The Second Calden

  The Lone Calden's back was warm beneath Yuki's weight.

  He sat motionless atop the creature's shoulders, observing it with clinical precision—like someone cataloging data. The massive beast had charged at full speed, and Yuki had managed to wound its front-left leg. A clean strike, nothing more. But that was enough.

  Now the creature moved slower, its breathing labored. It was searching for something. A place to rest.

  There. A lake, glimmering between the trees. The Calden's body language shifted—not threatening, but desperate. It wanted to heal.

  Yuki filed that away. Useful information.

  The forest around them responded to the Calden's presence like prey animals sensing a predator. Smaller monsters scattered, trembling. The very air seemed to hold its breath when the creature passed.

  Then—

  BOOOMM!!

  A Minotaur came flying out of the undergrowth like it had been shot from a cannon. It crashed through ferns and saplings, its massive body skidding across moss-covered earth.

  The creature's eyes locked onto Yuki with pure malice.

  Without hesitation, Yuki moved. His blade sang through the air—a whisper of motion—and the Minotaur's head separated from its body before it could even process that an attack had come.

  Efficient.

  The corpse fell, and Yuki was already considering his next move. One Calden was enough for evaluation. Continuing would waste energy and time. Time he needed to—

  "Boooy! Are you okaay?!!"

  Yuki's eye twitched.

  No. Don't shout.

  "MOO?"

  The Lone Calden's head came up, suddenly aware. Its eyes focused on the source of the voice, and its massive frame tensed beneath Yuki.

  "This situation is becoming problematic," Yuki muttered.

  Ludor walked beside the old scout, his mind still processing the impossible events of the last hours.

  "Um, sir? Can I ask something?" Ludor's voice was careful, tentative.

  Duran glanced sideways at him without breaking stride. "What? If you're asking about business, we'll sort it out once we reach the Harvest Area. Give it a few minutes."

  Cleo and Fanya were already making jokes on the other side of the group, their nervous energy finding outlet in laughter. Even Kairen allowed himself a small smirk—though his eyes remained distant, haunted by something.

  "I'm just... curious." Ludor's hands clenched. "Is Yuki really alright? That Calden was moving fast, and—"

  "Haha." Duran's laugh was warm, genuine. "Kid, that boy is more alright than any of us could hope to be."

  "But how do you know, sir?" Cleo leaned in, her cheerfulness momentarily genuine instead of defensive. "We left him out there with that monster."

  Duran's expression shifted, becoming thoughtful. "The Calden's leg injury? I detected traces of his arcana on it. It wasn't random—he hit that creature deliberately when we were retreating."

  Ludor's eyes widened. "But... why? We were already far enough away."

  "To change its direction." Kairen's voice cut through, quiet but certain. "The creature was moving toward the city. If Yuki hadn't intervened, it would have followed us."

  "Exactly, boy." Duran nodded approvingly. "That kind of awareness, that kind of tactical thinking... that's not beginner-level instinct. That's something else entirely."

  "So he saved us," Fanya whispered, understanding blooming across her face.

  "Whether he meant to or not, yes," Duran said.

  Cleo opened her mouth to press further, but Kairen cut in: "How do you know it's a male, sir? I've never heard of male Caldens in history."

  Duran's weathered face cracked into something between a smile and resignation. "Ah... that. You should probably ask Yuki about that later. I... might have made an assumption."

  The uncertainty in his voice was enough to make all four A-rankers exchange confused glances.

  By the time they reached the Harvest Area, the question had dissolved into distraction—there were too many other parties, too much noise, too much reality pressing in around them.

  Vanheir and Yuki moved through the forest at full speed, racing toward the source of the chaos they both sensed building ahead.

  When they burst through the tree line, the scene hit them like a physical blow.

  The Eastern gate—one of the city's primary defenses—was collapsing.

  Minotaurs swarmed the guards like locusts. Civilians were screaming. The gate mechanism was failing, splinters of reinforced wood flying like shrapnel. And charging through the chaos came the Lone Calden, its massive frame filling the space where the gate had been.

