Chapter 46

No matter how unfriendly the system might be, it never created anything without a solution.

That had been an unchanging rule ever since the Gate incident.

“For now, it’s best to just hold onto it. I’ve tried appraising it over and over, and something does come up, but I don’t think it’ll reveal anything more than this.”

Hunter So Yeri examined the heart with the curious eyes of someone looking at a strange artifact before speaking.

“‘The time the twisted tree has lived is contained within’… That’s all it says.”

Time contained within?

I pondered seriously for about three seconds before scratching my head.

“Then let’s appraise it again later.”

Dealers aren’t supposed to worry about complicated stuff like this anyway!

So Yeri Hunter laughed at my words.

“Mind if I take this one?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

It’s not like I’m going to throw it for damage output or anything.

“Let me know if it turns out useful for something later.”

“OK~”

So Yeri Hunter tossed the item into her inventory.

Then she asked,

“Any gates you need help with while I’m here?”

Ooh. I replied humbly to her question.

“Plenty.”

The power of an S-rank hunter was incredible!

On her way back, So Yeri Hunter cleared three B-rank dungeons as a “favor,” claiming she’d stumbled upon them.

Thanks to her, the knights of our territory could finally breathe a little easier.

“The urgent gates are mostly handled for now. From here on, we’ll respond to new ones more systematically.”

I had no intention of wasting the time she’d bought us.

Butler Helen listened intently to my words.

“First off, where are the new recruits in training?”

“They’re training at the knight academy grounds right now.”

Helen answered immediately. The knight academy was visible from here if you looked down.

I glanced out the window at the spot.

The hunter ranks of the pint-sized would-be knights—still far from true knighthood—were visible. Some swinging swords even had a class mark shaped like a +, oddly enough.

A healer.

Why was a healer down there?

“The fourth row from the front, third from the left.”

Helen looked down at the same spot I was pointing out.

“Yes.”

“Send that soldier to the medical unit. It suits their aptitude better.”

Helen blinked at my words.

“You can tell… just by looking?”

Ugh!

Senia apparently lacked an eye for talent.

Or more precisely, she could spot dealers but not healers.

Of course! She’s a dealer herself! Argh, I misspoke!

“Hmm…”

I pretended to ponder while waiting for the hunter chat responses.

Come on, everyone, I’m in a hurry here!

That’s obvious!

Exactly! But… wait, Hunter Yian’s traits?

1. Handsome. 2. Likes helping people.

Spouting that would trigger the penalty for sure.

Option 3 it is!

“You can tell just by looking—they lack any killing intent in their sword swings.”

How little killing intent do you need for Hunter Yian to have zero damage skills?

Offering a swordsman-like excuse finally made the penalty crisis warning vanish.

Helen alternated looks between me and the soldier in question, eyes full of admiration.

“Indeed.”

Like hell it is!

His swings just lacked edge—that’s normal for training. Showing killing intent there would be weirder.

In the meantime, Shin Jae-heon chimed in late.

As if you could hear voices from here. What a useless guy in life.

Then the healer himself logged on.

The only healer you’ve seen is Yian, isn’t it?

“We’ll send that soldier to the medical unit.”

At least the RP dungeon penalty crisis was averted. Phew.

I nodded at Helen’s words.

“Good. Now, form teams from those soldiers—pick the better-trained ones—and pair each with a knight. Send them into gates.”

We couldn’t afford to waste manpower anymore, like throwing three A-ranks into a D-rank gate.

They were unfamiliar with gates until now, so we’d indulged them. But no more.

In my memory, gates popped up chaotically at first, then quieted down—only for even more to spawn afterward.

“And I’ll join the front lines myself.”

“Pardon?”

Helen flinched at my words.

“But milord going out personally—”

“I can’t stay back when my knights are risking their lives. Besides, I need to see the gates firsthand to assign knights properly.”

I piled on excuses, but the real reason was simple.

I need to spec up too, you know?

“…Understood.”

Unaware of my true thoughts, Helen withdrew, swimming in a soup of感動.

About three days passed like that.

I’d become a slightly tankier C-rank dealer.

“What’s average B-rank vitality again?”

In my memory, B-rank dealers had at least 200k vitality base.

I was already pushing 230k as a C-rank. And yet, no B-rank hidden quest in sight.

Of course, this was standard—rank-ups were rare worldwide.

But I couldn’t stay C-rank forever.

‘You need something desperate.’

Shin Jae-heon’s words came to mind.

“What could be more desperate than smashing the Hunter Association’s flowerpot?”

Alone in my office, I vented freely.

If we were together, we’d crack open some booze and complain!

Thinking that made me a bit wistful.

Clearing this fast would let me visit the villa, chat freely again, right?

“Hunter Association chairman my ass…”

I leaned back in my chair.

I just wanted to clear it safely and get out soon.

I checked my status window again.

No way this hunter rank could do it.

I’d bought skill keys with coins from gates, but the skills were far from my main build.

The Synergy skill was even OFF in this L-rank RP dungeon—probably only activates on nested gates within.

“Staying like this, I’ll die of old age here.”

Drastic measures needed!

I shot up from my seat.

RP dungeon time flows much faster than Earth’s.

A year here wouldn’t mean a year back home—maybe a few weeks at most.

But the longer it dragged, the more crap headlines the press would spew.

[Hunter Shin Yuri Team Enters L-rank Dungeon, Missing for 2 Weeks]

[Was L-rank Too Much for Shin Yuri’s Team?]

Imagining that pissed me off.

Especially…

‘Shin Jae-heon!’

I still worried about Shin Jae-heon getting hurt last time.

Stronger gates were coming. To avoid trolling, I needed rank-up fast.

We were a two-dealer party subbing for a tank—if I became the weak link, things would get rough.

“Alright.”

Can’t rank up?

Become an S-rank raw stats C-rank then.

Ever heard of brute-forcing with pure stats? Huh?

Hit once, make it twice; hit twice, make it four—eventually the monster drops!

Thinking like a true dealer, I stormed out.

Or tried to.

If Helen hadn’t thrust an invitation at my determined advance.

What the hell? They forming guilds here too?

I hate guilds. You gonna skim gate loot fees too?

My thoughts halted at the sender’s name.

Lettide de Viya.

What was this overachiever scheming now?