Chapter 49

“Ugh… damn it.”

So, thanks to Yoo Ju’s one remark, we’re all gathered in the reception room right now.

Normally, newbies like us wouldn’t be in the reception room, but since most of the members are out on an expedition, here we are.

Lee Jae-hyo spoke to the woman.

“Um… your name is Charis, right?”

“Ah… yes, *sip*.”

Charis or whatever her name is, sipping on the tea meant for guests, sitting there.

“The place you’re requesting from… is it the Silverstein Count’s family?”

“Yes, that’s correct. To be precise, it’s Lady Tierra from the Silverstein Count’s family who made the request.”

I was curious about what the Silverstein Count’s family was, so I quietly asked Yoo Ju.

“…Yoo Ju, do you know what kind of family the Silverstein Count’s family is?”

“Ah… the Silverstein Count’s family is led by Lord Maximilian, the Frontier Count of the Neutral Country.”

‘Frontier Count, huh…’

“By the way, Yoon Seong, why are you sweating so much? Are you… feeling unwell…?”

‘Crazy woman…! It’s because of you…!’

She’s the reason this mess happened, and now she’s acting all concerned, not even realizing it. It’s making my stomach churn.

“…No, I’m fine.”

‘You… damn it, our dinner plans are canceled. Damn it…’

I watched the situation with a nervous heart.

“Um… it’s a bit awkward to say this, but may I ask why the Silverstein Count’s family is requesting us? You probably know, but most of our clan members are out on an expedition…”

“Ah… the lady is aware of that. But she heard that the new party that joined Eternity is still in the clan.”

“Indeed, the 9th and 6th parties are still in the clan, but if it’s a difficult request, it might be better to go to another clan. We’re a bit short on manpower.”

“Uh… well…”

Everyone was puzzled by the woman’s hesitation.

“…Is there a specific reason you want to entrust this request to our clan?”

“Hmm, hmm… it’s a bit awkward to say… but the lady… she wants to meet… him.”

She pointed at me, and I was utterly baffled. Why would a lady from a Count’s family want to meet me?

‘What the…’

Yoo Ju looked incredulous. Sparks flew from her eyes as she asked the woman.

“…Why does the Count’s lady specifically want to meet Yoon Seong?”

“Well… there are photos of you all in the promotional journal… and after seeing the photos…”

‘…What kind of nonsense is this? So… she just saw my photo in the promotional journal and wants to meet me? What the…’

Seeing our bewildered reactions, the woman quickly continued.

“Ah, no, the lady wanted to meet the party anyway while making the request…!”

‘What the hell is she saying…’

Her frantic behavior and tone gave me chills. If that was acting, she deserved an award for best actress.

“So… can you tell us what the request is about?”

“Ah… there have been reports of undead appearing in a forest near the territory. We’d like you to investigate the cause and eliminate them.”

“…Do you know what kind of undead they are?”

“They’re low-level undead like ghouls. So the lady thought that Eternity’s new party could handle it…”

“I see. But one thing I’m curious about, why not have the territory’s soldiers handle it?”

“Ah… I don’t know much about that… only that they’re busy because of the Eastern Alliance.”

‘Eastern Alliance?’

I’ve heard of the Eastern Alliance, but I don’t know much about it. I should ask Yoo Ju later.

“Hmm…”

Lee Jae-hyo seemed to be pondering. Since the request didn’t seem too difficult, it might be a good experience for our party.

‘Damn it… please refuse.’

I have no desire to take on this request, especially since it involves that crazy woman. Of course, it might just be a normal request, but the possibility of danger is enough to make me hesitant.

‘And there’s no guarantee that the undead weren’t summoned by her.’

Moreover, it’s suspicious that such a woman is a maid in the Frontier Count’s family of the Neutral Country.

‘I need to complete the experiment quickly. I need to finish it as soon as possible.’

I couldn’t stay idle with this anxiety. I needed to keep an eye on that woman as soon as possible. She’s like a ticking time bomb. I don’t know why such a monster is a maid in the Frontier Count’s family, but it can’t be for good reasons.

“Can you tell us what the compensation will be?”

“The lady said she won’t be stingy with the compensation. Oh! Right! Wait a moment…”

She rummaged through her belongings and handed a document to Lee Jae-hyo.

“The compensation… will be as stated in the document, and… she said she’ll give extra compensation to him.”

‘Why me?’

This was beyond ridiculous. Why does she want to meet me, and why am I getting extra compensation?

“Um… sounds good. We’ll accept the request.”

Lee Jae-hyo, seemingly pleased with the compensation, accepted the request.

‘….. Damn it.’

“Hehe… then you can come to the territory in a week!”

******

After that crazy woman left, I privately suggested to Lee Jae-hyo that we reconsider accepting the request, but it was rejected.

Instead, he gave me a puzzled look for not wanting to take on the request.

‘Damn it… I can’t tell the truth. Damn it all!’

