Chapter 48 - Exploration Team 9 (1/2)
Translator: Athena13
Editor: Silavin
Proofreader: p4553r
On the next day, Akira went to the first floor of the building that was connected to the Kuzusuhara ruin’s underground city. That building was the forward HQ for the Hunters who went to the underground city.
Akira already fully refilled his ammo in s.h.i.+zuka’s shop yesterday. s.h.i.+zuka looked worried when he came to her shop and bought all the CWH anti-material rifle’s special ammo, although he already did that the day before too.
In order to rea.s.sure s.h.i.+zuka, Akira said that he always kept his distance and shot the monsters from afar. It was exactly because he was thinking of keeping his safety that he bought all of the special ammo. He was somehow able to convince her after explaining it to her as such.
Akira was not lying. To be more precise, he knew that he was doing such a dangerous thing which left him with no other choice but to do this to ensure his safety.
s.h.i.+zuka’s intuition picked up something suspicious, but she just told Akira to be careful and to be sure to return back alive while smiling gently at him. She did not say anything more than that. After all, it was not like she could tell him not to go.
As Akira entered a room inside the HQ, the HQ staff inside the room immediately noticed him. He was the same staff who a.s.signed Akira to defensive point 14.
“Number 27, you’re finally here. Exploration team or extermination team, pick one.”
Akira looked puzzled. Yesterday, he was given the choice to either join the defense team or the exploration team, but this time, he was not given an option to join the defense team.
“Can I join the defense team again? If it’s possible, I want to join the defense team again just like yesterday.”
“No can do. Exploration team or extermination team. You can’t pick the defense team. It’s because of the skill that you showed yesterday, the HQ thinks that it would be a waste to a.s.sign you to the defense team. Aren’t you glad that we think highly of your skill?”
“…Wait for a sec, if you’re going to evaluate me from my performance yesterday, you should evaluate it as a part of the defense team.”
“Well, it’s not like I can do anything about it anyway. It was the people on the top who decided that. There’s nothing I can do about it no matter how much you complain. So just give up and choose either of the two… Well, although the level of danger varies, I believe that there is not much difference.”
Akira hesitated. If he did not want to travel around an uncharted area, he should join the extermination team. But if he hated the idea of fighting Yarata scorpion swarms or charging into their nest, then he should join the exploration team.
Since it seemed that Akira would not be able to decide on anything soon, Alpha made a suggestion to him.
“You might be able to avoid fighting monsters if you join the exploration team, but on the other hand, you might be thrown into unexpected battles. As for the extermination team, they should have better firepower to fight the monsters, but there’s no mistaking it that you would have to fight monsters. After all, that’s the main job of the extermination team. If you want to make sure you have enough support in case you get to face something like yesterday again, I recommend you join the extermination team.”
Akira made his decision and said to the HQ staff.
“I’ll join the exploration team.”
“…Alright… That’s it, it’s done. Follow the instructions on your terminal and go to the defensive point 19. Then follow your next order there.”
“Roger that.”
As Akira turned around and headed to the defensive point 19. That staff looked at Akira’s back while making a puzzled face.
The terminal on that staff’s hand was showing the data about Akira.
“…This’s the boy who Kibayas.h.i.+ endorsed. He is also the one who signed the ammo waiver. Lastly, the one who’s a.s.signing this boy’s post is also him… This must be the same Kibayas.h.i.+, huh. In short, it’s him who sent that boy here. To think that reckless guy really took a liking to this boy… I’m not sure if this boy is actually lucky or not…”
Kibayas.h.i.+ was affiliated with both Hunter Office and Kugamayama city. He was in a position where he had the veto right in this underground city exploration joint operation. This Kibayas.h.i.+ guy who had met Akira in the past was pretty infamous.
To go out in the world and return back alive, or to go out in the world and die, Kibayas.h.i.+ loved such lifestyle and he believed that the Hunters who considered this as their way of life shone the brightest. He was famous among his peers for proactively pus.h.i.+ng the Hunters who he was interested in and helping them live such a way of life.
There were Hunters who had the skill but not the opportunities, these Hunters wished for a chance to overturn their lives. When Kibayas.h.i.+ found these Hunters, he would gleefully offer them high-risk high return requests. To these Hunters, his offer was very attractive. There were only 2 possible outcomes for those Hunters, either win big or lose big.
Most of the Hunters who took such offer from Kibayas.h.i.+ ended up dead. Even those Hunters who had the potential to grow successful if they were given more time. Some of them went out searching for glory and returned triumphantly, while some of them died in pursuit of greater glory.
“I don’t know if he should be happy with this chance or should he hate it. He might still be alive if he did not take this request. After all, when it comes to gambling, it’s easier for him to lose his bet the more he gambles.”
That staff looked like he felt sorry for Akira as he mumbled.
On his way to the underground city, Alpha asked Akira.