  "Dammit!" Vanheir's voice was lost in the chaos. "It already reached the gate!"

  They accelerated. Pure S-ranker speed, eating distance in heartbeats. But it wasn't fast enough.

  A young adventurer—barely more than a boy—was about to be crushed by a Minotaur's falling axe.

  SLASH!

  Yuki was there. A single motion, and the Minotaur's head was gone. The young man's eyes flew open, and all he saw was Yuki's back—steady, unmoved, as if holding back apocalypse was simply part of his job.

  "Everyone, retreat!" Vanheir's roar cut through the panic like a blade. His voice carried the weight of command, and the guards responded immediately, moving on instinct.

  "Y-yeah! Move, move!"

  "Oldman, hold on!"

  "One more person over there!"

  "Fast! More coming!"

  Vanheir carved through Minotaurs with brutal efficiency, but each kill took multiple strikes. His breathing came hard. Sweat dripped down his temples.

  Yuki, meanwhile, barely seemed to move. One slash per creature. One instant of contact, and each Minotaur fell.

  The difference was stark.

  But there was no time to process it. The Calden noticed the fleeing civilians and its entire body went rigid with predatory focus. It lowered its horns and charged.

  The impact was catastrophic.

  The gate didn't collapse—it exploded, the wooden frame fragmenting into splinters and dust. The massive stone archway cracked, concrete crumbling like sand.

  Yuki was there to meet it.

  His body absorbed the full force of a creature that could crush battering rams. His feet dug into the ground, earth scorching beneath him from the friction. The Calden's charge met immovable object, and for a moment—just a moment—neither could advance.

  Then Yuki pushed back.

  The Calden skidded backward, its massive hooves scraping stone, leaving grooves deep enough to touch the underground water pipes. The creature's eyes widened in what might have been surprise. Might have been fear.

  "Boy! Are you okay?!" Vanheir was suddenly there, his hand on Yuki's shoulder.

  Yuki didn't turn to look at him. His gaze was fixed on the Calden, calculating. "I'm fine, sir. But please—evacuate them."

  The civilians behind them. The ones still trapped. Yuki's voice carried something Vanheir had never heard before: genuine concern.

  "Damn! Just focus on that thing, boy!"

  "Of course, sir."

  Vanheir turned to the nearest group of citizens—an elderly couple clinging to each other, eyes wide with shock. "Uncles, Aunties, are you alright?"

  The old man's voice shook. "Oh, it's Sir Vanheir. What... what's happening?"

  "It's fine. Just get out. Fast, please."

  One of the grandfathers stepped forward, his body still trembling but his mind clear. "Sir, can I help somehow?"

  Vanheir blinked. Then: Right. Pull yourself together.

  "Can you help the others, uncle? And call the guards, please!"

  "Alright, sir! I'll be right back! Come on, dear."

  The couple shuffled away, and Vanheir watched them go—a moment of human connection in the middle of apocalypse—before turning back to the gate.

  I lost my cool. The thought struck him like a hammer. An S-ranker, losing it. Who wouldn't be nervous? A furious Calden inside the city walls—it's never happened in recorded history.

  He took a breath.

  "Kid, just kick that damn cattle out of here. I'll secure the perimeter!"

  "Thank you, oldman."

  Yuki exhaled, and Vanheir felt the temperature around the boy shift. Magic gathered. Not the controlled, precise kind—this was raw, a concentration of force that made the air shimmer.

  His foothold exploded outward.

  The force was so tremendous that dust rose in a choking cloud. Yuki's legs burned with effort as he drove the Calden backward, backward, backward—and then the creature left the ground entirely.

  MWOOOOOO!!!

  The cry echoed across the entire district, a sound of betrayal and rage and confusion. Wind gusts rippled through the residential areas, rattling shutters and overturning market stalls.

  Yuki didn't hesitate. He launched himself after the airborne creature and delivered a devastating kick directly to its chest.

  BOOOOMMM!!!

