Yan made a rather peculiar expression in response to the question and then said,
“We’re brothers.”
“Oh, I wondered if that might be the case since you have the same last name.”
Doah then gave a customary greeting.
“You two really look alike.”
Yan chuckled softly.
“We’re not related by blood, though.”
“Oh,”
Doah looked at him, startled, and Yan smiled brightly.
“Because we’re not blood-related, I enjoy hearing that even more.”
“Oh, well, that’s a relief…”
Doah scratched her cheek awkwardly. Yan, observing her every expression, asked,
“Do you know Khunak personally?”
“Yes, we met recently and came to Gran together.”
“To Gran, with Khunak?”
Yan asked again, and Doah nodded.
“Yes.”
“When was this?”
“Today.”
“Oh.”
He hastily tried to get up but groaned in pain. Doah quickly said,
“You should be careful. I applied some hemostatic powder, but the wound isn’t fully healed yet.”
Doah patted her chest confidently.
“I’ll help you move!”
“What? No, wait a second—”
Before Yan could protest, Doah had already lifted him up in her arms.
“I did it!”
Doah let out a triumphant breath.
“Carrying a grown man over 180 cm like a princess!”
Yan looked at her with a resigned expression, while the much younger-looking Azure Nazac had a very pleased look on his face.
Yan couldn’t understand what was making her so happy, but decided not to spoil her moment of victory.
“Oh, by the way, your clothes are wet. I’m sorry about that,” Doah said.
“My clothes are soaked in blood, so let’s call it even.”
“Shall we?”
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
Doah looked down at him and smiled.
Green eyes that sparkled from every angle.
‘This is the first time I’m seeing the real Azure Nazac.’
Not just simple green eyes, but a green hue that contained all the colors of lush greenery.
It was as if all four seasons were present in them, with day and night coexisting.
“You said you came with Khunak,”
Yan asked as Doah started walking.
“Yes, I was lost in the forest, and Khunak found me.”
Doah almost mentioned how his life had been in danger but decided against it.
If Khunak wanted to talk about it, he would.
Telling Yan now would only make him worry. It would be better for him to hear the story while seeing Khunak safe and sound.
“How did you end up traveling together? You… well…”
Yan’s curious eyes glanced down at her before looking straight ahead again.
“You’re Azure Nazac, right?”
“What does that have to do with traveling with Khunak?”
Doah’s voice was light. When she said ‘Khunak,’ it sounded as if she were calling out to a neighbor.
There was no hint of hatred, uneasiness, fear, or any hidden feelings of jealousy, envy, or longing. It was a pure voice.
“Hmm,”
Yan responded simply,
“Nothing at all.”
“But…”
She asked cautiously,
“Are you the Guild Master of the Adventurer’s Guild?”
Yan blinked in surprise.
Doah, seeing his expression, looked a bit awkward.
“I haven’t been here long since I came from the Southern Continent, so I don’t know much.”
“You came from the Southern Continent?”
His voice grew louder.
“Yes.”
“My goodness. A rare guest indeed. How on earth did you make it here? The seas must be filled with monsters.”
“I was lucky,”
Doah answered, trying to appear as humble as possible. It was true, after all; she had been fortunate.
“In fact, I came looking for you because I needed to ask the Guild Master something.”
“…What is it?”
“Do you know something called the ‘Shining Spring’?”
“If it’s the Shining Spring that I’m thinking of, then yes, I know it.”
“Really?!”
Doah looked at him in surprise, but Yan was focused on something else.
“Where are you heading?”
“The way I came.”
“You’re soaking wet, and judging by the smell, it seems you passed through the sewers under the sea.”
“That’s right…”
“I took a different path to get here, so let’s go that way instead.”
“Oh, okay. Please lead the way.”
Yan said, “It’s the path to the right,” and then continued,
“Why are you looking for the Radiant Spring?”
“I have something I need to do. But what exactly is the Shining Spring?”
“It’s an S-rank dungeon that has been unconquered for 1200 years.”
“!!”
Doah was startled by his unexpected words. Yan observed her reaction and continued,
“1200 years ago, there was no Adventurer’s Guild, so people like that were called ‘Breakers’.”
