Chapter 47

“So, how was it?”

In Gu Yeon-jeong’s office, Lee Jae-hyo was reporting on the recent dungeon expedition.

“…..It was incredibly impressive. Honestly… you wouldn’t understand unless you saw it yourself.”

“If Jae-hyo is saying that much… I’m really curious.”

“…Honestly, since I didn’t go to the training facility this time, when the Clan Master said we absolutely had to recruit them, I thought he might be overreacting…”

“Hmm…”

“But after seeing this dungeon expedition, I realized. It wasn’t just a must—it was the right call to recruit them, even if it meant going to war with other clans.”

“Oh… to that extent?”

“Frankly, I even felt a bit of pity for Kang Seong-jun, the Clan Master of Hwashin Clan.”

“Pfft… Well, thanks to that one idiot from their side messing up, we managed to recruit them.”

“I heard Joo Seung-hwan threatened Lee Yun-seong. Is that true, Clan Master?”

“Ah, yes… That’s right. Honestly, Yun-seong’s talent is… well, you know. I just brought him along because I could.”

“….That was a wrong judgment, Clan Master.”

Gu Yeon-jeong looked genuinely surprised to hear Lee Jae-hyo say it was a wrong judgment.

Her expression wasn’t one of displeasure but rather shock at seeing Jae-hyo express himself so strongly for the first time.

“What happened?”

“Yes. Even though his combat power is lacking, his mind will definitely be an asset to the clan.”

“….I’d like to hear more. Can you tell me?”

After listening to Jae-hyo’s detailed account of the dungeon situation, Gu Yeon-jeong leaned on her hand, resting her chin, and spoke.

“To think of eliminating shadows in that situation… That’s definitely ingenious.”

“Yes, while his combat power is weak, his situational judgment and crisis management skills are exceptional.”

“Sigh… Yoon Yeon, that sly fox, sent an offer just two days after the training facility… There was something to it after all.”

“…..”

“Hmm… Alright. I think we need to revise our evaluation of him a bit. How were the others?”

“Most of them were outstanding. It was hard to believe they were just rookies fresh out of the training facility.”

“…….”

“As for Yoo Rim, she struggled a bit. It was a rare-grade dungeon, not a normal one, so I think that’s why.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course, she wasn’t completely useless, but her talent felt just about average.”

“Well, since she’s family with Lee Yoo-hyun, we have to take her along. If her talent is average, we can just equip her better or give her more experience to grow.”

“That’s a fair point.”

“So, there’s still one left, right?”

At Gu Yeon-jeong’s question, Lee Jae-hyo remained silent for a while before slowly opening his mouth.

“….In Seo Yoo-ju’s case… she’s beyond standard… That’s the best way to put it. I know this might sound disrespectful, but her talent is clearly superior to even the Clan Master or the leaders of other large clans.”

“Sigh…”

Gu Yeon-jeong was stunned. The fact that Jae-hyo was saying this meant it was absolutely true. This man only speaks the truth, without exaggeration.

“….This batch is really a treasure trove.”

“Clan Master. Recruiting them was truly the best decision. In two years… no, just one year, no other clan will be able to compare to ours.”

Of course, that would be the case. Even putting others aside, Seo Yoo-ju’s presence alone would bring glory to the clan. Given time, she would surpass even the current leaders of large clans.

“And such a person is our clan member, haha…!”

“……”

“Once she grows enough, we should probably give her a leadership position.”

Jae-hyo couldn’t bring himself to oppose. Seo Yoo-ju’s talent was just that overwhelming.

To the point where it made him wonder if the clan could even contain her.

******

After the dungeon expedition, for three weeks, I spent my mornings and afternoons training, and after my mana was drained, I would visit the library. To conduct experiments, I needed to gather as much information as possible.

That’s why I’m now in my personal lab, doing this nonsense.

“Sigh… Why isn’t it working?”

What I’m trying to do is mix necromancy with chimera synthesis.

To be precise, my goal is to create a chimera in a wraith-like, spectral state.

If someone were to summon something in a spectral state, why wouldn’t they use necromancy instead of clinging to chimera synthesis, you might ask…

‘The reason is, damn it, necromancy drains mana like crazy.’

The difference between necromancy and chimera synthesis is that necromancy uses mana to maintain the summon, and if you run out of mana, the summoned entity disappears.

Chimera synthesis, on the other hand, requires massive amounts of materials, time, mana, and ideas to create, but the result is a permanent entity.

Also, with necromancy, while summoning is easy, the summoned entity carries my mana. There’s a risk of being traced.

However, with chimera synthesis, while mana is used in the creation process, the finished product exists as an independent entity. It’s not connected to my mana and only follows my commands.

What I’m trying to create is a wraith-like chimera with all offensive capabilities removed, stripped of malice and evil intent, existing purely to exist.

‘The purpose of creating this chimera is for information gathering.’

For example, if I create a wraith-like chimera and order it to surveil a certain player.

Since it has no malice, evil intent, or offensive capabilities, the wraith-like chimera would have almost no risk of being detected. It would simply follow the target, listening to their conversations and observing their actions.

‘After gathering the information… once the chimera returns, I can review the data.’

