I really do see people when we arrive at the western beach. There are two white dots on the map too.
“What should we do, darling?”
“Hm… I’ve always been mindful of whether other people could see me, but if it’s unavoidable, I don’t know…”
“…We should continue watching the reactions and then decide. At the very least, if they were your rank or higher, guild employees should know about them, so it is safe to assume they are lower rank.”
“Ah, so I should make use of my privileges?”
There is an unspoken rule that when high rank adventurers are hunting, lower ranks shouldn’t bother them. I guess I could drive them away… But I don’t want to cause resentment like that.
“This is a common sight in other dungeons, but you are not used to it, and I do not wish to cause ill feelings either. It will be a last resort.”
“Don’t worry, I’m more used to it than you, darling!”
Well, Ayane is a proper rich young lady, so I can see that being the case…
“I don’t want you to do my dirty work…”
“I don’t have a problem with it, darling, so leave it to me if it comes to that.”
She says as she looks up at me with an expression full of confidence.
…She doesn’t usually speak like this, so she might actually be used to it. Maybe I could leave it to her, even if it still doesn’t feel right.
“…All right. Can you do it if it comes to that?”
“Yes!”
We keep walking, and they notice us. They’re two guys, and since they’re close, it’s safe to assume they’re a team.
But then, before Aira can even say anything, one of them reacts.
“Ah, are you the Rare Monster Hunter!?”
“Eh!?”
They know that name!?
I thought this nickname was still confined to the message boards, so I didn’t think it became popular. Then again, these two could be regular users of the boards.
“Rare Monster Hunter? What’s that?”
“Someone that’s been popular lately on the boards of the 525 dungeon. He has a maid and a young lady with him, so there’s no doubt about it.”
“Eh…”
Apparently only one frequents the boards, and the other doesn’t seem too interested. But still, if one knows me, that might make this simpler.
“If you know my master, that makes this simpler. We are planning to hunt here, so I apologize, but I must ask you to go somewhere else.”
“Ah…? That’s not fair, even if you’re famous.”
“Hey, wait! These people are A rank!”
“What!? Why are A ranks in a place like this!?”
A place like this…
Well, I do agree that my rank and hunting grounds don’t match…
Still, my rank comes from contributions to the guild, not my strength. I couldn’t have reached it if I was still weak, but it doesn’t prove that I’m strong.
“H-hum… Rare Monster Hunter, if you’re here, does that mean this place is also…”
“Eh? Ah…”
“Prying into a higher rank is against the rules.”
“Ah. S-sorry.”
Aira admonishes him, but… Yes.
It’s already known around here that I hunt rare monsters. There were my activities in the beginner dungeon too, but I know the threads lit up with activity after what happened in the high rank dungeon.
So what would people who know me think when they see me bringing the girls here, not looking like I’m here to play, but actually wearing equipment, in a place populated with monsters no less…
It’s simple, I’m here looking for rare monsters. Or maybe even hunting them. That’s the logical conclusion.
Something bad could happen. If I show up in a place not known for having rare monsters, expectations that there might actually be rare monsters could grow, and speculation could run rampant.
This was a blind spot on my part.
If I hunted Golden Worms away from people’s eyes, there would be no problem, at least for a while. But hunting in a place where people can see us was bound to bring about this effect…
Is this the price of fame? It’s something that I’ve never had to deal with.
Anyway, it was only a matter of time anyway, so I’ll just come out and say it.
“This place is under investigation, but if I do see any, I will contact the branch manager. This is a delicate matter, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make a fuss about it.”
“Ah… Yes. We’ll be careful! Hum, good luck!!”
He answers with a happy tone, and leaves to the northern beach with his teammate.
“Are you sure about this, master?”
“Unlike the first floor, this place is separated into zones, so I don’t think announcing that is an issue. Also, even if I sell meat, they won’t disclose information about the monster… I feel like they would ask a lot of questions.
“You would have to be very brave to eat meat when you don’t even know what monster it came from!”
Ayane says while pointing at the camera on her head.
…I feel like people would lose their appetite even more if they saw the footage.
“But if it is made public, a lot of people are going to come here. And they might see us fight that knight.”
“No, worst case scenario, they might find out about the rare II.”
“And that could lead to master’s abnormal Luck becoming known.”
“I think it’s a bit late for that.”
“…”
Also, it will be made public the day before the next auction, right?
Then if I get the Death Crab trophy today, I won’t have to fight here that badly. The knight’s skills are tempting, but there should be other nice rare monsters elsewhere.
There’s no reason to go out of our way to come here.
“If I want the skills of the knight later on, and there are people in the eastern and western beaches, we’ll be stronger when that time comes, right? Then we can just hunt on the southern beach, that no one visits. No one should get in the way there, right?”
“Yes. For normal adventurers, even the eastern and western beaches could leave them stumped. Monsters respawn quickly, and few people come by that can force their way through such groups.”
Aira and I are on the same page. We should talk about this with Aki and Maki later too.
“I will follow you anywhere, darling.”
And I don’t need to convince Ayane.
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Thanks for the treat.