Chapter 42

“Guild Leader, in your current condition, I wouldn’t even advise you to walk to the bathroom without someone accompanying you. For now, your only priority should be getting some rest.”

The doctor delivered the refusal as gently as he could.

“Try to move as little as possible. And if you absolutely have to get up, make sure someone is there to assist you. I’m going to emphasize this again: do not push yourself.”

After giving Eunseong one last stern look, the doctor left the room.

Eunseong immediately turned toward Chief Secretary Choi.

“At least bring me the urgent paperwork.”

“You heard the doctor. He said no.”

“I can handle it from here.”

Chief Secretary Choi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and replied without hesitation.

“No.”

“Since when do you get to make that decision?”

According to the memories he had inherited from Baek Eunseong, Choi Taejun had never been the sort of person to force the Guild Leader to work.

He usually handled most matters himself, then brought Eunseong the completed reports afterward.

Because of that, there were countless aspects of Zenith’s actual operations that Baek Eunseong had never known about.

I can’t keep sitting around as nothing more than a figurehead.

If he intended to clean up Zenith before eventually handing the guild over to Mujin, he had to start now.

And even if he started immediately, he had barely enough time as it was.

Yet Chief Secretary Choi remained completely unmoved.

Even with Eunseong glaring at him coldly, his expression did not change in the slightest.

“Guild Leader, you only just woke up. You were unconscious for an entire day. And until a few minutes ago, you couldn’t even sit up without assistance.”

“That was only because my arms temporarily lost their strength…”

“And the doctor also specifically told you that you need assistance whenever you move.”

“Choi Taejun.”

Eunseong said his name in a low, icy voice.

Chief Secretary Choi merely adjusted his glasses again.

He wasn’t backing down.

As Eunseong’s expression grew increasingly displeased, Mujin spoke up in a calm voice.

“You should rest, Guild Leader.”

Eunseong turned toward him.

“Why are you taking his side?”

“Because I’m worried you’ll drink another potion.”

“I won’t.”

Mujin’s gaze dropped to the hand Eunseong had resting on top of the blanket.

His fingertips were still trembling ever so slightly.

He clearly hadn’t recovered all his strength yet.

“You kept drinking them in Black Thorn Valley.”

“……”

Eunseong fell silent.

Memories from Black Thorn Valley surfaced one after another.

He had used a skill to save Han Jia.

When Mujin had been in danger, he had swallowed the Dew of the World Tree without a second thought.

Throughout the subjugation, he had continued relying on potions whenever necessary.

And in the final battle, he had consumed the Dew of the World Tree once again in order to destroy the remaining stamen clusters.

Of course, there had been a reason behind every single one.

If he hadn’t done those things, a large number of hunters would have died.

It’s not like I was taking them for no reason.

Everyone pushes themselves that much in a dungeon.

Eunseong glared alternately at the two men.

Neither Chief Secretary Choi nor Mujin showed the slightest intention of giving in.

I just want to get a little work done while I’m stuck here.

Why do I have to fight both of them just to do that?

For some reason, Eunseong felt as though he were the weakest person in the room.

“…Fine. I’ll rest for one day.”

“Yes. In that case, I’ll report the results of the Black Thorn Valley subjugation.”

“You just told me I’m not allowed to work.”

As if he had been waiting for Eunseong to say exactly that, Chief Secretary Choi picked up the tablet and brought it over.

Eunseong narrowed his eyes.

That was a remarkably fast change of attitude from someone who had been refusing him outright a moment ago.

“I thought hearing the results would help you relax more than lying here worrying about what happened because you hadn’t received a report yet.”

“You always have an answer ready.”

Eunseong grumbled, but his eyes had already settled on the tablet.

No matter how heavy and sluggish his body felt, he wanted to know the results of the subjugation himself.

And then came the part he’d been waiting for most.

“Black Thorn Valley has been officially closed. There were no fatalities, and none of the injured hunters are in critical condition. The loot was distributed according to the agreement made inside the dungeon. We secured the Black Thorn Lord’s mana core, as well as several primary materials, including black seeds and heartwood.”

At the mention of the rewards, a hazy memory surfaced.

It was the scene just before they exited the gate.

Before the final distribution, the guild leaders and executives of all three guilds had gathered together at one side of the basin.

Even while receiving treatment and having their equipment inspected, the hunters who had participated in the battle continued talking about the moment Eunseong had destroyed the remaining stamen clusters in a single attack.

With every retelling, the story became more exaggerated.

Spear of Ruinous Thunder grew larger.

The explosion that had destroyed two filaments somehow became powerful enough to blow away half the basin.

“Was Baek Eunseong always that strong?”

A hunter from Valhalla had asked the question.

A Zenith hunter immediately bristled.

The way he puffed out his chest made his pride impossible to miss.

“Watch how you say his name. You don’t get to casually call another guild leader by name like that. And do you think Zenith is ranked number one for no reason? That’s all because of our Guild Leader.”

That was enough to start another round of arguing among the hunters.

Eunseong had pretended not to hear any of it.

His attention remained fixed on the reward list.

The terms they had agreed upon before entering the dungeon were simple.

In exchange for Zenith providing poison-resistant equipment and supplies, the guild would receive forty percent of the subjugation rewards, along with first selection rights.

Yoo Cheolmin and Han Seyeon pushed the reward list toward Eunseong.

