End of the month, somewhere.

─Whisper, whisper.

This is the venue for the "Advanced Explorer Examination."

It is a place where those aspiring for the advanced explorer qualification gather.

There were about three hundred people gathered.

However, among them, there was a group that stood out.

"Hey, what is that..."

"Oh, it's real..."

"Did he really come..."

At the center of attention are four people.

"It feels like I'm being stared at..."

"Aren't they praising the Master?"

"Did they fall for this older sister?"

"I wonder if there's anyone strong around."

It is Kanata and his familiars.

They are currently the most talked-about people in the world (in various ways).

Of course, rumors are spreading among the strong.

In the midst of all that, a certain young man approached.

"Um! You're the Demon King Kanata-san, right?"

"Y-yes."

"I watched the recent stream, too. If possible, could you give me an autograph?"

"Is it for someone like me!?"

The young man seemed to be a fan of Kanata.

"The, then... go ahead."

"Yay! Thank you very much!"

When Kanata shyly gives an autograph, the young man happily walks away.

The familiars were also smiling at the scene.

"""Hehehe."""

It seems that their master is happy to have fans.

Then, the next ones to arrive were the female fans.

"Um, if it's okay, could I have some too?"

"Don't let women get close!"

"Whoa!?"

However, the summoned demons glare at the fans with a demonic expression.

They seem to be strict for women.

Perhaps feeling sorry for them, Kanata follows up.

"I'm sorry for my familiar member. This is a signature."

"No, I can't accept it! It's a matter of life and death!"

"Ah..."

The female fan ran away with a pale face.

As Kanata reaches out, the familiars are striking victory poses.

"""Alright."""

"Nothing's good."

In the midst of all this, Kanata looked around again.

(Still, everyone seems so strong...)

Including the two of them now, the level of the explorers is different from the usual.

Everyone who comes here is someone who cannot be satisfied with the C-class dungeons that can be explored with general qualifications.

Even among explorers, they can be considered a handful of strong ones.

Then, a voice echoed through the venue.

"Uh, it seems everyone has gathered."

The one who stepped onto the platform was a middle-aged man with graying hair.

From the suit (and the tired face), he must be from the Exploration Association.

It seems like the moderator of this exam.

"Now, let's quickly go over the rules again. First, this one."

When the old man snaps his fingers, a swarm of drones comes pouring in.

The drone hovered in the air as if to capture the explorers.

"Uh, since the country is promoting streamers, the main exam will also be streamed. As I mentioned earlier, the channel is 'Exploration Association Official.'"

With his signal, it seems the broadcast has started.

[Oh, it's starting!]

[Here it comes!]

[Yeah, this time of year is for the advanced exams, right?]

[I wonder what kind of guys will come this year.]

[I came to see because the Demon King said he would accept.]

[Damn it, since it's official, I can't send a super chat!]

[Kokone-chan is watching you! ^ ^ ]

Despite being the Exploration Association Official, there are many comments that seem to be from its followers (Kanata's viewers).

The concurrent viewers have already reached an impressive 250,000.

It's an event that gets more exciting every year, but it already has more than three times the usual number of viewers.

This is probably because Kanata expressed his intention to participate a few days ago.

The tired old man from the association continues.

"From now on, you will be tasked with completing a mission inside the dungeon. You will pass if you bring back all the specified materials. Those materials are listed on your smartphones."

At the reception, the explorer received a test-specific smartphone.

To prevent fraud, the explorers' own devices are being held.

Only equipment that has been pre-approved is allowed to be brought in.

Then, one of the explorers raises their voice.

"Objection!"

"Huh?"

It must be one of the candidates.

The old man squints his eyes and says, "Don't increase the work...," but still lends an ear.

"I've heard about bringing in equipment. But what about them!"

The explorer pointed their index finger at Kanata and his group.

"There shouldn't be any reinforcements. Then, Kuon Kanata should come alone!"

"Hmm..."

In contrast, the old man takes out a piece of paper.

"Regarding Kuon-san, we have received a prior application. Let me read the details."

"Huh?"

However, Kanata himself tilted his head in confusion.

(Huh, I didn't apply for anything?)

Kanata has no recollection of it.

He just brought them along because the exam ticket said "familiar allowed."

Without any prior knowledge, the application details are read aloud.

"The first one, 'We are one with our master. We cannot be apart for even a moment.'"

"!?!"

"The second one, 'I am connected to Kanata-kun by love. It is impossible to separate us.'"

