Chapter 27

In the 17th floor of "The Forest Dungeon," Sebast was being desperately held back by his subordinates as he tried to plunge into the deepest part of the dungeon.

"Damn it. Let go of me, all of you! Let go!"

"That's not possible."

"Please calm down, Captain!"

"How can I calm down! The dungeon has been preempted by the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree'! By us, the Sebast team! How can this be allowed! It's absolutely unacceptable!"

"What do you plan to do by going to the deepest part now?"

"It's obvious. I'm going to mete out divine punishment to those thieves who stole our glory."

"If you do that, the quest reception office won't let it slide."

"Private battles among adventurers are already forbidden within the dungeon. If it comes to refusing to leave after a conquest or assaulting the conquerors... even we won't escape severe punishment."

"Capital punishment is also a possibility."

"They are the conquerors? Ha! What conquerors! Using such underhanded methods to steal our glory! How can I accept that they are the conquerors? Even if the heavens allow it, I won't!"

"If you feel that way, you should return to the city first."

"Shouldn't you first look for a way to expose their misconduct?"

"Getting angry here and adding to your crimes will only worsen your position."

"Grh. Grhrh."

Sebast, with a red face, remained silent for a while before shaking off his subordinates' hands.

"Let go! Damn it. All of you!"

"Captain! Where are you going?"

"Back to the city. I'm going to thoroughly investigate their misconduct."

With that, Sebast started to retreat from the dungeon, his footsteps heavy.

The subordinates, relieved, followed him.

---

Monica and her team were handling the aftermath of defeating the boss.

As agreed, the item "Turtle Dragon's Shell" was handed over to Yugan.

The management rights would go to the "Guardians of the Magic Tree."

Yugan chanted a spell towards the "Crescent Knight" emblem carved on the wall, and it immediately disappeared.

Monica collected the "Dungeon Ring" from the treasure chest, a ring that managed all entry and exit from the dungeon.

With this, the dungeon officially became the property of the "Guardians of the Magic Tree."

"Is it okay? I'm taking the 'Turtle Dragon's Shell'?"

"Yes, that was the agreement."

Monica handed over the item to Yugan without any hesitation.

"…I see."

They returned the emblems they had exchanged, a sign of the contract's termination between the guilds.

"Yay! Dungeon conquest!"

"Hurrah! Guardians of the Magic Tree, hurrah!"

Some members were already in a celebratory mood, with some even holding hands and jumping around.

"Monica, the return magic circle is ready."

"Let's go back to the city now."

Yufine and Shakuma waved at Monica, with a return magic circle appearing at their feet.

"Then, Mr. Yugan, we'll be going."

"Leaving already?"

"Yes, we need to report our conquest to someone as soon as possible."

"You mean… that appraiser?"

"Yes, the one who always guides us. I want to show him that we've grown, even a little."

Monica's eyes were clear and pure, something Yugan had long abandoned.

"Hmph."

(A Class adventurer-admired appraiser, huh? I wonder what kind of person he is.)

Yugan couldn't help but chuckle.

"Mr. Yugan?"

"No, it's nothing. He must be quite skilled, that appraiser."

"Yes, he is."

"I'd like to receive his guidance too."

"Then how about it? When you finish your sleep, come to the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree'?"

"Sure. Since we've met, I'd like to come. The 'Guardians of the Magic Tree' will welcome you."

Shakuma also agreed.

"No, I'll pass. My work here is done. I need to go to the next city."

"Is that so?"

Monica looked a bit disappointed.

"Ah, right. Tell that appraiser I said hello."

"Yes, I'll tell him that we conquered the boss thanks to you, Mr. Yugan."

"Thanks."

"Monica, hurry up. We'll leave without you."

"Ah, I'm coming. See you, Mr. Yugan. Until we meet again."

"Sure, see you."

The group returned to the city and went their separate ways to their homes or guild headquarters.

Yugan headed out of the city.

As soon as he reached the outskirts, a giant rotating bird landed beside him.

(They had impressive skills, but their stats had flaws. If they managed to bring them up to A Class in a short time… Wow. There's someone incredible in this small city.)

"The world is vast."

Yugan muttered.

(Maybe I should form a party again? Heh.)

Yugan mounted the rotating bird, which flew off into the distance.

---

24 hours earlier, Roland woke up after the characteristic rebound sleep that follows returning from a dungeon.

He headed to the quest reception office to check if the dungeon had been cleared.

"Hello. What brings you here today?"

"I want to check the status of the dungeon."

"Understood. Please follow me to the astrology department."

In the astrology department, the astrologer checked the status of the dungeon.