  The impact point became a crater. Trees snapped like kindling for a hundred meters in every direction. The Calden hit the forest floor with such force that tremors rippled outward, strong enough that people in distant parts of Spawnhall stopped and steadied themselves.

  For a moment, silence.

  Then Vanheir heard footsteps approaching. Quick. Purposeful. A familiar voice, breathless with concern.

  "Is that boy... Yuki?"

  Vanheir's mouth dropped open.

  Standing before him, barely winded, was Rinne Flamerose.

  The innkeeper who'd decided to retire from adventuring. The woman who loved Yuki like a son. The legendary warrior who was supposed to be safely at home preparing dinner.

  "What are you—please evacuate from here!" Vanheir tried, and failed, to redirect her.

  "Over here!!" The grandfather from before came running with guards in tow. "Quick! We'll assist!"

  "Sir, are you alright?" the guards asked, moving to Vanheir's side.

  But Vanheir's attention had completely locked onto Rinne.

  "Madam Flamerose? You're here to help?" A guard's voice cracked with awe.

  Rinne didn't so much as glance at them. Her eyes were on the direction Yuki had gone, tracking him through the night with some sense that transcended normal perception.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "Shopping, you geezer?" she said dryly, responding to Vanheir's unasked question. "Are you getting senile faster than Herald now?"

  "S-shut up, you little missy!!" Vanheir sputtered, but his protest was weak. He already understood what was happening here.

  "Just answer my question, Mr. Adventurer." Rinne's voice cut through his thoughts like a knife. "Is that Yuki?"

  "Y-yeah, Herald entrusted me with his evaluation. But I don't think—how do you—?!"

  Rinne was already walking away, moving with the grace of someone who'd made her decision and wouldn't be swayed. "Shoo shoo. Go help the civilians won't you? You're still an adventurer, right, oldman?"

  "Damn you, Rinne! You and your always speaking-truth mouth! Just go straight to your home!"

  "Hmph! You're not my pa, oldman." She called back over her shoulder, a smile playing at her lips. "Better I prepare his meals before he clears the entire festival."

  And then she was gone, disappearing into the darkness like a spirit.

  Vanheir stood there, mouth open, as the guards stared after her in shock. The old man beside him seemed unsurprised, as if he'd always known the innkeeper would be here when it mattered.

  The Calden was struggling to rise, its ribs clearly cracked from the kick. Yuki could see the pain in the creature's movements—the way it favored its left side, the way its breathing came in labored gasps.

  Two impacts. His analysis was cold, clinical. The first broke something. The second needs to be more precise.

  The creature turned toward him, and in its eyes, Yuki saw something unexpected: not fury, but desperation. This creature had been driven into the city. Had been forced into this situation. And now it was trapped, wounded, with no escape route.

  He waited for the creature's next move.

  It didn't charge. Instead, it lowered its head, and Yuki saw something that changed his entire approach.

  An opening. The Calden had spread its chest, a vulnerability born of pain and desperation.

  Yuki moved. He locked himself against the creature's body, and they struggled—true wrestling, strength against strength, neither willing to yield. The creature's hot breath came in gasps. Its muscles trembled.

  And then it shifted, and there was the opening Yuki needed.

  From below, with all his strength concentrated into a single point, he drove his kick upward.

  WHAAAMM!!!

  The Calden's ribs caved inward. Its cry was more anguish than rage.

  It collapsed.

  But it was still breathing. Still suffering.

  Yuki moved to its head and, without hesitation, delivered a clean stroke of his blade.

  There was no pain in it. No cruelty. Just mercy—swift and absolute..

  "Thank you, oh sweet lady," Yuki murmured to the now-still creature. "Your sacrifice will nourish many."

  The night swallowed his words.

  "Ooooiii, booy!! How is it going?!!"

  Vanheir emerged from the forest, moving with the careful steps of someone who'd pushed himself to his limit.

  Yuki glanced back. "Oh, you're quite fast, sir."

  "So how's the cal—" Vanheir stopped dead when he saw the corpse. His eyes went wide. Then wider. "It's... already over?"