“Akira, is it okay if I ask you why you chose the exploration team? If you want to avoid unexpected fights like yesterday, it’s better if you join the extermination team, right?”
“But in exchange, I would have to use a lot of CWH special ammo. I want to retain as much ammo as possible, you see. Moreover, if I join the extermination team and something like yesterday happened, they might think that I’m a very skilled Hunter and force me to fight monsters that I can’t fight without special ammo. I want to avoid that no matter what.”
Akira and Alpha stared at each other.
Akira’s answer somehow sounded like an excuse to her.
“What? It’s true that I can get more experience if I join the extermination team, but it would be meaningless if I die, am I wrong?”
“You’ll be contributing to her revenue if you buy a lot of CWH special ammo from s.h.i.+zuka’s shop, but on the other hand, it’ll make her worried every time you do that. You prioritized the latter, didn’t you?”
Akira could not answer back, Alpha then continued.
“It’s not like I’m blaming you for picking that option. But if you ask me, I would rather you get yourself better equipment and get strong enough as soon as possible so that you can take out Yarata Scorpion’s swarms like they’re nothing. That way, you don’t have to worry about anything.”
“…Well, you’re right.”
Akira replied back swiftly and bluntly.
—*—*—*—
Akira arrived at defensive point 19. The defensive point 19 was located in a big hall in the underground city. It was placed there in order to secure the uncharted area around it.
There were multiple Hunters stationed here in order to protect this important defensive point. It was also used as a place for the exploration and the extermination team to rest. Because of that, the hall was bustling with Hunters.
There were some staffs from the HQ in the middle of the hall giving orders to the Hunters. Akira followed the instructions on his terminal and headed to the centre of the hall, one of the staff noticed Akira and called him.
“You’re number 27, right? The exploration team that you’re going to join is in the midst of an exploration right now. Wait here for a bit until they’re back. You can do anything you want as long as you stay in this hall. If you have nothing to do, you can at least help us watch the place and clean up any Yarata Scorpions that you see.”
“Roger that.”
Akira looked for an empty s.p.a.ce and moved there, leaving the staff alone.
That staff took out his terminal and contacted the exploration team.
“This is defensive point 19. Exploration team 9, answer me.”
A girl’s voice was heard from the terminal.
“This is exploration team number 9. Isn’t it a bit too soon for the regular report? Is there anything wrong?”
“The extra Hunter that you requested has arrived. Come back here if you want to pick him up.”
A guy’s voice suddenly interjected it, inquiring about that new Hunter.
“It better be someone useful, alright? We have enough people for scanning the area, what we need is more firepower, you know?”
“Don’t be picky. Well, he took out a whole load of Yarata Scorpions yesterday. I’m sure he’ll be useful. If you don’t like him, you can just choose the same guys that you chose before. Don’t you realize that we went through all the ha.s.sle in picking him because you didn’t want to go with those previous guys?”
That guy then replied back in annoyance.
“I would rather go alone than bringing those guys along.”
Then the voice returned back to the girl from before.
“We’ll head back to the defensive point. Be ready to receive the data that we gathered. That’s all.”
The staff ended the call. He then turned to another staff and said.
“Exploration team 9 will return soon. Be ready to send the data to HQ. Even if the data conversion from the previous one is not over yet, be sure to at least properly receive the new data!”
“Yessir!!”
The other staff saluted him and left to make the preparations. That staff looked at his terminal and mumbled.
“Well, looking at that boy’s battle record from yesterday, I’m sure it will be alright.”
His terminal was showing the Hunter data for Akira. But the thing that worried him the most was Kibayas.h.i.+’s name there.
Akira did not look that strong from the outside, but even so, he got recommended for this dangerous request, and the one who recommended him was the reckless-lifestyle-lover Kibayas.h.i.+. His name made that staff doubt Akira’s ability, but he then decided to trust Akira’s battle record from yesterday.
Akira looked around and checked the area around the defensive point.
The route that he took to that place was very well illuminated, but the other areas around that place were still pitch black. The underground city was wrapped in darkness without any lighting. Akira did not know whether they did not install illuminations in the other places because they just ran out of illuminations or because those areas were not safe yet.
Among all the Hunters who were guarding or just resting in that hall, Akira found some familiar faces. It was Katsuya’s group.
“So those guys are also a.s.signed here, huh.”
“It seems to be so. But Akira, now that we know they’re here, let’s put more distance from them.”
“Why should I do that?”
“It will only cause trouble if they approach you again.”
“…Alright.”
Akira could not refute Alpha’s words, so he moved to the opposite side of the hall from Katsuya’s group. He then just stayed there while watching his surroundings.
As Akira was wondering if he could get lucky such that he would just have to stay in that place until he finished his s.h.i.+ft, all of a sudden someone called him from behind.
“Akira!”
Akira turned to the source of that voice and saw Sara walking towards him while lightly waving at him.
Akira went to meet Sara. He made a slight bow and asked.