Through the crystal, he could verify all information about the dungeon, including which quests had been cleared, new quests that had appeared, and whether the dungeon had been conquered.

"The status of 'The Forest Dungeon'… currently, the 17th floor is the highest point reached by adventurers."

"So, it hasn't been cleared yet?"

"It hasn't been cleared yet."

(Hmm. The dungeon hasn't been cleared yet. I thought it would have been cleared by now…)

"Is there anything else you want to know?"

"No, thank you."

Roland left the quest reception office and headed to the "Spirit Workshop."

(Well, it's finally the moment of truth.)

As expected, Rang was busy running around when Roland appeared at the workshop.

"Ah, Roland. Welcome back."

"Rang, how's the situation?"

"We have until the end of this week."

"…I see."

"It's today, isn't it? The dinner with Count Elsen."

"Yes, it is."

"Good luck."

"Thanks. I'll do my best."

Roland felt nervous.

Meeting important people always made him nervous.

But this was something he had to do himself.

(I'm the representative of this workshop now. I can't just talk about ideals. I need to do the dirty work for the workshop.)

---

Roland was led to the guest room of Count Elsen's mansion.

It seemed he would be having dinner with him.

"Hey, Roland. It's been a while."

"Yes, it has. I've been away."

"No, no, it's fine. Come, sit down. We have some good fish today. And wine too."

Count Elsen continued to make small talk until the meal was ready, talking about his daughter and the hunts they had done before.

Roland was stiff and nervous, unaccustomed to dining with clients.

He wasn't sure when to bring up the main topic or if he was behaving appropriately.

Soon, the wine and dishes were served.

The wine was poured into silverware.

"Ah, this is…"

"This is the silverware from your guild. I always serve it to guests, and it's been well-received."

"Thank you."

"We nobles have many social obligations. We try to have the best furnishings. I plan to replace all the silverware in this house with items from the 'Spirit Workshop' by the end of the year."

"That's… a great honor."

"Your silversmith has been improving, hasn't he? The quality of the silver used to be the main factor, but the designs have become more refined recently."

Count Elsen narrowed his eyes, looking at the silverware and the wine inside.

"Indeed, you have a keen eye."

The conversation turned to the food, and Count Elsen displayed his extensive knowledge.

He occasionally asked the butler about wine.

After the meal, he finally brought up the main topic.

"So, about the silverware appraisal, will you participate?"

"That's…"

"Short on silver?"

"Yes, I'm embarrassed to say…"

"So you can't participate?"

"Yes, if things stay this way."

Count Elsen looked visibly disappointed.

"Well, is there anyone you know who has silver ore?"

"Such a request… I don't understand alchemy. That's why I rely on you."

"Ah, that's true."

"Is there no other way?"

---

Count Elsen sighed as he watched Roland leave.

The dinner had become awkward after that.

Count Elsen's eyes pleaded for a solution, and Roland looked apologetic.

The conversation was stilted, and no one spoke much.

The only relief was that the food had been finished.

(Well, this is the difficulty of running a small guild. They can't be flexible.)

Count Elsen rang a bell to call the butler.

"Did you call, sir?"

"A letter."

"To whom?"

"Lucius."

---

While Roland was having dinner with Count Elsen, the competition between Lilianna and Alik to conquer "The Mine Dungeon" was heating up.

They had reached the 22nd floor, but it wasn't the deepest part of the dungeon.

(Does it keep going?)

Lilianna drank another potion, not sure how many she had taken.

Alik, tired of the seemingly endless depth of the dungeon, pushed his team forward.

(This is the longest dungeon I've ever been in.)

Even the experienced adventurer Alik couldn't hide his fatigue.

It had been over a week since they entered the dungeon, and they were reaching their limits.

(Damn it. How long will this go on?)

But Alik didn't let his guard down.

The quality of Lilianna's team was far superior to his, and they had been weakened by Lucius (Jill, who was originally part of the team, had been reassigned).

The gap between Lilianna's team and Alik's was widening.

Alik's strategy was to stay close behind Lilianna, but that was also reaching its limit.

The distance between them was gradually increasing.

(Up to here…)

But the end came suddenly.

When they reached the 24th floor, something strange happened.

"The presence of monsters has disappeared!"

Lilianna used her "Levitation" skill to rise and look around.

There were indeed no monsters.

Alik also noticed this.

(The monsters are gone!)

But when he looked at his team, no one had any stamina left.

He couldn't join Lilianna's team and steal the boss fight.

(No good.)

Alik was about to give up.

But Lilianna, after looking over the hill, didn't try to fight the boss.

She started talking to her team members.

