The blue eyes pierced through Viktor.

  They were cold. Cold as ice. Cold as Death itself.

  The woman didn’t blink. Her gaze bore into him with such an intensity that he felt like she could see every thought in his mind, every secret he had ever kept hidden. It peered into his very soul, reading him, dissecting him. A chill ran down his spine, as though he could feel the very essence of death emitting from the woman.

  If Death had a face, then this was it.

  But... so what?

  He had stared into the Eyes of the Abyss. He had met a god-like being who then granted him the gift of reincarnation. He had died once. Actually died. Not metaphorically, not spiritually. His heart had stopped, his body had been broken. Nevertheless, he clawed his way back from oblivion. Compared to all that, perhaps even the embodiment of Death didn’t seem like such a big deal.

  So he stared back.

  And she blinked first.

  A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she gave him a quick nod before looking away.

  What the hell is all that about?

  Now that their eyes were no longer locked, Viktor could finally allow himself to take in the woman’s other features. She had a bronze complexion, as if her silky skin had been kissed by the sun. Her straight black hair framed her face, falling just above her shoulders, with a fringe of bangs resting across her forehead. She looked young, yet he found it difficult to estimate her age.

  She stood behind the fat man whom he had assumed to be the Guildmaster from Iskora. His skin was pale, his hair a blond turning to white, combed into a style that would look much better with a more handsome man. But when placed on top of that round face, with a double chin hung heavily beneath the bulbous cheeks, the combination was a complete mismatch.

  “I expect a good response from you,” the man said with a booming laugh.

  The Guildmaster of Daelin frowned. “As I’ve already told you, this isn’t a decision I can make on my own.”

  “Then discuss it with the others.” The fat man gave Gideon a slap on the back. “But make it quick. Time is money, my friend.”

  “I’ll hold a meeting with the Mayor and the Overseer right away.”

  “Yes, yes, do it quickly.” The fat man waved his hand in the air as if the matter was already settled. He then turned toward the exit, his enormous body rocking as he waddled away. The woman shot one last glance at Viktor before she turned as well, following the man.

  Who the hell is she?

  Did she just randomly pick up a kid and start intimidating him for no reason? Or maybe... she knew who he actually was?

  No. That’s impossible.

  While his mind was still occupied by the mysterious woman, Claire walked toward Gideon. “Guildmaster, what’s the matter?”

  “Ah, Claire,” the big man replied with a weary sigh. “That’s Clovis, the Guildmaster of the Adventurer’s Guild in Iskora. He’s just given me... a proposal.”

  “A proposal?”

  Gideon didn’t answer. His eyes dropped, a troubled furrow appearing on his brow. Then, after a beat, he looked back up at Claire. “Send messengers to Mayor Marcellus and Overseer Rennald. Tell them to come here immediately.”

  That was an absurd request. One couldn’t simply summon the two most powerful men in town as if they were mere servants at his command. To demand their immediate presence was just ridiculous.

  “Guildmaster... A-are you sure?” Claire stammered.

  “Yes,” Gideon said, firm as bedrock. “Tell them it’s urgent. Tell them it’s very important.”

  “U-understood.”

  “One more thing. Calyssa is currently inspecting the camp near the dungeon. Call her back here as well.”

  “I’ll do it right away.”

  “And...” The Guildmaster’s eyes scanned the hall until they landed on Viktor’s group. Then, without another word, he strode up to them. “Lucian, where is Cedric?”

  “I don’t know.” The blond-haired mage scratched his head. “But I think he and Fiora will be here soon.”

  Right. They need to be here to take over the shift from Lucian and Noi’ri and babysit Blondie for the afternoon, Viktor thought. But what did Gideon even want from Cedric?

  “Good,” the Guildmaster said. “There’ll be a meeting. Since your party is the one who discovered the dungeon, I want your presence there as well.”

  Viktor had already suspected as much, but now there was no doubt that the important matter Gideon was talking about indeed had something to do with his dungeon. But what was it? It couldn’t possibly be as simple as Clovis wanting to invest in Daelin, could it? It must be something much more serious. And whatever it was, he needed to know. This meeting... it concerned his dungeon, and it concerned him.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  A murmur spread through the hall. Adventurers and employees of the Guild stood in small clusters as they exchanged whispered theories. Everyone was asking the same questions, yet no one had the answers. No one but Gideon, and he wasn’t going to speak until the meeting began.

  After a while, Cedric and Fiora showed up, and they quickly noticed the strange atmosphere in the Guild. “What happened?” they asked Lucian, who couldn’t provide any information beyond what everyone here had already known.

  Half an hour later, a frail old man entered the building. He was flanked by his two servants, their hands hovering near him, ready to catch him should he stumble.

  “Mayor.” Gideon stepped forward to greet the old man. “My apologies for asking you to come here on such short notice,” the Guildmaster said, bowing deeply. “I understand this is inconvenient for you, but the matter is urgent.”

  “It... it’s fine,” the mayor said, his pale lips trembling. “S-so, what is it? What matter do you want to discuss?”

  “I’m waiting for Overseer Rennald to arrive before we begin the meeting.”

  “R-Rennald will come as well? I... I see. We’ll wait for him, then.”

