Look at that. This flexibility comes directly from you. It can be used in any position.'

'Yeah, yeah. I don't know what you're talking about, but it's amazing.

I'm not sure what you're talking about, but it's great.' Tino spread his legs 180 degrees and flopped his body down to the floor. His dark hair, arranged at his shoulders, is scattered on the floor.

A flexible body is essential for a hunter. It is especially essential for thieves, such as Liz, who can fold her body like a mollusk and fit it into an incredibly small trunk case.

Even though he was about to put his skills to the test, Tino didn't feel self-conscious at all.
His daily training must be paying off.

Liz Smart's training is self-directed. They say there are two types of geniuses: theoretical and sensory. Liz Smart, a genius of the sensory type, took all the training she had done and arranged it in a harsher way and put it on Tino.

Tino, who had passed through the training with half malicious intent, was therefore always a natural.

It's a far cry from me, who's always on the verge of vomiting. This adorable junior is also a kind of monster.

In the basement of the clan headquarters, there are several floors of facilities for training.
It was on the first basement floor that Gilbert came to test his skills.

It's just a big space, a hundred meters in all directions. The ceiling is five meters high. It has a long dwell time and is designed to allow even those who are good at three-dimensional combat to move freely to some extent. The ground is just as hard as it is in practice, so no matter how good a hunter you are, you can't escape damage if you are hit without taking a hit.

The boy Gilbert was watching me and Tino with glaring eyes.

Tino's figure flattened out. His large bare thighs and the section of his body that could be faintly seen through his hair were somewhat sensational, but the way he looked at them was that of an enemy.

She seems determined to win. It's wonderful to be young.

It's a bit like the Luke of old.

'...... You licked me. ......'

'Just so you know, she's level 4.'

'What?

'Super, please don't give them any information about me.'

The Gilbert boy's eyes widened for a moment. He probably didn't think they were on the same level.

Tino is a beautiful woman with a bit of a cold air when she's not talking, and her body is slender and small compared to Gilberto's, who is small for a man.

But we must not be careless. Gilbert is a swordsman. For a swordsman, the lack of strength and small size is a disadvantage, but not for a bandit.
As the spearhead, their lightness is a weapon.

Tino stood up and looked at Gilbert.

'I'm nothing compared to Masutaa: ......'

'What the hell am I in Tino's mind?

That's an unusual way to lift a man.

Tino unfastened his belt and threw the dagger and item pouches on the ground. Apparently, he has no intention of using his weapon.
Gilbert's eyes widen. Tino shrugged his shoulders.

'I'll go easy on you so you don't get killed.

'Oh, ......?

A blue streak appeared on Gilbert's forehead. Tino is very good at stirring things up.

Luda rushed towards me and asked me in secret with a worried expression.

'Is she all right?

'Um, ......? Maybe.'

Although they are at the same certification level, Tino Shade is undoubtedly a gem.
He's only 4 because he's a solo player, but if he'd been in a party and raised his level, he might have been 5.
After all, my childhood friend is watching over him.

However, a swordsman is essentially unbeatable in frontal combat.
It's not uncommon for a swordsman to be given a level. The boy Gilbert is also a level 4, so we cannot be careless.

On top of that, Gilbert's weapon - that big sword - is a treasure tool.

The performance of treasure tools varies from one to another, and some of them are genuine trump cards that can easily overturn the difference in levels.
From what I saw when I was recruiting members, they don't seem to have any unusual abilities, but the difference is huge.

Tino doesn't have any treasure tools (she has the bullet finger I gave her, but it's not practical), so that's a big disadvantage.
However, she is used to fighting against people, so she knows that she needs to be careful.

Well, from my point of view, they're both monsters.

As I was thinking about this, Gilbert threw the greatsword he was holding far away from him, as if he was really pissed off.
He clenched his fists and snapped his knuckles in a threatening manner.

I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.

What does a swordsman do when he throws away his sword? ...... Are you stupid?

He is particularly good at kicking.

The distance between the boy and Tino is about five meters.

'I'm going to eat ice cream with Murata...'

'I didn't promise that: ......'

Tino says in a good mood as he sings. He steps as if he were dancing.

Gilbert grits his teeth. Whoever it was, Tino's attitude would be irritating.

I've made no such promises,......, but I'm certainly giving Tino a lot of one-way orders.
It's okay to go out with him once in a while. It's also a good way to protect yourself.

It's a good idea. As long as the request is completed successfully.

Yeah! Yes!

As soon as he answered, the steps Tino was taking changed in an instant. It went from a slow dance to a sharp one. From the unsteady stance where he had almost spun around, his body suddenly hit top speed.

Its eyes change from innocent to sharp as it aims at its prey.

