Doah hesitated and frowned.
‘Reward, Ancient Labyrinth Key.’
Keys were usually necessary items in many cases.
You had to pass through a door opened by the key to reach the quest item.
Moreover, since this was a major quest, this key would be something essential for finding the artifact.
‘But an S-rank party?’
Suddenly, cold sweat trickled down her back.
Right in front of her, that emperor guy was S-rank.
Even if she could somehow persuade Khunak, this man…
‘No, there’s no way he’s the only S-class person, right?’
Doah shook her head and urgently asked Yan.
“Guild master, how do you form a party?”
Yan kindly explained.
“If you gather party members and register with the guild, you can create a party. The minimum number is four, and the party’s rank is based on the rank of the lowest member.”
“Hmm…”
Doah looked at her card.
B-rank.
That means for her to make an S-rank party, she would have to reach S-rank.
“At least four people… How many S-rank did you say there were again?”
“There are seven, but only about five are currently active.”
“I see.”
Doah fell into deep thought.
First, to create an S-rank party, she had to become S-rank.
She thought she would gradually recruit the other S-rank members while proceeding.
“How can I become S-rank?”
“Well, if you accomplish a feat that’s nearly impossible for a human to achieve.”
He said it lightly, but the meaning was anything but.
Doah groaned softly.
Beside her, Robern butted in.
“You’re a B-rank with big dreams. Do you want to be like me, an S-rank?”
Doah looked at him with a blank expression before being struck by admiration.
Either way, he was handsome.
His eyes were sharp, and his nose was high.
There was a slight madness in his eyes, but even that seemed to add to his good looks.
Beside him, Khunak had black hair and black eyes.
Moreover, Khunak’s practical clothes sharply contrasted with Robern’s flashy attire.
It was like seeing two opposite extremes.
Doah looked at Khunak, then back at Robern.
She asked Yan,
“By any chance, does appearance count in the evaluation for S-rank?”
Yan widened his eyes at the question, then began to laugh.
“No, it doesn’t.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Even if they did judge by looks, I don’t think you’d need to worry, Miss Doah.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
Robern nodded.
“Not bad for a B-rank. You’ve got a good eye, too.”
Doah took a deep breath in and then exhaled.
Anyway, she had to make an S-class party.
What’s the problem with calling himself an emperor?
After all, he’s an S-rank, right?
It’s just a role-playing concept, so let’s go along with it.
Alright, from now on, this person is Your Majesty.
Now, his name is Your Majesty.
“But how did Khunak and His Majesty become S-rank?”
Robern looked surprised by her question.
“You’re really ignorant, aren’t you?”
“I’m from the Southern Continent.”
“We killed a dragon.”
“A dragon?”
Suddenly, a mythical monster appeared in the conversation, and Doah blinked in surprise.
Elibas once showed it in an illusion — a flying warship.
Josephine had told her the strategy to defeat it, but Doah could never take it down alone.
Josephine had consoled her by saying she had tackled it with the knights’ help too.
‘I’ve burned to death twice, you know.’
It was big, fast, and incredibly smart.
There was even a time when I got crushed flat by its tail after being tricked by the dragon’s words, standing there dumbfounded.
“You definitely deserve to be S-rank…”
Doah muttered with a sigh.
If one had to achieve such accomplishments to become S-rank, the road ahead would be tough.
“Should I form a party?”
Doah shook her head.
First, she needed to follow the clues.
“Anyway, thank you, Guild Master. I’ll be on my way now.”
As Doah tried to leave, Robern quickly blocked her path.
“B-rank, do you have a plan?”
“A plan for what?”
“People from the Southern Continent always bring trouble.”
Robern lightly grasped her chin, moving her face from side to side.
His eyes were cold and calculating.
“I’m curious to see what kind of trouble Azure Nazac, the foreigner, will stir up.”
Trouble.
Doah thought about it.
Indeed, what she was about to do would certainly cause a stir.
Claiming that a B-rank adventurer’s ‘dream is to conquer an S-rank dungeon’ really sounded like a childish ambition.
Moreover, breaking the seal and attempting to conquer an S-rank dungeon might feel like a disaster waiting to happen for humanity.
Since she hadn’t fully judged the situation, Doah decided to postpone her answer.
