In the city of Kama, there was a street known as the "Stall Street." Unlike the slums, this street was usually bustling with activity. However, the busy afternoon hours had long passed, and the sun was now sinking lower in the sky. While there were still people walking about, the food stalls were not nearly as lively. The stall owners, unable to show off their cooking skills to many customers, either cleaned their stalls or began preparing for the approaching evening.

"This is the place! The skewers here are amazing!"
"Really, nya?"
"I-I think they’ll be delicious! T-they smell so good!"
"Hmm... I look forward to it, then," replied Flavia.

The bear beastman Agafon, along with Flavia and the others, caught the attention of the idle stall owner, who looked up at them. In an instant, the small stall with only six seats was filled.

"Welcome—uh, you stink! You guys just came from the labyrinth, didn’t you? That smell... it’s from the 'Foul Mire of Enrio,' isn’t it?"

The stall owner, who had begun to greet them cheerfully, recoiled in disgust at the stench emanating from Agafon and his companions.

"Heh, you got us," Agafon replied without a hint of shame, plopping heavily into a chair, causing the fairy Akane, who sat atop his head, to nearly tumble off.

"You guys are still E-rank or something, right? Exploring the 'Foul Mire of Enrio' is suicide!"

"Yeah, we had a rough time. Yuu told us that place was a hassle, and sure enough, we nearly got wiped out in the rotten swamp on the 48th floor. Guess it was too early for us to tackle it. Oh, and I’ll have one of every kind of skewer."

Agafon’s order was quickly followed by the usually quiet and shy Beib, who stammered, "I-I’ll take five of each, please!"

"Me too, nya!" Flavia chimed in, jumping up from her seat to place her order.

"Flavia, relax! The meat won’t run away," Monique scolded gently.

Meanwhile, Otpe and Yam remained calm, ordering a few skewers to start and sipping ale while they waited.

The stall owner, pleased with the large order, set to work. Agafon alone could eat enough for several customers, and Beib looked like he could eat even more. The owner began grilling the skewers while contemplating if he’d have enough food for the night.

"Wow, that smells amazing!"
"Y-yeah, it really does!" Beib added, his mouth already watering.

"The meat I got today is top-notch. You won’t regret it," the stall owner replied, focusing intently on grilling. The meat sizzled and popped on the charcoal grill, releasing a savory aroma that caused Agafon and Beib to practically drool in anticipation.

"Alright, your food’s ready!"
"Here it comes! Let’s eat!"

The stall owner handed out the freshly grilled skewers, and as expected, Agafon and Beib were the first to dig in. Flavia and the others, who were also quite hungry, quickly followed suit, grabbing their skewers and starting to eat.

"Hey! Don’t forget my share!" Akane, the fairy perched on Agafon’s head, protested.

Normally, one might be startled to see a fairy, but the stall owner was used to Agafon as a regular customer, and by now, Akane’s presence didn’t even faze him.

"Alright, alright, stop pulling on my hair!"

It seemed this was a common exchange between the two. Agafon used his knife to cut pieces of meat from his skewer, slicing them into smaller, more manageable bites for Akane.

"There you go, it’s cut up for you."
"Good," Akane nodded approvingly.
"Who do you think you are?" Agafon grumbled.

Akane, satisfied with the portions, jumped off Agafon’s head, gracefully spinning in mid-air before landing on the counter. She elegantly picked up a piece of meat and began to eat, her refined manners surprising even the stall owner.

"Looks like you’re all doing fine," the stall owner remarked after a while, noticing that their eating pace had slowed down.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Agafon asked, pausing his meal.

"Well, for the past week or two, adventurers and mercenaries from other countries have been swarming into Kama, trying to mess with your guildmaster from Nameless, right? You lot have all been in a foul mood lately. It had us on edge, even though it had nothing to do with us," the stall owner explained, handing out coleslaw as a side dish.

"And it’s no wonder your guildmaster was pissed. Those adventurers weren’t even trying to win. It was all just to make a name for themselves. They’d barely engage, then start acting like they’d put up a fight, saying things like, ‘I surrender,’ or, ‘It wasn’t worth crossing blades,’ and run off. Anyone would be in a bad mood after dealing with that nonsense."

As the stall owner continued, Agafon’s fur bristled with irritation.

"And here’s the worst part," the owner continued. "These guys would then go to the taverns and brag. They’d say stuff like, ‘I fought Yuu Satou from Nameless and he was a worthy opponent,’ or, ‘I lost, but it was a good fight,’ and that’s still the decent ones! Others would claim, ‘He acknowledged my strength and withdrew,’ or, ‘I could have won, but I let him off because of his position.’ Those who got a bit too carried away... well, I heard your guild’s maids took care of them, beat them to a pulp! Hahaha!"

Hearing this, the tension in Agafon’s fur slowly eased as he listened to the stall owner’s laughter.

