Chapter XXXI - Purple (part 3)

"She really is an interesting fellow."

After we left, the guy with the giant shield on his back, Brod, finally spoke. He was silent the whole evening, and now he finally opens his mouth.

"She truly was. Which parts did she lie about?"

Fran asked after hearing Brod spoke, and the big guy began remembering.

"Just... the part where she said the boss has poison."

Fran puts her hand on her chin as she ponders. She knew that the person in question is capable, but she doesn't know as to why they did what they did.

"Why would she lie about that...?"

"Oh ab-about that..."

Rath, who still had a chunk of vegetables in his mouth, swallowed his food immediately and continued talking. The entire team placed their attention on the hunter, who spent hours investigating the red orc camp site.

"It was true that the body of the dungeon boss was incinerated to dust, but we hunters aren't that stupid."

"I knew it. What did you find?"

Fran asked, and Rath drank his glass of water to clean his mouth before continuing.

"Ah, that's better. Anyway, we tested the dust that we suspected belonged to the dungeon boss. But, we also found a crazy amount of concentrated magic energy leftovers in the dust."

Rath pulled out a piece of paper filled with data from his space ring. He handed it over to Fran.

"This is everything we can obtain from the ashes."

Fran reads it like reading a burning text, and her eyes are opened wider the more she reads it. In the end, she turned to Rath with a really shocked expression.

"Are you sure this is all accurate!?"

"The magic detector tools belonging to the hunters have never been wrong before. What was written there is the truth.

I know it's hard to believe... but it is real. And considering their appearance after the battle... you know that this is genuine."

"Damn..."

Fran continued to read the page again, and again, and again, trying to convince herself that her eyes weren't lying.

She finally puts down the paper on the table as she pinches the center of her eyes. Both Emily and Brod peeked at the text written in the paper, and they both became shocked at what was written.

"What!? Higher than White?? Black rank?! Are you serious?"

Emily asked a little too excitedly, but Brod quickly placed his finger to his mouth. Emily realized her mistake, because this is all supposed to be kept secret.

"I agree. Isn't this a bit too much for a Blue ranked dungeon?"

Emily and Brod asked Rath, but Rath just shook his head.

"I don't believe it either, but the magic tool shows this output. It has never made a mistake in calculating a magic level of any being, so there is no other choice than to trust it.

Plus... I do not believe for a second that this is a Blue ranked dungeon. There's hundreds of red orcs, fifteen high orcs, and combined with the Black ranked dungeon boss--"

"It's a White ranked dungeon."

Fran cuts off after figuring it out, and Rath nodded.

"Hypothetically, a lower White. But, still a White ranked."

Fran thought about it deeply as she lowered her head. She recalled what Hod said back at the dungeon's entrance, and he was actually trying so hard to cover the truth.

Even Valey looked so shaken by what the three experienced. Hod may be able to withstand it, but Valey has truly peaked as a Blue ranked adventurer. Her mental strength is not strong enough to face something like this, which would make sense if she were so in shock.

"Even Hod... couldn't possibly beat something like this--"

"It's her."

Rath's words were cut off as everyone turned to Fran, and she studied the numbers written on the paper with high certainty. Everyone else realizes it too, and they all begin speculating exactly what happened.

"What rank... do you think she truly belongs?"

Emily asked carefully because Fran looks like her head is about to explode, but the Swordsaint only laughs hearing that question.

"Why are you even asking, Emily? Is it not obvious?

The adventurers ranking system... cannot classify her."

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Outside, the world has gone very dark. The streets are lit up so beautifully, turning this crowded street of Mazino's south-east main road into a wonderful sight-seeing spot.

The three of us walked quite further away from the Office, where no one could hear us or eavesdrop. We stopped just in the middle of a small junction, connecting this road with the smaller road to the west.

"This should be clear. So, what did you want us to know, Rize?"

Hod asked after we arrived at the crowded junction, and I turned to Valey who was also listening to me.

