A Disaster-Level Assassin Has Been Freed

Ch. 164


Chapter 164: Party Quest (1)

“…”

“…”

“…”

The atmosphere quieted instantly.

Truly, it did. The adventurers eavesdropping on Harang and the trainee, who had been whispering excitedly, became mute, pretending not to notice.

‘Nice.’

A faint smile spread across Harang’s face.

Sheratiya Viyan was right. A bit of showing off did make things easier.

If he’d just stood there blankly like before, what would’ve happened?

Some troublemakers would’ve likely picked a fight. Based on past experience, that was over 90% likely. But showing his strength prevented that.

And that wasn’t all.

“E-Excuse me, are you a Graduate?”

“Yes.”

“Do you belong to any group? A family, a swordsmanship hall… Ah! I don’t even know your name yet. May I ask your name?”

A magician hurriedly approached, asking politely.

Likely the person in charge of the fourth-floor quest section. Harang nodded and introduced himself as usual.

“Hello, I’m Harang, a Gold Plate Mercenary from the Eddy Mercenary Corps, active in Marzen, Nadan Kingdom.”

“Ah! A Gold Plate… from the Austin Mercenary Brokerage in the south! Impressive! I heard there are only four Gold Plate mercenaries in the entire south…”

“I’m the fifth.”

“I see, I see. Ah! Instead of talking here, why don’t we go to a room, have some warm tea, and discuss slowly? How about it?”

“Sounds good.”

Harang agreed readily.

There was no reason to refuse. Being treated with such respect, like when he first visited the Jeten Swordsmanship Guild, melted away the discomfort he felt upon arriving at the Magic Tower.

Thus, Harang entered a VIP-only room, and some adventurers watching whispered quietly.

“It’s true. Skilled people get personally escorted by mid-level magicians…”

“First time I’ve seen the VIP room open. So that’s when they use it.”

“But is he that impressive? Sure, Graduate is a big deal, but enough for a mid-level magician to rush over like that?”

“You idiot, if you’re clueless, just keep quiet and read the room.”

“What? You bastard! What did you say…?”

“He’s not just a Graduate—a young, no, practically juvenile Graduate. A guy who doesn’t even look mid-20s pulled out a complete Aura Sword, and a long one from a dagger. If that’s not impressive, what is?”

“Well…”

“That young man’s future is boundless. In 20 years, he’ll live in a different world from us. We’re witnessing an extraordinary talent. This moment might be a lifelong drinking story.”

“…That big a deal?”

“Yes, you moron.”

The dwarf, passionately arguing, ended with a curse.

The annoyed middle-aged adventurer tried to retort but shut his mouth, seeing the crowd’s agreement and their glares urging him to be quiet.

“Damn it! Fine, I get it. My bad.”

“Should’ve done that earlier.”

“Looks like you’ve learned something. You can read the room now.”

“Good thing you’ve got some sense.”

The surrounding adventurers kept piling on even after his surrender.

Finally, the middle-aged adventurer clamped his mouth shut and left the fourth floor.

Of course, Harang was oblivious to the outside situation.

Nor did he need to care.

Sitting on a plush sofa in a fragrant room, sipping delicious tea, he felt the power of being a VIP and smiled contentedly.

The quest floor manager spoke with a smile.

“Does it suit your taste?”

“Yes, it’s delicious. The sofa’s comfy too.”

“Glad to hear. Please forgive the trainee’s rudeness. I’ve told them to show a friendly smile to everyone, but it seems my teachings were ignored.”

“No, the person at the counter was polite enough.”

It wasn’t empty words. He was just more sensitive to others’ moods lately, but the trainee had managed their expression well. If anything, the eavesdropping adventurers were the issue, but that didn’t bother him much.

More importantly, Harang was focused elsewhere. While he appreciated the courteous conversation, he preferred getting to the point rather than wasting time.

“Let’s move on. There’s a reason you brought me here, right?”

