[Rare-ranked dungeon, Garden of Horror Dungeon has been completed. Confirmed [18/30] people.]

I heard a familiar voice and the voice sounded really happy. It was only a bit, but I could see the sense of accomplishment written on everyone’s faces. When I saw that, I started talking to Choi Young-Ki. It was simply about my first impression of the dungeon and nothing special.

“Are rare-ranked dungeons usually like this?”

“Yes, it’s pretty simple. We are basically done with the dungeon control once we take care of the monster and the boss monster. From what I’ve heard, epic and legendary ranked dungeons have several conditions for their dungeon controls… it’s embarrassing, but I still haven’t entered one myself,” he answered.

“Ohh.”

“There has only been one time where a legendary-ranked dungeon was discovered within the Holy Empire,” he said.

“Oh, I see. Are there a lot of epic-ranked dungeons?” I asked.

“There aren’t that many epic-ranked dungeons either. Even this Garden of Horror dungeon seems like a lower-tier dungeon among the rare-ranked dungeons and the construction of the other dungeons may be a bit different compared to this,” he explained.

“I see,” I said.

“Anyways, I’m sorry you had to experience something so uncomfortable during the expedition,” he said, apologizing.

“It’s fine. We actually feel really bad about it,” I said.

I noticed Choi Young-Ki slightly lowering his head and seeing his face made me realize that he was genuinely apologizing. He seemed to feel really bad about the unexpected accident. A part of me felt bad about the situation too, but I couldn’t express it, so I simply smiled and denied it.

“Thanks to you, I was able to have a good experience and now I understand a little bit about dungeons. I obtained a good item too…” I said.

“It’s nothing. I believe you did enough to receive the item and not only the Red Mercenary Guild, but I’m sure the Devil’s Guild feels the same way. I actually feel bad that I wasn’t able to take care of you more,” he said.

“Hahaha.”

When I glanced to the side, I noticed Kim Hyun-Sung talking to the members of the Devil’s Guild and I was sure that he was having a conversation similar to what Choi Young-Ki and I were having. Like, thanking them for everything they had done or promising to have a meal with them later.

Considering the atmosphere of the party after Jung Yoo-Ra left, I think we would be gathering again sometime soon. The original party wasn’t bad, but once Jung Yoo-Ra, who was a thorn in everyone's side, disappeared, the expedition party gained momentum and of course, the atmosphere became more peaceful than before.

I remember laughing all throughout the hunt. Obviously, Jung Yoo-Ra’s departure played a big part in the unification of the party, but there had been a different problem when they were still around.

The Black Swan’s overall endurance stat was low, so the Red Mercenary Guild’s burden increased with them in the group. But since they no longer had to worry about that, the vanguards of the Red Mercenary Guild aggressively took charge, and the priests in each guild were able to focus more on their tasks.

Basically, the reason why Jung Yoo-Ra talked big all throughout the expedition was revealed, and it was because she realized the fact that her party wasn’t suitable for the dungeon control. Even if the dungeon control was completed normally, she wouldn’t have gained much. If I were to simply calculate the gains and losses, her departure in the middle of the expedition was a gain for her since she would obtain the reward without having to do anything, so I was sure that she was really happy about this.

“By the way, are you really okay?” Choi Young-Ki asked.

“Sorry?” I asked.

“The items that were distributed to the Black Swan Guild,” he answered.

“Ohh, yes, you don’t have to worry since Mr. Hyun-Sung said that it would be best to keep the original distribution ratio,” I said.

“Still, the Blue Guild contributed a lot, so I thought it would be best to give your party a bit more…”

“The shield that Deok-Gu obtained was more than enough. I even feel a bit burdened because it feels like we’re getting more than what we deserve,” I explained.

When I slightly turned my head to the side, I saw Park Deok-Gu surrounded by his tank sunbaes and he looked really happy. Out of the rare ranked items, the shield was categorized as a high-tier item, so I guess that made him happy. The shield was the most valuable item out of all the items we obtained from this expedition.

[Root Shield - Rare Rank]

[Araki, the owner of the garden, created this strong shield using the roots of a plant. The shield was originally meant for the guard that protected the garden, but when every human in the garden fell to the curse, the shield was never used. Not only does it increase one’s defense, but it also softens external blows. The durability can be restored by the user.]

[Stamina +3]

[Endurance +2]

[Magic +1]

‘Not bad.’

The fact that the user could restore the shield’s durability themselves was what I liked about it the most. It felt like a cost-effective beginner’s gear.

The stats were great, so I was sure that Park Deok-Gu’s growth was going to gain momentum. Normally, the shield would have to go through many opinions before finding its owner, but all the vanguards expressed that the shield should be passed on to Park Deok-Gu. It seemed like it was their own way of welcoming him, but Park Deok-Gu was very lucky to have obtained an item of that rarity from his first expedition and it was to the point that I thought maybe it was part of his plan to look pitiful from the start.

There were other items as well.

The story of the Garden of Horror was that it was a man-made laboratory, but after being cursed by God, everyone turned into monsters.

There were Essences of Magic and other items that were worth researching and they were all very valuable items. This was the moment where I understood what people meant when they said people could make money through dungeon control.

Because we did well during the expedition, the Red Mercenary Guild and the Devil’s Guild tried to give us many of the items, but excluding the items that we really needed, Kim Hyun-Sung expressed that it was only right for them to split it amongst themselves, so I had no choice but to nod. From Kim Hyun-Sung’s point of view, those items weren’t really necessary for us and it was an obvious choice to split them with the others in order to build a friendship with them for the future, but from my point of view, it was a bit disappointing. The only problem we had was the portion that was going to go to Jung Yoo-Ra, a member of the Black Swan Guild that was kicked out in the middle of the expedition. It had been a hot topic within the expedition group for a long time, but after considering the Black Swan Guild’s honor, they agreed to distribute it based on the proportion that was agreed upon.

