A few minutes earlier, on the 5th floor where the guild master resided, a giant creature resembling a hamster, but with a long, snake-like tail and six sigils dotting its silvery fur, was rolling on the floor in boredom.
This giant hamster, named Hamuske, was the guild master's pet, and his character was both boastful and prideful.
"It's so boring~ When will Master take me outside? I'm already strong enough now," Hamuske muttered. He stopped rolling on the floor, walked over to the desk, and stared at the snail that was moving slowly.
"Hello, snail-san, can you talk?"
Just as Hamuske attempted to touch the snail, a powerful aura suddenly burst from the first floor, reaching all the way to the 5th floor.
Hamuske froze in place, startled. "This aura..."
...
At the same time, on the first floor, the people who had been relaxing and enjoying their free time suddenly froze, their attention drawn to Bisky at the information desk.
"T-this pressure... I-I can't move..."
"W-who's that young girl?"
"T-that's Bisky-sama, one of the S-Class in the guild."
"W-why did she suddenly release her aura? Is she forcing that man to give his gem to her?"
"Shhh~ Be quiet! Do you want to die?"
Upon hearing the noise around her, Bisky withdrew her aura, not wanting to be misunderstood by those around her.
Then she looked at Kastro, who hadn't fainted under her aura at close range. "You can actually withstand my aura without using Nen. Not bad! So, what do you say, brat? Deal?"
At this time, Kastro was kneeling and trembling from the sudden burst of Bisky's aura just now, drenched in cold sweat as he struggled to raise his head to her, stuttering, "C-can y-you—"
Before Kastro could finish his sentence, Hamuske, who had come down from the 5th floor, appeared on the stairs leading to the 2nd floor and interrupted their conversation.
"Bisky-dono! Bisky-dono!"
Bisky heard someone calling her, turned around, and saw a giant hamster running toward them, causing the floor to tremble. "Hamuske!?"
Kastro also looked back and was stunned upon seeing the giant hamster. "WTF!"
The people around also looked at the source of the vibrations.
"Am I drunk? Why do I see a giant hamster over there?"
"Hey, newbie, you ain't drunk. That's a giant hamster named Hamuske-sama, the pet of the guild master who lives on the fifth floor."
"W-what!? The pet of the guild master? Damn, how many times have I been shocked today?"
"You'll get used to it. It's the headquarters, after all; it's the norm here."
"Welcome to the Explorer Guild, newbie, HAHAHAHA!"
...
At this time, at the information desk, Hamuske skidded to a dramatic stop beside Bisky, his fluffy fur bristling with excitement.
"Bisky-dono!" Hamuske said breathlessly, his long tail swishing behind him like a banner in the wind. "You're really here! I haven't seen you since the Grand Tournament of the Explorer Guild!"
Bisky cracked a small smile. "That was ten years ago. But you've gotten... bigger."
Hamuske puffed out his chest. "I've been training every day! I can crush a boulder into pieces with my tail now! I'm awesome, right?"
Kastro looked between the two, still trying to comprehend how a talking hamster the size of a rhino knew one of the S-Class members of the guild.
"Who is this fluffball exactly?" Kastro asked.
"The guild master's pet," Bisky answered curtly. "And sometimes, unfortunately, his messenger."
"I prefer the title 'Knight of the Sixth Sigil,' thank you very much, hehe~" Hamuske said with a dramatic twirl of his whiskers. Then his nose twitched as he caught a peculiar scent in the air.
"What's that in your hand, boy?" Hamuske said suddenly, sniffing toward Kastro.
"That glow… that presence… it reminds me of…" Hamuske froze. He leaned in closer, eyes narrowing.
"This aura is similar to the gem Master Saturo has," Hamuske murmured, his tone shifting from excitement to seriousness.
Kastro blinked. "What do you mean?"
"The gem you hold," Hamuske pointed a furry claw at the shimmering object cradled in Kastro's palm, "It's only half. A half-space gem, to be exact. I recognize that thing. Master Saturo once owned it—or rather, the complete version of it."
Bisky's eyes widened. "Saturo had the full space gem?"
"As sure as I am fluffy," Hamuske replied, dead serious. "Master says it's an SSS-Level item, and it's one of the Seven Sources."
"What? The Seven Source?" Bisky clenched her fists. "Here I was, wondering why that gem looked so familiar. So that's it... the Life Gem and the Space Gem are part of the Seven Source. That brat was good at hiding it."
"Then where did you find it, brat?" Bisky looked at Kastro and asked.
