"Ross, aren't you a Diviner?"
"Before today's expedition, didn't you perform a divination for yourself?"
Ross let out a long sigh.
"Of course I did."
"The result was misfortune mixed with fortune."
Ross complained,
"Honestly, divination results these days just can't be trusted."
Hard to say…
It was misfortune.
But then I rescued you afterward.
That probably counts as fortune, too.
In a way, the result was actually pretty accurate.
Though looking at the process itself…
yeah, it was a pretty nasty experience.
Still—
Diviners clearly had something going on.
"Oh, right. Those potions weren't free, by the way."
He had force-fed them quite a few.
After going through all that trouble to rescue them, there was no way Kanzaki Rei was going to pay for the potions himself.
Ross's lips twitched slightly.
"You'll get your money…"
The forest at night was far more dangerous.
Especially now that the monster tide had grown denser. On their way back they encountered quite a few monsters.
Fortunately, the Eternal Lamp provided illumination, preventing surprise attacks.
Any monster they encountered on the road—
the moment Kanzaki Rei spotted it—
was instantly killed.
And then suddenly—
BOOM!
The earth trembled violently.
At the same time, the color of the sky abruptly changed.
The sky, which had previously resembled a painted scroll filled with scattered stars, suddenly turned completely black.
Not a single star remained.
In their place—
there appeared a void, surrounded by a faint ring of blue light.
"What is that?" Kanzaki Rei muttered internally, instantly becoming alert.
He was already prepared for combat.
Maizel stared up at the sky.
"I… don't know."
"But it doesn't seem to be happening here."
Maizel looked north.
From the northern horizon, a complex and ominous aura was rising.
Maizel said,
"No matter what it is, we should hurry back first."
…
The strange phenomenon they encountered on the road seemed to be nothing more than a brief episode.
After about half an hour—
everything returned to normal.
It was as though nothing had happened at all.
And eventually, Kanzaki Rei and the others returned to Rhein Town.
"Ross! You're alive!"
When Ross saw the party leader she had teamed up with earlier that morning, she immediately snapped back irritably.
"What kind of thing is that to say? Were you hoping I'd die?"
Earlier that day, they had turned and run without hesitation.
Ross and Maizel had simply been slower, which was why they were caught.
Still—
she couldn't really blame them.
They were only temporary companions.
Ross had no right to demand that they risk their lives to save her.
By comparison—
Kanzaki Rei had rushed here alone the moment he learned she was missing.
That made his actions feel all the more precious.
If he weren't still just a kid…
she might have already fallen in love with him.
…
Ross and Maizel's safe return left everyone astonished.
And when people heard that Kanzaki Rei alone had killed the Monarch-Class Blood-Origin Monarch, the looks they gave him were filled with awe.
"No way… a Level 2 solo-killing a Tier-3 Monarch? That record belongs in the history books!"
"I don't think even Iz ever achieved something like that…"
"Has anyone in history ever pulled off a crazier feat?"
"How would I know? I don't study that crap."
"But no matter how you look at it, that's the level of a legendary figure, right?"
"Hey—Maizel said he didn't even cut off the blood pool before killing the Blood-Origin Monarch!"
"What?!"
"You've got to be joking! Without cutting the blood pool connection, that thing is basically immortal!"
"I remember that in every historical raid against the Blood-Origin Monarch, they cut the blood pool first before killing it!"
"And those teams were either top-tier Level 3 adventuring parties or groups of Level 4 adventurers."
People had already considered Kanzaki Rei's Level 2 solo kill of the Blood-Origin Monarch an incredible achievement.
But now they learned—
he had ignored the boss mechanics and brute-forced it to death.
Feeling all these admiring gazes directed at him, Kanzaki Rei couldn't help but feel a little pleased with himself.
Yeah.
It couldn't be helped.
That's just how geniuses are.
His ears twitched slightly as he listened to the praise around him, though he pretended not to care while approaching Shirley.
"Shirley, how much could these sell for?"
Kanzaki Rei took out the items he had just obtained.
They were, of course, the loot dropped by the Blood-Origin Monarch.
Shirley carefully examined the materials.
