The morning sun in Seiva bathed every street in a gentle glow.
The aroma of freshly baked bread, the giggling of skirt-clad girls, and the clatter of horse carriages blended together, slowly bringing the streets to life.
Western Seiva.
This was the entrance to the underground mineral veins—also known as the Underground City.
Thanks to the veins, creatures living in the caves naturally developed Magic Crystals within their bodies. These crystals served as the energy source for all Spell Seal artifacts and as sacred offerings to the gods by the Church.
Hunting monsters for their Magic Crystals was basically like drilling for oil.
And where there’s oil, you’ll find bacteria. Likewise, the Underground City naturally attracted all sorts of shady folks looking to make ‘questionable’ business deals.
To prevent this, low-ranking adventurers had to pay an entrance fee to the Adventurer’s Guild.
Sure, you were already getting robbed by the Guild, but hey—at least no one else could rob you afterward. Otherwise, the Guild would ‘punish’ you for being robbed twice.
Flawless logic.
‘”Ah, Filin, back again? The academy already gave us a heads-up this time. Here’s your Crystal Badge.”
Different badges granted access to different zones, with matching monster difficulties. Coming solo only got you a lousy copper badge.
“Thanks, Lucia.”
Lucia, the receptionist, was a generously proportioned young woman whose lovely face, paired with black stockings and a white uniform, ‘really’ accentuated her…professional qualities.
Seeing Filin’s refreshing, untainted youthful aura, Lucia felt a certain ‘stirring’ in her heart.
She’d spotted this handsome guy several times over the past few months.
“Here’s your badge, cutie.”
She lifted the badge, slowly—’very’ slowly—tucked it into the ‘gap’ between her ample assets, letting the plush surroundings give it a firm squeeze.
Dealing with unwashed, leering old men day in and day out was exhausting.
She hated old men, and was becoming one herself in spirit.
Still, teasing someone felt incredibly satisfying.
“What’s wrong? Too shy to take it?”
‘He’d probably be thinking about me all day. Maybe even…’imagining’ things tonight.’
“Much appreciated.”
Filin reached over, delicately plucked the still-warm badge from her cleavage, kissed it softly, and flashed Lucia a wink.
‘”Blessed by the goddess of luck today. Fortune’s on my side.”
Lucia froze solid.
‘”W-Wait, Filin! I’m free after work tonight! Want to—? I live at Ranko District, No. 512! I’ve got a little brother and sister, and my dad works as a—”
Filin gave her a sweet smile, waved, and strolled toward the dungeon entrance.
‘”I don’t need a dowry—” Lucia blurted, only realizing she’d been rambling too late.
Today’s dungeon entrance was unusually lively.
Two academies had gathered about a hundred students here.
Teams of five, no overpowered teachers supervising—just a student-organized event.
‘”Hey, heard this year’s team assignments are weird.”
‘”Yeah, like, Carolynn, Robert, and Emma—the top three students—are all in the same group?”
‘”Isn’t that just stacking the deck?”
‘”Someone’s definitely pulling strings.”
Filin lurked in a corner, quietly eavesdropping.
Since no friends or classmates would risk entering the dungeon with him, he had no choice but to join this mass expedition.
The Underground City was dangerous, packed with monsters. Going alone? ‘Suicide.’
Yesterday, he’d overheard that Adeline was handling team assignments…
Did she pull some strings for him?
“Guess I’ve been around Adeline too long…”
Filin smirked bitterly. ‘Why would I even think that?’
To that high-maintenance noble girl, he was just a punching bag.
‘”Now announcing team assignments!”
Names were called out group by group. The moment the top-ranked trio’s names came up, everyone prayed to be on ‘their’ team.
Filin sat quietly in the corner, hearing two ‘completely’ unfamiliar names.
Yeah, of course it had nothing to do with him.
Expecting ‘clients’ to help him out? ‘Who did he think he was?’
‘”Filin Solst.”