  "You took time too long for strolling, old man."

  The smug expression that crossed Yuki's face was so perfectly adolescent that Vanheir felt something in his chest crack with reluctant admiration.

  "Think before you speak, damn brat! Was it fast or long?!"

  "Either way, it's already over, oldman."

  Vanheir stared at the dead Calden—at the crater it had made, at the destruction surrounding them, at this impossible boy who stood untouched in the center of apocalypse—and finally asked the question he needed answered.

  "How did you do it? I ran the entire way here, and you already finished?"

  "I hit it twice at the mid of chest bone." Yuki pointed to his own chest, indicating the kill spot. "Around here."

  "Quite effective. Though no one's ever dared try that reckless method."

  "Why?"

  Vanheir opened his mouth to answer, then stopped. Because who could? That was the real answer. It took inhuman strength to even attempt what Yuki had just done. Strength that only S-rankers possessed, and not all of them at that.

  "When I tossed it from the city, the Calden turned upside down," Yuki continued, explaining as if discussing a simple combat technique. "So its chest was exposed to the sky. I kicked it at that spot. The second time, we were grappling, and it exposed its chest. I kicked it from below."

  "You explain it as if it's just a simple trick," Vanheir said slowly.

  Because to him, it is.

  "Ah, I forgot something, sir."

  Yuki moved toward the corpse and, in one motion, cleanly severed the Calden's head.

  "Wha—why?" Vanheir's voice cracked.

  "Before it suffers more, I should end its misery."

  Vanheir stared at the boy—at the mercy in that motion, at the care taken to minimize suffering. A young man who could deliver catastrophic force, yet chose to end pain swiftly.

  "You're... really weird for an adventurer," Vanheir said finally. "Though I'll vouch for your capability."

  "Is there anything else we need, oldman?"

  "No. I guess we should head back now."

  "Alright, sir."

  Yuki's hands moved through a familiar pattern, and the entire Calden's corpse was pulled into his spatial storage like it was being swallowed by reality itself.

  WHOOOOSSSHH!

  "It's still amazing looking at your spatial magic, boy."

  "It's nothing great to see, oldman."

  Vanheir couldn't agree with that, but he was too exhausted to argue.

  "Alright, let's get going, sir."

  "Sure! Not too fast, boy."

  But Yuki was already moving, leaving the old S-ranker behind in the wreckage of the forest.

  "DAAAMMN BRAAATT!!"

  The guild's valuation station was crowded, lined with adventurers eager to sell their kills and collect their rewards. At one table, a low-rank party was negotiating with a staff member.

  "One Minotaur. Fifty silver," the appraiser said.

  "Huuhh?? Isn't that too cheap?" the party leader protested.

  "The leg is intact with perfect condition, but the rest is damaged. That's market value, sir."

  Frustrated, they accepted.

  The Alpha party worked their way through the crowd, looking for an available spot. Their moods were subdued now—the adrenaline had faded, leaving only exhaustion.

  "Other parties already finished their hunt," Cleo observed, watching famous groups like Snow Fang and Shadow Serpent sort their kills.

  "That's because we prioritized safety," Duran replied. "So it's crowded even early."

  Ludor pointed at another table. "Look, even Snow Fang only has Minotaurs."

  "True, but the quantity is impressive. And they're in good condition." Fanya studied the display with the eye of someone learning. "Their teamwork must be exceptional."

  "Snow Fang is famous for coordination and planning," Duran confirmed. "Many talented beginners want to join them. They aim for Minotaurs foremost—safe, steady, reliable."

  Cleo gestured to another stall. "How about Shadow Serpent? They have one Calden and three Minotaurs."

  "But their condition..." Fanya's nose wrinkled. "Is gross."

  Duran nodded. "Shadow Serpent is famous for extreme methods. They go all out, use brutal tactics. Results are impressive but usually unsellable due to damage."

  "So besides success rate, quality matters too, sir?" Ludor asked carefully.

