Volume 8: The S-Rank Dungeon
Chapter 174: With Irresistible Force
A full week had passed since the hero’s duel and the shocking attack that followed.
During that time, the Grandmaster had been relentlessly occupied—personally overseeing the interrogation of captured dark clan members while simultaneously directing large-scale operations to hunt down and eradicate the remaining shadowy factions scattered across the capital.
It was obvious what he intended: to use this rare opportunity to purge every last dark clan from the capital, root and branch.
At the very top floor of the Adventurers’ Guild Headquarters, in a room reserved only for those who stood at the very summit of authority, the door quietly opened.
A beautiful secretary stepped inside, her composed expression betraying nothing as she carried a stack of thick, heavy documents—each one packed with the weight of grim truths.
“After a full week of interrogations, we have finally uncovered the complete picture behind numerous unresolved incidents from the past,” she began, her voice calm, yet tinged with gravity. “The kidnapping of a Federal Council member’s relative. The theft of rare magical artifacts stored within the Commercial Guild’s headquarters. The assassination of a neighboring city’s lord. And countless cases of novice adventurers vanishing within dungeons…”
She paused briefly, as if even she needed a moment to process the sheer scale of it all.
“The number of heinous crimes is so vast that listing them one by one would take an entire day… It is believed that all of these were orchestrated by several dark clans, with the Golden Snake at their center.”
“…What exactly has our intelligence division been doing this whole time?” the Grandmaster muttered, his voice low and edged with irritation.
“According to the testimonies, the dark clans paid enormous sums to information brokers, who in turn skillfully concealed and manipulated information,” the secretary replied without hesitation.
“From the sound of it, some people in our intelligence division may have been taking bribes as well.”
“I share that suspicion.”
“In that case, let’s round up the information brokers connected to the dark clans. And while we’re at it… conduct a thorough sweep of our own intelligence department.” He exhaled slowly, the decision already made. “Can I leave that to you?”
“Yes. Leave it to me.”
Information brokers themselves were not inherently evil.
On the contrary, they were often the very key to conquering dungeons—sources of knowledge that could mean the difference between life and death.
But if left unchecked, if pressure was not properly applied, there would always be those who succumbed to greed… and began to walk darker paths.
“By the way,” the secretary continued, as if recalling something, “while interrogating the Golden Snake’s clan master, it seems he has been repeatedly chanting, ‘Return my magical artifact,’ like a spell. Does that ring any bells for you, Grandmaster?”
“No,” he replied flatly. “Most likely, he either had something important destroyed during the fight or dropped it somewhere. Ignore him. If it gets annoying, knock him out. He’s not escaping the death penalty anyway.”
“Understood.”
“Any other reports?”
“Ah, yes. Regarding that rising clan—Dragon Road… It appears they have conquered three A-rank dungeons within just this past week, advancing at a pace like a force of nature. As a result, a massive influx of monster materials is pouring into the guild.”
“…You’re kidding me.” The Grandmaster leaned back slightly, exhaling in disbelief. “He did say before that ‘if you’re going to equip your companions, it should be at least S-rank or higher’… So he was serious about that, huh? Well, considering Ryu and the others’ capabilities, I suppose it’s a reasonable approach.”
“Additionally, it seems Dragon Road has an alchemist among its members. Any materials that could be used for medicine are being carefully retained on their end.”
“A clan with both Ryu and Sakamoto Ryoma…” he muttered, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “There’s no way that alchemist is ordinary.”
“…No comment.”
Not long after, several magical artifacts that had been stolen years ago from the Commercial Guild’s headquarters were discovered inside the vaults of the dark clans.
Though they were criminals, the dark clans technically fell under the jurisdiction of the Adventurers’ Guild. As such, the Grandmaster personally delivered the recovered items to his counterpart in the Commercial Guild—offering an apology along with them.
“Ha ha ha! Please, don’t worry about it,” the other Grandmaster laughed heartily, waving it off with ease. “Thanks to your adventurers supplying us with nearly entire A-rank monster materials, we’ve been making a fortune lately. It’s a give-and-take relationship, after all. I look forward to continued cooperation.”