“I do have a plan.”
She shrugged, pulling his hand away from her wrist.
“But it’s a secret.”
With that, she quickly headed toward the door.
Khunak gave Robern a cold look before opening the door for her.
Yan waved his hand.
“Have a pleasant adventure.”
“Thank you, Guild Master. So, Khunak, you said you’d show me how to use the card?”
Doah’s chattering voice faded as the door closed behind her.
Robern crossed his arms and stared at the door.
He couldn’t help but chuckle.
The turmoil of the Southern Continent.
People who came from there always left a mark on Rencia.
One way or another.
That small girl would definitely create big waves.
He could feel a deep stirring inside him.
After killing the dragon, he hadn’t thought he’d ever feel this kind of excitement again.
“Ah, Guild Master. Life is always full of surprises, isn’t it?”
As Robern mumbled to himself, Yan, who had been reflecting on why all S-class people seemed so strange, abandoned his thoughts and replied.
“Yes, it’s always new.”
❖ ❖ ❖
“Every dungeon is explored by the Adventurers Guild. You know about dungeon cores, right?”
“Yes.”
Doah nodded at Khunak’s explanation.
Dungeon cores.
The nucleus that creates dimensional rifts.
The core took on various crystalline forms, and the power that created and maintained the dungeon came from this core.
Only by removing the core could one declare, ‘The dungeon has been conquered.’
“Energy is detected from this dungeon core, and an automatic tag is applied. When you enter a dungeon, you touch that tag with your card.”
“Wow.”
It was a high-tech magical system, completely different from what she had imagined.
“That’s amazing.”
“It’s complicated at first, but once you do it, you’ll find it’s not a big deal.”
“I see. Thank you, Khunak.”
Standing at the entrance of the Adventurers Guild, Doah thanked him.
“Thanks for guiding me this far and for acting as my guarantor.”
Khunak hesitated at her gratitude.
He was silent for a long time before finally blurting out his question.
“And what about the promised checkup?”
“Oh, you can contact me anytime for that. If you want, we can go together right now.”
Her tone was calm and clear.
Despite this, Khunak remained silent.
Doah started to feel increasingly uneasy.
‘What is it? Did I do something wrong?’
At that moment, people leaving the guild spotted Khunak.
“Oh my, it’s the Black Dragon, Khunak!”
“What? Really?!”
“Oh, hello. I’m a fan…”
As people started to gather around, Doah took a few steps back.
She lightly descended the stairs and glanced back, only to meet his gaze.
‘What’s this about?’
Doah quickly descended the stairs, still confused.
Then, suddenly, Khunak rushed after her and grabbed her arm.
Surprised, Doah turned to look at him.
The attention of the surrounding crowd was now focused on them.
“Miss Doah.”
There was a strange intensity in Khunak’s eyes.
“Yes?”
Doah looked at him in bewilderment.
“I’ve thought about it before, but isn’t this too much?”
“What?”
Her response came out automatically without passing through her brain.
Khunak, trying to restrain his emotions, spoke.
“You’re a lifesaver.”
“That’s… true.”
It was true; she had saved his life.
“But don’t you think it’s wrong to just leave like this after saving someone?”
Doah was a little taken aback.
Khunak gazed at her innocent and seemingly clueless expression, overwhelmed by a sudden impulse.
“You even saved Yan’s life.”
“Oh, yes, I did.”
“When you make someone indebted to you, you must take responsibility.”
He spoke with emphasis.
“Take responsibility?”
“Yes.”
Even Khunak himself thought his answer sounded shameless.
Her green eyes, filled with confusion, swirled as she looked at him.
The color of her eyes shifted, spinning from olive to peridot, from peridot to emerald, from dark green to light green.
Khunak gazed into her eyes and continued speaking.
“You’re about to embark on a journey, aren’t you? I’m sure I can be of great help.”
“Well, yes, that’s true.”
Doah now fully understood what he was saying.
Indeed, for someone like her, who lacked basic knowledge about Rencia, Khunak would be a crucial guide.
“You’re right. You owe me your life, so you should repay that debt.”
At Khunak’s words, Doah felt as if a light bulb went off in her mind.
Ah! This is what May was talking about!
Connections!
Traveling companions!
