Awakening to a Special-Grade Explorer
Vol. 5 - Ch. 232 - Arrival at the nick of time!

"Oh gosh, is that you, Tenji?! It's been a while."

After acquiring the supplies point, the said woman abruptly turned on her heel in the direction of those two.

Noticing one of them being an acquaintance, the woman cheerfully greeted Tenji in a loud voice.

Karen Tachibana---one of the three friends he had tackled the examination of Chariot with.

With her appearance, the members of the No.26 group that had once cleared that enrollment test together had now gathered in one place under the influence of final preliminary. Gouta Kusatsu from the association's management team, Contestant Katsunari Mizue of 'Chariot', Karen Tachibana as a rookie and completing the last piece being student Tenji Amagi of Japan Explorer High School.

Perhaps by the crux of fate, or was it an invisible force of inevitableness? The members of No.26th group had once again reunited.

(Wow, everyone has really made great strides in around one year. Though I didn't expect everyone to somehow be at one place again when even meeting a few was so impossible. I guess the unexpected really comes around when you least expect it.)

Tenji had read about her participation from the magazine, so he had long expected this reunion.

He had been hoping to meet Tachibana one day but facing her in the match literally was probably the last thing he had expected. However what astonished him more was it turned out the girl in Koro-chan's words was her.

Or maybe, it was also her current demure that had stunned Tenji.

Comparing her to Karen Tachibana of one year ago from his memory, her current self looked more 'professional' than ever. She must have met an excellent teacher, and also the proof of her own hard work.

It wasn't just Kusatsu and Mizue.

Knowing that she had also worked tirelessly without giving up on her dreams made Tenji happy. It was encouraging to know that he had several friends who were striving just as hard as he was.

"Yeah, it's really been a while, Tachibana-san! But man, you pulled the rug from under our feet so perfectly~."

"Ufufu~, this marks my first victory over you! Even a genius like you is far from chasing me! How is it? Are you surprised at the potential of your senior?"

Tachibana flashed a peace sign while chuckling.

As if her positivity had rubbed on him, Tenji scratched her head as if saying 'alright, you're the best' and walked toward her.

"Aww, it truly is a pity to let points slip away. From what I have heard, it seems like the contest between top rankers is quite a close struggle, eh?"

"Hee-hee, points are mine of course~. But supplies are apparently for everyone! 'Points are present for the fastest person' is written on a slip, and the other resources are to be divided among the first four people to arrive."

" "Huh?" "

Unwittingly, Kokugou and Tenji's cries of surprise echoed out, overlapping each other.

---At the same moment, the theme song of Seeker Olympic suddenly started to resound all over the place in a booming voice.

The contestants all looked up at the sky with surprised expressions like "Woah?! What now?"

A static noise crackled from the speakers. Soon, the lively voice of Supervising Professional Explorer---Renji Ukai could be heard.

<Ahem, this is Supervising Professional Explorer Ukai. I have confirmed the acquisition of all supplies points. First, congratulations to the winners! You have really outdid yourself! I had been on the edge of my seat this while time watching everyone's performance, it was the best!!>

Ukai's exhilarated voice reverberated from the speakers, suggesting he was truly enjoying the preliminary. If he was having fun, it was likely that the core fans watching were also entertained. It seemed like the 'A fun Seeker Olympic for everyone' that he always wanted was happening.

Faintly, Tenji also found himself grinning at the thought.

<But do you know, the sun is about to set soon, making it dangerous out there, so final Preliminary will be paused for now. Searching for any points starting now is forbidden!! Don’t underestimate the night forest. I don’t want anyone getting hurt. That said, you all are promising explorers as of now, so of course it's not going to be like calling it off to a hotel and then come back later tomorrow, alright? You have to secure your bedding and food ingredients by yourself, and prepare for tomorrow. ---With this, the first day is over, good job everyone! Give your all tomorrow too!!>

The sound of the speaker cutting off reached their ears.

For a moment, there was silence among the three. It was broken by Seiya Ori, who had just arrived a few seconds earlier.

