I was enjoying a graceful breaststroke in the bathhouse when Arnold suddenly appeared.
I was so relaxed that I didn't even notice that he had come in. For a moment, I thought I was having a nightmare.

The open-air bath in my room was too small, and the large bath at the inn where I was staying was still under construction, so I went all the way to another hot spring, but how could I have imagined that I would unexpectedly encounter Arnold there? That's just bad luck. He's a stalker, isn't he?

I fell heavily in the bathtub and looked up in panic to see Arnold's face with a drawn expression on it.

I smiled and waved my hand lightly to show that I was not hostile.

In the light of day, Arnold's body was well-developed for a close combat position.

Mana materials are closely related to the growth orientation of hunters. To put it simply, those who seek strength tend to develop more muscle, while those who seek speed tend to become slimmer. In the case of female hunters, there is often no visible muscle development, as can be seen in the case of Lies. It is thought that this is because these women seek beauty as well as strength.

The body of Gorai Hashiren was far more developed than mine in every way. Its limbs were probably more than twice as thick as mine.
Its armor-like muscles must have been unfazed even if it had been hit by my fist unprotected. It is generally said that human beings have inferior physical abilities compared to demons, but looking at the man in front of me, I find it hard to believe.

Almost reflexively, I touch the safe ring on my finger. The world is really unfair, that Arnold is much stronger with his bare hands than I am with my treasure gear.

I'm used to encountering this kind of accident because my luck is so bad.
The feud with the Misty Thunder Dragon has already been settled through talks with the deputy leader, so there's little chance that he'll attack me right away.

If I were to be frightened here, it might provoke Arnold in the opposite direction. I put up the best pretense I could to Arnold, who was trembling for some reason.

'H...... such a strange coincidence that we meet here............'

'......ko............ko,koko,koko--'

'............KokeKoke?'

I'm not going to let this happen to me! You! What do you want?

I've done it. It is a bad habit of mine to say what I want to say.

Arnold's face turned red and he clammed up. The mere stomping of his foot caused a crack to appear in the stone floor, and pieces of stone began to fall from the ceiling.
The droplets of water clinging to your skin evaporate to form a white mist.
Energy is heat. I've seen it before in Lies, and it's a common phenomenon among hunters with inhuman energy.

I shouted with the firmness of a level 8 hunter.

'Calm down, Mr. Arnold. I was the one who went into the hot springs first, and you were the one who came in later!

'...... Ah! You think this is a coincidence? You think this is a coincidence that a level 8 hunter was breaststroking in the hot springs I was in?

Arnold was broken. I had an image of him as a quiet man, but perhaps his experience in the Castle of the Demons had been too much for him.
However, if that's how you describe him--he's crazy. I wonder which is more shocking, me or the dragon in the outdoor baths.

Arnold says in an intimidating voice to me, who frowns silently.

'What is it? You, have you come to laugh at me here? Are you mocking me? Are you kidding me?

'Calm down, here, take a deep breath! Okay? I wouldn't have done the breaststroke if I'd known someone was coming. I know it's bad manners to swim in a hot spring, but I made sure no one was around, and I didn't do anything to pollute the water! I was just having fun swimming!

'Level 8s shouldn't be swimming in hot springs!

Arnold's shout echoed through the bathhouse.

He's right. If Eva finds out, she'll be scolded for sure. It's a hard world we live in, and we've paid for it, so please cut us some slack.
I half-heartedly stepped back and tried to persuade the bleary-eyed Arnold. If I'm not careful, he's going to punch me in the face.

'Yes, Arnold, you've got it all wrong! I wasn't just swimming either!

'...... Ah! If you have a convincing reason, tell me!

'..................Training?

'Ah ...... ah ............ ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!

Arnold roared and began to bang his head against a nearby statue of a dragon that was spitting hot water.
The dragon's horn snaps and cracks, and hot water spurts out with great force. It seems that the head of a level 7 hunter is harder than a stone statue.

I'm afraid ...... I'm too emotionally unstable. But I've seen the same thing several times before, so I quickly came to my senses.

