“Khahaha! Kahahahaha!”
“N-Nooo!!”
Volcan roared with laughter.
While a certain mage was reaching out toward me in pure despair.
The reason?
Simple.
I had effortlessly won the bet against her.
“W-What was that technique?!”
Rishiel, completely stunned.
And the others were staring at me as well—
Their eyes practically screaming, ‘What the hell did he just do to steal that?!’
“W-What? How did the golden orb end up in Yuseong’s hand?!”
“Shh.”
Marcel was flustered, but.
Erme simply raised a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet.
Only then did Marcel shut his mouth and remain silent.
Meanwhile, Volcan let out a hearty laugh before stepping toward me.
“What was that technique just now?”
“Trade secret.”
“Quite the ability you have… and quite the dangerous one.”
He added the last part in such a low voice that even I could barely hear it.
A warning—use it wisely.
I gave him a small nod in acknowledgment and turned toward the inner section of the Adventurer’s Guild.
…Or at least, I tried to.
“You… you…!”
The woman from earlier—Viola, was it?
She stood in my path, blocking me.
Violet eyes, violet hair.
Her once-beautiful expression was now utterly crumbling.
I stared at her indifferently.
And she flinched.
“…Yo.”
Her voice was so tiny that I couldn’t hear her.
I raised an eyebrow, silently urging her to speak up.
Then, with her face buried in her collar and her ears burning red.
“…P-Please give it back…”
She said it.
I almost felt like I was bullying her.
‘Funny, considering it was supposed to be the other way around.’
I glanced around.
The surrounding adventurers were all watching with interest in their eyes.
“That guy’s seriously something, huh?”
“Heh, Viola always acted so high and mighty, but look at her now.”
Normally, newcomers wouldn’t receive this kind of attention.
Which meant… Viola must have been a real piece of work in social settings.
‘Yeah, that tracks.’
She had immediately looked down on us for being rookies and even challenged Volcan’s authority.
Even if Volcan didn’t care.
‘It was annoying.’
For some reason, it really pissed me off.
So when she provoked us first.
‘I made sure to provoke her right back.’
Of course, I hadn’t expected her to fall for it this hard.
The golden orb had looked valuable, but I hadn’t realized just how good it actually was.
Sniff… sniff…
Viola looked up at me, her eyes on the verge of tears.
See? Who told you to pick a fight?
But…
‘She does look a little pitiful.’
Just a little.
Very little.
Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to give the amulet back.
It was obviously an amazing item.
‘It prevents fatal injuries.’
And it even recharges over time.
This was practically the equivalent of carrying an extra life.
So.
‘I should return her words right back at her.’
I flashed a bright smile.
Viola must have sensed something, because she froze.
Her dumbfounded expression somehow made me feel a little uneasy.
‘Her face is pretty, at least. Makes for a nice scene.’
Still, I spoke without hesitation.
“Apologies, but our party has only been together for a week.”
“…H-Huh?”
“As fresh newcomers, we feel a little out of place here… So thank you for such a precious gift.”
That should be enough to leave a good impression.
“Puhaha! Hahahahaha!”
Beside me, Volcan laughed so hard that he nearly doubled over, slamming me on the back.
Meanwhile, Viola looked completely shattered, as if her whole world had just collapsed.
See?
Who told you to act all high and mighty?
…That being said, this old man hits pretty damn hard.
“Ah, that was a rare sight! Now I can rest easy. You lot should be fine even on the 1st floor.”
“Yeah, at that level, you’ll be able to escape most dangerous situations.”
The man who introduced himself as Alex studied me closely.
Then turned his gaze to my party members, his eyes glinting with interest.
“The rest of them don’t look half bad either. Oh? Isn’t that the priest we tried to recruit last time?”
“H-Haha, hello…!”
Rozanté stepped forward, smiling awkwardly.
She got a recruitment offer?
Not surprising.
She was strong enough to fight in the vanguard, but she could heal as well.
‘A rare talent.’
Paladins who could stand on the front lines were already uncommon.
And in her case, her divine power was especially strong.
‘Not to mention…’
Priests in this world felt pain when healing others.
Rozanté, however, reacted differently—she described it as overwhelming pleasure.
Well…
‘Pleasure can also drive a person insane, in its own way.’
I looked at Rozanté with that thought in mind.
She suddenly reached for my sleeve and whispered,
“D-Don’t worry. I have no intention of leaving this party.”
She winked at me.
A horribly awkward wink.
It was so off that I had no idea how to react.
So I just nodded and left it at that.
Then, I turned to Volcan.
“Old man, what do you think?”
“Hmm? About what?”
“This party. It looks pretty solid, don’t you think?”
“It’s too soon to tell. I’ve seen plenty of talented people crash and burn before they could reach their full potential.”
“Well… that’s true.”
Alex gave me a complicated look.
Like an investor eyeing a stock that’s about to skyrocket—debating whether to buy in early.
But given the current circumstances.
He must have decided to hold off.
Instead, he handed me a piece of paper.
“If you survive the labyrinth today, contact me. I can recommend you to Dawn’s First Light.”
“You mean… you want our whole party to join?”
“Well, I doubt it’ll happen, but sure.”
Alex shrugged.
“Hoohoohoo…”
Erme let out a mysterious chuckle.
…What’s with that reaction?
We should form a clan.
Rishiel’s voice echoed in my mind.
“A clan?”
Yes.
You, Han Yuseong, are a valuable asset.