Khunak was like the youngest daughter of Kim Jin-sa’s household!
A local guide!
Doah smiled brightly.
“If Khunak is willing to help, I’d be happy to have you. But you’re an S-rank adventurer, and I don’t want to tie you down for too long… How about one year?”
She proposed the same terms as she had to Berry.
“But if something important comes up for you during that time, you can leave at any time.”
It was clear that Khunak felt more burdened by the life debt than she had expected.
In that case, it was better to accept his help than to turn him away.
Besides, she genuinely welcomed Khunak’s guidance.
“One year, then. I agree.”
Finally, a smile spread across Khunak’s face.
“Alright. I’ll make some simple preparations and meet you at the Silver Horseshoe Inn.”
Was he preparing for the journey?
Doah nodded.
“Feel free to stop by anytime.”
“See you then.”
Khunak bent down and kissed the back of her hand before departing.
‘Wow!’
It was the first time a man had kissed the back of her hand.
Naturally, it wasn’t something that would happen in real life.
Feeling suddenly embarrassed, Doah hurriedly ran down the stairs.
❖ ❖ ❖
Berry was trembling as he carefully copied letters onto the stone tablet.
The book titled “First Steps in the Common Language” and the black stone tablet were gifts from Doah.
‘I have to get good at writing to be of great help to Miss Doah.’
He was also working hard on correcting his pronunciation.
He was frustrated by how bad his pronunciation still was.
“I’m sad, so sad.”
He said the words, frustrated, and tried again.
“So sad, so sad, so.”
Again.
“Sad, so, sad.”
Argh!
“S, ad, sad!”
Finally, he managed to pronounce one word properly.
“Sad, sad, so sad!”
Berry was briefly discouraged but soon resumed practicing pronunciation under his breath while writing on the stone tablet.
Someday, he’d be able to speak well and read easily.
Then Miss Doah would say, ‘Our Berry is so smart! I can’t do anything without him anymore, no way!’
“Heehee.”
The thought made him smile with pride.
In his imagination, he even wore glasses, looking smart.
Learning wasn’t boring.
In fact, he was thirsty for knowledge.
He knew how miserable it felt to wander around as adventurers’ bait, not knowing anything.
That’s why he perked up his ears to listen to their stories and repeated them in his head countless times.
That’s also how he learned about Gran.
It had been so exciting.
And hearing tales of other adventurers’ feats was just as thrilling.
He had imagined countless times how those adventurers would rescue him.
Then, Miss Doah really appeared.
The real Azure Nazac.
Berry was painfully aware of how terrible his pronunciation was.
It made him feel so inadequate, as if he appeared too childish.
So Berry kept practicing hard, repeating his pronunciation drills.
Berry suddenly stood up.
This time, he tried to speak as slowly and clearly as possible.
“Did you come back? How was it?”
Doah smiled and pulled a card out of her pocket.
“Ta-da!”
“Wow!”
Berry carefully took the card and examined it.
“It’s shiny. Is it real silver?”
“Yes, C-rank uses copper, and below that is wood. B-rank is silver, and A-rank is gold.”
“What about S-rank?”
“S-rank uses a black plate. It’s made from a special mineral that can only be found in dungeons. We can ask Khunak to show it to us later.”
At Doah’s words, Berry hesitantly nodded.
He was afraid of Khunak.
“Oh, speaking of which, I met another S-class today.”
Berry’s golden eyes sparkled like stars.
“S-class! Oh, since he’s in Gran, is it the Emperor?”
“That’s right!”
Doah nodded.
“That person refers to himself as ‘I,’ and says things like, ‘You may call me His Majesty.’”
Berry excitedly stomped his feet.
“Does he really wear fancy robes?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, wow! I want to see him in person too! I really want to see him.”
Berry stomped his feet in disappointment.
Doah, recalling something, nodded.
S-rank adventurers were like superstars across the entire continent.
And Robern had a strong concept to match that status.
‘In the idol industry, having a concept is key.’
It might be polarizing, but he was certainly popular and famous.
When she thought about it, Khunak was the same.
The owner of the cursed sword.
‘Wow, it makes sense. They’re really famous.’
Would the other S-ranks be just as unique?
Doah suddenly started looking forward to meeting the other S-ranks.