“No, really… I’m truly sorry,” the Grandmaster replied, though his tone softened slightly in relief.
“Oh, that reminds me—just yesterday, we received some cookies from the Empire, made with the finest Grace wheat. Please, take some with you as a souvenir.”
“O-oh… thanks.”
(So even here… you’ve ended up helping me out again, Ryu.)
Instead of being reprimanded, the Grandmaster left with an apology accepted—and even a box of sweets in hand.
◇◇◇
“Man, I’m really glad we came to the Gran Federation.”
“The medicinal materials are pouring in like a flood, I tell you!!” stomp stomp
“This is the best practical training we could possibly ask for!!” stomp stomp
For the first time in a week, it was finally a day off.
And as always, Ryu lay sprawled face-down on the floor, completely relaxed, while his wives enthusiastically stomped on his back in a full-weight foot massage.
Apparently… this was just the right amount of pressure.
“I’ve finally reached B-rank!!”
“And I’ve finally made it to C-rank~”
This time, all the accumulated adventurer points had been allocated to Stingray and Alice.
Stingray, who had remained stuck at C-rank for so long, had finally advanced to B-rank.
Among adventurers, B-rank and above were considered high-rank—meaning she had at last stepped into that esteemed tier.
As for Alice, within just half a year, she had risen from E to D, and then to C—climbing three ranks in rapid succession.
At this point, it would hardly be an exaggeration to call her a fully-fledged adventurer.
And with an S-rank dungeon awaiting them next, it was entirely possible that by the time they returned, both of them would have climbed yet another rank.
As for Ryoma, he was simply enjoying the adventure alongside his precious companions.
Back in Hinomaru, he had always been something of a lone wolf.
The only person he swore loyalty to, Itagaki, was also his superior. And the only one he could truly call a friend, Goemon, had fallen into darkness, become a wanted man, and ultimately been cut down by Ryu.
Now, the only companions he could casually call friends… were Ryu and the others.
…And there was no way he wouldn’t cherish every moment of adventuring with them.
“I fear that when I return to Tosa… I may not be able to endure the loneliness,” Ryoma admitted quietly.
“I won’t let you feel lonely, Ryoma-sama,” came a gentle reply.
“Yeah, exactly. Once we’re back, we’re announcing the engagement. If you ever feel bored, you can drop by either the Blanc Count’s house or the Arden Viscount’s house whenever you like.”
“…The engagement announcement is already decided?” Ryoma blinked in disbelief.
“Celebration!! The sister-city alliance between the Blanc territory and Tosa domain has been officially announced!!” stomp stomp
“Ryu-sensei… I mean, isn’t the Arden Viscount’s house joining in on this?”
“If I went ahead and made that decision on my own, Grace-sama would complain endlessly later,” Ryu replied with a wry smile. “For now, I’ll stay out of it.”
“Ah… Grace-sama…”
‘You know, Ryu-kun, ignoring us and going off to bond with others like that is kind of cruel, don’t you think? If Arden and Blanc—both close to us—form an alliance, it makes it look like Grace is being left out. Honestly… I’ve been working so hard growing wheat for Arden too… honestly…’
(I can already picture him grumbling exactly like that…)
As a side note, Flora Grace—the former student council president who graduated from the Imperial Academy this year—had gone on to enroll in the Imperial Magic Academy. Since the Grace family’s residence neighbored their second estate in the capital, it was likely they would continue to have some interactions in the future.
“Well then, the heroes are probably struggling in an S-rank dungeon right about now. When they get back, let’s squeeze some information out of them.”
“S-rank dungeons are a bit… different, you see,” someone mused thoughtfully. “Information is extremely scarce—practically nonexistent. For now, we should simply relax and wait for the heroes’ return. Oh! This tea snack is delicious.” munch munch
Just as B-rank adventurers had been unable to conquer the White Storm Dungeon—also B-rank—for years, being an S-rank adventurer did not mean one could easily clear an S-rank dungeon.
In fact, it was said that dungeons underwent a drastic change once they reached S-rank.
According to rumors—
“I wonder… do they really exist? These so-called Dungeon Masters who govern the operations of dungeons…”