Return to Runen
After several weeks of exploration, I returned home. “I’m back...” The Necromancer Guild’s signature chill hung in the air. No matter how much you ventilate this damn place, the cold never leaves. Chill or cold—who cares. It’s always an ominous feeling that lingers here.
“Hello?” Not a single person even glanced my way. “Seoha noona?” Guess today’s the guild guide’s day off. No reason to stick around then.
“Did Hajun come back?” The master’s voice drifted out from inside the guild.
“No, he didn’t.” Again, no reason to be here. I ignored whatever the master was saying and stepped outside. That’s when I ran into Jangcheok, who was just walking in.
“Hey, Hajun. You get some rest?”
“What’s going on?”
“The supervisor wants to talk to you.”
“To me?”
“Yeah. He read the expedition report, and apparently there are a lot of things he wants to ask about.”
“Why ask me instead of—”
Jangcheok said it like it was obvious. “Because you worked the hardest on this mission.”
I’d never read the report myself, so there was no way to know what he’d written. Maybe I should stop by the Explorer’s Association.
“The supervisor already contacted the Alchemist Guild.”
“About Maya?”
“Right. Since we brought back one of their guild members, they’ll probably give us something.”
The alchemist Maya had returned to Runen with our party. Naturally, rescuing a stranded explorer came with a reward. In the game, the higher the level, the bigger the payout. I ran the numbers in my head: mission completion bonus, plus the Alchemist Guild’s gratitude payment for bringing Maya back. On top of that, the Dungeon Seeker Guild would pay well for the gold statue fragment. Hard work, but we made money. Most importantly, we succeeded. If we’d failed, I would’ve had to quit being an explorer altogether. We got lucky.
“Once we get the money, how about a drink tonight?” Jangcheok asked, snapping his fingers.
“Sure.”
“Haha. Then I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
After parting with Jangcheok, I headed straight to the Explorer’s Association. Labi, the clerk, greeted me.
“You’re here. The supervisor’s waiting, so you can go right in.”
When I entered the supervisor’s office, Gawin was buried in paperwork. Must be busy on a weekday afternoon.
“I’m here.”
Gawin finally looked up. His expression was bizarre. It wasn’t easy to make a face like that with only one eye left. He flipped the document he’d been reading face-down and gestured to a chair.
“Sit.”
What was he going to say this time? I couldn’t think of anything unusual about the mission. What could explain that strange look?
“Hajun.”
“Yes.”
“You’re one hell of a guy.”
The words felt off. “Hell of a guy” was never a compliment. It was positive on the surface, but in my entire life, I’d never heard anyone use it that way. I quickly reviewed my behavior, but nothing stood out. A reflexive excuse slipped out.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Right. You didn’t do anything.”
I was genuinely uneasy now.
“That woman you brought back—Maya. The Alchemist Guild refused to pay the reward.”
“What?”
What was he talking about? Bringing back a missing person safely was supposed to earn a proper reward. That was the explorer’s code. We saved her, so pay up. Wasn’t that obvious?
“She says there’s no one named Maya.”
It sounded like nonsense.
“She’s not part of the Alchemist Guild?”
“No, she is. She was a guild member right up until the jewel escort mission, and the Explorer’s Association has the proof. But she was already listed as deceased.”
“...Not missing?”
“Right. The guild member named Maya went on a mission and died in the Ant Cave. That’s the Alchemist Guild’s official stance. So the woman you brought back isn’t Maya. They can’t pay.”
“Are the alchemists collectively on drugs? Does that even make sense?”
I’d said before that none of the organizations in Dungeon Overseer were sane. Madmen were everywhere. Among the many lunatics, the Necromancers and Alchemists were the top two. Necromancers dealing with corpses was expected, but the alchemists looked normal on the outside while doing insane things, which made them even stranger. Why were they like this?
“Why treat a perfectly living person like she’s dead? Just for a few coins in reward money?”
