Yerin Jeong immediately informed the Fire Bird Guild of Kanghyeon Lee’s rank results.
An A-Rank Hunter.
Once the news spread through the Fire Bird Guild, the reaction was fervent.
Hunters who had entered the Minotaurus Dungeon with him, in particular, nodded.
It was an expected reaction.
“Just as I thought!”
Team Leader Namgung Hyuk whispered to his colleague next to him.
“I told you. There’s no way he was F-Rank.”
Inside the dungeon, Kanghyeon Lee’s Skeleton single-handedly fought a Death Knight and a Goblin Lord.
Even from that alone, he was already a talent far exceeding A-Rank.
Those who had witnessed it firsthand already knew that Kanghyeon Lee was powerful, so they instead showed a look of, “Why did it take so long for him to become A-Rank?”
Thus, most hunters belonging to the Fire Bird Guild thought the same.
However, a different undercurrent was flowing from those who opposed Kanghyeon Lee.
Deep beneath the Fire Bird Guild’s headquarters, in a corner of a dimly lit warehouse.
Pale anger was etched on Seo Gyuhye’s face.
He clenched his fists and glared at the documents on the table.
“From F-Rank to A-Rank?”
Under the transparent blue barrier created by Minchul Kang, which enveloped the warehouse, Seo Gyuhye gnashed his teeth and spoke.
“Yes. I even contacted the Awakened Center directly and received confirmation.”
Minchul Kang interjected, pushing up his glasses.
“That’s ridiculous.”
Seyoung Jang leaned against the wall, taking a drag from her cigarette. A cynical smile played on her lips.
“It was all a show. He was A-Rank from the start, but they tricked him into the guild by registering him as F-Rank.”
She continued, exhaling a long stream of smoke.
“Besides, after showing some skill, he now undergoes an A-Rank evaluation? It’s obvious it’s planned, to anyone who looks.”
Seo Gyuhye tightly clenched his fists.
His usually sharp eyes narrowed further.
“That woman… she’s completely open about it now.”
His voice, directed at Yerin Jeong, was filled with deep-seated hatred. It was an emotion mixed with loyalty to the deceased Vice Guild Leader Taeyoung Jeong.
“There’s something even more serious.”
Everyone’s attention focused on Minchul Kang’s cautious voice.
“What do you mean?”
Seo Gyuhye turned towards Minchul Kang.
“Didn’t Yerin Jeong say she would enter the Minotaurus Dungeon to mine Darkstone?”
At his words, the air inside the warehouse grew heavier.
They understood what he meant.
Darkstone was a resource that even A-Rank hunters found difficult to cut.
It was the hardest stone, found only in the deepest parts of the Minotaurus Dungeon, and its value was considerable.
“If Yerin Jeong confidently says she’ll mine Darkstone, it means she has a way.”
Seyoung Jang said, stubbing out her cigarette.
“That means Kanghyeon Lee is behind it.”
“That’s correct.”
Minchul Kang agreed.
“If Yerin Jeong actually succeeds in mining Darkstone, her influence will grow even further. Becoming Vice Guild Leader is only a matter of time, and the possibility of her gaining the guild members’ support…”
At his words, Seo Gyuhye’s face contorted. He muttered to himself,
“Now Yerin Jeong’s era will begin.”
If they made money from Darkstone, to whom would all the credit go?
Even without that, Yerin Jeong was already being treated as Vice Guild Leader, and now she would gain merit?
It was an obvious outcome.
It was tantamount to saying that all traces of the deceased Vice Guild Leader Taeyoung Jeong within the Fire Bird Guild would disappear and be replaced by Yerin Jeong.
“Then we have no choice. It’s time for us to act directly.”
Seo Gyuhye tapped his fingers on the table, looking around.
Besides Seyoung Jang and Minchul Kang, several other hunters were present in the warehouse.
They were all close associates of the deceased Vice Guild Leader Taeyoung Jeong.
“Yes.”
Seo Gyuhye took a deep breath and made a decision.
