The Tutorial Boss Forms a Party

"So, you want sponsorship?"

Lijet's voice echoed through the drawing room. Just moments ago, I'd laid out everything for Barie—the dungeon emergence prediction and all the preparations I'd made. The blacksmith's receipts, the alchemist's potion order logs, and the oath from the mage were all spread out on the table. They'd even sent someone to verify their authenticity.

Lijet picked up one of the documents I'd presented and skimmed it lightly. Her slender fingers set the parchment back down on the table.

"I refuse."

It was a firm declaration.

"May I ask why?"

"Because it's nonsense. The House of Leator isn't foolish enough to pour the territory's budget into some lone adventurer's hunch."

Lijet straightened her back, tilted her chin up, and looked down at me. Her gaze carried a stern weight.

"These so-called proofs? They're just records of you squandering your personal fortune. There's no solid evidence anywhere that a dungeon will actually appear."

She had a point. To me, it was certainty born from game knowledge, but to outsiders who knew nothing of it, I was just a mad gambler placing blind bets. And I wasn't even sharing my reasoning.

"A dungeon in the territory could be a disaster or a blessing. And on something this critical, you just say 'trust me'?"

Lijet wasn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠angry. Beneath her gaze, she was calculating some scheme in response to my words.

"If I buy into that, front the money, deploy manpower, and it turns out to be nothing? The one who ends up looking foolish isn't you—it's me, and by extension, the House of Leator. Why should I shoulder that burden on your word?"

I had no rebuttal. But I'd come prepared for exactly this. I had a backup plan for rejection, though it wasn't my turn to speak yet.

"However."

Lijet's eyes flicked toward Barie.

"Thank Barie. It's the first time I've seen her endorse or praise anyone besides me. She vouched for you, said you're not insane. And I trust Barie. So I'll trust you once, for her sake."

With a casual wave of her hand, the maid at her side handed me a contract.

"Eck, I have no idea what makes you bet everything on this. But if you're not mad, there must be a reason. Since Barie's staked her honor on it, I won't dismiss it as delusion."

I'd read the contract's terms. I'd expected as much, but seeing it in black and white left me hollow.

"Remember this first: no separate support. No money, no experts. If you're so certain, you can handle it without my special aid. Right?"

"Yes. That's correct."

But I'd gotten what I needed.

"I'll lend you only my name."

Lijet curved her lips into a long, sly smile. An unspoken pressure emanated from it.

"Under my name, Lijet van Leator, I appoint you Captain of the Dungeon Investigation Team, free from any interference in your endeavors."

"Thank you."

Lijet sighed, lifted her teacup, and took a sip.

"Anything else?"

"One crucial thing remains."

"What's that?"

The dungeon will appear. So the team's formation and future weren't my worries. Lijet was too fixated on those risks to see beyond.

"This contract says nothing about rights to the dungeon itself."

Proof she didn't believe a word of it.

I handed the contract back to the maid, who passed it to Lijet. As her eyes scanned the clauses, I spoke.

"The Dungeon Investigation Team will cede 50% of all future achievements."

It was fitting for the lady's name value. With real funding and experts, it might've hit 80%, but a noble's name alone commanded a high price. An awkward split might push her to sell rights to higher nobles, but this gave her skin in the game—making her more eager to help.

She was one of the two main villains, but until she turned full enemy, I had to milk her usefulness. Neither Elena nor I had the power to override nobles yet. Once Elena hit S-rank, nobles would treat her differently, but that was still far off.

"Fine. Seems appropriate. I'll also delegate all management and oversight of the team to you. Run it as you please."

Lijet signed the revised contract, sealing the deal.

I left the drawing room and passed through the lord's castle gates. The afternoon sun beat down, scorching my hair.

One high-priority item on my mental checklist was checked off.

'Dungeon Investigation Team.'

A party officially backed by the lady's name was among the territory's elite. No real support meant it lagged in resources, but in name value, it held its own.

Ceding half hurt on paper, but typical parties paid adventurers up to 3% max. Fifty percent? Lijet clearly didn't buy my claims. She probably figured if this flopped, she could pry Barie away from me.

Whatever her motives, the deal satisfied Eck immensely.

'Without noble approval, nothing from the dungeon counts anyway.'

Dungeon profits weren't just monster drops or ores. It was conquest. As the first official exploration party, we'd effectively claimed the entrance rights.

A dungeon entrance was a golden goose, spitting out gold just for sitting there. Tossing half away? Worth every bit.

'Even if she got greedy, Barie's plea and bond would hold her back.'

Lijet doted on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Barie too much to undermine a request tied to her honor. Catch the general first, as they say.

'Good call asking Barie to leverage our friendship.'

