Betta carefully examined the small fragment the Kobold handed him.
He gently stroked the surface with his finger, feeling a cold touch.
It was more than just simple coldness.
It was unlike any substance he had ever seen.
It was jet black, but not just any black.
‘It’s like an abyss.’
It felt as if it were swallowing even the surrounding light.
“What in the world is this?”
Betta’s gaze shifted to the Magic Stone the Kobold had given him.
No matter how he looked at it, it wasn’t a Magic Stone.
What was certain was that it surpassed the limits of energy he could detect.
“Where did you find this?”
However, the Kobold also shook his head.
“Deep inside! It was with the pebbles!”
In the end, it meant he didn’t know.
Just as Betta was about to examine the fragment again, a person approached and spoke to him.
“Betta-nim, the VIP is on the move!”
The VIP the Hunter referred to was the owner of the dungeon, Kanghyeon Lee.
The Hunters belonging to the Heukil Guild did not know the VIP’s identity and merely moved according to Betta’s orders.
The close surveillance of the VIP was Azmo’s will.
After establishing Dungeon Inc. and taking control of the Heukil Guild, one of Azmo’s primary concerns was the VIP’s security.
Of course, Maru was around, but one could never be too careful.
So, he instructed the Heukil Guild Hunters to provide security.
Naturally, the Master was not informed of the security detail.
Both Azmo and Betta believed that secret protection, as if one were invisible, was the best approach.
“Right, did you arrive home safely?”
Betta nodded and asked.
He had heard in the report that the Master had visited the Guild and was returning.
He should be home safely by now.
“Uh, well….”
However, the next report was different from Betta’s expectations.
“The VIP is currently heading towards the main branch.”
“…What?”
The main branch here referred to Dungeon Inc.
And Azmo’s dungeon was also located there.
The Dungeon Inc. main branch and Azmo’s dungeon were situated in a quiet open field.
It was once an open field with small businesses, but it had become a derelict sight due to lack of maintenance.
However, these factors became ideal conditions for Azmo.
With few people visiting, it was suitable for dungeon operations.
Moreover, Azmo did not miss this opportunity.
He renovated the abandoned business building and made it the base of Dungeon Inc.
The building itself was not very large, but that didn’t matter.
After all, the building was a disguise to avoid attracting attention.
In fact, Azmo had registered his business as a general store instead of Dungeon Inc.
It was simply a place that sold various items related to Hunters.
With the help of Betta and the Heukil Guild Hunters, all procedures went smoothly.
As a result, the once abandoned lot was now clean and tidy.
“I need to get there quickly.”
It was the first visit of our great Master! Betta thought he couldn’t miss such a glorious occasion.
* * *
Azmo’s dungeon was not far from my house.
After all, I had moved his dungeon nearby to prevent Azmo from doing anything unnecessary, hadn’t I?
‘Is this the place?’
I had deliberately chosen a place with few visitors.
But the open field I arrived at with Maru now had a very different atmosphere.
A neatly organized general store stood in the otherwise desolate area.
‘Could it be that Azmo set up a shop here?’
At first, I was skeptical.
Azmo was the only one I suspected.
Soon, I learned the truth.
“….”
The moment I opened the door to the general store, a familiar energy enveloped me.
As soon as they saw me and Maru, the employees bowed 90 degrees and greeted us politely.
“Welcome. It is an honor to serve our great Master.”
Looking at them, I was certain.
The energy I felt was not a mistake.
They were all Incubi under Azmo’s command.
‘And what’s with “great Master”?’
Then, I heard the truth about this place from the Incubi.
“So, this is the Dungeon Inc. building?”
“Yes, sir.”
Azmo had established Dungeon Inc. by utilizing this abandoned lot. I was astonished that even his subordinate officer, Betta, had smoothly handled all procedures with legal consultation.
“Huh…”
I was amazed at how much Azmo and Betta had grown.
‘I thought they just acted without thinking.’
But was it okay for monsters to be active so openly?
Strictly speaking, this was not a dungeon.
So, they were running a general store, weren’t they?
“Ah, you don’t need to worry about that. The artifact bestowed by our Master is concealing our energy.”
An artifact that conceals energy.
For some reason, this artifact had always existed in Azmo’s dungeon.
It was an artifact that had transferred with the dungeon when its location was moved.
“He even accounted for that.”
With the help of the artifact’s power, they wouldn’t have to worry about their identities being revealed.
The reason I felt the Incubi’s energy was probably because I am their Master.
Next, I looked around to see if I could talk to Azmo, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Only the Incubi under him were busily working.
“Where is Azmo right now?”
“He is currently working in the dungeon. I will call him right away.”
I waved my hand at the Incubus who was about to call Azmo.
“No, it’s fine. He’s probably busy, so leave him be. I’ll just look around.”
I had come unannounced.
Azmo must be busy with various tasks, and I didn’t want to disrupt his schedule.
Moreover, the general store alone showed how hard he had worked to build Dungeon Inc.
I slowly began to look around the interior.
The interior of the general store was filled with various items for Hunters.
There were items needed for dungeon exploration such as ropes, lanterns, and return scrolls.
There were even supplies for long-term exploration like tents and cooking utensils.
‘No weapons.’
Although there were no weapons, there were plenty of potions and accessories that provided buffs.
“These are all collected from the dungeons.”
In other words, they were the mementos of Hunters who had entered the dungeons.
