The request Kim Songcheol chose was ‘Altar Clear’.

The client had requested to clear the Altar, a dungeon that appears within a Dungeon.

‘A request like this is really good.’

Kim Songcheol chose this request because he could receive the clear reward as a bonus. It was explicitly stated that he could take the reward.

If he completed the request, he would receive 2nd-tier Magic from the Magic Alliance, making it a legitimate double taxation.

“That’s a good choice.”

The Branch Manager also nodded. She felt she would have chosen that request herself.

Mages of Grade 5 can choose which requests to take. On the contrary, clients are anxious that their requests might not be chosen. It was natural to snatch up only the good requests.

“However, the Altar’s difficulty is high, so I think you’ll need teammates.”

The Branch Manager cautiously offered her opinion.

“Oh, I do have a team member.”

Setsu needs points, so she’ll enter the Nothingness condition, but even if the Celestial Spirit Maiden doesn’t, there’s nothing to say. For now, the nominal reason was Kim Songcheol’s personal request.

Of course, it wasn’t a big problem. If the situation wasn’t favorable, he could simply refuse the request.

“Alright. I’ll accept the request for now. From next time, you can do it yourself.”

“Is that… perhaps done with this Medal?”

Kim Songcheol took out the Medal he had in his chest pocket and showed it. The traces of fourth-thread high magic were clearly felt. It wasn’t annoying, but the unique mana rupture was being transmitted and received as if it were an electric rupture.

“Ah.”

The Branch Manager let out a small, calm exclamation of admiration.

It seemed she was a bit flustered when instructions came down from above, which she hadn’t expected, and a mage who passed all the way to Grade 5 appeared.

“I haven’t explained it yet. You can check requests with the Medal. First, set your unique mana pattern, then…”

Kim Songcheol completed the security settings according to the Branch Manager’s explanation and activated the Medal.

Then, a small hologram window appeared before Kim Songcheol’s eyes.

There were many functions, such as request confirmation, acceptance, emergency rescue requests, and emergency alarms.

It looked quite similar to an internet browser. If there was a Magic Alliance homepage, it would probably look like this.

“Ah, I roughly understand.”

Kim Songcheol nodded and moved to the ‘Accept Reward’ tab.

The request to clear the altar, which the Branch Manager had accepted, was posted and currently displayed as ‘in progress’.

“But how do I receive the reward when the request is complete?”

“You can receive it right there. Second-tier magic is databased, so imprinting will proceed through the Medal.”

“Then I won’t have to visit the Branch Office, except when I’m upgrading my rank.”

“That’s right. The Magic Alliance doesn’t have many Branch Offices, so it’s inconvenient to visit one every time.”

“That’s good.”

This was a part that showed the skill and character of the mage who created this system.

Prioritizing efficiency, they manifested a magic internet inside the dungeon to reduce inconvenience.

Moreover, this familiar interface.

‘It really feels like someone from a magic-barren land.’

He could even roughly guess her origin.

Kim Songcheol, seizing the opportunity, moved to the request tab and personally posted a reconnaissance request for Pain.

The method of posting was simple.

He clicked ‘Request Request’ and accepted the memory access, and a request titled ‘Movement of the strike team discovered in the Nothingness power organization Pain, required for rupture assessment’ was automatically generated. Simple explanations were added to the details, making it clear at a glance what kind of request it was.

The request fee was also automatically set. The price was 167,000 Points.

Since the Points transfer was not manifested, it would automatically activate when Points were sent from the Stone Slab.

The request grade was 8th Grade. Since it was a simple reconnaissance, the grade was set low, and since there are quite a few 8th Grade Mages, someone would accept it not long after it was activated.

“Is there anything else I should know? I’m thinking of going to fulfill the request.”

“No. If you have any questions, please use the QnA tab on the site. You’ll get an answer right away.”

“If I ask, will they tell me who made this system?”

Kim Songcheol stood up and asked, half-joking, half-serious.

But the Branch Manager, unexpectedly, took his words seriously.

“Since that person has already revealed himself, I will answer you. It is Three-Eyed Instability Do Chi-ryang. He is the only first-class Mage of the Magic Alliance, and he also created the mysterious Polyhedron.”

“Ah.”

Kim Songcheol felt as if he had heard the nickname and name of someone truly remarkable.

Even if it hadn’t fully registered yet.

….

“Did you join?”

As Kim Songcheol exited the Branch Office, the Celestial Spirit Maiden, who had been waiting, asked.

