Translator: Kazumi
Editor: Silavin
Kousuke and his group had discovered a spring on the 52nd Floor, but their investigation had yielded little progress beyond that initial find. They encountered several similar springs throughout their exploration, each sharing the same characteristics as the first, yet none showed signs of Human tampering or modification.
After thoroughly investigating up to the 55th Floor and successfully clearing the 56th, they decided it was time to return to the Guild. The highest recorded Floor ever reached in Gazenran Tower was the 64th—a testament to the tower’s proper management and the skill of past conquerors. However, that achievement belonged to history. Among active parties today, the highest reached Floor was the 62nd, with only a handful of parties operating beyond the 55th Floor, let alone attempting the 60th and above.
While Kousuke’s party had easily reached these heights, such achievements no longer held their primary focus. Though they maintained their goal of reaching the tower’s peak to elevate Wolf Fang’s reputation, uncovering Gazenran Tower’s secrets had become their more pressing concern.
Upon leaving the tower’s entrance, Kousuke entrusted the carriage to Peach and Lirica, then made his way to the Tower Conquest Guild with Mitsuki and Nana. The visit served a dual purpose: officially reporting their Floor conquests and raising their party’s profile.
While parties were not obligated to report their progress, recognition for conquering high Floors significantly boosted reputation. Since the Tower Conquest Guild already had their attention, there was no need to conceal their 55th Floor achievement. However, if they ever reached the 66th Floor, that would be an entirely different matter. Depending on their future investigations, surpassing the 66th Floor remained a possibility, though Kousuke had not yet decided whether such an achievement should be reported to the Guild.
For now, reporting served one clear purpose: raising awareness of Wolf Fang as an organization, not merely as an individual party.
When they entered the Tower Conquest Guild building, the familiar receptionist sat at her usual counter. A fair number of people waited in line, so they quietly took their place at the back, unbothered by strange encounters along the way.
“Huh? Kou-san, what brings you here today?” the receptionist asked when their turn finally arrived.
“We’ve cleared the 55th Floor, so we’d like to get proof of our progress,” Kousuke replied.
The receptionist’s face froze momentarily, though she quickly recovered with a professional smile—a brilliant display of her training, even if she couldn’t completely hide her nervousness.
“The 55th Floor? Congratulations! May I have your card?”
Smiling at her reaction, Kousuke handed over his card. “Thank you.”
As the receptionist began processing their documentation, the Guild buzzed with returning adventurers—the perfect timing for those finishing their daily hunts. Though neither Kousuke nor the receptionist spoke loudly, their conversation carried to nearby adventurers. They had already drawn attention due to Mitsuki’s presence, but news of reaching the 56th Floor amplified the interest.
Whispered conversations began spreading throughout the Guild, creating a growing buzz of excitement. Kousuke deliberately ignored the stares and noise, satisfied that events were unfolding exactly as planned. This attention was precisely why he had come.
With their business concluded and their reputation successfully enhanced, Kousuke and his companions returned to Wolf Fang.
…
Since Peach and the others had already returned the carriage to the Guild, Kousuke’s group decided to walk back. The Wolf Fang building was not far from the Tower Conquest Guild, allowing them to take a detour through Seichun.
Taking advantage of their location, Kousuke chose to browse the various stalls. Many of Seichun’s stalls were operated by adventurers earning pocket money, meaning the offerings changed daily and provided endless variety for curious observers.
After enjoying their first leisurely tour of Seichun in quite some time, they purchased food from the stalls—sharing some with Nana while sampling treats themselves—and returned to the Guild just as the sun began to set.
Following a late dinner, Kousuke retreated to his room to receive Peach’s report. After returning the carriage, she had gathered intelligence from the other succubi network.
“It seems Wolf Fang is becoming well-known,” Peach announced with satisfaction.
“That’s good to hear,” Kousuke replied.
“Kouhi’s activities appear to be the primary source of rumors, and from there, people are becoming aware of your other activities.”
Hearing this confirmation of their strategy’s success, Kousuke released a relieved sigh. “How far have the rumors spread beyond Kouhi?”
“As expected, Kou’s party comes next. Word is already spreading among adventurers about breaking through the 55th Floor.”
Despite only just making the announcement, their achievement had already entered the succubus information network—a testament to how well rumors about Wolf Fang were circulating.
“The branch manager’s recent visit from Mineille Company shows they’re attracting attention not only from the adventurer Guild but also from merchant Guilds,” Peach continued.
“Excellent. What about the rumor Eku started?”
“That’s also spreading without problems. In fact, small and medium-sized merchant Guilds who heard about it are actively helping spread the word.”
This development made perfect sense. Wolf Fang’s lack of exclusive contracts meant opportunities existed for other major merchant Guilds to do business with them. While securing contracts wouldn’t be easy, the situation remained far more favorable than if they held exclusive arrangements with a major merchant Guild.
For small and medium-sized merchant Guilds, doing business with the recently successful Wolf Fang represented a significant advantage. Word was spreading rapidly among these Guilds—exactly the development Kousuke’s group had planned, though credit belonged to Schmidt and the other merchant department members rather than Kousuke himself.
Shifting from Guild-wide matters to individual members, Peach revealed another development. “Beyond Kouhi, it appears they’re also discussing poaching other party members.”
This surprised Kousuke. Proper information gathering would reveal that not only Kousuke’s central party but other parties within their organization were equally active. However, starting with the Tower Conquest Guild, Kousuke had assumed information wasn’t considered that important in Seichun.
Apparently, the people around them conducted thorough investigations of appropriate targets before attempting recruitment.
“I see. This demonstrates that in Seichun, adventurer Guilds hold more power than public organizations,” Kousuke observed.
The high-ranking adventurer Guilds in Seichun weren’t merely strong enough to defeat monsters—they excelled at gathering information beforehand. Such talented individuals might naturally end up joining the Main Adventurer’s Guild.
Wolf Fang could plan for the future thanks to the Succubi’s comprehensive information network. However, their core strategy remained unchanged: they would continue working steadily to increase their influence throughout Seichun.