  "Exactly. And based on what I saw, your kills were done efficiently. Minimal deformities. They'll fetch high prices." Duran's approval was genuine. "You should be proud."

  A small warmth bloomed in the A-rankers' chests—genuine pride in work well done.

  They reached the guild counter, and the staff member looked up with a smile. "Ah! Alpha party, right? I thought I misheard. How are you, Mr. Duran? I didn't expect you to participate this year."

  "An old friend's request," Duran replied warmly. "Didn't expect it either."

  The staff member sent a priority message to the back while making small talk. "I have a bit of a debt to you, you know. How about I buy you a meal and drink at Flamerose Inn next time? I've saved up quite a sum."

  "Of course! I never refuse hospitality." Duran grinned. "So about the Alpha party—"

  "Please be patient, Mr. Duran. I sent the priority call to higher-up. Madam Emily should arrive any minute."

  "Madam Emily?" Duran blinked. "Why her?"

  "It's written here—Alpha party gets prioritized, with Madam Emily as your personal assistant. Since she's busy, we're waiting. Please relax and I'll update you."

  Duran opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

  The four A-rankers immediately sensed something was wrong.

  "How is it, mister?" Cleo asked cautiously.

  "M-huh?" Duran shook his head. "Yeah?"

  "Are you okay, mister?" Concern flickered across Fanya's face.

  "I'm... a bit dizzy, actually."

  "What happened? Should we come tomorrow?" Ludor's voice was uncertain.

  "No, it's the opposite." Duran took a steadying breath. "We're getting prioritized. Madam Emily will be our personal assistant."

  WHAAT?!!

  The A-rankers screamed in unison. The entire Harvest Area turned to stare at them.

  Cleo and Fanya immediately bowed, apologizing profusely. But their minds were spinning.

  "M-madam Emily?! The legend?!" Cleo's voice pitched high.

  "I-I-I can't face her directly," Fanya whispered, her confidence crumbling.

  "That's one of the active legends!" Ludor's hands were shaking. "I propose we wait for Yuki or Sir Vanheir, at least."

  "Agreed," Kairen said quietly, though his pride warred with his fear.

  "Alright, we wait for them as a form of unity," Duran decided, grateful for the excuse.

  "Ooouu!!" the A-rankers agreed in unison, their shout much more controlled this time.

  Cleo's eyes suddenly locked onto movement from the eastern entrance.

  "Ah! There he is!"

  The crowd's attention shifted immediately. Yuki was walking toward them with the casual stride of someone who'd just had a routine afternoon, not someone who'd fought two Caldens and scattered a Minotaur horde.

  "Yuuukiii!!" Cleo waved, her fear momentarily forgotten in genuine relief.

  The other adventurers' eyes followed Yuki with undisguised curiosity. Whispers started rippling through the crowd.

  "How is it, Yuki? Are you alright?" Fanya rushed forward.

  "I'm fine. You should check on oldman Vanheir though." Yuki's flatness made it clear he meant the advice genuinely.

  "Yeah, where is Sir Vanheir, Yuki?" Cleo asked, looking past him.

  "He's coming slowly. He said I should go ahead."

  Duran's weathered face creased with concern. "Not like him at all."

  "He looked exhausted," Yuki observed.

  "So where should I drop my hunt, mister?" Yuki asked Duran, holding up the kills he'd stored.

  "Oh yeah, we were waiting for you actually. Let's go together." Duran gestured forward. "Come on."

  "Oouu!!" the A-rankers chorused, their nervousness returning but now tempered by Yuki's presence.

  "Why wait for us though?" Yuki asked as they walked. "I thought you'd finished your business."

  "We wait for unity, you know? We should go together, right?" Cleo said.

  "Hehe, good words, kid," Duran chuckled.

  "W-well, actually we're a bit nervous," Fanya admitted.

  Yuki didn't press further. The group made their way to the valuation counter where Emily stood waiting.

  When Yuki saw her, he simply began describing his hunt in neutral, factual tones. No anxiety. No posturing. Just truth.

