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Stella will probably handle the aftermath. Ignoring the toilet that’s been smashed into the wall, we headed straight to the Dean’s Office.

Normally, the Dean is not someone you can meet so casually, but I have a status that can stand toe-to-toe with that title, so I can just barge in.

Knock, knock.

Lately, I’ve been thinking that knocking like this seems a bit too ordinary.

“Should I pop a confetti cannon as an entrance effect?”

“With what?”

“Since there are no fireworks, this will be a substitute.”

“A bomb.”

“Please don’t…”

“Please don’t…”

What a letdown.

I opened the door and entered the Dean’s Office. As usual, Lucia was sitting in her plush chair processing documents.

When our eyes met, Lucia looked slightly surprised, as if she hadn’t realized we were the guests.

“Luke? Luna and Riche too? What brings you here out of nowhere?”

“I need information.”

“Information…?”

“Do you have any info on S-Rank Monsters?”

“…Excuse me?”

Lucia questioned the words that had come out of my mouth.

“I’m asking just in case, but why do you need that?”

“Of course, to hunt them.”

Is there anywhere else that information on Monsters would be needed?

“…Really. You always bring up such enormous topics.”

“So, do you have any information?”

“I’d like to provide it, but unfortunately, there’s none.”

If Lucia had an interest in hunting, she might’ve looked into it. But even Lucia has given up on S-Rank Monsters, so there wouldn’t be any info.

Humanity has given up on hunting S-Rank Monsters. The Volcano Dragon caught in the past was a special case.

“By the way, you won’t find any information anywhere else.”

“Why not?”

“Because no one has attempted it.”

Is there any reason to poke a disaster that’s sitting quietly and hasten one’s demise? Lucia said that in a flat tone.

“Now that you mention it, it makes me want to poke it even more.”

“Well… I don’t think I could stop you. But I really wouldn’t recommend it.”

In the end, I couldn’t obtain any information from Lucia either. There’s no way to fabricate non-existent information, so I had to leave the Dean’s Office, still feeling bored.

Thus, the plan to hunt S-Rank Monsters begins. If I can’t find anything, I’ll just travel the world.

“Where to next?”

“Let’s go to the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Why there?”

“Why else? I need to meet Adela.”

Now is the time to rely on the receptionist’s information. I’ll trust the information power of adventurers.

As I stepped into the Adventurer’s Guild, the buzz of chatter filled the air. This time, however, the source of the commotion was none other than me.

“I really don’t need this kind of attention.”

Is this what it feels like to be a celebrity? If I got these kinds of stares every time I entered the Adventurer’s Guild, I might as well be a monkey in a zoo.

I come and go to the Adventurer’s Guild almost every day, but receiving such stares each time feels a bit much.

The power of the gods must have altered people’s memories in an instant. The reason I don’t get harassed is probably because of the moniker “The Strongest Man on the Surface.”

Everyone, without exception, doubts the title, yet they naturally think of me as the strongest man on the surface.

At this point, isn’t the goddess’s power somewhat related to hypnosis? I should have asked for a hypnosis app as a wish.

“Aha. You mean Adela!”

“…Welcome.”

Why does her response feel so icy despite just a single greeting?

“What brings you here today? By the way, Luke, you’ve been put on a temporary quest restriction.”

“Why?”

“Are you really asking because you don’t know…?”

I’m asking because I genuinely don’t know.

“Yesterday, you slaughtered dozens of monsters, so the other adventurers lost their quests.”

“First come, first served!”

I have the freedom to accept quests as I wish!

“But if I say I’ll do it anyway, who can stop me?”

“Please don’t do that…”

“Don’t worry. I’m not here to accept a quest today.”

The topic strayed for a moment, but I pulled it back on track with my questions.

“Adela, I need information on S-Rank Monsters. Got anything?”

“None.”

Come on, isn’t that a bit too blunt? At least pretend to think for a second.

“Really, nothing at all?”

“There’s no adventurer foolish enough to seek such a life-threatening information, not throughout the entire continent.”

So, in the end, no one has looked for it or plans to, which means the information just isn’t out there. If I had known this would happen, I should have dug for information about S-Rank Monsters when I met the goddess.

So now, my remaining option is to wander around like an Alchemist, right?

“Wait.”

Speaking of an Alchemist, I just thought of something—surely, if it’s Amy, who’s traveled to many places, she might know at least something.

“Adela, do you know where Amy is right now?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“…Why do you ask?”

