Skeleton Master Chapter 028

Dozens of users were all wearing identical cloaks.

All of their gazes were focused on a single person, Moo-hyeok.

What, what's going on?

A moment of silence passed.

"......"

Not only Moo-hyeok, but the group looking at him were equally taken aback.

Guardian Guild.

It was a massive organization that ranked among the top 30 guilds on the Forma Continent and was even in the top 10 guilds in South Korea.

Even the notorious High Guild barely managed to scrape into the top 30 in South Korea, so you can imagine how impressive this was.

Anyway, after the dungeon's existence was revealed, the Guardian Guild also conducted an extensive search.

Thanks to that, they discovered a dungeon at this pavilion yesterday evening, but someone had already entered, so they couldn't go in.

So they had stationed guild members around the area, and now today, that someone had appeared from the dungeon, naturally causing them to be flustered.

"Uh, excuse me."

At that moment, a man stepped forward.

The situation was peculiar.

What's going on?

No, more importantly, what should I do?

My head is spinning.

It was because of the confusion.

Suddenly, the faces of the surrounding users caught my eye.

The moment I sensed their expressions and superior gazes, my emotions turned cold.

Perhaps it was because it overlapped with the gazes of people around me during the time I was completely paralyzed.

At the same time, the confusion disappeared.

That's right, I haven't done anything wrong.

Wrong? Of course not.

I just used the dungeon, that's all.

The dungeon is just content in Illusion.

It doesn't belong to the Guardian Guild either.

There was even less reason to cower.

"I'm Kyle from the Guardian Guild."

"Yes."

So I answered lightly.

Kyle seemed to take that as nervousness and continued with a gentle smile.

"Did you use the dungeon here?"

"That's right."

"Could you perhaps explain the situation to us?"

"What situation are you referring to?"

"How you discovered this place, the circumstances, the types of monsters inside the dungeon. And perhaps methods to clear it or any special features."

Moo-hyeok stared intently at Kyle.

"Why are you asking?"

"Why should I tell you that?"

"Pardon?"

"I asked why I should tell you that."

"Ah, we are the Guardian Guild..."

"It seems you didn't understand the question. Does this dungeon belong to the Guardian Guild?"

"Well, no, but we plan to manage it from now on."

"From now on? By what right do you plan to manage it?"

"Well, because we discovered it first..."

"By that logic, I should be the one managing it."

"......"

"Isn't that right?"

"Haha, well..."

Kyle laughed awkwardly.

But his expression was clearly stiff.

At that moment, a woman stepped forward.

"Excuse me. Don't you know about the Guardian Guild?"

"I do."

"There's nothing to gain by antagonizing us, you know?"

"Did I antagonize you?"

The woman smirked.

"If we see it that way, then that's how it is."

"That's strange. This dungeon doesn't even belong to the Guardian Guild. I simply discovered it first, used it, and came out. You're the ones suddenly demanding information when I exited the dungeon."

"Sigh, you're being difficult. I'm telling you, if we see it that way, then that's how it is. Do you want to be marked for assassination?"

"Marked for assassination, huh."

"Do you understand the situation now?"

It was certainly an uncomfortable situation.

But they didn't know.

That Moo-hyeok had been recording video since entering the dungeon.

Of course, he was still recording now.

What would happen if this video was released?

Perhaps some might dismiss it as someone else's problem, or maybe there would be an outpouring of sympathy for Moo-hyeok in a similar situation, leading to severe criticism of the Guardian Guild.

The leader of such a large guild would find it difficult to simply ignore such criticism.

"I suppose you must be the guild leader."

"No, I'm not. Why?"

"Everything that's happened and been said so far is being recorded."

"What...?"

"I'm saying that all your coercive words and actions since I came out of the dungeon are being recorded in full. If I release this video, it will provoke a significant backlash from many users. That backlash will surely bring losses and disadvantages to the Guardian Guild. Is that what the Guardian Guild leader wants?"