“Go ahead. Pick first.”

“Zenith has first selection. Take whatever you want.”

When the agreement had first been negotiated, there had been plenty of complaints that Eunseong’s demands were too excessive.

Now, however, not a single person objected.

Anyone with experience in S-Rank or mutated dungeons knew just how difficult it was to clear one in four days.

And everyone present knew Eunseong had been instrumental in making that possible.

More importantly—

There had been no deaths.

In an S-Rank dungeon where losing dozens of hunters would hardly have been surprising, the fact that every single hunter had made it back alive spoke for itself.

There was no longer any reason to negotiate over the terms.

Eunseong selected the Black Thorn Lord’s mana core.

It was the most valuable item on the list.

An S-Rank boss’s mana core was extraordinarily valuable on its own, and if processed correctly, it could become one of the key materials for S-Rank equipment.

The negotiations over the remaining rewards continued for some time.

“Ah. Finally.”

Cha Taegyeong stretched both arms above his head as though he had finally escaped a punishment.

He glanced toward the Supply Team Leader, who had gone to collect their share of the rewards, and snorted.

“You normally sit in the back. Is this why you suddenly fought like your life depended on it?”

“I told you. Nothing in this world comes for free.”

Despite the exhaustion written all over Eunseong’s face, he was thoroughly satisfied.

The mana core alone was enough to make the entire subjugation worthwhile.

With that one item, no one at Zenith could complain about the enormous amount of money that had been poured into the operation.

“The mana core is currently being kept in the special storage vault. We’re also looking for a craftsman capable of processing it.”

“Leave it there for now.”

Chief Secretary Choi’s finger stopped in the middle of scrolling.

“Do you have something specific in mind for it?”

“Not yet. Have its attribute and stability checked first.”

Eunseong answered casually.

But without realizing it, his gaze drifted toward Mujin.

The Black Thorn Lord’s mana core was an extremely valuable growth material obtained from an S-Rank boss.

In the original novel, another guild had acquired it and used it to create equipment.

But this time, it belonged to Zenith.

If they processed it properly, perhaps it could be used to strengthen Lord of the Black Night.

Or—

They could use it to create an entirely new piece of equipment specifically suited to Mujin.

Chief Secretary Choi opened another screen and handed the tablet back to Eunseong.

“This is the public response following the subjugation.”

The screen filled with articles and video thumbnails.

[Zenith Guild Leader Baek Eunseong Turns the Tide in S-Rank Dungeon]

[First S-Rank Dungeon Clear With Zero Fatalities: Hunters Reveal the Decisive Moments]

[Baek Eunseong’s Decision Prevents Major Disaster]

[Subjugation Proves Why Zenith Deserves the No. 1 Ranking]

The more headlines Eunseong read, the more his expression soured.

The first article even featured a photograph of his face taken before entering the dungeon.

The image had been enlarged until it occupied nearly half the screen.

“They’re seriously overdoing it.”

“The articles are based on statements from hunters who participated in the subjugation.”

“That somehow makes it even worse.”

Eunseong tapped one of the videos.

An excited-looking hunter appeared on the screen.

—The Guild Leader told us we absolutely had to take the right-hand path. Honestly, I didn’t understand why at the time. The left path looked much safer. But not long afterward, the entire route collapsed, and a poisonous swamp burst out underneath it. That’s when I realized it. So this is how our Guild Leader has been directing everything from behind the scenes all this time!

The next video played.

—They gave us everything we needed, and they compensated us properly afterward. They’re even giving us bonuses. Anyone who participated in this dungeon really lucked out.

Another followed.

—They replaced all our equipment before we entered. It made us feel much safer!

And another.

And another.

Before long, the videos made it look less like ordinary post-subjugation interviews and more like an organized “Praise Guild Leader Baek Eunseong” campaign.

And it wasn’t just Zenith hunters being interviewed.

Hunters from Aegis and Valhalla were appearing as well.

Apparently, that had drawn even more attention from the public.

Eunseong grimaced and was about to turn the tablet face-down when Chief Secretary Choi swiped to the next page.

This time, the articles weren’t about Eunseong.

They were about Zenith’s other members.

One headline among the articles about the guild’s executives immediately caught his attention.

[The Hidden Hero of the Black Thorn Valley Subjugation: Who Is the C-Rank Hunter Who Saved Guild Leader Baek Eunseong?]

The article went into considerable detail about the incident involving the Huntsman Spider Queen.

Hundreds of hunters had witnessed what happened.

Apparently, one of them had given an interview.

Mujin was introduced as the C-Rank hunter who had saved the Guild Leader after the boss singled him out as its target.

And the comment section was already filled with people asking who he was.

“There are quite a few articles about Kang Mujin.”

That wasn’t particularly good news.

Mujin becoming famous could cause problems.

There are a lot of items he acquires while clearing dungeons under a hidden identity.

If he gets too famous, won’t it become impossible for him to keep doing that?

A faint crease formed between Eunseong’s brows.

Chief Secretary Choi’s expression became slightly more serious.

“There’s another matter concerning him that I need to report.”

“……”

“There are several guilds trying to approach Kang Mujin.”

Eunseong’s expression changed instantly.

His gaze turned cold enough to freeze the air.

“What?”

His voice dropped.

“Which ones?”