Ch.2911. Request for Cooperation in Conquering an S-Rank Dungeon (1)

Several weeks have passed since my visit to the Heavenly Demon Sect headquarters.

Today is a weekday. However, I took a day off because I had personal business to attend to. So right now, I was heading somewhere other than Flame’s headquarters.

During this time, I continued participating in the intern program and went on several dungeon and security dispatch missions. In the process, I naturally became accustomed to my current body after breaking the first-level seal.

‘If I break the second-level seal, will I be able to return to my Ains days?’

When one receives recognition as the rightful owner from an Ancient Gear, a contract with the gear begins.

The stage where that contract is completed is the First Form. From the First Form onward, the contractor can use the special abilities unique to Ancient Gear.

According to Elder Yeon Mun-woo’s explanation.

He said the three stages before the Red Jade’s seal are equivalent to the evolutionary forms of Ancient Gear. So currently, I’m in a state where I can use part of the gear’s power.

‘Though it’s only the First Form’s power for now.’

During my time at Ains Academy. Back then, I had evolved the Red Jade to its Second Form, the “Liberation” stage. Yuri’s Nivis is also in its Second Form now.

So if I could at least break the second-level seal, it would mean I could work not just as an operator but as a hunter as well.

Of course, using the power of the Red Jade that’s keeping me alive would shorten my lifespan accordingly. But that was a small price to pay.

‘I barely managed to defeat the Doubt Demon after evolving the Red Jade to its Third Form. To approach the Red Lake, I’ll need even greater resolve.’

It’s time for Flame to enter the next event. Flame, which is taking the place of Akahunter, the guild that Siwoo created in the original story.

The original protagonist may be dead, but the remaining supporting characters will continue to write the sequel to Akahunter. Soon, there will be a large-scale dungeon raid that was mentioned in the original story.

At that moment, I stopped in my tracks. The place I had come to was Ains Academy, my alma mater.

Today, the graduation ceremony for the 21st class of cadets is being held here. Arin is from Ains’s 21st class. That’s why I came here to congratulate her on her graduation.

‘It’s changed a lot.’

It looked very different from the Ains I remembered. Many of the academy’s buildings were destroyed during the Doubt Demon’s attack. It seems they’ve all been rebuilt.

And unlike the old appearance I remembered, it was actually a relief.

The graduation ceremony seems to be already in progress, but I didn’t have the courage to go inside.

I’ve been avoiding Ains officials all this time. Actually, coming this far required quite a bit of resolve on my part.

After some time passed, the graduation ceremony seemed to have ended. I bought flowers from a vendor at the entrance and was lingering quite far from the auditorium where the ceremony was held.

When I belatedly checked my smartphone, I found it filled with messages from Arin. Just as I was about to reply, Arin quickly found me.

“Senior! What if I couldn’t find you because you didn’t reply? Standing here at the edge of campus could have been a disaster!”

“But you found me anyway.”

“Well, that’s only natural. I’ll definitely find you wherever you are.”

Arin threw out words that could be either a joke or serious.

Just like how she always figures out my apartment door password even when I change it. And just like how she found me right away now.

Arin always manages to accomplish mysterious feats.

‘Is it because of her holy power?’

Unlike Mina, Siwoo’s girlfriend, Arin joined the White Cross Society after the Ains tragedy. But even in that short span of two years, her holy power had increased tremendously.

It reminded me of Mina from the original story.

Chae Min-a was not only Siwoo’s girlfriend, but she also played a major role in Akahunter Part 3, earning the title of “Saint.”

‘Then perhaps Arin is now taking Mina’s place.’

Although she had less prominence than Yuri or Soso in the original story, Arin was certainly qualified to carry on their will.

After all, she had been childhood friends with Siwoo and Mina since they were young.

‘Siwoo and Mina’s will…’

Siwoo and Mina became orphans after being caught in a war started by villains.

In Akahunter Part 3, Siwoo created his own guild because he dreamed of a world without villains and monsters.

In reality, corporate guilds don’t want villains and monsters to disappear. Naturally, they’re the legitimate means for them to gain power and a very precious livelihood.

‘That’s Manseong’s purpose, both in the original story and in the current reality.’

Arin spoke to me as I remained silent for a moment.

“Senior! What are you thinking about while ignoring me! Hmm? Don’t tell me it’s about another woman?”

My pink-haired junior wearing the White Cross Society’s nun habit today as well.