"T-that's..."

"Fine. Go ahead and mark me for assassination. Let's see who suffers the greater loss."

Moo-hyeok took a step forward.

Bumping the shoulder of the woman blocking his way.

But there were too many Guardian Guild members. It was natural, given that they filled the pavilion.

Since they weren't making way, it was awkward to leave.

"Are you going to keep blocking me?"

Only then did the woman come to her senses.

"W-wait a moment!"

Moo-hyeok didn't answer.

Logout.

Instead, he exited Illusion.

In the spot where Moo-hyeok had disappeared, the woman reached out into the air with a crestfallen expression.

"Oh, wh-what should we do..."

"Sigh, I told you to be careful."

Kyle approached.

"Who knew he was recording!"

"Phew, if that video spreads, the impact could be quite severe..."

There was nothing they could do.

Come on, surely not...

They could only wait vaguely with such hopes.

The video?

Of course, I had no intention of uploading it.

If I don't upload it, negotiation is possible, but if I do upload it, I'll definitely become a target for assassination.

I couldn't afford to make enemies with such a large organization yet.

Although I didn't like it...

With insufficient power, I had no choice but to endure.

About 2 hours passed.

Moo-hyeok logged back into the game.

Kyle and the woman were visible.

"Y-you've come back!"

The woman approached first.

Her urgent expression was plainly visible.

"I'm sorry about earlier..."

"Hmm."

It seems the recording had its effect.

For that woman to apologize first.

Still, it was equally unpleasant. Besides, this time was also precious.

Not wanting to get involved any further, Moo-hyeok nodded.

"I understand, so please step aside."

"Ah, um..."

"What is it now?"

"The guild leader will be here soon."

"Pardon?"

"It's, it's not anything bad. If you provide information about the dungeon, we'll give you a suitable reward."

"A reward, you say."

"We can offer gold, or items."

They were saying I could get gold or items just for explaining about the enhanced zombies and maze-like structure that appear in the dungeon.

Given that the reward was large compared to the effort, there was naturally no reason to refuse.

"Alright."

"Thank you! Oh, I didn't introduce myself, did I? I'm Nile."

"Ah, yes."

What's with the name when I'm not even interested.

Kyle and Nile.

As the awkward atmosphere continued with the two of them.

"Ah, looks like they've arrived."

Three users approached from a distance.

The user in the center.

At a glance, it was clear they were a high-level player with good items.

Kim Bada.

A user I knew about.

He's the type who dislikes troublesome matters and has a commanding presence with leadership skills.

In his prime, he even raised the Guardian Guild to the top 3 on the Forma continent.

Even during their decline, they consistently remained among the top 20 guilds in Korea, so his abilities were certainly proven.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kim Bada, leader of the Guardian Guild."

"I'm Moo-hyeok."

"You cleared the dungeon, I hear?"

"Yes."

"Did you enter alone?"

I nodded.

"That's impressive."

Kim Bada got straight to the point.

"You've probably already heard. If you tell us about the situation inside the dungeon, we'll provide ample compensation."

"I'd like to know the level of compensation first."

"Kyle."

"Yes."

"Bring it."

Kyle took out several items and a pouch.

Then he showed them to Moo-hyeok.

A greatsword, shoes, armor top, hat, and ring were visible.

I checked the greatsword first.

[Chilling Greatsword]

Attack Power 67

Strength +2

Health +2

Durability 120/120

Usage Requirement: Strength 20, Health 15

My eyes widened a bit.

Hooh...

Two options plus high damage made it superior.

The usage requirements were on the low side too.

It's quite good.

This would be worth at least 250 gold.

[Steel Boots]

Defense 13

Health +2

Movement Speed +2%

Durability 110/110

Usage Requirement: Health 20, Agility 10

The steel boots were also incredible.

The rest of the items were of a similar caliber.

How much gold?

300 gold.

It's certainly not excessive.