“Not a chance. The alchemists are loaded. You know how weird their sense of money is. They don’t care about the numbers on invoices.”
Gawin emphasized each word. “Someone deliberately erased the name Maya.”
A sudden headache hit me. My money? My compensation? Those alchemist bastards. They said they had money! I just brought back a missing explorer. Why did I have to deal with this nonsense?
My thoughts jumped to Maya.
“Then where is Maya now?”
“Roa took her.”
After returning, Maya had apparently sat in front of the Explorer’s Association office for a long time. When the guild wouldn’t accept her, she had nowhere to go. Roa had passed by and taken her home. It was absurd.
“So what happens to Maya now?”
“She’ll figure something out.”
“Can’t the Explorer’s Association do anything?”
“Give money to a broke explorer? The guild leaders would love that.”
I’d asked just in case, but Gawin answered indifferently. Returning from a dungeon with nothing but your life wasn’t unusual. It was a place where people died. Being alive was enough. The association was cold to explorers who came back empty-handed. Dungeon exploration wasn’t charity. Maya was the only one who got the short end of the stick. She was completely broke, of course. Nowhere to borrow money either.
The supervisor looked at my complicated expression and gave a small laugh.
“I’ve been doing this for over six years, and I’ve never seen anyone as unlucky as you.”
“Didn’t you say that last time?”
“Heh heh heh... Poor bastard. Looks like your compensation just went up in smoke.”
So that’s why he called me. He just wanted to tease me. Anger flared up. Damn alchemist guild.
“That’s it? I’m leaving.”
“Yeah, that’s all. Good work. Go rest.”
“Right.”
Once outside, I wandered the streets until sunset. I thought it over. If Maya’s name had been removed from the Alchemist Guild records, it had to be more than a simple misunderstanding. Why? Because Maya was clearly alive. A few document fixes and a “glad you’re alive” would’ve been enough. But the way Gawin spoke suggested the Alchemist Guild probably knew she was alive. So why?
Gawin said someone had deliberately erased her name. ...Without any leads, speculation was impossible. I didn’t know.
After sunset, I headed to the Explorer’s Rest. One of the few places a necromancer could eat and drink.
“Hajun!”
“Hey, you made it.”
Familiar faces greeted me—Jangcheok, Sion, Roa. And Maya.
We sat around the table and ordered food and drinks. Once the alcohol started flowing, the voices grew louder.
“The necromancer who calls death!”
“What.”
Sion shouted that at me, and I answered. He recoiled in shock.
“You were actually the necromancer who calls death?”
“Yeah.”
“Shibal.”
Sion muttered a curse under his breath. He must’ve known how spectacularly I’d ruined parties in the past. The explorer scene was small. Rumors spread fast.
“Pissed?”
“Fucking pissed, shibal.”
Sion grumbled for a bit, but after a couple more drinks, he didn’t seem to care anymore. We’d completed the mission. We made money, and no one died. So no problem. To celebrate the successful mission, everyone ate and drank like there was no tomorrow.
“When I get home, I’m buying a cow...” Jangcheok suddenly blurted out, drunk.
“You farm at home?”
“Not me, my son.”
“You have a son too?”
“Yeah. Last time I went down, some girl introduced herself... She said she needs a cow to get married.”
“The one without a cow is your son, not you. Why are you buying it?”
“Because I want to, you little shit...”
...Was that a death flag?
Sion, also tipsy, patted Jangcheok’s shoulder. “May you raid dungeons for a long, long time and get filthy rich.”
Jangcheok seemed to remember something and looked at me.
“Oh, right. Our Hajun.”
“Yeah?”
“I saw it this time. Our Hajun really knows how to work.”
“...”
It was clearly a compliment, so why didn’t it feel good? In the Ant Cave, Jangcheok and Sion had barely done anything. Roa and I had handled everything. Except for the final fight, they’d basically been carried the whole way. Not that I’d wanted to carry them...