I hadn’t expected her to know, so I blurted that out without thinking.

“Where is she?”

“I heard she found some ruins. There’s a quest related to it, but it hasn’t been approved yet, so it isn’t posted on the quest board.”

Ruins? She probably haphazardly discovered it while experimenting with the coordinates of the Teleportation Stones again.

“If there’s a quest, then there must be a location as well, right?”

“Yes… well, kind of….”

“What about it?”

“The location might have some issues…”

Adela handed over a piece of paper which she said was a map from Amy.

On the paper was a square with the words “Port” written inside it, connected to another triangle labeled “Island” with solid lines extending outward.

It looked unmistakably like a child’s doodle.

“This… is this really a map?”

*

“Ugh. Why can’t we ever find an easy way?”

“Isn’t it because Luke is feeling bored…?”

Still, having to go all the way to a deserted island for just a piece of information is a bit much.

After seeing Amy’s awful drawing the last time, the Adventurer’s Guild insisted on getting detailed locations for quests.

Only after that could I finally receive a reply from Amy with the exact location.

By the way, there was a way to move using Teleportation Stones, but Adela said there were only two left for quests that Amy entrusted at the Adventurer’s Guild.

Since we just need the information and aren’t accepting the quest, we have no choice but to use a ship.

The problem is that it’s a multi-step process.

The Empire is located in the middle of the land with no ports, so we had to travel for days to a port city, then take a few hours by ship from there.

That’s how we arrived at this uninhabited island, where Amy is presumably located.

Upon arriving, instead of Amy, we were greeted by a Wyvern.

They were flying around above us, screeching.

—Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaak─────!!!!!!!!!

Wyverns have relatively high intelligence, so instead of employing claw attacks, they used ultrasonic attacks or threw rocks they’d scavenged at us.

The ultrasound was quite bothersome. It felt like someone scratching a chalkboard right next to my ear.

“Hey, you little brat. You scream like that? Then I’ll give you a taste of ASMR.”

I picked up a stone lying around. Right now, my strength can be considered the strongest across the continent.

In other words, I could throw that stone like a parasite and deliver a tremendous attack.

—Swish— Bang!

The stone I threw hit a Wyvern’s wing with a sound of impact.

The Wyvern’s wings were a single entity like those of a pterosaur. If the wings were torn, they would lose their ability to fly.

—Kyeeeeeeeeeeeek────!!!!!!!!!

One of the Wyverns plummeted onto the sandy beach.

If I had thrown it at its face, it would have burst its head open, killing it instantly, but…

‘Karma has to be paid, right?’

The price for unleashing ultrasonic waves on a person is greater than expected.

As I approached the fallen Wyvern, I pulled out a regular longsword and a hammer I had saved for a previous use from my Inventory.

“Construction ASMR.”

I held that up to the Wyvern’s ear.

—Clang! Clang! Clang!

As the loud noise echoed (which even a human would find disturbing) reached the ears of the highly sensitive creature, the Wyvern went into ecstasy and fainted, rolling its eyes back.

With that, I was done on my end. As for the others, Luna was flying in the sky to take the Wyvern’s neck, while Riche and Yui fired magic to bring it down.

Everyone is having a good time.

‘But the monsters here are pretty tough.’

Even though I just stepped onto the beach, the monsters appearing are quite dangerous.

I don’t know all the information on the monsters, but a Wyvern should be around A-Rank.

How is Amy, who possesses low combat strength, navigating a monster-infested island? Just as that thought crossed my mind—

—Rustle.

In the distance, the bushes began to shake, and something sprang out.

“Hey? Luke oppa? You’re with others too?”

A wild Amy leaped out of the bushes! No, on closer inspection, it was the wild bushes that were Amy.

I was curious about how Amy, with her low fighting ability, was moving around in this perilous island, but seeing her dressed in something resembling ghillie suit clarified my doubts.

“What’s all the commotion? I came to check it out, and you’re here!”

“Hi.”

“Did you come to accept my quest?”

“No, I just came to get information.”

“Ah… that’s just unfortunate.”

She pouted her lips.

“So what information do you need?”

“S-Rank Monsters.”

“Is that why you came all this way?”

Oh. If she doesn’t have any, I might explode in anger. After coming this far, if I leave empty-handed, this island might sink beneath the sea.

“If that’s what you need, then it’s good timing!”

“What do you mean?”

“The info about the S-Rank Monster in the ruins you’re looking for is actually something I have!”

Really? This might make things a lot easier!

 

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