The girl's expression remained calm, as though she were casually discussing last night's dinner.
"According to historical records, the mage from the Hero Squad that once saved the world wielded an S-tier offensive Talent called Absolute Frost."
"At the time, she awakened as a player while being besieged in a city by a horde of level 8 to 9 zombie monsters. With only her level 1 stats and the explosive power of her S-tier Talent, she wiped out the entire group."
"The number of zombies was conservatively estimated to exceed 30."
"If the individual responsible for the events in this test instance awakened an S-tier fire-based offensive Talent, it's not impossible that they could eliminate more than ten level 10 Enhanced Goblins in one strike."
Members of the Heaven - Hunting Team were carefully selected, with the minimum threshold being a B-tier Talent. This also gave them access to classified information such as the records of S-tier Talent performances.
But…
As the girl's words settled in, the room grew silent.
Then, one by one, people began to look at her as though she were utterly insane.
"That's impossible! The last S-tier Talent awakening happened three years ago."
"Ever since the end of the great turmoil and the arrival of the peace era, the global average has been one S-tier Talent awakened every ten years. And now you're saying we've got one right here in Keller City?"
"You're seriously claiming that the Scarlet Tide unleashed by your Heaven - Hunting Team just happened to mutate this instance, and that it just happened to house someone with an S-tier Talent? And that this person just happened to be someone completely unknown to the Republic?"
…
The first reaction of everyone present was disbelief!
An A-tier Talent, while rare, was at least something people could encounter.
But an S-tier Talent? That was the stuff of myths and legends.
However…
After a round of heated debate, everyone found themselves silenced by the girl's calm demeanor as she leisurely sucked on her lollipop.
No, something wasn't right.
But if this explanation was rejected, then how else could the Enhanced Goblins have been killed?
If all other possibilities were ruled out, then the girl's explanation was the only one left standing.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room shifted dramatically.
Expressions varied across the board.
The staff members looked terrified.
The existence of an S-tier Talent…
Was this something they were even supposed to know about? Were they about to be silenced?
Hammill, on the other hand, was first struck dumb, then overcome with uncontainable joy.
An S-tier Talent, undiscovered by the Republic and belonging to a player below level 10?
Everyone knew the lands outside the cities were extremely perilous.
Only players in their 30s or 40s dared to traverse the wilderness between cities on foot.
Teleportation arrays, on the other hand, required players to be at least level 20 to activate. This meant that this newly awakened S-tier Talent was undoubtedly a local of Keller City!
Holy crap!!
Hammill, the city lord, was utterly dumbfounded.
Just moments ago, he had been panicking, worried about the potential fallout if the young master of the Lancelot family met his end in the city.
But now? Not only was he safe, but Hammill was about to soar to new heights!
To uncover and present an S-tier Talent to the Republic… What kind of rewards would that bring him?
And if, as a second-tier player himself, he used all his resources to nurture or even control this S-tier Talent, what kind of unimaginable returns could he expect?
Hammill couldn't help but swallow hard, his body trembling with excitement.
"Investigate! Get me the details of everyone who entered the instance earlier!" he barked.
The staff froze for a moment, then dashed out of the room like their lives depended on it. Officially, they were going to gather intel. In reality, they were scrambling to alert their families, desperate to secure some leverage in case they were silenced later.
Hammill, in his euphoric state, didn't immediately think about keeping the matter secret. He only realized what was happening after a few seconds, watching the fleeing staff members.
Narrowing his eyes, he let out a cold chuckle.
"Trying to run?"
He gestured, summoning the leather-armored player to his side.
"Seal off the Adventure Association!"
"No one is allowed to leave!"
"Shut down all telecommunications signals I don't want a single whisper about an S-tier Talent escaping this city."
"Understood! I'll see it done!"
The leather-armored player rushed out, moving swiftly to carry out the orders. Hammill himself planted himself in front of the monitors, personally combing through the data.
He vowed to find the identity of this S-tier Talent before anyone else.
Meanwhile, the girl from the Heaven - Hunting Team remained seated in a nearby chair.
She idly swung her pale legs, her expression contemplative.
If only Hammill knew that she had already sent news of the potential S-tier Talent to the Heaven - Hunting Team's headquarters well before sharing her analysis.
And, of course, she had cashed in her contribution points for the reward.
Perhaps it feels a bit too anticlimactic?
At this moment, it wasn't just Keller City's Adventure Association in chaos.