He smiled faintly.
“It was the first S-rank dungeon to appear on the continent at that time. It overflowed, making it impossible for anyone to approach.”
He sighed.
“The older a dungeon gets, the more it accumulates power in its core and grows stronger. Contamination constantly leaks from the cracks.”
As if to confirm her understanding, he paused and looked at Doah, who nodded.
Yan then gave the next direction and continued,
“1200 years ago, the Shining Spring was already an S-rank dungeon over 200 years old. They say that a third of the Rencia continent became a monster-infested wasteland because of it.”
“So, is it safe now? No, it’s still unconquered, right?”
Yan nodded at Doah’s question.
“A Breaker from the Southern Continent sealed the Shining Spring.”
“A seal?”
Doah asked, surprised by the unexpected answer. A seal? On a dungeon?
“Yes, it was Ms. Park Yiseul. She formed a party and sealed the dungeon after crossing a plain filled with monsters.”
Park Yiseul! She’s Korean!
Doah started to get a grasp of the situation.
‘So, the quest must have been to seal an S-rank dungeon at first…’
Ms. Park Yiseul must have completed it successfully.
I’m not sure why she didn’t conquer the dungeon, though.
‘Maybe my quest is related to that.’
Doah thought deeply.
‘Did they send someone to establish the Adventurer’s Guild because they couldn’t handle the dungeon? Ha Jin was mentioned she conquered an S-rank dungeon.’
Was founding the Adventurer’s Guild the main quest?
Or was it just an extra task?
And did they send me to deal with that sealed S-rank dungeon?
‘Wait. The dungeon grows stronger with age. So, a 1200-year-old dungeon…’
What?
Can it even be conquered?
Suddenly, she felt a twist in her stomach.
‘Maybe I should plant a tree next to that sealed dungeon?’
Doah pondered a shortcut and asked,
“Why is that dungeon called the Shining Spring?”
“Apparently, the only survivor among those who first entered to conquer the dungeon said so.”
Yan whispered,
“‘Inside, a spring… because of the shining spring…’ Those were its last words.”
He smiled slightly.
“And that’s how it came to be known as the Shining Spring.”
“Oh…”
Doah realized that her idea of planting something next to the dungeon might not work after all.
“Then, do you know how the seal was made?”
“It was sealed with three relics and one spell.”
“Do you know where the relics and the spell are?”
“Well, two of the relics have gone missing, and one is said to be with the Wandering Tuazit, but it hasn’t been confirmed.”
Doah looked at him in surprise.
“How do you know all this?”
Yan looked at Doah intently before answering,
“Anyone living in Gran would know. It’s a famous play.”
“A play?”
“Yes, it’s based on a true story. It’s quite a well-known hero’s tragedy, actually, with a tragic love story.”
Yan sighed after saying this.
“Now, could you please put me down?”
Doah, a bit flustered, gently put him down. Yan stood in front of a wall and twirled his finger, indicating she should turn around.
Doah obediently turned around.
Grind, grind.
She heard the sound of bricks moving.
“You can turn around now.”
A section of the wall had become a revolving door.
Yan went out first, and Doah followed behind.
After they both passed through, Yan kicked something, and the door spun shut again.
On the other side of the wall was a square, dry sewer.
It looked more like a dry well than a sewer. There was an iron ladder embedded in the wall.
“Now, we have to climb the ladder.”
It would be difficult for him to climb with both of his fingers broken.
Doah’s eyes sparkled with an idea.
“Shall I give you a piggyback ride?”
“…I must politely decline.”
“Then how about you ride on my back?”
Sigh.
Yan sighed again.
But it seemed like there was no other option.
Doah managed to carry him on her back with one hand while climbing the ladder with the other.
‘This feels good. It’s straightforward. I can feel the results of my training.’
All the efforts she had put into gathering mana had not been in vain.
Doah set him down.
Ding ding ding
🍓🍓🍓
Main Quest
Chapter 1 [The Beginning of the Journey] has been completed.
You have obtained the basic information needed for the Main Quest.
Reward
▸ You have been given a Frozen Pouch!
🍓🍓🍓
As soon as the message indicating the quest completion and reward appeared, the Main Quest continued.
