Hearing that sent chills down Boros' spine.
'Those Chaos Twin Drakens gave me a hard enough time...'
'And now he's telling me humanoid Draken exist?'
For a brief moment, the memories of Ryujin Island resurfaced.
The overwhelming power.
The destruction.
The constant battle for survival.
Then-
A grin slowly spread across his face.
'...I want to fight one.'
"They're actually the main reason people obey the pact in the first place," Griffin said. "The Talons are so absurdly strong that most people know better than to go anywhere near the North."
He folded his arms.
"Though there's always a few stubborn bastards who try sneakin' in anyway."
"I definitely don't want to meet any of those Talons," Akeno said while swallowing nervously.
"If you ever do meet one," Adams said with a pleasant smile, "run."
Akeno immediately collapsed onto the floor.
"Oi."
Boros smacked her on the head.
"Get up, you damn idiot."
"Ah!"
Akeno shot upright.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" she yelled while immediately butting heads with him.
"Huh?! Look who's talking!" Boros shouted back.
"Calm down, ya damn brats," Griffin said chuckling.
Adams shook his head before returning to the topic.
"Now then. We've explained what the Guild Concord is."
He looked toward Kinuko.
"I believe your original question was why nobody else killed the Chaos Twin Drakens despite the enormous bounty."
"Yes," Kinuko replied.
"Well, there are several reasons," Griffin answered. "But the biggest one is territory."
"Territory?" Akeno repeated.
"Yes," Adams continued. "Territories."
He clasped his hands behind his back.
"As you probably already know, the world is divided into five major continents."
"Five?" Boros asked.
"Yes."
Adams nodded.
"The Western Cardinal."
"The Eastern Cardinal."
"The Southern Cardinal."
"The Northern Cardinal."
He paused briefly.
"And the Central Cardinal."
"And each one of 'em is ruled by one of the Five Pillars," Griffin said.
"The Five Pillars?" Kinuko repeated.
"Yes," Adams replied. "The Five Pillars are the balance of power in the modern world. They are also known as the Top Five Guilds."
"So you're saying the Guilds ranked one through five are the Five Pillars?" Boros asked.
"Precisely."
"The relationship between the Top Ten Guilds isn't exactly friendly," Adams continued. "In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that if the Guild Concord didn't exist... there would be open war between them."
"The Storm Riders Guild, ranked fifth, claimed the Western Cardinal and all the surrounding islands as their territory," Griffin explained.
"The Ember Fists Guild, ranked fourth, claimed the Eastern Cardinal and every island around it."
"The Draken Claw Guild, ranked third, claimed the Northern Cardinal."
"The Nexa Hunters, ranked second, claimed the Southern Cardinal."
He raised one finger.
"And finally, the Phantom Brigade. Rank One. They've claimed the Central Cardinal."
"Though unlike the other Pillars, who operate directly from their respective continents, the Claws and the Brigaders use nearby islands as their main headquarters."
"An island called Phantom Peak in the territory of the Central Cardinal," Adams added.
"And Claw Island in the territory of the Northern Cardinal," Griffin finished.
Boros frowned.
"Oi. I thought you said the North was ruled by those Talons. How does a human Guild get to claim it as their territory?"
"I was about to ask the same thing," Akeno added.
"Well, that's where things get complicated," Adams replied.
"First of all," Griffin said, "the Claws ain't exactly known for bein' friendly."
A few nearby Adventurers chuckled.
"With the methods they use, they're considered the best Draken hunters in the world. So they felt confident enough to lay claim to the Northern Cardinal."
His expression darkened slightly.
"That's also why I had to make sure ya really killed those Claws."
He pointed at Boros.
"So we could prepare for a bloody war."
"Because I know their Guildmaster ain't the type to sit quietly if he finds out one of his own got killed."
"There's another reason as well," Adams added.
"The current Guildmaster of the Draken Claw Guild doesn't believe the Talons exist."
"What?" Kinuko blinked.
"He believes the entire story is an exaggeration," Adams explained. "To him, the idea that a single being could defeat ten Guildmasters is completely absurd."
