"Nn!"
Rei and his companions were trekking across the B11F desert toward the small room containing the magic circle when Byune, who was scouting ahead, suddenly called out.
She had spotted several figures up ahead, moving in the same direction as them.
Alerted by her voice, Rei and the others shifted their gaze and confirmed a four-man adventurer party was indeed making their way toward the same destination.
The other group must have noticed them as well. For a heartbeat, they radiated a tense air of caution, but the sight of Seto the Gryphon walking beside Rei seemed to put them at ease.
(The fact that seeing Seto makes them relax means they’re likely another party hired to hunt the anomaly species, just like us.)
The rest of Rei's companions seemed to reach the same conclusion, and the two groups naturally converged.
"Yo, good work out there. How did it go on your end? We had no luck at all... We kept running into monsters like Sandworms, and every encounter turned into a slog. Well, we harvested plenty of materials because of it, so we're definitely in the black, but still."
The leader-like man with a spear shrugged as he looked toward his own porter, who was straining under the weight of a massive pack.
"Don't sell us short. It’s a fact that we made a killing on materials," the thief man muttered with a weary smile, seemingly trying to convince himself as much as the others. "I mean, the materials on this floor are cheap compared to B20F where we usually hunt, but our main target was the anomaly species anyway. They say those things are way stronger than the base species. Encountering one on the deeper floors would be a nightmare. It’ll be better for everyone in the long run if we can just figure out how they’re appearing."
The man with the spear nodded at the thief’s reasoning before turning his attention to Rei.
"Right. So... how about you guys? Any luck?"
Being an adventurer in Exil, the man certainly recognized Byune, but he likely found Rei or Elena easier to approach than Vihera, who was infamous for the bellicose nature that had earned her the alias of Mad Beast.
Then again, between Rei with his Gryphon and Elena with a beauty that rivaled Vihera’s, they were all incredibly conspicuous. In truth, the porter man was the most "normal" person in the group, but he understood his place as a temporary hire and remained a respectful step behind the others.
Consequently, Rei felt like the most approachable choice to the man with the spear. Fortunately, Rei hadn't been involved in many public brawls since arriving in Exil, so his reputation for utter ruthlessness hadn't preceded him yet. Of course, his alias of Crimson had been spreading through the city with no small amount of exaggeration.
Rei met the man's question with a thin smile.
"Yeah. We successfully took down the Spear Frog Anomaly Species."
"Are you for real!?"
The adventurers shouted in unison. They had been unable to even find the creature, so hearing that it had already been slain came as a massive shock.
"Wait, but... where’s the corpse? House Silva was supposed to buy the whole thing, wasn't it? You can't exactly harvest just parts of an anomaly species. We figured we’d have to split the party and send someone back to fetch a House Silva representative if we caught one, but this is your whole group, right?"
The party had clearly been briefed on the mission requirements, likely because House Silva had vetted everyone they hired. Of course, the fact that Rei and Vihera stood out so much probably helped them keep track of the competition.
Rei understood their skepticism but simply gave a nonchalant nod.
"I’m an Item Box user. Storing a monster around three meters long is hardly a challenge."
"Now that you mention it, I did hear rumors that Crimson was an Item Box user... So the stories were true."
The man nodded in impressed silence, and from there, the three parties traveled together across the desert. They passed the time exchanging stories about the monsters they had encountered and noting the unusually high frequency of attacks today.
During the conversation, Rei was surprised to learn that several parties had actually started their search from B12F. It made sense once explained: if every group started from the magic circle room on B11F, their search areas would overlap. To avoid this, some parties had descended to B12F and immediately doubled back up the stairs to search the B11F desert from the opposite end.
"Mind you, the report of the attack yesterday was fairly close to the B11F magic circle room. That’s why most people started from this side. Going the long way was a gamble, though I don't think it was a bad one. A whole night had passed since the sighting, after all."
"With its jumping distance, it could have been anywhere by morning," Rei agreed, recalling how the anomaly species could clear ten meters in a single leap.
Intrigued, the man with the spear asked for details on the creature’s abilities and how the battle had unfolded. Rei saw no profit in hoarding intelligence on the anomaly species; since its magic stone was useless to him and only caused a magic power backflow, it was in his best interest for other adventurers to have the information necessary to hunt them down.
He explained how the creature’s skin secreted a fluid that nullified weaker attacks and how its tongue was split into two spear-like tips that moved independently, just as Bosk had warned.
"Damn. That really is 'abnormal' for a Spear Frog."
