Hearing the words from Bosk’s mouth, Rei and Elena finally understood why they had been summoned.
It was true that they had just conquered B11F—the very floor causing problems—earlier that day. It was only natural for Bosk to conclude that they might have information.
However...
"Your information travels fast, doesn't it?"
Rei and Elena hadn't told anyone they had finished B11F. Had they been summoned the following day, it wouldn't have been strange if he had deduced it from the materials they sold to the guild, but they had been called in before they could even visit the counter. That made such a scenario impossible.
(In that case...)
What crossed Rei’s mind were the three adventurers they had rescued from the Sandworms. After sending them back from the small room containing the magic circle on B12F, Rei and Elena had spent a significant amount of time absorbing magic stones and testing their new abilities. That would have provided more than enough time for those three—or perhaps just one of them—to leak word of their exploits to Bosk after leaving the dungeon.
As if sensing Rei's line of thought, Bosk shook his head.
It was a gesture ill-suited to his massive frame, but all Rei could offer in return was a slight, skeptical furrow of his brow.
Meanwhile, Elena watched the exchange between the two men in silence, observing the flow of the conversation.
"Rest easy. It’s not like Pleiades and his crew sold me your information or anything like that."
"Then were those three originally affiliated with House Silwa?"
"No, that’s not it either. They aren't connected to anyone in particular. Not to be rude, but they’re just ordinary adventurers."
"Then how do you know what we were doing?"
Could the adventurers they had interacted with, even briefly, actually have been spies sent to gather intel? Bosk flatly denied Rei’s suspicion, answering the next question with a confident, toothy grin.
"It’s not really that complicated. As you know, House Silwa is one of the Three Houses Governing Exil. And, though it’s not my place to brag, we’re the house most active on the ground right now. Naturally, we have sources within the guild, and we have eyes and ears throughout the city just the same. My people overheard those three talking about you in a tavern. Combine that with the Desert Roses delivered to the guild, and there’s only one logical conclusion, right?"
"...I see."
Nodding at Bosk’s explanation, Rei felt a faint sense of relief.
They had been a noisy trio, but it seemed their warnings about being careful from B11F onward hadn't been part of some calculated scheme after all.
"So, you mentioned an Anomaly Species has appeared?"
Concluding that nothing was amiss regarding Pleiades and his party, Rei steered the conversation back to the main point.
The Anomaly Species—monsters that had recently been discovered on rare occasions within the dungeon. Despite belonging to the same race as the monsters normally found on a given floor, they boasted a completely different level of power. Having encountered Anomaly Species of the Sword Bee and Stone Puppet himself, Rei couldn't simply ignore what Bosk was saying.
Seeing Rei’s change in demeanor, the grin vanished from Bosk’s face, and he gave a solemn nod.
"Yeah. Like I said, my subordinates encountered it on B11F. Fortunately, no one died, but they sustained some nasty injuries. That’s why I’ve been interviewing everyone who was diving on that floor today. I plan to hear from Pleiades and his team later, too."
"...Then there shouldn't be any need to hear from us."
Rei and Elena had spent nearly all their time on B11F in the company of Pleiades’s party. If that was the case, was there really any point in summoning them specifically? Rei’s question carried that implication, but Bosk merely shrugged.
"They say you can't have too many testimonies. Looking at a situation from different perspectives can lead to entirely different answers... or so I’ve been told."
Bosk sounded like he was merely parroting something he’d heard elsewhere, but the logic made sense to Rei.
He remembered watching detective dramas and police specials back in Japan where multiple officers would take turns questioning a single suspect over and over again.
In those cases, however, the primary goal was to check for contradictions in the suspect’s statements.
Regardless, in Elgin, where information was primarily gathered through word of mouth, interviewing as many people as possible was a vital strategy.
(Though the person hearing the story is just one man...)
Rei glanced briefly toward the door before giving a small shake of his head.
(I wonder how effective that is with only two of them listening. Besides, knowing Bosk, it seems more likely he’d charge out to hunt the Anomaly Species that hurt his men rather than sit around analyzing data.)
Setting his internal monologue aside, Rei looked at Bosk and shook his head.
"Regrettably, I didn't see any Anomaly Species in the desert. We only fought three types: Sandworms, Sand Snakes, and Grand Scorpions."
"...Tch. I figured as much, but I had to ask. Was there anything else unusual, then? Anything at all. Even if the dungeon just felt different than normal."
"Don't be unreasonable. As you know, today was the first time Elena and I have even been to B11F. Even if the desert was different today, we have no baseline to compare it against. We’d just assume today’s conditions were the norm. Besides, Pleiades and his group specialize in the desert floors, and they didn't seem to think anything was out of the ordinary."
"I expected as much, but still... no clues, eh?"
Bosk sighed, scratching his head in a way that seemed strangely characteristic of him.
Rei watched him for a moment before speaking up.
"By the way, what kind of Anomaly Species appeared?"
"...Well, I suppose it doesn't hurt. Since I called you here, I should share what we know. Have you heard of the Spear Frog?"
At Bosk’s question, Rei recalled the information he had received from Pleiades.
"It’s a monster from the desert floors, right? A frog-type monster about fifty centimeters long. True to its name, the tip of its tongue is incredibly sharp—sharp enough to pierce metal armor under the right conditions."
"Heh, you're quite well-informed. Did you get that from Pleiades, too?"
