"I plan on building a research facility."
Dun blinked.
"A... research facility?"
Kael gave a small nod.
"It’ll operate under the guild I’m planning to establish."
"The Mothlight Guild."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"I don’t want to build just another guild."
"I want to build something that actually leaves a mark on this world."
His voice remained steady.
"Medicine."
"Alchemy."
"Technology."
"Magic."
"I want to invest in every field capable of pushing humanity forward."
He looked out the office window for a moment before speaking again.
"Every time civilization has taken a major step forward, it wasn’t because someone got stronger."
"It was because someone discovered something new."
"A better medicine."
"A new technology."
"A more efficient way to use what already existed."
"Those are the things that change the course of history."
His gaze returned to Dun.
"If I want the Mothlight Guild to stand at the center of this world’s future, then I can’t just continue to raise my strength."
"I have to help create the things everyone will need tomorrow."
Silence settled inside the office.
Dun stared at him without saying a word.
The more he listened, the brighter his eyes became.
He knew Kael was young.
Far too young to be talking about changing the future of humanity.
Yet for some reason...
He couldn’t find it in himself to doubt him.
Maybe it was simply because the young man before him spoke with the confidence of someone who already had everything within the palm of his hand, as though the future he described was merely waiting for him to reach out and claim it.
"Medicine will be the first focus," Kael continued.
"But eventually, the facility will expand into every field worth researching."
"Of course..."
"A research facility means nothing without researchers."
"My biggest problem right now is talent."
"You are the only researcher I know who possesses both the ability and the passion."
Kael looked directly at him.
"So..."
"I’m inviting you to become the head researcher."
Silence filled the office.
Then...
Dun suddenly laughed.
Not because the proposal sounded ridiculous.
Quite the opposite.
It sounded too good to be true.
"Do you know how many years I’ve dreamed about this?" he asked.
"Do you know how many research projects I’ve had to abandon because of funding?"
He shook his head.
"Every breakthrough requires resources."
"Rare herbs."
"Monster materials."
"Laboratories."
"Equipment."
"And all of them cost money."
His smile widened.
"If funding is no longer a concern..."
"Then I’d be able to devote myself entirely to research."
"There isn’t a better offer you could’ve given me."
"I accept."
Kael smiled faintly.
"I figured you would."
The two spent the next hour discussing the framework of the future research division.
Laboratory construction.
Recruitment.
Research priorities.
Security.
Funding.
Patent ownership.
The future distribution of medical products.
One topic naturally led to another until an entire blueprint slowly took shape.
Only after everything that needed discussing had been settled did Kael finally stand up.
"I’ll contact you again once everything is ready."
"I’ll be waiting."
Dun couldn’t hide the excitement in his voice.
After leaving the office, Kael stopped outside the door and quietly let out a long sigh.
Business...
It really was troublesome.
Negotiations.
Planning.
Recruitment.
Management.
Every conversation felt more exhausting than fighting monsters.
He seriously needed a capable personal assistant.
Someone awakened.
Someone who could handle the endless administrative headaches while he focused on growing stronger.
Thinking about it, Kael couldn’t help recalling how Awakeners were generally categorized.
Broadly speaking, classes were divided into three major groups.
Combat classes.
Support classes.
And Creation Classes.
Combat classes were the simplest to understand.
Their abilities revolved almost entirely around personal strength.
Every class perk they gained was designed to increase their offensive capabilities, survivability, or direct combat effectiveness.
These were the warriors standing at the front lines against monsters.
Support classes, however, occupied a rather awkward position.
Many people didn’t even consider them a separate category, instead treating them as a branch of combat classes.
The reasoning wasn’t entirely wrong.
The line separating the two was surprisingly thin.
Unlike combat classes that focused almost exclusively on personal fighting ability, support classes specialized in enhancing groups, gathering intelligence, battlefield control, healing, scouting, and countless other utility-oriented roles.
Take Zoey, for example.
Her Hunter Class granted excellent combat ability.
She could comfortably fight opponents above her own level.
Yet at the same time, many of her abilities revolved around reconnaissance and battlefield awareness.
Did that make her a combat class...
Or a support class?
Even experts argued over questions like that.
Then there was Ezra.
Although primarily a healer, she wasn’t helpless in combat either.
She could defend herself perfectly well while simultaneously supporting her teammates.
Cases like theirs blurred the boundaries so much that there was never a universally accepted definition.
Finally came the third category.
Creation Classes.
Or as many preferred calling them...
Life Classes.
Unlike the previous two, these classes had little to do with fighting.
Instead, they specialized in production and craftsmanship.
Alchemists.
Blacksmiths.
Tailors.
Carpenters.
Architects.
Some classes became even stranger.
Accountants.
Chefs.
Housekeepers.
Merchants.
Nearly every profession imaginable could become an awakened class.
Naturally, many people questioned whether such classes were unfair.
If they weren’t meant for combat...
How were they supposed to level up or survive Tower Trials?
Kael didn’t know the complete answer.
Information regarding Creation Classes remained relatively scarce.
However, from the little that had become public, it seemed these individuals didn’t rely solely on combat to grow stronger.
Instead, they earned experience by performing the work their classes specialized in.
An alchemist might gain experience by successfully creating new potions.
A blacksmith by forging increasingly superior equipment.
As for Tower Trials...
They were known to be tailored toward each person’s specialization.
Stealth classes received infiltration missions.
Tank classes received protection trials.
Creation Classes likely faced trials connected to their respective professions.
The Tower itself ensured fairness.
Thinking this far, Kael nodded slightly.
The Mothlight Guild would definitely need a large number of Creation/Life Class Awakeners.
They possessed abilities that ordinary people simply couldn’t replicate.
If he gathered enough of them...
The guild would develop far faster than any conventional organization.
As for finding them...
That was a problem for another day.