Unorthodox Guild

evening.

Cat Guild.

"Oh, boss, Miss Corim is suddenly ignoring Lilia, meow..."

The purple-haired catgirl, her face full of grievance, shook the serious-looking black-haired boy, looking somewhat at a loss.

"Boss, did Lilia do something to upset Miss Corim, meow..."

"..."

"Waaaaah, boss, you're ignoring Lilia too, meow... Waaah..."

.............

Kaya didn't have time to deal with the cat.

His gaze was fixed on the words "Secret Realm Level Up" on the screen, and he remained speechless for a long time.

"..."

"This is going to be difficult."

It's obvious without even guessing that this annotation is definitely related to that magical explosion.

"..."

Kaya originally thought that since she had already fooled those investigators from the association last time, there shouldn't be any more trouble.

Although in the end, the responsibility for the accident was not placed on the guild, and I successfully helped the guild apply for insurance compensation...

Unexpectedly, those investigators went back and suggested to the association that the secret realm's rating be raised.

The Rift Rating is a system used by the Adventurers' Guild to manage world rifts.

The letter corresponding to each level of the secret realm represents a comprehensive evaluation of the realm's magic concentration, number of monsters, level of danger, surrounding influences, and the intelligence of the person in charge (although it's not explicitly stated, Kaya believes this is definitely a hidden factor).

Generally speaking, the higher the level of the secret realm monsters, the stronger they are, and the higher the level of the monster materials will also be.

Therefore, guilds located around high-level dungeons are usually more effective at attracting adventurers.

The Forest of Moe is just a low-level dungeon: that's why there's only been one human in the guild for years... What?

You said besides Kaya, there's also Lilia, right?

Then let me ask you, and you ask me, is that guy human?

"..."

Of course, Kaya doesn't think having fewer people is a bad thing.

Or perhaps, aside from his relationship with Lilia and Kaya's own personal issues, it was also the tranquility and ease of Cat Town that led him to choose to stay there temporarily.

Simply put, he wanted to retire early, although he later discovered that this place wasn't as easy as he had imagined.

The main problem is that this cat didn't become smarter after graduating; in fact, it became even more intelligent than when it was at the magic high school.

This has caused him a lot of trouble over the years, which is why Kaya is thinking of finding a successor and running away as soon as possible, otherwise his intelligence will be assimilated.

but.

The upgrade of the secret realm's rating is definitely not something he wants to see.

To protect the survival space of small guilds from being squeezed out by giant guilds or guild alliances, the Adventurers' Guild stipulates the number of guilds that can operate around each level of dungeon.

For high-level dungeons, this rule is practically non-existent.

The lowest level, F-rank, is a secret realm where only one guild can exist in the vicinity.

To be honest, back when they were still fighting monsters, there was a shortage of adventurers all over the continent. In addition, the corpses of monsters, demons, and other warriors and adventurers filled the continent with magic. So, no adventurer with a normal mind would think of doing odd jobs in a guild that only had F-rank secret realms nearby.

More importantly, F-rank guilds can only issue F-rank adventurer certificates.

This B license isn't even as valuable as a C2 driver's license. Not to mention the limited benefits, it's easy to get scorned if you take it out.

Moreover, low-level guilds, or adventurers in low-level guilds, have very limited room for growth.

You can't expect the guild to level up on its own. After all, most dungeons have existed since the distant past. Unless some powerful monster or demon leader dies once or twice, increasing the magic concentration in the area, the level of a dungeon generally won't change much.

Most changes are simply due to unrestrained raiding of dungeons, causing a temporary drop in dungeon ratings. However, this situation has become much less frequent since the Adventurers' Guild appeared a hundred years ago.

so.

Even with fierce competition, no benefits, working from 9 to 9, paid internships, and only one day off per week.

Even though the guild, like the science and engineering department, is full of men.

"Oh, Miss Corim, our boss has turned to stone, meow."

"Lilia, could you please stop hugging Corim so tightly? I can't breathe..."

Okay, even if the student council president isn't a catgirl.

Most adventurers will still go to great lengths to join guilds around high-level dungeons.

After all, being an adventurer is like being a moronic novelist writing a light novel about silly romance—both involve a bit of dreaming.

Nobody thinks their future is limited to F-class... that would be a pretty dead end.

"But things are different now."

Kaya, being shaken by the purple catgirl, muttered to herself with her head down.

"With the Demon King gone, the Demon King's army is in decline, and the number of demons on the continent has decreased dramatically..."

Most guilds have seen a decline in revenue, and the layoffs and salary reductions are a given. Sigh, it's all about capital.

This resulted in some adventurers who had earned enough in the war retiring early, but most adventurers who relied on making a living continued to move down the social ladder, leaving high-level guilds and joining lower-level guilds where the competition was less intense.

"..."

Even with the unfavorable circumstances, these adventurers didn't stoop to the level of an F-rank guild...

After all, you can't earn as much as you can from staying home and writing trashy light novels by hunting down low-level monsters in a secret realm.

"But what if it becomes an E-rank guild..."

The situation is quite different.

At least some active adventurers will be willing to join, and the quality of monster materials in the secret realm is also significantly improved compared to F-rank secret realms.

After all, an E-level secret realm only has the strength of an E-level realm, while an F-level realm most likely doesn't have any lower levels.

......

Wait a minute, isn't this a good thing?

If the dungeon level increases, doesn't that mean the guild will have more adventurer companions, more monster materials, and be able to earn more monster coins?

"Please spare me..."

If only things were that simple.

Kaya, sitting in her swivel chair, exhaled a breath of stale air. "If the level is raised to E, the number of guilds allowed to operate around the secret realm will increase to three."

He was the only adventurer in the guild who was truly useful, and maintaining the guild's operation was already a struggle, yet he persevered.

"If there were two more guilds nearby..."

"..."

I looked up at the empty ceiling.

"I can't even imagine what the future holds for the guild..."

Whether you look at it from a broader perspective or a narrower one, Kaya can't imagine how this guild, whose full name is "Adorable Cat Adventurers' Guild," could compete with the other two guilds.

Is it because of this domineering guild name?

"..."

Relying on the active performance of guild members?

"..."

Elisa and Yura... forget it.

"..."

Will the new members turn the tide?

"..."

Kaya has given up all hope for the new members.

So, should we rely on the guild leader's wisdom in making decisions?

"..."

"..."

A purple thing popped into my mind.

"Hehe, heh..."

Kaya finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

But for some reason, the laughter sounded somewhat desolate and weak.

..........