"Yeah. In exchange for acting as their escort. ...If you're bringing up that name now, I take it this Anomaly Species is a Spear Frog?"
Bosk nodded with a bitter expression.
"Exactly. It doesn't have special abilities like the Queen Bee of the Sword Bees you reported to the guild—it doesn't seem to command its allies. It’s more like the Stone Puppet; its physical abilities have just been massively boosted. The biggest difference is its size. From what I’ve heard, it’s nearly three meters tall. The tips of its tongues are spiral-shaped, and it apparently has two of them."
"...At that point, it sounds like a different species entirely rather than an Anomaly. Like a Rare Species or a High-ranking Species."
The Anomaly Species of the Sword Bee and Stone Puppet Rei had seen so far had been roughly the same size as their base counterparts. Even the Queen Bee was only slightly larger than average; she certainly wasn't six times the size.
However, Bosk shook his head at Rei’s assessment.
"I thought the same at first and had it investigated. But there’s no record of a High-ranking Species for the Spear Frog. That leaves a Rare Species, but it's a bit much to assume it's just a Rare Species right now when Anomaly Species are popping up everywhere. More importantly, even for a Rare Species, the size difference is just too extreme."
"He's right. I did some research before coming to Exil, and fundamentally, a Rare Species doesn't usually differ that much in size from its base form. Though, being 'rare,' there are bound to be exceptions," Elena added, murmuring her agreement with Bosk. She had been listening quietly until now.
Hearing that, Rei visualized the Rare Species Goblin he had fought in the past.
It was true that while a normal Goblin had green skin and the Rare Species was red, the physical size remained largely the same. Even for the few species where the Rare version was larger, there was never a sixfold increase.
"Now that you mention it, that’s true. The Rare Species I've killed were at most two or three times the size of a normal one."
Hearing Rei’s mutter, Bosk turned an interested gaze toward him.
Since a Rare Species was generally evaluated as being one rank higher than the base monster, there weren't many people with experience actually defeating them.
Of course, the fact that they were "rare" and few in number was the primary reason for that lack of experience.
"Anyway. If you two don't have any info on the Anomaly Species, then that’s that... or so I was going to say. Rei, Elena—are you two interested in the Anomaly Species?"
"Huh? Well, if you're asking if we're interested, of course we are."
(I want that magic stone, too,) Rei added internally.
Hearing Rei’s response, Bosk’s face split into a broad grin, and he leaned forward.
"In that case, would you be willing to help with the Anomaly Species Hunt tomorrow? I'm reaching out to other capable folks as well, but skilled fighters like you two are few and far between."
"...Heh."
"Few and far between." That meant there were others with combat power comparable to their own.
Rei nodded with interest and glanced at Elena. He saw her give a resigned sigh but nod in consent, so he spoke up.
"That sounds interesting in more ways than one."
"Doesn't it? So, are you in?"
"I suppose. ...But before I give you a final answer, let me ask one thing. If we defeat this Spear Frog Anomaly Species, what happens to the ownership rights? Can we assume the one who kills it gets to keep the spoils?"
"No. Ownership goes to the guild as a special case so they can research the Anomaly Species. Even as the Head of House Silwa, I can't budge on that."
"...I see."
It was a logical decision from Bosk’s position. However, Rei was about to decline the request on those grounds when Bosk spoke up again, as if to preempt him.
"However... well. Even if the magic stone were to 'disappear' in the chaos of battle, I'm sure there would be a few complaints, but I don't think you'd face any kind of penalty."
"..."
(How shrewd,) Elena thought to herself as she listened.
From the perspective of House Silwa, they couldn't openly grant ownership of an Anomaly Species' magic stone. However, it would be a shame to let a combatant of Rei’s caliber slip away.
The solution Bosk had calculated in an instant was to offer a tacit approval for Rei to secure the magic stone for himself.
Elena had some reservations about simply handing over a magic stone—the most vital part of a monster—to Rei, but while Anomaly Species were rare, they hadn't gone completely undefeated.
In fact, Vihera had already defeated a Stone Puppet Anomaly and turned it over to the guild.
"Besides, the reason I'm gathering strength for this hunt is to settle the score for my subordinates and because we can't just leave a monster like that roaming B11F. The guild has already collected several Anomaly corpses and stones anyway. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter if one magic stone goes missing."
Bosk fell silent for a moment before fixing his gaze on Rei once more.
"Of course, that doesn't mean you get the magic stone unconditionally. You have to be the one to kill it."
"And you're not going back on that?"
"Yeah. But keep in mind, I'm bringing other experts for tomorrow's Anomaly Species Subjugation. To be honest, I think it's doubtful whether you'll be the one to get the kill."
Bosk offered a provocative smile, and Rei matched it with one of his own.
"Fine. I’ll take that challenge. I'll join the hunt tomorrow."
"Rei’s in, then. And what about you?"
"Since Rei is participating, I cannot very well stay behind. I will join as well."
With Elena’s consent secured, Bosk nodded with satisfaction and moved on to explain the rewards.
Simply participating would earn them one Gold Coin. However, any materials, magic stones, or Proof of Subjugation Parts from monsters killed while searching for the Spear Frog would be purchased at a twenty percent premium. Furthermore, the person who landed the killing blow on the Anomaly Species would receive a Success Reward of two Platinum Coins, which included the purchase price for the Spear Frog itself.