Right after having lunch and saying goodbye to Mari, I found myself in front of the Adventurer's Guild. With the same imposing double doors as well as the heavily reinforced iron bar windows which looked like it was a fortress ready for war, I entered the establishment.
When I entered, I was greeted by the usual sight, adventurers here and there grabbing a drink or discussing about their tactics for their next quest, as well a line forming in front of the receptionist's desk.
When they noticed me however, all of them set their sights on me as if I was a rare animal on parade.
"Uhhmm… Hello…?"
When I greeted them hello, they just continued to stare at me. A few moments later, a woman in her 30's approached me with a smile plastered on my face.
"Well, good afternoon adventurer FG-117780."
She came up to me and grabbed both of my shoulders with her hands.
"Let's have a private talk in my office, yes?"
Little did I know, hell was waiting for me in that same office.
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Once we entered the office of the Guildmaster, she quickly made me sit down on a couch. The couch was made like it was for royalty, with the intricate design and the comfortable cushion.
"Now then, adventurer FG-117780, before we start, shall we introduce ourselves to each other?"
The Guildmaster said this in a seductive tone before sitting down on a couch opposite to mine with her legs crossed. She wore a mantle, with a light-green one-piece dress underneath. The skirt only reached above of her thighs and below it, black stockings covered her meaty legs.
I gulped at her voluptuous appearance. Although I already have a girl I love, no man would be able to avert their eyes when a true beauty comes heading their way.
"I'll start. My name is Penelo Pii, Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild, Frenia Branch."
After she briefly introduced herself as well as her title, she looked at me as if she was waiting for my respone.
"… My name is Gren, Guildmaster Penelo Pii."
After I gave my name, she smiled and clapped her hands.
"Nice to meet you, Gren. Well then, as for why I brought you here…"
As if her seductive self vanished, her eyes looked at me as if I was a prisoner on death row.
"Care to tell me where you got that shovel?"
Her eyes landed on the shovel strapped to my back.
"I found it in a dungeon."
As with my earlier answer to the receptionist, I gave the same response to Penelo. But deep down, I know that this answer will not be enough for this Guildmaster.
"Yes, yes, in a dungeon. But what dungeon…? No, let me rephrase that question, where did you find that dungeon?"
And here it is, the question I feared the most, much worse since the one asking the question was someone higher up in the social ladder, as well as someone with immense strength which I have no hopes of overcoming in my current state.
'Shit, I should've just gone alone…'
"Why do you need such information…?"
"Why, it's the color of your shovel. It matches perfectly with the Giga Iron Golem that assaulted you and the heroes. And since that Giga Iron Golem vanished overnight, we concluded that the Giga Iron Golem that assaulted you was a Rogue Dungeon Monster."
"Rogue Dungeon Monster?"
"Well, since you are a new adventurer, it seems that you are lacking in our adventurer's dictionary. A Rogue Dungeon Monster is a type of monster that has either escaped the dungeon or was commanded by a [Dungeon Master] to head outside the dungeon and do some tasks for him."
"… Alright."
"And… I hope you will not disclose this information to anyone because if you do, we will have no choice but to dispose of you."
She said that with her whole face completely serious. It was super damned scary!
"Y-Yes…"
"Good. That Giga Iron Golem was sighted rampaging in the town Garjo before its destruction. So we surmised that whatever the cause of behind Garjo's destruction, it has to do with the Giga Iron Golem. And now that Giga Iron Golem is being linked to a dungeon, then we also have conclusion that this Giga Iron Golem was tasked by a [Dungeon Master] to do something in that town."
Well, she wasn't wrong. Everything she said was true, except for the destruction of Garjo's part, I had no part with its destruction, even if I wanted to.
"So, now that I have given you our part, would you care to give me yours?"
'Damn it! She left me no escape options in this conversation!'
I'll have to wriggle my way out of this one, but how…?
"… Well, you see.---"
"Just for the record, the information you are going to give us may determine the fate of this city, if not, the entire country. That is why, if you will not cooperate, we have… Other means to extract it out of you…"
And with that exchange, my escape was no longer viable. She even waved her arm, causing magic particles to float in between us.
"…"
She had her smile on, but her eyes were piercing right through me. If it was like this, I would have no other option but to say where my dungeon is.
'What should I do…? What should I do…?"
I was in a dilemma, trying to figure out the best way to avoid this confrontation and leakage of information about my dungeon.
'… I have no choice, I'll have to disclose about the entrance.'
"… All right, but promise me this. Once I give you the location, I will not, under any circumstance go with you or any other adventurers to that dungeon. I would also like some kind of reward for the information."
"… Hmmm… All right, you have a deal, Adventurer Gren."
Of course, even though I'll have to give away my dungeon, there are still measures I can take to avoid destruction. There is still the relocation of the [Dungeon Portal], and the increase of defenses. Also, while doing this, I'll get some money or items since they don't know that I own the dungeon, and I'm the only one with the knowledge of where the dungeon is. I don't one to be the loser in this exchange, even if just a little bit, let me take a bite out of her, not in the indecent way mind you.
"But if I may ask, what is the reason for you not going to that dungeon?"
"Because I value my life…"
I gave her a 100% truth about my reason not going with her, or any other adventurer into that dungeon. Just think about it, a group of adventurers raiding a dungeon, only to find out that one of their party members was a [Dungeon Master]. Not a very pleasant thing to happen.
"… All right…"
It seems that she was under a misconception, so it looks like I'll have to further increase my dungeon's defense tonight.
I gave her a rough location of where my dungeon is. Of course, everything I told her was true, but I left me being a [Dungeon Master] out. Once that was done, she left for a brief moment after telling me to stay put for a few minutes. When she returned, she put down a bag of coins on the table, as well as some crystals of some sort.
"These are Mana Crystals of the [High] grade. With these, you might be able to ask a skilled [Enchanter] to enchant that shovel you are wielding."
When I heard what those crystals are for, my eyes grew wide in shock.
'Mana Crystals? Wait, if these crystals are made up of mana, then…!'
I can increase my MP. If it works, then I have another method to gain MP.
'But wait, I remember that using Mana Crystals can increase my dungeon's level. Then I can hit two birds with one stone!'
"Thank you."
"No no, we should be thanking you. After all, you may have a hand in protecting this city and country."
She gave me a smile that no longer looked like a smile to me. It was like a viper's smile before devouring its cowering prey.
"With this, our business is finished. You may now leave, also, have a wonderful day."
Once she said that, a guild personnel opened the door to the office and guided me back downstairs. When the other adventurers saw me head down without any mark on my body, their jaws dropped to the ground.
"I-Impossible…"
"That Penelo…"
I guess I can relate to them. I can still remember the three idiots yesterday that were subjected to her punishments.
"… I'm exhausted…"
Without going to the receptionist or the Quest board, I exited the Adventurer's Guild and went to the nearest inn. When I reached the counter of the inn, I opened the bag and counted more than 50 gold coins inside. When the owner of the inn saw the contents of the bag, her jaws dropped to the ground like the adventurers earlier.
Why am I doing this? It is because right now, I have to be cautious of stalkers. Right now, I have caught the eye of the Guildmaster. And with our chat earlier, I looked suspicious as heck, so I can't rule out the possibility of being stalked.
"I'll have to create a doppelganger…"
I opened a [Dungeon Portal] and went inside. My next objective, fortifying the defenses of my dungeon before a raid comes crashing down.