The psychopathic murderer, Jung Jin-Ho. In some ways, he was the biggest victim in his second life because if the future had continued the way it was supposed to, then he may have created the Murderer Clan—Murder Brigade—by now.

‘He could have been Juliena’s actual owner…’

I imagined him using Juilena because I thought the two were really compatible, and he had undeniably created the Murder Brigade. As for how I discovered it, it was naturally because…

‘...I saw it.’

Actually, I didn’t see it with my own eyes. Based on the conversation Lee Ki-Young and Park Deok-Gu had in the past life, it wasn’t difficult to figure out that we had been involved with the brigade. We didn’t actually join the clan because Park Deok-Gu dissuaded me, but I personally became friends with Jung Jin-Ho. The Murder Brigade was an unofficial clan that was going to be created a year or two later. I had no idea about the details, but there was one thing I was sure of. Jung Jin-Ho had been a key member in the creation of the clan, and since he was dead, the clan wouldn’t be created. I came up with the name—Murder Brigade—for the imaginary Murderer Clan, but it had a nice ring to it.

‘Just because he’s not here doesn’t mean the members won’t do anything, so the brigade could still be established…’

Of course, they wouldn’t really be influential.

While I was having other thoughts, Ahn Ki-Mo continued his story with a serious expression. The nervousness written on his face had to be the reason why Park Deok-Gu listened closely while staring at him.

“Murderer Clan?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“That’s right,” Ahn Ki-Mo answered.

“You mean there are people like that around Lindel?” he asked.

“Yes. Even though the city has people that patrol regularly, the Murderer Clan’s methods are very secretive and private. Even our guild hasn't had much luck capturing them. It’s been a while since that incident, but it doesn’t hurt to be extra careful,” he replied.

“Have they shown themselves recently?” Park Deok-Gu questioned.

“If they did, I don’t think we would have come all the way here for a dungeon expedition, hahaha,” Ahn Ki-Mo laughed.

“That’s a relief…” Park Deok-Gu muttered.

‘He’s pretty good at drawing people in.’

It was a classic cliche in horror movies, and he even ad-libbed because what he had just said wasn’t in the script. After building up the tension, it seemed like he was trying to fix it by telling them that it wasn’t going to happen anymore. This was a pretty good start considering the fact that the main character’s party would usually end up in a bad situation. In other words, you had to throw the bait first to catch fish.

When I turned away for a moment, Jung Ha-Yan and Kim Ye-Ri were displaying their horrible acting skills by saying things like, “Oh, is that so?” or “Th-That’s scary,” so I had no choice but to make a comment.

“Don’t worry too much, Deok-Gu. It happened a long time ago, and I’m sure he only told that story as a precaution. Isn’t that right, Mr. Ki-Mo?”

“Yes, haha. You’re right. It happened a long time ago, but it still bothers me…” Ahn Ki-Mo replied.

As the person responsible for the party’s safety, Park Deok-Gu quickly continued talking.

“What’s still bothering you?”

‘He actually fell for it.’

Park Deok-Gu fell for it without even questioning it, and Ahn Ki-Mo must have realized that Park Deok-Gu had fallen for it because he started sending signals to me. The signals were unnecessary, as I knew what was going on without them.

“Oh, it’s nothing. You really don’t have to worry, Mr. Deok-Gu,” Ahn Ki-Mo answered.

“I was just asking because I’m really curious, Ki-Mo bro,” Park Deok-Gu added.

“There has been a slight increase in the frequency of kidnapping these days,” Ahn Ki-Mo started.

“Kidnapping?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“Yes, but it’s not enough for us to be worried about it. The kidnapping cases that happen in the forest every year are like a courtesy call for us,” Ahn Ki-Mo explained.

“Is that so?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“Yes. It’s because the new recruits who had arrived in the last batch are starting to gain confidence, and I’m referring to you and Mr. Ki-Young’s comrades. One’s stats usually increases a lot in their first year…” Ahn Ki-Mo added.

“Ah…”

“The city doesn’t encourage going on an excessive amount of expeditions, but people don’t usually listen. Despite the fact that it hasn’t been a year since your party entered the continent, thanks to the two of your members being selected for the Eight Seats, the new recruits from the previous quarter are overflowing with confidence. Hahaha. Of course, I’m not blaming you, Mr. Ki-Young. Accidents happened because of the choices they made,” Ahn Ki-Mo explained.

“Are you sure that’s the only reason?” Park Deok-Gu questioned.

“It’s really nothing for you to be worried about. Of course, it happens a bit frequently to say that it’s simply because the new recruits are overflowing with energy, but the Red Mercenary Guild has already finished investigating that. The guild searched several times, but there were no traces or indication that members of the Murderer Clan were staying here,” Ahn Ki-Mo answered.

“The Red Mercenary Guild is trustworthy…” Park Deok-Gu remarked.

Despite that, Park Deok-Gu seemed suspicious. I thought he wasn’t much of a thinker, but seeing the frown on his face made me think that he was organizing the information in his head in his own way. I wasn’t sure if it was because Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t here or if I was just having a good feeling about this, but Park Deok-Gu had really fallen for it. I guess he was really worried about the fact that he was the only person who could protect us. Of course, we had Kim Ye-Ri, but she was more of an assassin. If she had to worry about the rearguard after we went into battle, it meant that the entire situation was bad. We simply came here to have fun, so I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw Park Deok-Gu looking so serious.

“Let’s get going,” I suggested.

“Hyung-nim.” Park Deok-Gu called out.

“Yeah?”

“I-It’s nothing…” he stuttered.