"Blood Armor, and Pure Essence Blood."
"Both are very rare materials…"
"If you sold them, the Blood Armor would probably be worth about 5,000 gold coins."
"And each bead of Pure Essence Blood should be worth roughly 1,000 gold coins."
As Kanzaki Rei laid out the materials, everyone's eyes immediately focused on him.
It was obvious.
These materials had clearly come from the Blood-Origin Monarch.
They were irrefutable proof that Kanzaki Rei had killed it.
"But honestly," Shirley continued, "I'd recommend taking these materials to a specialized blacksmith or alchemist."
"You could craft a Revival Robe or Blood-Spirit Elixir with them. Both would probably be useful to you."
Kanzaki Rei nodded thoughtfully.
"I see… in that case, I'll keep them for now."
As for the Class Secret Scroll, Kanzaki Rei had no intention of revealing it yet.
That item was simply too valuable.
Even a commoner could be guilty for possessing priceless treasure—Kanzaki Rei understood that principle very well.
At the very least, he would wait until Iz and the others returned before discussing the matter.
"Oh, right, little Rei."
"While you were gone, someone came looking for you."
Kanzaki Rei frowned.
"Looking for me?"
As his reputation continued to spread, more and more people had been seeking him out recently.
"Yeah. He's sitting over at that table, waiting for you."
Kanzaki Rei looked toward the table Shirley indicated.
A man sat there.
He wore a white mage's robe and a monocle, calmly sipping a cup of fragrant coffee.
The guild hall was noisy—people shouting Kanzaki Rei's name everywhere.
But the man paid it no attention at all.
It was as if he were simply waiting for Kanzaki Rei to approach him.
"Shirley, do you know him?"
She shook her head.
Kanzaki Rei nodded.
"Oh. In that case, I won't meet him."
He didn't recognize the man.
And when it came to mysterious strangers, Kanzaki Rei's default choice was avoidance.
Who knew whether the other party might be dangerous?
Besides, Kanzaki Rei had always had a bad impression of people who wore monocles.
And right now he was carrying valuable treasures, which made him even less interested in inviting trouble.
With that thought, he turned to leave.
"Hey, hey! You're leaving already?! Tell us the story of how you killed the Blood-Origin Monarch!"
"Yeah, Brother Rei! We've never heard of anyone killing a Monarch-Class monster before!"
Strum~
The sound of a lute rang out.
The guild's well-known bard had already begun playing a familiar melody.
"Come on, Rei. If you don't tell us yourself, how are we supposed to spread your legend?"
The bard raised five fingers and shouted,
"I'll pay five gold coins! Five gold coins to hear the story of your battle with the Blood-Origin Monarch!"
Ah…
Such enthusiasm was hard to refuse.
It definitely wasn't because of the money.
He just hadn't expected the bard to be so rich—being able to casually offer five gold coins.
Besides, the bard only wanted a story, not necessarily the exact truth.
So Kanzaki Rei casually added a few embellishments to the real events and easily earned five gold coins.
At the moment, Kanzaki Rei already had more than 1,500 gold coins saved up.
He didn't really need such small change.
But then again—
everyone already knew he had killed a Monarch-Class monster.
It was probably better for him to tell the story himself, rather than letting these bards make up wild nonsense.
After receiving the payment, he was finally able to head back.
As for that man who had been looking for him—
he could keep waiting.
…
[Rhein Grand Hotel]
When Kanzaki Rei entered the hotel lobby, the corner of his eye immediately noticed a man sitting in the lounge area.
The man wore a white mage's robe, a monocle, and was calmly drinking coffee.
Kanzaki Rei ignored him again.
He stood by the elevator, waiting.
The elevator doors opened.
And inside—
he saw the same monocle-wearing man, holding a tray in one hand and a coffee cup in the other.
Kanzaki Rei turned to look back at the sofa area.
The man was still sitting there.
Then he turned his head back toward the elevator.
The same man was still standing inside it.
Heh…
This again?
Looks like even if I take the stairs, he'll follow me.
So Kanzaki Rei finally spoke first.
"You're looking for me?"