"...!?"

"The third one, 'If I separate from Kanata-sama, I'll take out my frustration on the church.'"

"...!?!?!"

The name hasn't been revealed, but the culprit is clear.

From the top, Kokone, Luzeria, and Elvi.

(What the hell are these guys doing!?)

When three hundred people turned around at once, Kanata instinctively covered his face.

[Isn't this a public love letter? LOL]

[Confessions are being broadcast all over the world, lol.]

[Are they planning to fill in the outer moat around the world too? Haha]

[Still as heavy as ever.]

[Kanata-kun's face is bright red lol.]

[The Demon King is shy and cute.]

[This is embarrassing!]

[Not an application or anything, haha.]

[Elvi is basically a threat letter now, lol.]

[Don't flirt in public (Good, do it more).]

[The Demon King and his entourage are as usual, huh? lol.]

And then, the moderator wraps up the content.

"Based on the above, familiars are considered a 'part of Kuon-san's equipment.' It's the same perspective as a tamer with their magical beasts."

"Y-yes, I understand..."

The questioner seemed convinced, but Kanata thought strongly.

(Why didn't they just say that from the beginning!?)

In any case, the participation of the familiar was permitted.

Then, at the signal from the coordinator, the large gate opened.

"Well then, let's get started right away. This is the exam-exclusive dungeon."

"""...!"""

This is the "Advanced Explorer Examination," directly managed by the association.

The association has made adjustments, and the monsters and traps have been modified for the advanced exam.

The condition for passing is to collect the specified items from within this.

"The time limit is one hour. Now, please begin."

"""Whoaaa."""

The explorers all start running at once.

To avoid being swept away by the momentum around them, Kanata and the others also moved their feet.

─However, as soon as they entered the dungeon.

"Whoa!?"

Suddenly, a weapon pierces Kanata's feet.

Although he avoided it with his [Super Sensory], he turned forward with a suspicious look.

There were many explorers there.

"Don't take it the wrong way, Kuon Kanata."

"I won't allow any cheating like using a familiar."

"First, let's have you lose here."

Those who were dissatisfied with the rules of the familiars were conspiring.

In this exam, it is not prohibited to deceive the opponent.

If it will eventually become a threat, it seems they are considering eliminating it first.

Using the special rules of the exam.

"If we get caught with this many people, we'll be disqualified."

Each explorer is being measured for their "armor wear rate" by the device.

It's an indicator of how much damage they have taken, like HP.

In this exam, if the damage rate exceeds 70%, they will be disqualified.

Originally, this rule was created for the safety aspect of the exam.

But they plan to use this to disqualify Kanata.

[Huh!?]

[What the hell are these guys doing?!]

[Is collusion even allowed?!]

[But honestly, it is rational.]

[Rather than facing Kanata alone in the final stage.]

[Is it that the one who falls first will survive?]

[But this is...]

“Mark the strong ones and don't let them do as they please.”

It's a common sight in competitive situations.

Then, Kanata muttered under his breath.

"T-this is dangerous..."

"Hah! It's too late to get scared now, isn't it?"

"No, that's not it."

"Huh?"

Against the confident explorer, Kanata cast a fleeting glance.

Next to him are his enthusiastic familiars.

"Master, it's okay to do it, right?"

"This older sister is not good at holding back~"

"Ahaha, the party is starting!"

"""....Ugh!"""

Kokone spins her arms, and Luzeria cracks her fingers.

Elvi has a crazed smile on her face.

Perhaps because of the public love letter earlier, they seemed more elated than usual.

Seeing that scene, Kanata sighed.

When he said "dangerous," he was talking about the three of them.

"You're really fired up, aren't you?"

[Here they come!!!]

[Too scary, lol.]

[On the contrary, they're super motivated, lol.]

[Explorers in despair! LOL]

[Oh no, they got too carried away, didn't they? ^ ^ ]

[Massive amounts!]

[Is today's invasion here?]

[Knock down those useless guys!]

That said, Kanata doesn't intend to just leave everything to others.

"If we take them all down here, the number of candidates will drop significantly."

With a swing of the sword, he takes a combat stance.

What he's wearing is the newly updated gear.

It is a series of equipment with a certain feature...

"Then, shall we?"

"Yes!"

"Yeah!"

"Ah-ha!"

Thus, Kanata and the others' advanced explorer exam suddenly began with a twist─.

Chapter 18: Advanced Explorer Examination