Not B-rank. A-rank.

At those words, Walfred’s eyes lit up.

’First time seeing one in person.’

By public perception, A-rank hunters existed on an entirely different plane from B-ranks.

For starters, B-rank was simply a rank that was automatically granted upon reaching Level 80 through repeated hunting and accumulating experience.

’But A-rank is different.’

No matter how high your level was, he’d heard you could only advance to A-rank by passing a quest called [System: Trial of Eden].

Fail the trial, and you’d be stuck at B-rank for life, even at Level 100.

The reason A-rank hunters were so much rarer than B-ranks came down entirely to whether or not they’d passed this ’trial.’

Just then.

"May I ask your name?"

Margaret tilted her head and asked.

Snapping back to attention, Walfred cleared his throat and spoke.

"Walfred. I’m from New York."

"...Walfred?"

In that instant,

Margaret’s eyebrow twitched.

"Could you be the same Walfred who’s been mentioned on the Community? No, but according to the information, he was supposed to have the light attribute..."

"Think what you like."

Walfred shrugged.

He didn’t care whether she believed him or not. There was no reason to go out of his way to convince her. At that, Margaret studied him quietly.

Then she continued with her questions.

"What brings you all the way from New York?"

"Like I said earlier, I’m looking for someone."

"Looking for someone?"

"...Major, please. This is why you should’ve listened to the whole story before coming out here."

The young man who’d brought her stepped in with a sigh. It seemed she’d rushed over without even hearing what Walfred had told them.

After the full story was explained,

Margaret rubbed her chin in thought.

"Hmm. Erica..."

"Have you heard the name before?"

"No. First time hearing it."

She shook her head firmly.

Then abruptly changed the subject.

"More importantly, I received a report that you weren’t attacked by the frost spirits. Is that true?"

"It is. I have witnesses right here."

Walfred pointed to the men who’d been standing guard. The men, suddenly put on the spot, nodded vigorously in unison.

"That’s right, ma’am!"

"The frost spirit freaked out and ran away."

"We saw the whole thing clear as day."

Consistent, confident testimony.

Curiosity flickered in Margaret’s eyes.

"That’s fascinating. I’ve never heard of a skill that repels monsters, let alone spirits."

"It’s a big world with a lot of skills out there. I just got lucky and picked up a useful one."

"That’s not wrong, I suppose, but..."

She trailed off.

Then shifted topics again.

"You said you’re looking for someone named Erica?"

"That’s correct."

"Understood. I’ll start making inquiries about her whereabouts right away."

An instant answer, without a second’s hesitation.

Margaret flashed a slight smile.

"All the subway station shelters across Philadelphia currently have a communication network established with our shelter. As long as she’s alive, we should be able to find her quickly."

"..."

Walfred, on the other hand, kept his mouth shut.

Because this was going far too smoothly.

Shelter director or not, would someone really go this far to help an outsider they’d just met today?

’She wants something.’

The way she’d double-checked that he wasn’t attacked by frost spirits, the way she was acting. Margaret’s whole demeanor suggested she had an ulterior motive.

And sure enough,

his hunch was dead on.

"In return, I have one favor to ask."

"A favor...?"

"It’s nothing too difficult. If you really do have a skill that keeps frost spirits from attacking you, it should be very easy and simple."

The way she kept laying the groundwork was making him more uneasy by the second.

"...Let’s hear it first."

"Thank you."

A smile spread across Margaret’s face.

"Yesterday afternoon, the West Philadelphia Station gate was liberated and spirits poured out. At the same time, massive ice pillars sprang up all over the city."

"Ice pillars?"

"Yes. They should be evenly distributed within a roughly 2-mile radius of the West Philadelphia Station plaza."

Her gaze sharpened.

"I’d like you to go around the city and report back with the total number and locations of all the ice pillars."

"...You want me to find out how many pillars there are?"

"That’s correct."

Her expression was dead serious, in stark contrast to the seemingly random request. Walfred, meanwhile, tilted his head, unable to make sense of it.

"Why would that even matter...?"

"It’s quite important to us. If you can bring back the number and locations of the pillars, I’ll explain everything then."

From her demeanor, Walfred could tell she was hiding something. Something important enough for an A-rank hunter to specifically ask a favor like this.

Still,

’It’s not exactly a hard ask.’

