In the workshop owner's office, we take the time to discuss my needs as an adventurer and eventually reach an agreement. They're going to make me some light armor and a sword, and since there's plenty of material left, I get them for free. I thought about asking for some materials to be put aside so I could get an armor made for my "new" body in a year, but I figure I'll have gotten my hands on better materials by then.
After a somewhat lengthy measurements-taking session, I leave the workshop.
I still have some time before I need to head to the NAA's headquarters. I jump to an area of the city with some restaurants and pick a burger joint where I have lunch. Once I'm done eating, I play a bit on my phone before finally making my way towards my next destination.
The building is quite far, so it takes me a bit to get there despite me jumping on the roofs of buildings. I could go faster, but I have plenty of time and there's something relaxing about travelling at my own pace far above the crowds and the noise of the city.
I finally reach the NAA building. I'm a bit ahead of the schedule, but I don't think that's going to be an issue. The automatic doors open as I enter the lobby.
You would expect something related to adventurers to be messier, but the whole place feels extremely professional. The white walls and floor are spotless, and various potted plants give a bit of color the the place. Large screens display the latest information on dungeons not just in the city but also the whole country, and a few reception employees are sitting at their desks, taking care of tasks on their computers. There are a few other people in the lobby, some who appear to be adventurers, and others whose roles are less obvious.
I approach the reception desk right in front of me, addressing the receptionist:
"Hello, my name is Matt. I have an appointment today at 3 PM."
"Alright, let me check the schedule real quick..."
The receptionist clicks a few things and types some words on the computer before saying:
"Yes, Director Yanaro is waiting for you in his office. I'll send a message so he'll know to expect you. Simply follow the corridor to your left until you reach the elevator, his office in one the last floor."
"Thank you."
I follow her instructions and make my way to the elevator. The last floor button is clearly marked as "Director's Office", so I press it and begin a long ascension. The building is 24 floors tall, so it takes a bit to reach the top, but the elevator eventually stops as a "ding" is heard.
The door opens directly in the office. Yanaro is sitting at his desk with a stern look on his face. Behind him is Christopher, who I remember from the hospital after I awakened my power. I don't know if he recognizes me, but hopefully he doesn't get too mad that I didn't help the investigation back then. In my defense, I didn't know I was Aurora at the time!
The director speaks first, using a tone that betrays no emotion:
"Matt. Level 8 Sword Fighter. That's what's in your official file, correct?"
"That is correct."
"And yet you stand before me with massive power flowing through your body. Not only are you not level 8, but you do not even appear to be human."
He drops a small machine on his desk. From this distance, I can just read the text on it: "Alert! Monster level between 80 and 85 detected! Evacuate area immediately!"
He continues:
"The whole building is on lockdown. If you try anything, the free companies will immediately be notified."
I expected something like that would happen. The whole place was probably put on alert as soon as they detected me. They allowed me in for a reason or another, however, which gives me a chance to explain the situation. I'll really have to figure out how the Witches managed to hide their power though. I'd rather avoid this becoming a common occurrence in my life.
"You were looking for Aurora, right?"
"That's correct. Did you truly come here to discuss this topic with us, despite being a monster?"
"I would like to correct the record on that first. I'm not a monster. I'm aware that the energy within me is unusual, but I'm still human. This strange power was sealed within me and greatly increased my strength when I finally unlocked it."
"And is this related to Aurora, somehow?"
"Yes, it is. The truth is that... Well..."
I feel blood rush to my face as my embarrassment grows. But I'm already here, and I won't get what I want if I don't say it, so I continue:
"Actually... I'm Aurora. When I first awakened my power, all of my energy uncontrollably leaked out of my body, giving me the appearance I had during that fight."
"Can you prove this claim by taking that appearance again?"
I sigh, but do as he asks. Colorful flames cover my body, causing lights to dance on the walls of the office.
"No wonder we couldn't find you, you were actually a man all along."