"That just makes this even stranger," Kinuko said.
Everyone turned toward her.
"The Draken Claw Guild is closest to Ryujin Island."
"And you're saying they're the greatest Draken hunters in the world."
She folded her arms.
"Then why did they allow the Chaos Twin Drakens to roam freely for so long?"
"Why didn't they kill them earlier?"
A faint smile appeared on Adams' face.
"It seems," he said slowly, "that you don't yet understand the true power high-ranked Adventurers possess."
"The physical capabilities of High-Ranked Adventurers-High-Grade S-Ranks and above, are difficult to comprehend," Adams explained.
"A single High-Ranked Adventurer could wipe out the armed forces of a small kingdom on their own."
He adjusted his gloves.
"And that's before taking into account their Nexus mastery, a Longinus Ability, or an Awakened Weapon."
"Some possess one of those advantages."
"Some possess two."
"And there are a select few who possess all three."
"Spread across the Thirty Guilds, there are High-Ranked Adventurers with each of these combinations."
"I don't see where you're going with this," Boros said.
"The point is," Griffin took over, "the High Ranks are a problem."
He folded his arms.
"And remember when we said the Top Ten Guilds ain't exactly friendly with each other?"
Kinuko's eyes widened slightly.
"I see."
She nodded slowly.
"It's all coming together now."
"The territories belong to different Guilds, and because High-Ranked Adventurers are so powerful, they can't just wander into another Guild's territory without causing problems."
"Exactly," Griffin said with a grin.
"The Chaos Twin Drakens were classified as an Apex-Level threat."
"That means it'd normally take one Apex-Ranked Adventurer..."
He held up a finger.
"Or at least three High-Grade S-Ranks to complete the mission."
"H-Hold on..." Akeno stuttered.
"Three?"
"Yes," Adams answered.
"That is the difference between a High-Grade S-Rank and an Apex-Ranked Adventurer."
He paused.
"And the gap between Apex Rank and Guildmaster Rank is even greater."
Akeno swallowed nervously.
Boros was already monstrously strong in her eyes.
The idea that there were people far beyond even him was difficult to process.
"So what we're sayin' is this," Griffin continued.
"High Ranks are too powerful to move around freely."
"They rarely form Parties."
"They don't take normal missions."
"And they're usually only deployed when somethin' extraordinary happens."
"For example," Adams said.
He pointed toward Boros.
"If we wanted him to handle a mission in the Southern Cardinal, we would first contact the Nexa Hunters."
"Not to ask for permission."
"But to inform them that a High-Ranked Adventurer would be entering their territory."
"I see," Kinuko said.
"But that still doesn't explain why the Draken Claw Guild didn't eliminate the Chaos Twin Drakens themselves."
Everyone looked toward her.
"The North is their territory."
"They wouldn't have territorial issues there."
"And they're ranked third in the world."
She folded her arms.
"Surely they have multiple High-Ranked Adventurers capable of handling something like that."
"I understand your reasoning," Adams replied.
"And the truth is, they did send Adventurers to deal with the situation."
"However, without approval from the Guild Concord, they couldn't officially deploy High-Ranked Adventurers into the Northern Cardinal."
"You're probably wonderin' why they'd need permission to operate inside their own territory," Griffin said.
"Well, that's because of the Talons."
He leaned against the counter.
"There's one thing High-Ranked Adventurers are famous for."
"And that's ignorin' orders whenever it suits 'em."
A few nearby Adventurers awkwardly looked away.
"Just because the Guildmaster doesn't believe the Talons exist doesn't mean the rest of his Guild agrees."
"And knowin' how battle-hungry High Ranks tend to be..." Griffin said.
"They'd go look for the Talons and try to fight them," Boros finished.
"Exactly," Griffin replied.
"What would've happened if they acted without permission from the Concord?" Akeno asked.
Adams' smile faded.
"If one of their High Ranks provoked a Talon..."
"And that Talon decided to retaliate against the Guild..."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
"They would be completely destroyed."
"And no other Guild would come to save them."