Chapter 98

Chapter 98: The Desert (2)

After the commotion passed, another group entered.

A man in traditional Chinese attire. Given that almost no mana could be sensed from him, he wasn't part of the expedition—he looked like an Association staffer.

The man greeted us with a disciplined posture.

"Welcome, Heroes. I'm Xiao Huya, and I'll be handling today's briefing."

The briefing.

An important session, needless to say.

Dungeons were places where even trivial pieces of information could mean the difference between life and death. Knowing even a little more before going in mattered.

"The dungeon you'll be heading to is a ruin in the southern Sahara Desert. An S-rank Gate has appeared there."

"Does it have a model?"

"No. It's a first discovery."

"Tch, I had a bad feeling the moment they said Sahara. Figures."

"Damn. This won't be easy."

Dungeons came in two types.

Those with an existing model, and those discovered for the first time.

A model referred to a dungeon's type.

The various dungeons used in my lectures—Slime Burrow, Pale Monkey Forest, and the like—were all called models.

The dungeon A-team entered and the dungeon B-team entered were separate instances, but both were Slime Burrow.

Dungeon themes overlapped surprisingly often, and humanity had, for all intents and purposes, catalogued nearly every model from F-rank through A-rank.

Once a model was catalogued, prior raid data existed—meaning the monsters, trap locations, boss monsters, and even dungeon strategies were all documented, drastically reducing the difficulty.

Conversely, a first-discovery dungeon with no model meant going in blind and gathering all data firsthand. The Pacific Dungeon had been one such case.

S-rank dungeons appeared infrequently enough that first-discovery cases were not uncommon.

The dungeon we were heading into was one humanity had never seen before.

It went without saying that the difficulty gap between a modeled dungeon and a first-discovery dungeon was significant.

If a modeled dungeon was rated S-rank, a first-discovery dungeon was classified as S+-rank on that fact alone.

First discoveries at other difficulty tiers also received the + designation, but since models from F through A had been nearly fully catalogued, such cases were extremely rare.

All SS-rank dungeons were effectively first discoveries, making the distinction moot.

For that reason, the + classification was typically used only within S-rank.

"S+... ugh, this won't be easy."

"Can we really clear this?"

The Heroes were already intimidated before even starting, but not everyone felt the same.

Murakami was laughing with gusto.

"Bwahaha! Sounds fun."

His personality was atrocious, but his skill was the real deal. And he was a veteran rich with experience.

Right now, even the Heroes who'd been annoyed at Murakami probably drew confidence from his presence.

"Well, well. That's the kind of challenge worth showing up for."

Wang Sheng, who lacked skill and experience alike, also displayed confidence.

Where this kid got that kind of nerve, I had no idea.

Someone else chimed in.

"What does it matter? We've got the god of strategy on our side. The man who chewed up an SS-rank dungeon."

Suddenly, every pair of eyes in the room converged on me.

I'd wanted to slip by quietly, but now the mood demanded I say something.

"It's a simple matter. Clearing an S-rank dungeon is easier than putting together a puzzle."

"Ooh!"

"He lives up to his name!"

The off-the-cuff remark drew an enthusiastic response from the Heroes.

Honestly, it'd be harder than a puzzle—but clearing an S-rank dungeon wasn't that tough. If they wanted to give me a challenge, they'd need to bring at least an EX-rank dungeon.

Sensing an opening, the Association staffer Xiao Huya seized the momentum.

"Given that each nation has sent its very best guilds, I know you each have your own accumulated know-how and strategies. However, as a joint operation, we'd like to designate a leader to unify the command structure and ensure everyone works in close coordination."

"A leader?"

Eyes lit up at the word "leader."

The party leaders heading each guild party.

All S-rank Heroes.

"If it's a leader, naturally it's the great me—representative of China's number one guild."

Cheongseong Guild party leader, Wang Sheng.

If that ignorant lout became leader, this expedition was doomed.

"That brat walks around with Lie Xiao and thinks he is Lie Xiao? A more qualified leader from China—that would be me."

Yeonho Guild party leader, Baekryeon.

I knew nothing about this woman, but she was certainly better than Wang Sheng.

"Running your mouths as you please. The leader should obviously be the strongest and most experienced—me."

Katanaz Guild party leader, Murakami Kenjiro.

The most skilled, but his insufferable personality would ruin the expedition.

"......"

And lastly, silent but wearing a look of quiet expectation—Geumok Guild party leader, Do Yeonha.

I didn't know Do Yeonha's capabilities, but if she became leader, things would get extremely tiring.

China had numbers, and Murakami had skill—but Do Yeonha had nothing the other parties would trust or follow.

Sorry to a fellow Korean, but sit this one out.

Among the four, if I had to bet, I'd put my chips on Baekryeon.

The other three weren't even worth considering.

Xiao Huya announced the candidate he believed was best.

"We would like to nominate Professor Cha as leader."

An excellent choice.

I didn't want to play warden, but it was a hundred times better than leaving it to any of these people.

"That Korean professor is someone I can trust."

"Let's see what he's made of."

"Heh, I'm not happy it's not me—but that man, I'll acknowledge."

"......"

No major complaints from anyone.

Reputation could be a hassle sometimes, but moments like these made it quite convenient.

Getting self-important S-rank Heroes to defer wasn't common at all.

Especially given that these weren't just any Heroes but the infamously antagonistic representatives of Korea, China, and Japan.

Xiao Huya let out a sigh of relief at the smooth resolution.

