You promised to wreak havoc on the dungeon, but instead you've got Dragon Slime!

The further you walk, the more remote the area becomes. The low stone houses around you gradually thin out until they disappear, and the stone path under your feet turns into a wasteland full of pebbles.

At the edge of the field of vision, only a towering, dark building stands alone on the desolate edge.

It was a Gothic castle with an extremely somber appearance, spires and intricate carvings, like a giant beast lurking in the shadows, exuding a chilling ancient aura.

"Miss Carolina, we're almost out of town, and there's not even a decent house. Where are you going to take me to rent a place?"

Ron stopped in his tracks, filled with suspicion.

Carolina's slender fingers, carrying an undeniable air, pointed straight at the distant, pitch-black castle that seemed to devour all light.

"Look, it's right there!"

Ron's brow furrowed.

"That's a private castle, isn't it? How could there be houses for rent?"

Carolina then led Ron into the towering Gothic building.

The moment you push open the ornate iron gate, a whiff of aged wine mixed with the scent of rose essential oil wafts out.

After walking through the room, Ron soon found himself in a room that was enormous and astonishing.

The space is estimated to be over 200 square meters, with a layout resembling a luxury suite in a high-end hotel.

The room is filled with magnificent furniture and exquisite furnishings, showing meticulous attention to detail. However, the lighting is slightly dim, as if it is shrouded in the shadows of the building itself.

At that moment, an elderly man appeared silently at the door, dressed in a perfectly tailored black velvet tailcoat that seemed to blend into the shadows.

He was tall and straight, with a refined and scholarly appearance, exuding the composure that comes with the passage of time.

The old man bowed gracefully towards Carolina, his movements fluid and utterly devoid of any worldly air.

"Miss Carolina."

The butler's voice was deep and magnetic, like a vintage wine:

"Is this your distinguished guest? Would you like me to arrange for a servant to take special care of him?"

The mischievous Carolina skipped over to the old man, displaying a touch of her spoiled little master.

“Butler Lester, this Mr. Ron is an important guest of mine. From now on, make sure his meals and daily needs are properly arranged. At other times, do not disturb his peace unless he summons him.”

Listening to the implications of their conversation, Ron suddenly understood.

"Miss Carolina."

He looked around the room, which was so luxurious it seemed otherworldly:

"This is...your residence?"

Carolina turned and smiled, her sharp canine teeth faintly visible in the dim light.

"That's right, this is my home. From now on, you can live here in peace."

She spoke lightly, as if she were talking about something trivial.

After dismissing the butler who had vanished like a shadow, Carolina skipped back to Ron, a smug smile on her face.

"Here, you can order the servants around as you please, just like a master. Don't be polite to them!"

She waved generously, as if giving a small gift.

—We can't rush things! The first step is to win people's hearts.

The quirky Carolina pondered in her heart, a shrewd glint flashing in her eyes that seemed out of character for her.

—Everyone thinks she's just a troublemaker?

—Hmph, that's just a carefully maintained facade!

Chapter 17 Veronica and President Amata

Emerald Town

Wearing only a pair of tattered shorts, Walter and his companions returned to the familiar Emerald Town, looking disheveled.

Walter's heart felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead.

Who would have thought that the damned Thunder-Patterned Lizard could spray an electric spider web with extremely strong binding force?

Is this thing really a thunder-patterned lizard?

It's like a monster that jumped right out of the monster encyclopedia!

Misfortunes never come singly, and enemies always seem to find themselves on a narrow road.

Just as they entered the town, they ran into their nemesis, Ross.

"Hey, isn't this our mighty Mr. Walter?"

Ross crossed his arms, a sneer plastered on his face, and threw back at Walter's earlier mockery verbatim:

That little E-rank dungeon? Tsk tsk, I never expected you guys to stumble in a place like that. What a pity!

Walter and several of his companions, who were also only wearing underwear, blushed and wanted to argue back.

But looking at his extremely disheveled appearance, he couldn't muster a single confident word and could only glare angrily.

Just as the awkward stalemate was at hand, a fiery red figure shot in like an arrow and stopped in front of everyone.

This is an elven girl dressed in exquisite, bright red leather armor, as vibrant as blood.

She stood tall and straight, her military uniform highlighting her strong physique, her face as cold and stern as an ice sculpture, and her silver hair gleaming with a chilling luster in the sunlight.

Those long, narrow elven eyes were now looking down at Ross with undisguised contempt.

"You are Ross?"

Her voice was like shattered ice striking each other, carrying an undeniable sense of command.

Ross was taken aback by the sudden aura and sized up the spirited yet haughty elf.

"I am...who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who I am."

The red-clad elf girl slightly raised her chin, her eyes practically overflowing with disdain:

"Now, come with me to the Adventurers' Guild. Guild Master Amata wants to see you."

His tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

……

Emerald Town Adventurers' Guild.

President's office.

For several days in a row, the adventurers of Emerald Town seemed to be under some kind of strange curse, returning home in their underwear and looking disheveled.

As the leader of the Emerald Town Adventurers' Guild, Guild Master Amata could not possibly turn a blind eye to such a phenomenon that was seriously affecting the guild's reputation and business.

The adventurers' collective failure directly threatened the metric he valued most—

Business growth rate.

This is the only hard standard by which the Adventurers' Guild headquarters evaluates the performance of local branches every year and decides on the retention or removal of the guild leader!

If the growth rate falls to its lowest point, he, as the chairman, will be punished at best, and at worst, he will have to resign.

Therefore, as soon as the situation began to show signs of trouble, Amata quickly dispatched guild agents to conduct an in-depth investigation.

Ultimately, all the clues pointed to one name:

Rose —

The LV10 Berserker who posted the exploration quest for the E-level dungeon "Black Whisper Caves".

So he immediately dispatched his assistant, known for his efficiency and decisiveness—

Veronica, go and "invite" Mr. Ross to come and find out what's going on.

Tuk-tuk-tuk.

There was a knock on the heavy oak door of the office.

"Come in."

Amata's calm voice rang out.

Veronica, dressed in bright red leather armor, pushed open the door and entered with swift movements.

"President Amata, the person has been brought here."

As a level 10 adventurer, Ross never imagined that he would one day be "invited" to a talk by the branch leader.

Despite Veronica's infuriatingly arrogant attitude, he still came.

"President Amata, you wanted to see me?"

Ross maintained basic courtesy.

Amata was a middle-aged man with a resolute face, exuding the aura of a high-level spellcaster.

He pointed to the chair in front of the table:

"Sit down. Tell me in detail what you know about that E-level dungeon, 'Black Whisper Caves'."

Ross didn't dare to delay and immediately recounted his and his companions' encounter in the Black Language Cave in detail, especially focusing on the exploding LV1 paralyzing mushrooms.

"An exploding...paralyzing mushroom?"

Amata's brow furrowed deeply. He had explored countless dungeons throughout his life, from the lowest to the highest rank, and knew the habits of all kinds of monsters like the back of his hand.

Paralysis mushrooms are less common in recent years, but they are by no means unfamiliar.

However, paralyzing mushrooms explode?

This is simply unheard of!

Veronica, standing to the side, let out a disdainful snort, crossed her arms over her chest, and her pointed elven ears twitched slightly.

"Heh, could it be that some people suffered a great loss in a mere E-level dungeon, and to cover up their incompetence, they deliberately exaggerated and fabricated some sensational stories?"

Her tone was sharp, and her eyes were full of suspicion.