It was an amazing change of pace, even from a distance.

The swordsman excels in strength, while the thief values agility.

Their role in the treasure house is mainly to unlock and scout, but they are not incapable of fighting. They can approach and strike down an opponent in a matter of seconds without a sound, making them warriors of the gods.

When Gilbert's eyes recognized it, Tino's piercing hand was already on his neck.

He hadn't even given the signal yet, but that's not fair. At this rate, it's probably a strategy to incite him to drop his weapon.

'?

Even so, as expected of a level 4, he was not completely caught off guard, and Gilbert took a step back just in time to avoid it.



Gilbert was blown away effortlessly by the heavy impact of the feather-light movement.

It was truly a violation. Without any armor, Tino's thin arms and legs were enough of a threat.

Luda and Master Greg were speechless at what had just happened in an instant.
Without looking at Gilbert, who had been blown up by Tino, he gave me a faint smile.

'Mastaaa, did you see that? It's a tenchu.

'...... still,...... still,......'

Gilbert, who had slipped several meters on the ground, raised himself up. He coughed once and wobbled, but not so much that he couldn't move.

He's strong. With the constant intake of mana materials, a strengthened man can withstand more than a wild beast without armor. Bones and flesh and even blood flow differently than humans.

Tino snickered at Gilberto, who was glaring at him with a sharp, murderous look in his eyes, and ruffled his hair to show him.

'You know, I went easy on him. I could have broken your neck. If you learn from this, don't get cocky with the Master. Worship the Master as a god and turn towards the clan headquarters three times a day and say your prayers. Bring me tribute on a regular basis. I will give it to the Master.

''Ah!''

Without saying a word to Tino's joking request, Gilbert lunged forward. His small frame plunges into Tino with a force befitting a level 4. The momentum and spirit of the man made me step back without saying a word.

Tino spins around to avoid it. As if he had been expecting it, he brushes aside the palm of my hand with the back of his hand and slams his palm down on Gilbert's side of the head.

A dull, stupid sound echoed through the air. Gilberto, who was supposed to be sturdy, staggered a few steps and fell down. He tried desperately to stand up, but his eyes were unfocused.

His brain had been shaken. I should think it's impressive that he can still move in that condition. If it were me, I'd puke for sure.

Tino slaps his hands away and says with pride.

'Look at me, masu-taa. Look how much I've grown! Thanks to you, I've grown so much.'

Shouldn't he be saying that to Liz, not to me who hasn't done anything?

Greg's lips quivered as the game ended so easily. Luda was also mumbling, perhaps comparing himself to her.

'You're strong. ...... Gilbert, even with his bare hands, can overwhelm a swordsman head-on. ...... He's used to fighting, after all. He's still in his teens and this is frightening or something. ...... Is this the power of the 'footprint'?

'...... bare-knuckle combat...... you have no experience...... you could teach me.'

A swordsman without a sword is not a swordsman.

'Not yet, not yet...... yet, I can fight......'

The boy Gilbert stumbled to his feet. There are no wounds, but he has not regained his equilibrium, and his eyes are still unfocused.

In the first place, when Tino, who is good at fighting with his bare hands, was incited to throw away his sword, he had no chance of winning. There are no miracles.
Is it because of his pride as a hunter that he still stands up?

Did I really have that much guts when I was the first one, when I still had the passion of a hunter?

It is a talent to be able to stand up even after being made to kneel by an overwhelmingly strong person. It seems that I really do have the qualities to become a hunter.
Recklessness is a quality that is sometimes hard to come by. There are some things you can't get by slamming on the brakes.

Tino looks like he's in a lot of trouble. I clapped my hands to cheer him up.

'Tino, go play with him. I hadn't set a victory condition. You can beat him up until there's no more trouble. You'll learn a lot.'

You guys are friends if you beat each other up, right?



§ § § §



Gilbert Busch is a genius.
He's been celebrated ever since he was forced to take up the sword because strength is necessary in this age.

Hard work never lies. Sometimes he learned from his teacher, sometimes he thought for himself, and the years he spent swinging the sword steadily gave him strength, and by the time he was over ten, he was so strong that no one, not even the adults in the village where he grew up, could stand him.

There are various types of human talents, and one of them is the speed of absorption of mana and materials and the limit of tolerance.
The faster one absorbs the material, the faster one becomes strong, and the higher one's tolerance limit, the higher one can reach.

Gilbert had both of them much higher than normal people. Just by living in a village where the amount of mana material in the air was low, he was able to gain more power than normal people.

It is no wonder that Gilbert Busch became a treasure hunter.

Even now, he conquers the ever-increasing number of treasure halls and gains fame by breaking through the array of illusions and demons. It was the quickest way to get everything in the world, and exploring the mana-filled treasure halls would give him strength that he could not get living in the village.

