Hellmode ~A Hardcore Gamer Becomes Peerless in Another World with Retro Game Settings~

Not only me and my friends, but everyone who had participated in the Dungeon Boss fight seemed to have been called.

(This old man is the head of the Adventurers' Guild? Did he come all the way from the Giamut Empire?)

An old man with a beard but no hair on his head entered the room.

He looked quite old, but his eyes were sharp, and as soon as he entered the room, he stared at everyone present.

The old man reminded me of the Adventurers' Guild of the games that I used to play.

There were several global organizations in this world, including religions and other Guilds.

But there were two global organizations which had immense influence over the whole world.

They were the Adventurers' Guild and Elmea Church.

While many countries had monarchies or feudal systems, the Adventurers' Guild was a global organization.

Its headquarters was located in the Giamut Empire, with branches in the capitals of each country, large cities such as the capital of a territory, and in some villages.

It could be said to be one of the few organizations that had expanded even into exclusive countries like Rosenheim and the Republic.

It was said that a thousand years ago, while the Giamut Empire was trying to unify the Central Continent, the Adventurers' Guild fought with the Emperor over the treatment of adventurers, and at one point moved its headquarters out of the Giamut Empire.

The Emperor of the Giamut Empire a thousand years ago was known to have been quite a tyrant.

However, hundreds of years later, during negotiations between the Giamut Empire and the Adventurers' Guild, the Adventurers' Guild agreed to move their headquarters back to Giamut Empire.

The Giamut Empire had since then been divided into several pieces, independence movements, and invasions by the Demon King's army to become the territory it was at present.

Note that the Elmea Church, which left due to suppression at the same time as the Adventurers' Guild, did not return to the Giamut Empire, but founded the Elmea Church on the South Continent where the Confederacy is located.

There was only one branch of the Elmea Church in the Giamut Empire.

In a world filled with magical beasts, the Adventurers' Guild was a big deal.

They had accumulated the know-how of defeating magical beasts over a thousand years, and the old man in front of me was higher in rank than the rulers of most countries.

There are several stories of countries that had fallen into decline as a result of disputes with Adventurers' Guild and their withdrawal.

"That? Teacher Karlova."

As I was looking at the Guild Master, Kurena called out a familiar name.

Karlova, who was our homeroom teacher when we were at the Academy, came out of the back room along with Branch Manager Popocca.

"I apologize for calling you all here today. I am McCarran, Adventurers' Guild's Guild Master."

Everyone was sitting down, but Guild Master McCarran talked standing up so that he could see everyone.

It kind of reminded me of a class at the Academy.

"Guild Master McCarran. What brings you here today?"

(As expected of the Hero, he knows the Guild Master.)

Helmios lived in the Imperial City of Giamut, where the headquarters of the Adventurers' Guild was also located so it wasn't surprising at all that the two knew each other.

"Helmios, you've been away from the Giamut Empire for quite a while now. I heard that you conquered an S-class dungeon today. Well, as the Adventurers' Guild, I thought we should reward you for your feat."

Guild Master McCarran told us why he was there that day.

(Huh? That was fast. It's only been 10 days since we conquered the dungeon. Could it be that he had already decided to come here before?)

The information might have reached the headquarters via the Adventurers' Guild through magic tools, but the response was too fast.

It took a long time to travel to Bakius Empire from Giamut Empire even on a fast Magic Ship after all.

It probably didn't take him days to decide to come after he found out about the S-class dungeon being conquered.

"What? What are you going to give us?"

Rosetta, the Thief, reacts to the words of Guild Master McCarran.

All of the ones invited into that meeting were ones who had accomplished great things.

"Hmm? I must be getting old. Why is the head of the Phantom Thieves here?"

"Oh, you got the wrong person. Thieves? What are you talking about?"

When asked by McCarran, Rosetta looked away and started whistling badly.

"Oh dear." said Guild Master McCarran and scratched his head.

"Back to the point. I'm sorry to call you all here. I heard that you led the attack on this S-class dungeon."

"I was indeed the leader. What about it?"

"For the first time in twenty years, the Adventurers' Guild has decided to appoint S-rank adventurers. Since the appointment of S-rank adventurers is a matter approved by the Guild Master, I am here."