🍓🍓🍓
Main Quest
Chapter 2 [Clue Hunting]
Obtain the first piece of information about the three relics and one spell.
The method is up to you.
First Relic
▸ ?
Second Relic
▸ ?
Third Relic
▸ It may be held by the Tuazit family.
One Spell
▸ ?
Reward
▸ World Tree Sap
🍓🍓🍓
‘Ugh, why are the instructions so vague? And what’s the reward?’
Doah wondered what the World Tree Sap could be used for as she snapped her fingers twice to close the quest window.
Yan, seeing this, joked with her.
“Are you trying to show off that your fingers are perfectly fine compared to mine?”
Yan asked.
Doa laughed.
“It’s just a habit.”
She looked around.
The smell of the sea suggested that they were still near the docks.
Although there were people nearby, the alley seemed cleverly designed to keep them from coming this way.
Yan asked,
“Is that all?”
“Pardon?”
“All the questions you have for me. Is that it?”
“Oh, there’s one more thing.”
“Go ahead,”
Yan said.
“I’m about to register as an adventurer. Since I saved your life, could you give me a higher rank?”
“Are you trying to bribe me?”
“Yes.”
Yan paused to think, and Doah asked curiously,
“Aren’t you suspicious of me?”
Yan blinked.
Then he chuckled.
“I am.”
“You are?”
“Yes.”
“But, um.”
“You think I’m too calm and trusting right now?”
“Yes.”
“Well, if you’re an enemy, it’s better to keep you close. I plan to observe you for about ten years.”
Yan said this nonchalantly.
“If you’re trying to infiltrate the guild as a spy, you must have some skill, so I could keep you close and make use of your abilities. The guild is perpetually short on manpower.”
“Is it okay to say that to someone who might be a spy?”
“Whether you’re a spy or not, can you back out now?”
Yan’s words made Doah pause.
If she were a spy, no matter what Yan said, she would try to gain his trust.
She wouldn’t back down.
If she weren’t a spy, no matter what Yan said, she would still want to join the adventurer’s guild.
She wouldn’t back down.
“If I don’t quit being an adventurer, it doesn’t matter.”
“Or, you could just kill me right here and now.”
“Um—”
Doah rubbed her temples and said,
“If I were a spy who went through such an elaborate plan to kill three people and gain your trust to stay by your side, I don’t think I’d kill you here and end the plan.”
“Exactly.”
“Right.”
Doah nodded.
“And there’s one more thing I’m curious about.”
“Yes?”
“What were you doing there? You’re the Guild Master, which is a pretty high position, and you were there without any guards…”
Yan gave a bitter smile for a moment.
“That’s a good question. What was I doing there, indeed?”
“If it weren’t for me, it could have been really dangerous.”
Doah took the opportunity to boast about her abilities again.
Starting at F-rank just didn’t seem right. Not F-rank.
Yan smiled faintly, and there was a sense of fatigue in his expression.
Suddenly, Doah realized that he was quite young to be leading a long-established, massive guild, and that he had just been tortured.
Moreover, there was a slight amount of contamination in his body.
‘Wow, I must seem incredibly shameless.’
Asking someone who had been tortured less than 30 minutes ago to repay a favor.
‘Wait, it’s not just that I seem shameless, I am shameless, aren’t I?’
Doah, flustered, quickly said,
“Um, well. It doesn’t have to be right now. For now, where would you like to go? I’ll escort you.”
I’m strong, after all.
Doah broke into a nervous sweat as she fumbled with her words, making Yan laugh.
“It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not fine. You need an escort. Or should I carry you or give you a piggyback ride again? Should I take you straight to the guild? Or, maybe…”
This outing of his was a secret, and if anyone found out he was injured, it might cause a commotion.
A place where he could be treated without anyone knowing.
“Oh, would you like to come to the inn where I’m staying? I’m an herbalist, so I have some healing potions with me.”
He hesitated for a moment.
Azure Nazac.
Azure Nazac.
The Executioner of the Cursed Sword.
Again, keeping your enemies close is a good idea.
Yan lowered his gaze slightly and replied,
“Alright.”
