“Is it dangerous?” I asked.

“Yes…” Kim Hyun-Sung replied.

“I see…”

I knew being in the arms of the regressor wasn’t always comforting. If I had to compare this continent and the current situation to a game, Kim Hyun-Sung was a named NPC who gave main quests. It had already been confirmed that he was at the center of many things, and he was aware that he could be in danger during that process. Thinking about it now, he had always been in danger. He had been at risk when he first participated in the attack team with Jung Jin-Ho in the tutorial dungeon, and he had also been in danger during the Castle Rock defense war. Obviously, I didn’t really feel pressured during those events because I trusted our lovely regressor, but the biggest reason was that I always thought he would appear out of nowhere whenever I was in trouble and take care of the issue for me.

It was undeniable that the overall difficulty we had experienced in the tutorial dungeon had increased after he joined the part. It was dangerous, but I wasn’t nervous. Now that I thought about it, my decisions so far had been reasonable because they were made after considering these factors.

‘It might be kind of dangerous, but it’s possible.’

This had been the kind of thought I had whenever I carried out a plan.

Kim Hyun-Sung had never warned me about the risks his decisions would bring. If something did happen, he was confident enough to deal with it on his own, and he was also confident enough that none of his party members would die.

‘For him to bring this up, it has to be really dangerous even for him…’

Honestly, I couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“Can you first explain what’s going on?” I asked.

“The Black Swan Guild has requested assistance,” Kim Hyun-Sung answered.

“We can’t reject their request,” I responded.

“That’s right,” he agreed.

Park Deok-Gu chimed in. “Why can’t we reject their request?”

“We owe them a lot,” I replied.

“Ah…”

“We owe the Black Swan in many different ways. We still haven’t paid them back, and when I was in trouble back at the castle, they helped me back then as well. They have also been helping us discreetly, and I’m sure you’ll be surprised when you hear it, Deok-Gu. They have been influencing us even in the most trivial matter,” I continued.

They even helped us with Park Deok-Gu’s case.

“Even though we’re allies, the Blue Guild, Black Swan Guild, and the Red Mercenary Guild are groups that are maintaining their own powers, so of course, they’ll work for their own benefits. The only reason why this alliance is still alive is that the groups need each other, not because of some strange friendship or even the goal to protect Lindel,” I added.

“But, aren’t you really… aren’t you really close to that red-headed noonim?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“That relationship is between Hee-Ra noona and me, not the Blue Guild and the Red Mercenary Guild. I’m sure it’s advantageous that we are close, but that’s all it is. Just like how I prioritize the Blue Guild first, she’s probably the same. That’s why even Mr. Hyun-Sung maintains a close relationship with the Guild Master of the Black Swan Guild. It’s common sense to separate your personal life from your public life,” I said.

“Ahh…” Park Deok-Gu mumbled.

“The answer is obvious when you think about how out of the three guilds, the Blue Guild has been receiving support from various fields in different ways. It means we are being taken care of. We may be considered a mid-sized guild considering the number of resources and manpower we have, but we’re not that big…” I explained.

“I think I get it…” he muttered.

“Basically, the Blue Guild is receiving the most benefits out of the three guilds, and those benefits aren’t free lunches. Simply put, it’s time for us to pay them back for all the benefits we have received so far,” I told him.

Kim Hyun-Sung nodded lightly.

“Mr. Ki-Young is right. This is also the Black Swan Guild’s first time asking for the Blue Guild’s help in an official way. If we reject it just because it’s dangerous, both the Black Swan and Red Mercenary Guild will lose faith in us. This also applies to the other guilds and clans,” Kim Hyun-Sung commented.

“Ah… I see… So basically, it’s about trust,” Park Deok-Gu said.

“Yes, that’s the simple explanation,” he agreed.

Based on our situation, we had no choice but to accept. If Kim Hyun-Sung was right and the task was truly dangerous, then in addition to paying off our debt, we could even make the Black Swan Guild owe us. This meant I could ask for their Guild Master’s help again for the same issue I had encountered with Park Deok-Gu.

‘Not bad.’

We had no idea how or when the Blue Guild would be in danger. It was a bit ironic to think that we had to be in danger to overcome them, but this continent rewarded people for taking risks. Since we had no choice, it was time for me to throw the dice.

“What kind of work is it?” I asked.

“It’s a dungeon…” Kim Hyun-Sung replied.

‘I knew it.’

Unless there was a war and someone was being held captive in another country, this was the only thing the Black Swan Guild could ask our help for.

“Basically, the main executives and the guild members have gotten themselves isolated from each other inside the dungeon. The request I received from Miss Park Yeon-Joo is to rescue those inside the dungeon as well as to capture the dungeon. Of course, Miss Park Yeon-Joo and the main forces of the Black Swan Guild will be joining us. About thirty people will participate…” he explained.

“Hm, are those people in the dungeon still alive?” I questioned.

“A survivor escaped the dungeon, and according to their testimony, I’m sure they got themselves isolated from each other in the dungeon. The name of the dungeon is Rift Museum. This dungeon in particular… it has no rank.” Kim Hyun-Sung pointed out.

