Chapter 102: Chapter 102

“Illeya. Would you like to move with me?”

“Huh?”

Illeya stared at Choi Yeonseung in surprise.

[The ‘Manipulator of Dreams and Desires’ laments! She says even those who aren’t suspicious will become suspicious due to your approach!]

[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ says to trick her as skillfully as you tricked the goddess!]

The two constellations were certainly correct. Even those who weren’t suspicious would be when hearing this. If she had really signed a contract with an evil god constellation, he should approach her with much more caution.

‘... I get it, so stop bringing the goddess into this.’

Illeya nodded with a bright expression. Among the hunters who only cared about themselves, Choi Yeonseung was the only one who tried to take care of others. As a newcomer, she welcomed working together.

“That would be great.”

“Really?”

Illeya surprisingly didn’t suspect anything. Choi Yeonseung was relieved.

-Look. She didn’t doubt it.

[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ says the seeds of doubt could already have been planted...]

Slightly excited, Illeya spoke quickly in a familiar language. “Speaking of which, I watched a Korean drama yesterday...”

“Ah. Look at the clouds.”

He didn’t hate Illeya, but she was honestly a bit annoying. She spoke too much. Choi Yeonseung wasn’t even interested in the topic!

“It was about a Korean royal princess and a hunter falling in love. Hunter Choi Yeonseung, have you ever seen a Korean princess?”

“South Korea... Doesn’t have a royal family...”

“Really?!”

***

“The Icarus clan!”

The atmosphere changed the moment the famous clan appeared. Hunters contemplating whether or not to enter, hunters preparing to enter, reporters and people who came to cover it... Countless people looked over upon recognizing the Icarus clan. The hunters of the Icarus clan walked slowly and enjoyed the eyes.

‘Are these guys walking in slow motion on purpose?’

Choi Yeonseung thought to himself. No matter how he thought about it, they were walking too slowly.

“Gutierrez. Is there any reason to walk so slowly?”

“...T-This type of service is also important to hunters,” Elisabeth stuttered, seemingly embarrassed when this was pointed out. Slow-motion walking before entering a dungeon was an unwritten rule!

Meanwhile, the clan’s employees made all the preparations. Dungeon supplies that could be used during their stay inside, drones related to various measurements, navigation items... Most importantly, the hunters’ equipment!

“Can’t I just buy the Shining Traveler’s Longsword? I’m willing to pay for it anyway. It’s a bit strange that I have to ask for it every time I do a raid.”

“Speak directly to the chairman.”

“... I’ll just ask for it every time.”

“The Death Corps’ Shield... I haven’t seen it in a while. Kuhahat.”

The hunters were happily taking out the artifacts provided by the Icarus clan. Rare artifacts could sometimes be more expensive than the hunters themselves. The variety of powerful artifacts they had was where the power of the clan came from!

In that regard, the Icarus clan was overwhelming. It wasn’t just a clan. It had a large group behind it that made that possible! They could buy artifacts, collect them during dungeon raids, and even create them through research and development...

Hence, they could use all the artifacts they wanted.

“You really don’t need any other equipment?”

“This sword alone is enough.”

The employee was taken aback. He heard from the top to ‘let Hunter Choi Yeonseung do what he wants,’ but wasn’t this too much? Considering he didn’t even wear armor, shouldn’t he at least have a defensive enchanted necklace or bracelet? However, Choi Yeonseung was saying that his sword was enough.

‘I don’t have anything to use anyway. It would be better to give really good items to someone else.’

Choi Yeonseung was already satisfied with the Sword of Goujian. Hwang Gyeongryong ripped off China... No, he received the A-grade artifact from China. It recovered magic power when killing enemies, making it the perfect weapon for someone whose martial arts stage was limited like Choi Yeonseung. Lowering his martial arts stage didn’t take away his experience or proficiency, but it did result into a lack of internal energy. He required a way to recover his internal energy.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

‘They’ve definitely collected a lot of expensive items, though.’

Choi Yeonseung wasn’t an expert, but even he could see that there were plenty of flashy effects. They couldn’t have collected all of these in just a year or two. The clan had accumulated this power over a long period of time!

“Do you require anything else? We can prepare anything you need. Just let us know.”

“Uh...” Choi Yeonseung couldn’t help blurting out.

The employee’s dedicated attitude reminded him of what Ernest had said before preparations.

***

-I’m thinking of making you the next clan leader.

-Me? Did Hyung tell you anything?

-No. I’ve made that assessment based purely on your skill.

-Ah. Sorry. I doubted you. Gyeongryong hyung is a bit...

-I definitely know how you feel.

The two quickly came to a consensus. They didn’t talk much, but they had something in common. They were both first-generation hunters and were under Hwang Gyeongryong before! Cursing Hwang Gyeongryong, they quickly became friends.

-Regardless of how skilled I am, are you sure you should appoint someone who had just entered as the leader?

-It doesn’t matter. Icarus isn’t as old-fashioned as you think. New hunters come in and out all the time. There is only one rule in a clan like this:?skill.

In this era, it wasn’t the friendly hunters that gathered together to make a clan. It was the talented and ambitious hunters sponsored by large corporations! There was no such thing as friendship in a clan like this. There was only greed and competition.

