Chapter 26, Exception Response

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

After investigating the spring on the 52nd Floor without success, Kousuke and his group decided to return to their base. They had originally entered the Tower to gather materials, and it was time to deliver what they had collected.

 

Though plenty of time remained before the deadline, early delivery would please the Guild—especially since they were fulfilling a request from an official Guild this time.

 

Back at their base, Kousuke methodically sorted the materials into three categories: those destined for the Tower Conquest Guild, those for official Guild requests, and everything else. Items listed on the official Guild bulletin board were disposed of immediately, while any remaining materials would be sold to Crown’s commercial department later.

 

“Speaking of disposal,” Kousuke said, pausing in his sorting to address Eku, who was watching nearby, “aren’t Roman and his group also struggling with their leftover materials?”

 

Given how many monsters they typically brought back, material disposal would indeed be problematic. Unlike the Central Continent, this region followed the custom of only bringing back specifically requested materials. Adventurers rarely sold directly to merchant Guilds themselves, except when major adventurer Guilds received direct requests from merchant Guilds.

 

Eku nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, we’ve encountered that issue. Our solution is to store everything and have someone from headquarters inspect it later. We arrange for personnel to come through once a week.”

 

She had clearly anticipated the problem and developed countermeasures. Once weekly, she would secretly connect a teleportation gate to a room in the base and call in purchasing personnel from headquarters—though the teleportation gate’s existence remained confidential.

 

“I see. Then there’s nothing to worry about,” Kousuke replied.

 

The materials would sell at Central Continent market prices, but that couldn’t be helped. Once they could officially operate as a Crown branch, pricing would become more consistent. Installing a teleportation gate would eliminate distance as a factor, naturally reducing regional disparities—something he had learned from past experience.

 

—

 

After finishing the material sorting, Kousuke headed to the official Guild with Kouhi and Peach. Once his requests were processed, he checked the bulletin board for any materials he could dispose of.

 

As expected, several suitable requests were available. He gathered them and took them to the reception desk.

 

The receptionist—a young woman with an attentive demeanor—looked momentarily puzzled when she saw the number of requests Kousuke had brought. However, after reviewing their contents, her expression cleared, and she began processing them immediately.

 

Kousuke was secretly impressed by her professionalism, though he understood her initial hesitation. Normally, parties had limits on how many requests they could accept simultaneously, and Kousuke had exceeded that threshold. The receptionist had likely been prepared to point this out until she realized that all his requests met the specific conditions allowing for exceptions to the standard limit.

 

However, this exception was relatively unknown—a fact that became apparent when another adventurer approached.

 

“Hey, wait a minute.”

 

Kousuke turned toward the voice to find a suspicious-looking adventurer behind him.

 

“What can I do for you?”

 

“Why are you getting special treatment?”

 

“Special treatment?” Kousuke tilted his head in genuine confusion, which only seemed to irritate the adventurer further.

 

“Don’t play dumb! I saw you take more requests than what anyone can handle!”

 

Understanding dawned on Kousuke. He could sense other adventurers in the vicinity turning their attention to the exchange.

 

“This isn’t special treatment, you know?” Kousuke explained calmly.

 

“Don’t mess with me! Everyone knows there’s a limit on requests a person can accept! How is that not special treatment?!”

 

The adventurer’s voice carried across the hall, and Kousuke noticed other adventurers nodding in apparent agreement, their expressions suggesting they shared the man’s confusion. The adventurer looked pleased by this support, his expression growing smug.

 

Kousuke considered explaining the situation himself but doubted they would readily accept his word. Fortunately, he noticed the receptionist watching the exchange with concern.

 

“Would you mind explaining?” he asked her quietly.

 

The receptionist’s eyes widened at his sudden request, but she quickly nodded in understanding and stepped forward to address Kousuke’s challenger.

 

“Iru, let me clarify this situation.”

 

Apparently, she knew the adventurer personally. Whether Iru was upset about perceived favoritism toward his acquaintance or had misinterpreted Kousuke as some kind of threat, his motivation became clearer with this revelation.

 

“Maya, but—” Iru glanced uncertainly at Kousuke.

 

“First of all, I’m not giving him any special treatment,” Maya interrupted firmly, maintaining her professional demeanor despite their apparent familiarity.

 

“But—!”

 

“Please let me finish.”

 

The exchange revealed the dynamic between them—Maya clearly held authority in this context, and Iru reluctantly fell silent.

 

“There is a limit to the requests one can accept,” Maya continued, “but exceptions do exist.”

 

“Exceptions?” Iru’s expression suggested he had never heard of such a thing.

 

Maya sighed quietly. “I did explain this during orientation…”

 

She muttered this more to herself, then pulled her composure together. Looking around, Kousuke noticed several other adventurers wore similar expressions of bewilderment, though a few seemed to understand immediately. The latter were clearly in the minority.

 

“You can process more than the standard limit if the request deadline has already passed and you can immediately deliver the required materials on the spot,” Maya explained. “Of course, since the deadline has passed, the compensation may be reduced in some cases.”

 

“R-Really?!” Iru looked genuinely shocked.

 

Maya sighed more openly this time. “Yes, that’s correct. It’s an exception with additional procedural requirements, but that’s the basic principle. All of Kou’s requests meet these conditions.”

 

Hearing this explanation, Iru’s expression shifted to one of embarrassment as he realized his mistake. He looked at Kousuke with obvious guilt.

 

“Sorry,” he said curtly, but his bow was deep and sincere before he retreated to where his companions waited.

 

Kousuke had no opportunity to reassure him that no offense was taken. The situation must have been deeply uncomfortable for Iru.

 

Maya also bowed apologetically. “I’m sorry about that. I’ll speak with him later about this.”

 

Her tone made it clear she was not hiding her acquaintance with Iru—their relationship was evident from their earlier interaction.

 

“Then please go easy on him,” Kousuke replied, somehow sensing from Maya’s expression that Iru might be in for quite the lecture. “These things happen.”

 

Maya’s slight smile suggested she appreciated his understanding, and the incident was quietly resolved as the Guild’s normal bustle resumed around them.