Chapter 381

Translator: Kell | Editor: Weasalopes

Rank S

She had long, lush, darkish-blonde hair that hung freely behind her. Her long, bright-green skirt made from thick fabric could not hide the shape of her voluptuous hips.

A white blouse would normally give someone a touch of purity and civility, but it looked seductive on her, with her large breasts.

She wore no equipment at all, dressed instead in a town girl attire.

Before Hikaru knew it, the guild had fallen completely silent. No, that wasn’t it. All other sounds did not reach his ears. He could only hear the sound of her footsteps on the stone stairs.

As she made it down, her gaze was on the floor.

What is that face?

She wore a casual expression. Blue eyes underneath her gently arched eyebrows and long lashes quickly surveyed her surroundings.

Those eyes…

Hikaru thought he saw a gaping hole inside her eyes. A bottomless one. A hole found only in the darkest and deepest part of the ocean. It was still and lonesome, evoking a sense of primordial dread to those who saw it.

「——………——」

Her full, red lips moved. The guild staff gave a courteous bow and went inside. Satisfied, she started walking towards the entrance, to where Hikaru was.

I should check it.

Hikaru felt he should check her Soul Board. Five meters was the range of his ability. She was coming closer. Five more steps. Three. One.

What?

Her Soul Board didn’t appear. That’s not possible, Hikaru thought. He focused once more, and still nothing. Eventually she passed by him.

「Please don’t try anything funny.」she muttered in a low whisper that only Hikaru could hear.

He broke into a cold sweat. It felt like someone had a firm grip on his heart. She walked right past, Hikaru unable to say anything.

「Hngh! Luna is so cool!」

Sounds returned. Hikaru vaguely responded to Alice’s voice.

「Luna?」

「I just told you her name! The rank S adventurer who just passed by us! Her name is Luna. She’s kind to everyone, strong, and overall just perfect!」

「I guess…」

Apparently, he failed to notice Alice talking to him. Hikaru turned around, but Luna’s figure was already in the distance. She walked steadily, and at the same time she looked like a mirage that could disappear at any moment.

「She is awesome, in a way.」

Hikaru wondered if his Soul Board ability had gone haywire, but that wasn’t the case. He could see other Soul Boards, including his own, Alice’s, Lavia’s, Paula’s and even those who passed by him.

So why couldn’t I summon hers? Does she have some sort of magic item that nullifies my ability? Maybe it has something to do with a class?

This had never happened before. Perhaps it had something to do with her being powerful enough to be rank S.

「Silsil? Hello?」Alice waved her hand in Hikaru’s face.

「Oh.」

He snapped back to his senses. He found himself at a diner not far from the Adventurers Guild. Ran by an acquaintance of Alice’s, it was packed with people, perhaps because it was lunchtime.

「Silver Face. Which one do you want?」Lavia asked.

Hikaru looked at the menu hanging on the wall. Because the capital was located inland, there were a lot of meat dishes, and a few freshwater fish on the menu as well.

「What did you get?」Hikaru asked back.

「I got the Kounatsu Power Salad.」she said, puffing out her nostrils. She seemed to really like kounatsu.

Hikaru went with a safe choice—stew. While the Soul Board bothered him, he couldn’t really verify anything unless she had Luna’s help.

Alice told them a lot of things about Luna over lunch.

「Get this! Even though she’s rank S, she still takes commissions that others don’t, like cleaning the gutters.」

「Luna works alone, cause no one can keep up with her.」

「The Adventurers Guilds in each country’s capital all recommended her for promotion to rank S!」

「Luna gained fame when she was rank C. More than ten Giant Cannibals, huge monsters known as “House Eaters” once appeared in a remote town in the Empire. Luna defeated all of them by herself, even though the monsters were five times taller than her!」

Spies were like the exact opposite of adventurers who enjoyed freedom. Alice talked about Luna with great enthusiasm even though no one really asked her.

Luna’s main weapon was a one-handed sword, but she was also versatile, able to use magic. She usually walked around unarmed to not intimidate those around her.

She doesn’t want to intimidate others?

From Hikaru’s point of view, Luna was a walking monster. But those without the skill Instinct didn’t seem to perceive this.

She noticed me trying to take a peek at her Soul Board.

There had been times in the past when someone with high-level Instinct noticed Hikaru using his ability. Hikaru thought it might be best not to use it randomly unless he was in Stealth mode.