I let the flames dissipate before responding:
"At first, I had no idea what my power was, and I was very embarrassed when I realized that I fought during the invasion with such a feminine appearance. So I kept everything to myself. However, I've since learned more about my situation, and I now know that my power isn't dangerous. I'm sorry to say that I will not be able to teach other adventurers to fight like me. I was born with this power, I did not learn to use it from someone else. It doesn't seem like it can be shared in any way."
Yanaro takes a moment to think before asking:
"Am I correct in assuming that you want to use this unique power to serve humanity's interests?"
"That is correct. I would like to continue clearing dungeons as an adventurer."
"And since aetherologists couldn't detect your magical power, you came here directly to get your level recognized."
"Um... yes. How did you...?"
"Informed guess. I know that the machines we use to figure out the level of adventurers only work on humans, and your power is read as a monster's. Since you wish to continue as an adventurer, your only real option for your true level to be recognized was to come directly to us. You took advantage of the fact that we were looking for Aurora to secure a meeting. Did I get all of that correctly?"
"That... Yes, you did."
A smile appears on his face, which had so far shown no emotion.
"While I would have appreciated you coming to us earlier, I will not turn down such a strong ally. We cannot accurately evaluate your level, but this little machine claims you're between 80 and 85. Would you be satisfied with your level being updated to 80?"
"I most certainly would be."
"Very well."
He turns and takes a look at Christopher, who nods and leaves the office.
"Everything should be taken care of by the time our meeting ends. Now, I would like to know more about your power. Based on the footage we saw of you fighting the orcs, we assumed you were somewhere between level 55 and 65, yet we are now setting your level to 80. Did you grow that much stronger in such a short time, or were you always this powerful? Please, take a seat, we might be talking for a while."
And so I do my best to explain my power to Director Yanaro. I figure that being honest is better in this situation, but I still keep some details, mostly related to the Witches, to myself. I don't know if he believes me, as his facial expression remains completely neutral as I tell my story and answer his questions, but after almost an hour, he ends the conversation by saying:
"I am glad you were willing to humor me for this long. There is much in your story that I cannot verify, but I do not believe you had any reason to lie. While your power is rather mysterious, if you truly can grow stronger at a much faster rate than ordinary adventurers, you'll be more useful to us in dungeons than in a lab. We'll be keeping an eye on your performance for the time being."
He gets up and walks towards the large window behind his desk, looking outside. After a short pause, he continues:
"We will not reveal to the world that you're Aurora. We will leave that decision in your hands. However, as a level 80 adventurer who is still independent, expect to be contacted by free companies soon. Independence is almost impossible at that level, and for good reasons, but I would like to warn you: should you decide to join one of them, be careful to not be caught up in their greedy culture. Remember that your duty is to humanity, not to the bank accounts of company leaders."
I know he can't see me, but I still nod. I've heard about how free companies started focusing more and more on profits over the years, leading to conflicts the NAA ends up being forced to mediate. Of course, all the biggest companies were founded by capitalists investing in the new opportunity that dungeons represented and still represent to some extent, so they're run by people who expect a return on that investment. A lot of smaller companies were founded by actual adventurers, but since they lack the funds, they have a hard time hiring high-level adventurers. This further limits which dungeons they can clear, limiting their profits, and the cycle continues.
It's not like I need a ton of money right now, just enough to pay the dormitory and my daily living expenses, since my parents are taking care of my tuition fees. So maybe joining a smaller company and helping it grow is the right move for me? Like he says, there's a good reason high-level adventurers aren't independent, and that's because they can't get work at their level without a free company backing them. I should probably ask Francis where he works or if he has any pointers, since he's been here for a year already.
Yanaro turns back towards me and says:
"Well, this has been a productive conversation. Can we contact you if we find ourselves with a problem your unique powers might help us solve?"
"Of course. I'll do my best if it's something I can help with."
"Very well. Thank you. I expect we'll meet again."
With this, I leave the office. In the elevator, I check my adventurer file. I am now marked as being level 80.
