Chapter 179: The Botanical Garden

"I hope you know why I allowed you to have that Gamma-grade dungeon?" Silas asked.

Luke looked into the Warden’s gorilla-like eyes and replied, "Because you’re a generous and kind person?"

"You and your sour little head," the Warden chuckled and put his hands behind his back. "Your wisdom level hasn’t changed since you learned to walk."

The receptionist was amused by this remark, while Luke was surprised that the warden has a sharp tongue. He scratched his head and could only ask, "Okay, I’m curious, why did you let me have the Gamma-grade dungeon?"

"I’ve witnessed your abilities and strength, so I have no doubt that you can survive in a Gamma-grade dungeon, just like you’ve done countless times before," Silas replied.

Luke then asked, "So, if you had even the slightest doubt about my strength, you wouldn’t have let me prove myself?"

"Of course I wouldn’t. Do you think this is some elementary school play? These are monsters, and every life is precious."

"In that case, does that mean that when Sigma-grade or even Alpha-grade dungeons open up, you can let me challenge them? After all, you have no doubt about my strength," Luke said cleverly.

However, the warden gave him a "not-so-smart" look and dismissively waved his hand, interrupting such ambitious request.

He said, "I have no doubt about what I don’t doubt. You can’t drive an eight-wheeled truck with bicycle tires. However, I might consider a Sigma-grade dungeon."

Luke was quite pleased with this; saying "however" was enough for now.

"That’s enough consideration," he said. "I look forward to strengthening your trust in me."

He turned to leave, but Silas grabbed his shirt again, and Luke groaned.

What’s wrong with this warden? Why does he always grab people’s shirts?

"You must be careful," Silas said. "It’s no secret that the apocalypse is coming again, and it’s closer than expected. There are many reports of corruption and mutations, even reports of an Origin Realm being discovered in the Wastes. Curfews are stricter, and monsters are more rampant around us. This is tantamount to the outbreak of the apocalypse, so you must be careful. For the future of humanity, young people with potential like you are indispensable."

Luke smirked slightly because he was already aware of these developments, but he was grateful for Silas’s concern.

He bowed respectfully and replied, "Yes, I understand, sir. Goodbye, Angela. Trust that I’ll come often, and hopefully one day I can get a Sigma-grade dungeon or higher."

Angela waved both hands at him with a pleased smile as he walked out of the office.

"Bye! And don’t forget to make friends with the Victorian Guild. They’re very resourceful!"

Huh? The Victoria Guild?

The name echoed in Luke’s mind, sounding familiar.

Then, he remembered that the Victoria Guild was the number one beast armor manufacturing guild.

If he remembered correctly, some members of the guild also threatened him and demanded that he close his workshop so they can control market competition.

"Don’t tell me this is the same Victorian guild, and I’m squeezing into their dungeon! What a coincidence!"

Half an hour later, Luke arrived at the location of the Gamma-grade dungeon.

It was an abandoned botanical garden, unexpectedly located in the city center, not the suburbs as Luke expected. Because of this, he arrived quickly.

When Luke arrived at the botanical garden, it was dilapidated and gloomy, the dome broken, and plants tangled from the inside out.

The Aeon was stable, so it eliminated concerns about potential corruption or mutation of the Gamma-grade dungeon.

Meanwhile, at the gate to the dungeon in the botanical garden, the hunters of the Victoria Guild haven’t entered yet because their guild was powerful, so there was no need to rush.

The group consisted of four hunters, all appearing young, two boys and two girls.

One of the boys appeared to be in a wheelchair, while the others were standing and appeared to be in good physical condition and able to move as they wanted.

The first girl has purple hair and cute features, and she glanced at her phone, then frowned when she got a notification.

"It seems we’re going to babysit an Academy student today. The Bureau has asked us to give the student some room," she said.

The boy in the wheelchair is named Drew, and the boy without the wheelchair is named Troy. Troy is dating the purple-haired girl, Fiona. The other girl is named Rey.

"Tell them we don’t accept," Troy said, frowning. "We came here to become stronger, and they want us to take care of someone weaker than us?"

Fiona replied, "No, we accept. Don’t pretend, we just graduated from the academy ourselves. Let’s see what this student is capable of. Besides, we can play with him too."

Drew, sitting in his wheelchair, said, "Why can’t you just leave this student alone and spare him from your bullying?"

Fiona said, crossing her arms and tossing her hair back, "Cannot do. We’ll wait for that person to come."

CREAK...

Not long after, a minute later, the door to the hall of the botanical garden creaked open, and someone cautiously walked in, their boots crunching on dry and wet leaves and vines.

Soon, the figure came out from the darkness of the hall’s entrance and showed himself to everyone in the hall.

Luke looked at the four hunters and noticed that they were young compared to the adults who had threatened him.

That’s when Luke realized that even though this was the Victoria Guild, they weren’t the guild’s best—so there’s nothing to fear.

Considering the bronze badges on their chests, this must be a beginner team.

Only one person did not have a bronze badge: the boy in the wheelchair. Surprisingly, the boy had a silver badge.

He had light green hair, and the second girl beside him also had light green hair, leading Luke to deduce that they must be siblings.

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