"Hey, hey, hey—there's no way we heard that right. You said your name is Ren Kuroda? That's supposed to be the adamantite-ranked adventurer known as the 'War Oni,' isn't it?
An adamantite adventurer hiring workers to scout a ruin? Even as a joke, don't you think you're going too far? Are you messing with us or what?!"
The Baharuth Empire also had adventurers, of course—but due to differences in national systems, "workers" were far more prominent and profitable here than adventurers ever were.
Even so, that didn't mean they were ignorant of what the title "adamantite-ranked adventurer" represented.
To put it bluntly, even though they were among the Empire's top-tier workers, in front of a top-class adamantite adventurer, they were little more than insignificant nobodies.
And the man known as the "War Oni," Ren Kuroda, wasn't just any adamantite adventurer. Rumor had it his strength even surpassed that of the Kingdom's Warrior Captain, Gazef Stronoff.
"—Clang!"
Just as everyone stood there, baffled and waiting for an explanation, a figure suddenly shot forward at blinding speed. A drawn blade carved a cold arc through the air, its killing intent unmistakable.
Unfortunately for the attacker, the strike never reached its target.
A lacquered wooden sheath caught the blade dead in its tracks.
No matter how much force the swordsman poured into it—both hands straining—the katana refused to move even a fraction further.
"So you're the one they call 'Tenbu,' huh? No wonder someone with your level of skill chose to become a worker. Guess you've never been the type to follow rules."
The sheath in Ren Kuroda's right hand held firm against the blade, utterly unmoving. Meanwhile, the index finger of his left hand flickered with crackling arcs of lightning.
"Third-Tier Spell: White Lightning."
Tenbu's instincts screamed danger—but he was too late.
The lightning burst from Ren's fingertip in a blinding flash, piercing straight through Tenbu's right shoulder. With a scream, his body was hurled backward through the air.
It all happened far too quickly.
The other workers hadn't even processed what had occurred before they saw Tenbu sent flying, his shoulder blasted clean through by lightning.
Before Ren's arrival, every team leader present had agreed on one thing—Tenbu was the most dangerous among them, the one they feared the most.
And yet that same genius swordsman—rumored to rival even the Kingdom's Warrior Captain—had been gravely wounded in a single exchange.
Was the gap between top-tier workers and adamantite adventurers really this vast?
"Damn it! Heal me—now! And buff spells too!"
Despite his injuries, Tenbu refused to give in. He staggered back to his feet, barking orders at the elves behind him, demanding healing and enhancement magic.
He clearly had no intention of backing down.
The reason for his outburst was simple.
Tenbu was proud—arrogantly so. Though hailed as a genius swordsman on par with the Kingdom's Warrior Captain, he personally believed he surpassed even that benchmark.
Ren Kuroda, meanwhile, had built a reputation across multiple nations—and he was even younger.
Whenever the two were compared in conversation, Tenbu's so-called "genius" began to lose its shine.
Add to that the fact that he—a top-tier worker—had been hired by an adventurer this time, and Tenbu felt thoroughly humiliated.
Worse, the one "toying" with him was someone he despised.
That was why he had lashed out.
Now reinforced with multiple enhancement spells, Tenbu's confidence surged. Fixing his gaze on Ren once more, he activated his martial art—
"Martial Skill: Ground Shrink."
In an instant, he closed the distance.
Or at least, he should have.
Because when he arrived—
Ren was already standing right in front of him.
A single finger, crackling with lightning, hovered less than five centimeters from Tenbu's forehead.
"Once, I can chalk it up to anger. But a second time?"
Ren's voice was calm, almost casual.
"That's just provocation."
The lightning at his fingertip flared brighter.
"If you move again, it won't just be your shoulder that gets pierced. It'll be your head."
His gaze flicked briefly toward the elves behind Tenbu.
"Even elves—natural-born spellcasters—can't heal someone whose brain's been blown out. Right?"
The flickering lightning so close to his face shattered Tenbu's composure completely.
He collapsed onto the ground, drenched in cold sweat.
As for the others, their expressions were no better.
Because not a single one of them had seen how Ren moved.
Tenbu was the strongest among them in pure combat ability. If even he could be defeated instantly…
Then if Ren had hostile intentions, fewer than half of them would escape alive.
In fact, in a situation like this, the first one to run would only become bait for the rest.
The tension in the air froze solid.
No one dared move.
No one dared flee.
But just as the standoff reached its breaking point, Ren casually dispersed the lightning gathered at his fingertip.
Then, with a surprisingly gentle smile, he looked around at the group.
"I'm sure you're all wondering—why would an adamantite adventurer like me go out of my way to hire workers to explore a ruin?"
He paused, letting their attention settle on him.
"The answer's simple. My current position is… Commander of the Imperial Knights of the Baharuth Empire."
A ripple of shock spread through the group.
An adamantite adventurer… becoming the Empire's Knight Commander?
That was something none of them had expected.
"And the ruin in question," Ren continued, "happens to be located within the territory of the Re-Estize Kingdom."
He shrugged lightly.
"Now you get it, right?"
"…I see."
One of the men—Hekkeran of the Four Armaments—stepped forward, his sharp eyes studying Ren.
"The Empire discovered the ruin and believes it's valuable. But since it lies within the Kingdom's borders, sending official forces would risk diplomatic conflict."
He adjusted his stance slightly, voice steady.
"So instead, you hired us—unofficial operatives—to handle the exploration."
Hekkeran's gaze sharpened further.
"And if the Knight Commander himself is acting as our 'client representative'… then it's safe to assume the real employer behind all this is none other than His Imperial Majesty, correct?"
"Exactly."
Another voice cut in—a grizzled old man from the Dragon Hunt group.
"I get it now. On paper, you're here to 'protect' us. But in reality… you're here to keep an eye on us."
His lips curled slightly.
"To make sure none of us decide to pocket any valuable treasures from the ruin and disappear."
Workers weren't fools.
If anything, they were often sharper than adventurers when it came to reading between the lines.
Once Hekkeran laid out the reasoning behind the job, the rest quickly grasped the true purpose of Ren's presence.
In fact, even if Tenbu hadn't attacked earlier, Ren likely would've demonstrated his strength in some other way—to make sure they understood the consequences of stepping out of line.
But oddly enough, once they realized his intentions…
Their fear began to ease.
At first, they had assumed Ren had gone through all this trouble to gather them here just to wipe them out.
But now?
It was clear he needed them.
And as long as that was the case…
Their safety, at least for the time being, was no longer in immediate danger.
...
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