"I... just want to thank the two of you for keeping my secret. It must've been so hard to do, considering all the questions thrown at you."

I was referring to the interrogation at the carriage, and surely, Hod was the one with the heaviest role of all.

"It's nothing! Although, I wasn't expecting Fran to be so curious about it. She is definitely smart, though. She smelled the secret from afar, and I can tell she is just trying to know more.

I can tell you that she has no bad intentions. Still, I will keep what we learned a secret."

Hod said to assure me, and I nodded at him. I turned to Valey, and she just pointed at Hod.

"What he said."

"Thank you. If possible, I'd like to tell you guys something else as well."

Hearing that, the two of them turned highly curious. But, Valey quickly lifted both her hands up.

"Y-You don't have to tell me anything! I'm actually... quite bad at keeping secrets."

"It's fine. It's not something you have to keep a secret, but it's something you two should know first if we are going to be together from now on."

Hearing such, the two of them eased up from the tension and listened well. However, what I'm about to tell them was indeed just as important as the secrets they learned today.

"I think both of you know that I am an abnormality. I'm strong, and yet I am merely a Gray ranked. Well... Purple, now. But, it wasn't always like this.

I'm only going to be a lot stronger from now on, and if we're going to be a team, I just think you two should know. Because my growth rate is... abnormal."

I told them the truth behind my strength, and upon hearing that, they only smiled softly at me.

"You know, there's another way to call this 'Abnormality' that you're talking about, Rize. It's called 'Talent'."

"... No, it's different from talent--"

"I get it. Because it's so extraordinary, you'd think it's not talent. But, something tells me that you also worked hard to get this strong."

Hod's words... does make me realize something. It wasn't just my abnormal magic growth that got me this far. It's something else, something far more superior than simply 'Talent'.

Realizing this, I only grinned widely at him.

"You're right. I'm a tryhard, hard working bastard who does nothing but train everyday."

"That's more like it. Happy to learn that about you."

I nodded at Hod, and I turned to Valey who was far too confused about everything.

"... H-Huh? O-Oh, you're trying to tell us that it wasn't talent, is that it? Sorry, I don't get it--"

"I just want to tell you that I will only get stronger from this point on, so embrace yourselves."

Hearing such blatant words came out of my mouth, Valey only looked so dead inside. Hod, though, laughs quite loudly from that blatant confidence that came out of my mouth.

"Come here by tomorrow morning, Rize! We will welcome the newly ranked Blue ranks. It's a good chance for you to introduce yourself to the other two."

"Of course. I'll see if I can manage to wake up."

"Don't be lazy, Rize... You will be able to meet Barett and Cony! We'll introduce you to them. I'm sure you'll like Cony."

Hod and Valey are convincing me to come to the Office in the morning to welcome the newly ranked adventurers, and certainly, I'm quite excited for it as well.

"I'll be here. Plus, I also have some friends who are also going for the rank up test."

"Ah, okay then. In that case, see you girls in the morning. I'm gonna go straight to bed..."

Hod turned around while yawning, and he started walking towards the west. Valey waves her hand at me before following Hod and leaving to the north, towards the knight's district. I just smiled at them while waving my hand, and I was left all alone in the middle of this junction.

I turned my gaze to the south-eastern main road behind me, and the road was as crowded as ever. I realized that after those two left, everything felt so lonely now.

"Friends... huh? Can't believe I'm finally in a team now."

It's genuinely hard to believe. Jrake and Klane were different because they're like my caretakers, and I don't treat them like my friends. And considering my personality, friends have always been one of the hardest things for me to obtain.

Of course, that wasn't just the only thing I was able to obtain today. Defeating Galar, learning about the other gods, and the role of the God of Death.

Something tells me that my real journey in this world hasn't even started yet. I'm still barely scraping for answers right now, and I wonder at what point will my true path to leaving this world be a reality.

But, now that I am finding new things, making friends, and enjoying stuff that I never thought I would enjoy...

Do I really... want to leave this world?

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