Signs Of A Stampede And The Guild Master

The situation inside the dungeon called Ant Hell… was completely different from before. A deep rumbling sound like something massive running in large numbers echoed throughout the dungeon, the ground trembled slightly, and the number of monsters was clearly higher.

Furthermore, perhaps because a Stampede was occurring in the lower levels, even the monsters on the upper floors were excited; they were more aggressive and far more active than when we had seen them before.

“This… clearly shows signs.”

“You’re right. …Maybe we don’t need to defeat monsters and gather materials.”

“I think so too. At this point, it wouldn’t be strange to say we entered the dungeon and immediately fled because of the dangerous atmosphere.”

Having quickly reached that conclusion, we left the dungeon as we were and returned to the city. The strange atmosphere inside the dungeon unconsciously quickened our pace back to town, and by the time we arrived at the guild we were quite out of breath, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Why are you in such a hurry? Are you alright?”

When an adventurer near the entrance spoke to us, I raised my voice so that the entire guild could hear me.

“Th-this is bad…!”

When I shouted, every gaze in the guild gathered at once. When I casually looked around, it seemed there were about two adventurers with higher ranks. It would be good if those two could organize the adventurers.

“It’s a Stampede! A Stampede is going to happen in Ant Hell!”

“…What do you mean?”

At the word Stampede, a tense atmosphere instantly spread throughout the guild. Several guild staff members went up to the second floor, so they might be reporting it to the Guild Master.

“Isn’t Luca just mistaken?”

An adventurer who didn’t like me spat that out mockingly, but I immediately shook my head.

“That’s not it. Those were clearly signs of a Stampede.”

“I can’t trust your words. Maybe there were just some slightly stronger monsters.”

“Hey, it’s not good to deny it outright like that. Luca, what kind of signs were there?”

Relieved that another adventurer calmly asked, I took a deep breath once before opening my mouth.

“I heard a deep rumbling sound like a large number of monsters moving, and the ground of the first floor of the dungeon was trembling slightly. Also, the monsters on the first floor were in a highly excited state. I’ve entered Ant Hell before, but the situation was clearly strange. It matched the signs of a Stampede I read about in a book before.”

At my words, most of the adventurers stiffened their expressions.

“Rebecca, do you share Luca’s opinion?”

“Yes. Anyway, it definitely wasn’t normal.”

“…Understood. First we report this to the Guild Master. After that, I’ll go scout the area. Ant Hell is right nearby. If I come back with the same impression as Luca, then the Stampede will be almost certain.”

The male Third Rank adventurer volunteered to scout, called out to a guild employee, and left the guild. If that adventurer returned, there was no way they would refuse to believe that a Stampede was about to occur.

Soon after the man left, we were called by a staff member and guided to the Guild Master.

“Excuse us.”

When Rebecca and I entered the Guild Master’s room, the person there was a well-built man with sharp eyes who appeared to be in his fifties.

As a Fifth Rank adventurer, I never had a chance to meet the Guild Master, so this was the first time I had seen his face.

“You’re the ones who sensed the signs of a Stampede?”

“Yes. I’m Luca.”

“I’m Rebecca.”

“I’m Edmond. I’m the Guild Master of the Adventurer Guild’s Royal Capital Abal Branch in the Albanell Kingdom. I also oversee the guilds throughout the Albanell Kingdom. Nice to meet you.”

That meant… he was an incredibly important person, right? I suddenly became nervous and wiped my sweaty hands on my pants.

“Explain the signs in detail.”

“Understood.”

After that, I explained the same things I had described downstairs, but in more detail. As my explanation continued, Edmond-san’s frown deepened.

“…That’s almost certainly a Stampede. If the signs can already be felt on the first floor, there probably isn’t much time before the monsters overflow. We must fortify the area around the dungeon entrance with a subjugation force as soon as possible… first gather the adventurers and contact the kingdom to dispatch the knight order. Then contact those two and…”

Edmond-san seemed to be organizing his thoughts about what to do next, muttering about the upcoming actions.

At this rate, it seemed he would handle the Stampede response without issue.

I turned my gaze away from Edmond-san, who was still deep in thought, and exchanged glances with Rebecca.

“If that’s the case, it should be safe for us to head to the dungeon.”

When I muttered that quietly so Edmond-san wouldn’t hear, Rebecca nodded confidently.

“Edmond-san, may we be excused now?”

“Ah, sorry. Thank you for the report. If we manage to protect the city from this incident, the two of you will receive a reward.”

“Thank you very much.”

Rebecca and I greeted Edmond-san and left the Guild Master’s room without telling him that we were about to head to the dungeon.

We had no intention of telling anyone that we were entering the dungeon. If we told someone, they would definitely stop us.

“Rebecca, shall we go?”

“Yeah.”

Rebecca and I quietly slipped out of the guild, which was in confusion over the information about a possible Stampede, and ran through the city.