“You all just need to go into the dungeon and eliminate Kanghyeon Lee. That’s all.”
It was time to execute the original plan.
If the people here cooperated, there was a possibility that everything would be resolved easily.
“Then what will you do, Team Leader? You’re currently disciplined and can’t even enter dungeons.”
Seo Gyuhye’s face was graced with a sneer at Minchul Kang’s question.
He was temporarily banned from dungeons and had lost almost all his authority within the Fire Bird Guild.
He was also scheduled to be removed from his position as team leader soon.
Yet, Seo Gyuhye’s eyes held the resolve not to give up.
“Just deal with Kanghyeon Lee inside the dungeon. I’ll handle the rest.”
Seo Gyuhye let out a vile laugh.
Behind that smile lay a plan filled with rage and a desire for revenge.
“Also, just in case, wouldn’t it be good to deal with Yerin Jeong as well?”
At a hunter’s cautious suggestion, Seo Gyuhye shook his head.
“Don’t be greedy. For now, just eliminating Kanghyeon Lee is enough.”
In reality, Yerin Jeong was accompanied by a lot of security, acting as her eyes and ears.
Furthermore, she might have to enter the dungeon at any time due to guild matters she needed to handle.
Therefore, it would be better to target only Kanghyeon Lee, who was entering the dungeon, rather than trying to target Yerin Jeong as well.
“Still, if Kanghyeon Lee dies, Yerin Jeong’s prestige will also fall, so it would be killing two birds with one stone.”
“Precisely.”
Seo Gyuhye nodded at Seyoung Jang’s words.
“However…”
Minchul Kang opened his mouth with an uneasy expression.
“If Kanghyeon Lee is truly A-Rank, it won’t be easy to handle. Not that everyone here is low-ranked…”
The people here were A-Rank or B-Rank hunters.
However, the rumors surrounding Kanghyeon Lee were so strong that Minchul Kang felt uneasy.
“So what if he’s A-Rank? His true power comes from his familiars.”
Seo Gyuhye said decisively.
“Which means we just need to take care of his main body.”
If the Necromancer died, the familiars would also disappear.
***
“Hmm~ Hmm~”
Baalcherit, the administrator of the dungeon ‘Wandering Maze.’
She hummed a tune, enjoying her current life.
“It’s so good without that Celia. This place is paradise.”
Baalcherit closed her eyes, drinking the fresh blood offered by the Minotaur.
She reigned as a queen in this dungeon.
It was much better than being bossed around by Celia.
Most importantly, she made the Minotaurus Chieftain aware that this was Earth, a different dimension, not the El Dorado Continent.
She also learned that there were beings called Hunters, not Adventurers, on Earth, and acquired general basic knowledge.
“Besides, Minotaur blood is getting tiresome.”
Even for a Vampire, it’s tiresome to drink only one kind of blood.
She felt like drinking human blood after a long time.
However, the footsteps of humans entering the dungeon had completely stopped.
“If I had known this would happen, I should have told that human woman to offer sacrifices regularly… What a shame.”
Baalcherit thought of Yerin Jeong, who had ventured this far before, and licked her lips.
Yerin Jeong and Baalcherit had entered into a kind of transaction.
This allowed Baalcherit and Yerin Jeong to demand what they needed from each other at any time.
However, since they hadn’t set a specific date for the transaction, it could only be a continuous wait.
“Hmm.”
While not having Celia was good, she was getting bored with her monotonous life.
“Tap.”
At that moment, a Lich appeared.
The new subordinate officer of this dungeon, the Lich.
He was a highly competent being who knew how to please Baalcherit’s mood.
“Tap!”
What the Lich offered was cola.
A fizzy drink that humans apparently enjoyed.
Baalcherit had become addicted to cola once and sometimes drank it mixed with blood.
“Oh, right! There was cola!”
Baalcherit’s eyes sparkled. When she and the Lich were resting for a while, the Minotaurus Chieftain, the original owner of the dungeon, was having a terrible time.