Right now, every monster in downtown Philadelphia except the frost spirits had vanished without a trace.

As long as Elsa’s [Frost Resonance] held up, Walfred could move through the city without any trouble. After mulling it over, he put a question to Margaret.

"About those ice pillars."

"...?"

"What exactly do they look like?"

Ever since the world froze over,

the streets were littered with icicles and all manner of chunks and shards of ice. Just saying "ice pillar" wasn’t nearly specific enough.

But Margaret seemed to understand his concern, and answered with a smile.

"You’ll know it when you see it. They’re massive, and they stand out like nothing else."

"...That’s not much of a description."

"If you need a reference point, head to the east plaza of Philadelphia Station. There’s one ice pillar there, and they all look more or less the same."

Having a sample to go off before starting the search would certainly make things easier. Walfred nodded at Margaret’s words and closed his eyes.

’This is way faster and simpler than tracking down Erica myself.’

All he had to do was climb to the rooftop of a tall building and scan the city for a bit, and he’d be able to pinpoint the number and locations of the ice pillars in no time.

Weighing the time and effort needed to achieve his goal, this deal was clearly in his favor.

Walfred made his decision on the spot.

"All right. You’ve got a deal."

"A wise choice."

Margaret smiled.

The deal was struck.

"Here, please take this."

"What’s this...?"

"A map of downtown Philadelphia. Just mark the location of each pillar on it."

Walfred accepted the map and a pen.

He was about to head out with Elsa when,

"Oh! One moment."

Margaret’s voice called out.

Her gaze wasn’t on Walfred, but on Elsa. Margaret spoke with a look of some concern.

"It’ll be dangerous taking a child along. Why not leave her here at the shelter? We can keep her safe."

He understood the intent behind the offer.

She must have thought it was reckless to bring a child into an area crawling with frost spirits.

But if Elsa stayed behind, it was actually Walfred who’d be in danger. He was only safe from the frost spirits because of Elsa’s [Frost Resonance].

"I appreciate the offer, but we’re fine."

"But..."

"We’re actually much safer together. Being apart would make things worse."

"Me too! I’m going with Daddy!"

Walfred answered with complete sincerity.

Fortunately, Elsa grabbed his hand and backed him up. At the sight, Margaret let out a short sigh and nodded.

"...All right. Be careful out there, then."

"Will do. And please take care of the search for Erica."

"Leave it to me. I’ll get started right away."

After confirming the terms of the deal one last time,

Walfred headed straight for the surface.

---

After leaving the underground mall shelter,

he crossed through Philadelphia Station and made for the east plaza, the opposite side from the shelter entrance. He needed to see what the ice pillars looked like.

As he walked briskly along,

"Oh!"

Elsa, who had been holding Walfred’s hand, suddenly shot forward like a rocket. She threw herself flat on the ground and started sniffing around.

And then.

"Something smells yummy!"

She looked around eagerly, eyes sparkling.

Walfred chuckled at the sight.

’Where on earth is this smell coming from...’

Earlier and now, both times.

A Dragonkin’s sense of smell was beyond his understanding.

Meanwhile, Elsa, who’d run ahead, was waving frantically at him.

"Daddy! Over here! The smell’s coming from over there!"

She was pointing toward the east plaza of Philadelphia Station.

As luck would have it, they were headed the same direction, so Walfred made straight for where Elsa was.

The moment they arrived at the plaza,

"Oh..."

Walfred understood what Margaret had meant when she said he’d know it when he saw it.

An ice pillar over 30 feet tall, rising from the center of the plaza. The instant he laid eyes on its massive form, as large as a three-story building, Walfred murmured under his breath.

’She wasn’t kidding about it standing out.’

Its size wasn’t the only unusual thing.

A soft blue light continuously seeped from the ice pillar. On top of that, dozens of frost spirits were circling around it.

As he stood watching,

"That’s it!"

Elsa pointed at the ice pillar.

Then she charged straight toward it, practically lunging. Startled by her sudden move, the frost spirits scattered in every direction to avoid her.

Meanwhile, Elsa went on.

"There’s something yummy inside it!"

"Something yummy?"

"The thing we ate together on the mountaintop, Daddy! The bright blue glowing snow!"

"Blue snow? Oh...!"

The moment he heard those words,

Walfred’s eyes went wide.

Because there was only one kind of bright blue glowing snow that he and Elsa had eaten together.