As if it were a mourning garment for Siwoo and Mina, Arin always wore that white nun habit.

If this were the old Arin, she would have been the busiest person at today’s graduation ceremony. But Arin seemed to have nothing to share with her classmates and came straight to find me.

Pretending not to know this fact, I answered playfully.

“Why? Am I not allowed to think about other women?”

“Absolutely not!”

“You’re not my girlfriend, you know?”

“Still, absolutely not! My body and heart have already been completely defiled by you. Are you now trying to go to another woman?”

“Don’t say things that people might misunderstand.”

I handed the flowers to Arin, who suddenly looked sulky.

“Anyway, congratulations on your graduation.”

Arin accepted the flowers with an extremely happy expression.

“Thank you, Senior! And I’d love flower gifts anytime, not just for graduation… Wait. What are those flowers for?”

“They’re for Siwoo and Mina.”

At those words, Arin’s expression darkened slightly. But she soon smiled and linked her arm with mine.

“Siwoo oppa and Mina unni would be happy. Let’s visit them together.”

In one part of Ains Academy, there was a memorial space honoring the victims of the Ains tragedy. I walked there with Arin.

The names of Siwoo and Mina. Not only them, but the names of over a hundred deceased were densely inscribed on the memorial. And besides the deceased, there were also several cadets who went missing during that tragedy.

I put my hands together and prayed before them. No, I made a vow. To ask forgiveness for my wrongdoing. To swear that I would definitely take revenge on the Red Lake.

And at that moment, I recalled what the Doubt Demon had said to me. The word “vessel” came back to me.

‘Considering Elder Yeon Mun-woo’s story and the content of the original… that word “vessel” must mean…’

After spending a brief moment there, Arin and I left Ains. I said to her:

“It’s your graduation day. So I’ll treat you to anything. What would you like to eat?”

“What I’d like to eat? Hmm…”

Her pink eyes sparkled. Then she quickly said:

“You really said anything, right?”

“Yes. Even if it’s expensive…”

“No! I don’t need anything expensive. There’s just one thing I want to eat.”

After a brief pause, Arin blushed and said:

“So when we leave here… shall we go to your apartment?”

***

Time passed quickly even after Minsu joined Flame. A month had already gone by.

This meant that half of the first quarter, which is crucial for the guild rating evaluation by the Association, had passed.

‘It’s fortunate that Minsu joined us. The interns are performing well.’

Yuri read through the report compiled and submitted by Executive Director Maria. The guild’s mission performance and financial stability, the two most important evaluation indicators, weren’t bad.

‘At this rate, maintaining our S-rank evaluation should be possible. The next quarter’s budget is… a bit tight, but manageable.’

And maintaining Flame’s S-rank at this point was important. Now that it’s been almost two years since Flame was founded, they had finally managed to get some leads on the villain group, the Red Lake.

‘Rex, whom we caught with Minsu. And the information provided by the Heavenly Demon Sect was significant.’

As a result of the Association’s interrogation of Rex, it was revealed that the A-rank villain had a backer.

It’s uncommon for someone of Rex’s caliber to act on someone else’s orders. Surprisingly, the Red Lake was behind him.

‘The recent terrorist attacks that were close to mass slaughter. Undoubtedly behind them…’

If Minsu hadn’t been there, Rex would have succeeded in his mass slaughter.

And recently, simultaneous terrorist attacks have been occurring worldwide. They were extremely brutal acts close to massacres.

If Rex’s testimony is to be believed, those serial terrorist attacks were definitely related to the Red Lake.

‘And he mentioned the Soul-Stealing Demon, Seo Mun-yeom.’

Additionally, Minsu and Soso brought back another important piece of information.

The Soul-Stealing Demon, Seo Mun-yeom. Once a prominent figure in the Sado Clan in the Martial Nation, now turned villain. He too was connected to the Red Lake.

‘Compared to Seo Mun-yeom, Rex is just a minnow.’

When Soso’s father, Heavenly Demon Yeon Se-hwi, unified the Sado Clan, Seo Mun-yeom was the one who resisted the most.

Though his skills are said to be inferior to the Five Great Celestial Masters like Yeon Se-hwi, Seo Mun-yeom is a high-level awakened one and villain who even S-rank hunters must be extremely cautious of.

‘And he pledged loyalty to such a group?’