In other words, a chimera designed not for combat but for intelligence gathering.

I can confidently say that no one else is thinking like this. This isn’t arrogance.

‘Because… most dark sorcerers are obsessed with experiments, combat, or murder.’

If they were to summon a wraith, they’d use necromancy for combat. Who would use chimera synthesis to create a bottleneck and then use it for intelligence gathering?

Either holed up in a room or stuck in a dungeon…





The dark sorcerers out there are creating death knights and building their own legions, but who would think of creating spirits without any attack power?

By removing attack power, killing intent, and malice, they invest everything in erasing their presence.

The theory was perfect.

…Yeah, the theory was.

‘Damn, the problem is that the existence itself is evil.’

Whether it’s malice or killing intent, the existence itself is evil, and that’s what needs to be solved.

The risk of the chimera being discovered can be completely erased by using the Shadow Cube.

However, since the existence itself is evil, there’s a risk of being detected if the opponent has the ability to sense evil beings.

“The problem is… how do I, a dark sorcerer, create something that isn’t evil?”

I need to create something that isn’t evil, but I’m a dark sorcerer.

“…I guess I should be satisfied with how far I’ve come.”

The experiment is over.

There will be a solution later. Rushing things only leads to failure. Take it slow, slow.

Just as I was finishing the experiment, urgent news flew into the clan.

******

Everyone except for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th parties who were out on an expedition gathered in the meeting room of the Clan House. Our party was no exception.

‘…What’s going on?’

Everyone except our party looked serious. I could hear them talking, but I couldn’t focus on what they were saying.

I looked at Yoo Ju, and she had a look that said, “It’s here.” She seemed very troubled.

‘…Did the expedition fail as we speculated last time?’

Gu Yeon-jeong’s expression was completely stiff. I couldn’t tell exactly what was going on, but it seemed very serious.

“…..Everyone, please be quiet. I’ll explain the situation.”

At Gu Yeon-jeong’s words, the noisy atmosphere quieted down.

“….Everyone knows that the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th parties went on a large-scale expedition with another clan.”

“……”

“It’s been three weeks since they left, and there’s been no news. Just like when the Golden Wing Clan went on an expedition alone.”

At Gu Yeon-jeong’s words, everyone stirred.

‘…I heard that the average time for an expedition is two to three weeks.’

There are cases where expeditions take over a month, but the problem is that the dungeon targeted by this expedition has a history where the Golden Wing Clan went on an expedition and no one came back.

‘…Are they all dead? With that much power?’

“I believe… there’s a high possibility that the clan members are still alive.”

It’s been over three weeks since the expedition left. Since it hasn’t been over a month, there’s a possibility they’re still alive, as she said…

‘But to think that, no one has come out of the dungeon so far.’

No one who went on the expedition to the dungeon has come out. For over four months.

‘…How is this possible? Did they all fail?’

How can it be that not a single person has come out of the dungeon?

The others seemed to anticipate what Gu Yeon-jeong would say next, closing their eyes tightly.

“….After discussing with the officials of the other three major clans, we’ve decided to go on another expedition for the rescue. This time, we’ll mobilize all members of the three major clans without exception.”

‘Even with the full power of the three major clans, the expedition could fail…?’

Judging from Yoo Ju’s reaction last time, it seemed unlikely, but it looks like even with the full power of the three major clans, the expedition could fail.

The others seemed relieved to hear that all members of the three major clans would be mobilized. They thought that with that many people, the expedition couldn’t possibly fail.

“However, all members of the 6th party will stay in the clan with the new recruits.”

“…Huh?”

Lee Jae-hyo seemed to not understand the decision to leave him in the clan.

Our party members have been on this continent for less than a year, so it’s forbidden for us to go on large-scale expeditions, but it seemed strange to him that he, an important force, was being left out.

“While we’re away, it would be too much for the new recruits to manage the clan. Jae-hyo, you’ll act as the temporary Clan Master and manage the clan during this time.”

“But… in a situation where the clan’s safety is at stake, I can’t be the only one left out…”

“Don’t worry. With this many people mobilized, how could the expedition fail? Don’t worry and stay in the clan.”

“…Understood, Clan Master.”

Lee Jae-hyo seemed reluctant but decided to trust and accept the Clan Master’s order.

“Anyway, everyone except the new recruits and the 6th party will participate in this expedition. The Hwashin Clan and the Golden Wing Clan have also decided to mobilize all their forces. I understand the anxiety, but I hope everyone doesn’t worry too much.”

A man raised his hand and asked a question.

“Clan Master, when will the expedition depart?”

“We’ve decided to depart in two days. Time is of the essence, as even a day’s delay could mean the death of any survivors.”

‘Indeed… to depart quickly and save as many people as possible.’

Gu Yeon-jeong’s decision is understandable.

‘…But it’s a path to hell.’

Unfortunately, neither I nor Yoo Ju have any way to save them.

No matter how much the new recruits oppose the expedition, they will go to rescue their fellow clan members.

Unless Yoo Ju reveals herself as a Returner, there’s no way to explain why they shouldn’t go.

Gu Yeon-jeong concluded firmly.

“Anyway, we’ll depart on the expedition in two days. Please be ready by then.”