerous treasure house. Her clothes were almost brand new and spotless.

In this day and age, female hunters are not uncommon, but in my experience, hunters with this kind of atmosphere can be roughly divided into two categories.

Those who are just before becoming hunters or just after becoming hunters, and are still full of hope.
And then there are the true monsters, like my old friends, with outstanding talents that could make them heroes, who have gone through countless adventures and still shine.

It's almost always the former, but you can never be too careful. Because in this industry, there really are many monsters in human skin.

The woman hunter smiled bitterly at me, but immediately held out her hand with a cheerful expression.

Apparently, they were not the kind of people who would immediately attack me.

I secretly set the hunter to danger level E in my brain. This is the danger level given to hunters who seem safe on the surface.

'I, Luda Rumbek. I'm a level 3 hunter. I've only just been promoted.'

A level 3 hunter. ...... Mid-level. You're a lot better than you look.



I silently re-set the danger level of the woman in front of me to D. It seems that she is not a new hunter at least.

Treasure hunters are assigned a level based on their achievements by the Explorers Association, which manages all treasure hunters.
There are levels up to 10, but level 3 is a level that guarantees medium-level skills and achievements.

There is a statistic that 70% of all hunters stop at level 3, so a rouder who can reach that level while still young is promising.

It's worth being on the lookout for.

Open your lips. The voice that came out of his mouth was very dry, probably because he had run this far without drinking a drop of water since morning.

'............ I am ...... Krei Andrich ...... at your service, Luda.'

He replied without shaking her hand.

The biggest thing I've learned in my five years of hunting is a sense of danger.
Because the moment you hold it, you could be thrown. You could be thrown, you could be squeezed. You could be killed the moment you shake hands with someone.

Of course, you could also be considered an enemy for not shaking hands.

Luda's brow furrowed for a moment, but he quickly brightened.

'Are you solo, too? Everyone was so tense--I didn't like it.'

'............'

'I've been a lone hunter for a while now, but I've hit a bit of a wall lately. ...... Then I heard there was a big hunters' recruitment, so I came.'

The scabbard on the belt at his waist. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that.

There are various gimmicks in the treasure hall. The fact that she only has a dagger with low killing power suggests that Luda is a hunter more skilled at disarming gimmicks than fighting demons.

No, that skill is essential for a solo player.
There are several skills required to conquer the Treasure Hall, and it is extremely difficult for one person to cover them all.
Not all treasure hunters engage in treasure hunting in the treasure halls, but in order to be certified as a level 3 treasure hunter, you will need to have conquered the treasure halls. If you have the ability to do this solo, then it makes sense that you were able to receive this certification in such a short period of time.

He must be what is commonly called a "genius".

I don't know what to say, but I can't help smiling.

Smiling is one of the few things I've learned in the past few years that if you're in trouble, you can get out of it.

'You're so reckless, all by yourself.

'Yes! That's right! I tried to go to the White Wolf's Den, but I just couldn't get enough hands. ......'

Luda's eyes lit up, as if he was starving for someone to talk to.

'So I thought I'd ask ...... another party to join me. I'm sure that five level 3s will be enough to conquer the White Wolf's Lair--'

'Huh. The White Wolf's Lair? I'm not sure if you understand what this place is like.

The voice that suddenly made fun of us, Luda's expression suddenly changed to a grim one.

The owner of the voice was a large man standing in line in front of her. His leather armor was a combination of metal and leather, and his cloak was blackened with blood stains. If Luda was a shiny new first-year hunter, he had the air of a seasoned warrior.
Hunters, not just these guys, tend to be bloodthirsty. Moreover, they tend to be more bloodthirsty in proportion to their skill.
It is said that bloodthirstiness is a trait of hunters.

As expected, Luda shouted at the big man, who was two heads bigger than him, without fear.

'What? Out of the blue! Do you have a problem with me?

'd*mn it, a level 3 hunter? The White Wolf's Den? This is not a place for amateurs who have just become hunters to gather.

The big man's cheeks twitched and he smiled a smile that could hardly be called a smile. The other people in line looked at the big man and Luda as if they were annoyed or amused.

I sneak a step back. I take great care not to get involved in a fight. That's another thing I've learned since becoming a hunter. After all, no one can help you if you get hurt.