"Huff......huff......so I am the 4th one? The voice earlier seemingly said the supplies are for everyone, is there my share too?"

"Of course! The instructions I saw said 'Points can only be acquired by first person, meanwhile the supplies are to be evenly distributed to the first four people to arrive.' It's just---"

After speaking so far, Tachibana's voice faintly falters.

Then, instead of continuing, she pulled a wooden box out of the white bag that had contained the supplies and showed the others its contents. Inside were 2 litres of water, carrots, onions, potatoes, and some cooking utensils.

"While it says to share, everything seems like one set to make curry however~. It seem like they're hinting us to cook it together, no?"

" " "......" " "

Why would the preliminary be suspended to make time for that? The doubt crossed everyone's mind when Tenji clapped his hands.

"I think the association wants us to get to know each other? A guild member that I have been indebted to also had told me to strike conversation with my peers etc."

"Ah, probably that's what they want. All contestants are above the league of their peers, so maybe we may also team up someday. Plus, by getting to know each other, this may make others re-think before sabotaging. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if this conversation is also being monitored, you know. Perhaps this is also why Renji Ukai set up this scene. I think Tenju is right on mark."

Surprisingly, Kokugou backed Tenji's claim with his own reasoning.

When they heard them, Ori and Tachibana also nodded to show their understanding and then immediately started their preparation for curry.

Sure enough, a student, when reached their level, was quick at assessing their surroundings and determining their roles.

Tenji, skilled in culinary, took charge of the cooking. Kokugou, whose hobby was solo camping, tended to the fire. Ori went to fetch water from a nearby stream he had spotted earlier. Tachibana, as the victor of the competition, was temporarily appointed leader and coordinated everyone's efforts.

With their precise teamwork, the curry was prepared in no time.

†　†　†

"Hey, Amagi......don't you think you're a bit too good at cooking?"

"Totally, he's a genius! So delish~."

"The more I look at you, the more you look amazing, Amagi-senpai. But why are you carrying around spices with yourself?"

"Ahaha, well you can say they're like......my relic? My master just happened to be a huge glutton you see."

As Tenji made a vague remark, Tachibana and Ori broke into a chuckle.

There'd been quite a lot of explorers who might be carrying salt with themselves, the spices were just another matter. It was especially unusual for someone to always have several types on hand.

Tenji had sprinkled spices onto the store-bought curry roux, along with the backdrop of a quiet forest and after an exercise moment, even the normal curry felt heavenly.

They licked their plate clean.

Afterward, they circled around the bonfire Kokugou lit up, revelling in the relaxing atmosphere.

What surprised Tenji was that Kokugou had taken the initiative to set up this gathering.

From what he had seen, Tenji thought---no, he was certain had Kokugou been his stubborn self from freshman year, he would surely had rejected any such suggestion. But who knows what pushed the change of heart that he actually pushed for socialising with each other, initiating conversations and reactions that kept things smooth. Perhaps, he might even have more potential as a leader or captain than Tachibana, the temporary leader.

If any guild had been watching this scene right now, they probably were going to look at him in a new light.

Silently holding on to this conviction, Tenju chimed in, suddenly steering the conversation toward a new topic.

"If it's alright with you, would you mind sharing how many points you have collected? As far as I had seen, the watermelons had all been hidden in really tricky spots, making it surprisingly hard to gather points. It felt more like a game of hide-and-seek than exploring."

This thing had been in his mind all the while; he truly found amassing points a challenging task.

"I guess this is a trial to take a look at a contestant's practical prowess rather than simply at their strength. Oh, and I have 48 points."

"I have 62 points! I would have been so deep in water without the present honestly......"

"Just what I had told earlier, I have 42 points. What about you, Amagi-senpai?"

Kokugou, Tachibana and Ori all truthfully revealed their point.

For a short while, Tenji seemed to have mumbled something to himself, his usual habit, before he looked at everyone again.

"I have just 50 points. As I had expected, everyone's points are pretty much in the same range. This is probably going to be a much closer struggle than I expected.."

"It seems so."

