"I'm number one!"
Roger's excited voice hadn't stopped since the moment he finished compiling the intelligence report.
Gapar and the others had already grown sick of hearing it. The moment they entered the city, they quickly distanced themselves from this guy—who had clearly gone a little insane from staying up all night writing reports—and went off to handle their own matters.
Even after pulling an all-nighter to finish the report, Roger was still buzzing with energy.
Maybe it was because this report was entirely his own idea—he was working for himself. When you work for yourself, exhaustion doesn't hit the same way.
If he had been working for someone else—forced to stay up late doing meaningless work that even a dog wouldn't bother with—he would've been drained within minutes and started questioning the meaning of life.
Yes… the meaning of life.
Was it endless overtime?
Roger didn't think that far ahead. He didn't even know where the edge of the universe was—how could he possibly understand the meaning of life?
For him, the meaning of life was probably finding that little bird from his childhood.
"Where should I publish this information?"
"The notice board might work. There are a lot of people there… but it's way too noisy."
"Maybe the Adventurers' Guild instead. Fewer people, but they're all elites. They'll definitely recognize the value of my report."
"Oh right… should I charge for it? Hehe. If it sells well, I can buy more meat for Hathaway. And the money might even let me lie down—cough—I mean, do some research for a while."
He tilted his head back and downed a bottle of stamina potion.
A faint glow flickered in his palm. He wiped his face, casting a simple appearance-altering spell that erased the dark circles under his eyes. He looked normal again—though his voice still sounded a bit weak.
"Bang—!"
He pushed the door open dramatically.
He had imagined this moment countless times.
The loud door would draw everyone's attention. Then he would walk confidently to the center, reveal his information, and instantly become the center of attention.
But reality was—
A few people glanced at him briefly, but not even a second of silence followed. Everyone continued chatting as if nothing had happened.
…This wasn't what he imagined.
Roger froze, nearly getting smacked by the rebounding door.
It's fine.
Even if the entrance didn't go as planned, everything will change once I reveal the information.
He unbuttoned his coat and reached for the report inside.
Just as he pulled it halfway out, something caught his eye.
"Huh?"
Roger froze and stared at a certain adventurer.
Not because it was an enemy. Not because they owed him money.
But because—
That person was wearing a Glintstone Crown.
What?!
Wasn't that equipment only obtainable in the Spade Room?
Why was it here?
The crown obscured their face, but from their refined build and presence, they were clearly an elite adventurer.
In that case, it wasn't strange for them to have obtained it.
But that meant something serious.
It meant someone in the city already knew about the dungeon's secrets.
Roger had considered this possibility.
That was why Liurnia of the Lakes was the highlight of his report.
After all, he had traveled with the Sword Saint and a Magic Professor. He should know more than most people.
I still have a chance!
But irritation was already creeping into his chest.
Then he overheard a conversation from the next table.
"Hey, have you heard about Liurnia of the Lakes? The new map that's been super popular lately. The one that teleports you to Val City."
"Of course. We're not deaf. But that place is really hard, right? Only elites can get in so far."
Liurnia of the Lakes!
Roger's pupils trembled. His grip tightened, wrinkling the manuscript in his hand.
He kept listening.
"Hard? The people who went said the exploration difficulty is actually lower than Farron Keep. No disgusting poison swamps, the monsters are pretty spread out, and the scenery is amazing."
"Really? I heard the monsters are insane. Even lobsters can blow your head off from 800 meters away."
"Just lobsters? Are you serious? I heard someone met a phantom selling cooked lobster claws. If they're already food, how strong could they really be?"
Those lobsters are absolutely terrifying—way scarier than soul-devourers, Roger complained silently.
He slowly slid the manuscript back into his coat.
Then he began wandering around the guild casually—though in reality, he was secretly eavesdropping.
"Moongrum is so cool! I love how he keeps stabbing me over and over!"
…Please calm down with the weird admiration.
"Don't you think the Apprentice Hat is kind of sexy? It even makes sounds when you poke it."
Ridiculous.
"Why didn't it react when I poked it? It just said my intelligence was too low and told me to get lost."
That guy definitely has the talent to become a berserker.
As he listened—and mentally commented on everything—Roger slowly sank into despair.
All the information he had prepared…
Had already spread among the adventurers.
Just from eavesdropping, he couldn't tell exactly how much they knew—so there were still gaps.
In fact, Luluwo's Skyrim Team actually knew less than he did.
They didn't know about things like:
Academy Gate Town
Kale
Glintstone Key
After dying once and getting sent out, they had rushed straight back to the city to claim the title of "first informants."
Roger's report still had tremendous value.
But right now—
Not being first had completely crushed his motivation.
He didn't feel like saying anything anymore.
After sitting at a table in silence for a long time, he let out a long sigh.