“If you need anything, Master, please let us know. We will prepare anything of the highest quality. Oh, and we also have items for monsters.”
In addition to items for Hunters, they also had items for the owners of dungeons, which Dungeon Inc. traded with.
Of course, I didn’t need anything, so I just passed.
“Still, since I came all this way, I might as well look at the potions?”
The Minotaurus Dungeon raid was scheduled anyway.
Even if I didn’t use them, it would be good to pick up some potions for my team members, right?
As soon as I finished saying that, an Incubus shouted.
“Master wants potions!”
Then, another Incubus staff member immediately brought a sack and began sweeping all the potions in the store into it.
“…?”
What was going on?
After filling the sack with all the potions in the store, they handed it to me.
“This is what Azmo-nim instructed! He said to give you everything if you ever visited.”
“Uh… really?”
“We can always get more from the dungeon. Everything we have is thanks to our great Master, so please accept it comfortably.”
In other words, they meant they would hunt down Hunters who invaded the dungeon and reclaim the items.
“….”
Looking at their eyes, it was clear they wouldn’t let me leave without accepting it.
I awkwardly accepted the gift.
“Thank you.”
“If you need more potions, I will get them immediately.”
“No, this is enough for now, so it’s fine.”
I felt their intent to confiscate all the potions if needed. I politely refused the Incubus’s offer.
‘Should I head back now?’
At first, it was just curiosity.
I came to check on Azmo, and he was doing much better than I expected.
Since I confirmed he was running things well, there was no need to look further.
‘I should give Azmo a gift later.’
Thanks to them, I even got potions. As I was about to leave, vowing to give Azmo a gift if I got any good items in the lottery later.
“I apologize for being late, Master. It’s your subordinate officer, Betta. It is an honor to meet you!”
“Huh?”
This time, Betta appeared.
He was Azmo’s dungeon’s subordinate officer, and his race was slime.
Betta’s trait was transformation, and as a master of transformation, his human form was indeed flawless.
The Incubi also greeted Betta briefly.
“Welcome, Betta-nim.”
However, Betta seemed displeased and glared at the Incubi with a look full of dissatisfaction.
‘Why is he acting like that again?’
Even though they were monsters belonging to my dungeon, it seemed I couldn’t understand the hearts of monsters. Betta then raised his voice towards them.
“Hurry and sweep up all the items! Yes, you have spare inventory space, right? Put them in there and bring them!”
“Yes, sir!”
At Betta’s command, the Incubi swept the items in the general store into their inventory. And then they handed them to me.
“….”
Meanwhile, the general store, which was full of items, instantly became bare.
Still, Betta smiled, as if pleased.
“It’s fine! We can just get them from the dungeon anyway!”
It was hard to say anything when he said that he would kill Hunters and steal from them so cheerfully.
“Uh… alright.”
In the end, I received all the other items in addition to the potions. But Betta wasn’t finished.
“If you need anything else in the future, I will get it for you immediately!”
At his words, I made one resolution. From now on, I wouldn’t come here directly.
‘I should just send Maru.’
But I had already received a lot of gifts. Leaving like this would not be fitting for the dungeon owner’s image. I asked Betta if he had anything on his mind.
“Ah, thank you for your concern. However, I cannot trouble our Master.”
However, Betta seemed burdened by my offer and said nothing.
“It’s fine, so tell me. It’s an order.”
Only then did Betta approach me with something.
‘A tree?’
It was a sapling. What was important was that its leaves were almost transparent and shone.
There was only one type of tree with such a characteristic.
“That’s right. It’s a Terrilif sapling. I received it from a dungeon I was doing a transaction with not long ago. I immediately planted the sapling behind the building, but it wouldn’t grow.”
“You mean it’s actually the Terrilif ….”
I was surprised by Betta’s story.
Terrilif is a type of tree. It is a rare plant found only in dungeons, and its leaves have the property of shining transparently. When the shining leaves are brewed, they become Mana Potions, and not just ordinary Mana Potions. They are potions with the great effect of fully replenishing the Mana of the user.
‘Could you actually grow it?’
The problem is that growing Terrilif trees is extremely difficult. No, it’s not just difficult to grow, but rather, it’s a tree that dies soon no matter how well it’s cared for.
The government and guilds tried to grow Terrilif trees, but all failed. It was the same in dungeons. Therefore, the secret to the Terrilif tree’s growth remains unknown.
“I’ve tried various methods, but the sapling wouldn’t grow; instead, it just kept dying.” Betta said bitterly. After all, Betta, who operates disguised as a human, would know well about the Hunter market. He would know how expensive Mana Potions made from Terrilif leaves are.
Betta muttered to himself, seemingly regretting it.
“If only we had elves, we could grow it easily.”
“Oh? Can it really grow if you just have elves?”
Betta nodded at my question.
“Yes. According to Azmo-nim, Terrilif trees die if they are not managed by elves. We experimented to see if there were any other methods, but it was impossible.”
At Betta’s words, I realized something. This explained why the government and guilds couldn’t grow Terrilif trees, no matter how hard they tried.
‘It turns out elves were necessary.’
Elves are a rare race. Moreover, their secretive nature is so strong that interacting with them is virtually impossible. But I have those rare elves. In fact, they were even doing housework right now.
“I think I can solve that problem for you.”
A smile bloomed on my face.
