Chapter 4

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

“Dammit…!”

 

Iru swore loudly as he headed toward the official guild’s archives. He knew no one was around to hear him. If he had done something similar at the guild’s counter or in the dining room, it would have attracted unwanted attention, and Iru was well aware of that fact.

 

The source of Iru’s irritation was his abysmal success rate on recent requests. Just yesterday, he had ventured to the Tower with his last shred of hope, only to fail miserably. Over the past month, his success rate had plummeted to less than fifty percent. The poor performance had even led to a fight with another adventurer named Kou, something Iru would have secretly mocked others for doing in the past. After that embarrassing incident, Maya had scolded him thoroughly.

 

The dark mood from that confrontation still lingered, fueled by mounting impatience. Perhaps he had reached the limits of his abilities as an adventurer, or perhaps he was simply in a slump, but everything continued to spiral out of control. This latest failure had been no different. He had rushed headlong into a new Floor without any preparation or planning.

 

When Maya discovered his reckless approach, she had ordered him to conduct proper research on the monsters in the reference room during his day off. That was why he found himself reluctantly making this trip to the archives.

 

* * *

 

When Iru arrived at the reference room, several other adventurers were already present. Most adventurers rarely bothered with research, and Iru had always considered such scholarly pursuits rather peculiar. However, his perspective began to shift when two newcomers entered the room and he overheard their conversation.

 

“So you were here, Oban,” one of them said.

 

“Oh, Desiree. Are you doing research too?” Oban replied.

 

“Yes. The creature I encountered on yesterday’s Floor used an attack I had never seen before. I wanted to determine whether it was unique to this location.”

 

Oban tilted his head thoughtfully. “A special attack?”

 

Desiree shook her head. “Not exactly special, but it piqued my curiosity.”

 

“I see. What about you and your team?”

 

“Thanks to Cecil and Arisa’s progress, we can now access a new Floor. We will need to research everything from the beginning.”

 

Oban spoke with a wry smile, which prompted Desiree to laugh.

 

“That sounds about right. Still, it is far better than venturing in unprepared.”

 

“Absolutely. I agree completely.”

 

“Well then, good luck with your research.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Desiree nodded in response to Oban’s encouragement, and their conversation drew to a close.

 

Iru, who had been listening intently, found himself genuinely interested in their exchange. Their casual discussion revealed that research was a normal, routine practice for them. According to Iru’s understanding, however, it was virtually unheard of for adventurers to spend time in reference rooms studying monster characteristics.

 

Iru had come to the reference room reluctantly, only because Maya had insisted. This was not his first visit to such a facility, so he understood that in depth knowledge about monsters could prove somewhat useful. However, that usefulness was limited and rarely translated into direct practical benefits.

 

Yet these adventurers seemed to approach research with an entirely different mindset. For some reason, Iru found himself intensely curious about this fundamental difference in perspective.

 

Perhaps because he had been staring while lost in thought, Desiree noticed his gaze and looked directly at him.

 

“You have been watching us for some time. Is there something you need?”

 

Iru’s expression registered surprise at being addressed so directly.

 

“Oh. Sorry. I was simply curious about your conversation…”

 

Iru waved his right hand frantically in a gesture of denial, causing Desiree to tilt her head slightly.

 

“Curious? Did we say something unusual?”

 

“Not at all. I was merely thinking that you both seemed very focused on those documents, as if they were genuinely helpful…”

 

When Iru finished speaking, Desiree suddenly burst into laughter. Since they were the only occupants of the reference room at that moment, no one was present to object to the outburst. Oban and the others, who had been listening to the exchange, wore expressions of bemused understanding.

 

Iru remained confused by the sudden laughter.

 

Observing his bewilderment, Desiree covered her mouth while speaking. “Forgive me for my sudden laughter. I just could not help myself due to some misguided assumptions you have.”

 

“Misguided?” Iru tilted his head, more puzzled by his apparent error than offended by the laughter.

 

“Yeah. Compared to what one learns through practical experience, the information written on these papers is hardly useful to you, right?”

 

Hearing this confirmation, Iru felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. His suspicions had been correct, research in the reference room was essentially pointless. However, this revelation immediately sparked another question.

 

If that was truly the case, why were these adventurers so committed to coming here?

 

Iru voiced the question that had just formed in his mind. “If that is the case, why do you still research in a place like this? Is it a waste of time?”

 

Upon hearing this inquiry, Desiree scratched her head with her right hand.

 

“You see, we constantly risk our lives against monsters.”

 

Iru nodded at this self-evident observation.

 

“If that is our reality, is it not natural to attempt to increase our chances of survival, even by the smallest margin possible?”

 

Desiree stated this matter-of-factly, but Iru appeared shocked by her words.

 

An adventurer’s profession involves facing monsters and achieving consistent victories. Naturally, this means engaging in constant life-or-death struggles. This fundamental truth finally struck Iru with full force through Desiree’s simple explanation.

 

Maya had always conveyed similar sentiments to him, but those words had typically entered one ear and exited the other without making any lasting impression. Only when delivered by Desiree, a fellow adventurer who also risked her life against monsters, did the message finally resonate with genuine meaning.

 

Of course, since he regularly engaged in life-threatening battles against monsters, there were many occasions when he experienced genuine danger. However, such feelings only manifested during Tower conquests or field expeditions. During his time in town, the reality of his profession became so routine that he often forgot about it.

 

The emotions he had felt as a newly-minted adventurer were now welling up inside him once again.

 

Finally grasping this realization, Iru asked Desiree another question. “Do all the members of your guild share the same mindset?”

 

Iru recalled that Desiree and Oban belonged to a guild that had recently attracted considerable attention. The adventurer Kou, with whom Iru had clashed the other day, should have belonged to the same organization.

 

“Well, I suppose it is more like that’s how everyone in our guild does things.” Desiree replied with deliberate vagueness, though Iru nodded without concern for the ambiguous response.

 

“I understand.”

 

After hearing Desiree’s explanation, Iru felt the oppressive mood that had plagued him for the past several days finally begin to lift. He had grown complacent with the adventurer’s lifestyle and had lost touch with the fundamental awareness he possessed when first starting his career.

 

While there was no guarantee that his request completion rate would improve immediately, he sensed that he had grasped something important.

 

Recognizing this shift, Iru bowed his head to Desiree respectfully. “Thank you for sharing all of that with me. I feel a lot better now.”

 

“Really? Well, if I was helpful, that’s great.”

 

Observing the change in Iru’s expression from their first encounter, Desiree seemed to sense his transformation. After offering these parting words, she departed to continue her search for information about the monster they had discussed earlier.

 

Following her example, Iru also began examining the available information. Perhaps predictably, he found that he understood the material far better than he had during previous visits.