“Moo- moo-”
The Minotaurus Chieftain, crying mournfully, held a pickaxe left by the Death Knight and was expanding the dungeon.
It was no different for the Minotaurs beneath the Chieftain while he worked.
All the Minotaurs were holding pickaxes and working diligently.
At that moment.
“Hmm?”
Baalcherit heard a very familiar voice.
[Find the Darkstone.]
It was an unknown voice.
“……!”
The voice said to find the Darkstone.
Deciding to obey the voice’s command no matter what, Baalcherit immediately summoned the Minotaurus Chieftain.
“Chieftain, do we have Darkstone in our dungeon?”
“Moo- moo.”
(There is Darkstone in the depths.)
The Chieftain felt a sense of unease.
“I see…”
And that unease became reality.
“Then, from now on, be able to mine Darkstone!”
“……”
“And don’t neglect the dungeon expansion work! We need to create an even more magnificent dungeon than that Celia!”
“……”
The Minotaurus Chieftain let out a silent cry of despair.
The Chieftain was an A-Rank monster, and Baalcherit was a 5-Star monster.
The monster ranking systems of Earth and the El Dorado Continent were different, but A-Rank and 5-Star were the same rank.
However, even if they were the same rank, there were significant differences when scrutinized in detail.
Baalcherit had lived much longer than the Minotaurus Chieftain, and moreover, she was a descendant of a Vampire King.
In other words, she was royalty.
Because of that difference, the Chieftain could not defy Baalcherit’s orders.
He simply had to obey and could not raise any objections.
“Tap tap tap tap tap! Tap.”
(That’s a really great idea! Baalcherit-nim.)
The Chieftain found the Lich, who was rubbing his bony hands together and flattering her, to be annoying today.
***
As for the Darkstone, Yerin Jeong’s actions were swift.
“Did you really cut the Darkstone?”
She looked at Maru, unable to believe it.
She had no choice but to see Maru in a new light due to the skeleton’s strength, which was much greater than she had expected.
“Then, of course, we must mine it at all costs!”
Thus, Yerin Jeong announced my rank and the mining of Darkstone to the Fire Bird Guild.
If the mining of Darkstone proceeds smoothly, the Fire Bird Guild will soar with a new business.
Therefore, Yerin Jeong was also actively reflecting my opinions and taking action.
“Then it’s a given that Kanghyeon should enter the dungeon-”
As she said, I was scheduled to enter the dungeon with Maru.
That was to prevent any unforeseen accidents from happening inside.
The Minotaurus Dungeon was mine, so I was fine, but what if other hunters were startled by the monsters and attacked?
That would be a big problem in itself.
“Actually, several hunters volunteered for the Darkstone mining this time. But here’s the thing…”
Yerin Jeong’s explanation continued.
“While it’s good that more people volunteered than expected, it seems that among them were some who were close associates of Taeyoung Jeong.”
Yerin Jeong expressed her concern about that point. She said she didn’t know what intentions the hunters who were once close associates of the Vice Guild Leader had when they volunteered, and told me that she would give me the right to choose from those who volunteered.
“Of course, it might be an unnecessary concern, but I don’t think it hurts to be cautious.”
Hearing Yerin Jeong’s words, I felt surprised.
‘She’s already figured out that much.’
Her speed in taking over the guild was faster than expected.
‘Is this why she was popular when she was a team leader?’
She certainly seemed like someone who could lead the guild.
‘And Taeyoung’s close associates.’
As she said, they might have volunteered for purely innocent reasons.
However.
‘If they truly intend to backstab me…’
There was no reason to spare them.
Even if I left them alone, they would eventually cause problems.
“Then, how about this.”
I lowered my voice and approached Yerin Jeong.
After all, I had the dungeon monsters for myself.
‘Since it’s come to this, I’ll show them all my abilities.’
On the surface, my trait is Necromancer.
Moreover, I could freely dispatch monsters in the Minotaurus Dungeon.
So, there was nothing strange about more Undead monsters appearing.
