Chapter 65

"「The master of the 'Centipede Tunnel'... Rock Centipede is feared by many adventurers for its troublesome charge attacks and rapid self-recovery from its massive body. No, it's quite impressive that you managed to defeat it with just a heavy knight and a jester who lack a decisive strike.」

"Y-Yes, that's usually the case..."

At Harein's words, Luuce wore an expression that was hard to read.

...She was probably recalling the somewhat salty battle against Rock Centipede.

Rock Centipede can be stripped of its pride in mobility by using the rocks in the boss room to get stuck in its body segments. Its self-recovery only becomes a threat when you are attacking it from a distance or when you can't create a good opportunity to attack, leading to a prolonged battle. If you can somehow get on top of it, you can repeatedly use combo skills to bring it down before it can go wild, and then get off and reset the situation, easily whittling down its HP.

Now that the 'Deathline Tyrant' and 'Self-Sacrifice' have been obtained, the heavy knight is in a state where it only lacks a decisive strike. Harein's words were off the mark. Given that Harein is skilled at reading people, Luuce must have recalled the disappointing nature of Rock Centipede as a boss and found it somewhat amusing.

"Hmm...?"

Harein narrowed her eyes in suspicion. I couldn't help but straighten my back.

...I started to feel that it might be dangerous to chat with this person too much. Harein knows this world too well. If I show any weakness, she might easily trace back to the fact that I have information from outside this world. Harein, who has led the city of adventurers under the name of the House of Howlrod, is well-informed.

Compared to my father Aizas and the Edvand family, Harein has incomparably more information. I had expected there to be a gap, but I didn't think it would be this wide. If this is the case for a branch family member, what must the main family, especially the head, be like?

Moreover, I had a certain concern. The fact that Rock Centipede met the conditions for existence evolution to become a Deatharmed might be the work of the House of Howlrod.

The House of Howlrod has a strong connection with the head of the adventurer guild, and it would be easy for them to guide adventurers and control information about the 'Dream Hole.' The conversation just now made me realize that they have much deeper information about the 'Dream Hole' than I had anticipated.

The existence evolution of the 'Dream Master' to a Deatharmed, which seems to have a mismatch between risk and reward, might have a motive if the mastermind is the House of Howlrod. It wouldn't be strange for them to do this to confirm the mechanisms of this world.

I shouldn't jump to conclusions at this stage, but I need to be very cautious. After all, the person in front of me, Harein Howlrod, might be the root of the problem I was wary of.

If that's the case, she is too powerful for me to handle. Honestly, I would rather run away, do some reconnaissance, and then come back. However, since we've come this far, if Harein is the culprit, she probably already knows why we are here. Running away halfway would be meaningless.

Even as a branch family, the House of Howlrod is known for its political skills. I need to carefully probe and observe her reactions. I doubt I can match her on her own turf.

I never expected to clash with the House of Howlrod, which my father Aizas despised, in such a way.

"You seem to be deep in thought. What's the matter? Did you have something to report to me? Or was the talk of an abnormal situation just a red herring to draw my attention and boast of your achievements, trying to curry favor with me?"

Harein smiled coyly.

"If that's the case, it's a rather cute way of thinking. This city is where ten thousand adventurers gather... and only a select few succeed. Being a standout talent isn't particularly rare here. I have some interest, enough to want to play along a bit, but don't think you can outsmart me, little boy."

She flicked open a fan to cover her mouth. Was this a straightforward statement, or a subtle warning, seeing through my thoughts? It was impossible to tell from Harein's poker face. She was too inscrutable.

In any case, it would be best to limit my report to the simple matter of the Deatharmed and avoid any probing questions. Perhaps the House of Howlrod will send someone to keep an eye on us in the future. I didn't expect things to get this complicated.

"Actually, the master of the 'Centipede Tunnel'... Rock Centipede, has undergone existence evolution. We almost lost our lives being caught up in it."

"Hmm, existence evolution."

"Existence evolution of the 'Dream Master' is one of the most dangerous monster disasters. Usually, it only happens when a 'Dream Hole' has been left unattended for a long time. According to the guild records, the 'Dream Hole' in question should have appeared only recently. I suspect this might be a sign of something strange, and I wanted to consult with you directly..."

"Existence evolution...?"

Harein frowned.

"Yes, that's right. I take this very seriously..."

"Ah, existence evolution in the 'Centipede Tunnel'! That place has only been around for about half a month! How could such a situation arise!? It's so close to the city of Lacorina, and one wrong move could lead to a terrible disaster! Is this true!?"

Harein's eyes widened, and her voice trembled.

"No, I took it seriously, which is why I wanted to report it to the guild leader immediately..."

Her poker face from earlier was completely gone. Both Luuce and I were taken aback by her sudden change.

Is this an act...?

No, can anyone act like this...?

Can the House of Howlrod...?

Harein turned her gaze to the receptionist, Martida, who had brought us in.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier, Martida!?"

"N-No, I just heard about it now... But I do know about the existence evolution. Is it really that serious? I thought it was just a slight level increase. There are higher-level 'Dream Holes'..."

"Just a slight level increase!? If Rock Centipede, which is at [Lv: 60], undergoes existence evolution, it will become a monster close to [Lv: 80]! Moreover, since there are almost no precedents for the existence evolution of a 'Dream Master,' we have no idea what skills it might have! Do you really think there are parties in the city of Lacorina that can confidently defeat a [Lv: 80] 'Dream Master' with almost no prior information, especially when they are already exhausted from reaching the depths of the 'Dream Hole'? If they go in unprepared, even A-rank adventurers, who are the city's assets, could lose their lives!"

"S-S-Such is the case, I see... I underestimated it..."

Martida looked flustered under Harein's intense questioning.

"Moreover, a 'Dream Hole' where the 'Dream Master' undergoes existence evolution so soon after its appearance... who knows what could happen. No, what actually caused this situation? We need to issue a large-scale request to mobilize many B-rank adventurers or cry to the main family for help."

Harein seemed quite shaken, frowning deeply and gnawing on her fingers.

Is this possible...?

Is her panic just an act?

Harein, perhaps trying to calm herself, reached for the tea on the desk. However, her hand was shaking so much that she knocked the cup off the table, causing Martida to exclaim, "Ah!"

"Anyway, it's good that you managed to survive and return to report. Did the 'Wandering King' occur? Any casualties? I'm not here to blame you, so please answer honestly. I promise to keep your names confidential to avoid any trouble with the guild."

Harein ignored the fallen cup and resumed the conversation as if nothing had happened.

"No, that's why... We were just told that we have already cleared the 'Centipede Tunnel.'"

"Huh?"

Harein's face showed a mix of confusion and disbelief, and her usual air of authority and intimidation was completely gone.

It seems that Harein, upon hearing about the existence evolution of the 'Dream Master,' assumed we had fled. The threat of the 'Dream Master' must have been that significant to her.

I had also taken the situation seriously, but the threat of the 'Dream Master' in this world seems to be completely different from the thoroughly analyzed and shared information from the game era. No, the real danger is also a significant factor.

So, for now, Harein might be in the clear. The reincarnated heavy knight ranked first in the quarterly ranking and sixth in the annual ranking! Thank you for your continued support! (2021/6/22)"