The crimson wolf knight that appeared on the scene showed his military prowess by his appearance alone.

The armor that covers its entire body easily repels even the slightest attack, and the fact that each individual possesses a different weapon makes it impossible to focus on just one countermeasure.
The blows delivered by its powerful arms were powerful enough to catch even a mid-level hunter enhanced with mana materials off guard.

However, it is only when the information is not known in advance that it can become a threat.

If the opponent is hard, you should prepare an armament that can penetrate it.
If they have a variety of weapons, you can prepare for all of them in advance.

And if it is difficult for a mid-level hunter to take them on - gather a group of hunters who are certified at a higher level.

A treasure house certified as level 3. More than a dozen treasure hunters were gathered in front of the White Wolf's Den, a cave in the thick forest.

Their weapons and appearance are not uniform, and their ages and genders are all different. The only commonality that exists is that the hunters gathered here are all top-notch hunters with a certification level of Level 5 or higher.

It is said that the average certification level of treasure hunters is 3. This is because it takes more talent and luck than experience to achieve higher levels.

The hunters gathered were well known even in the Imperial City of Zebrudia, which is called the holy land of hunters and attracts a mixture of aspiring hunters from all over. Some of them were even given two names.

Hunters with high level certification are those who have taken in so much mana and material that they are beyond the realm of half-human beings.

For hunters who are usually searching for treasure halls that are classified as much higher than level 3, the wolf knight, which is much stronger than the phantoms that normally appear, is not a phantom that they need to be wary of.

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'...... I believe this place is level 3, right?'

'Ah. It seems the demon's level has suddenly risen. Rodolphe the spearman was killed. Apparently, the boss was a strong enemy.'

'Really? ...... Huh? But I saw Rodolphe's guy at the search co-op today.

'I heard he was rescued in time.'

'Wow, I didn't know that was possible.

They exchanged light conversation, but their hands didn't stop.

An arrow pierced his skull, and the Wolf Knight's huge body collapsed.

This time, the hunters were gathered to check the status of the White Wolf's den.

It is unusual for the difficulty of the Treasure Hall to increase suddenly, but it is not entirely absent.
In case of irregularities, the council will issue a request for investigation to hunters who are deemed worthy of the task, and re-certify their levels.

Since the Empire and the Search Council offered a large reward, these requests were lucrative for high-level hunters.

'But you're still alive. ......'

A curious voice.

It was only a few days ago that the Search Council issued a request for hunters to investigate. This means that the hunters who went to the rescue did not know about the anomaly in the treasure house beforehand.

Although they must have been alerted by the disappearance of a level 5 hunter, it would not be surprising if the mummy-catcher turned into a mummy.

Lowering his huge bow, his fellow hunter answered the question with a stern look.

'Ah. I heard that the 'Thousand Transformations' took it with them. ......'

'? Wow, ...... level 8? Why is it ...... again?'

'Well... He's an elusive guy. But I'm sure he has an agenda that we don't understand.'

'I guess so.

Even in the Imperial City with a large population of hunters, only three people have been certified as level 8. All of them have conquered countless treasure halls, contributed to various fields, and have been recognized as special by the Explorers Society.

Among them, Senhen Manka can be called a specialized treasure hunter.

There is nothing special about them.
He is the leader of the Ghosts of Sorrows, a party of talented members, the master of a clan that has grown to a large scale, a man who has conquered many treasure halls and steadily raised his level, and yet - he is a strange man who is rarely heard of.

It seems that he usually lives in the clan headquarters and rarely appears on the stage, so I have never even met him. However, I've heard that he's a man of dull appearance who doesn't look like a level 8 at first glance.

Of course, he is not the same person. Of course, he's probably not the real thing, because the level certification exam is not something you can easily pass.

'It's time to go inside. We'll check out the higher-ranked Wolfknights and, if possible, the bosses. We need to work for our reward.''

'Yes, sir.'

In an instant, you switch your thoughts and focus on the battlefield.
At the sound of the leader's voice, each of you tightens your expression and looks toward the dimly lit treasure hall.

The air was cold, and a roar echoed through the air as if to threaten the invaders.




§ § § §



Searching the treasure house is a rough job. Battling the demons and phantoms that inhabit it is deadly, no matter how much care you take to be safe.

That is why good hunters never neglect their studies.

There are a number of training facilities for ordinary hunters in the Imperial Capital, and the Explorers Society also has small ones.
It was only natural that when we decided to raise funds and build a base for First Step, we built a training facility.

The training grounds of the First Step were built over five underground floors, each of which could be used freely by the members of the clan.

It is said that the facilities cost a lot of money because they can withstand hunters with ridiculous power, but they have been well received. I don't know much about it, but I heard that Eva and the rest of the office staff went to a lot of trouble.

As I walked down the metal stairs, I passed a party I recognized from somewhere.

It was a party of five, a mixture of men and women. When one of them spotted me, his eyes widened.
He was a big man with a big scar on his cheek. The weapon is a long-handled axe that could cut through full body armor.

...... I'm sure I recognize him, but I can't find his name.

'Mister Cry. This is unusual, is this training?

I've gotten used to it, but it feels strange that I don't know his name and he knows mine.

