Chapter 15
Chapter 15
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Gold Solis Party
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Luscious black hair like polished ebony cascaded down to her hips.
Porcelain skin gleamed with a luster like the finest china.
Her features embodied a paradoxical beauty—fresh yet mature—blossoming somewhere on the boundary between girl and woman.
Yet that beauty was overshadowed now, her face flushed full with shame.
Ironically, her pitiful, humiliated expression only fueled the viewer's sadistic urges.
"Why do you hate it? You came looking for me first, didn't you?"
A sleazy voice filled the room with mocking tones.
"But..."
"Say it clearly. Will you do it or not? Or should I tell you to get lost right now?"
The blond man with his healthy, bronzed muscles approached and spoke insinuatingly.
He spoke of the mercy of choice and generosity, but behind his voice lurked something else entirely.
'Your choice was decided from the start anyway. You have no option but to do it, right?'
Exactly.
As the man said, this meeting had happened solely because she wanted it.
But...
Even so, did she really have to endure something this humiliating?
No matter how inevitable it was... no matter what...
Though she needed to decide, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her insides burned with anguish.
Savoring her ever-shifting expressions of torment, the man's face twisted into a vile grin.
As if delighting in a pet that had run away only to return exhausted and starving to his arms.
The brief moment felt like an eternity to her.
Then, her porcelain teeth clenched tight.
Her head nodded faintly in permission.
Clap!
"Good. I knew you'd come around."
At her consent, the blond man clapped cheerfully and closed in with a grin.
She flinched.
"No one else can satisfy you like I can, right?"
As he sat beside her and whispered hotly into her ear, she felt goosebumps ripple across her entire body.
Ignoring it, the blond man placed one hand on her shoulder while raising his other hand's index finger to point at something.
At the tip of that finger was a magitech device.
One developed by alchemists—one that had rendered old-world painters obsolete.
A magitech recorder that captured one's current appearance and actions.
"Look over there and state your name and age."
"Arjen... I'm 21."
"What's your affiliation and rank?"
"I serve the Goddess of Mist and Dew... 5th Hierarchy."
"5th Hierarchy at your age? Impressive."
Treated like a child, her face flushed crimson again at his sly interjection.
"So... Miss Arjen, what's your experience with 'this sort of thing'?"
"......"
"Miss Arjen?"
"......"
"Come on. You have to say it."
At her silence, the blond man pressed her in a slightly lowered voice.
"...Once."
"Couldn't hear that. Say it loud enough for the magitech to record."
"Once... yes."
"Perfect!"
Her answer barely out, the blond man sprang up with boisterous energy.
Then, retrieving something from the magitech recorder that had captured the prior scene...
Without so much as glancing her way, he began meticulously writing it down.
"Mr. Gold Solis..."
"Hm? What?"
"Is there really a reason we have to do this crap every time?"
As she muttered while covering one eye in shame, the blond man—his prior sleaziness a lie—replied with a solemn expression.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Gold Solis, still scribbling away with one hand, pointed to a framed motto on one wall.
"Swift, accurate, safe. That's the creed of Gold Solis Express."
His face brimmed with pride in his work.
"Even for temps, providing clients with precise carrier info is Gold Solis Express policy. Clients naturally want to know if the carrier they're entrusting their life to in the dungeon is trustworthy."
"...That's not what I—sigh..."
"First step to being a pro is earning client trust."
"...Pro my ass, you hack."
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Arjen glared at Gold Solis with uncharacteristic venom, her face still hot.
"So, when's the damn dungeon run? I need money."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The Crawler Guild counter.
The silver-haired beauty receptionist smiled sweetly as she began stacking towers of gold and silver coins before her eyes.
"Per the contract with the Kaiden Party, the settlement for Arjen after fees and taxes is 14 gold 20 silver. For the troll blood as special material, after fees and taxes: 25 gold. Total: 39 gold 20 silver receivable from this dungeon run."
Four gold towers gleaming bright, two silver ones beside.
I reached for those beauties practically screaming to be taken.
Thud.
But my hand was blocked by another that darted out.
The owner was the silver-haired beauty receptionist before me.
"...Miss Seria?"
"However—"
Despite her brazen act, the silver-haired receptionist kept smiling as she delivered the brutal verdict.
"Arjen's expedition fund loan from Crawler Guild totals 518 gold. Per priority repayment for high-value debtors, excluding the base guarantee of 1 gold, we will apply 38 gold 20 silver first."
"...Huh?"
With a flick of the silver-haired receptionist's wrist, the gold and silver towers vanished in an instant.
Left behind: a single lonely gold coin.
"This month's interest on 518 gold is 9 gold 35 silver 60 copper. After applying 38 gold 20 silver, Arjen's remaining debt is 489 gold 15 silver 60 copper."
For a split second, the smile vanished from the silver-haired receptionist's face.
Without her foxlike eye-smile, crimson eyes beneath locked onto Arjen.
"Next month's interest payable: 9 gold 8 silver. For high-value loans, priority repayment applies across all Crawler Guild facilities until debt falls below 50 gold. Also note that prolonged delinquency or deemed unrepayable debt allows the Guild to collect via 'various methods.' Thus."
A smile bloomed anew on the silver-haired receptionist's face.
Beautiful, yet somehow sinister.
"We hope you'll demonstrate steadfast repayment resolve until your debt is cleared."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
-How about... selling that staff?
As I left the Guild staring blankly at the single gold coin in my palm, the Goddess spoke cautiously.
I fiddled with the handle of Keseff Heyrel—the root of all this—and replied.
"...I've waited a year for this."
-But if you can't repay the debt, you might really get sold off.
I shuddered recalling Crawler Guild's silver-haired receptionist, Seria.
...She just might.
No, Seria would probably hope I fail to repay.
"It's common for crawlers to stretch for loans to buy weapons."
For crawlers delving dungeons, gear was their most vital tool.
Superior equipment boosted ability and sometimes saved lives.
Mass-produced stuff was cheap, but custom gear was handmade and pricey.
Crawler Guild didn't offer expedition loans for nothing.
...Though normal loans topped at 10 gold; near-500-gold cases like mine were rare.
"Even if I sold it, finding a buyer would be harder."
How many would buy a 70kg solid silver staff worth 1000 gold?
Not a single one came to mind.
It was custom-made for me; at that price, better to just commission anew from a workshop.
Melting the silver and true silver mix might fetch 400-500 gold...
'Absolutely not.'
What a loss that would be.
The money in Keseff Heyrel was years of blood and sweat in the dungeon.
Abandoning it now would barely dent the debt.
The advance paid to Clonter Workshop—years of effort—would mean nothing.
Beyond that, I couldn't part with it after that 22nd-floor fight.
"It just feels daunting at first. Pay it off steadily, and it'll be fine. My abilities have grown; with steady earnings, two years tops."
-Mm... glad to hear that, then.
Finding work? Piece of cake.
Job shortage for supporters? Ridiculous.
No way that happens.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"...No parties...?"
Bam! Never say never! Sorry!
Three weeks later.
Desperate, I'd swallowed my pride, even posted on the guild job board.
Still no party.