Chapter 49 Exposed

Chapter 49: Chapter 49 Exposed

As evening approached, the situation around the Rogue Dungeon site gradually began to calm down. Hunters who had not suffered serious injuries were allowed to return home, while the deceased were taken to the hospital for post-mortem examinations.

The number of bystanders also started to decrease as the roads were reopened to traffic.

However, for Lars, this was only the beginning of his problems. Right now, he was alone with Zane, as she had requested to speak with him privately. Meanwhile, Max and Justin were waiting inside the car.

"Please, relax. Why do you look so anxious? Are you scared of me?" Zane asked, the same smile still on her face.

However, Lars wasn’t swayed by that enchanting smile. He maintained his calm, indifferent expression as he looked at her.

"Why would I be scared? Anyway, can you tell me what you want with Anonymous214?" Lars asked.

He had no intention of staying with her for too long. He was afraid that if the conversation continued, all of his secrets would eventually be exposed.

"I just wanted to chat with you a little more, but it seems you still don’t trust me. That’s fine. The real reason I wanted to meet you is because I want to recruit you into my company." She went straight to the point.

Lars wanted to reject her immediately. However, there was still something he wanted to know.

"And what would I get if I joined your company? What benefits would I receive?" Lars asked.

"First of all, you will be teamed up with some of the best hunters you will ever fight alongside. I think you’ve already fought together with Vega and Ryuken, so you know how capable they are. Although...Ryuken is a little weird."

"I don’t think little is the right word," Lars interrupted.

Zane chuckled before continuing.

"Second, you will receive 20% of the company’s monthly income, along with a share of the dungeon loot whenever you participate in a dungeon raid."

"And lastly, we will give you a certain level of authority in deciding the future direction of the company and the path we should take. Of course, I still have the final say if the decision strays too far from our vision," Zane concluded.

This was the proposal Zane had come up with after discussing it with the top members of her company. Although it seemed like an absurd offer, they believed that if they wanted to recruit the very best, they had to present the very best offer.

"What I need you to do is simple. Create classes for all of my hunters, and also for sale," Zane said.

Lars instinctively took a step back.

"Create?! What do you mean by that? All the Class Books I sold were all obtained from dungeons," Lars replied, slightly startled.

"If you think I’m a fool, you’re mistaken. I already have a rough idea of what your ability might be. It must be a production-type class, isn’t it? Something that allows you to create or duplicate Class Books. Am I wrong?"

’This freaking woman! Who is she, really? She’s too dangerous! I feel like an open book in front of her. One by one, all of my secrets are being uncovered. Could she even know about the magazines I keep under my bed?’

Lars started to sweat. His biggest secret was now on the verge of being exposed. It only made him want to reject her even more.

"Sorry. I don’t know what nonsense you’re talking about. I think that’s enough. My final answer is no. I reject your offer. I don’t want to be tied to a company and ordered around like a dog." Lars turned and was about to leave when Zane suddenly chuckled, causing him to stop.

"I don’t know whether you’re an idiot, arrogant...or both. Do you really think you can survive alone with just your friends in this world? I’m sure one day you will regret this decision."

"The world doesn’t consist of only this region, Lars. There are countless places beyond it. And once you step outside this region, you will realize that you’re nothing more than a tiny ant."

Zane’s voice remained calm, but her words were sharp. She disliked Lars’s way of thinking and firmly believed that remaining a freelance hunter in a world like this would never take him very far.

"Anyway, I still haven’t given up on you. If you change your mind, my offer will still be on the table," Zane said before turning around and walking away, leaving Lars standing alone.

Lars clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. There was some truth in Zane’s words. But instead of discouraging him, they only made him even more determined to prove that she was the one who was wrong.

He then walked toward Max’s car, where Max and Justin were still waiting for him.

On the way home, Lars remained quiet as he stared at the setting sun beyond the district. Max occasionally stole a glance at him but chose not to say anything.

"That woman is really nice. She even gave me 15,000 Zents. And she’s beautiful too," Justin said as he looked at his old phone.

His new one had already been confiscated. Fortunately, all of his account data was still accessible from his older phone. Before long, Justin got out of the car and told Lars and Max to contact him before their next dungeon raid.

"Arghh! Damn it! Damn it!" Lars suddenly shouted, startling Max and nearly causing him to crash into the roadside railing.

"Why did you suddenly shout?!" Max yelled as he gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"That woman is so annoying! Hey, Max, you never told me she was that sharp!"

"I did tell you!"

"No! You only told me she was sharp! But the truth is, she’s terrifyingly sharp! I felt like I was standing naked in front of her," Lars complained.

"What happened? Did she figure out your class?" Max asked.

"Yes."

"And did she also figure out that you can create Class Books?"

"Yes...wait!" Lars suddenly turned toward Max. "You too? How did you know? Since when?" His eyes widened in surprise.

"It’s so obvious, dude. Even if you never told me, I would’ve figured it out myself. The reason is simple. Ever since we met, we’ve always raided dungeons together. You claimed that you got all those Class Books from specific dungeons, right?"

"Then the question is...when did you even raid those dungeons if you were always with me and Justin? That’s how I figured it out."

Lars let out a long sigh before weakly leaning back against his seat. It seemed his biggest secret had finally been exposed, even to his best friend. Still he didn’t feel too bad about Max knowing. Deep down, he had always known this day would eventually come.

"You know...I feel like an idiot now. Do you think Justin already knows?" Lars asked.

"I don’t think so."

"Yeah...me too."

A few minutes later, Max’s car arrived in front of the apartment building where Lars was renting a room.

"You know the deal, right? Don’t tell anybody about this."

"Don’t worry. Have I ever spilled one of your secrets? Even your crush back in school, I still haven’t told anyone," Max said with a grin.

"Thanks, Max." Lars smiled.

"Anyway, did you find any Class Books inside the dungeon?"

"No, I didn’t. What about you?"

"Unfortunately, neither did I. It seems we entered that dungeon for nothing," Max replied with a weak smile.

Lars felt the same way. He hadn’t found a single Class Book either. But then, he suddenly remembered something.

’I have a Secret Pack! I totally forgot about it!’

Max then drove away. Lars walked into his room, switched on the lights and the fan, then threw himself onto his bed.

"Let’s see what pack I got!"

He opened the system and went to the Booster Pack section. Immediately, he noticed a new pack waiting for him.

---

[MASTER OF ALL TRADES]

Theme: Production Classes Only

Rarity: Rare (C) to Ultra Rare (UR)

Total Cards: 100

Cards per Pack: 1

Price: 100,000 Creator Coins or 100 Creator Platinum

1 Free Pull Available

---

"Production classes? Are they classes that create things? What can I even do with them?" Lars scratched his head.

To him, only battle-oriented classes seemed useful. He then used the free pull, and a single pack appeared before him. Lars immediately opened it. The card he received was a Rare card.

---

[Blacksmith]

Type: Base Production Class

Card Rarity: Rare (Blue Card Frame)

---

"Blacksmith?!"

Lars’s eyes widened as he stared at the card. The card then vanished before merging into the list of Base Classes within the Generate Class skill.

"Here I was, thinking maybe I receive a class that could split the heavens, or maybe even stop time. But instead, I got a Blacksmith? What am I supposed to do with it? Forge weapons?!"

Suddenly, he froze.

"Wait a minute...forge weapons? Do people also buy weapons and other equipment?"

He immediately opened the forum and navigated to the Weapons & Equipment section. A broad smile slowly appeared on his face as a brand-new plan was beginning to take shape in his mind.