""S-rank adventurer!""

Everyone said at the same time.

(Really? How many S-rank adventurers are there in the world right now? Even the Hero was just A-rank.)

When I was at the Academy, I once asked the Adventurer's Guild staff how many ranks there were for adventurers.

According to the staff, they only went up to A-rank, but on rare occasions some adventurers could become "S-rank" adventurers in recognition of their activities and achievements as adventurers.

It was common knowledge in the adventuring world that becoming an S-rank adventurer was a miracle, and that adventurers basically aimed for A-rank.

Even Helmios the Hero, who had prevented invasion from the Demon King's army and given hope to mankind, was only an A-rank adventurer.

A new S-rank adventurer, one of the few in the world, was going to be born.

I was convinced that that was the reason why Guild Master McCarran had crossed the ocean and come all the way to the Bakius Empire.

"If so, then it wasn't me. I was the leader of the group indeed but I was not the one who actually led the battle and accomplished this great feat."

Prince Zew understands why he was nominated and said that he was not worthy of becoming an S-rank adventurer.

"Huh? Then who was it?"

"If you have to pick one, there's no one better than Allen."

Prince Zew assured Guild Master McCarran that I was the one that he should choose.

"Allen? The boy with the dark hair?"

I, who was like the other party leaders sitting at the front, and Guild Master McCarran's eyes met.

"He is already a 15-year-old adult."

Prince Zew reacted when I was called a boy before I could.

He didn't want me to be treated as a child.

"By the way, does everyone here think the same? That if we had to choose one person to be responsible for conquering the S-class dungeon, Allen is the most deserving?''

""Yes.""

Everyone's voice of approval echoed through the large Branch Manager's office.

No one denied it.

Everyone seemed to think that I was the one who deserved to be an S-rank adventurer.

"... I see. It seems that what Branch Manager Popocca said is true."

While touching his shaggy beard, Guild Master McCarran seemed to be convinced of something.

"Yes. The one at the center of the events that happened in the S-class dungeon 'Tower of Trials' over the past half year or so is Allen."

Beside Guild Master McCarran, Branch Manager Popocca assured him.

Since the other party was the Guild Master, Branch Manager Popocca spoke in a polite tone.

"Oh, and about that system of providing information to adventurers. Allen, did you do that too?"

Guild Master McCarran had also heard about the information I had provided in the S-class dungeon and the establishment of the Intelligence Department.

"No, Hero Helmios was the one who found the information. Our party only cooperated with him."

I denied my actions.

"So you say, Helmios. Is it true?"

"It's the other way around. I only lent him my name. I think Branch Manager Popocca knows more about that than I do."

Helmios smiled and denied it.

(Mmm, mmm. Am I in a cutscene where I become an S-rank adventurer? Or rather, since he brought Teacher Karlova with him, he was trying to shoot at me from the beginning?)

I understood at that moment why my homeroom teacher Karlova was present there.

He was making a bland face, but it seemed that Guild Master McCarran had come to make me an S-rank adventurer.

Guild Master McCarran looked at Branch Manager Popocca, and Branch Manager Popocca nodded strongly in affirmation.

"What does Admiral Galara think?"

"Yes. Allen saved us all."

Admiral Galara, who hadn't been spoken to before, also checked in with Guild Master McCarran.

"... I see. Then..."

(Third Person POV)

In the midst of all that, Dogora was convinced of something.

When everyone was heading into the temple to attack the Dungeon Boss, while all of the adventurers who had gathered to see the heroic figure praised Helmios, Admiral Galara, and Prince Zew, few were aware of Allen.

Dogora felt a strong resentment at those who didn't know who had gathered them and convinced them to work together.

In the midst of such resentment, Master Swordsman Doberg had said to him that Heroes will be recognized one day.

Allen was about to become an S-rank adventurer, which there weren't many in the entire world.

And everyone was pushing for it.

"I'm sorry, sir. Something seems to be going on about me being nominated, but can I refuse this offer?"

""What?""

While everyone was staring at Allen as if he was going to become an S-rank adventurer, he was about to refuse the title.