Chapter 50
A Profitable Ranking
System
Without a doubt, my name is displayed on the punching machine's monitor.
I froze for a few seconds at this unexpected turn of events, and then looked at
Yuuka-san, who was frozen in the exact same way.
「Somehow, I
made the rankings.」
「E-Eeeeh!?
Wait, wait, what is the meaning of this?」
I was surprised myself, but it was strangely funny that Yuuka-san
was even more shocked than I was. I did think I had gotten pretty strong, but
as expected, this was a bit unexpected.
In my fully equipped state, including my super-strong Mr. Hammer, my
status is quite high when you include the equipment's correction values. But
right now, I only have my accessories equipped. I never thought I'd hammer out
a score that would put me in the rankings. To begin with, even if I went all
out with my equipment, I wouldn't have thought I'd reach that far.
「No, but 9th
place nationwide? Do I really have that much power? Isn't this machine broken?」
「There's no
way it's broken... or rather, what exactly are your level and status like, Aoi-chan?
If I recall, when I asked before, they were really low, right? Did they
increase a ton when you leveled up? By the way, I'm Level 16, and my average
status value is around 100. It's on the slightly higher side for the same level
bracket. What about you, Aoi-chan?」
Since she went ahead and declared hers first, I can't exactly not say
mine. Well, whatever.
「It's quite a
bit lower than yours, Yuuka-san. My level is 15, but my average status
is, um... 42.」
「You're
kidding, right?」
「I'm serious.
It's just that my equipment and skills are strong, so it's clearly thanks to
them.」
Including the equipment's correction values, my average status easily
exceeds 1,000. The reality is that I still haven't fully drawn out that
ability, so I should have a considerable amount of room to grow. My level is
still only 15, and if I'm a late bloomer type, my base status should grow even
more.
「Even so,
that score isn't a number you can put out at Level 15, you know?」
「What's done
is done. Ah, besides, I'm in 9th place right now, but won't I just get
overtaken and disappear from it soon anyway?」
The monitor only displays up to 10th place. There are probably a
mountain of people who will challenge it from now on, so falling off that
ranking will happen in no time anyway.
「Even if you
disappear from that display, you will remain on the Hunter Rankings. I
told you, didn't I? This is like a limited-time fun event, but it's adopted
into the official Hunter Rankings. Everyone who challenged it will be
put on the rankings, and if you are within the top 100, you'll be checked out
by a large crowd. Especially since your affiliated clan is blank, Aoi-chan,
the degree of attention you'll get should be particularly high.」
「Does that
mean, by any chance, I'll be scouted from all over the place?」
Yuuka-san nodded deeply and continued.
「Naturally.
Because many clans are seeking promising Hunters. Starting tonight,
they'll surely be searching all over, asking who Nagakura Aoi Scarlet is
and where she is.」
「What a
pain~. But I haven't teamed up with anyone so far, and it's not like I'm
walking around announcing my name to everyone. So it's probably fine.」
「It's not
that naive, you know? Aoi-chan, you're cute and your name is very
distinct. The Dungeon Administration staff likely remember you, and
there's no telling where rumors will start. You had better be prepared for it.」
This is the worst. It seems expecting anything regarding personal
information protection or whatever is a waste of time. True, just like how Yuuka-san
and I chat amiably, other Hunters and Administration staff probably talk
about various things too. It wouldn't be strange if rumors about me appearing
on the rankings were mixed in among them.
「Can't be
helped, huh. Well, I'm actually pretty strong, so if there are any persistent
guys, I'll punch them and send them packing!」
「Just make
sure it doesn't turn into a police matter, okay?」
「Okey-dokey,
I'll try my best. More importantly, about the rankings. Is there any benefit to
being on it?」
If it's just getting my name out there, a ranking like that is a massive
annoyance. I want to withdraw from it.
「Of course
there is. Basically, the Hunter Rankings are divided into individual
rankings and clan rankings. The individual ones mostly confer honor, while the
clan ones are structured to provide practical benefits. There are various fine
details, but that's the basic idea.」
Heeh. Then if you're aiming for the rankings, it doesn't have much
practical meaning unless you're in a clan.
「However, the
punching machine ranking is limited-time and completely tied to individuals.
Since it's called a fun event, the prizes should be something along the lines
of 'a slightly good deal if you participate and place high.' Since you will
clearly remain near the top during the period, Aoi-chan, I'll look it up
real quick.」
「Ooh, thanks.」
Yuuka-san tapped away on her smartphone and showed me the
screen.
「Here, this
is it.」
「Let's see
here. Umm, the punching machine ranking runs until the end of September. The
prize for the top 10% is a one-time-use 10% off discount coupon at stores
affiliated with the Dungeon Administration. A discount coupon? Meh. And
the higher the rank, the higher the discount rate, and if you make it into the
top 50, it's 50% off. If things stay like this, does it mean I get a half-off
coupon?」
「Isn't that
great? Half-off is huge, you know.」
What I want the most is a tower mansion, after all. If that becomes
half-off I'd be happy, but they surely wouldn't be selling those. Wait, could
it be they actually do?
「Could it be,
I can buy a tower mansion too?」
「Real
estate-related perks are tied to the clan rankings. It's a shame, but it has
nothing to do with this ranking reward.」
「I see~.」
As I thought, it might be kind of 'meh'. Stores affiliated with the Dungeon
Administration mean places like equipment shops for Hunters, right.
My equipment is sufficient, and there's nothing I particularly want right now.
Or rather, I have a mountain of unused equipment I'm dying to get rid of. If
anything, I want them to buy mine from me.
「Ah, there's
one more thing, it seems there's another prize for the top rankers. The
specific details and the number of people seem unannounced, but they'll
supposedly notify the eligible people after the ranking period ends.」
「I wonder
what it is, putting on airs like that.」
There is still more than a month until the ranking period ends at the end of September. During that time, my rank is likely to steadily drop, so there might be no need to worry about it. Setting aside the unannounced prize, I don't really care about the discount coupon, so I probably won't use the punching machine ever again. Wait, I just sold my name out for nothing, didn't I actually take a loss here? Just maybe.
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