  The last to arrive was a tall, lean, proud-looking man in his forties, clad in a pristine long coat that was tailored perfectly to his frame and embroidered with countless strands of golden thread. He walked in with confidence, his head raised high and hands clasped casually behind his back. Viktor had never met him before, but there was no mistaking who this was. Rennald, the head of the caravan station and, by all accounts, the de facto King of Daelin.

  “Guildmaster,” the man called out. “I hope that it’s something that is worth my time.”

  “Of course, Overseer,” Gideon replied with a nod. “I wouldn’t have asked you to come so suddenly otherwise.”

  Rennald’s lips curled into a dry smile. His gaze shifted briefly to the others in the hall before he addressed Gideon once more. “Let’s get started, then.”

  With the Guildmaster leading the way, the guests followed him to the meeting room, passing by the curious adventurers and Guild employees. Obviously, only those invited by Gideon were allowed to enter. After the door closed behind them, they quickly settled at the long wooden table at the center of the room.

  Guildmaster Gideon, with his towering presence, sat at the head of the table as the host. To his immediate right was Calyssa, the Guild’s Chief Secretary. A bespectacled woman in her late thirties, who had been called back from her assignment outside to attend this meeting. Even though she was of average height, sitting beside Gideon, she looked like a mouse next to a bear.

  Overseer Rennald swept the tails of his long coat aside and eased into his seat like a man settling onto a throne. His attendants followed suit, occupying the left side of the table, their attire nearly as magnificent as that of their master. Viktor snorted. Hard to believe these guys also lived in this miserable excuse for a town just like everyone else.

  On the other end of the elegance spectrum, Mayor Marcellus was having a losing battle against his own chair. He grumbled and scowled as he tried to lower himself into it, his limbs trembling enough to make everyone uncomfortable. His two sweating servants hovered beside him, each holding an elbow, frowning so hard it looked like their faces were about to crack. Only once the mayor had settled, spine intact and heartbeat probably still functional, did they allow themselves a sigh of relief.

  And finally, at the far end of the table, sat Cedric’s party, though not all members were present. Noi’ri and Fiora remained outside, keeping an eye on Blondie, so the only ones here were Cedric, Lucian—and him, Viktor.

  Gideon stared at the one person who obviously had no business being in this room. “You’re Claire’s younger brother, right?”

  Viktor flashed a big smile. “Yes, but today I’m a temporary member of Big Brother Cedric’s party.”

  There was no way he could miss something as important as this meeting. He had to get in and figure out what was going on. So he asked Cedric to bring him along, and the black-haired boy readily agreed. After all, it was Viktor who had led his party to the dungeon.

  The Guildmaster didn’t look too happy about it, but he decided that this was hardly a matter worth arguing over. “You can stay, but do not make any noise,” he said, then turned to the guests. “Mayor, Overseer. I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to be here.”

  “Let’s cut to the chase,” Rennald said, waving his hand dismissively. “What is it you want to discuss?”

  Gideon let out a deep exhale. “Well,” he began slowly. “Guildmaster Clovis from Iskora paid me a visit today.”

  “Clovis?” Rennald asked thoughtfully, tapping his clean-shaven chin as his eyes narrowed in contemplation. “I know that man. Don’t let his appearance fool you. He’s far more shrewd than you might expect. Be careful when you make a deal with him.”

  “I know.”

  “However, I doubt that you could refuse his offer, whatever it might be. I’ve heard that your Guild has been struggling with the influx of adventurers, and you’re in desperate need of help. Ah, I see...” A smirk spread across Rennald’s face. “Clovis knows that you need him, and he’s squeezing you dry. So you want my help with the negotiation, am I correct?”

  Gideon shook his head. “No, that’s not it.”

  “Then what?”

  “He wants...” Gideon hesitated for a moment. “He wants to buy the dungeon.”

  What?

  “B-buy the dungeon?” Marcellus asked. “W-what do you mean?”

  “If we agree and take his money,” Gideon explained, “he’ll send a team to the dungeon. They’ll extract the Dungeon Core and take it to Iskora.”

  That will not do!

  The situation was bad. Very, very bad. If Celeste was taken away, Viktor would lose everything. This was a repeat of what happened with the Dungeon Reavers, but with extra steps to make it “legal.”

  Rennald erupted in laughter. “It’s ridiculous. The dungeon is invaluable. There’s no way we could give it to anyone. Clovis is delusional. If he thinks he can have his way by throwing one or two hundred thousand gold at—”

  “He said he was paying two million.”

  The rich man shut up.

  A silence settled over the room. No one spoke. Everyone was stunned, still processing what Gideon had just said. Even Viktor couldn’t believe his own ears. Two million? It would cost him a million points of mana to transmute that much gold. That staggering sum of money could crush any resistance and buy any allegiance.

  “T-two million?” Marcellus chuckled nervously. “You jest, Gideon. Or maybe a zero has been accidentally added there.”

  “Yes, yes.” Rennald nodded. “Two hundred thousand is much more believable.”

  “No,” the Guildmaster said, shaking his head. “I couldn’t believe it myself when he made the proposal, so I’ve asked for clarification. Several times. There’s no mistake. That’s the exact amount he’s offering for our dungeon.”

  Two million gold. Theoretically, a dungeon could generate that much over time, but it would take decades, maybe even more, and that was assuming nothing went wrong along the way. In contrast, what Clovis offered was the immediate wealth, with no strings attached. A single payment that would ensure the town’s financial security for years to come.

  In other words, it was not hard to predict which choice these men would make.