Despite a considerable amount of time passing, she remained standing in the same spot without moving. Even the posture of having her hands in her upper pockets was identical.

“I joined.”

“I see.”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden nodded as if she had expected it.

“I’ve received a request, an Altar clear. Are you interested in going together?”

“It would be good for a warm-up.”

She readily nodded.

He had caught all the Field Bosses and, as a reward, achieved the Castle Lordship. However, he hadn’t yet been able to test it.

An Altar would be a good training ground, if the difficulty was appropriate.

“I thought you’d probably refuse, but it seems you still consider us a team, don’t you?”

At Kim Songcheol’s joke, the Celestial Spirit Maiden raised one eyebrow askance.

“Are you making fun of me?”

“Making fun of you?”

“You were the first to grant my request. We hunted the Field Boss together. Before that ticklish word ‘team,’ you and I are already bound by a debt of gratitude. I find it unpleasant that you treat me like some ungrateful wretch who doesn’t know proper etiquette.”

“So you do think of us as a team.”

“…I said we are bound by a debt of gratitude.”

“Hmph, alright. I get it.”

As Kim Songcheol smiled and waved his hand, the Celestial Spirit Maiden narrowed her eyes and began to speak.

“That’s not all. Here, too, there is an ‘Achievement’ we must accomplish. We are still too weak to achieve that Achievement, and if we can complete the Altar and become even a little stronger as a reward…”

She spoke for a long time, then saw Kim Songcheol’s grinning face and closed her mouth.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden’s already dark eyes deepened, even absorbing light.

“…Do you want to get hit?”

“Why? I didn’t say anything.”

“Fix your expression immediately.”

“Why are you telling me not to laugh like that… But is it okay to act like this between people bound by gratitude?”

“Shall we try to find out if it’s okay or not?”

As the Celestial Spirit Maiden raised her fist, an even darker, ink-black aura surged.

At that, Kim Songcheol raised his hands and backed away.

“Ah, I just went through two trials. I’m trying to avoid any more trials for now.”

“A good choice.”

Only then did the Celestial Spirit Maiden lower her fist. The faintly rising aura scattered without a trace.

Having barely avoided a confrontation, Kim Songcheol got on his board and immediately left the Magic Alliance Branch Office, heading towards the client’s location.

The distance was quite far, but fortunately, it was in the same direction that Setsu was coming from.

Thanks to that, the five days of travel brought them closer to Setsu, and eventually, Kim Songcheol and Celestial Spirit Maiden were able to meet up with Setsu before meeting their client.

“…It’s really, really far.”

As soon as Setsu landed from the sky, he grumbled, clutching his even shaggier hair with both hands. His expression was full of utter exhaustion.

That’s understandable, considering he had been traveling alone for almost a month. Even flying, it was a considerable amount of time.

“You worked hard. Nothing dangerous happened, right?”

Kim Songcheol asked, patting his shoulder.

“Yes. Flying high, there were no problems, but it was just really, really far.”

“It was far, indeed. Still, I’m glad you arrived safely. Did you eat?”

“Yes. I didn’t starve.”

Setsu smiled, showing a bag full of canned goods.

Should I call it fortunate, or unfortunate?

The world’s ruin couldn’t be helped, but at least he wasn’t starving, so it seemed to lean more towards fortune.

“I’ll buy you some chicken when we leave. Take it. Oh, and we’re going into the Altar, so you’ll be able to earn a lot of Points. There will be rewards too. How does that sound?”

“As long as I earn a lot of Points, I’m happy with anything.”

“You haven’t been in an Altar before, have you?”

Kim Songcheol asked.

Since Setsu had been hunting alone, it seemed unlikely he had ever entered one.

“No, it’s my first time.”

As expected, Setsu nodded.

“Really? It might be good to go in once and see.”

Kim Songcheol said that, but he thought that if the difficulty was even just Hard, he shouldn’t go in.

There were many other quests. There was a shortage of Grade 5 Mages, not a shortage of quests.

“Let’s move for now.”

The ‘re-assembled’ Kim Songcheol team arrived at the Base where the client was.

The Base’s name was Cave.

Unlike Bluebell, the architectural style of the buildings was unified.

Most of them were wooden buildings built from nothing.

‘There are no old buildings.’

Kim Songcheol thought as he entered the Base. He didn’t know the exact details, but it seemed like it had been destroyed once and then rebuilt.

