The Investigation Request

The truth is, considering the absolute height of your party’s raw capabilities, there is a certain matter I desperately need to request of you,“ the Guildmaster sitting directly opposite us spoke.

“What is the core nature of this request?”

“Well, you see… located about a three-day journey by carriage from here is a place widely known as the ‘City of Adventurers.’ A brand-new dungeon was recently discovered there. I would highly like to request that your party handle its initial investigation.”

Dungeons were anomalies that naturally and continuously manifested across the world. The City of Adventurers, Heim, reportedly possessed an exceptionally high manifestation rate.

“For this request to be routed directly to us, I assume the estimated dungeon rank must be quite formidable.”

Dungeons were categorized into distinct ranks based on their overall difficulty. The threat level escalated systematically through D, C, B, A, and up to S-rank. Since a dungeon’s official rank was strictly determined by the data gathered during the initial investigation, any rating assigned beforehand was merely an estimate. If it were a low-rank dungeon, a party of B-rank adventurers would have been perfectly sufficient to handle it. Bringing the proposal straight to Vim, an S-rank adventurer, explicitly meant it was far from a low-tier threat.

“Precisely. The estimated rank for this dungeon is S-class.”

“I see.”

An S-class rating designated it as a maximum-tier dungeon. It was highly anticipated to be crawling with magical beasts possessing power so overwhelming that ordinary adventurers wouldn’t stand a single shred of a chance against them.

“Needless to say, the guild will render a handsome reward, and all travel expenses incurred along the way will be fully covered.”

This assignment was undoubtedly a formal request commissioned by government authorities through the guild network. I could rest assured that there was absolutely zero risk of non-payment or contractual issues.

“I am perfectly fine to accept, but how do you two feel about it?”

“If you approve, Lord Vim, I have absolutely no objections,” Hana answered.

“The same applies to me,” Misa chimed in.

Both of them explicitly stated they were on board.

“Understood. We shall formally accept the assignment.”

“You have my immense gratitude. When it comes to a request of this absolute magnitude, I honestly couldn’t calculate a single candidate other than you, Lord Vim.”

Vim shared a firm handshake with the Guildmaster.

“With that settled, I think we shall prepare to depart first thing tomorrow morning.”

“I am counting on you. I shall ensure the branch master over in Heim is fully briefed on the situation from my end.”

“Thank you very much.”

To enter an uninvestigated dungeon, one required an official transit permit issued directly by the local guild branch master. Without it, approaching the perimeter of the dungeon was strictly prohibited.

“Furthermore, here is your official mission dispatch document.”

“Thank you, I shall take it.”

The document explicitly certified that the request had been formally issued by the Guild Headquarters and bore the Guildmaster’s personal signature.

“The moment you present this to the branch master in Heim, they should issue your transit permit without delay.”

“Understood. Well then, if you will excuse us, we shall take our leave to begin our preparations for the journey.”

With a polite bow, Vim and his companions stepped out of the Guild Headquarters.

The party walked at a leisurely pace along the road leading from the guild back to the estate.

“Ah, right. Misa, I have something to give you.”

“What exactly is this?”

“An enchanted magic bag. You can use it to consolidate all of your luggage for tomorrow’s departure.” Vim handed the magic bag across to Misa as she walked beside him.

“Are you certain it is alright for me to accept such an incredibly expensive item?”

“I happen to have a few spares lying around anyway. Since I already gave one to Hana, I figured it was only fair that you received one too, Misa.”

“If that is the case, I shall accept it with the utmost gratitude.”

For a long, arduous journey, a magic bag was undoubtedly the absolute gold standard of convenient travel gear. Indulging in their casual conversation, Vim and his companions eventually arrived back at the safety of the mansion.