Chapter 133: Be Extremely Careful

"Well, I should get going now," Marianne said, giving a brief nod as she turned her heel toward her awaiting vehicle.

​"Wait."

​Marianne paused mid-step and turned back to Asher, her eyes searching his expression. "Is there something you need, Boss?"

​"As the third-ranked guild in all of Vaeloria, you should have a few SSS-RANK Dungeons in your private vault, right?" Asher asked, stepping closer.

​"Huh? Why on earth do you need more of them? Viper already handed you a whole stack of—"

​"It means you have them, hand over your S-Rank and above dungeon keys right now. When I return, I will personally reward you with two Mythic-Tier gears."

​"Really?!!"

​Marianne’s eyes instantly brightened with intense greed and excitement. She snapped her head toward her Vice Guild Leader, who was standing quietly nearby.

​"What the hell are you waiting for?!! Bring them all out right now!" she barked at him.

​"But, Guild Leader... our SSS-RANK core raid members will need those keys for their scheduled—"

​"--Who the fuck cares about them!! They might be SSS-RANK fighters, but this is still my guild! Whatever I say stands as absolute law!" she yelled, cutting him off without an ounce of hesitation.

​"Yes, Guild Leader..."

​The Vice Guild Leader swallowed hard, pulled a heavy, velvet-lined metallic box out of his spatial storage, and respectfully handed it directly to Asher with both hands.

​"In that box is a total of ten S-Rank keys, five SS-RANK keys, and two SSS-RANK keys," Marianne pointed out, her arms crossed over her chest with a proud grin.

​Asher raised an eyebrow at her declaration, opening the lid slightly to stare at the glowing keys resting inside the box with sheer disbelief.

​’There are this many uncleared, high-tier dungeons scattered across Silverspire?! Why the hell are the major guilds leaving such massive ticking time bombs lying around... Purely because of monetary profit?’ Asher thought, a deep, frustrated frown forming on his brow.

​A single failure, and an uncleared SSS-RANK Dungeon could trigger a catastrophic Dungeon Break, unleashing waves of world-ending monsters upon the civilian sectors... Why would the ruling guilds allow such negligence?

​The terrifying SSS-RANK Dungeon on Doomsday Island had already proven the apocalyptic power of the beasts inhabiting that tier, yet here he was, casually being handed the keys to two more, on top of the one Viper had just handed him.

​’Do these humans honestly think they are completely invincible?’

​He turned his cold gaze back onto Marianne:

​"Why leave such high-tier dungeons untouched? Why hasn’t anyone cleared them? Especially the SSS-RANK ones?" he asked, his voice dripping with mild disdain.

​"Clear them?" Marianne stared at him for a second as if he were a completely naive, dumb kid who didn’t understand how the world functioned.

​"Due to the absolute bloodbath that occurred in the Doomsday Dungeon three years ago, no sane Awakened dares try to fully clear an SSS-RANK Dungeon anymore. Just a few months back, Tyson took his top elite raid squad straight into an SSS-RANK rift, but in less than an hour, they came running back out with their tails between their legs—and one of their core members dead."

​She shrugged dismissively, waving her hand. "Even Tyson, the undisputed Guild Leader of the number one guild, couldn’t do a damn thing to clear it. But since we couldn’t just abandon the land where the Dungeons spawned, we sent word to the top ancient families. They dispatched an absurdly powerful Awakened who cast a high-order seal over the gateway, and then our guild bought the exclusive key rights using our own capital."

​"Why didn’t those ancient families just send their own fighters to clear the rift outright?" Juliana asked, tilting her head in mild confusion as she stood beside Asher.

​"Who knows what actually goes through the warped heads of those ancient families..."

​Marianne paused mid-sentence, her face freezing slightly as she slowly turned her eyes to Asher. She had momentarily forgotten that the man standing in front of her was now the absolute head of the fifth Ancient Family. In short, she had just indirectly insulted his background.

​"I mean... the top four ancient families are notoriously arrogant, stupid, and... well, incredibly lazy," she quickly clarified, clearing her throat to smooth it over:

"Rather than taking care of a dangerous dungeon, they simply sealed the portal off and handed the key rights over to whichever guild offered the most money."

​She pointed a manicured finger directly at the ornate box resting in Asher’s hands.

​"I personally bought those two SSS-RANK keys for over one hundred billion dollars... At a high-stakes auction." she added.

​Asher nodded slowly, lowering his eyes to stare thoughtfully at the glowing keys inside the box.

​’The ancient families freely sell off SSS-RANK Dungeon keys to the highest bidder, yet they joined forces in a massive military coalition against that single SSS-RANK Dungeon on Doomsday Island? Why is that specific island prioritized while all these other local dungeons are sealed and abandoned?’ Asher narrowed his eyes, his mind working rapidly behind an impenetrable mask.

​Of course, he knew it wasn’t merely because the local SSS-RANK Dungeons were stabilized by seals while the one on Doomsday Island remained volatile. That wasn’t the core underlying issue at all.

​’There must truly be something extraordinarily valuable hidden on that island... perhaps the stone itself.’ Asher deduced internally. Letting out a quiet exhale, he closed the box with a soft click and stored it directly into his system space.

​"Alright then. You may take your leave. In one week’s time, return here to claim your two Mythic-Tier gears," he said, turning on his heel to walk back toward the grand entrance of his mansion.

​"Wait!!"

​Asher, Juliana, and Viper all brought their steps to a sudden halt, the two women turning back around to face Marianne.

​"Are you really planning on stepping inside an SSS-RANK Dungeon?" she asked, her cynical demeanor completely vanishing, replaced by a deadly serious, concerned tone.

​"Yes. Is there something specific I need to know before going in?" Asher asked, his gaze fixed in the interior living room, where Sara was quietly lounging on the couch, immersed in her book.

​"Based on the classified intel I’ve gathered over the years, not all SSS-RANK Dungeons function like the one on Doomsday Island..." Marianne explained, her voice dropping into a solemn register:

"Lower-tier dungeons are usually pre-explored by scout teams who venture in to map out the terrain and identify the species of monsters lurking inside. But no scout team would ever dare step foot into an unmapped SSS-RANK Dungeon just to gather reconnaissance. That means when you step through that portal, you are entering completely blind... You could step right into the center of a fully developed monster city for all you know. Just... Be extremely careful. I really don’t want you to go in there and die."

​Asher offered her a concise, confident nod. "I understand the risks."

​Without another word, he resumed his walk into the mansion.

​Marianne stood motionless, her eyes locked onto his tall back until the massive, reinforced double doors were pulled shut by Tang, completely blocking her view.

​"...Let’s go." She muttered softly, turning her back on the estate, her Vice Guild Leader falling into step directly behind her as their vehicles started up and rolled away.