-Uh.

-I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t like this method. Can I do it my way?

-We know, which is why we welcome your way. I am an old hunter as well. I like it this way.

-!

Ernest was also an old hunter. As a manager, he couldn't force the young hunters to unite, so he just trained them...

It would be greatly welcomed if Choi Yeonseung could lead them directly.

-As expected, the old ways...

-Um. Hunters these days...

The two old—the seasoned hunters talked fondly with each other.

-I normally wouldn’t say this, but I have to because...

-You want me to become more active?

-That’s right.

He didn’t want to burden Choi Yeonseung or force him to play the role, but it would be a huge loss if Choi Yeonseung didn’t do anything. Ernest thought he should give Choi Yeonseung some awareness. This way, he could be more proactive! If Hwang Gyeongryong had heard this, he would say, ‘No! You mad man! Just leave him alone!’ But...

-You can do whatever you like in this dungeon. I’ll leave you with all the authority, from the selection of personnel to the equipment to bring.

-Hmm. I’ll give it a try. By the way, Icarus doesn’t seem to have many hunters who signed a contract with a constellation...

-That’s because of the chairman’s decision. He deemed that a bit risky.

Hunters who had a contract with a constellation had to prioritize the constellations’ orders. These things were unsettling, so Hwang Gyeongryong didn’t easily let hunters who signed with constellations inside.

-Still, there are a few talents that we can’t miss. Hence, we still scouted them.

-I was going to ask about that. Are there no suspicious hunters among those who have signed a contract?

-All possible examinations would’ve been done. Why? Did you find anyone that is?

-Not really. I was just checking.

The Icarus clan likely examined everything as much as they could to avoid messing things up. There shouldn’t be anyone who had made a contract with an evil god constellation among their ranks.

‘Well, there are strange ones among the?constellations...’

Not all?constellations were evil. Some of them were neutral and had little interest in the battle between good and evil. Like the Cat of Lava and Magma...

[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ says it is a good and righteous constellation.]

‘Sure, sure.’

Afterward, Choi Yeonseung spoke to Ernest. When he mentioned the Icarus clan’s training method was a bit weak, Ernest nodded with a moved expression.

-I also thought so. I will try to increase the intensity.

***

… Despite his authority, Choi Yeonseung had nothing much to say. Moreover, his raid method was far from cutting-edge.

Analog, not digital! He became a hunter before the era of drones and smartphones. Afterward, he killed monsters alone in the Abyss.

‘I don’t really need anything.’

Honestly, Choi Yeonseung thought he could clear it even if he went in alone. It would be a bit hard if all the monsters attacked at once, but if he hit them one by one as he did in the Abyss, he could clear it by himself.

“This should be enough.”

“A-are you sure? If you really require anything, feel free to tell me.”

The employee couldn’t understand. Why did this person want to take so little?

***

[Would you like to enter the ‘Sanctuary of Defeat and Sloth’ dungeon?]

[Rewards: ?, ? ?]

[Admission limit: 261 people.]

[Time remaining: 2 months, 27 days...]

The surroundings started to stir when the Icarus clan entered. They went in after all!

“Ah... Won’t the dungeon be taken away now that they’ve gone in?”

“Icarus isn’t the only clan here, is it? Even if they join, we can clear it ahead of them!”

“Other clans have entered and will keep each other in check. We still have a chance.”

From the perspective of those aiming to clear the dungeon, a famous clan like the Icarus clan was a fierce competitor. Even the clans who hadn’t entered yet had complicated expressions.

“If we go in late, it will be taken away. We’ll go in in an hour! Have the preparations complete by then!”

“I understand.”

In the meantime, the Icarus clan, led by Choi Yeonseung, entered the dungeon.

[The ‘Sanctuary of Defeat and Sloth’ will test its challengers.]

[Powerful wind of chaos will blow to separate the challengers!]

“!”

Choi Yeonseung was shocked. A dungeon with a special effect upon entry! Moreover, it was close to the worst effect. This dungeon forcibly scattered the hunters who should be fighting together.

‘This is a huge problem!’

It wasn’t just because they would be fighting alone. They also had to consider the distribution of supplies, such as food and equipment. Hunters who had entered a dungeon would normally have to defeat the monsters inside. However, that also meant they could be destroyed by those monsters!

“Uh... Uh...”

“?”

Choi Yeonseung was checking the surroundings when a groan entered his ears.

“Water... Please give me water...”

Near him was a hunter who had entered the dungeon ahead of them. He looked as if he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything in a while.

“Drink slowly. If you rush it, you could choke.”

“Cough, cough!”

The hunter hurriedly drank the water that Choi Yeonseung offered.

Gulp, gulp.

“What clan are you from?”

“New York... New York Fires.”

“Ah. New York Fires.”

Choi Yeonseung nodded, but soon regretted asking.

‘I wouldn’t know them anyway. I shouldn’t have asked.’

Having answered his question, the hunter seemingly expected Choi Yeonseung to know about them.

“My clan... Have you seen my clanmates?”

“Um. I’m sorry, but this is the first time I’ve heard of the New York Fires.”

“... D-Don’t joke around.”