“You’re perceptive. Yes. You said you want to earn enough points for an Artifact-grade sword, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Normally, we’d be at a loss for words. An Artifact-grade sword is difficult to make and resource-intensive for our Yellow Magic Tower… It’s not something we’d hand over without completing a significant number of quests.”

“Meaning…”

“Yes, there’s a special situation now where a single quest could earn you those points.”

“What is it?”

“There’s a briefing about it in 30 minutes. I’m sorry, but could you wait a bit? We plan to explain it to you and 40 other top adventurers at once…”

“Alright.”

Harang nodded.

It wasn’t days, just 30 minutes, so there was no need to make a fuss. He also sensed the manager’s concern for secrecy, making him more agreeable.

Instead, he spent the time learning how to use the Magic Tool ‘kiosk’ on the quest floor.

It was fascinating. With a few gestures, he could view all quests or filter specific ones, saving a lot of time.

“Wow, so cool. I wish our mercenary brokerage had something like this.”

“Haha, probably not feasible. It’s not just about making it—maintenance and management are key. At our Yellow Magic Tower, diligent trainee magicians handle daily updates.”

The manager’s reply was filled with pride.

This improved Harang’s impression of the Yellow Magic Tower and heightened his curiosity about the upcoming quest briefing.

‘Even this manager has strong loyalty to the group and considerable skill. What kind of job requires a briefing by such skilled magicians? Something they can’t handle themselves or something highly risky?’

It was a reasonable deduction.

Of course, he wasn’t scared.

Harang had crossed countless life-or-death lines, not just in the village but in the outside world too.

Days when he didn’t bet his life were rarer.

Recalling this, Harang grinned mischievously and said, “I hope the briefing starts soon.”

“Haha, you seem excited. I hope it meets your expectations.”

The manager smiled warmly, and the trainee magician, who had approached to serve them, gave an awkward smile.

After a short while.

Moving to the upper floor for the quest briefing, Harang was shocked.

The level of the 39 other adventurers was far beyond his expectations.

‘…For swordsmen, at least Graduate. For magicians, at least 6th-star!’

Archers and spirit masters seemed comparable in Presence.

It was astounding.

Even in a commercial city like Marzen, Graduate-level fighters were fewer than five. Even in the lawless Dark City Kalbaron, he recalled no more than fifteen.

‘40 to 50 is a number only a kingdom-level force could gather.’

Yet, 40 such elites were gathered for a single Magic Tower quest.

It was a situation that couldn’t help but spark anticipation.

And the other adventurers at the briefing felt the same.

A dwarf with a massive axe on his back frowned and said, “Hm… I’m curious. No clue what they’re about to say.”

“Planning to overthrow a nation or something?”

“No way. Not with the Holy Kingdom watching…”

“Then what? Why gather so many people?”

“How would I know? It’s about to start, so let’s hear them out.”

“Right, we can judge after listening. But…”

“But?”

“What’s with that kid?”

After spouting baseless speculations, the four or five adventurers concluded to ‘listen and judge.’

One of them muttered, looking at Harang.

It wasn’t loud, but clear enough for skilled fighters with heightened senses to hear.

“Hm.”

“Huh?”

“Hm…”

Naturally, attention focused on the young black-haired man in his 20s, and some showed discomfort.

It was understandable. Someone who seemed less skilled was occupying a spot in the briefing, which naturally irked them.

‘Troublesome.’

Harang sensed the mood.

A sigh escaped him.

‘Probably because of my age.’

It was likely.

Unless they were elves or dwarves, human experts were typically over 40.

‘What do I do? Repeat that stunt?’

Harang frowned in thought.

He didn’t like it. Doing it once was fine, but doing it again felt like he was craving attention, making him hesitate.

Fortunately.

Before the suspicious and uncomfortable stares intensified, an elderly magician stepped onto the platform, stealing all attention.

“Ahem, ahem. Can everyone in the back hear me? Of course you can. Our Magic Tower’s microphone has never failed to perform.”

His short speech carried pride in the Yellow Magic Tower. Some envied it, others found it grating.

But those sentiments vanished the moment the old magician spoke next.

“The gates of hell have opened.”

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