“Other adventurers have also reported seeing a massive shadow offshore. First, let me hear your report.”

We sat on the same sofas in the same room as this morning, facing the guild master once again. The tea for everyone had already been served, and everything was set for discussion.

“The massive island is actually a monster called the Sea Emperor Turtle.”

“...Huh?”

“What?”

The guild master’s eyes widened in shock, while the guild staff member taking notes looked up from his paper. A brief silence followed before the guild master regained his senses and hesitantly spoke again.

“Sorry, but could you repeat that? I’d like to make sure I didn’t mishear you.”

“The monster known as the Sea Emperor Turtle is heading toward this port town, Reblos.”

“...Are you certain of that?”

His face twisted into a grimace, but that wouldn’t change my answer.

“I appraised it myself, so there’s no mistake.”

I had never heard of a skill that could falsify appraisal results. Considering that even being able to see skills through appraisal was rare, finding someone with an ability to fake their stats would be almost impossible—unless they outright admitted it. Besides, I couldn’t imagine a stamina monster like this turtle having such a skill.

“What! You have the Appraisal skill as well...? In that case, it’s even less likely to be a mistake.”

With a deep sigh, the guild master leaned back into the sofa and gazed at the ceiling. He looked like he’d rather not hear the rest, but ignoring the situation wasn’t an option. After taking a sip of tea, he turned back to me with renewed determination and gestured for me to continue.

“Its total length is approximately 500 meters. Its limbs, head, and tail all appear to be submerged, so we couldn’t confirm their exact positions. As for its stats—”

The guild master nodded occasionally as he listened, while the staff member beside him hurriedly resumed taking notes.

“You can even see its stats...? Appraisers on the same level as Kanto are rare, but this makes the information even more reliable.”

“But… these stats are completely hopeless…”

“By the way, do you all already know about this Sea Emperor Turtle?”

Both the guild master and the staff member were visibly shaken just from hearing its name, as if they already recognized how dangerous it was.

“Ah… There are records of it appearing in the southern seas of the Empire about 150 years ago. At the time, it was seen moving from west to east at a great distance from land, never actually approaching the shore.”

Stroking his white beard, the guild master recounted the information as if recalling an old memory. The turtle had been sighted traveling across the sea, prompting widespread concern that it might change course toward land. Because of this, a plan to defeat it had been devised.

“But that extermination attempt ended in failure.”

“It failed…?”

At the time, the Sea Emperor Turtle had been around 300 meters in size. However, even the full force of the Empire’s military hadn’t been able to harm it.

“They likely managed to deal some damage, but to that monster, it was probably no more than a mere insect bite. It continued moving forward as if nothing had happened and eventually disappeared beyond the Empire’s waters.”

After finishing his story, the guild master reached for his teacup, only to realize it was empty. With a sigh, he placed it back on the table.

“Ugh…”

Rio covered her mouth with both hands, clearly disturbed by the tale. In short, the Sea Emperor Turtle that appeared back then had been completely untouchable.

“What kind of forces did they use back then?”

“Hmm… It’s said that three S-rank adventurers took part in the battle. The commander of the Empire’s knights at the time was also of equivalent strength.”

“And even then, they couldn’t inflict any significant damage?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

That was almost hopeless. Kanto had mentioned that even an S-rank adventurer’s highest stat barely reached five digits. That likely hadn’t changed much since back then.

“For now, this is no longer just a problem for the port town. We must inform the imperial capital immediately.”

That made sense. This wasn’t a job for adventurers—it was time for the military to step in. In fact, adventurers weren’t known for fighting enemies they couldn’t win against, so relying on them might not be the best course of action.

“U-Understood! I’ll make preparations right away!”

“I will send letters to the Empire’s guild headquarters and the imperial government. Of course, I will also continue Kanto’s investigation request. I want to hear their firsthand report as well.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

The guild staff member nodded firmly before rushing out of the room.

“For now, I ask that you refrain from discussing this matter publicly.”

“Of course.”

There was no need to throw the town into a panic. It was best to wait until all preparations were in place. Thankfully, the Sea Emperor Turtle moved slowly, giving us more time to prepare than most other threats.

After receiving a completion slip for the investigation request, we left the room and headed downstairs. Some adventurers cast curious glances our way, but none approached to ask questions. It seemed that most C-rank and higher adventurers understood proper discretion, which was a relief.

After reporting the completion of our designated request at the counter, we returned to our inn, all the while contemplating possible ways to effectively fight the Sea Emperor Turtle.