They probably don't know that I don't remember their names.
I smiled mildly and tried to cover it up.

'Something like that. Are you guys training too?

The members of the group looked at each other as if they were confused by my question.
I don't like that reaction. It's the kind of thing that usually brings out the worst in me.

I shuddered, and a large man scowled on my behalf.

'Yes, ........ But you might not want to go to ...... right now. It's a little rough.

'That ...... is already torture.'

One of the men behind me looked pale and puzzled. I think I'm going to stop going to ...... .......

It's Liz.

It's sad to say that you can naturally find Liz by looking for fallen humans, demon corpses, or other disturbances in the area.

Tino is good. Only a handful of people can reach level 4 in such a short time. And it is said that Liz's training is tough even for a seasoned hunter.


'I think torture is an exaggeration, but it's possible that Liz is also a little hot on her way back from the Hunt.

'Don't worry, don't worry. I'm sure you'll have a great time.

'...... Ah, the Zekage was a member of Cry-dono's party, wasn't it?

The five of you give me an indescribable look.

I'm sorry that my child is always causing trouble.

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I'm really sorry that my child is always causing trouble.

I don't know how rough it was, but the expressions on the faces of all the people who normally have no problem with demons are clouding.

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this. ...... You can train Tino, but please don't bother others.

It's okay, it's okay. I'll take care of it.'

'......I'm not going to stop you if you say so, Kry.'

He's very afraid of me.
One of the rules of our clan is that we all get along.

I'm not sure if you've ever heard of this, but I'm sure you've heard of it.

For some reason, he led a party of unknown people down the stairs.
In front of the training facility on the second basement floor, a number of members were hanging out. It's a strange sight.

One of them notices my presence and turns around.

A man with dark greenish-black hair. He was about my height, but his well-trained body, visible even through his clothes, was that of a seasoned hunter. His age is a few years older than mine, but he is one of the younger hunters.

One of my clan members. A skilled archer. Sven Unger.

He's the leader of the Black Gold Cross, one of the most prominent parties in the Footprints, certified level 6.

'......! It's the Master! You've finally arrived. ...... Stop the Zekage. I can't use the training grounds.

'I guess it's not my job to kill monsters.

In fact, Sven and the rest of the Black Gold specialized in exterminating monsters and vermin rather than exploring treasure halls. As a mere clan master, I don't think I have any role to play.

'That's your monster, isn't it? You've improved your skills again!

That's a terrible thing to say. We're members of the same clan.

'Oh, I see.

'?

But I don't care if they say that.
Unfortunately, my friends have long since outgrown the scope of my understanding. I can't even judge how much they've gotten worse.

Don't you think it's enough to be able to knock down (or rather, grab) a bullet while blocking your view?

The best hunters stared at the thick door with squinted eyes and let out a small sigh.

I'm not sure what to do.

Sven and his friends behind him said disgustedly.
I'm sure this guy can hold his own to a certain extent, but if you do, Liz, he'll bite you until one of you falls. .......

The members of the Ghosts of Sorrows...... childhood friends of mine can be roughly divided into two categories.
There are the troublemakers and the relatively rational ones.

And in our party, the equation was usually that Liz or Luke would make a scene and Anthem or Lucia would quiet them down.
Now that there is no stopper, Liz is even worse than the demons around her.

I'm really sorry that my boy is always causing trouble.

'It's good that you've disarmed all the traps and reached the boss room, but you suddenly wanted to go home, so you threw yourself out and came back.

'...... This time's objective was the [Manma's Castle], right?'

Sven frowned, as if he had just heard something incredible. I can't believe it either.

Lies is really unrestrained.

It would be unacceptable for her to leave her allies behind in the treasure house, but since everyone in our party is a childhood friend, except for one newcomer who joined just for the sake of it, and since everyone is relatively free, it works out well.

Well, the one who left is not a healer, and there is another bandit, so we can manage.

As if to hurry me, Sven said.

'If we don't stop them soon, Tino will die.

'Haha, you're exaggerating. People don't die that easily.'

'No, no, I'm serious. ......'

Liiz is a genocider, he has a habit of biting everywhere, he has been caught by the guards many times in fights, he even has a bounty on his head, he's a person that you can find a lot of dust if you hit him, but he's not the kind of person that would kill his apprentice.

Sven and the others took a step back. I smiled in disgust and slowly opened the door to the training hall.



Lise was standing in the middle of the training hall.
Her pink-blonde hair tied back in a bun, combined with her petite frame, made her look lovely.

She would have been even more adorable if she hadn't been so nonchalantly shouting at the lump of rags lying at her feet.

'Hey? Why don't you stand up? Why aren't you standing up? Are you at your limit? It can't be, can it? Are you cutting corners? Do you think I'm stupid? Do you want to die? Do you want to die? You think you're not gonna die? You think I won't kill you? You think I won't kill you? Is there anything you care about? Is there anything you want to protect? Why aren't you moving when your arms and legs are still connected? Otherwise, if you can't give it your all, you'll die.

'That's enough!

Without breaking into a smile, I intervened, clapping my hands.

Inwardly, of course, I was disgusted. I beg you, please live a little more peacefully.