Londo Adventurers’ Guild.
Dawn was just breaking, and Guildmaster Glent hadn’t slept a wink all night.
Just last evening, a team of adventurers that had only set out less than a day ago came fleeing back from the underground ruins in a state of panic.
You had to understand—those qualified to enter the ruins this time were all epic-ranked adventuring parties. And members of an epic-ranked party typically possessed at least mid-Saint level strength. Anything less, and they’d only drag their teammates down.
Even if the ruins did contain draconic creatures tainted by corruption, could that really explain why they’d flee in such a sorry state within a day?
At first, Glent was skeptical and somewhat scornful. This must be one of those parties cobbled together by spoiled sons and daughters of powerful figures.
To think they could weasel their way into an epic-ranked party through connections… Honestly, it’s not just infuriating—it’s heartbreaking. Has the Adventurers’ Guild really rotted to this point?
But as the adventurers stood before him, that assumption was quickly dispelled—because it was none other than the renowned Wolfpack Adventuring Party.
Wolfpack was an established party from another region of the kingdom. Glent wasn’t entirely clear on their exact strength, but he knew one thing: Wolfpack had completed three epic-ranked extermination quests. Across the entire kingdom, there were only a handful of parties with such a record.
For such a party to flee the ruins in disgrace—this had to be something serious. The thought made Glent uneasy.
But that anxiety didn’t last long, because the very next moment, his brain just… shut down.
The Wolfpack adventurers actually claimed they’d encountered demons within the Londo ruins—and had even fought them!
Ridiculous! They must be making this up to save face after fleeing in embarrassment!
Though his rational mind told him this couldn’t possibly be true, the solemn expressions on the faces of the Wolfpack adventurers made him hesitate. He questioned them in detail, and then immediately sent messengers to the town church and the baron’s estate to report the situation. As for himself, he activated an expensive teleportation circle and personally traveled to the Royal Capital’s Adventurers’ Guild in Druid to deliver the news.
A few hours later, a group of people used the teleportation array to return with Glent to the Londo Guild.
Among those who came with him were the Guild’s Vice Guildmaster from the capital, several guild officials, and a church strike team composed of Holy Knights and High Priests.
Glent led the high-ranking visitors from the capital straight to the entrance of the ruins. There, they saw the two heavy doors tightly sealed, guarded by guild staff. The Vice Guildmaster from the capital nodded in approval, and Glent nodded in turn to his deputy with satisfaction.
Last night, in his panic and exhaustion, Glent had completely forgotten to order the sealing of the ruins. Thankfully, his competent and clever deputy hadn’t overlooked the detail.
All thanks to my excellent guidance, Glent thought smugly.
As for the fate of the four adventuring parties still inside—he didn’t care in the slightest. If anything happened, it was their own fault for being greedy, overestimating themselves, and trying to challenge a corrupted dragon… only to run into real demons instead.
As far as he was concerned, the earliest of those parties had already been inside for seven days, and the latest for four. The fact that none had returned by now spoke volumes.
He did feel a bit of regret and sympathy for their likely deaths—but right now, what mattered more was distancing himself from any responsibility.
*****
“Goddamn it, why the hell is the exit sealed from the outside?!”
Thief Simon was extremely frustrated. Over the past few days, their party had accomplished so many major feats—defeating the Nightmare, getting lost for two days thanks to a traitor… Wait, that one doesn’t count. Scratch that. They’d defeated the uncorrupted Mountain Dragon, overcome the Mind Fiend, and now, after finally returning to the surface with their hard-earned loot… they were stuck just trying to exit the ruins!
It was enough to make him harbor serious resentment toward the Londo Adventurers’ Guild. Once we get out, I’m dragging Trist straight to the guild to file a formal complaint!
York, standing nearby, tried to console him. “Quit grumbling. The fact that the exit’s sealed probably means the outside world has already noticed what’s going on down here. That’s a good thing.”
“What good thing?” Simon huffed. “If demons catch up to us now, we’ll be fighting for our lives again!”
“Simon, shut that crow’s mouth of yours!”
“Let’s just wait a bit longer. Since the outside has already detected something unusual, the Guild and Church should be sending professionals soon to clean up the situation.”
Though their trust in the Londo branch of the Adventurers’ Guild was lacking, everyone still had faith in the Church. The complaints gradually died down, and the conversation shifted to what they’d do once they got back to the surface.
“I’m definitely commissioning a Royal Master Weaponsmith to craft me the finest daggers!”
“In your dreams! You think a Master would even take your commission?”
“These are Mountain Dragon claws! Why wouldn’t they?”
The noisy chatter returned full force. Lu Qiuchen sighed. These people have been arguing about the loot since the moment we left.
CLANG! KA-KA-KA—
The massive gate at the exit trembled, then slowly began to rise. The party perked up instantly, hurriedly gathering their spoils and preparing to finally step out—once both the inner and outer gates were fully open.
Grent watched the ragtag group of adventurers stroll out of the ruins with swagger and pride, then glanced back at his own team—members of the Wolfpack Adventuring Party—lined up behind him, and his expression cracked.
Didn’t you all say there were powerful demons inside? You’re one of the top five major adventuring parties in the entire kingdom, yet you ran out of there in less than a day looking like whipped dogs. Now these folks waltz out after four whole days, grinning ear to ear, each carrying trophies…
Trophies? Holy shit—is that a claw? A scale? A horn?! Are you telling me there really was a corrupted dragon in there—and they actually took it down?!
