SSS-Rank Awakening: My Talent Multiplies Everything

Time passed quickly.

Before long, the thirty-minute period Kael had granted the specialist team finally elapsed. The twenty-two specialists returned to the main group with their equipment filled with harvested Frost Crystals, their faces carrying traces of satisfaction from the successful mining operation.

They hadn’t mined the entire vein.

Although the rules surrounding the exploration of a newly discovered rift allowed each exploration team to harvest as many treasures as they could find, there was an unspoken understanding between all the teams. Nobody was supposed to be excessively greedy.

Take what you could.

Leave the rest.

Once the initial exploration period was over, the Hunter Association or one of the major guilds would eventually take over the management of the rift. The resources left behind would then become part of the long-term development of the rift, providing opportunities for other hunters.

If the first exploration teams completely stripped the rift of everything valuable, there would be little reason for anyone else to invest resources into managing it.

It was simply common courtesy.

Every experienced exploration team understood this rule, and Kael’s team was no exception.

With the mining operation concluded, they resumed their exploration.

The group continued deeper into the frozen landscape, following their established formation as they searched for anything worth recording. Monsters appeared from time to time, but none of them posed any meaningful threat. The occasional Frost Yeti or Ice Serpent was quickly dealt with before the team continued forward.

The hours passed.

Before long, nearly twelve hours had elapsed since they entered the rift.

According to the rules of the first day’s exploration, it was finally time to return to the entrance and meet with the other exploration teams.

Kael led his team back along their previous route, and after some time, the familiar entrance of the rift finally appeared ahead of them.

They had made it back before the twelve-hour period completely elapsed.

However, Kael immediately noticed something.

The other teams had already arrived.

They appeared to have been waiting for him.

The three S-rank hunters leading the other three exploration teams were standing together near one side of the entrance, seemingly engaged in a conversation. Their discussion came to an abrupt stop when they noticed Kael approaching with his team.

Kael looked at them for a moment before separating from his own group and walking toward the three leaders.

This sort of meeting was completely normal.

Since all three teams were exploring the same rift, sharing information at the end of each exploration period was extremely beneficial. A monster discovered by one team could potentially become a warning for another. The same applied to unusual terrain, resources, environmental changes, and anything else that might affect their exploration.

The more information they shared, the safer the next day’s exploration would become.

Kael had only taken a few steps toward them when the stern-faced man clicked his tongue.

"So the junior is late enough to make his seniors wait. Such bad manners. Tsk."

Kael didn’t even bother looking at him. He had already dismissed his existence from his mind.

The mage woman beside him immediately glanced toward the stern-faced man.

"Come on, Karol. Stop being so hard on the kid. We should be glad he made it back in one piece."

Karol merely scoffed.

Kael ignored him completely.

Instead, he looked toward Ignas and the mage woman.

"I lost track of time and ended up coming back a little late. My apologies."

Ignas waved his hand dismissively.

"No issues. It happens. At least you made it back before the twelve-hour period elapsed."

He paused before looking toward Kael with interest.

"So, did you encounter anything special?"

Kael nodded and began explaining what his team had encountered during the exploration.

"There wasn’t much. We encountered a few Frost Yetis and several Ice Serpents. Nothing particularly dangerous. We also discovered a Frost Crystal vein worth roughly ten billion credits. The specialist team harvested what they could before we continued."

The others listened carefully.

Once Kael finished, the other team leaders began sharing their own findings.

The first report wasn’t particularly remarkable.

The second wasn’t either.

Then another.

The more Kael listened, the more his brows gradually furrowed.

Something was wrong.

"Isn’t it strange?"

His sudden words caused the others to stop.

Ignas turned toward him.

"What’s strange?"

Kael’s eyes swept across the three leaders.

"The fact that none of us encountered any real danger during the entire exploration."

The atmosphere became slightly more serious.

Kael continued.

"The preliminary team reported encountering a suicidal falcon-like beast before we entered the rift. Yet none of the four teams encountered anything resembling it during the entire day."

His expression became thoughtful.

"Something doesn’t feel right."

Karol immediately clicked his tongue.

"Tsk. Are you already scared?"

Kael didn’t respond.

He didn’t even look at him.

As far as Kael was concerned, Karol had already ceased to exist.

Someone who couldn’t even accept a simple rejection wasn’t worth wasting his time on.

His attention remained focused on Ignas and the mage woman.

Ignas stared at Kael for several seconds before suddenly chuckling.

"There’s nothing wrong with being cautious. But you don’t need to worry too much."

Kael’s brows remained furrowed.

"This kind of thing is actually normal during the exploration of a newly discovered rift."

The mage woman nodded before taking over the explanation.

"You have to understand that a rift isn’t simply a world filled with monsters waiting for hunters to kill them. It’s an entire world of its own. It has its own ecosystem, its own creatures, territories, and behavioral patterns."

Kael listened quietly.

"The preliminary team is essentially the first group of humans to enter that ecosystem. Their arrival can disrupt the natural balance of the environment."

She gestured toward the vast frozen landscape beyond the entrance.

"That disruption can cause certain monsters to change their behavior. They might flee from their usual territories, become more aggressive, or even scatter into areas they normally wouldn’t enter."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"That falcon-like monster could simply be an example of that."

Kael remained silent.

"Just because the preliminary team encountered it doesn’t mean the creature is common throughout the rift," she continued. "Their presence might have disturbed it and caused it to behave abnormally. By the time our teams entered, it may have already moved somewhere else."

Ignas nodded.

"Exactly. The fact that we didn’t encounter it doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong."

Kael considered their explanation.

It made sense.

After a moment, Kael slowly nodded.

"I see."

He accepted the explanation, but the slight crease between his brows remained.

Something still felt wrong.

He couldn’t explain what it was, and there was no concrete evidence supporting his suspicion. Perhaps he was simply being overly cautious.

Either way, there was no reason to pursue the matter further for now.

The exchange between the three team leaders continued for a little while longer, with each of them sharing the remaining information they had gathered throughout the day. Eventually, they finished discussing their findings.

The three S-rank hunters returned to their respective teams.

It was time to leave.

The first day of the exploration had officially come to an end.

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One more Chapter will be posted soon once the author is fully rested.