* * *

“What happened to you? Why do you look like this?”

Doyoung’s tone was close to reprimanding.

The guild members who had followed their Guild Master out flinched at his casual remark.

At the company, Doyoung would act respectfully, addressing Beom Sinje as ‘Guild Master.’

But upon seeing his disheveled state, Doyoung forgot all decorum.

“What kind of monster did you fight to end up like this? Are you going to tell me or not?”

Ignoring the guild members’ reactions, Doyoung scrutinized Beom Sinje.

The Cheonho Guild’s uniform was a dark navy, almost black, so it typically hid any blood or stains well.

For the stains to be this visible, the fight must have been intense.

‘Strange. I don’t remember any monsters that would give Beom Sinje this much trouble. Has the story changed?’

As Doyoung recalled the original plot, Beom Sinje’s calm voice interrupted his thoughts.

“It wasn’t anything special. There were just a lot of them.”

Relieved by his nonchalant response, Doyoung felt a bit reassured.

“Are you injured?”

Beom Sinje shook his head, but Doyoung still couldn’t fully relax.

Most of the guild members seemed just as battered as their Guild Master.

“What exactly was inside?”

“There were a lot of flying monsters.”

“Flying monsters?”

Doyoung narrowed his eyes.

That matched the original story.

They could be tricky to deal with since most of the raid team consisted of melee fighters.

‘Still, they shouldn’t have caused Beom Sinje this much trouble.’

What was the reason?

“What rank were they?”

“They were C-rank Scaphognathus.”

Scaphognathus were known for their sharp teeth, long spiked tails, exceptional flying skills, and intelligence.

Encountering a large swarm would indeed be challenging.

“Damn…”

“These ones didn’t have eyes, so flash bombs didn’t work, and they were quick enough to dodge magic bullets.”

“No eyes?”

“Yes, I think they were mutated. Their movements were really fast.”

It seemed their conversation was bothering someone.

“Guild Master Beom Sinje, what’s going on here?”

There was no need to look; it was clearly Chief Park, approaching with a scowl.

“You talked big about leading the raid team, so why is this such a mess?”

Doyoung could easily read the disdain and contempt in Chief Park’s eyes.

“And now you’re retreating? What if the dungeon overflows? If you can’t handle it, you should’ve stayed out of it from the start!”

The hunter from the government agency was the one who didn’t conduct a proper dungeon investigation in the first place.

More precisely, it was Chief Park’s reckless decision.

Yet the very person responsible for this mess was now trying to shift the blame onto the Cheonho Guild and its Guild Master, Beom Sinje.

“Look at him, trying so hard to pin the blame on someone else.”

Doyoung saw right through this transparent act and snorted.

Chief Park’s gaze immediately snapped towards him, as if he’d heard the sound.

“You’re laughing? Who the hell are you?”

Chief Park eyed Doyoung up and down, then seemed to decide he wasn’t worth his time and turned his attention back to Beom Sinje.

But Doyoung spoke up before he could.

“Guild Master, is it true that the monsters encountered by the guild members now are of a completely different type than those identified in the initial exploration?”

His tone had become more respectful compared to before.

Understanding Doyoung’s intention, Beom Sinje nodded.

“Yes. There was a significant change midway after the initial suppression.”

Chief Park, seemingly irritated at losing the lead in the conversation, scowled.

But before he could speak again, Beom Sinje preemptively continued.

“Moreover, the dungeon’s threat level is expected to be upgraded to an A-rank.”

“What? A-rank? Guild Master Beom Sinje, what are you talking about?”

Hearing the dungeon’s difficulty would escalate, Chief Park was visibly alarmed.

Doyoung, who had brought this up to provoke just such a reaction, replied with a tone implying it should have been obvious.

“You heard it just now, didn’t you? Your team’s exploration was flawed. You didn’t even investigate properly, and now our guild members are suffering because of your hasty assessment. How do you plan to take responsibility for this?”

He outright accused Park of causing this situation, demanding an answer.

Chief Park’s face twisted in fury as he turned fully towards Doyoung, his expression like that of a demon.

“What? Who do you think you are to be running your mouth?”

“Is it really important who I am? It seems like you should first realize just how badly you’ve messed up here.”

Doyoung smirked, displaying the kind of mocking smile he’d often shown as a villain in the past.

It had an immediate effect.

“You bastard! What did you just say? You dare speak like this in front of me?”

His voice rose to a shout, and the other government officials and hunters, realizing from the conversation that Chief Park was indeed the cause of this mess, hesitated to intervene.

“Enough.”

Beom Sinje stepped in, blocking Chief Park who looked ready to grab Doyoung by the collar.

Chief Park flinched at the sudden appearance of Beom Sinje’s large frame but then let out an exasperated sigh, clearly irritated.

“Guild Master Beom! What is the meaning of this? This is beyond rude. Responsibility? Who are you accusing here?”

After quickly assessing Doyoung’s expression, noticing his usual calm and composed demeanor, Beom Sinje finally spoke with a collected tone.

“Chief Park, now isn’t the time for us to be butting heads. Resolving the dungeon issue should be our priority.”

“What? You expect me to just ignore this brat’s insolence—”

“He’s my secretary. And he’s not wrong. This dungeon is A-rank, not C-rank. Had a proper investigation been conducted initially, we would have realized this.”

The accusation was clear—this situation happened because Chief Park had ordered a half-hearted job.

Beom Sinje’s indifferent gaze pierced through Chief Park, who instinctively avoided eye contact.

“Well, it’s just that… the hunter assigned the ranking, so it’s not like I made a mistake…”

Chief Park, still refusing to admit fault, shifted the blame to another government hunter.

Doyoung noticed the tense expressions of the government-affiliated hunters standing behind him.

Among them, one caught his eye—the hunter who was skilled with special robots, someone Beom Sinje had considered recruiting.

“I should approach him later, pretend to offer some comfort, and strike up a conversation.”

Unfazed by the tense atmosphere he’d ignited, Doyoung remained calm.

After all, he’d intentionally started this fire to stop Chief Park from shifting blame onto Cheonho.

“I’m not here to argue about who’s right or wrong. Even as we speak, the dungeon’s situation is worsening. So, Chief Park, please step back. We need to brief everyone properly and reorganize our strike team for reentry.”

“Fine, fine. But Guild Master Beom, let’s make one thing clear. This incident happened because of judgment errors on both sides.”

‘What a joke,’ Doyoung thought, watching Chief Park try to slither his way out of responsibility until the end. Chief Park’s gaze met his, and he glared once again.

“Damn it, that guy again…”

“Understood. Then I assume you’re busy with your report, Chief Park, so please make it quick.”

Just as Chief Park was about to shout again, Beom Sinje smoothly cut him off, effectively dismissing him.

Chief Park, with a face full of resentment, had no choice but to comply and step aside.

* * *