I quickened my pace toward the guild headquarters. Bypassing the bustling first-floor adventurers, I headed straight to the top floor. Guards moved to block me but recognized and let me pass.

I pushed open the heavy wooden door guarding one of the top-floor rooms.

The guild master's office. The hole in the wall was patched temporarily, construction complete.

Rebecca, lounging on a luxurious leather sofa and rifling through papers, looked up. Surprise flickered in her eyes at the sight of me.

"Eck? You coming to me first? I'm thrilled."

"Sit. I'll say my piece and go."

I sat across from her and handed over the appointment letter bearing Lijet's signature.

Rebecca's fingertips unrolled the parchment. Her eyes raced over the text.

Her impassive expression slowly hardened.

"Eck, what the hell is this?"

"A dungeon's coming soon. The lady's overseeing it, so help out."

I leaned back against the sofa.

"She's watching the northern mountains for possible emergence and ordered a team for preemptive response."

Not entirely a lie—just rearranged context. Rebecca had no way to know.

"Gather the clan leaders and keep the main parties on standby, ready to move the second it appears."

"The castle's that confident?"

"Classified. Don't mention the lady or me to the clan heads."

"Expect pushback."

"Keep only the loyal ones. Even if the source is shaky, those who trust and follow you are enough."

Rebecca's gaze darted between the letter and my face. With the lady's name, my words' truth didn't matter. Her endorsement backed it all.

"Rebecca, you'll help me share dungeon intel. Sell what I get to wrangle the clans—that's your role."

"Nothing else?"

Nothing. I wanted out fast. Being near Rebecca stirred Eck's memories like a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flood—why he despised her, the emotions swelling in his chest.

Rebecca stood.

"I do."

"What're you after? I can swing a lot, given the secrecy."

"Not asking. What could I demand from you?"

I let out a hollow laugh.

"The bitch who drugged me sure talks big."

"Unavoidable. You would've ignored words. I know your rebellious streak better than anyone."

She fetched a potion from the cabinet, presenting it reverently in both hands.

"New stamina booster I got. Heard it's hot lately. Need a girl? One like Elena? For rough play, call Jeina. Or me?"

"...Just the goods."

I took the stamina potion, grimaced, and downed the thick liquid. It worked fast—a creeping urge to sink my teeth into Rebecca's nape. But I crushed it down.

"Details when they're set. I'll let you know."

"Yeah. Looking forward to it."

Rebecca walked me to the main entrance, giving a small wave farewell.

Night had fallen. One more task remained. Not on the original schedule, but maybe as vital as the dungeon.

The alchemist district turned pitch-black at night, visibility zero. Amid the dark, eyes unseen in daylight watched me. Brushing past them, I pushed open Dorea's shop door.

The acrid scent of low-grade potions and humid workshop air burst out. Magic lamps cast a soft glow inside, clinking empty bottles echoing busily. Forge-like heat bubbled from the cauldron, steam clouding the ceiling. Finished potions sat corked haphazardly on one side.

"Old man."

Someone groaned at the workbench by the pot and looked up, bleary-eyed. Dorea, dozing off, turned to me with a dazed face.

"It's burning."

"Wha—?!"

Dorea jolted awake. His face crumpled at the boiling-over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠brew. Too late to save. Killing the fire released a burnt stench, charred herbs stuck to the pot. Dark circles glared at me.

"What now? Can't you see I'm swamped because of you?"

"You hitting deadlines at this rate?"

"You dump this on me and... Aigoo, my back."

Dorea rose, stretched with a crackle.

"How do you foist thirty thousand on this old coot in a month?"

"You took the advance."

"Tch... What glory am I chasing with this crap?"

Plunk. I pulled a small vial from my pocket toward the grumbling Dorea. The one Elena gave me this morning—I'd asked him to analyze its components.

I knew what it was, but confirmation via analysis had its uses.

'Pila was supposed to handle this...'

But I couldn't let Elena meet Pila. No way I wanted to see Pila fall head over heels and ravage her on sight. Absolutely not.

Meeting the fake "Pila" first via Lijet's intro was to cut off that connection. If I mediated, Elena could bypass Pila entirely.

Pila was blindly affectionate toward Elena. A good character.

'If her sex drive wasn't off the charts.'

In the game, it was a plus. Here? Fatal. Gloomy yet imaginative, crafting positions and drugs to creatively fuck Elena—a monster of lust.

I reaffirmed my resolve to block their meeting. I'd prevent Elena from becoming Pila's fucktoy at all costs.

Dorea picked up the vial.

"I know you're busy, but check this."

"Now what?"

"Dunno. Looks like a healing potion—need a component scan."

"Hold on."

Grumbling, Dorea uncorked it, sniffed, poured into a flask, and began heating.