第１８７６堀：腕の立つ冒険者はもっと先へ (Part1)
Chapter 1876: Skilled Adventurers Go Further
Side: Yuki
"No, I’m having you promoted to C-Rank."
The words drifted through the monitor. I was currently in my office, buried in paperwork while keeping an eye on Nina and her group’s activities. Orelia and Hovis were away, busy with preparations for the shop, so my support staff consisted of Ria, Prof, Yayui, and Lyushi.
"Um, what was C-Rank again?" Ria asked.
"My memory is a bit hazy, but I believe it’s equivalent to a 3 or 4 in the adventurer guilds around here. The kind of rank where you’re expected to be capable of suppressing bandits."
"Oh, is that the rank for bandit suppression?"
"Well, there are plenty of people who aren't cut out for dealing with other humans."
Whether you call them adventurers or not, there are soldiers who simply cannot bring themselves to kill another person. It’s a matter of PTSD—post-traumatic stress disorder. It can become a problem that interferes with daily life, a serious issue even in the modern world. That’s precisely why this world often uses that threshold as a benchmark. It goes to show just how heavy a toll taking a life truly takes on the body and soul.
"May I ask the reason for skipping D-Rank and moving straight to C?" Vilier requested a more detailed explanation.
Fair enough. Even if it’s fine for the likes of Vilier and her companions, it’s an unreasonable demand for the average person. A fool who prides himself on his strength might be overjoyed, but for anyone cautious, it just means a higher likelihood of being dragged into high-difficulty jobs—without having gained the necessary experience first.
"D-Rank is essentially for clearing out goblin or wolf packs, or taking down a lone orc. You have already cleared all of those."
"Ah, we’ve certainly handled wolf and goblin packs. We haven’t taken down a lone orc, though."
"Regarding the orc, we’ve judged it to be a non-issue, as you’ve already soundly defeated a B-Rank adventurer during the guild examination."
Ah, I see. They’ve had high-ranking adventurers test their mettle, and they’ve concluded there’s no problem. It’s not wrong, but...
"I understand what you’re saying, but isn't this too hasty? Isn't it extremely rare to go from E to C in just three days?"
As Sia pointed out, it sounds like the trajectory of some overachieving success story. While drawing attention isn't necessarily a bad thing for us, moves that look like they have hidden agendas can end up restricting our freedom and causing problems. I don’t think they’re unaware of that, so what is their intent?
"It’s rare, but not unheard of. After all, skilled individuals appear more often than you’d think. Though, I only mean up to C-Rank."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It’s simple. B-Rank requires the ability to engage in human-to-human combat. Bandit suppression starts at B-Rank."
"That’s a surprisingly high rank, isn't it?"
I agreed with Sia’s sentiment. I had assumed it would be a lower rank—specifically, starting at C. I had even discussed this with Ria.
"Ah, don't misunderstand. There are bandit suppression jobs at C-Rank, too. But B-Rank bandit suppression is for large-scale operations involving fifty people or more. The condition is that you must be capable of command."
"So that’s it. Then we should just tell them we can command."
"Few people grasp what 'command' means in the context of adventurers. Some mistake it for leading their own party—which, while a form of leadership, isn't quite the same thing."
I see. They define B-Rank as those capable of overall strategic command. It makes sense, but...
"If that’s the case, aren't B-Ranks incredibly rare? I find it hard to believe there are that many people capable of overall command..."
As Vilier muttered, such rare talent is hard to come by. It’s something nations are constantly desperate for.
"That is precisely why we set the B-Rank threshold—to find them. It’s not just for large-scale bandit raids; powerful monsters are often driven into a corner through this kind of overall command. For the adventurer guild, this serves a vital purpose."
Ah, so this adventurer guild deals with high-difficulty—well, not in a game sense, but in terms of danger—by gathering adventurers and using sheer numbers to overwhelm the threat.
"Wait, wait. Are you sane? Sending people with shaky skills against powerful monsters?" Kishua’s voice rose in surprise.
It is shocking, certainly, but...
"I am perfectly sane. Just because a powerful monster appears doesn't mean a high-ranking adventurer is nearby. In those cases, the only option is to gather numbers. And it’s not just powerful monsters; there are those that rely on their numbers, too. Seeking the talent to organize that is by no means a mistake."
"...I see."
"You are, after all, the protégés of Archbishop Dodona. Your individual combat capabilities must be high. In fact, you overwhelmed a B-Rank adventurer without hesitation. I don’t think you’ll fall behind against bandits. You might think that against powerful monsters, you should fight as a party, but that’s not how it usually goes. Such strong individuals aren't always where you need them to be. Therefore, we have no choice but to rely on numbers."
Hmm, the Guild Master is speaking the truth. In Weed, we have the ability to 'produce' such strong individuals to an extent, but even then, there is a limit to the numbers. In fact, we are currently facing issues with operations in the north and south of the New Continent due to a lack of manpower. It is a fact that the more numbers you have, the more you can accomplish. That said, fighting inevitably leads to casualties, but if we dwell on that, we won't be able to protect anything.
"I understand the logic. But are such powerful monsters really appearing? We haven't heard anything like that in the Royal Capital of Giadana."
While convinced, Nina spoke up. Indeed, in the guild at the Royal Capital of Giadana, a pack of goblins was the greatest threat we ever heard of.
"Ah, there are no powerful monsters in the vicinity of the Royal Capital of Giadana. Or rather, the Kingdom of Giadana doesn't have many powerful monsters to begin with. You can tell by the presence of Archbishop Dodona—the Clear Church is the origin of the Clearstream Church. The fact that its headquarters is located there means..."
"That the powerful monsters have already been exterminated?"
"Exactly. Archbishop Dodona himself was originally a formidable knight of the Clear Church. He was an adventurer to begin with. I learned many things from him, and he was the first person I would turn to whenever a powerful monster appeared."
Ah, I see. The fact that the headquarters of the Clear Church, where Archbishop Dodona resides, is there means the Kingdom of Giadana had that much military might concentrated in one place...
"Was there originally that much of a threat from monsters?"