Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Catch That Bastard
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The lobby of the Explorer's Union was always a hive of activity.
Crowds filled the space: clients rushing in to post requests, explorers scouting for jobs, and staff handling them all.
It was the usual everyday scene, but lately, it had been even noisier than normal.
"Did you see the Minotaur corpse those explorers brought back from the Academy commission? They say it was almost ninth-floor level."
"Oh, that monster that's supposed to have moved up layers? Of course I did. And I heard from one of the staff handling body classifications at the Union—it's suspected to be a monster seed. From a mid-layer explorer, no less!"
"Ah, I heard about that party of thirteenth-floor explorers that got wiped out recently because of the omens. Did a guy from that party get eaten by a Minotaur?"
"New traps and monsters have been showing up since the omens hit. Totally possible."
Speculation and chatter filled the Explorer's Union.
The topics were all much the same.
The omens in the Labyrinth, the changes they'd brought, and the aftermath.
It had been over a month since the omens erupted.
And now, explorers who'd been below the eighth floor when it happened were starting to return to the Labyrinth City.
Not everyone—some were still holed up at the Eden midpoint on the fifteenth floor, and not every party had come back up.
But enough had returned that information about the Labyrinth's post-omen upheaval was spreading like wildfire.
"Of course, rumors spread fast, so you've got to take some of it with a grain of salt."
Gellen, a top-tier junior explorer who'd just come up from the eleventh floor of the Labyrinth—and was on the cusp of mid-tier—chatted with his party members.
"Like, for example... some lunatic explorer in a helmet supposedly slaughtered a dozen or so Minotaurs."
"And not just any Minotaurs—unique variants, they say."
"And get this: his party was only seventh-floor caliber? Does that even make sense?"
If that wasn't baseless gossip, what was?
Even some explorers from the Academy commission claimed to have witnessed it, but to Gellen, it was all bullshit.
He just couldn't stomach the idea of another male explorer on his level.
"And then, I heard this other crazy rumor after coming up to the surface."
As Gellen spoke, the female explorers eyeing him hungrily and his male lackeys perked up, hanging on his every word.
"What rumor? Tell your big sis. I'll do anything for you."
"Yeah, Gellen. Spill it."
Bolstered by their gazes, Gellen voiced the unbelievable rumor—or rather, the one he refused to believe.
"...That the Union Leader took on a male disciple... Nah, no way. It's gotta be fake. I mean, come on... that can't be real."
The absurd rumor that Union Leader Edelbert had taken a disciple. It had been Gellen's top obsession since surfacing.
"The Union Leader taking some no-name male explorer as a disciple? That's insane."
It was utterly ridiculous.
What did someone as near-perfect as Edelbert lack that she'd need a disciple for? A male one, at that.
Gellen was considered the top male explorer below mid-tier.
He simply couldn't accept some random guy leapfrogging him to become Edelbert's disciple.
'How much I've... longed for Lady Edelbert...'
The reason was simple: Gellen harbored feelings for Edelbert.
And he wasn't alone.
It was infamous that any male explorer who even glimpsed Edelbert once fell into a severe case of lovesickness.
"I heard that's actually true."
A dagger to Gellen's heart flew from the next table over.
A pack of drunk junior explorers was chattering away excitedly.
Gellen's eyes rolled back in fury.
"You lot! Is that for real?! Can you back that up?!"
"Huh? Well, not exactly back it up..."
"We just heard it ourselves; we haven't seen it."
The explorers shrank back from Gellen's mid-tier-level outburst.
Few remembered the moment Edelbert had declared Balkan her disciple, and the rumor had spread wildly on its own.
And rumors, passed from mouth to mouth, inevitably twisted.
"Even the counter staff say Union Leader info is confidential—they won't confirm if it's a real disciple or not."
"There's talk of them being lovers, or at least a favorite nephew type—though probably not—or actual disciple rumors..."
"Nephew? Lovers?"
"Makes sense, right? He always staggers out of the elevator with shaky legs. Looks like he's been totally drained. Tsk."
"Word is, he's got this insanely hot body, so he hides it under a helmet. Face is a total landmine, though."
"Who said that?"
"Dunno. Just a rumor I heard."
Gellen's gut boiled as he watched the junior explorers gossip among themselves.
The nerve! The absolute nerve!
'What kind of sleazy, pig-fucking nephew gigolo bastard dares touch my Edelbert!'
His teeth ground together involuntarily. His delusions spiraled.
As Gellen inwardly shredded the mystery nephew scum—who was clearly gunning for Edelbert's position and the entire Union—the elevator dinged.
