Chapter 152 Meeting With Ralyks [Pt 3]
'Right now, we need competent and trustworthy Adventurers who can be guaranteed to complete this mission.'
Conrad's eyes met Ralyks' crimson irises as he had this thought.
'He seems like a good fit to add to that equation.'
If they had him on their side—a powerful man who could be moved by sincerity—then there was hope to get even more Adventurers on board.
'Billy and Alicia won't recover on time, but if they do… then maybe we could enlist their help too.'
Conrad considered his last lines of thought and wondered if it was indeed the smartest choice.
What if the mission failed again?
Was it not better to conserve the Otherworlders they had left, rather than send them to their obvious doom?
Thinking logically about the current situation, wasn't it an impossible task they were about to give the Adventurers?
'If Lucielle, Brutus, Hero Adonis, and the other Otherworlders from Alpha Class could not make it… can we really say any other group has a chance?'
The answer was an obvious "NO!"
Despite this, Conrad didn't know why he was still clinging to a hope that maybe he was wrong.
Maybe there was a sliver of a chance that the problem would be solved.
After all, if it wasn't… then the end of humanity was certain!
"Tell me more about this job." Ralyks' voice woke Conrad from his troubling thoughts.
His eyes darted around, registering the pure white atmosphere, before eventually settling his gaze on the man of darkness.
"Well, the thing is—"
"Tell me everything." Conrad felt some kind of chill in his body the moment he heard that.
He knew he wasn't obligated to tell this Adventurer the details of National Affairs. He couldn't divulge some secrets to him.
However, Conrad didn't know when he began to open his lips and explain their desperate predicament.
… And how badly they needed someone to help.
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"I see."
Despite Ralyks—no, Rey—saying this so calmly, his thoughts were a jumbled mess
'What the hell? They haven't returned yet?!'
Rey was currently in his tough-guy disguise, but he was truly freaking out on the inside.
'They haven't even sent a message confirming the rescue? What could be going on down there?'
He was confused, to say the least.
Yes, the Royal Dungeon had incredibly powerful monsters inside its walls.
But Rey knew full well that they weren't going to be too much trouble for Adonis and his squad.
'The last Floors of a Dungeon usually contain A-Tier Monsters, right?' Rey learned all of this in the Royal Library.
Mankind had conquered quite a few Dungeons in the past, and never before had the monsters within them exceeded A-Tier.
'Sure, the difficulty of the Monster—especially the Boss—depends on their Skill-sets and the kinds of abilities they have. Terrain plays a huge factor too, but still… they never exceed that limit.'
From what Rey had observed in the Royal Dungeon, it pretty much followed the expected patterns of a Dungeon, so he couldn't chalk it up as an Irregular.
That was why he had so much confidence in Adonis and his team.
An A-Tier Boss might have been too difficult for Brutus to face alone, but if Lucielle, Adonis, and all his Alpha Class classmates ganged up on the thing, there was no way they weren't going to win.
So… how was this possible?
'Something must have gone wrong somewhere. It's definitely serious!'
Rey thought about Adonis, and how he had assured him he wasn't going to lose.
'He seemed a bit tense, but I'm sure he also knew what he was going to do.'
The only reason this could have happened was an unprecedented variable.
Something no one knew about.
'Could this be the mastermind's work? I can't let them get away with this again!'
Rey felt impatient as he sat before Conrad and Knox, as well as the Head Guard.
He wanted to rush out of the room and venture into the Royal Dungeon as quickly as he could.
However, he controlled his emotions.
'As expected, Conrad didn't reveal their identities as Otherworlders, but he told me everything else.'
Right now, all Ralyks knew was that the Alliance's most powerful force was inside the Royal Dungeon and needed saving.
A simply transparent position to have.
'So how should I respond?'
Rey's original plan was to build a reputation within the Royal Estate and leech on them instead of the Black Market.
If he could establish a proper connection with them, then it would be perfect.
However, all of that had to be put on hold due to the current situation.
'If everyone relevant to the Alliance is in danger because of what's going on in the Royal Dungeon, then there's really no time.'
Brutus' life was already in danger before Lucielle and Adonis decided to venture in to save him.
If this incident wasn't resolved as fast as possible, then everyone within the Dungeon could just as well lose their lives.
'I have to hurry!'
"I understand the situation. So, you'd like to hire me to go in and rescue them, right?" He spoke in his usual Ralyks tone.
Rey could see Conrad and everyone else express slight hesitation as he said this.
'What? Did I say something wrong?'
"We were thinking of hiring you alongside the top Adventurers in the Adventurer City to—"
"There's no need." Rey sharply interrupted them, his tone much firmer than normal.
'There's no time for that!'
Rey had studied the map of the United Human Alliance to a considerable extent, so he knew how vast the entire Nation was.
'They occupy a little less than two-third of the Western Continent, and while the rest of the one-third is the battlefield right now, there's still a lot of unexplored lands there.'
Out of all the cities and towns that existed under their banner, the Adventurer City wasn't very close to the Royal Capital at all.
In fact, it was considerably closer to the current battlefield.
'It will take too much time trying to contact the Adventurers. Even if they do succeed in that, there's no guarantee that the Adventurers would agree. Even if the Adventurers agree, it'll take too long for them to arrive here…'
And this was only scratching the surface of Rey's worries.
'I doubt the Adventurers would be able to do anything about whatever is holding Adonis and everyone else in the Dungeon.'
Adventurers were incredibly powerful, but if they were that strong, then there would be no need to summon Otherworlders to begin with.
The Alliance faced a precarious situation with the Dragons, and the presence of Adventurers didn't change that fact.
'We can't wait that long for Adventurers, especially when they won't be much good.'
That was Rey's current position, and he knew Conrad should have thought as much.
'He probably doesn't see any other alternative at the moment.'
Rey found himself smiling a little.
"I will accept your job. But I don't need any Adventurer to come with me. I'm fine by myself." He declared.
"W-WHAT?!"
The instant he said this, Rey could see shocked expressions radiate all over the faces of the men in the room.
He expected this. Still…
'This is the best option!'
"I do not require any reward. I only seek this challenge that seems to lurk in the dark." He rose to his feet, not giving Conrad or the other two any chance to process his words.
"B-but, Sir Ralyks—!"
"What's the problem? I don't see an issue with this arrangement…"
As Rey said this, he could see the shocked, dazed, and downright confused expressions on the faces of those who watched him.
He couldn't help but smile even more.
'They'd never look at me this way if I was Rey and not Ralyks…'
In a way, he found that amusing.
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
It seems we're finally getting into the meat of the Arc.
What do you think is the problem in the Dungeon?