When Gilbert turned fifteen, the age at which he was recognized as an adult, he overcame the opposition of those around him and visited the Imperial City, the sacred land of hunters, alone.

The Imperial City he visited for the first time was incomparably larger than the village and was filled with goods, which satisfied Gilberto.

There was food that he could not get in his home village, where he was self-sufficient, and countless huge buildings.
The streets are wide enough for several carriages to pass in a row, and so many people pass by every day that you might mistake it for a festival. Most importantly, there are many people dressed as treasure hunters, something you never see in the village.

Gilberto's rapid progress did not stop even after he registered with the Explorers' Association and started exploring the Treasure House.
Gilberto was unusual among new treasure hunters in that he hadn't missed a day of training before becoming a hunter, and he had talent.
Above all, he was brave enough to be admonished by the searchers as reckless, and he had ...... good luck.

The five of us newcomers formed a party and Gilbert quickly increased the level of the treasure halls we explored.
In the first treasure hall, Gilbert happened to find a large sword that easily cut down a phantom, the first thing a newcomer would have a hard time with, and kept the demons at bay.

The Golden Generation. A generation that has been whispered about for several years, in which genius hunters have appeared one after another among the newcomers.
Gilbert was considered to be the second in line.

It's a pity that I'm the second, but there are many hunters who are beyond human understanding.
In particular, the older you are, the longer you've been conquering countless treasure halls and capturing mana materials, the stronger you become to an incredible degree.

Even from Gilbert's perspective at this stage, there are many who are absolutely no match for him. But he was not in a hurry.

As long as he had time, he could definitely catch up. Gilberto was certain of that.

The future was bright. At that moment, Gilberto could indeed see the stairway to glory.

It was only a few weeks ago that it began to fade.


§


'Finally, the engine has started. I'm sure the request will go well. As expected of Masutaa, he has an admirable judgment. ......'

I hear a tense voice above me.


He forced himself to move his body, which was in a lot of pain from the bruises all over his body, and glared at Tino, who was looking down at him.

His eyes were cold, as if he were looking at a bug.

They were strong. He looked the same age, but he was terribly strong.

Each blow was fast and heavy.
He unleashed his blows unhesitatingly, but the blows with enough power to damage even the Phantom did not even graze Gilbert.

This is not the same as the hoodlums who have been involved with Gilbert up until now.

Above all, Tino's movements were clearly designed to be used against people.
He doesn't use techniques such as shaking his brain or parrying attacks with the palm of his hand against Phantoms, which have a much stronger structure than humans.

More importantly, the opponent could still afford to go that far.

I had heard that the Footprints clan was filled with promising young hunters, but this was more than I had expected.

The first attack was unexpected, but after that, I did not intend to let my guard down. Simply, his ability is far higher than the same level of certification.
It was a shock to the boy, who had never been defeated by someone his own age.

He could not use the excuse that he did not have the sword he always used. He was the one who had abandoned it, and his opponent had no weapon as well.
I have no excuse.

Gilbert's goal was beyond that.

'Are you still conscious?

I tried to stand up, but I couldn't muster the strength. I couldn't feel my fingertips. I couldn't feel my limbs. Even if he could get up, would he be able to move satisfactorily?

Gilbert's body was strong enough to take several bullets and still be able to move. He had been wounded during the hunt. But this was the first time he had been hurt so badly without using a weapon.

'Koo...... shit......'

'You can use that sword if you want.

Tino said in a troublesome voice. Gilbert's main weapon, the Purgatory Sword, had been thrown away by himself at the start of the mock battle and was now just out of sight.

"Purgatory Sword.

Gilbert's main weapon, the Purgatory Sword, was just out of sight.

It is a powerful weapon that has supported Gilbert's activities as a hunter from the beginning. The acquisition of it was the greatest fortune for Gilberto, who came to the Imperial Capital almost penniless.

Gilberto stared at the faintly reddish blade and crawled to his feet, shouting.

'Who's going to use it?

It was miserable. The Purgatory Sword is indeed a powerful weapon.
When I got it, I had it appraised at the Treasure Hunters Association, and the appraiser was surprised to find that it was an excellent weapon, far beyond the rank of treasure that could be obtained at a level 1 treasure house.

But that's why Gilbert couldn't take the sword at this moment.

If he took the sword he had abandoned in the face of a bare knuckle opponent of his own age, he felt that it would prove that his accomplishments to date were due to the treasure.

Tino didn't follow up. Gilbert stands up again, perhaps having recovered a bit from the passage of time.

Tino frowns and spits.

'Trivial, pride.

There is no flaw in his appearance. There is no sign of fatigue, not even a drop of sweat. And yet, not a trace of carelessness in the face of a much lower rank.