'The people who gather here are all confident in their skills. After all, the party that's recruiting members here is the party that belongs to the Footprints. Even though they're new, they're the most powerful clan in the Imperial City. You can't have newcomers like you in the clan, you'll cause trouble for us!

A clan is a form of group formed by hunters.
A party is a group of several hunters who usually work together. A clan is formed when multiple parties gather.
There are many reasons for forming a clan. For example, to share information. To share items. A clan can lend and borrow members when there is a shortage of necessary members, or challenge a high level treasure house together.
In order to play hunter smoothly, the horizontal connection is indispensable. For this reason, the Searchers' Association also recommended the formation of clans.

The party recruitment that is taking place here this time is also led by the clan.

Footprints is one of the clans that have made a name for themselves in the Imperial City of Zebrudia.

Its official name is "First Step". It was a clan to which many famous young parties belonged, and although its history was still young, it was a clan that was currently growing in strength in the Imperial Capital.

Normally, hunter party members are recruited whenever necessary, but once a year, Footprints gathers all the parties in the clan and holds a large scale recruitment. This is where we are now.

Applicants, regardless of their origin, age, level, etc., can take a test of the members of the Footprints, and if they meet the test, they will be welcomed as a member of the party.
Of course, the average level of hunters in the Footprints party is high. Only a few will pass the test, but it may seem like a great opportunity for hunters who have no connections and are confident in their skills.

However, this is not the case. The members of the party who belong to the Footprints are the best of the hunters in the Imperial City. As was the case with my friends, their talent is more of an anomaly than a genius, and most of those who wish to take the test will have their confidence shattered to pieces.

'Huh? The recruitment said that it doesn't matter what level you are or how long you've been a hunter, and I'm level 3 to begin with!

''Huh! It's true that level 3 is said to be a mid-level hunter. I'm sure there are plenty of level 3 hunters on the trail.

The big man shouts at Luda, who bares his teeth.

The big man is right. Level 3 is just a middleweight - an average. The title of level three would be worthless to a party of renown. Most of the members of the Footprints are above level three.
However, Luda is only level 3 now. I've said that 70% of hunters end up at level 3, but if you have the ability, you can keep going up. If you can get to level 3 solo, it will not be difficult to get higher by forming a party and getting some experience.

That's why there is no level limit when recruiting members for the footprint.

Inwardly, I thought it was a terrible accusation, but I kept my mouth shut. It's better not to say anything else.


Luda and the big man are getting more and more heated as they watch in silence.

The big man cursed foully and touched the sword at his waist.
It is a long sword with a blade about one meter long. Unlike Luda's dagger, it is a weapon for slashing and killing demons and illusions.
A dagger is too much for Ludha to carry. It is unlikely that the big man is lower than level 3.

'Huh? You want to play? Sure, let's play.'

But Luda showed no sign of backing down even as he watched her. Her neat mouth twisted into a wild smile.
Like the big man, he stroked the dagger at his waist once and drew it with an admiring motion.

Treasure hunters are not human. If a hunter and a civilian get into a fight, the hunter will be the villain, but if the fight is between hunters, the one who draws his weapon first will be the villain.
This is probably the reason why the big man, who was as mad as Luda, did not draw his sword first. He was used to fighting.
Now, even if Luda was beaten up by a big man whose name she didn't know, there would be no room for extenuating circumstances. Even if there was a difference in the level of certification as a hunter, it would not be taken into account in court.

Monsters. How could they do this to me when I was just standing in line?

Fed up with the rain and wind and the fight that was breaking out in front of me, a man wearing a white uniform like that of an Imperial soldier came out of the building.
On his collar is a silver mark that resembles a footprint. It was a sign that he was a member of the Clan, First Step.

He looked as bad as the big man. A deep scar was etched on his cheek, and he glared at the big man and Luda alternately with a swarthy look in his eyes.
He shouted at them in a voice as rough as theirs.

'Hey, stop fighting! If you're going to fight, do it somewhere else! I'll kick you out without a test!

The big man who was about to draw his sword clicks his tongue and puts it back. Luda, his cheeks flushed, put away his dagger.
And slowly, the line began to move.