(What is she doing?)

Alik, suspicious, caught up to Lilianna and saw what was on the other side of the hill.

At the foot of the hill, he saw armor, helmets, shields, and swords floating in the air.

They were arranged as if a person was wearing them, with gauntlets on the arms, a sword in the right hand, and a shield in the left, but there were no bodies.

They were armored ghosts, silent dead people possessing armor.

"Those are… armored ghosts!"

"About 50 of them, I think."

(Armored ghosts can't be damaged by normal attacks. That's why Lilianna was hesitating.)

Armored ghosts could only be damaged by weapons with a spiritual attribute.

Unfortunately, neither team had items to change their weapons to a spiritual attribute.

(Am I saved…?)

Alik realized he had been given a reprieve from a certain defeat and felt relieved.

But he couldn't relax.

He needed to quickly obtain "Spirit Light Stones" (items that temporarily give weapons a spiritual attribute).

But to do that, he had to return to the city.

"Rosian, please deliver this to Roland."

Lilianna gave the "Shortcut Ring" and a message to the archer who knew the "Stealth Step" skill.

"Explain to Roland that the final boss is an 'Armored Ghost.' To defeat it, we need at least 50 'Spirit Light Stones' as soon as possible. Please bring them here quickly."

"Understood."

Rosian, entrusted with the ring, used "Stealth Step" to avoid monsters and hurried back the way they came.

Alik's team also noticed this movement.

"Alik, Captain. That's Rosian! Using 'Stealth Step'!"

Indeed, the monsters in this dungeon mostly detect enemies by sound, so using "Stealth Step" allowed them to return to the return magic circle without being detected.

(Clever. Sending one person back quickly. That's the fastest way to get the Spirit Light Stones. Waiting in the dungeon also saves time for rebound sleep. A bold strategy.)

Alik hesitated for a moment, then made a decision.

(There's no time to waste. Without a good idea, I have to follow their strategy.)

Alik also selected someone who could use "Stealth Step" and ordered them to hurry back.

Alik gritted his teeth when he saw Rosian was already ahead of his team.

(Damn it. To be always one step behind. Even as the largest guild in the city, it's useless if it doesn't function!)

---

The day after the dinner with Count Elsen, Roland went to work at the "Guardians of the Magic Tree."

He was surprised to hear from the reception that Monica and her team had conquered "The Forest Dungeon" and that Lilianna hadn't returned yet.

"Monica and her team conquered the dungeon!? And Lilianna hasn't returned yet?"

"Yes, that's right."

"The guild is buzzing with this news."

(That's amazing. I didn't think they would conquer the dungeon.)

He thought Monica's team had the strength to conquer the dungeon, but he didn't expect it to happen this time.

(I thought Sebast would take it this time… Did something happen with the 'Golden Eagles'?)

"Where are Monica and her team now?"

"They are sleeping in the temporary quarters of the Guardians of the Magic Tree. They just returned from the dungeon, so they won't wake up for a while."

At that moment, a guild member entered, out of breath.

"Roland, thank goodness I found you."

"You are… Lilianna's team member, right?"

"My name is Rosian. I have a situation… I need to explain."

He explained the situation in the dungeon.

The boss was an "Armored Ghost," and they needed 50 Spirit Light Stones.

Lilianna's team was still in the dungeon.

"Spirit Light Stones, 50…"

Roland ran off.

After explaining everything to Roland, Rosian collapsed and fell asleep on the spot.

(There probably isn't a stock of 50 Spirit Light Stones in the city. I need to hurry and make them.)

Fortunately, the "Spirit Workshop" had the best refiner in the city.

At the same time, the guild leader of the "Golden Eagles" was informed about the events in the two dungeons.

"What!? The 'Guardians of the Magic Tree' conquered 'The Forest Dungeon'!?"

Lucius was furious.

"What is Sebast doing! What about Coater and the others!?"

Lucius called the leaders of the two teams to question them, but they only blamed each other, and the truth remained unclear.

"Damn it. Forget it! Now it's 'The Mine Dungeon'! No more mistakes. We'll mobilize the full force of the 'Golden Eagles' to take the dungeon!"

Lucius ordered both teams to prepare for the mission and called the alchemy guild to obtain and refine Spirit Light Stones.

He also arranged to block the supply of Spirit Light Stones and their materials to the "Spirit Workshop."

But Roland was faster this time.

By the time Lucius's orders were carried out, Roland had already obtained the necessary materials for the Spirit Light Stones and rushed to the workshop.

"Sorry, Rang. I have an urgent request. I need more than 50 Spirit Light Stones, as soon as possible!"