Team Leader Yerin Jeong, who had entered the dungeon, came back out.
As soon as she exited the dungeon, she gathered her team members and started a briefing.
“We’ve obtained some important information during this dungeon exploration.”
The team leader’s voice was calm. As was usual for Yerin Jeong, she showed minimal emotion, yet her words held a softness that seemed intended to reassure her team members.
“The Minotaurus Dungeon, which we had estimated as B-Rank, turned out to be far more complex and dangerous than expected.”
Her teammates who had entered with Yerin Jeong nodded in agreement.
I also quietly focused on her words.
She was explaining how intricate and vast the labyrinth was.
I already knew the dungeon’s name through my status window.
‘The Wandering Labyrinth.’
The name itself indicated that it was no simple dungeon.
And although the Fire Bird Guild had estimated the dungeon’s rank as B-Rank, it was actually A-Rank. This was because the dungeon’s master was not an ordinary Minotaurus, but a Minotaurus Chieftain.
Naturally, if they had entered without any preparation, Yerin Jeong and her team would have been annihilated, so I dispatched one of my monsters.
That was the 5-star Vampire, Baalcherit.
‘Still, it seems nothing extraordinary happened.’
It was only natural. Besides Baalcherit, there was another being inside the dungeon.
It was Maru, the Skeleton Paladin who protected me.
If I had given them Maru as well, it would be absurd for any variables to arise. Both Maru and Baalcherit were 5-star monsters, comparable to A-Rank Hunters on Earth. Or rather, considering the monsters’ traits, they possessed power exceeding that of A-Rank Hunters.
Then, the important thing is what happens next. Maru was assigned to Yerin Jeong as a bodyguard, with the intention of protecting her. Baalcherit was dispatched to conquer the dungeon. What was important was what transpired between Baalcherit, who conquered the dungeon, and Yerin Jeong. However, that story wasn’t revealed. Instead, Yerin Jeong delivered other news.
“And… there’s some unfortunate news.”
Unfortunate news? What could it be?
“Taekyoung Yoon passed away in an accident inside the dungeon.”
A small gasp rippled through the team members. Of course, no one seemed to be mourning. This was also true for Team Leader Yerin Jeong. She called it unfortunate news, but her face showed no signs of sadness. Instead, she had an expression as if she had finally put down a heavy burden that had been weighing on her for a long time.
Observing their reactions, I could tell how unhelpful Taekyoung Yoon had been.
‘Well, it’s expected, given he was part of the Vice Guild Leader’s faction?’
Taekyoung Yoon belonged to Vice Guild Leader Jeong Taeyoung’s faction in the Fire Bird Guild. And Vice Guild Leader Jeong Taeyoung had placed Taekyoung Yoon in Yerin Jeong’s team to keep her in check, as she was his half-sister. And his end was as it was now.
‘But how did he end up dying?’
Coincidentally, among the team members who entered the dungeon, only Taekyoung Yoon had died, while the rest returned unharmed.
‘I’ll have to ask about this later.’
After that, Yerin Jeong concluded the briefing by mentioning the Minotaurus corpse brought back from the dungeon and stating the obvious that one should never let their guard down in a dungeon.
“……?”
I was bewildered when the briefing ended. Was that really it? Were they unable to meet Baalcherit inside the dungeon? If they had met Baalcherit, the briefing couldn’t have ended so quickly. I glanced at Maru. Sensing what I wanted to ask, Maru opened his mouth.
“Creak- creak.”
(The conversation with Baalcherit went well.)
According to Maru, Yerin Jeong and Baalcherit seemed to have finished their conversation. That meant they had met inside the dungeon.
‘Then what is it?’
The fact that she didn’t mention it meant she was deliberately hiding it. For what reason was Yerin Jeong hiding that information? Seeing that the team members who entered the dungeon with her were also silent, they seemed to have coordinated their stories.
As I pondered, Yerin Jeong approached me. Then, she whispered in my ear in a small voice.
“Kanghyeon, do you have a moment?”
* * *
I had a private meeting with Yerin Jeong. The excuse was sufficient. Officially, as I was her team’s advisor, asking for her opinion on the dungeon was natural. After contemplating for a while, she finally opened her mouth.
