Chapter 44: Epilogue - Dream

At a corner table in the Adventurers' Guild hall sat a typical yet oddly matched pair of adventurers. One was a laid-back warrior dressed in nothing but a simple set of clothes—far from his trademark coat that matched the brownish-gray color of his hair and eyes—and notably missing the large, intimidating halberd-axe that was usually strapped to his back. The other was a mischievous mage with a pair of eccentric eyes, who never missed a chance to flaunt her confident demeanor and bold attitude. Her eye-catching platinum blonde hair was styled in a braided ponytail, and her pristine clothes hinted at both elegance and vanity. It had already been a few days since Arezu and Lynn returned to the capital of the Eileen Kingdom from their orc-hunting quest. As for the results, the Adventurers' Guild had officially recorded the orc-hunting quest a success. Although they hadn't discovered an actual Orc nest, their group—along with Gwen's party—had defeated enough Orcs to qualify as having cleared a small monster den. In addition to that, the Guild also acknowledged the success of the search-quest for the missing adventurers, which Lynn had secretly undertaken without informing Arezu. With two quests completed, Lynn and Arezu received a decently large reward. Lynn even generously shared a portion with Gwen's party before bidding them farewell, flashing her usual mischievous smile—as if to hint at another troublesome plan, likely involving the Heroine. As for their feat in conquering the previously uncharted and still-unnamed Dungeon, the Guild was still in the process of reviewing the matter. It was clear that this pending decision wasn't the reason Lynn and Arezu were currently at the Adventurers' Guild. "I'm glad you accepted our invitation... and you as well, Ms. Lynn." The warm greeting came from an adventurer much taller and broader than Arezu, with dark-brown hair and—judging by his voice and presence—probably older, too. Though he hadn't introduced himself yet, Arezu immediately recognized him. He was one of the missing corrupted adventurers—the swordsman Arezu had dueled within the uncharted Dungeon. "With everything that's happened, I suppose it's a little late for introductions. But my name is Rust, a warrior adventurer." Rust offered his hand in greeting. Arezu stood and accepted it respectfully. "Please call me Arezu." Arezu then shifted seats to sit beside Lynn, offering Rust and his companions a spot at the table. Behind Rust stood two other adventurers: a female archer with long midnight-blue hair who looked slightly older than Arezu—she was the same one they fought alongside Rust—and a male mage who looked like a perfectly average man, perhaps the same age as Rust. He was the one Arezu had impaled with a cursed spear during their confrontation. Noticing the mage's arm still wrapped in bandages from shoulder to wrist, Arezu felt a twinge of guilt. But when he tried to apologize, the mage simply laughed it off. Rust introduced the archer as Raven, and the mage as Blaze Von Asheren—a name that, to Lynn's amusement, didn't quite match his ordinary appearance. Blaze also added that, though the Von Asheren family held a viscount rank, he was merely the fifth son. As for the two other swordsmen who had fought with them, Rust clarified they were just junior adventurers who had accompanied them and were not official members of their party. Currently, those two were trying to join a different adventuring party. Rust explained that his group had actually been the first team the Adventurers' Guild assigned to investigate the missing adventurers from the orc-hunting quest—before Lynn and Arezu. Using the same method of tracking fleeing Orcs, Rust's party had also found the uncharted Dungeon. However, during their exploration, they never encountered any of the missing, corrupted adventurers. Instead, they stumbled upon the remnants of the Orc nest—now filled with undead Orcs, presumably slain by the missing adventurers and then resurrected by the Curse of Envy corrupting their monster core. The clearest memory Rust, Raven, and Blaze shared from reaching the unguarded Dungeon Core was discovering and obtaining what they believed to be mere Dungeon Artifacts—cursed weapons embedded in the barren hill at the center of the Dungeon. The reason Rust had invited Lynn and Arezu wasn't just to thank or apologize to them—it was also to confess something he believed they had the right to hear directly from him. Although none of the three remembered their fight against Arezu, Lynn, and the others in full detail, they did vaguely recall fighting someone. Rust, in particular, remembered battling several different fighters—one with a halberd-axe, another with a shield, one with a spear, and even a highly skilled female swordsmaster. Yet, according to guild investigators who interviewed him after his recovery, Rust had fought only one person: Arezu. "Different fighters?" Lynn echoed, grinning mischievously at the intriguing detail in Rust's confession. Arezu, meanwhile, only gave a wistful smile, pretending not to know what Rust meant. But Rust had more to share. While under the influence of the curse that had corrupted the buster-sword he wielded, Rust experienced what he could only describe as a dream. In it, he was guided on how to wield the cursed weapon to its full potential. He also saw what he believed were the memories of the buster-sword itself—memories of the countless battles it had endured, the enemies it had slain, and the warriors who had wielded it until their dying breath. This revelation, coupled with the absence of respawning monsters in the dungeon—except for the Orcs who had made their nest there—only strengthened Arezu's growing suspicion. "So it was a graveyard, after all." A Dungeon from another world—one where the wielders of those cursed weapons fought to the bitter end. A Dungeon corrupted by the Curse of Pride, left behind by the fallen warriors who marked their graves with the very blades they once wielded. That realization cast a heavy, solemn atmosphere over the corner table—enough to draw the attention of nearby adventurers. Trying to shift the mood, Rust changed the subject. "Anyway, let's set those grim thoughts aside. What I'm more interested in is meeting a promising kid like you, Arezu." Being called a kid didn't sit well with Arezu, especially since Rust didn't look that much older—probably not even thirty. But his irritation quickly shifted when he heard Rust's next words. "I can't believe you fought on equal footing against a silver-rank warrior like me... against a silver-rank party like ours." While Arezu was left stunned and speechless, Lynn stepped in with dramatic flair. "My, my... Equal?" she repeated, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "What do you mean, Ms. Lynn?" Rust asked politely, despite being the senior in rank. Then came Lynn's grand declaration. "My companion, Mr. Arezu, was obviously holding back against you, Mr. Rust." And it was true—Arezu had never targeted Rust directly during their fight, focusing only on breaking the cursed buster-sword to end the duel. Despite the shocked looks on Rust, Raven, and Blaze's faces—and Lynn's haughty boasts—it became apparent that Lynn had known all along that Rust's group was a silver-rank party. And she had deliberately kept that fact from Arezu and the rest of their group, risking all their lives just to conquer the Dungeon. "Lynn..." That one word from Arezu said everything. She knew he had figured it out. Still, she couldn't resist teasing him. "What is it, Mr. Arezu?" "What else are you hiding from me?" he asked, trying to keep his irritation in check. "Hmm... Like my feelings for you?" she replied playfully, voice full of mock romance. "Seriously... at least apologize first, Lynn." "But I'd rather express my gratitude first... to you, Mr. Arezu." "Gratitude? For what?" "For bringing us home, of course."