The crimson liquid began to mix with the hot water, as if he had cut his head. But Arnold didn't stop hitting his head.

'All right, all right! Mr. Arnold is just losing his cool. He's probably just a little tired. I'm sure he's just a little tired. It's understandable, since he led a party that wasn't at the right level to the Castle of the Demons. ............ If you have any problems, I'm all ears, okay?

''Ahhhhhhhh! I have no problems to discuss with you!

In response to my kind words, Arnold stopped banging his head and pulled out the dragon statue with both hands.
It's blinding. With the sound of something snapping, hot water sprayed up in a huge gush. You step back at the unexpected turn of events.

It's a terrible sight. The sight of Arnold holding up the stone statue with both arms, standing on his head and staring at me is so terrifying that I could almost have nightmares about it.
I managed to keep my sanity, however, as I had seen similar scenes several times before. I wondered if it would help me to pay off my debt if I carried a camera with me from now on and made an album of the shocking scenes.

'Haha, haha, I don't approve, I can't approve! I can't accept that! It would be a shame to lose to you and retire as a hunter for the rest of my life!

I can't accept that. It's a shame to retire as a hunter after losing to you!

'I'll start over! I'll do it all over again! As many times as it takes! I don't know how much longer I can hold that luxury. ...... I'll make you regret making fun of us!

Why is it sounding like I've made a fool of myself? I'm not interested in Arnold and the others, but I don't want them to resent me.


I tried to smile at him to show that I was not hostile, but even I could only manage a drawn out smile.

'Wait a minute, I'm not making fun of you. Let me correct you on that! I just want you to remember this. I have high hopes for you, Arnold! I'm on your side, Arnold!

What came back was not words, but a broken stone statue.
The stone statue flew with tremendous force, was bounced by the boundary of the boundary finger, and fell heavily into the bathtub. The spouting water and the spray stuck to my bangs and made me depressed.

I would have run away barefoot if it had been thrown at me any further, but what I saw after the spray stopped was Arnold's back as he walked out with rough steps.
Scary. I'm used to it, but it doesn't make the fear go away. This is why I can't let go of my treasure.

I've earned a grudge. This is my last chance to say something, ...... something, I have to say something.

'Mr. Arnold! Did you have to go to the hot springs?

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

'The bill for the destruction of the equipment will be attached to you!

What came out of his mouth was a bunch of nonsense.

Oh, ......, this is hopeless.

There was no reply. The door closed with an ear-splitting roar.
Silence returns. I hugged my knees in the half-destroyed bathtub of the hot spring and sighed deeply.






My brain was boiling with heat. The heat was unbearable even for Arnold, who had always tried to remain calm at all times.
Arnold's power is so high that it interferes with his daily life. That's why he always saves his strength when he moves, but today he couldn't relax well.

When Arnold returned to the room with footsteps that could have shattered the floor, a ray peeked out from the room.
When she saw Arnold's face, her eyes widened. Perhaps it was because Arnold's expression had changed so much since he left the room.

Biting down on his teeth and baring them, Arnold said in a low voice.

'Aye! I'll train you again. I'm not going to let that foolish man do this to me! I'll show you a true, true high-level hunter. What's with the breaststroke training? What's that, cock-a-doodle-do? d*mn it! You think I'm a chicken?

'Yeah, ............, hey! I'm not sure if you'll be able to find a way to get your hands on one. I'm sure you'll be able to do it someday if you all improve your abilities by capturing the treasure halls in order.

Aei replied hurriedly. The party members in the room also heard Arnold's rough voice, and their expressions brightened somewhat at the same time with awe.

Putting his fist against the wall, Arnold forgot that he had been thinking about quitting hunting and shouted.

'Of course! I can't stand the thought of that man being above us! I'm on your side, Arnold! I'll never stop until I get past him! I can't just sit here and rest! We're leaving tomorrow, get ready!

'Tomorrow? ...... Another short soak.'

'No doubt. I knew it wouldn't be that long, but I didn't expect it to be only one day.

'Yeah, ...... I haven't been in a hot spring yet.'

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea.