“Advisor Kanghyeon Lee will work hard for our team from now on.”
Under Yerin Jeong’s lead, I was able to greet the team members.
The greetings were just simple introductions, and the reaction wasn’t great.
No, they were just not interested at all.
‘That’s natural, I guess.’
After all, I and they wouldn’t have direct contact with each other.
There was only one team member I needed to know.
“Ah, Kanghyeon, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me or Assistant Manager Seoyoon Park.”
Assistant Manager Seoyoon Park.
He was the Hunter who picked me up right in front of my house.
At that moment, Yerin Jeong looked at the team members again.
“And Advisor Kanghyeon Lee has prepared a gift for all of you.”
As soon as she finished speaking, cheers erupted from around.
“Wow, Advisor, you’re the best!”
“As expected from an advisor, right? You’re so full of sense.”
I smiled and handed out bottles of liquor to the team members one by one.
“Hmm? What is this? Is it a potion?”
Naturally, there was a puzzled reaction.
“No, it’s liquor.”
“Liquor at the company…?”
Even with that reaction, some team members immediately opened the bottles and started drinking.
“Hey, Seoyoon Park! What are you doing during work hours?”
Yerin Jeong said it jokingly, but soon she tipped her bottle together with him, bursting into laughter.
The atmosphere in the conference room, which had been bleak just a little while ago, was quickly filled with liveliness.
At that moment, Assistant Manager Seoyoon Park, who had gulped down the liquor first, exclaimed in admiration.
“Wow, this liquor is really delicious?”
Starting with him, other team members also expressed their admiration.
“That’s right, Advisor. Where did you get such liquor?”
I felt a sense of pride watching their reactions.
‘Celia, you’re the best.’
This reaction was ultimately thanks to the liquor filled with Celia’s devotion, offered as a sacrifice.
I decided to praise Celia to the team members as a way of acknowledging their hard work.
“Actually, this liquor was made by someone important to me.”
Dungeons were my lifeline.
Celia, who guards those dungeons, was bound to be important to me.
For a moment, the team members’ eyes sparkled as they looked at me.
“Don’t tell me, a woman?”
Since Celia is a Succubus, it was indeed a woman.
I smiled awkwardly and waved my hand.
But the team members’ faces were full of smiles.
On the other hand, Yerin Jeong’s expression stiffened slightly.
‘Is she not pleased with the liquor?’
In any case, the atmosphere changed beautifully thanks to the gift I brought.
Amidst the friendly atmosphere, after finishing the introductions, we moved on to the main meeting.
The meeting wasn’t anything grand.
“This week, the dungeons assigned to our team are the C-Rank Stone Golem Dungeon and the B-Rank estimated Minotaurus Dungeon…”
Under the Team Leader’s guidance, it was simply a brief discussion about which dungeons were assigned to the team, their difficulty, and subjugation plans.
But at that moment.
Ding-
An alarm rang on my smartphone.
‘What is it?’
Recently, the only times the alarm rang were related to dungeons.
I quickly asked for permission to look at the screen.
– The [Dungeon Support & Dispatch] system has been upgraded to [Dungeon Conquest & Dispatch].
‘Upgrade?’
Although infrequent now, we used to dispatch monsters to support dungeons.
Thanks to that, I was able to get acquainted with the Azmo Dungeon.
Now, with the system upgraded, it had changed from support to conquest.
‘Conquest sounds brutal.’
I checked the dungeon list that appeared below the alarm.
– Dungeon ‘The Aesthetics of Slowness’ (Eldorad, Dungeon Master: 1-Star Zombie)
– Dungeon ‘Grave of Stones’ (Earth, Dungeon Master: C-Rank Stone Golem)
– Dungeon ‘Wandering Labyrinth’ (Earth, Dungeon Master: A-Rank Minotaurus Chieftain)
– Please select the dungeon and monsters to dispatch.
Stone Golem and Minotaurus dungeons…
‘Something looks familiar?’
As I stared at the screen for a while, I heard Yerin Jeong’s voice.