The Union Leader's private elevator. Edelbert had descended to the lobby.
The rowdy clients stopped their shouting, the explorers quit debating, and the tense staff straightened up. Order returned to the Union.
They pretended to get back to work, but their eyes flicked to the elevator.
Gellen's bloodshot glare locked on the doors.
'It's gotta be fake.'
Clinging to that faint hope, he waited for them to open.
The doors parted, revealing a beauty with black high ponytail and swaying cat tail, her expression impassive.
Explorer's Union Leader. Edelbert... and to her right.
A man a head taller than Adelbert, with a massive muscular build.
He had one arm boldly draped over the Union Leader's neck—the woman worthy of awe—and was pressed right up against her.
His body glistened, soaked in some unidentified fluid, and his limbs were covered in red handprints.
The female explorers and staff gulped at the sight.
Even without details, it was obvious something intense had gone down.
Edelbert's hand rested carefully on his waist.
"Watch your step. Don't trip."
"Yes, Master."
As if afraid he'd fall, Edelbert offered her advice and gently supported him as they left the Union.
In the frozen lobby, only the two slipped away leisurely.
"...The rumor was real?"
"Holy shit! The Union Leader actually took a disciple!"
"Hey, does that look like a master-disciple thing to you?! They totally fucked! He looks like a male squeezed dry by a female beast!"
"Nah, but... I didn't smell any semen."
"If the Union Leader gave him a massage, that explains it."
"Her? Giving some random guy a massage, disciple or not?! Ha. I'd sooner believe a goblin raped a woman!"
Those fixated on the provocative sight gossiped wildly.
"But that helmet and axe... Doesn't it match the guy who took down the unique Minotaur?"
"Yeah, that's him. I saw him on the Academy run! Helmet's a bit different, but no other guy has that build."
"A rookie like that, and he's the Union Leader's disciple..."
"Kinda hot, right?"
Those with stronger explorer egos started fixating on his specs and connections.
And Gellen.
"That... fucking nephew bastard... How dare he touch my Edelbert..."
His eyes burned with rage, envy, and jealousy as he glared at the Union doors like he wanted to rip them apart.
Gellen's party members quietly backed away from their cursing leader.
"Take it easy going in, Master."
"Good. I gave you a massage, so be here on time tomorrow."
"Today's session felt like a full week's worth of sparring already..."
"I said come, so come."
"Yes..."
Edelbert didn't enter the inn with me; we parted at the door.
Seemed like she'd purely come to escort me back safely.
Fortunately, the handprints from her on my limbs had faded almost completely by the time we arrived.
"...Balkan. You're back?"
"Yes. I'll get ready right away."
"...Do that."
Lately—or rather, since Eli left—Diana had been giving me these odd looks, but she didn't say anything now, so she probably hadn't noticed.
We naturally prepped for the evening rush.
Just past six, customers flooded in. The inn was still wildly popular.
But today, more than usual seemed to show up for reasons beyond dinner.
"We're the Juju Party, seventh-floor explorers. Ever thought about joining us?"
They'd probably rushed over after spotting me with Edelbert, cocks in hand. Their caliber was obvious without asking.
'Real players would approach way more carefully.'
"You've been dawdling here for over ten minutes. Order something or get out. Before I split your skull with my axe."
"What? You little shit—"
"Ahaha. Our bad. W-We’ll come back properly next time!"
One of the Juju Party—no idea what their deal was—bristled at my icy tone, but their leader paled, clamped his mouth shut, and they bolted.
Glancing back, I saw Diana eyeing them with a chilling stare.
'Tyrant's Haki for sure.'
I gave her a discreet thumbs-up. She smiled softly back, eyes closed again, and headed to the kitchen.
"...?"
Her back looked oddly listless.
'Something wrong?'
As a question mark floated over my head and I followed her to the kitchen.
"B-Balkan! Is Balkan here?!"
A desperate voice echoed from the inn entrance. One I'd grown familiar with.
Ramel Royce, the harpy mage from the Joey Hog Party.
'Our next Labyrinth run was set for tomorrow.'
What the hell had happened to make her call so urgently?
Ramel rushed up to me, face ashen.
"Calm down first and tell me slowly. What happened?"
"I-It’s... haa..."
She pressed her forehead and let out a deep sigh at my question.
Her reaction was off—way off.
"J-Jubel and Joey Hog... got dragged off by the guards!"
Ah.
So that's how it went down.
I lightly smacked my forehead.
"That crazy milk-bagger and drunken slob..."
Someone finally reported them, huh...