"Ta-da~! …Can you tell me what this quest is about, Mr. Arezu?"
In Lynn's hands was a quest poster she had just pulled from her enchanted bag.
With her usual mischievous smile, she stepped in front of Arezu and flashed the poster in his face, close enough for him to read it clearly in the dimly lit underground path.
As Gwen's party watched in confusion, trying to figure out what the two were talking about, Arezu began reading the poster.
Although he couldn't understand everything written on it, the few words he did recognize were enough to give him a basic idea.
"So it's a quest to search for missing adventurers…"
"That's a 50 percent point for you, Mr. Arezu," Lynn replied.
Whether that was a passing grade or not, it only meant he had guessed half of what mattered.
For the other half, Lynn pointed to a single word on the poster—one Arezu couldn't read or comprehend.
"Appointed…?" Gwen muttered. Even though she could read it, the term puzzled her as well.
"You mean... a guild quest specifically appointed to your party?!" one of the Minions asked, both impressed and surprised, knowing that the Adventurers' Guild only issued such quests to highly reputable adventurers.
"Now you all know how great I am!" Lynn declared proudly. "So feel free to sing my praises and spread them across the land!"
Disregarding her dramatic flair, Gwen turned to Arezu. "So, you two are kind of a big deal in the capital?" she asked.
"That would probably be just her," Arezu replied, embarrassed by Lynn's showboating.
To summarize, the quest was a special assignment directly appointing Lynn and Arezu to search for the missing adventurers.
Although it seemed like a simple quest on the surface, the fact that those missing included veteran iron-rank adventurers meant something strange—and likely dangerous—was happening within the uncharted Dungeon.
"Is that enough for me to make amends, Mr. Arezu?" Lynn asked sweetly, as if her earlier theatrics hadn't happened.
She leaned in a little closer than necessary, seeking forgiveness for not telling him the full truth about their orc-hunting quest.
It's not exactly lying, Arezu thought, a bit annoyed that he had agreed with what she said just moments ago.
She might talk a lot about money, and act with her usual high self-esteem, but she had indeed accepted a quest focused on rescuing missing adventurers.
Whatever her real motive, I guess she's... a good person after all. At that thought, Lynn gave him a satisfied smile, making him look away to hide his flustered face.
"I guess that's enough... But I'm still holding on to that promise of yours."
"Mhm!"
As their exploration continued, the group—with the Minions taking the front and Lynn, Gwen, and Arezu bringing up the rear—finally encountered their first monster.
Though it was indeed an Orc, it wasn't in the state they expected.
"That one's an Undead Orc, Mr. Arezu," Lynn whispered, peeking from the corner beside him.
The rays of light from the cracks in the ceiling illuminated the orc's bloodstained body, covered in old wounds. The gore on the floor and walls marked where it had once died—only to be resurrected as an undead, corrupted by the Curse of Envy in its monster core.
"Want to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who takes care of it?" Lynn offered with a straight face.
The seriousness of her tone left everyone dumbfounded.
Although their group consisted of two separate parties unfamiliar with fighting together, that didn't mean they were incapable of basic cooperation. Still, it seemed Lynn had already made her decision—by shoving Arezu forward.
She gave him a thumbs-up and a wink, silently expressing her faith in his ability to handle the monster alone.
Just like last time, Arezu thought, recalling when she had pushed him into that goblin nest.
Even so, he pulled the halberd-axe from his back and took his stance, steadying his trembling hands.
He had fought many undead before. If there was one common trait among them, it was that they were stronger than they were in life.
Undead could still use skills and spells, sometimes even better. But their obsession with attacking the living often robbed them of reason, making them easier opponents in one-on-one fights.
—Roar!—
The Undead Orc let out a deafening roar the moment it saw Arezu. It brandished its greatsword and charged, its heavy steps causing the ground to tremble beneath it.
"Are you sure he can handle that on his own?" Gwen asked, worried after seeing how much stronger the orc had become as undead.
"Mr. Arezu is my companion, so don't get any funny ideas, understand?" Lynn replied. Whether or not that answered the question, the threatening aura behind her smile silenced any further concern.
At that moment, the orc closed the distance. It swung its massive greatsword in a wide arc, aiming to cleave Arezu in two.
But Arezu calmly sidestepped the crude attack.
The tunnel was wide enough for him to fight freely. Yet instead of using his usual brute-force style, he opted for something more precise.
Spinning his halberd-axe to build momentum, he delivered a powerful downward slash that severed the orc's sword arm in a single blow.
—Roar!—
The Undead Orc howled in rage and stumbled, struggling to stay upright as black blood poured from the stump.
Before it could fall, Arezu dug his foot in, tightened his grip, and swung again—this time at its neck.
The blade struck true.
The monster's lifeless body fell to the floor, followed by its head a moment later—landing apart from each other with a dull, wet thud.
As the rest of the group approached, clapping and murmuring in awe, Lynn gave Arezu a teasing remark.
"If you're cautious enough to change your usual fighting style, then I suppose I should mention now, Mr. Arezu… there are no hidden traps. At least, not on this path."
"You could've told me that beforehand!"
"My, my… I didn't know you could be so rude, raising your voice at a lady."
"I don't want to hear that from you…"
While Lynn and Arezu resumed their usual bickering, Gwen's party—more specifically, her Minions—began dismantling the monster.
Minion 1C, the priest, offered a prayer to purify the orc's body, preventing it from rising again under the Curse of Envy. Minion 1B extracted the monster core and severed its right ear as proof of the kill. Meanwhile, Minion 1A approached the greatsword.
But before he could touch it, Lynn suddenly warned:
"You can touch that weapon if you want… But no matter what idiotic reason you come up with, do not channel your mana into that greatsword."