"Still, there were a few among them who were incredibly strong... I was there once when it happened, and honestly, it didn’t seem like a sparring match... it looked more like they were trying to kill him. Well, maybe I'm just a novice, but... whoa!?"

Suddenly, Agafon shot up from his seat. His movement was so abrupt that the stall owner, despite the counter between them, almost toppled over.

"We can’t just sit here!"

"Wait for me!"

"Agafon, stop right there!"

Agafon sprinted off, with Babe and Monique chasing after him. The stall owner, half-raising his hand, tried to call out, "Hey, your bill—" but he stopped short, looking at Flavia and the others who remained seated.

"Aren't you going to follow them?" he asked.

"Our leader would never lose."

"Indeed. Odono-sama wouldn’t be bested by a group like that."

"And from what we just heard, it sounds like the whole thing is already over."

Unlike the excited Agafon, Flavia, Otope, and Yarm were calm and composed.

"But he's your leader, right?"

"Indeed. Agafon is unquestionably our party leader."

"We trust him. He’s reliable."

"I don’t trust him, nyah. That guy used to be real trouble."

"Oh? So, he was a little rascal back then? And I bet you—"

"As if I’d ever get bullied by someone like Agafon, nyah!"

"Eep, just kidding."

The sharp hiss from Flavia’s outburst made the stall owner immediately apologize.

"He used to gather up others like him, nyah."

"Oh, the type that plays the king of the hill, huh?"

The stall owner felt validated in his assumption, but then...

"And they used to attack the human knights, nyah."

"W-w-wait a minute, you mean to say they were more than just pranksters?"

"Lots of people died, nyah. But Agafon didn’t stop. Even when adults tried to punish him, it didn’t faze him at all, nyah."

The stall owner was left speechless, shocked by just how wild Agafon’s youth had been.

"But he doesn't seem like that now."

"That’s thanks to our leader. Agafon got half-beaten to death by Odono-sama countless times before he finally straightened out."

"Yikes."

"As expected of Odono-sama."

"Without a doubt."

"Otherwise, there’s no way we’d let him be our party leader."

The Adventurers' Guild in the city of Kammer.

It was already one of the largest guilds in the area, but following a certain conflict that left its second floor half-destroyed, it was currently undergoing renovations. Even now, scaffolding was set up as many workers busied themselves with construction.

At the guild's various entrances, adventurers constantly flowed in and out, like a tide, as if the building itself was breathing.

"The guild here is massive, and the number of adventurers is off the charts," Kou muttered, scanning the surroundings from the lobby on the first floor. The rest of Kyokusei Shaue was gathered around the table with him.

For the past two weeks, Kyokusei Shaue had focused solely on gathering intel. The reason was simple: countless adventurers and mercenaries had been challenging Yuu, and they had all agreed that it wasn’t the right time to approach him yet.

"Kou, for the love of the gods, don’t even think about using ‘Analyze’ to check their stats," Pari warned with a sharp look.

"I know, I know. I can read the room, alright?"

Kou’s usual lighthearted tone was absent, and instead, his voice carried a certain tension. After all, he had seen many high-ranking adventurers and mercenaries since arriving in Kammer. Even with his skill, using ‘Analyze’ from this distance would be detected instantly. The people here were no amateurs—they were top-level warriors.

"So that’s Yuu Sato?"

"Really? He’s just a kid."

Atou’s gaze was fixed on the center of the lobby, where the most prominent, largest round table held Yuu and his companions.

"Sitting right in the most obvious spot, huh?"

It wasn’t just Atou’s group who wanted to make contact with Yuu. Adventurers from several other parties scattered around the lobby were also watching him closely. But none of them made a move, each warily eyeing the others.

Then, someone broke the stalemate.

"Idio-san!"

One of the adventurers who had been watching Yuu stood up and called out as a new group entered the lobby.

"Over here!"

Idio, leading a group of rough-looking men, swaggered in. But no one in the room mistook them for mere thugs. The quality of their gear was beyond the reach of ordinary adventurers, and their movements—though aggressive—were precise, betraying their extensive combat experience.

"Is that...?"

"So that’s the guy, huh."

As soon as Idio saw Yuu, a sneer crept across his face.

"Heh, all this for just one kid?"

"Yeah. One hundred billion."

"Looks like this is mine. The hundred billion's going straight to Idio of Voracious Zeromut."

"No doubt about it. That brat’ll be easy pickings for Idio-san."

"We’ve already got our guys covering all the exits. There’s no way he’s getting away."

"Alright, let’s do this."

With lecherous grins plastered on their faces, Idio and his gang began making their way toward Yuu’s table.

"Hey, the Voracious Zeromut is moving! We should—"

"Wait."

Just as Kou was about to jump to his feet, Atou grabbed his arm and held him back.

"What are you doing? Look, everyone else is starting to move!"

"Something’s off."