  Emily smiled, her expression carrying that knowing quality of someone who'd seen Yuki's capabilities grow week by week.

  The crowd began to gather.

  They could sense something momentous was about to happen.

  Then Yuki extended his hand and—

  BAAAM!!!

  Two full Caldens materialized on the counter, their corpses perfectly preserved. Pristine. Unmarked.

  One was clearly female. One was unmistakably male.

  The room went absolutely still.

  A voice broke the silence—angry, disbelieving.

  "W-whaaatt??!!"

  "You joking...?" someone whispered.

  Emily's smile widened. "Fufu... as expected, Mr. Yuki. You always exceed my expectations."

  But the other adventurers and scouts in the room couldn't hide their shock. A-rankers and S-rankers alike stared at the two perfect Caldens, processing the impossibility.

  "Damn it!" A high-ranker named Jerol stood up, his face flushed with anger. "You must be cheating, right?!"

  "I mean, there's no way a B-rank beginner could hunt them by himself!" He pointed at Yuki with accusation. "You got help, didn't you?! Other hunters? You're stealing credit!"

  Emily's smile remained placid. "Actually, Mr. Yuki is very close to A-rank now, Mr. Jerol. Just a little bit more."

  "It doesn't matter, Madam! The fact is he's still not S-rank!" Jerol's voice grew louder, drawing more attention. "How did a beginner hunt two Caldens?!"

  A larger man—Boramir, captain of Jerol's party—stepped forward carefully. "Who assisted you, boy?"

  "An S-ranker," Yuki replied simply. "I was accompanied by one."

  "See?! I knew it!" Jerol crowed. "Where is this S-ranker? We need to confirm—"

  But the crowd had gone very, very quiet.

  An older voice drifted from the back of the Harvest Area, rough with exhaustion.

  "Here... here... I am here. You lot are sure noisy, you know? It's even heard way back there... haaahh, haaahh... just wait... a bit."

  Vanheir pushed through the crowd, his breathing heavy, his clothes torn and bloodstained. But his presence—his presence—hit everyone like a physical force.

  "Heee who is this old man, boy?!" Jerol's bravado wavered.

  PLAAAK!!

  Boramir's hand came down on the back of Jerol's head so hard the sound echoed.

  "Guuh, what're ya do—" Jerol started to protest, but his eyes had finally found Vanheir's face, and his entire body went rigid.

  The scar. The legendary S-ranker's distinctive scar ran from temple to jaw, unmistakable to anyone who'd studied guild records.

  "For this moment, please just shut up your trash talk, Jerol," Boramir said quietly. "If you want to come out of here alive."

  Jerol's mouth went dry. He looked around at the other veterans, at the scouts, at the A-rankers and S-rankers—all of them frozen, all of them staring at Vanheir with expressions ranging from respect to outright fear.

  Even the other adventurers had gone pale.

  "Huuuhh... finally I can catch my breath." Vanheir's voice was rough, tired, but when he looked at the crowd, they flinched. "You lot have to understand my situation too, you know. I have a crazy, unbelievable day right now."

  "It's actually normal, oldman. It's only you getting older, you know." Yuki's flatness was so perfectly timed that the crowd actually heard the irony.

  "GAAAHH!! Shut up, youngman!!" Vanheir's roar could probably be heard across the city. "You say that's normal??!! What shit your standard anyway, huhh?!! And you're too blunt! I know it already, don't spill something that obvious!!"

  Despite the fury, there was something almost affectionate in his exasperation.

  Long sigh from Yuki.

  "Guuh... ahem! Back to the topic. So what you lot wanna ask of me, huh?!" Vanheir's eyes swept across the room, and people instinctively stepped back.

  A man in captain's regalia—Fermus of Torch Hammer party—stepped forward carefully and bowed with perfect respect.

  "Sir Vanheir, please pardon our rudeness. I'm Fermus, A-ranker of Torch Hammer party."

  Even his party members followed suit, bowing deeply.