“Actually, there are a few more things I didn’t tell you.”
I knew it. If they had met Baalcherit, the conversation wouldn’t have ended so easily.
“Having personally entered the dungeon, I realized it. The dungeon’s actual rank is probably not B-Rank, but A-Rank.”
She had grasped it precisely. I quietly listened to her words.
“And the actual master of that dungeon wasn’t a Minotaurus, but a Vampire.”
“…A Vampire.”
I intentionally parted my lips slightly to feign surprise. It would seem strange if a Vampire appeared in a Minotaurus Dungeon and I remained so nonchalant.
“I was surprised when I first saw it. The Vampire inside is named Baalcherit. I don’t have precise information, but it’s a powerful being that can kill a B-Rank Hunter with a single gesture. Taekyoung Yoon’s death was also actually Baalcherit…”
Hearing her explanation, I could understand the sequence of events. I had wondered why only Taekyoung Yoon died while the others were unharmed, but it turned out Baalcherit had killed Taekyoung Yoon.
‘There’s nothing I can say to her about this.’
Besides, I couldn’t blame Baalcherit either.
‘After all, I didn’t tell them not to kill Hunters.’
Baalcherit’s primary mission was to conquer the dungeon. By conquering the dungeon, it had fulfilled its original mission.
“So, what kind of transaction did you make with that Baalcherit?”
I went straight to the point. Usually, when the dungeon master and a Hunter meet, one of two things happens next: either one of them dies, or they make some kind of deal to spare each other’s lives. In this situation, she was the latter. Naturally, it was reasonable to ask such a question, as she had survived an encounter with the dungeon master.
To my question, Yerin Jeong closed her eyes for a moment.
“As expected, Kanghyeon, you understand everything. You truly are the best man I’ve ever met.”
“……?”
After praising me like that, she let out a sigh. What was this ominous feeling? An awkward silence stretched between us for a long time. Then, a moment later, Yerin Jeong opened her eyes.
“Kanghyeon.”
I noticed a determination in her that I hadn’t seen before.
“I plan to use this dungeon to defeat the Vice Guild Leader.”
“What?”
I was shocked by her sudden statement. What on earth had happened inside the dungeon?
* * *
The atmosphere in the Fire Bird Guild’s Vice Guild Leader’s office was chilling. Jeong Taeyoung, seated on a leather sofa, spoke with a detached expression.
“So, Taekyoung died?”
“Yes, Vice Guild Leader. Team Leader Yerin Jeong’s team returned from the Minotaurus Dungeon… and Taekyoung Yoon is reported to have died inside the dungeon.”
The subordinate reporting to the Vice Guild Leader’s voice trembled. Jeong Taeyoung’s mood seemed disturbed. After all, Taekyoung Yoon was his subordinate. His fingers tapping on the desk grew faster.
“Any other casualties?”
“It’s still being confirmed. It seems to be only Taekyoung Yoon…”
“I see, so that’s how it is. Then, how much loot did Yerin Jeong bring back?”
A sharpness entered his voice as he asked.
“…They say it’s just one Minotaurus corpse.”
*Bang!*
Jeong Taeyoung slammed his hand on the desk, which collapsed with a cracking sound. The subordinate flinched back in surprise.
“Just a corpse…”
They entered a dungeon and only brought back a single Minotaurus corpse? That was too meager a reward, even with the sacrifice of a team member. Of course, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. A Minotaurus is a B-Rank Monster. Team Leader Yerin Jeong’s Hunter rank is B-Rank. Even considering her unique role as a healer, it would have been difficult for her team members to perform exceptionally in the Minotaurus Dungeon.
The problem was why only Taekyoung Yoon had died. Taekyoung Yoon was also a B-Rank Hunter. If he had died, it would have made sense for the other Hunters to suffer at least severe injuries. But it was as if something had happened inside the dungeon, and only Taekyoung Yoon died while the rest returned safely?
‘…….’