There’s no stopping the request now. I need to complete the experiment as quickly as possible. Fortunately, Yoo Ju handed me the materials I needed after three days.

“Yoon Seong, here are the materials you requested. I’m not sure if they’ll be helpful, but…”

“Thank you, Yoo Ju. Can I take a look at the materials for a moment?”





“Of course. Take your time looking around.”

I started examining the materials using the Artifact.

[ Fairy Dust (Hero Grade) – Dust occasionally left behind by fairies. Rarely found and can be used as a material or catalyst. ]

[ Unicorn Horn (Legend Grade) – One of the few remaining unicorn horns on the continent. Contains divine power and has the effect of purifying or neutralizing evil. Can also be used as a material or catalyst. ]

‘What the… insane.’

I expected Hero Grade materials. There was no way Yoo Ju would bring me low-quality stuff.

But Legend Grade materials? That’s a whole different story.

I even asked Yoo Ju to gather them as quickly as possible, given the limited time. I never thought she’d actually bring Legend Grade materials.

She must have worked her butt off, running around like crazy for three days.

‘Damn! Thanks, Yoo Ju! I’ll treat you to meals as many times as you want!’

The frustration I felt towards Yoo Ju for the request melted away like snow.

“….. Thank you so much, Yoo Ju. I don’t even know how to express my gratitude…”

“No need. Just don’t forget about the meal promise, okay?”

“Of course. It’s not just about meals. If there’s anything else you want, just let me know. I’ll do whatever I can.”

“Huh? You can’t take back what you just said! You said anything, right?!”

I slightly regretted my words, but since I felt guilty about just repaying her with meals, I nodded.

“Alright. I have some experiments to do, so I’ll excuse myself for now. Thank you so much, Yoo Ju.”

“Sure. Don’t worry about me and go ahead.”

“Yes, then…”

I immediately headed to the lab and started the experiment. I had been steadily gathering mana into the Artifact, and I also had materials from the last expedition.

The materials Yoo Ju brought were top-tier. Failing the experiment with these was practically impossible.

I had to complete it before the request departure.

******

“Bro, why is it so hard to see your face lately? Are you okay?”

Hyeon-jin spoke up while we were having a meal together.

“Ah… I’m fine. Just a bit tired from some experiments.”

“Hey, are you sure? You look like you’re about to drop dead. You haven’t been sleeping properly, have you?”

I flinched at Kang I-seo’s question about not sleeping. I really hadn’t been getting proper sleep for the past few days due to focusing on experiments.

“Yoon Seong… It’s good that you’re working hard, but take care of your body. You look really tired.”

“It’s just fatigue, so don’t worry. By the way… Hyeon-jin, how’s your training going?”

“Ah, of course, bro. I’ve been learning a lot from Yoo Ju noona during sparring. Even though I use a sword and she uses a spear… there’s still a lot to learn.”

Looking at Hyeon-jin’s status window, I could see his stats had improved quite a bit.

“That’s good. Hey, Kang I-seo, how about you? How’s it going?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I’m doing my thing. Sometimes I ask other clan members who use bows if I get stuck…”

“Got it.”

It made sense that training as an archer would be harder than close combat.

“Ha-eun, how about you?”

I realized I hadn’t paid much attention to Song Ha-eun lately, so I asked.

“Ah… Yes. I recently made a contract with a fire spirit.”

“Wow, so you’re handling two elements now?”

“Yes, oppa.”

Wind and fire elements… That’s a solid combo.

“Hey, why don’t you come down to the first floor and have meals with us?”

I guess Kang I-seo said that because I’d been eating in my private room for the past few days, focusing on experiments.

‘Well, I should at least see their faces during meals. We’ve all been busy training.’

“…. I’ll come down for meals now. The experiment is almost done.”

“Really? Well, good. By the way, our request departure is in three days, right?”

“… Yeah.”

Just thinking about the request gives me a headache. I plan to finish the experiment today, and once we arrive at the territory, I’ll immediately assign surveillance to that woman.

“Bro. What exactly is the request about? I heard from Yoo Ju noona that the client specifically requested our party…”

“… I don’t know the exact details, but apparently, undead have been appearing in a forest near the territory. They want us to investigate the phenomenon and resolve it.”

“Undead?”

“Yeah. I heard they’re low-level undead, so the request difficulty shouldn’t be too high… but I can’t be sure.”

I really hope it’s a standard request. For safety, it would be best if Lee Jae-hyo joined us again, but since this is our second expedition, it seems unlikely.

‘Damn, are they expecting us to handle it on our own from the second time…?’

Someone might say it’s fine since Yoo Ju is with us, but that crazy woman’s stats are top-tier.

I can’t just rely on Yoo Ju. If that woman decides to harm us, there’s no way to stop her.

‘Given that Yoo Ju didn’t react much to that woman’s face, there’s a good chance nothing will happen…’

But I can’t just relax. There’s a huge difference between preparing for the worst and not preparing at all.