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TL: ALT
Chapter 208 – Rank
Serika Akenojo’s POV
――Time goes back to when I received a call from Yuto telling me that he had subdued Kandori-san and the other members of the Men’s Association.
“…Looks like we have visitors.”
I shift the focus of my consciousness from the conversation with Yuto to the other end of the corridor.
At the moment, Hisui-chan and I are on the second floor of the Umihotaru Dungeon―in front of the large hole that is the entrance to the underwater area, which has blocked the passage of high-ranking explorers until now.
From the end of the passage on the entrance side, a tall man appeared in the room where the large hole was located.
He looked to be in his late twenties.
He had long, pure white hair with fluorescent purple netting in places, and he wore silver earrings in his ears, lips, and eyebrows.
He seems to be trying to pass off his red eyes as natural, but I’m not sure that’s true.
I can tell he has dyed his hair because the roots are black.
On the other hand, his skin is unnaturally tanned.
He’s wearing a suit that looks like something a host would wear, but for some reason, he’s wearing sandals.
The man turned his lazy, dangerous-looking eyes toward us, standing around the big hole.
He’s a famous person in the Association.
Well, he’s more of an infamous person.
“Jin Zatsudo. Why is the infamous ‘Salt Pillar’ here?”
I heard Hisui-chan muttering behind me.
“Is everything okay?”
Yuto worried about me over the phone.
Until recently, I was the one who was worried.
But now, Yuto has overtaken me and has become stronger than anyone else in the country.
“Don’t worry. Who do you think I am?”
I answer calmly.
“Okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can…”
Yuto’s words are cut off in mid-sentence.
I’m worried about the other side… but this side could be in trouble as well.
“Hey, you dogs of the Association. I’m letting you go for today, so get out of my way.”
The man says as he carelessly approaches the hole.
I stand in front of him.
“Huh? What do you think you’re doing?”
The man glares at me in a tone that is exactly like that of a thug.
“Zatsudo-san. The area in front of you is currently occupied.”
“So what? If I want to go, I’ll go. That’s all there is to it.”
As Zatsudo refused to back down, the Inspector Explorer, who was nearby, interjected.
“The Inspection Department of the Explorers Association is currently sealing off this dungeon. Although this seal has no legal force, we can ask the affiliated explorers for as much cooperation as possible based on the rules of the Explorers Association.”
“What a load of crap. I’m not in the Association. I don’t have to take your orders.”
As the man tries to force his way through,
“Salt pillar―what is your goal?”
Hisui-chan asks.
“I don’t have to tell you.”
The man―Zatsudo―tries to ignore her and continues,
“I know it’s unlikely, but… you haven’t been fooled by the internet rumours, have you?”
“Tch, it’s annoying to be lumped in with those idiots…”
The man with the scowl stopped for the first time and looked at Hisui-chan.
“I didn’t believe that ridiculous story about that woman who fabricated research and made a virus to eradicate male genitalia. I have other things to do.”
“Judging from your usual behavior, even if you didn’t believe the rumors, you can’t be relieved. You thought this was a good opportunity, didn’t you?”
“Huh?”
“Even if you turn all the male and female explorers in the men’s and women’s associations who are arguing in the back into salt pillars, you can just sweep it under the rug as an accident…”
“Kukuku, I don’t feel like answering.”
“If you’re going to mumble your words here, we’ll have to assume that you’re trying to advance deeper into the area with the goal of so-called ‘player killing.’ Of course, we’ll report you to the police. All the inspectors here will be witnesses.”
The inspectors nod with slightly pale faces at Hisui-chan’s sudden killer pass.
There are three inspectors with us now.
Of course, they were called for this kind of incident, so their skills are top-notch.
However, when it comes to the infamous ‘Salt Pillar,’ it’s a different story.
To be honest, the Inspectorate, which is not known for its generous rewards, lacks talent, and the number of S-rank investigators is limited.
I’m one of those few S-rank inspectors…
There is a reason why the three of us here are naturally worried.
“Hmph, just because someone has a red name doesn’t mean they’re guilty.”
Hisui-chan continues her questioning despite the bored look on Zatsudo’s face.
“You have too many suspicions. If even one of them is proven, you will most likely end up in prison. In some cases, you might even be sent to the gallows.”
“Huh. If there’s someone who can arrest me, then go ahead.”
Zatsudo replies as if daring me to try.
When Zatsudo looks at me, he says,
“Wasn’t you Akenojo from ‘Paladin Knights’? You may get all excited about being called a holy knight or something, but you’re just a lowly nobody who’s only ranked 21st. Doesn’t your sub master know how high my ranking is?”
Hisui-chan and I exchanged a look.
She nodded at me from an angle that only I could see.
“What’s with that attitude? Do you think you can beat me, who’s ranked 3rd in the level ranking, just because you have a few more people? To be honest, I’m the strongest in the country when it comes to one-on-one combat. If you want, I can turn the 21st and 247th ranked ones, as well as all the inspectors here who look like they’ve run out of steam, into salt pillars.”
Zatsudo pointed at me, who was ranked 21st, and at Hisui-chan, who was ranked 247th.
One of the inspectors yelled at Zatsudo, who didn’t even try to hide his murderous intent.
Jin Zatsudo.
An explorer not affiliated with the Explorers’ Association.
There is no mention of him belonging to a guild either.
As he said himself, Zatsudo is a strong explorer who ranks 3rd in the domestic level ranking.
According to the ranking, Zatsudo’s current level is 14409.
The level ranking is a function of the Dungeons Go Pro app for exploring dungeons, so it is not necessarily a guarantee that Zatsudo is ranked third in the country in terms of level.
There are always rumors that governments in various countries have high-level explorers who do not appear in the level rankings, and I do know that such people exist.
Even if they are not sponsored by their country, there are also quite a few explorers who have opted out of the rankings for various reasons.
For example, they don’t want to stand out and get into trouble.
However, being listed in the level rankings is also a great way to establish yourself as a skilled explorer.
It is also true that it is quite useful when getting work from “outside” (meaning outside the world of explorers), such as companies, research institutions, and governments.
Neither Hisui-chan nor I have given up the rank of Guild Master and Sub-Master of the Paladin Knights Guild for the sake of convenience in our work.
…Well, it seems that there are a lot of people who do it for reasons like the sense of accomplishment one gets from simply moving up in the ranks or the sense of satisfaction one gets from having one’s name known and recognized.
“Could you please stop referring to people by their ranks?”
I shrug and reply.
“It’s because you don’t know your place, and you’re defying me. What, you want to fight me to the death?”
Zatsudo said with a raised corner of his mouth, and he braced himself, bending the fingers of both hands into hooks.
The fingertips peeking out of his open-fingered gloves were as stiff as a snake with its mouth open.
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