The difference between villains and awakened ones is desire-driven thinking. Those who break down human barriers and become closer to monsters in order to fulfill their desires.

Villains, whose every action is motivated by desire, naturally refuse to submit to others, especially the stronger they are. Being dominated is far from their desires.

Moreover, Seo Mun-yeom is a man who would rule over villains rather than bow his head to anyone.

‘And the Red Lake’s network is apparently denser and wider than imagined.’

Though they’ve barely grasped a thread of it, there seems to be more work ahead.

It appears that the Association and the Snow Knight Order have already formed a cooperative agreement regarding the Red Lake.

‘With those massive organizations involved, amateur guilds won’t even get a chance to participate.’

They might end up just helping with menial tasks without getting close to the core of the Red Lake.

And just as corporate guilds want the current state where monsters and villains don’t disappear, those two organizations might also consider the Red Lake a necessary evil.

This means that at the most crucial moment, massive organizations like the Association and the Snow Knight Order might not act.

‘In the end, we need to be able to move independently. For that, Flame needs to grow even more.’

From the beginning, Flame was a group united by the desire for revenge against the Red Lake. Even the regular employees working at headquarters.

As the 19th class student council president who bears significant responsibility for the Ains tragedy, Yuri steeled her resolve once more.

‘There’s an Eastern proverb. Those who tie the knot must untie it.’

But even as she strengthened her resolve, Yuri couldn’t deny that her true heart lay beyond that.

She didn’t know about the others in Flame, but beyond her responsibility as the student council president, Minsu was always the driving force behind Yuri’s actions.

Because Minsu wanted revenge on the Red Lake. Even when he was unconscious, she believed that’s what he would want.

Yuri knew Minsu’s character well. For Minsu, who would definitely think of revenge, she became an S-rank hunter and created an S-rank guild. She wanted to be of help to him.

‘Yes. I must definitely be… someone Minsu needs…’

So when Minsu joined Flame, it felt like a confirmation of her belief.

But lately, Yuri has been wavering.

“Am I… really someone Minsu needs…”

She murmured unconsciously. She had generously supported the budget for Minsu’s exclusive equipment. But after returning from Hong Kong, he didn’t use even a bit of the travel expenses.

The mystical technique that stabilized his mana heart was also provided free of charge by officials from the Heavenly Demon Sect.

‘The Heavenly Demon Sect. Soso’s family.’

The largest hunter clan in the Martial Nation, which is also Soso’s family. Even people from that group recognized Minsu. And in that matter, Soso, who accompanied Minsu, must have played a role.

‘Soso… her limit has risen tremendously recently.’

She even showed remarkable performance in the raid after returning from the business trip. At this rate, becoming an S-rank hunter isn’t far off. As a guild master, this should be a very joyous occasion, but…

Yuri was feeling jealous of her.

‘Could it be… that something happened between Minsu and Soso during that trip?’

Her anxiety only grew. And today, of all days, she couldn’t maintain her composure.

Despite it being a weekday, both Seong Arin and Minsu didn’t come to work. She heard they took a day off for Ains’s graduation ceremony.

It was already late evening. Yuri finally couldn’t resist and sent a message to Minsu, pretending it was about work. But as expected, there was no reply.

‘Those two. They’ve become much closer than when they were at Ains… Just like… Minsu and me back then.’

The deepening night. And Arin, who must be feeling liberated after graduating from Ains. The thought occurred to her that Arin, now an adult, might be more proactive tonight.

‘Or are they already in that kind of relationship… No, what am I thinking!’

Thinking about the two of them together late at night, she felt a pain as if her heart was being torn apart.

Someone who was once closest to her but now distant. So it’s wrong for her to say she’s losing Minsu.

Yet, because of her unchanged feelings for Minsu, Yuri felt a bitter chill that made her mana heart freeze.

‘This isn’t right!’

Yuri scolded herself for her wavering heart. No matter how much it was for Minsu’s sake, she was the guild master of Flame. She had to separate personal and professional matters.

‘I’m responsible for the lives of the guild members.’

Yet, she couldn’t stop fiddling with the red mana stone necklace that Minsu had given her.

And just as it had for the past two years, the warm energy from that mana stone calmed her heart a little. As if Minsu’s warmth was being transmitted.

Yuri refocused on the monitor screen. There was a mountain of work to be done.

And at that moment, Yuri noticed a cooperation document from the Association.

“Request for cooperation in S-rank dungeon raid…?”