It was something he could roughly anticipate, having experienced it once during a Base capture attempt.

Kim Songcheol moved to meet the client first. The client’s location could be seen by displaying the map with a Medal.

It shouldn’t be hard to find.

“The atmosphere isn’t good.”

Celestial Spirit Maiden said, quickly scanning the surroundings. The eyes of the Hunters walking around the Base were not normal.

All the Hunters in this Base were from Tiger Hand Seals. Their already sharp, predatory eyes gleamed even more, following Kim Songcheol’s team.

Setsu also felt the escalating negative atmosphere and nervously looked around constantly.

“Don’t worry. We’re just here for a quest, anyway.”

If they were all from Tiger Hand Seals, then the client must also be from Tiger Hand Seals. If they stated their reason for being there, there wouldn’t be much trouble.

Kim Songcheol calmly entered the Base.

It was at that moment.

“Oh, it was here.”

An Altar stood prominently in the center of the Base.

The Altar itself was quite large, taking up a significant area.

The Base wasn’t particularly spacious, but the Altar occupied a space about 30 meters by 30 meters.

Furthermore, around the Altar, there were traces of a collapsed building. It seemed the Altar had risen from below, destroying the building.

“Tsk, how unlucky.”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden clicked her tongue.

An Altar disappears once cleared. However, there was no specific rule for when it would generate.

As she said, if you were unlucky, it would emerge in the center of a occupied Base. An Altar that destroyed buildings built on top and took over the land was quite a headache for a Base.

The three of them had stopped to examine the Altar.

A voice came from behind them.

“May I ask a question?”

A rather stern tone.

Kim Songcheol turned at the voice.

A Tiger Hand Seals stood before them, and around him, other Hand Seals had already formed a surrounding wall.

The aura they exuded was excessive. It seemed they might rush in all at once.

The Tiger Hand Seals standing in front also had a resolute expression.

Setsu flinched and took a step back, while the Celestial Spirit Maiden quietly watched the Hand Seals with her hand in her upper pocket.

It was Kim Songcheol who responded to the Tiger Hand Seals.

“Yes, ask away.”

“What brings you here?”

“We’re from the Magic Alliance. You requested an Altar clear.”

“Ah.”

The Tiger Hand Seals’ expression changed in an instant.

He immediately turned around and waved his hand at the gathered Hand Seals, signaling them to disperse.

“They’re from the Magic Alliance!”

Then, the Hand Seals suddenly smiled innocently, saying things like “Please take care of us,” and “We almost misunderstood,” as they awkwardly dispersed.

Kim Songcheol scratched the back of his head, watching the passing Hand Seals bow, then opened his mouth.

“Looks like there was some trouble, enough to be on guard.”

“Yes, there was a big battle with the Martial Artists recently.”

The remaining Tiger Hand Seals glanced at the Celestial Spirit Maiden as he spoke. The reason the Hand Seals had gathered was not because they were human, but because a Martial Artist had come.

“Hmph.”

However, the Celestial Spirit Maiden merely snorted, as if she didn’t care at all about her official position.

“Please wait a moment. I will bring the representative chieftain.”

Tiger Hand Seals walked somewhere and soon brought a well-built Tiger Hand Seals.

He seemed a bit slow for a Tiger, but his Aura was quite sharp.

“Oh, you’ve finally arrived. I am Dishao, who holds the Official Position of this Base. It seems there was a misunderstanding while I was away, and I apologize for that on behalf of everyone.”

Dishao greeted Kim Songcheol warmly. He knew that the request was Grade 5, and he also knew the power of a Grade 5 Mage.

There was no benefit in being disliked in any way.

“No, it was nothing. By the way, I imagine you must be quite upset about this sudden incident.”

Kim Songcheol, who was new to making requests, drew on his social experience to offer words of comfort.

“I’m grateful for your concern. Honestly, this isn’t even something to be upset about. It’s just that the building was a bit damaged… Still, it’s not good to leave it as is for various reasons. I kindly ask for your help.”

Dishao nodded repeatedly, rubbing his thick hands together.

“Well then… just a moment.”

Kim Songcheol measured the Dungeon’s difficulty with an item he had acquired on the way.

Guho and Sipho wouldn’t enter, so they cleverly stepped back.

A blue light from the item swept over Kim Songcheol, Setsu, the Celestial Spirit Maiden, and the Altar.

After about 5 seconds, the difficulty measurement results appeared.

“Hmm… It’s Normal?”

It was a manageable difficulty.