“To be honest, I think it’s a bit much for me. I think it’s only right for the Blue Guild to take more since they displayed a reasonable performance… If you think you might feel burdened about this later, you don’t have to worry. I’ll do…” Choi Young-Ki said.

“No, It’s not like that. Hahaha. You mentioned a few times that Miss Jung Yoo-Ra was the one that was creating the problem, but personally, I think our party was partly at fault too. Like when Deok-Gu fell in the beginning and when we made small mistakes here and there,” I said.

“That’s…”

“It’s understandable for her to be angry and I’m sure she feels a sense of loss since she had to leave in the middle of the dungeon. Wouldn't it be better if she felt comforted by the rewards even if it was a small amount?” I asked.

“Hahaha, you’re embarrassing me. I feel like a fool for calculating the profit and loss over a few times. I’m sure there isn’t a person as warm as you in the free city of Lindel, Mr. Ki-Young. As someone that’s been called the Saint of the Forsaken a long time ago, I think I understand why Miss Sun Hee-Young joined the Blue Guild,” he explained.

“You flatter me.”

Honestly, I was being calculative more than anyone, but I didn’t see a reason to reject his compliment. I did feel a bit guilty for suggesting to give the Black Swan Guild a bigger reward because that suggestion was only made after I calculated the potential gains and losses. In the end, the Black Swan Guild’s share was going to be handed to us anyways and of course, just thinking about it made me smile, although I didn’t express it outside.

“Is it okay for us to return to our guilds now?” I asked.

“Yes. For the materials that haven’t been settled yet, they’ll be settled and distributed within a week. You’ll also receive a document that will prove the ownership of the dungeon that’s been captured,” Choi Young-Ki answered.

“Ohh.”

“The document isn’t really worth anything though… haha. But it’s still better to have one than not. We’ll be heading back now. I would like to take a break since it was such a long expedition,” he said.

“Yes, be careful on your way back. I’ll contact you later on,” I told him.

“I’ll contact you first. Don’t forget our promise to have a drink together,” he said.

“I won’t, haha. I’ll be waiting,” I said.

I noticed everyone talking to each other and it was a heartwarming sight. I briefly thought that maybe this was possible because Jung Yoo-Ra wasn’t here and after thinking about how this was what a true unity should be, I became emotional.

The party members continued walking and when everyone started splitting up after arriving in front of the Free City of Lindel, I realized that we were part of different groups, but it was irrelevant.

Through this expedition, we confirmed each other’s trust and as long as nothing happened to this group, we would probably stay together until the end.

Both my party and I looked happy. I noticed happy looks on the faces of Kim Hyun-Sung, who gave us the opportunity to experience this, Park Deok-Gu, who was really happy with his new shield, and even Kim Ye-Ri. It was also the same for Sun Hee-Young, who wasn’t able to do any charity work, and Jung Ha-Yan, who had a bit of a hard time because we couldn’t have any alone time.

After exchanging useless conversations, we arrived at the Blue Guild’s guild house and it was a place I could now call home. I felt a bit bewildered, but it was fun as well.

Reporting to the guild receptionist and writing a report about the dungeon was required. It was obvious, but we had to meet Lee Sang-Hee, the sub guild master. We had to discuss the exact share and calculations. Since we were part of the Blue Guild, the items we obtained in the dungeon had to be shared with the guild under the agreed-upon condition, and I didn’t have any complaints about it. After all, if it wasn’t for the Blue Guild, we wouldn’t have had the chance to experience the dungeon and I was actually thankful that I became a part of it.

The small to medium-sized guilds were probably in a frustrating situation where they weren’t even given this kind of opportunity, but there was something else I thought was most important.

“Ha-Yan.”

“Yes, oppa.”

“Let’s talk for a bit,” I suggested.

“Huh? Okay!” she said.

“Mr. Hyun-Sung, I’ll be heading upstairs first. Deok-Gu, you can eat first and Miss Hee-Young, I’ll see you later,” I said.

They all nodded. Park Deok-Gu did look at me with a cunning expression, but I ignored it and immediately brought Jung Ha-Yan to my room. After seeing her red face, I realized that I did something that could easily cause a misunderstanding, but I didn’t bring her here in order to resolve a human’s basic desire that I had been suppressing while in the dungeon.

When I opened the door and entered, I noticed Jung Ha-Yan looking around.

“O-Oppa.”

“Ha-Yan.”

“Yes?”

“Can I ask for a simple favor?” I asked.

“Of-Of course. Yes! You can do whatever you want. All…All of it!”

‘What’s wrong with her…’

“I’m fine with everything. Whatever you want! I’m ready for everything. I’m ready!” she yelled.

I was thinking that it suddenly became harder to bring up the topic. I also started to feel bad because she looked as if she was really expecting something. But I had no choice; I had to talk about it because it was the most important thing right now.

“Can you find some information about the press within Lindel?” I asked.

“Oh…”

As expected, Jung Ha-Yan was disappointed, but when I placed my face close to hers, her body froze up. When I lightly kissed her cheek to express my gratitude, I noticed her trembling.

“Okay…” she answered.

I noticed her nodding as if she was possessed.

‘Good.’

She would get a reward if she showed results. This was the promise we implicitly made between us and she remembered it, right at this moment.