“First, regarding the C-Rank Stone Golem Dungeon, confirmation revealed there is a giant tomb made of stones. The problem lies with the Minotaurus Dungeon. The reason the rank is estimated B-Rank and not confirmed is because the interior of the dungeon is a complex labyrinth…”
Her explanation made me certain.
Some of the dungeon lists that appeared on my screen were the same as the ones Yerin Jeong was talking about.
“The vanguard couldn’t explore the entire labyrinth. That’s why we’ve estimated it as B-Rank because we haven’t confirmed whether the dungeon master is a regular Minotaurus or an evolved Minotaurus.”
“……”
I listened to her explanation dazedly.
It seemed I could finally be useful as an advisor.
* * *
As the meeting was almost over, the conference room door suddenly opened, and a man entered.
His appearance instantly silenced the conference room.
“Ah, sorry. I’m late. Haha.”
The man apologized with a smug smile, acting as if nothing was amiss.
Erin Jeong’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
The other team members also wore awkward expressions.
The man approached me with a sly smile.
“Ah, you’re the new advisor, right? Nice to meet you. Haha.”
Wondering who he was, I glanced over, and Yerin Jeong mouthed something.
‘Yoon Taekyung…?’
The same person I heard in the elevator, currently suspected to be the B-Rank Hunter aligned with Vice Guild Leader Tae-young Jeong, Yerin Jeong’s older brother.
“My name is Yoon Taekyung. I look forward to working with you.”
He approached me and offered his hand.
I also smiled and extended my hand.
“I’m Kanghyeon Lee.”
Even during the handshake, Yoon Taekyung’s eyes were sharp.
“But, Advisor, they say you’re skilled, so why did you come here of all places? Other places must have been eager to hire you, right?”
His tone was casual, but his words carried blatant condescension.
It was an overt doubt about my abilities.
‘He thinks I’m a parachute appointee.’
In a way, he wasn’t wrong.
Regardless of my skills, the reason I ended up here was due to a complex web of intertwined interests.
But that remark was an insult not only to me but also to Yerin Jeong.
“Mr. Yoon Taekyung, that’s enough!”
Yoon Taekyung continued speaking without regard.
“No, isn’t it? You don’t have much experience, and all you seem to do is summon that weak-looking skeleton. I’m really curious why you were appointed as an advisor. Haha, don’t take it too personally, I’m just curious.”
“Just….”
Maru was about to draw his Demonic Sword, but I stopped him.
“Be patient.”
“Just.”
Not only Maru, but Yerin Jeong’s face also flushed red.
She must have been angry at the team member ignoring her words.
As she was about to step forward, I stopped her and took a step forward myself.
“Kanghyeon…”
Yerin Jeong mumbled softly, but I looked straight at Yoon Taekyung and said calmly.
“Enough. If you’re curious about my abilities, you’ll have opportunities to see them in the future.”
“……”
Yoon Taekyung was silent for a moment at my firm attitude.
But then, perhaps annoyed, he raised his voice.
“If you’re that great, then show me right now! Ah, there’s a good spot right there.”
Yoon Taekyung pointed to the Stone Golem Dungeon written on the whiteboard.
“A C-Rank dungeon. It must be nothing for an advisor like you, right? Try clearing it alone.”
“No, Mr. Yoon Taekyung!”
Yerin Jeong got angry at her team member’s unreasonable words, but I stopped her again.
“It’s fine.”
After all, I had anticipated this.
They, including Yoon Taekyung, didn’t know what Traits and Skills I possessed.
Even if I got out of this situation, it would clearly hinder me in the future.
“I’ll show you, then.”
“…What?”
Yoon Taekyung was actually taken aback by my confident demeanor.
* * *
‘What is that bastard thinking?’
Yoon Taekyung thought as he looked at Lee Kanghyeon in front of him.
The man who was directly recruited by Team Leader Jeong Yerin as the team’s advisor.
The problem was that the man didn’t seem to have any special abilities.
Even the skeleton he carried seemed too ordinary.
‘Is it just all talk?’
I was rather flustered by how confidently the opponent behaved.
‘Yes, it must be all talk.’
If I backed down now, my pride wouldn’t allow it.