Your party members are remarkable.
And you even have Sally, a Mage Hero Candidate.
Joining another clan wouldn’t be a bad choice, but… staying together as a party, as clanmates, would be even better.
I silently agreed.
Rather than joining an existing powerhouse.
It might be better to become one.
“Ahaha, I feel like I just made your party’s bond even stronger by talking to you.”
“Well, clans have their own sense of unity too, don’t they?”
“Hah, don’t underestimate Dawn’s First Light. We’re one of the pillars of this place.”
“Heh. But, you know what they say—’an unshaken stone is the one to fear.'”
A sharp tension crackled between Alex and Erme.
I turned to Volcan instead.
“Hmm, it’s about time.”
“Time?”
“Get moving, kids. The person we’re about to meet isn’t someone you can take lightly.”
“…Who exactly are we meeting?”
“The Guild Master. One of the rulers of The Cradle.”
The Cradle
A paradise for adventurers.
A graveyard for countless fools.
Many have made fortunes here—rising from nothing to become legends.
But beneath their feet.
Lie the corpses of countless adventurers.
And that’s not all.
The Cradle.
It was where knights, mages, and all kinds of warriors gathered.
Because the labyrinth granted the power to level up.
Once, only the Heroes destined to fight the Demon King could wield such power.
But now, anyone—even common adventurers—could grow stronger simply by slaying monsters.
This caused a massive power surge across humanity and other races alike.
With this newfound strength, people could slay demons and even challenge the Demon King with ease.
But because of its importance.
Being the Guild Master of this place required more than just strength.
They had to be politically savvy, possess sharp judgment, and understand their opponents’ intentions.
Volcan had warned us.
“The Guild Master is a monster in every sense of the word. Be careful—no amount of caution is too much.”
“…If we meet them, should we be worried?”
“They probably won’t bother with you. But still, it’s better to be prepared.”
“…That makes sense.”
“Just don’t be fooled by appearances. That one’s lived for at least half a millennium.”
“…Half a millennium?”
Erme tilted her head in confusion.
Volcan nodded.
“A monster among monsters. Some rumors even claim they’ve lived over a thousand years. Ah—looks like we’re here.”
Before us stood a massive conference hall.
Inside, many people had already taken their seats.
“Took you long enough. But I suppose I did get to see something amusing, so I’ll let it slide.”
“Don’t worry. The meeting hasn’t started yet.”
A voice as seductive as silk whispered into my ear.
I turned.
And was met with crimson eyes and red hair.
A woman whose colors matched perfectly with.
‘…A Chinese dress?’
That was an Eastern-style outfit.
Lucia’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
“Yuseong, it’s been a while.”
“…Didn’t we just meet recently? Also, I don’t like stalkers.”
“Oh my, a stalker? How rude. This is just a coincidence~.”
Even her voice, laced with amusement, carried an irresistible allure.
And I was left utterly bewildered.
‘Why the hell is this woman…?’
Then, it hit me.
Of course.
She was Lucia Filihart, the Execution Princess.
A name that struck fear into many.
She was undoubtedly one of the top-ranking adventurers here.
Still seated, Lucia crossed her legs, resting her chin on one hand as she gazed at me.
“What a shame. I was hoping to party with you this time, Yuseong.”
“Our level gap is too big. That’d be difficult, wouldn’t it?”
“With your skill, I’m sure you’ll climb up soon enough. I’ll be waiting until then~.”
She ignored Erme entirely, waving at me with an elegant, flirtatious motion.
“Quite the popular man, aren’t you?”
“It’s not exactly a good thing.”
“Of course not. Not when it’s her showing interest…”
Hearing Volcan say that only made it more unsettling.
We moved as far away from Lucia as possible and took our seats.
Looking around.
The people here were ridiculously strong.
If I had to guess, we were the weakest party in this entire room.
‘Why did Volcan bring us here?’
Even compared to the second-weakest party, the difference was huge.
People weren’t staring openly, but I could feel their eyes on us.
“…Uugh…”
Hearing a strange noise, I turned my head.
And.
‘What the hell—?!’
I almost cursed out loud.
I had been caught off guard.
Because the thing that smiled back at me.
Was absolutely terrifying.
Viola was sitting two seats away from me.
Next to her was a man.
Who turned to me with a slightly awkward expression.
“I apologize. My little sister caused a scene.”
“It’s fine.”
In fact, it was more than fine.
Because thanks to that little scene—
I had secured an extra life.
‘She’s not going to ask for it back, right?’
Contrary to my worries, the man spoke in a firm voice.
“About that amulet.”
“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of returning it.”
“No, actually—please don’t give it back.”
…Huh?
He sighed.
“She’s always been arrogant. She’s never truly failed at anything—just kept succeeding over and over.
She needed to be humbled at least once.
It’s a shame, but… there are plenty of ways to protect one’s life.
So honestly, I should be thanking you.”
‘…What kind of personality is this?’
Shouldn’t he be furious that I took his sister’s item?
But no—this guy seemed genuinely relieved.
“Here. This is my card.”
He handed me a small card.
“If you survive the labyrinth today, come find me. I’ll treat you to a meal.”
A restaurant name and directions were printed on it, along with his name.
Nation.
He extended a hand with a smile.
“Anyway, I’ll be counting on you.”
I shook his hand in return.
“Likewise.”
And with that.
“Welcome, everyone.”
The Guild Master had arrived.