In a situation like this, with a bunch of outsider adventurers flexing their muscles, there should have been an atmosphere filled with bloodlust or insults. But what Atou sensed from the crowd wasn’t malice—it was something closer to pity.

"Hey, kid, you Yuu Sato? I’m Idio from Voracious Zeromut."

Standing over Yuu, still seated, Idio lightly patted Yuu on the head.

"This makes me look like some kind of bully, doesn’t it? Hey, don’t you guys think so?"

"Gahahaha! Totally!"

"Yeah, you’re actually bullying him!"

"Look, he's got tears in his eyes!"

"Aw, is the little boy scared and about to cry?"

The rowdy guild lobby fell silent, with every eye now on Yuu. Nina and the others were by his side, but they remained quiet. Even Marifa and Namari seemed unsure of what to do, as if they were confused about how to react to the situation.

"Wow, that really is black hair. Creepy."

"I think I can handle this kid by myself."

"Yeah, same here."

"The girls he's with are young, but they look pretty fine."

"Hey, after this is done, I can take one of the girls, right?"

"Hold on, don’t start making decisions on your own. We’ll end up fighting over it later."

Despite the lewd chatter coming from Voracious Zeromut, Yuu and his companions remained silent.

"Huh?"

Idio and his men, who had been laughing loudly, suddenly became serious when they noticed Yuu starting to stand up.

"Hey! Who said you could—"

Slowly, Yuu began to rise from his chair. Idio, annoyed by Yuu’s lack of response to their taunts, tried to press Yuu down with his right hand, applying more force as Yuu ignored him.

"You little...!"

The men around Idio, sensing something wrong, called out, "Idio-san?" But Idio had more pressing concerns. Even though his arm muscles bulged with effort and veins popped out, he couldn’t stop Yuu from standing up. Despite being a large man, around 190 centimeters tall, and putting all his strength into holding Yuu down, he couldn’t do it.

"You bastard!"

As Yuu finally stood up, the once loud and confident lackeys of Idio fell silent.

And then—

"Who do you think you’re touching so casually?!"

In a reversal, Yuu placed his hand on Idio’s head. Idio tried to brush Yuu’s hand away, but no matter how much strength he used, he couldn’t move Yuu’s left hand.

"You little brat!"

Embarrassed in front of all the adventurers—and his own men—Idio, now desperate, grabbed Yuu’s left arm with both hands and pulled with all his might, but it didn’t budge.

Moreover—

"What’s wrong? Is that your best? Try harder."

The pressure from Yuu’s arm slowly increased, and as it did, Idio’s head began to lower.

"Don’t mess with me!!"

With a beast-like roar, Idio threw a punch with his left hand. His gauntlet, made from Damascus steel, covered not just his forearm and knuckles but even his fingers. A punch from it was no laughing matter—it could kill someone if it landed directly.

(I killed him. Well, I can come up with an excuse later—wait... what? Why isn’t anyone saying anything?!)

With his head forcibly lowered, Idio couldn’t see the reactions of those around him, and the lack of response from his men made him suspicious.

"What the hell just happened? Atou, do you know?"

"I have no idea what’s going on either."

"How is he unhurt? It didn’t look like he dodged that punch."

"I told you, I don’t know!"

Idio’s punch, even from his awkward position, carried enough speed and power that it should have done serious damage. But Yuu was unscathed, which made no sense to Atou.

(Could it be a combat technique? No, I would have noticed. A barrier? That’s even more impossible. Yuu Sato is a frontline fighter, and even if he could use a barrier, he wouldn’t be able to deploy it that fast.)

Sweat trickled down Atou’s back, and beside him, Pari was retching, his nerves getting the better of him.

"Hmm, so you’ve had some experience in fights," Yuu commented.

"Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?!"

That was the last thing Idio said before losing consciousness.

Yuu’s right fist had buried itself deep into Idio’s face, which had been forcibly lowered to waist level. The sound of flesh crushing and bones shattering echoed through the guild’s lobby.

Yuu’s fist had sunk in all the way to his wrist, leaving Idio’s face so mangled that even his lackeys could barely recognize him.

"Are you guys not going to take a shot?"

Yuu asked Idio’s lackeys, but none of them answered. They were still in shock, unable to believe that the strongest and most important member of Voracious Zeromut—Idio—had been taken down in a single blow.

"Fine. Follow me. We’re going outside. It’ll be too much trouble if we fight here and disturb the guild."

"We... we—"

Before Atou, who had locked eyes with Yuu, could finish his sentence—

"Just come. No one’s going to run, and I’m not letting anyone escape."

Even the other adventurers and mercenaries, who had been planning to back up Voracious Zeromut, stood frozen, unable to move.

"Or maybe I should say it more clearly: If you run, I’ll kill you."

Resigned or perhaps accepting their fate, they silently followed Yuu as he dragged Idio’s body behind him, heading toward the training grounds.