Chapter 11 – Conquest Complete

Bеfоre he knеw it, Asuto hаd rеасhеd thе deeрest pаrt оf the Gаtе.

Тhеrе was nоthing beуond this pоint.

“Наh… hаh… Therе’s no Вoss Room?”

Gаtеs are broadlу сlassified into two tyреs.

Boss-Subjugation Tурe and Аnnihilatiоn Турe.

The formеr is cleаrеd bу defeаting thе Вoss at thе deeрest part of thе Gаte, evеn if еnemiеs remain еlsewhere in thе Gatе.

Тhe latter is cleаred bу dеfеating аll Monstеrs insidе thе Gate.

Нe hаd trаvеlеd thrоugh all thе раssagеs, but fоund no Boss Room.

It seemed this Gate was the Annihilation Type.

“…Phew”

Asuto let the strength drain from his body.

Fatigue immediately washed over him. If this weren’t inside a Gate, he would have collapsed spread-eagle on the ground.

Moreover, his breathing was quite labored.

He hadn’t noticed his own condition at all until now.

That’s how focused he had been.

“Wh-what kind of guy are you…”

Amy looked at him as if she had witnessed something unbelievable.

Her voice was terribly hoarse. This was the first time he’d heard such a voice from her.

“Don’t you value your life!?”

“No, I do value it.”

“Then what was that fighting style!? Charging boldly at enemies without any Armor Gear, dodging attacks by a hair’s breadth, and what’s more, even in dangerous moments you were—laughing!!”

“Was I, really?”

Asuto touched his own face.

He had no idea what kind of expression he’d been wearing while fighting.

If he really had been laughing, then indeed, it was no wonder Amy found it strange.

“Aren’t you scared that you might die?”

“I am scared.”

“Then how can you fight like that!?”

“…Because I know something more frightening than death.”

“Wh-what’s that?”

Gulp. The sound of Amy swallowing echoed.

“—Powerlessness.”

Unable to do anything, unable to say anything, unknown to anyone, having no influence on anyone.

Such a person is already the same as dead.

The previous Asuto had been dead while still alive.

“Hah, powerlessness is that scary? I don’t get it at all.”

“Someone who has even one thing wouldn’t understand. How terrifying it is to ‘be unable to do anything’…”

(Did I say too much?)

Just as he was regretting it:

“I see. You, with your powerlessness complex, finally Awakened as the Hunter you’d dreamed of. Because you finally obtained the power you’d longed for, that’s why you’re fighting in such a reckless way.”

“…Y-you figured that out well.”

She had made her own incorrect assumption.

Asuto, who had been thinking about how to deflect, breathed a sigh of relief.

He opened his Status.

A popup had appeared.

You have achieved a new Feat

・Solo Clear of E-Rank Gate

Reward 1: 1000G acquired

Reward 2: ALL Status +3

・Reached E-Rank at humanity’s fastest speed after Awakening

Reward: Agility +5

“Oh!”

With all Status rising by 3, (since it’s a 5-point increase per Level) it was equivalent to adding more than 3 Levels worth of points.

Also, the E-Rank achievement Feat was worth 1 Level’s increase.

From Feats alone, Status Points equivalent to 4 Levels had increased—what tremendous rewards.

He closed the popup and checked his Status.

○Name: Yuki Asuto (20)

Level: 20→23 Aptitude: Assassin

Rank: F→E SP: 0→15

Held G: 312→1504

○Physical Ability

Strength: 30→33 Stamina: 22→25 Magic Power: 1→4

Spirit: 1→4 Agility: 40→48 Perception: 21→24

○Skills

・Basic Dagger Arts Lv3 (12%→37%)

・Evasion Lv3 (5% to 21%)

・Leap Lv2→3 (97%→7%)

・Memory Playback Lv2 (10%→21%)

・Return Lv1 (31%)

(I never imagined that someone like me, who was at the very bottom, would become E-Rank…)

E-Rank was the level where one could work independently as a Hunter.

Since the Volume Zone for Hunters is E-Rank, he could finally say he’d become average as a Hunter.

“…Come to think of it, you get Items when you Clear a Gate, right?”

“O-oh, that’s right, that’s right. When you Clear a Gate you get Clear Bonuses, and the bonus Items should be in the Shop’s Cart Inventory.—Man, you kept pushing forward without my explanations, so I totally thought you knew everything, but to think you didn’t know such basic stuff.”

“Sorry about that.”

“I was getting anxious since I had no work to do, but man… I’m relieved.”

That casual remark sent a chill down his spine.

Reflexively, he suppressed his expression from stiffening.

Various thoughts raced through his mind.

(Was I being watched with suspicion this whole time?)

(Does “relieved” mean it wasn’t the worst-case scenario…?)

However, he didn’t understand what Amy was being wary of.

There should be no problem with knowing how to handle the System itself. After all, Hunters had existed for five years, and information about the System’s contents and how to use it was publicly available online.

Naturally, Asuto had known beforehand that reward Items would be sent to the Inventory.

This time, forgetting about it was a complete oversight.

(But that mistake might have saved me.)

He had no idea what Amy was being wary of.

But this much he could say:

Understanding Hunter abilities too deeply would make her suspicious.

(Should I ask for advice more appropriately from now on…?)

Being explained things he already knew was quite painful.

But it was better than having Amy be suspicious of him.

Making a mental note of this caution, Asuto checked his Cart.

○Eye of Insight