“So a survivor managed to escape. Wait… you’re saying the dungeon doesn’t have a rank?” I asked.

“Yes. To be exact, I heard it’s a type of dungeon with an ever-changing rank. Not only can it be an average-ranked dungeon, but it can also become a legendary-ranked dungeon. Personally… I think it’s best to consider the possibility that it can change into a dungeon above legendary in rank,” he suggested.

“What?” I questioned.

“The chances of that happening is extremely low, but—” he paused.

If there were a chance the dungeon could change ranks into above legendary, not only was it unreasonable to enter that dungeon, but it would be suicide. Considering the fact that only a few legendary-ranked dungeons had been captured so far, entering a dungeon that could possibly be above legendary was absurd. If there really were survivors in there, I was sure the Black Swan Guild would make preparations related to capturing the dungeon, but despite that, there were too many dangerous factors that had to be considered.

‘If it’s above legendary… is it mythic?’

It could be an average-ranked or an epic-ranked dungeon. I couldn’t help but be curious about how this was possible.

“How is that possible?” I asked.

“The Rift Museum is a type of museum where named monsters randomly spawn,” Kim Hyun-Sung replied.

“Ah…”

“Rare, epic, legendary, and mythic-ranked named monsters are sealed inside a rift, and they are sent out randomly,” he added.

“Where did you get that…”

“Maybe it would be better if I showed you the report instead of explaining it to you. The report was made based on the information received from the Rift Museum dungeon guide,” he suggested.

“Thank you,” I said.

‘A dungeon guide…’

I had heard about these types of dungeons; no, I had experience being in one. The dungeon type may be different, but the woman’s voice I had heard in the tutorial dungeon could be considered the dungeon guide. The dungeon guide was basically an Irregular who informed players on how the dungeon worked and the goal. It was a term that encompassed everything like the vestiges of the mages’ thoughts previously living in a dungeon like the Mage’s Tower, which had been captured by the Devil’s Guild, the tutorial dungeon’s System, or spirits wandering around a dungeon.

If there was a Rift Museum guide, then this dungeon may not be as bad as the other dungeons.

‘It’s completely different from the Cursed Shrine…’

The problem with the Cursed Shrine was that there wasn’t any information. The reason why the entire Blue Guild had been shaken up to the core was that it was barely rated as an epic-ranked dungeon. As such, the fact that there was a special NPC for the Rift Museum wasn’t that bad.

‘Is it okay for me to think that there won’t be any annoying traps or complicated issues?’

We could create groups for the other areas…

‘For now, it’s not that bad.’

At least, it wouldn’t be like last time when I had to think hard or worry about things aside from capturing the dungeon.

Obviously, the report the survivor had created couldn’t have every detail about the dungeon, but it was better than nothing. It didn’t take me long to flip through the thick report. Kim Hyun-Sung saw me reading the report seriously, so he remained quiet.

‘Nothing would really change just because I’m reading it…’

[Unranked Dungeon, Rift Museum, Report.]

[This report was created based on the testimony of the Black Swan Guild’s survivor who received a guide from the Rift Museum’s dungeon guide.]

[The first half lists the guide’s information as is, the middle part lists the progress and the events within the Rift Museum dungeon, and the last part is regarding the capture.]

“…”

[According to the Rift Museum guide, the museum has a collection of knowledge and treasures created by the Rift Guardians, a secret organization that has been passed down since ancient times, and Max, the guide, is an Ego Ring created by the guardians.]

[The Rift Guardians couldn’t endure the long years, and they weathered by time, losing their existence and significance, making Max the only remaining Rift Guardian. A representative will be elected among the participants of the dungeon capture, and to keep the dungeon’s peace, only a maximum of 30 Explorers are allowed. The museum Explorers can start exploring the dungeon after wearing the guide’s ring, and they cannot leave until the exploration is complete, or they can also pay the price by being forced to capture the dungeon.]

“…….”

[The dungeon capture can only be completed after sealing the Rift Guardian or defeating three of the contracted named monsters. There is no other way. The named monsters managed by the museum are not only from the main continent, but they are also from outside. Some transcendent beings take form in contracts, not seals.]

“Ha…”

[There are a total of 500 monsters in the museum. There are 3 types of named monsters above legendary rank, 30 types of legendary-ranked monsters, more than 400 types of epic-ranked monsters, and the remaining are rare-ranked monsters.]

‘This is… completely…’

[The three named monsters selected are completely random.]

‘…’

[There are three types of museum exploration rewards. There are 3 types of equipment above legendary rank, 30 types of legendary-ranked equipment, over 400 types of epic-ranked equipment, and the remaining equipment are rare-ranked… omit.]

‘…’

[The rewards are also completely random.]

‘This is completely based on luck…’

Even if we defeat a legendary-ranked monster, we could obtain a rare-ranked reward and vice versa.

Park Deok-Gu quietly peeking at the report must have understood that much at least.

“This is not worth the effort…”

I nodded at Park Deok-Gu’s mutter.