Chapter 37 – Prologue: To C-Rank

Chaрtеr 2 begins.

Plеase еnjоу.

“Villаin, Yuki Аsutо! Fight me!”

“…Eхcuse mе?”

In thе middle оf а сrоwdеd streеt in broаd daylight sоmеwhеrе in the citу.

Asutо found himself suddenlу сonfronted by а уoung man pointing a fingеr аt him.

The young man wаs сlad in full-bodу armоr аnd еquiрped with a largе shield in his left hаnd thаt rеachеd сhеst height.

Just from thаt armor gеar, it was cleаr hе was no bеginnеr Huntеr.

“…Who is this guy? Аn acquaintаncе оf yours?”

“No, I don’t evеn know his fасе.”

Asutо shook his hеаd аt Amy, whо loоkеd ехаspеrаtеd.

While it wаs truе they weren’t acquainted, Asuto knew the shield man’s face and name well.

Back when Asuto was a bottom-tier Hunter before his death and return, he had often seen this man on TV and online videos.

Tatekawa Masayoshi, number two of the Shimetsu Guild led by Kanzaki Mao.

He was the one who would charge into enemies alone, deflect all their attacks, and continuously generate aggro for the attackers. One of Japan’s strongest shield warriors, who always survived no matter the battlefield.

Why such a man was now picking a fight with Asuto was completely beyond him.

“How did it come to this…”

Rubbing the corners of his eyes, Asuto instantly recalled the past using his Memory Playback Skill.

○

After saving Kanzaki’s mother. Asuto decided that the next Gate he would conquer would be the Yoshitake-Takagi Ruins in Fukuoka.

In about two months from now, a new Gate would be discovered at these ruins.

The Item obtainable here was terrifyingly powerful, and it even granted a Skill that provided an advantage just by possessing it.

For Asuto, who aimed to become the strongest Hunter from now on, it was an Item he wanted to acquire by any means necessary.

However, there were three problems he had to overcome to obtain the Item.

The first was means of transportation.

The second was securing the right to go to the Outer Region.

The third was not knowing the exact timing of the Gate’s appearance.

(The first problem is simple, but it’s a hassle)

Since the First Outbreak, transportation networks had been utterly destroyed. Therefore, travel by car or bullet train was impossible.

As a means of long-distance travel, airplanes remained. However, the tickets were far too expensive for a poor person to afford.

Fortunately, there was some time to spare.

He could walk there, combining it with training.

(The second one has a prospect, but…)

The metropolitan area was surrounded by an outer wall, and most citizens lived within it.

Outside the wall, there was always the danger of being attacked by Monsters, so only C-Rank or higher Hunters could go to the Outer Region.

Asuto’s Status placed him at C-Rank, so he met the criteria for going to the Outer Region.

The problem was whether he could update his rank at the Hunter Association.

(First, they’ll definitely be suspicious)

Reaching C-Rank in 3-4 days after Awakening was unprecedented.

He had no idea what kind of suspicions he would face.

He wanted to wait a little, but the third problem wouldn’t allow that.

(If only I knew the exact date and time of its appearance…)

What Asuto knew was not the date and time the Gate appeared, but the date the Item’s acquisition was reported.

If he took it easy thinking he had two months, he might not arrive in time for the Gate’s appearance, and someone else might obtain the Item.

“…No choice. I’ll apply for the rank-up.”

With a sigh, Asuto headed for the Hunter Association.

○

Inside the Lab, where the registration appraisals for Hunters who Awakened during the Second Outbreak were finally nearing an end.

Finally able to catch his breath, the Technical Chief leaned back deeply into his chair.

“Chief, do you have a moment?”

“What is it?”

“Do you remember the Hunter who was F-Rank during the registration appraisal the other day?”

“Yeah, yeah, I remember. What about him?”

The Chief had no idea what this was about.

He took a sip of his now-cold coffee.

“Earlier, that Hunter came for a rank re-appraisal—”

“Yeah, yeah?”

“He had become C-Rank.”

“—WHA—!?”

At the outrageous appraisal result, he spat out the coffee in his mouth.

“Chief, that’s disgusting.”

“S-sorry. So, the appraisal result is real?”

“Yes. Just to be sure, we measured him on a different System as well, but the result was the same.”

“Well, well…”

A Hunter who grew to C-Rank in just a few days after Awakening was a rare case even worldwide.

(What in the world is going on?)

According to official records, even the fastest person to reach C-Rank took about a year.

To reach it in just a few days was too extraordinary, even for an irregularity.

It was to the point of making one doubt if he was even human.

(It doesn’t seem to be a machine malfunction either…)

The equipment at the Hunter Association appraises by reading the wavelength of the rank as defined by the System.

While there could be some margin of error, it was equipment that could be trusted about ninety percent of the time.

Furthermore, if a different System was also used for a double-check and the result was still C-Rank, then theoretically, there was no mistake in the appraisal result.

“…In that case, he either truly became C-Rank, or was trained by a major Guild. Or perhaps he has a Skill that falsifies his rank.”

“Falsifies his rank!? Ch-Chief, shouldn’t we report this to the higher-ups?”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

“What about the appraisal result?”

“Just send it to the administrative office as is.”

“But, if he is falsifying his rank—”

“It’s up to the higher-ups to judge that.”

“But a clearly abnormal rank has appeared, and we’re not going to do anything!?”

“I’m a researcher, you see.”

Even if a clearly strange result appears, someone who draws a conclusion based solely on that is no longer a researcher.

As the example of the Monty Hall problem shows, human Perception is unreliable.

That’s precisely why researchers must not rely on Perception for answers.

‘Are you a researcher?’

Stung by the implicitly suggestive words, his subordinate made a pained expression. Paying no mind to such a subordinate, the Chief contacted the management room.

(If Yuki Asuto truly reached C-Rank on his own…)

It would be the emergence of the strongest Hunter, drastically changing the existing power structure.

He was in a position to observe that birth and growth up close.

For a researcher, nothing was more thrilling than this.

(Someday, I’d like to experiment on him in various ways…)

The Chief showed a suspicious smile and laughed quietly.