  "Oh, you're the recent promoted S-rank kid, right?" Vanheir's exhaustion made him seem almost gentle. "What is it, kid? You want to treat me or something?"

  "N-no, sir..." Fermus straightened. "Just one question, sir. Is it the truth that the newbie hunted them all by himself?"

  Vanheir's gaze shifted to Yuki, and something almost like pride flickered across his scarred face.

  "Yeah. I only managed to scratch one of the Caldens. But the other Calden was entirely butchered by him. Even along the way, he manages to kill the Minotaurs with one hit before finally catching up with the second Calden."

  "You were there to witness this, sir?" Fermus asked carefully.

  "Southern district. You can ask—"

  "Yuuukiii are you alriiight??"

  A new voice cut through—cheerful, familiar, carrying the weight of genuine concern.

  "Oh, Mr. Felix and Mr. Briant." Yuki's acknowledgment was calm.

  The two gate guards pushed through the crowd, and their faces showed the same shock Fermus had displayed.

  "You doin' another crazy thing don't you?" Briant asked, though his tone suggested he'd expected nothing less.

  "Now you believe him, right dude?" Felix grinned.

  "Yes, yes. Even I still can't believe my own eyes," Briant admitted.

  "Hoo now you kids dare to interrupt my talk, huh?!" Vanheir's bark made them both flinch.

  "Aah... Sir Vanheir?!" Briant's voice jumped an octave.

  "F-forgive us, sir. We didn't realize you were here..." Felix stammered.

  "We will reflect on our manner," Briant finished, both of them bowing hard enough their heads nearly touched their chests.

  "Um, excuse me. Can you tell me the details, sirs?" Fermus interjected, trying to maintain some dignity.

  "What details do you want, Fermus?" Briant asked, grateful for the excuse to straighten up.

  "What did you mean by 'crazy thing'?" Fermus asked carefully.

  Felix's eyes lit up. "Oh, we're actually at the scene when this kid kick the Calden ass, literally."

  Literally.

  "Hah??" Fermus's composure cracked slightly.

  "Let me tell you the back story," Briant said, and proceeded to describe the gate attack—the Minotaurs swarming, the Lone Calden's charge, Yuki intercepting it, Vanheir securing civilians, and then Yuki... kicking the creature back into the forest.

  "He kicked it?" Fermus's voice was flat with disbelief.

  "And it worked, apparently," Boramir said quietly, studying Yuki with new understanding. "Because there's a male Calden here, and the only way that creature would have gotten far enough away from the city to be properly hunted is if something forced it back."

  The logic was sound. The implications were terrifying.

  "Such a feat..." Boramir murmured. "Even I couldn't lift a Calden alone."

  "That's a lot of money..." Jerol had gone very quiet.

  "I know that unbelievable for your ears," Briant said, addressing Fermus. "But I swear for his story as well. I was there too."

  Fermus was quiet for a long moment, running calculations in his head. A B-rank beginner. An S-ranker as backup. Two Caldens hunted in a single event. A gate saved. Civilians protected.

  The story was insane.

  But the evidence was undeniable.

  "Thank you for your testimony, sir," he finally said. "We won't preach this matter any further."

  "Y-yeah... sure," Briant managed.

  "It's all cleared, then Miss Emily, can I ask the Caldens for myself?" Yuki's voice cut through the remaining tension.

  "Please wait a moment, Mr. Yuki," Emily said warmly. "We'll calculate how much you must contribute to the Guild first."

  "Wait, wait, you two...C-capt? You ser—"

  Fermus simply looked at Jerol with pure disgust, then walked away without another word.

  Jerol's mouth opened and closed like a dying fish.

  "Stop, Jerol. Don't bother captain anymore," Boramir said, placing a restraining hand on his shoulder.

  The crowd gradually dispersed, unable to process what they'd witnessed. Whispers spread like wildfire through the Harvest Area.

  Did you see that?

  An S-ranker confirming a beginner's strength.

  He kicked a Calden. Literally kicked it.

  The disagreed party left, The neutral party stay. Waiting for the final valution from the guild.