I was sure he was going to suggest that we head back, and if the goal of this expedition weren’t a reconciliation, he would have suggested that we turn back because he seemed like he was feeling a sense of foreboding.

‘I personally like that reaction...’

I liked that he was always worried and was always thinking about the worst-case scenario. Naturally, I had to give deduct some points from him for not acting on it, but he still passed my evaluation.

As we continued walking, Park Deok-Gu was the only one who looked so serious, and it felt like the entire party was being affected by it. He was probably thinking that he had to keep his guard up.

When we approached the dungeon, he started to ask me several questions, and they were all about the dungeon’s origin.

“Hyung-nim, where was this dungeon…”

“I’m not sure. I didn’t check its origins, and I only bought it after talking to several guilds. The Black Swan Guild previously owned this dungeon,” I replied.

“I see…”

“Is there something wrong?” I asked.

“No, it’s nothing like that. Does the Black Swan Guild have some kind of connection with that brigade or whatever?” Park Deok-Gu asked once more.

“I’m sure they’re somewhat connected because when the brigade was still active, the Black Swan Guild was one of the guilds that represented Lindel. Are you still worried about the brigade?” I asked him.

“It’s not that. I just feel a bit uneasy…”

“Relax. I thought a lot about it before purchasing it. It has been years since that incident, and the brigade has no reason to target Lindel. Of course, they don’t exactly need a reason to make a move…” I told him.

“I’m sure you’re right… But for some reason… I mean, I’m not all that important, but you’re an important figure now within the city,” Park Deok-Gu explained.

“What?” I asked.

“Being one of the eight people to represent the empire is symbolic, and all I’m saying is that for some reason, I feel like something is going to happen, and I’m getting worried. Ugh. I’m trying not to think about it, but I can’t stop…” he muttered.

He was right. It seemed like he wasn’t able to explain it properly, but I understood why he felt anxious. He had to be thinking that the timing of the events was strange when considering my position as one of the seat holders of the empire’s Eight Seats. Based on the timing of it all, it was difficult to say that the city was safe because the large and mid-sized guilds were getting ready to greet the new recruits, so their security wasn’t as tight as usual. Assuming that a certain group was targeting a random group or me, this would be the best time to do it. Rumors about Lee Ki-Young of the Blue Guild buying a dungeon would easily spread throughout Lindel, and the informant of the brigade could acquire that information. They could then use the death of the Holy Empire’s honorary bishop and a member of the Eight Seats as a signal to show that the brigade had returned.

However, Park Deok-Gu considered these as a fabric of his imagination. The piece of information that we had thrown at him was regarding the brigade, and we didn’t have enough information to piece the puzzles together. That was why he kept on asking me questions. He was somewhat drawing the puzzle in his head, so I was sure he was trying to find the other pieces to complete it. I couldn’t check whether the pieces he was looking for were the same pieces I had drawn out or not, but I genuinely wanted to applaud him.

‘You’ve grown...’

Park Deok-Gu had grown mentally and physically, making him different from the times when he was just following me around. There may not have been a life-changing moment that caused this transformation, but I was sure that he had grown.

Anyway, his anxiety began to grow more and more. Ahn Ki-Mo was playing a crucial role because he continuously threw baits that were like previews of a horror movie. The fact that Jung Ha-Yan and Kim Ye-Ri remained quiet really helped as well. Park Deok-Gu became increasingly suspicious as time went on, so I continued to comfort the nervous Park Deok-Gu. Jung Ha-Yan and Kim Ye-Ri also kept telling him that it was going to be okay. Ahn Ki-Mo released a hearty laugh while saying that maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned the brigade, and just like the main characters of a horror movie, we were going into the danger zone. In that genre, the first accident usually happened just like that—when someone thought they were safe, things would go wrong.

The timing was also the best because Park Deok-Gu was currently afraid and anxious about the unknown.

‘They should show up soon.’

Based on our location, this was the perfect time for them to appear. It would be fine if they started off with a surprise or if they approached us while pretending to be adventurers. However, Lee Ji-Hye was the one who planned this part out, and I was curious because I had no idea what was going to happen.

Just as we were about to arrive at the dungeon’s entrance, and while we were doing the final preparations, I saw a woman with a cold expression.

‘Is that it?’

I had this thought because the woman obviously looked strange, and she was blocking our path.

“Hey… W-who are you? Did you come here by yourself?”

Park Deok-Gu asked cautiously, but she didn’t answer. In contrast to Park Deok-Gu’s apprehension, I was kind of disappointed.

‘That’s it?’

I recalled how Lee Ji-Hye boasted when she told me not to worry and that she would make proper preparations. I expected her to send the best members of the Black Swan Guild, but she only sent one person. I spread my mana around us just in case, but it seemed that woman was the only person Lee Ji-Hye had sent. Of course, it didn’t really matter who she sent because it was just an act, but the tension was lacking.

‘Tsk...’

But then an explosive bloodthirstiness enveloped the place...

‘Huh?’

My hands and feet started to tremble, and I staggered backward without realizing it. I wasn’t unfamiliar with this sensation, as I recalled feeling this way from Cha Hee-Ra.

‘Uh…’

The moment the explosive mana enveloped the place, I realized who Lee Ji-Hye had sent. She was another strong individual within Lindel on the same level as Cha Hee-Ra and a member of the Eight Seats. The guild master of the Black Swan Guild and Kim Hyun-Sung’s admirer…

‘Park Yeon-Joo?’

But before I could organize my thoughts, Park Deok-Gu screamed.

“Run!!!”