Chapter 44, I Already Want To Bring You Into the Team

Translator: Lizz

 

A day later, I ride the train heading to the guild [Rebellion].

 

Since it is already evening, the train is pretty empty. But my mood is gloomy… or rather, I am extremely nervous.

 

After all, I am about to meet one of the top-ranked explorers in the country, so it is natural to feel this way.

 

Even in jobs related to streaming, or when exploring dungeons, chances to meet a truly top-class explorer are rare.

 

By the way, top-rankers are people who place high in various exploration rankings decided by the Dungeon Association, and those rankings are based on solid results, not popularity.

 

So honestly, people like me who only stand out a little are nowhere near their level.

 

Worrying about what happens if they dislike me, I get off the train and finally arrive at Rebellion.

 

“Ah! Kagetora-san! Long time no see!”

 

“Yeah, long time. Thanks for inviting me today.”

 

When I go to the meeting place, Aoi-chan is waiting for me.

 

“I should be the one thanking you. Actually, I have always wanted to form a party with you if possible.”

 

“For real?”

 

“Yes! Then I will go call Hyoudou-san right away!”

 

Watching Aoi-chan run into the back room, I take a small deep breath.

 

Come to think of it, I didn’t bring my goggles today. Was that a mistake? If I get nervous, Miria would probably give me advice.

 

No, no, I’ve been relying too much on AI lately. That’s not good.

 

As I’m thinking about writing the character for ‘person’ on my hand and swallowing it*, Aoi-chan comes back with someone named Hyoudou.

 

[Translator Note: A folk practice in Japan, believed to ease the nerves, especially before speaking in public or meeting someone important.]

 

“You must be Kagetora-kun. I’m Hyoudou Touya. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

 

“Ah, hello. Nice to meet you.”

 

What the heck. The aura coming off him is way beyond what I imagined. So this is Hyoudou-san, one of the top-rankers.

 

Neatly kept black hair and tall stature. The glasses suit him, and that suit looks incredible.

 

“In that room are people I often team up with. If you’d like, we can go there—”

 

“Got it. …Huh? What’s wrong?”

 

“No… it’s nothing. Let’s go.”

 

For a moment, a look of utter confusion crosses the face of the butler-like handsome man. I wonder if something was bothering him.

 

◇

 

Inside Rebellion, there are several interview rooms, where teams interact and hold meetings.

 

The room I enter with Hyoudou-san and Aoi-chan has two other members. Both are adults, a man and a woman, and they give off a strong presence.

 

After Aoi-chan introduces me and greetings are exchanged, I give my self-introduction. Right after that, the interview begins. The pace is quick from the start.

 

“Kagetora-kun. I’m interested not only in your unusual streams but also in your actual ability. How much experience do you have exploring standard dungeons?”

 

“Ah, well. A few times. Mostly as a porter though.”

 

“A porter? You?”

 

“Yes. I worked at a company called Team Dead End, and back then I often—”

 

“””!!!”””

 

At that moment, Aoi-chan and the other two explorers look startled.

 

“Huh? Did I say something bad?”

 

“N-no! That’s not it. Recently, the people from that company have been doing something incredible. Everyone’s been curious about it.”

 

“Incredible?”

 

Still confused, I listen as Hyoudou-san begins to explain with an ‘Actually…’

 

“They’ve recently been using pretty forceful methods to poach explorers from Guilds. And the remuneration they give is far worse than the conditions they promised beforehand. If they don’t like someone, they just throw them away. The dungeon world still lacks proper laws, so I always thought people like that would eventually show up…”

 

Behind his glasses, I can see irritation. Well, with that President, it’s not surprising.

 

“I was also invited rather high-handedly in the middle of downtown, and it was troubling.”

 

So Aoi-chan was almost poached too.

 

“Anyway, it seems you’ve had your share of hardship. We plan to thoroughly fight against them at the upcoming DunFes. We just can’t tolerate it anymore. One concern, though. If you join, will you be able to compete against them?”

 

Looks like Team Dead End is really disliked. It’s natural for them to worry whether someone who used to belong there can fight wholeheartedly.

 

“I can. Actually, I absolutely want to win.”

 

“Kagetora-san…!”

 

Huh? Aoi-chan’s eyes are sparkling. Even Hyoudou-san across from me seems to have a glint behind his glasses.

 

“That’s a good answer. Your motivation seems more than enough. Now, what I want to know is how strong you really are… To be honest, I already want to bring you into the team no matter what. I truly want you.”

 

“Eh? Why is that?”

 

When someone suddenly pushes this hard, I end up feeling uneasy. After all, I’ve never been welcomed like this before.

 

“I possess a special power by nature, something like spiritual sensitivity. I can sense a person’s level of ability. For some reason, these eyes can visualize someone’s strength.”

 

“Visualize?”

 

The two party members nod in agreement. It feels like everyone already knows this fact. Then Aoi-chan also gives a small nod.

 

“At first I was shocked too. He can immediately guess what magic you know, what you’re good at, anything. Hyoudou-san can understand someone’s power without even looking at their explorer card.”

 

Is he some kind of psychic? This is starting to feel scary. He keeps staring at me. How does he see me?

 

“At first I doubted your ability. A popular streamer isn’t necessarily an excellent explorer. There are fakes like Team Dead End. But Kagetora-kun, you are different.”

 

Then he takes off his glasses. Sweat beads on his handsome face. What’s going on?

 

“To put it plainly, you are not human.”