#1280 Junior’s Adventure – The Crisis of Being Absent 

“The Terra Beast showed up in the Human Kingdom, too…?!” 
“Terra Beast? What’s that? Ohhh, is that what the Farm Kingdom calls those monsters? That sounds badass.” 

― “Yeah, well, turns out exporting dragon fertilizer overseas backfired. The foreign currency was nice though.” 
 ― “Who told you to do that on your ownnnnnnnnnn?!” 

Inside my head, Imaginary Mom and Imaginary Dad are already having a marital spat. 
And honestly, I bet my mental image is spot-on with reality down to the millimeter. 

“Hey Shaldot, Shaldot! Junior’s place calls those monsters Terra Beast! Isn’t that cool?” 
“That’s sickkkk! Let’s call ’em that too!!!” 

While I’m standing there reminiscing about my distant homeland, Shaldot and Hibina are having the kind of conversation you’d expect from middle schoolers. 

“You don’t have to get so worked up, Junyaa. Terra Beast almost never attack settlements. Today will probably just end with us watching, that’s all.” 

Hibina blurts it out like it’s nothing. 

And she’s probably right. Terra Beast are just pseudo-creatures born from overflowing dragon power. 
They don’t have willpower or self-awareness; they’re just mindlessly drifting about. 

If one crashes into a village, it’s really nothing but sheer coincidence. 
Pretty much like any other natural disaster. 

That’s why the adventurers’ quest here is basically a precaution against the worst-case scenario. 
And honestly, the fact they can mobilize this many people just in case is amazing. 
There are dozens here. 

“If it just passes by without incident, our mission’s complete. Then we head back to the capital and pick up the welcome party where we left off!” 

You want to drink again?! 
We already drank last night! Why do drunks want to drink every single day?! 

“Because the booze is there!” 

Stop applying the ‘because it’s there’ logic to everything! 

“Uh, hey, Shaldot?” 
“What is it, Hibina? And no, I’m not paying for your drinks. We’re splitting the bill.” 
“Not that! About the Terra Beast…” 
“Hm?” 
“Isn’t it… walking straight toward us?” 

Everyone turns at Hibina’s words... Sure enough, that massive disaster-beast is stomping closer and closer, shaking the ground. 

And right behind us is the royal capital. 
Which means if it’s headed toward us… it’s headed straight for the capital. 

“Yeah, no mistaking it. It’s walking in a straight line… right here.” 
“So, if it keeps going like that…!” 

The capital’s going to get trampled. 
At best, the city will be devastated. At worst, it’ll be completely erased like getting run over by a battleship on wheels. 

“Well… I guess our being here on alert wasn’t for nothing, huh?” 

Shaldot says it, but sweat is running down his jaw. 

No. There’s no way we can let even a scratch reach the capital, let alone a disaster. 
Every adventurer present suddenly tenses up. 

“Wh-Wh-Wh-What do we do, Shaldot?!” 
“You’re the highest-ranking adventurer here! You’ve gotta take charge!” 

Panic spreads among the gathered adventurers. 
I get it. Most of them probably thought this would just be a cakewalk; to watch the thing go by, then call it a day. 

“Well...the guild didn’t expect a direct hit either, so they put me in charge since I’m the highest-ranked here. But normally, not even I could handle a monster that big! After all...I’m just… A-rank!!!” 

“No way anybody short of S-rank can handle that thing!” 
That was Shaldot’s blunt, maybe even shameless remark. 

At his nonchalance, the ordinary adventurers around him only panicked more. 
Meanwhile, the giant beast kept stomping closer with a thoom, thoom. 

“Th-Th-Th-Then let’s hurry and call for an S-rank adventurer! If the capital’s in danger, surely they’ll rush right over, right?!” 
“You idiot! If S-ranks came running the moment you called, they wouldn’t be worth calling S-rank, would they?!” 

Is this really the time to be debating their prestige? 

“Besides, there aren’t even ten S-ranks in the whole world. Every one of them is either plunging into unexplored dungeons or trekking through uncharted lands. Just contacting them is a nightmare. They’re not the kind of people who just happen to be hanging around nearby!” 

Rare adventurers chasing rare treasures. S-ranks themselves are like rare creatures. 