"My grandfather gave it to me when I was young," Kastro said. "He said he found it in the mountains while feeding the cows. I didn't know it once belonged to the guild master."
Then Bisky turned to Hamuske. "Hamuske, does that brat still have the other half?"
"Yes," Hamuske tilted his head and replied, "but I don't know where he put it."
Before they could continue their conversation, a sudden RING-RING echoed from above.
*PURO... PURO... PURO...*
"Huh?" Hamuske twitched his ears. "Why's the snail making that noise? Is it dying?"
Bisky raised an eyebrow. "You don't know what a Den Den Mushi is for?"
"I usually just talk to it when I'm bored," Hamuske admitted.
Sighing, Bisky grabbed the edge of his fur and dragged him along. "You wait here, brat. Come on, Hamuske—this is a call."
...
Soon after, as they approached the desk, the snail blinked and opened its mouth.
*KACHA*
A holographic image burst from the snail's antennae—flickering, but clear enough to recognize the figure.
"Master?!" Hamuske gasped, eyes wide.
Bisky's posture snapped straight. "Saturo…?"
"Yo~ Hamuske, oh, and Bisky too." Saturo's voice carried an unusual softness, but his sharp eyes glinted through the projection with an unreadable depth.
The background behind Saturo shimmered and flickered with static, but it was unmistakable—dark clouds rolled angrily behind him, lightning flashing across a storm-ravaged sky.
The deafening roar of waves crashing and the crew chattering could faintly be heard through the den den mushi.
Bisky's eyes widened. "Wait a minute… That's—"
"Mobious Lake," Saturo said casually, as if going in the deadliest place in the known world was a mundane Tuesday. "Always so sharp, Bisky."
"You're casually calling from Mobious Lake?" Bisky snapped. "Are you insane?! Did the V6 even allow you to go there?"
"Why do I need their consent? Is this their backyard?" Saturo smirked.
"You brat, always doing whatever you want." Bisky sighed.
At this time, Hamuske clutched his paws together dramatically. "Master! You didn't take me with you again!"
"Haha, sorry, Hamuske," Saturo said, then paused as he recalled something. "The last time I brought you to explore some ruins, you tried to bite a thunder spirit."
"I was hungry!" Hamuske defended, pouting. "It looks like a cotton candy!"
Bisky rolled her eyes. "Enough chit-chat. Why are you calling?"
"I was just testing the den den mushi to see if it still worked, and—" Saturo's gaze turned serious. "My Space Gem reacted the moment the call connected. So, Bisky... Hamuske... explain."
Bisky raised an eyebrow. "You recognized it that fast?"
"How could I not? I forged it myself in the Void Mountain. That gem is one of the Seven Sources. It split when I tried to teleport to the Dark Continent."
Hamuske's ears perked up. "Wait, you forged it, Master?! I thought you found it!"
"Details." Saturo smirked, thinking, "Though it was a Space Orb I obtained from completing a task issued by the system, I still forged it into a gem."
Turning his gaze to Bisky, he asked, "May I have it back?"
Bisky shrugged. "You'll have to talk to the boy. It's in his possession now."
Saturo nodded. "Hamuske."
"Yes, Master!"
"Bring him to me."
Without another word, Hamuske turned and galloped off like a stampede in a single hamster body, fur bouncing wildly.
Meanwhile, Kastro was still dazed near the desk when Hamuske skidded to a halt in front of him.
*SHISH*
"Boy! The Master wishes to speak with you. Now, hop on."
"W-what?!"
"You heard me! Ride the fluff or walk—it's your choice!"
Before he could protest, Hamuske scooped Kastro up and bolted back, arriving in less than five seconds.
Saturo's hologram flickered as Kastro nervously stepped into view.
"You're Kastro, right?" Saturo asked.
"Y-yes, sir."
Saturo smiled kindly. "No need to be nervous. That gem you carry… it once belonged to me. I would like to reunite it with its other half."
Kastro looked at the gem in his hand, then looked at the powerful aura radiating from the hologram. "I… didn't know it was that important. My grandfather just gave it to me. But… if it was yours originally, I don't mind returning it."
Saturo's expression softened further. "Thank you. That shows good character."
Bisky blinked in disbelief. "Just like that?"
"I don't take things for free, even if they originally belong to me. Hamuske, lead Kastro to the transporter machine and place the space gem there."
He then turned back to Kastro. "In return, I'll give you something... something not even available in the Explorer Guild unless you trade in over ten million contribution points."
Hearing this, both Hamuske and Kastro froze.
"T-ten million?!" Bisky echoed, shocked.