The puzzle pieces started fitting together in Jeong Taeyoung’s mind. Taekyoung Yoon’s death and the Minotaurus corpse. This was undoubtedly intentional. Jeong Taeyoung rose from his chair and walked towards the window. His gaze scanned the landscape of the Fire Bird Guild as if inspecting it.
‘Yerin Jeong must have known about Taekyoung…’
After all, he had personally placed Taekyoung in her team. He had acted openly, so she couldn’t possibly not have known.
“Were there any other unusual details in the dungeon exploration report?”
“Yes, there were no particular unusual details, other than the fact that the labyrinth inside the dungeon was very complex.”
“Tsk.”
It was certain. He could now infer what had happened.
‘It seems she intended to monopolize the dungeon’s spoils.’
Yerin Jeong must have found something in the Minotaurus Dungeon. She probably killed Taekyoung Yoon to monopolize those spoils. Recently, Jeong Taeyoung had found Yerin Jeong’s actions strange. Just like this time, she had suddenly brought in an advisor to her team. At first, he thought she was a great Hunter, but it turned out she was an F-Rank Hunter.
‘Either she was deliberately hiding her strength, or she’s a fraud.’
Of course, he hadn’t intervened. After all, if things went wrong, he could use it as an excuse to expel Yerin Jeong from the Guild. But now, she was crossing the line. If she had indeed killed Taekyoung Yoon, then as the Vice Guild Leader, he had to be prepared to make a decision.
‘Yerin Jeong…’
Thinking of her, his half-sister, made him feel disgusted. In just a few years, she would inherit the Guild Leader position after their father. At that time, the Fire Bird Guild would come entirely into his hands. Even though that was the case, Yerin Jeong was an eyesore.
‘She was always like that.’
Memories of the past flashed through Jeong Taeyoung’s mind. Despite being a B-Rank Hunter, she had a good reputation among her team members and even within the Guild. And what about the Goblin Lord dungeon, which she was sent to fail? No one had known how to subjugate the Goblin Lord until then, but Yerin Jeong had succeeded in subjugating it. Thanks to that, her recognition had skyrocketed. If things continued like this, she was likely to be compared to Yerin Jeong even after becoming Guild Leader. In the worst-case scenario, she might be swallowed by Yerin Jeong’s fame. If she discovered something amazing like this, what would happen then? From Jeong Taeyoung’s perspective, he could no longer stand idly by.
‘Even if I start an investigation, she’ll have already destroyed the evidence.’
Yerin Jeong is not a fool. If she had planned to commit something, she would have taken precautions. Here, it was important for him to act decisively as well.
“Effective immediately, I am suspending Team Leader Yerin Jeong’s duties due to insufficient team management.”
“B-but the accident in the dungeon…”
“Are you the Vice Guild Leader?!”
To his cold retort, the subordinate immediately bowed his head.
“Also, I am reclaiming ownership of the dungeon and will reconfigure the攻略 team under my direct command. Make sure the entire team consists of A-Rank Hunters!”
“Yes? A-Rank Hunters are…”
A-Rank Hunters are valuable. If anything were to happen to them inside the dungeon, the Fire Bird Guild would suffer a serious blow.
“Are there any objections?”
Jeong Taeyoung turned his head and glared at the subordinate. With the look in his eyes, the subordinate could no longer speak. There was no need to add his personal opinion to the Vice Guild Leader’s command.
“I apologize! I will relay the order immediately.”
Jeong Taeyoung watched the subordinate leave. Soon, the Minotaurus Dungeon extermination team would be formed. He slowly returned to his seat. Then, he took out a document from his desk drawer. It was a report listing all the dungeons managed by the Fire Bird Guild. It naturally included information related to the Minotaurus Dungeon before it was assigned to Yerin Jeong’s team. The information about the dungeon was simple. It contained crude content stating only that the vast and complex labyrinth made further reconnaissance impossible.
“Hmm.”
Then what did Yerin Jeong see inside it? What had she seen that she felt the need to hide, even at the cost of a Hunter’s life? No, he even doubted whether Yerin Jeong had really killed Taekyoung Yoon.
“I don’t know what she’s hiding, but it doesn’t matter.”
Because he would take it all. The hand holding the report tightened. It was time to solidify his power within the Guild.