"I have felt so too. I don't think four of us here are any inferior to other contestants so it seems reasonable to assume that around 50 points is currently the top tier."

"Huh, but when I happened to see Mizue-kun around two hours ago and asked him, he replied 'Me? I have 89 points'! Uh-huh, I guess this is the disparity between us amateurs and him who is active in the frontline as a bonafide professional, but I can be relieved that at least he seemed to be an outlier after hearing everyones. I wonder if he has already crossed 100 points mark."

The casual remark from Tachibana seized the other three by surprise.

Kokugou, Ori and Tenji were definitely among the top dogs in this final preliminary. Considering Tachibana's initial score of 22 points before receiving the present boost, these three had the ability to advance to the main event.

Yet, surpassing them by a huge lead was professional explorer Katsunari Mizue.

Mizue could have had some detection related ability, but with how the preliminary was laid out, it needed raw talent more than just a fluke to make reach at this stage. To rephrase it again, no explorer specialised in detection primarily could have made it out too far.

"Katsunari Mizue......He's the guy who, as an amateur, passed the Chariot entrance exam with flying colours a year ago and immediately awakened to his true calling, then he was promoted to Team A a few months after. Though the title and grade of his calling was kept secret."

"You're right, Kokugou-senpai. I haven't heard anyone talking about it either."

"Sure enough. Hmm, I guess he’s more like a cadet in the A-team still. He's only a year older than us, so this tournament is probably a sort of training for him—"

"Hmm? I heard Mizue-kun is going to start as the vice-commander of the first assault team though."

"What?!"

The news struck like thunder to Kokugou, the wooden cup in his grasp falling to the ground. Ori was no less surprised, his mouth opened agape, frozen from shock.

<Chariot>'s Team A was a world-renowned elite group, and joining it was an extremely steep journey.

Team A was split into five groups, from first to fifth. And when it comes to the first squad, no more than seven members have been allowed to hold the title of being its member, so in this sense they're the topmost force of the guild. The vice-president of such an illustrious group, needless to say, should have to be the holder of stellar might.

So if Mizue, who was still having his 2nd year in Chariot, was truly selected as its vice-commander, then it was global news.

"Woah, your words! Tachibana-san, hold them!"

"Huh? ......Ack, I'm sorry! No, just act as if you haven't heard it."

Yes, the news had yet to be disclosed.

Having forged deep ties of friendship with the No.26 group since that day, Mizue had thought it to inform Tachibana and Tenji about this news. Just a short two weeks ago, a short message---"I'm going to be appointed as the vice-commander of Team A's first squad starting next month. Of course, this isn't the end point for sure." was sent into the group chat of No.26 group.

With Tenji quickly signalling Tachibana, Kokugou finally regained his calmness, picked up the fallen cup and wiped the dirty rim.

Then he shed a sharp gaze toward Tenji and Tachibana.

"How do you get your hands on such classified information? The promotion information about Team A of Chariot is something the media would lap at it with no delay, and we're talking about here a newbie ascending to the position of First Group's vice-commander, no less than an oddity."

'W-What to do?' Techibana hurled perplexed glances Tenji's way.

Then naturally, Kokugou's sharp gaze turned to Tenji.

Feeling a bit intimidated by his gaze, Tenji let out a sigh, seemingly ready to talk.

"I can't reveal much about the entrance exam due to the contract but Mizue-kun, Tachibana-sana and I...oh, and Kusatsu-san of association had taken the entrance examination of Chariot together a year ago. At the end, Mizue-kun qualified for it."

"I see, I didn't expect this angle but that does make sense."

"Oh, and Tenji-kun also did pass the exam too though! Well, I fumbled there, ahaha!"

"Come again?!?!"

"For real, Amagi-senpai too?!

Tachibana was really the type of girl to say things when unneeded. She wasn't loose-lipped, however she did have the habit to end up bragging when it comes to her friends. She really hadn't changed a bit huh, despite the improvement in skill...Tenji thought.

As if resigning to something, Tenji inadvertently started counting stars in the night sky.

"I did qualify, but---"

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