"…Forget it. If I'm not first, then I'm not first."
"I should just report to the old man."
The "old man" referred to Sid.
Before Roger and the others had set out, the Adventurers' Guild branch leader had somehow learned about their expedition and personally negotiated an information-sharing deal.
After all, Gapar, Tursey, and Hades were proud figures. They wouldn't easily cooperate.
But Roger was approachable.
Sid had been one of the first to recognize the value of this golden team—mainly because not many people even knew the Sword Saint and the Magic Professor had formed an alliance.
"I'll just go straight to the third floor."
As Roger climbed the stairs, he started thinking about how to use the reward money.
First, he needed to give Gapar, Professor Tursey, and Professor Hades their shares.
But openly saying he had a deal with Sid might not be appropriate.
Maybe he could convert the money into gifts instead?
While thinking about that, he knocked on the branch leader's office door and pushed it open.
The room had excellent soundproofing.
Only after entering did Roger realize Sid was already in conversation with someone.
"Sorry to interrupt."
He quickly moved to leave, but Sid stopped him.
"You're already here—stay. You can also share the Sein Dungeon information with Lady Wienma."
Lady Wienma?
Roger looked over curiously.
Seated on the sofa was a green-haired, sharp-eared elf radiating mature charm.
Her presence was so composed and refined that people instinctively wanted to call her "auntie."
"This is Roger," Sid said. "An expert in monster research. I'll be discussing the Sein Dungeon with him."
Then he introduced the other party.
"This is Lady Wienma, a master of plant magic from the Forest of Elves. She was also once a professor at your Magic Association."
"That was more than ten years ago," Wienma said with a smile. "I'm not a professor anymore."
She waved gently at Roger.
Her smile was hard to describe.
It was like the warm, affectionate smile of a beautiful aunt you hadn't seen in years—approachable, yet somehow stirring the imagination.
She didn't feel like a professor at all.
Professors usually weren't this gentle.
Roger greeted her awkwardly and sat down across from her.
People always felt a little nervous around strangers.
Especially beautiful strangers.
But somehow, the name Wienma sounded familiar.
Where had he heard it before?
"My rebellious little princess seems to have made quite a name for herself here," Wienma said, sipping her tea.
"One of the first to clear the Sein Dungeon," Sid replied. "That reputation alone places her among the top-tier adventurers."
"Stella is exceptional. She's the most talented young person I've seen in years."
Wienma nodded with satisfaction.
"I originally left the forest because I received a distress letter from her. I was planning to come and teach the dungeon a lesson."
"But it seems she's already overcome her struggles and is thriving."
"So it looks like I'm not needed anymore."
Oh…
So these elves were here because of Stella.
Roger finally understood.
Elves really did have strong connections.
"But over the past two days, I've heard quite a lot about that dungeon," Wienma continued.
Sid immediately caught on.
"So the recently popular Magic Academy has piqued your interest."
"You know I've always respected nature."
She lightly smoothed her skirt.
"The star magic that appeared in Sein belongs to nature as well. So I believe it's worth investigating."
"And besides…"
"Set and Hades are here too, aren't they?"
Roger blinked in surprise.
Why bring up those two all of a sudden?
Wienma smiled—but her eyes didn't.
"If those reformists have set their sights on this place…"
"Then I'll take all of their research results."
"Nature and permanence are the true essence of magic."
Huh?!
Roger didn't fully understand what was going on.
But as Set's student, he instantly felt uneasy.
That sounded like hostility.
Wienma clearly held some hostility toward Set and the others.
Should I quietly sneak out now?
Just as he hesitated, Sid turned to him.
"Roger, how did the exploration with the Sword Saint go?"
Alright.
My turn.
Roger took a deep breath and pulled out the report he never got to publish.
Two days later, another group of weary figures arrived outside Bede City.
"Hey, isn't that Leon? Why does he look like a beggar?"
"Nonsense. He's clearly wearing a vest and cloak. That's the aesthetic of the strong—you wouldn't understand."
"But they all look exhausted. They must've had a rough time."
"Looks like their exploration of Liurnia of the Lakes didn't go well."
Leon's group looked utterly worn out, immediately drawing attention.
"So annoying," Maru muttered. "Boss, I'm sleepy. I'm going home."
"Go ahead," Leon replied weakly.
He looked like someone who had spent three days and nights fighting in a succubus brothel.
No one knew what they had gone through in the Magic Academy.
But they all shared the same thought:
There's too much to explore.
They felt like they had developed a fear of large maps.
Their enthusiasm for dungeon exploration had nearly been crushed.
Stella didn't even feel like talking. After a brief goodbye, she staggered home.
Then she overheard passersby chatting.
"Those elves have been really active in the city lately. They've been causing all kinds of trouble."
Elves?
Trouble?
A bad feeling crept into Stella's exhausted heart.