“Gyaaaaaah! Then what do we do?!” 
“If S-ranks can’t make it, then nobody can stop that monster! Waaaaah, it’s over, we’re doomed!!!” 

Panic finally overwhelms the ordinary adventurers. 

“Silence! Stop your whining! We are adventurers! What good are we if we crumble at the first sign of danger?!” 

That sharp rebuke came from Shaldot, radiating the authority of an A-rank. 

“Even when faced with a hopeless crisis, we must keep calm, think, and find the path to survival! That is the true way of the adventurer! Fear not! I, A-rank adventurer Shaldot, have a secret plan!” 
“Oooh!” “As expected of an A-rank! Maybe not S-rank, but still so reliable! What an inspiration!” 

Everyone raises their voices in praise of Shaldot. 
And that secret plan of his is... 

“Think about it. The Guildmaster is right here in the capital, isn’t he?” 
“Huh? Well… yes…?” “Of course he is. The capital is the headquarters of the Adventurer’s Guild.” 

The regular adventurers mutter in confusion. 
Could it be…? 

“Some of you may not know, but the Guildmaster was once an adventurer, too. The previous Silver Wolf, that was him!” 
“What?! But I thought Silver Wolf meant Corey! Was it a passed-down title?!” 
“Bro Corey only inherited the title with the Guildmaster’s blessing. The original Silver Wolf, the one who swept through the world and stood at the top of all adventurers, was none other than the current Guildmaster himself!” 

The former Silver Wolf had stepped down from the front lines and taken up the mantle of guild master… 

“He may be retired, but his power as a former S-rank is still there! Plus, as the Guildmaster, his location is guaranteed! For paperwork reasons, if nothing else!” 
“Ohhh, true!” 
“If we report the capital’s in danger, even the Guildmaster won’t be able to sit still! We’ll get to see the strength of the once-greatest adventurer again!” 

...So basically, his “plan” is hand it off to someone else. 

“I’ve already sent word! Now we just have to wait for the Guildmaster! Rejoice, everyone, the hero of yesteryear is on his way!!!” 

Shaldot hypes the place up. 

“Yeahhhhhhh!! He’s coming! He’s comingggg!!!” 
“I never respected the Guildmaster before, but he’s my number one idol from today!!!” 
“My new life goal: become the Guildmaster!” 
“Please, let me be your discipleeeee!!!” 

Soon, the whole camp is whipped into a frenzy. 

Then, a figure comes running from the direction of the capital. 

“That’s gotta be him! The Guildmaster himself!” 
"Called and came right away! Fast, skilled, reliable! That’s true adventurer power!” 

But when the runner actually arrives, everyone is thrown into confusion. 

Because it’s not the Guildmaster. It’s Sarimel, the receptionist. 
Normally stuck behind a desk, now completely out of breath from a desperate sprint, sweat pouring down her face. 

“Sarimel? Why are you here? We called the Guildmaster!” 
“Hhhff—hhff— The… the Guild Ma… the Guildfa—hhffhhf!!!” 

Deep breaths first. Calm down before you speak. 

“The Guildmaster did stand up to rush here right away... but in doing so, his back gave out...” 
“What?” 
“Basically… he strained his back!!!” 

... 
A painful silence follows, filled only by the beast’s earth-shaking footsteps. 
Thoom. Thoom. 

“So… the Guildmaster?” 
“Of course he can’t come. He’s in the guild infirmary receiving intensive care.” 

...And then silence breaks into screams. 

“It’s over! We’re doomeeeeeeed!” 
“Our hope is goneeeeee!” 
“Damn you Guildmaster! I knew you weren’t worth respecting!” 

Hey now. The poor guy’s been behind a desk for years, of course he’s stiff. If he suddenly forces himself, something’s gonna snap. 
It’s hard for me to really grasp at my age, but still. 

Silver Wolf has been retired for over a decade. There’s no way he’d still have the same peak strength forever. 

Which means this problem has to be solved by today’s adventurers, by those of us who are still active. 

And besides… this whole disaster started because of our farm residents’ careless actions. 

I can’t just stand by and let it spiral into catastrophe. If responsibility lies with the farm, then as Saint Kidan’s son, I have to make it right. 

Junior enters the fray!