He would probably just hide inside the dungeon and waste time until it was over.
‘Heh, you’re dead.’
He sneered inwardly and recalled his conversation with the Vice Guild Leader.
– Jeong Yerin picked an advisor behind my back. She’s probably sharing the salary from the team’s operating expenses too. So, report everything. Who he is, and what he does, without missing anything.
The Vice Guild Leader’s instructions were simple.
Reveal the incompetence of Advisor Lee Kanghyeon, who Team Leader Jeong Yerin recruited.
If he’s incompetent despite being hired as a team advisor with considerable benefits?
He planned to use that immediately to frame Jeong Yerin for embezzlement.
– If Jeong Yerin can be removed, that team leader position is yours.
Furthermore, if this task went well, he was scheduled to take over Jeong Yerin’s team leader position.
That was the promise with the Vice Guild Leader.
Yoon Taekyung smiled faintly at the hopeful future. And he looked at Jeong Yerin with pity.
‘Why did you pick just anyone?’
Moreover, it was an advisor position that wasn’t even officially registered with the Guild.
Still, considering Jeong Yerin’s personality, it wouldn’t be embezzlement.
‘Is he her boyfriend?’
He was clearly just placed there out of simple friendship.
He didn’t know the detailed circumstances, but Yoon Taekyung just had to do his job.
“Since the Advisor has agreed, the Team Leader of course has no objections, right?”
The situation was now irreversible.
* * *
The actions were swift.
As Yoon Taekyung said, I prepared to enter the Stone Golem Dungeon alone.
That dungeon was C-Rank.
Since I was entering alone to clear it, Yerin Jeong prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.
All team members were armed and ready to enter the dungeon at any time, and Guild medical personnel were also on standby.
A moment later, Yerin Jeong told me not to overdo it, but I shook my head.
“It’s fine. If I want to go easy from now on, this is the way.”
This was the way if I wanted to go easy from now on.
More importantly, this was nothing to me.
‘Status Window.’
I called up the status window.
[Traits]
– True Dungeon Master (EX)
– Master of Demonic Sword (S)
– Mana Sensitivity (A)
– Mana Circuit (B)
– Spirit Affinity (B)
[Basic Information]
Health : C+
Attack Power : B+
Defense : C
Magic : A+
Holy Power : D
[Skills]
– Knighted (S) : Maru (Active)
– Sacred Shield (C)
– Fireball (E)
– Goddess’s Heal (E)
– Poison Explosion (A)
My information had slightly changed recently thanks to the newly acquired Spirit Affinity and Poison Explosion.
Although it had definitely improved, with my current stats, I had a poor affinity with Stone Golems.
Skills like Fireball or Poison Explosion, which throw spherical poison, would have difficulty dealing significant damage to Stone Golems made of stone.
However, it wasn’t that I lacked confidence.
Because I had Maru.
And I had another trump card.
‘Let’s see….’
– You have selected Dungeon ‘Grave of Stones’ from [Dungeon Support & Dispatch].
– Please select the monsters to dispatch to Dungeon ‘Grave of Stones’.
It was monster dispatching.
‘Since Maru is going in with me anyway, who should I choose?’
In fact, the choices were endless for me.
I could just dispatch Celia and sweep away the Stone Golems.
A C-Rank would be at most 3-Star, so there was a big difference compared to 6-Star Celia.
But I shook my head.
‘Celia is probably busy managing the dungeon, so let’s exclude her.’
I didn’t want to burden her by giving her more work.
The Goblin Lord was the same.
‘Then, is Death Knight the only one left?’
I excluded Baalcherit as well. If it were just a simple dispatch, it wouldn’t matter, but I was planning to enter the dungeon with him, so I needed someone reliable.
‘Death Knight would be best.’
I was already planning to enter the Stone Golem Dungeon, which was made of a tomb of stones.
‘Death Knight’s pickaxe skills were no joke.’
Thinking so, I walked towards the dungeon.
“Let’s go, Maru.”
“Clap!”
As I stepped into the dungeon, I touched the screen.
– Dispatching Death Knight to Dungeon ‘Grave of Stones’.