Everyone present was having trouble processing what they were seeing.
“Tia!” “Seriel!” Voices rose from the Church contingent as they recognized two of the returning adventurers.
“Thank the heavens you’re safe!” The church members quickly pulled Tia and Seriel aside for a tearful reunion, snapping the others out of their stunned daze.
At some point, the Wolfpack Party had quietly gathered their people and slunk away without a word.
“Incredible! This… this is unbelievable! Congratulations!” Grent’s expression changed at lightning speed. His initial outburst of disbelief was quickly replaced by a smile as he addressed the two adventuring teams.
The Vice President of the Royal Capital’s Adventurers’ Guild also stepped forward. Ignoring the bloodstains and grime on the returning party, he shook their hands with a smile, introduced himself, and was just about to offer more congratulations when—
Lu Qiuchen stepped forward and interrupted him flatly and without the slightest hint of courtesy.
“Sir, we’ve been underground for days and just endured intense battles. We are utterly exhausted. If you have anything to say, please save it for later.”
The man was briefly stunned. He hadn’t expected such bluntness from this delicate-looking foreign girl. Forcing a smile, he replied, “Of course, my beautiful lady. That was impolite of me.”
Lu Qiuchen immediately turned back toward the Guild. The reason she did so was because, during that brief encounter, she had sensed a faint trace of demonic aura on that man. After her “intimate exchanges” with two demons in the ruins, she had become quite familiar with that repulsive presence.
Having forced herself to shake hands with him, Lu Qiuchen nearly lost control to the surge of rage triggered by the memories from the Dragonkin’s legacy. To avoid causing a bloodbath on the street, she had secretly planted a magical marker on his clothing and withdrawn early.
With so many Paladins and Priests watching nearby, if she failed to force out the demon’s true form at once, the aftermath would turn against her. So for now, what she needed was a hot bath, a good night’s sleep, and then—when the city was asleep and quiet—she could do what any true dragon ought to.
The other adventurers exchanged glances, puzzled by the princess’s strange behavior, but they remained behind to chat with the vice guild leader.
“Sister Beiana, that’s everything that happened underground!”
“Good heavens, you encountered a Nightmare, a Mind Fiend, and even a Mountain Dragon! You surviving that really must’ve been divine protection!”
“Sister Beiana, I’m telling you, don’t go spreading this around, okay? We only made it out because of Miss Cecilia. She’s amazing!”
“Cecilia? Oh, you mean that half-dragon?”
“She’s not just any half-dragon! She’s a noble half-dragon princess from the Beastkin Kingdom!”
“A half-dragon princess? Why didn’t Natasha ever mention she had such a strong sister… Next time I see her, I’m definitely going to ask.”
“Did you hear? There really was a demonized lesser dragon in the underground ruins! Those arrogant adventurers who usually look down their noses at everyone were so scared they wet themselves running away!”
“Tch! That’s old news. Let me tell you something even juicier—someone already killed that lesser dragon!”
“What? Seriously? That’s huge news! Are you sure it’s legit?”
“Of course! My uncle’s a blacksmith at the Adventurer’s Guild. He told me himself!”
*****
Some time later, in another tavern—
“Hey, bro! I’ve got a huge secret for you—don’t tell a soul!”
“Come on, man, don’t you trust me? What is it?”
“There was a demonized dragon in the ruins! But it got taken down by a team of high-level adventurers!”
“What? High-level adventurers killed a demonified dragon?”
“You absolutely cannot tell anyone else about this, got it? I heard it straight from my buddy’s uncle—it’s totally legit!”
By evening, Londo Town was already in an uproar.
Everyone in Londo—whether adventurers, merchants, farmers, or nobles—had heard that the demonified dragon in the Londo Ruins had been slain by brave adventurers. A group of dragon-slaying heroes had emerged in Londo Town!
As for whether it was a demonified lesser dragon or a full demonified dragon, whether the slayers were legendary-class powerhouses, epic-ranked heroes, or just a band of high-level adventurers—it no longer mattered. Even if everyone swore their source was “absolutely reliable,” all the people needed to know was that the dragon-slaying heroes had appeared in their town.
Meanwhile, Lu Qiuchen had just woken up. After a good, long sleep, she asked Phyllis, who was staying in the suite next door, about the man from that morning. She learned that he had already gone into the underground ruins with members of the Church.
It was time to begin her assassination mission for the day.
“A demon… has already managed to disguise itself as, or take control of, the Vice Guildmaster of the Royal Capital’s Adventurers’ Guild. And that person behind the banquet too. What exactly are these demons plotting?”
“Now he’s gone into the ruins with Church members—is he planning to harm them?”
Lu Qiuchen changed into a hooded cloak inside her room and stepped out of the guild, preparing to head downstairs. But the sight that greeted her left her momentarily dumbfounded—crowds flooded the entire street, jam-packed from wall to wall. She couldn’t even make it out the door.
How am I supposed to assassinate a demon like this?!
“What’s going on? Why is everyone crowding in front of the guild entrance?” Lu Qiuchen turned back and asked Phyllis in the next room.
Phyllis opened the door with a smile on her face. “Obviously, they’re here for us.”