“GAAAAAAHHH!”

Right before my eyes, a massive beast—Fangborn—let out a thunderous roar.

As expected of a designated C-class monster.
Its presence is no joke.

“BWOOOOAAAAAAHH!!”

With another roar, Fangborn kicked up a cloud of dust as it charged forward.

It was truly a headlong rush.
Its speed was impressive.

Not quite on Dudley’s level, but getting rammed by that massive body would no doubt hurt.

Times like this—it’s that ability’s turn.

I activated the skill 《Cheat Code Manipulation》.
The ability I chose: 《Invincibility Time (Extremely Small)》.

“Arios-san! Watch out!”

Kaya, an A-rank adventurer, shouted at me.

But there’s no problem.
I’ve already tested this ability against weaker monsters.

“GRUUUUHHH…HUH?”

Fangborn, having collided with me, widened both its eyes in bewilderment.

Well, yeah, I’d be shocked too.
After all, its full-power attack using everything it had did absolutely nothing to me.

Right now, I didn’t have a single scratch.
I didn’t feel any pain.
I simply observed the increasingly panicked Fangborn in silence.

“Alright, time to finish this.”

I drew my sword and assumed an attack stance.

This skill lasts for five seconds at most. After that, there’s a three-minute cooldown.
…Not sure how that works exactly, but that’s the conclusion I’ve reached after a week of testing.

“Engen Style, First Form: 《Infinite Flash of the Netherworld》!”

“UGGAAAAAAHHHH!”

Fangborn collapsed helplessly to the ground from my sword technique.

“…Um, Arios-san?”

“Yes?”

“H-Have you gotten even stronger again? You’re on a completely different level than during that duel…”

“Haha… you think so?”

Well, I did acquire two powerful new skills since then.
No doubt I’ve reached a new realm.

…That said, a true Silver Sword Saint is not one who becomes arrogant.

Like the First Silver Sword Saint, no matter how strong I become, I should remain humble.
Just because I beat Dudley doesn’t mean I’m going to let it go to my head.

“I still have a long way to go. I need to become even stronger.”

“A long way…? It didn’t even look like Fangborn’s attacks affected you.”

“Yeah, I gained a power that makes me completely invulnerable for five seconds.”

“That’s insane!!”

Kaya’s eyes flew wide open.

“Haah… I really can’t compete with you anymore…”

She sighed and rubbed her forehead, looking exasperated.

But hey, I’m just telling the truth.

—It’s been a week since my duel with Dudley Claise.
I’d been steadily completing guild requests. My rank was still D, but for some unknown reason, I was now allowed to take on C-rank requests.

That’s why I’d been fighting the C-designated Fangborn this time.

And Kaya had come along “just in case,” even though we probably didn’t need her.

It really was a mysterious level of trust.

Even Altro Wister, the Guildmaster, said,
“I believe Sir Arios could handle any request.”

That was definitely overestimating me.

Still, even he wasn’t bold enough to assign me B-rank requests yet.
Not because of my ability—but because of headquarters regulations.

“Arios-san, at this rate, you might get promoted to C-rank soon. Or rather… you might become something even above S-rank…”

“Above S-rank…?”

“Like, a whole different category. It suits you perfectly!”

“S-Stop that…”

What the heck is a rank called “Off-the-Charts”?
That’s just ridiculous.

I cleared my throat and looked down at Fangborn’s corpse.

“…Anyway, let’s take care of this thing and head back. It’s getting late.”

“Yes. Though personally, I wouldn’t mind spending more time alone together.”

“Don’t say stuff like that…”

I sighed and muttered to myself.

Just as I stepped toward Fangborn’s corpse—at that very moment.

“…Hmm?”

I froze on the spot.
Only my eyes shifted backward, watching to see what would happen next.

“What’s wrong—wait…”

Kaya also sensed the strange presence moments later. She tensed her expression and looked in the same direction as I did.

(Arios-san. There’s… someone there, isn’t there?)

(Yeah. I don’t sense hostility, but… what is this?)

Could it be someone from the Arceus Salvation Party?

No—if it were, there would be hostility. Given my situation, they’d have every reason to hate me.

Then what is this presence…?

“Hel…p…”

—Thud.
That strange sound rang out just then.

What was that just now?

Unless I misheard, someone said “help”…

Kaya and I exchanged glances, then cautiously moved toward the source of the presence.

“Ah… this is…”

Kaya’s eyes widened.

A frail girl had collapsed in the tall grass.

“This girl… is she a slave…?”

Kaya whispered softly.