If you know how to clear the dungeon, everyone who enters will get one reward the moment it's cleared.

Thinking about that, this amount is nothing.

Kim Bada also knows this fact, which is why he's being so generous.

But they made a mistake.

They probably don't know that the dungeon disappears when 100 users clear a normal dungeon, and above all, they couldn't have imagined that among the items they handed over, 'that one' would be included.

"Are you satisfied?"

"Yes, quite."

"You can choose any one item."

There was no need to hesitate.

Moo-hyeok chose the ring in the corner.

"I'll take this one."

"That's unusual. Choosing a sealed item. Well, that's fine."

Moo-hyeok put the ring in his inventory and immediately explained about the dungeon.

The Guardian Guild leader nodded with a satisfied smile after hearing the story.

"Can I go now?"

"Of course."

Just as Moo-hyeok was about to leave.

The female user, Nile, called out.

"Hey!"

"What is it?"

"You have to delete the video!"

"Why should I?"

"What...?"

"What if an execution order falls on me the moment I delete it? I won't be the first to tell, so don't worry. Well then."

The guild leader Kim Bada watching didn't say anything either. Only then did the users make way.

As he left the pavilion and was far enough away from them.

"Kuk..."

Moo-hyeok couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

It's just a level 30 normal dungeon, so even the best reward would be combat gloves like Moo-hyeok got or something of a similar level.

In contrast, how about the ring Moo-hyeok obtained?

[Groyan's Ring (Sealed)]

Wisdom +1

Durability 50/50

Although it's in a sealed state, the durability and option values are very poor.

Anyone who sees it wouldn't think it's valuable at all.

That's probably why they included it in the rewards.

Anyway, this ring belongs to Groyan.

It was famous for having excellent options attached to each part as a set item.

Among them, he's just acquired the ring that was considered quite good.

He also knows how to break the seal. The moment the seal is broken, not only will that pathetic Wisdom +1 stat change dramatically, but the hidden options will also be revealed.

Shall we break the seal first?

The plan has changed a bit.

In a very good direction, that is.

Wyvern Empire's Library.

He went to find the librarian.

"It's been a while."

"Yes, thanks to you, I've made a good connection."

"I'm glad."

He doesn't know the librarian's true identity.

But he knows that he's connected to many people.

He was even acquainted with the gangster necromancer's lord.

How many other amazing people did he know?

He can't even imagine, but he definitely knows a few.

One of them.

Groyan.

"Actually, I came because I have a favor to ask."

"A favor, you say."

"Well, I recently obtained an item, and I heard that you have a good eye for these things."

"Hmm, who said such a thing..."

"Ah, Master Balshian mentioned it..."

Of course, it's something he's never heard.

But the librarian nodded.

"I see. Well, shall we take a look?"

"Thank you."

"No need for thanks. It's just looking, after all."

Moo-hyeok handed over the ring.

The librarian started examining it leisurely. But his expression gradually changed.

His calm eyes were tinged with confusion, then surprise.

"This is..."

"What do you think?"

"Hmm, you've obtained a very good item."

"What do you mean...?"

"Luckily, it's an item I'm familiar with. This is a magic item created by a friend named Groyan. It's currently in a sealed state, so its magical purity is low."

"Sealed?"

"Yes, that friend sealed the remaining items just before his death. It was to prevent unqualified individuals from possessing such excellent items. And you've brought it here."

"Ah, I didn't know it was such an amazing thing..."

"No, the fact that you obtained it is proof of your connection. You are more than qualified to take Groyan's test."

At that moment, a quest popped up.

[Groyan's Test]

[Bearer of Groyan's item, take the test to break the seal.]

[Success: Unsealing of the ring. Hint about 'Groyan's Relic']

[Failure: Unable to unseal the ring. Unable to obtain hint about 'Groyan's Relic'. No retries.]

[Do you accept?]

The librarian continued.

"Will you take the test?"

"Of course."

Knowing what the test would be like, the answer came out smoothly.