‘Here we go—just give me teammates who aren’t brain-dead, please!’
He waited.
And waited.
No other names followed.
“And here’s the list of groups.”
Just me, all by myself?
No way!
The students around him whispered something, glancing at Filin a few times, but didn’t dig deeper.
As a former noble, Filin was naturally shunned by the commoners. His reputation at school wasn’t great either, thanks to the whole Viloti incident.
No one would stand up for him.
He must’ve been sabotaged by some petty person, right? Filin felt utterly speechless.
Who’d have thought that even with his dashing looks, he’d still end up isolated? Wasn’t there even one gentle, long-time admirer to invite him?
Watching his classmates pair up and head toward the Underground City entrance, Filin was on the verge of losing his mind.
Fine, even a guy would do!
The once bustling square was now filled with nothing but the rustle of the wind.
Whatever, being alone isn’t so bad. Maybe I’ll enjoy the rare peace and quiet.
Filin sighed and started walking toward the Underground City.
“Filin.”
A familiar, gentle voice called from behind.
Filin turned around to see Adeline standing there.
She was wearing a light blue, flowing dress with silver embroidery that shimmered with every movement.
A white ribbon cinched her waist, accentuating her slender figure.
Her rose-brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail, with a few loose strands swaying in the breeze, their ends slightly curled.
She had on light makeup today, her lashes delicately lifted, and her coral lipstick made her skin look even fairer.
Adeline’s outfit looked less like she was heading for an Underground City expedition and more like she was off to a picnic.
“Are you here alone because the student council messed up the group assignments?”
No, unless the person assigning the groups was blind, how could they possibly mess up so badly as to leave him alone?
“Probably someone in the student council doesn’t like me.”
Filin scratched his head, forcing a smile that said, ‘I’ve been wronged, but I’ll take it like a champ’.
“That’s truly a failure on the student council’s part.”
Adeline’s fingers twirled a strand of hair unconsciously.
“I happen to be here to hunt for Magic Crystals today. Why don’t we team up?”
She still looked gentle, but there was something eerie in her voice that made Filin uneasy.
“Consider it my way of apologizing on behalf of the student council for the treatment you’ve received.”
Suddenly, it all made sense.
Adeline must’ve tampered with the list, right?
What’s this about?
Did she find out about me chasing Viloti? Is she planning to lure me into the Underground City and silence me?
Filin noticed the square had been completely cleared out. Not a single witness in sight.
Oh no, I’m really done for this time.
“Is that okay? What if it causes trouble for you, Miss Adeline, if others see us together?”
“Don’t worry, no one will see us in the Underground City.” Adeline smiled softly and clapped her hands.
She’d brought all the elite guards from her family today. There wouldn’t be so much as a peep from any human or monster nearby.
Filin’s heart sank, confirming his suspicions.
So she really is planning something.
Maybe she’s got people waiting for me in the Underground City. If I don’t go in, I’ll be safe, right?
It’s just her here now. At worst, I can still run for it.
“Adeline, I suddenly feel a bit unwell. Maybe we should—”
Filin froze.
He saw over a hundred people emerging from the Adventurers’ Guild.
Each wore identical silver-white uniforms with the Claude Family crest embroidered on their chests.
They lined up in perfect formation, their weapons glinting coldly in the sunlight.
Mages, warriors, priests, assassins… elite members of every profession were among them.
This lineup was more extravagant than a small army.
Filin even recognized a few legendary adventurers from Seiva. Who knew they worked for the Claude Family?
“My father said,” Adeline whispered, “the Underground City is too dangerous, so I should bring extra people for protection.”
She spoke with her head down, but Filin caught the sly smile playing on her lips.
You call this a Magic Crystal hunt? This is more like an Underground City clearance sale!
Monsters, run! Take your unborn children and flee!
“By the way, what were you saying earlier?” Adeline asked.
Nothing. Even if I ‘did’ have a stomachache, I wouldn’t dare say a word.