He'd probably been bracing for a brawl between the Heroes.

The briefing that followed, stripped of the fluff, boiled down to this:

An S-rank Gate appeared in the Sahara Desert.

Beyond that, we don't know much either. Figure it out and clear it yourselves.

The end.

What the hell?

Then why did they even hold a briefing?

"We wish you the best of luck."

***

The expedition boarded a military transport for transit.

Not an ordinary military craft—it was built for passengers who were Awakened.

Meaning passenger comfort was irrelevant, so it was insanely fast.

I wasn't sure of the exact speed, but fast enough to cover vast distances in an instant—that much was clear.

Even with my dynamic vision, the scenery outside the transport windows was blurred.

If it was this bad for someone with A-rank physical capabilities, that said it all.

We divided the transport interior into five sections and settled in.

Four sections for each guild's party, and the remaining one served as the command area, where I, Zhuge Soyon, and the four party leaders gathered.

Murakami spoke.

"Brats, since we'll be stuck together for a while, let's at least introduce ourselves. As you all know, I am the strongest Hero in Japanese history—Murakami Kenjiro."

Someone snorted at the old man's introduction.

Yeonho Guild's party leader, Baekryeon, was wearing a saccharine smile.

"And this is what passes for history's strongest? Gives you a good idea of Japan's level."

"Hm?"

Murakami's eyes flared.

Come to think of it, back at the strategy room, when Murakami had unleashed his killing intent, this woman hadn't shown any particular reaction.

Did that make her not a greenhorn S-rank like Wang Sheng, but a seasoned one?

RATTLE-RATTLE-RATTLE—

As their two auras collided, the transport briefly shuddered.

Other Heroes aboard tensed up and focused this way.

"Hmph."

"Ngh......!"

The winner of the clash of pride was Murakami.

The collision was brief, but Murakami's presence had been the more imposing.

Even a seasoned S-rank Hero couldn't help it before the monster geezer.

"Disappointing. Running your mouth with only this to back it up."

"...Do you just swing around killing intent when you fight monsters? A swordsman only needs to cut well—strutting over something so worthless—. You do know what the Two Young Dragons of China refers to, right? It's what they call Lie Xiao and me."

Vulgar language tumbled from Baekryeon's refined mouth. I'll admit, the illusion shattered a bit.

And while she'd namedropped Lie Xiao, I wasn't so sure.

No matter how you looked at it, Lie Xiao was at least two tiers above.

"Why does that lady always bring up Lie Xiao? She doesn't even have the skill to back it up."

My suspicion was confirmed—Zhuge Soyon muttered under her breath. Wang Sheng beside her stifled a snicker.

When Baekryeon glared daggers, the two quickly looked away.

What a circus.

Could this expedition even succeed?

"Excuse me, Professor Cha."

While China and Japan were busy measuring egos, a fellow Korean—someone with no interest in their squabble—called out to me.

Do Yeonha.

Geumok Guild's S-rank Hero.

"Thank you."

She suddenly offered her gratitude.

I didn't need to ask what for.

Do Yeonha's party being here at all was entirely because I'd negotiated well with China.

Just as President Ju Hyeonsu worried about Korean guilds falling behind internationally, the Big Three guilds surely shared the same concern.

In that bleak situation, the first chance to turn things around had been given to Geumok Guild.

That it was Geumok and no other guild—everyone could easily figure out it was because of my student, An Seri.

That was precisely why Geumok had sent not their top-strength 1st party, but Do Yeonha's 2nd party.

Because Do Yeonha and the 2nd party belonged to the faction supporting An Seri.

If the Sahara Expedition ended successfully, the 2nd party's standing within Geumok would rise significantly.

Which meant An Seri's support base would strengthen.

"No need. I intend to receive my thanks from the person herself."

No explanation needed for who "the person" was.

Do Yeonha chuckled at my words.

"You're close with our young lady?"

"We're teacher and student."

"Hmm~, is that so? I was her teacher first, you know~."

Do Yeonha drew out the end of her sentence.

It felt less like cuteness and more like mild irritation.

No—not irritation, more like......

Could it be? This woman?

"Come to think of it, I think I heard Seri mention it once. That she had a wonderful mentor at the family home who'd trained her."

"The young lady said that?"

Do Yeonha's eyes went round as she leaned toward me eagerly.

"Yes. Seri thought of you like a real older sister."

"An older sister......!"

Do Yeonha's expression melted into delight.

What an easy read.

Of course, An Seri had never said anything of the sort to me.

I'd never even heard of Do Yeonha, and she hadn't been mentioned in the game either.

The closest thing to a reference was a scene where An Sehyeon, while attacking An Seri, mentioned that he'd "severed all her limbs."

One of those severed limbs was probably Do Yeonha.

An Seri's reaction had been a general regret about failing to live up to their trust—not any special sentiment toward anyone in particular.

What is this.

Thinking about it this way, I actually felt bad for this person.

"Yes, yes. Seri has that mature side to her, doesn't she? But whenever she talked about you, she'd get this expression like a girl her own age."

With every word I added, Do Yeonha's cheekbones ascended further toward the heavens.

Since I felt bad, I'd let her enjoy the dream for now.

My first impression of her as taciturn turned out to be wrong—once she opened up, she was just a little-sister-obsessed fool.

She might not be entirely sane either, but at least she was easy to manage. Okay.

And so our transport carried us to the Sahara Desert in a harmonious atmosphere.