Due to Reina’s guilt, Rin was now allowed the freedom to move around.

Not everyone was happy with this decision, but Rin had already served his sentence under Shelly, so she could not even object. Instead, she showed her disagreement by staying close to him and making sure he was not able to work on any sensitive projects.

So, things were as normal as they could be under the given circumstances.

But there was another, more pressing issue that had appeared during this time, and that was the system’s sudden silence.

After task five, the system had stopped responding to Rin regularly, and when it did reply, it was mainly to check up on him and remind him that it was still there.

Three days passed like this, with nothing happening, and the lack of action was making Rin suspicious.

’Just what is the system planning to do? I don’t have a good feeling about this.’

After all, it was unlike the system to remain quiet for so long.

...

[Upgrade complete. Good morning everyone~]

[Today, I have a special gift for you all.]

[The hunter rankings have officially opened, and the top 10 will be given special advantages based on their rankings.]

[Please take a look at the current top 10.]

Rin had no interest in the list. It was based on contributions made up until now, so Shelly was naturally first, followed by Albus. But Reina being third and Teressa being fourth was not something he had anticipated.

That finally made him curious enough to check his own ranking, only to not find his name anywhere.

[User’s currency profile:

Hunter Rank: invalid]

While everyone was busy celebrating their achievements, Rin was the only one who felt it was unfair. He should have gotten a ranking like everyone else so he could receive more benefits...

[Rookie, how can we give our own employee a rating? Wouldn’t that be called internal boosting? The system would never cheat in such matters.]

The system sounded sulky after its work ethics were questioned, and it quickly let Rin know that it would never cheat.

Rin allowed the system the benefit of the doubt until it was caught in its lie.

"I’m rank 1? I don’t feel like I should be ranked first. Rather, didn’t Rin do more work than me? He should be ranked 1st instead."

Shelly had a point. Since the list was based on contributions made during the tasks, it would be obvious that Rin, who planned everything, would rank highly.

Now everyone’s attention turned toward Rin, and he had to carefully think about how to answer their gazes.

He did not want to say too much, but if he said too little, then no one would be satisfied with his answer.

"I likely did not get a high rating because I failed the last round’s task. It was my fault that the boss was able to reach the egg and start transforming."

Rin reminded everyone, and they all made expressions of understanding.

Honestly, Rin was worried about his people. Sometimes they were too sharp for their own good, and other times they acted like buffoons who were willing to believe anything he told them.

"This is enough about me. What benefits are you all going to choose?"

Rin changed the topic, and everyone’s attention returned to the rankings.

"I’m going to take the early store access. None of the other options suit me."

Albus made an immediate decision and selected his prize. Reina was next, and her choice was obvious as well. Since she was a medic, a complete encyclopedia of plants made sense for her.

Teressa’s choice was a little trickier since all her skills were support-class. So she ended up taking boosted stats to make up for her lack of power.

As for Shelly? Let’s just say Rin prevented a disaster from happening by forcing her to choose anything except the bow.

"Shelly, take anything but the bow. Even you know it’s a bad idea."

"But it’s calling my name. Look at those curves and that elegant spine. How can anyone say no to it?"

"Shelly, please. Think about the people who will have to fight alongside you. Just do this much for me and choose something else."

"Fine."

In the end, Shelly also chose the boosted stats.

...

After a hard day of work, all Rin wanted to do was relax in his bed. But the system decided it had other plans for him.

[Rookie, today is your lucky day. You should rejoice, since today is the day you’ll get to meet the higher-ups. Please prepare yourself for your surprise evaluation.]

"Huh? All of a sudden? How can you do this without any prior warning?"

Rin questioned, but his surroundings had already started flashing black and white. His room faded away, replaced by a white space filled with emptiness.

"System, where are you? Where did you go? Hey, are you there?"

Rin called out, but only silence answered him. He was growing frustrated with the situation when he heard a sharp noise and followed it instinctively. The sound kept growing louder and fainter as he moved around until he thought he had found its source.

But he ended up in another white room.

[Checking status...all parameters are normal. The subject is under complete control.]

[Hello, can you hear me? Can you tell us your name?]

The voice sounded like it was coming from underwater, but Rin still felt compelled to answer it. His voice was hoarse but clear when he spoke.

"I am Rin. Who are you?"

Rin waited for an answer, but none came for several minutes. Still, he patiently waited for the voice to return, and eventually, it did.

[This is our sixteenth time conducting this experiment with you, and it is our first success. I suddenly have a feeling that we will succeed with you.]

It was not an answer, but it was not a question either.

"Wait! Answer my question. Just what is this apocalypse?"

But the entity capable of answering him was already gone.

[This meeting is over. The record will be deleted in 5 minutes. Initiating safe transfer of subject.]

And just as suddenly, Rin was back once again.