"Keep in mind this only applies to this specific species," Rei cautioned. "The anomaly species vary wildly in form and ability. This info might not help much if you run into a different type."
The man with the spear shook his head at Rei’s sigh.
"Any intel is better than none. Knowing exactly how much they differ from the base species is worth its weight in gold. Still, for you to mention 'other' types... you've seen more than one?"
Rei gave a small nod, glancing briefly at Vihera, who was trekking alongside Byune with a bored expression. "Yeah. I've fought one before, and I've seen Vihera in action against them as well."
"I can't tell if you're lucky or unlucky," the man remarked.
"Definitely unlucky. You don't go looking for trouble with anomaly species if you can help it."
"Maybe, but you're the one walking away with the success reward. Can't be that unlucky."
Rei shrugged. He had taken the job specifically for magic stones to use with his Beast Magic, and the one he had found was unusable. From his perspective, his luck was terrible.
As they talked, they finally reached the small room containing the magic circle and the stairs.
"Phew, finally made it. I haven't been in the desert for a while; I forgot how much it sucks."
"Especially for you, lugging that oversized toothpick around," the thief man joked.
"Hey, it's my partner," the man with the pole-axe retorted with a grin. "And besides, it takes up way less space than that great scythe the Crimson boy is carrying."
Rei's Death Scythe was indeed massive, and its blade made it a cumbersome thing to carry. Normally he would have stored it in his Misty Ring, but between the magic power backflow and his lingering exhaustion, he was keeping it out to ensure he could react instantly to any threat.
"Alright, enough talk. Let's get back to the surface, collect our pay, and hit the tavern!"
"Sounds like a plan. Hey, you guys should come with us. Let's head back together."
"Is that alright?" Rei asked. "I heard most parties prefer to teleport separately to avoid trouble."
The man with the spear let out a booming laugh. "Hahaha! Sure, some people are uptight about that, but I couldn't care less. Come on, let's move!"
"Fine by me."
Whether the man was genuinely big-hearted or just reckless, Rei found his attitude refreshing. He hadn't been overly intimidated by Seto, nor had he tried to judge Rei solely by his youthful appearance.
(Is it because they're a veteran party? Or did they reach this level specifically because they have this kind of personality?)
Pondering this, Rei signaled to Elena, Vihera, Byune, and the porter. They stepped onto the magic circle and activated it. In an instant, they were standing in the plaza in front of the dungeon.
"Good work, everyone. I am a representative of House Silva. How did the hunt go? Ah, please, have some of this. You must be parched after the desert."
A man approached them, handing out wooden cups of cold fruit water. It seemed several other groups had already returned, as Rei recognized faces from that morning. Under a sky heavy with rain clouds, the adventurers gratefully quenched their thirst. Once they had finished, the House Silva man spoke again, his tone cautious.
"So, about the anomaly species... Seeing as you've all returned together, I assume..."
It was a failure.
He was about to finish the sentence when Vihera cut him off.
"The subjugation was a complete success."
"And why are you the one bragging?" Elena snapped, turning a sharp gaze on her. "We were the ones who actually killed it."
"Fufu. Finders keepers, dear."
Rei watched the two of them bicker. Naturally, there was no corpse in sight, and the representative couldn't see any obvious signs of a trophy. Sensing the eyes of the other adventurers on them, the man turned to Rei for clarification. As a House Silva employee, he was likely aware of Rei's recent dealings with the family. However, he seemed unaware of the Item Box—either House Silva was keeping that secret restricted to the upper management like Bosk, or the man simply lacked the clearance.
(Probably best to just tell him in this situation.)
"Where should I drop the corpse?" Rei asked. "Should I do it here? It’s pretty big; it'll take up a lot of room."
"A-Ah, um... just a moment. Right. Please bring it to the building secured by House Silva."
The man seemed to realize Rei wasn't joking. Perhaps he assumed Rei had some special transport method involving his Gryphon. Acting on instinct, he hurriedly began shouting orders to his subordinates.
"You! Get over there immediately and tell them to prepare for a delivery!"
"Yes, sir!"
The subordinate sprinted off. The man then turned back to Rei and signaled to another assistant.
"My apologies, but please follow this man. He'll lead you to the building. I have to stay here to handle the payouts for the other parties, so I can't accompany you personally..."
"Don't worry about it. Let's go."
Rei looked at his companions. Elena and Seto stepped forward, but the others stayed behind.
"Catch you later," Vihera said with a wave. "That part sounds tedious, so I'm out."
"Nn."
With that, they were seen off.