In the southwestern district of the Republic's capital, a high-rise building stood buzzing with activity the headquarters of the Heaven - Hunting Team.
"What? An S-tier Talent has appeared?"
"Dispatch someone immediately!"
"No! I'll go myself! I'll personally take them as my disciple!"
"Wait a second. Weren't you interested in Avril? Didn't you say her Talent might meet your standards?"
"Avril? Ha! What's she compared to this? She only might awaken an S-tier Talent someday!"
One after another, these individuals each exuding an overwhelmingly powerful aura began bickering amongst themselves.
For a moment, it felt as though the very heavens and earth had shifted.
...
At this moment, Raziel had no idea that his casual test of strength had caused an entire city—no, even a whole country—to fall into turmoil!
Meanwhile, he was already aboard a transport pod heading out of the city, ready to hunt monsters and officially become a player.
Next to Raziel were two enormous backpacks, packed full of overnight essentials like sleeping bags, sheets, supplies, and a mountain of food and toiletries.
Clearly, Raziel was planning for a long-term expedition outside the city.
He had no intention of returning any time soon. Instead, he aimed to grind hard in the wilderness, boosting his level significantly.
After all, Raziel couldn't risk exposing himself by killing the official Academy-provided slimes to activate his player status.
He intended to test his Talent properly during his debut.
As for the cumbersome backpacks, while they might slow him down temporarily, Raziel wasn't worried.
The moment he killed any monster, he would officially become a player and unlock his inventory space, allowing him to store everything safely.
Lost in thought, he gazed out the window at the flickering scenery, his heart brimming with excitement and anticipation.
Outside of human settlements and towns, the world belonged entirely to monsters.
This was Raziel's first time venturing into the wilderness.
"Hey, kid, where are these players you said were coming to meet you?"
The driver of the transport pod glanced back, breaking Raziel's train of thought.
"They're just up ahead," Raziel replied casually.
But the driver's expression turned skeptical.
"Kid, you're not planning to head out into the wild alone, are you?"
"You look like one of those students from the Player Academy. And judging by the huge packs you've brought, I'd wager you're not even an official player yet..."
"You heading into the wilderness alone is nothing short of a death sentence."
The driver, clearly concerned, tried to reason with him.
He, of course, wasn't afraid of the monsters after all, he was safely behind the controls of the transport pod.
The transport pod was a creation of the Republic, specifically designed for low-level players to venture safely into the wilderness over long distances.
Its exterior shell was reinforced with a protective energy field, rendering it impervious to attacks from monsters below level five.
However, the driver knew all too well what would happen once they reached their destination. If this young man encountered monsters after stepping off the pod, he'd likely be killed instantly.
As the driver, his job was strictly to transport passengers. There was no way he'd risk opening the pod's doors to save someone under attack.
"If you need money and want to hunt monsters for materials, there's really no need to do that."
"The only profitable items are those rare drops, and even then, monster corpses themselves don't sell for much."
Seeing that Raziel hadn't responded, the driver added a few more words of advice.
"Alright, fine. I'll be honest with you."
"There's no one coming to meet me," Raziel admitted calmly. "But if I'm heading into the wild, I obviously have my reasons."
"You've already taken my money, so if you refuse to take me there, I'll file a complaint."
The driver froze.
"You'll… file a complaint?"
"Forget it, forget it. No point reasoning with someone who's already signed their own death warrant."
Shaking his head in frustration, the driver gave up trying to dissuade him.
He'd encountered plenty of reckless youths like this one at least a dozen or so every year.
Most of them disappeared into the wilderness, never to return. A small handful made it back, battered and broken.
When asked, they'd admit they hadn't managed to hunt a single monster, let alone profit from loot drops.
The luckiest of them had only survived by stumbling into a pre-formed team, working as support to earn some experience.
Having seen this scenario play out so many times, the driver decided not to argue further. Plus, with the threat of a complaint hanging over his head, he had little choice but to continue the journey in silence.
The transport pod pressed on through the wilderness.
Suddenly, a series of deafening roars broke the stillness ahead.
"ROAR!!!"
"ROAR!!!"
Before the driver could react, a massive boulder came hurtling toward the pod, smashing into the transparent front window with a resounding clang!
The rock rebounded instantly, but not before the driver caught sight of their attackers a horde of monstrous, grotesque creatures made entirely of jagged stone, charging toward them with wild ferocity.
"Shit! Level-five monsters!"
The driver's face went pale, and despair washed over him.