I knew that. If he was serious, I'd already be dead. I'm confident in my physical strength, but the woman in front of me has the strength to do it.

Breathing hard, I lowered my stance, enduring the dull pain running through every part of my body.

Even the strength to roar is wasted. It glares at you with eyes that resemble those of a beast.
Where's the opening? What should I do? Tino's body is slender. You're probably more durable, so if you can land even one heavy blow...

But it won't hit. Gilberto's attack is completely blinded by the distance between us.

As Gilberto desperately searched for the shard of victory, a voice that changed in a thousand ways suddenly entered his ears.

The voice was the same lazy voice he had heard before the mock battle began.

'Why don't you leave it at that? The purpose of this time is to check your strength, you know that.''

'......'

'You, you left the party, didn't you?

'Huh?

I look at Senma. The expression on his face was a thin smile.

His appearance was as unintimidating as ever. An ordinary appearance with black hair and black eyes.

There is no hint of a hunter with a large store of mana material.
There is no footprint symbol, nor is there a party symbol for Strange Grief, which must be worn by regulation. Without the black cloak, he wouldn't even look like a hunter.

It's true, I left. I had to leave. I had to leave the party I had formed when I first came to the Imperial City, the party I had been with for almost half a year.

My friends couldn't keep up with Gilberto Busch's talent.

My skin crawled. With an unintelligible smile, Thousand and One Changes says.

Even Gilberto Busch, who has only been in the capital a short time, has heard it many times. He is one of the best treasure hunters in the capital.

He is the leader of the Strange Glyphs, a group made up of only hunters with two names that mean they are top-notch hunters.

'Hey, why--'

'Because I also remember ...... there was too much of a difference in ability. I understand. I'm sure you'll be able to understand.

For a moment, I didn't understand what he was saying, because I felt the realism in his words.
However, her face immediately tensed at the meaning.

There are only a handful of people who can be given a second name.
Only those with special talents among hunters and those who have conquered several treasure halls. It's a realm Gilbert can't reach now.

And yet, the man in front of him was a member of a group that everyone praised for their strength, a group that possessed exceptional talent.

'I'm sure this party will be a good experience for you. I'm sure you have your own thoughts and feelings, but let's get along with other young people.

His appearance was full of gaps, and his physical strength was even lower than Tino's.

When we first met, Gilbert saw him as an overwhelmingly weak man. But now, that fact terrifies him.

Before he knew it, his hands were shaking, his legs were trembling. His cheeks tightened and his breath caught. My mouth is dry, but I can't take my gaze off the young man.

There are many monsters in the treasure house.


Man-eating monster. Monsters that pretend to be people.
Some are wise, some have unique abilities, some are simply strong, and some can even deceive you with their words.

But the man in front of me is no more understandable than those "phantoms".
A thousand changes. The name is often heard, but no one has ever told me what kind of hunter this man is.

Senhenmanka approaches the Purgatory Sword with slow steps. He touched the blade with his toe.

--At that moment, red flames swirled from the sword's body, still in its scabbard.

The flames spiraled with a roaring sound like the wind.
I didn't know what was happening. My vision caught the phenomenon, but my brain refused to understand.

Greg and Luda were watching with stunned expressions.

In the midst of the spiral of flames, without any sign of burning, a thousand changes said.

'Giving attributes and extending the attack range, huh? It's a simple but good sword, you should take good care of it.

Flames surrounded his arm like armor. His ecstatic eyes reflected the red lotus.

'You can't ...... use it, you idiot! Purgatory, the sword is a ...... treasure tool! It's a treasure trove!

You'll be able to get a lot more out of it.
The more powerful the tool, the more training is required just to produce a portion of its power.

The flames stir, revealing flaming wings on the back of a thousand transformations.

What Tino did to me. Anguish. Regret. Willingness. He forgets everything and cries out.

'...... without even holding the handle! Nonsense! You can't ...... do that. ......'

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for and what you can do with it.

It is not that it is difficult to operate. It's that I don't know what to do with it in the first place. There is neither a switch nor an instruction manual.

You can realize how impossible it is to do what the Thousand Transformations are doing, because it is your treasure.

The young man smiled even though he was surrounded by flames. His black hair reflected the flames and shone brightly.
It's impossible. It's not like Tino, who had reached great heights of pure skill.

Gilbert's path, the extension of it, is not there.

Unknown. At the sight, which he had never even imagined, words naturally came out of his mouth. A trembling voice that didn't seem to belong to me. A voice of fear and war.

'Ghosts...... things......'

Tino was looking down at Gilbert without any sign of surprise.

The flames cast a thousand shadows, and like the party's name, they seem to be the wailing of a ghost.