Book 4: Volume 4 Chapter 4, Advanced

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

After hunting the required number of Fiend Monkeys, Riku and his group prepared to return to headquarters when Gazeran stopped them.

 

“Good work. We can consider the quest complete. Now, can you accompany me for a bit?”

 

Riku looked confused at the request.

 

“But if we take it too easy, the deadline for the request will—”

 

“Don’t worry about it too much,” Gazeran interrupted. “We simply set it up for the test. It’s not really needed.”

 

Riku’s companions shifted uneasily at his frank remark.

 

“Gazeran—no, department head. Isn’t it best not to talk about things like that?” One of them asked.

 

“Hahaha. What are you talking about? There’s going to be a lot happening with your companions in the future. If they’re put off by something like this, that’s the end of it, right?”

 

Riku wondered what he meant by ‘a lot happening’, but decided not to press the point. He had a feeling that if he kept poking around, he would only get sucked into something even more troublesome. Better to stop asking unnecessary questions and get straight to the point.

 

“So, where do you want us to go?”

 

“Well, we’re going a few Floors higher.”

 

They were currently on the 43rd Floor. Gazeran was proposing they go even higher.

 

“You mean the Upper Floors?”

 

“No way. What are you planning to make this retired old man do?”

 

Gazeran’s team was not complete, and it had been a while since they had formed a party and fought together. Going to the Upper Floors, where higher-level monsters appeared, would only lead to disaster. Of course, even in their current state, going to the higher Floors of the mid-level range was a completely different standard from most adventurers. Naturally, Riku’s companions noticed this, and their faces twisted with concern.

 

Regardless of Gazeran’s abilities, Riku had some understanding of what Kousuke and Kouhi were capable of. He had seen them playing with the wolf Nana nearby, and his expression remained unchanged.

 

“So, where are we going?”

 

“Hmm. Around the 45th Floor should be good.”

 

“Is that so? Understood.”

 

Riku nodded and turned to look at his companions. They had been completely left out of the conversation. He realized this too late.

 

One of his companions timidly approached him. “Hey, you know? Didn’t you just say we were going up two Floors?”

 

Riku patted his companion on the shoulder and shook his head. “This grouping is on the verge of becoming that of legends, you know? Everyone should stop relying on common sense.”

 

Riku sighed as he spoke. His companions simply watched the exchange in stunned silence.

 

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“Here we go!” Gazeran’s roar echoed across the field.

 

With that cry, he cut down an oncoming monster with a single slash of his great sword. Next to him, Zoya chanted a shortened spell and unleashed a flurry of magic to keep the advancing monsters at bay. The other two party members demonstrated their formidable skills as well.

 

“Are they really already retired?” one of the teammates next to Riku muttered with a stunned expression as he watched Gazeran and the others fight. The words seemed to slip out unbidden rather than being directed at anyone in particular. However, no one reproached him. Everyone except Riku felt the same way.

 

“Well, the branch chief always said he was training regularly to maintain his strength,” Riku offered.

 

“But is it normal to use a mid-level monster as a training target?”

 

From the battle unfolding before their eyes, the movements were hard to reconcile with years of inactivity. However, Riku and the others were the only ones thinking this. Kousuke, who was with Gazeran’s team observing how they fought, seemed to have a different opinion.

 

“Marat! To the right!” Gazeran called out.

 

Reacting instantly to Gazeran’s warning, Marat cut down the last attacking monster. After witnessing this, Gazeran clicked his tongue.

 

“Tch. My instincts have really gotten weaker.”

 

To Riku and the others, it looked like they were defeating the monsters without any trouble. However, to Gazeran and his team, it was clear they were not performing at their previous level. They had been slow to react on several occasions. The fact that they had fewer members than their regular party was no excuse. They had come to this Floor precisely because they thought they could handle it with their current team.

 

Kousuke approached Gazeran, who was sighing. “Don’t you think it went pretty well, considering it’s been a while since your last battle?”

 

“Yeah, I guess. But I wanted to show them a good performance.” Gazeran turned his gaze toward Riku and the others. He was smiling, but Kousuke’s expression became indescribable because he knew what Gazeran was thinking.

 

Gazeran wanted to give Riku and the others a fighting experience that would serve as a goal for them. He hoped that by doing so, they would improve their skills even further without becoming complacent. Of course, that goal had largely been achieved. This was understandable, as Riku and the others were unaware of the mistakes Gazeran and his team had made.

 

After that, Gazeran and the others fought several more mid-level monsters. With each battle, it was as if an old feeling was rekindled, and the subsequent fights went even more smoothly. Watching this unfold, Riku and the others looked like children listening to tales of heroes from the past. Their eyes lit up as they watched Gazeran and his group’s successive victories. The battles of a legendary party they had only ever heard of were unfolding before their very eyes. There was plenty to learn from them.

 

After several battles, having perhaps finally achieved a satisfactory result, Gazeran smiled and looked at Kousuke. “This is starting to look good, so let me see yours now.”

 

“That’s fine, but it won’t be of any use to them, will it?” Kousuke glanced at Riku and the others as he said this.

 

“Yeah, I suppose that’s true. But whatever. It’s just another experience.”

 

Kousuke could only respond with a wry smile to Gazeran’s words.

 

Riku stiffened as he overheard their conversation. Of all the people present, Riku knew his Father the best. Incidentally, Riku was also the only one who had personally witnessed Kousuke, Kouhi, and Nana fighting.

 

Noticing Riku’s behavior, one of his companions tilted his head. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Uh… Yeah… Well, you’ll understand if you just watch.” Riku’s thoughts about what was about to happen were giving him a headache, and that was all he could say.

 

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Riku’s companions were completely frozen by the extraordinary scene before them.

 

Gazeran burst out laughing, and his companions were either laughing out loud or smiling broadly as well. Even Marat, who was usually quiet and rarely changed his expression, visibly reacted. One could only imagine how shocked he was.

 

The companions might have expected Kouhi, who was carrying a sword, to engage in combat. Instead, the wolf that was always by their side took care of the approaching monster with ease. It was only natural they would be stunned. There were many adventurers who controlled monsters to attack, such as monster tamers, but they had never heard of anyone being able to defeat a mid-level monster so effortlessly.

 

Realizing that his companions were looking at him expectantly, Riku began to seriously worry about how he would explain himself.