“Necromancers have that kind of prejudice, right? Cold, ruthless, throwing away comrades like old shoes. But you seem different, Hajun. You fight well and use magic well too.”
“Ah, yeah.”
“Watching you use magic, your skill was really impressive. How about it? Want to run a dungeon together next time?”
Running a dungeon was fine, but did it have to be with Jangcheok? When I stayed silent, Sion jumped in.
“Old man, what about me?”
“Ah, of course we’re taking our Sion too! Same members, all four of us. Let’s go together. Roa! What do you think?”
“...Huh?”
“If you don’t want to, just say so.”
Roa was chatting with Maya and hadn’t heard a word. I politely declined Jangcheok’s offer with a personal touch.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m sorry. I don’t think I can go on the next mission with you.”
Jangcheok’s face, flushed from alcohol, said, “No, no. It’s fine. If you’re busy, it can’t be helped.”
“Jangcheok, you know people call me unlucky, right?”
“The necromancer who calls death and all that?”
I smiled as wickedly as I could, like a truly unlucky necromancer summoning a bad future.
“The next expedition feels off. Be careful.”
Jangcheok swallowed hard, looking dazed. The cow comment was still bothering me. He probably wanted to make money fast and was pushing himself too hard. He’d already caused a big accident in the Ant Cave by acting on his own. A warning like this should keep him alive on the next expedition. He was a former comrade, after all. This was the best I could do. I hoped he wouldn’t die.
Next to me, the drunk Sion was rambling. “Come on, what’s there to worry about when you’re going with me?”
The alcohol was starting to hit. Most of us were feeling it. Roa glanced at me and said quietly, “Oppa, did you hear about Maya unni?”
Now was the time to bring it up.
“Everyone, listen up for a second. This is what the supervisor told me. The Alchemist Guild isn’t paying.”
“Why?”
“Maya got kicked out of the Alchemist Guild. So they say they can’t pay.”
I summarized what Gawin had told me. Maya had been declared dead after going missing. Since she couldn’t possibly be alive, they couldn’t pay. Thud! After hearing everything, Jangcheok slammed his glass down hard enough to break it.
“What kind of crazy bastards are these?”
Jangcheok and Sion spent the next while tearing into the Alchemist Guild. The main points were the guild’s lack of responsibility toward explorers and why they wouldn’t pay us. Maya’s expression grew darker, and Roa looked like she wanted to die from guilt.
Then—
“Um... Sorry, but could I have a moment of your time?”
Maya quietly raised her hand.
“I’d like to make a request. I need people to help me get home. Is anyone willing to help?”
“...”
The explorers glanced at each other. Maya was an alchemist, so she probably had decent money. The problem was there was no guarantee we’d actually get paid. Explorers really hated getting stiffed. Well, nobody liked getting stiffed. That was why the Explorer’s Association and requests existed. Private deals had no credit.
“How much are you offering?”
Jangcheok asked bluntly. An explorer shouldn’t be ashamed to talk about money.
“1300 ron per person. We just need to get to a city called Oricil. It’ll probably take about a week.”
I did the math. 1300 ron for a week of escort duty. Not bad. Escort missions weren’t particularly dangerous either. After thinking it over, Jangcheok and Sion declined Maya’s request.
“We need to prepare for the next expedition.”
“...I understand.”
Maya looked completely unfazed, like she’d expected the rejection. If she couldn’t hire escorts, things would get really hard for her.
“I’ll go with you.”
Roa was on Maya’s side. I thought for a moment, but following Maya was probably the better choice. Who knew? The Alchemist Guild might pay up eventually, even if it was late. ...And I was worried about Maya.
“When are we leaving?”
“As soon as we finish preparing for the trip. Roa said she’d help.”
So that’s what they’d been talking about. Travel plans. The conversation wrapped up for now. The people going on the trip were me, Roa, Maya, and one more explorer we’d need to find. The next request was an escort mission.