Chapter 51…
It goes without saying, but I no longer need to earn money by doing business.
After all, I have a wealthy guild master…!
It was well past midnight.
The lights were still on in Dante’s office.
‘He should be awake, right?’
I carefully knocked on the door.
Knock, knock—
“Come in.”
The reply came immediately from inside. Just as Lishian had said, Dante really was a nocturnal person.
I opened the door and stepped in with a bright smile.
“Hello, Mr. Dante. Sorry to bother you so late.”
“No need to apologize. I usually go to sleep around five in the morning.”
Five? That’s practically sunrise… He really is nocturnal.
Chuckling awkwardly, I glanced at the papers spread across his desk.
They looked like floor plans of some kind of building.
“Ah, this….”
Noticing my gaze, Dante gave an embarrassed smile.
“I’m working on a map of the dungeon that recently appeared. I’m drawing it step by step, starting with the areas that have already been explored.”
“I see! I thought it looked quite large.”
Dungeons were often much bigger on the inside than they appeared from the outside.
For example, a building that looked like a small bell tower from the outside might be as large as a metropolis once you entered it.
And the interiors were usually labyrinthine and complex. That’s why creating a map for dungeon raids was essential.
‘Usually, a capable guild would take the initiative to make one, and then other guilds would pay a fortune to buy it.’
Now I understood why the Veratis Guild was so rich. This was how they made money.
Curious, I stepped closer to the desk and tilted my head slightly.
“Do you personally explore the dungeon to make the map, Mr. Dante? Or does another guild member do it?”
“Oh, we don’t send living people to explore dungeons.”
“…?”
Then who…?
When I stared at him wide-eyed, Dante lifted one corner of his mouth in a crooked smile.
“We send dolls.”
“Dolls…?”
Come to think of it, I had heard that in the Grastea Empire, where magi-engineering was highly developed, there were dolls that moved through magic.
They were used in many fields, especially to handle tasks that were difficult or dangerous for humans.
Of course, creating such sophisticated dolls required an exceptionally skilled magi-engineer.
“Mr. Dante… are you a magi-engineer?”
“Well, yes. Nothing extraordinary, though.”
That didn’t sound like humility—it sounded more like someone who was never satisfied with his own abilities and constantly sought to improve.
“I would have shown you one of my dolls if it were here, but unfortunately it’s in the dungeon right now. Once it finishes exploring and returns, I’ll show it to you.”
“Really? I’m looking forward to it!”
It would be my first time seeing a magical doll, and I was genuinely excited. When I beamed at him, Dante seemed to freeze for a moment before giving me a gentle smile.
At that moment, Lishian slid up beside me.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to his side, glaring sharply at Dante.
“…?”
Dante raised his eyebrows, then made a dumbfounded expression.
“Ha, honestly.”
He let out a low chuckle and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.
“I was smiling because she’s cute. Cute.”
“…….”
“No ulterior motives!”
What even is this conversation…?
As I blinked in confusion, Dante stood up.
He skillfully brewed some tea and invited us to sit on the sofa.
“I’m the only nocturnal one here, so I prepared a tea that helps with restful sleep. Please, have some.”
“Thank you.”
I sat down and lifted the teacup. The scent told me it was rooibos tea.
After I took a sip, Dante asked from across the table,
“So, what brings you here? I heard you were holed up in your workshop all day, Miss Muriel.”
“Yes… I was making potions in the workshop all day.”
After answering, I pulled all the potions I had stored in my inventory and placed them on the table.
Dante flinched, his eyes widening.
“Teleportation magic?”
“Not exactly… It’s one of my abilities. You could say it’s similar to teleportation magic.”
“…Now that I think about it, Miss Muriel, you seem to have more than just one or two abilities.”
“Well… that’s true. Haha….”
We were practically eating from the same pot now, so I didn’t feel the need to hide my abilities.
Besides, Dante must have already realized that purification wasn’t my only power.
It didn’t take much thought to know that purification alone couldn’t produce crops.
‘Especially crops that are out of season.’
Dante was smart. The moment he heard Allen and his two companions’ story, he must have begun questioning things.
“Very well. We’ll gradually learn more about your abilities, Miss Muriel. As for these potions…”
He swept his gaze over the potions covering the table, his eyes sparkling.
Then he asked in astonishment,
“Did you really make all of these in a single day?”
“…I was in particularly good condition today.”
I scratched my cheek awkwardly with a small laugh.
Truthfully, it wasn’t my condition—it was luck.
Perhaps the System God took pity on my hard work and granted me a buff.
〈Blessing Activated〉 1+1
When crafting one low- or mid-grade potion, you obtain one additional potion.
※This blessing is temporary.
(19 minutes 32 seconds remaining)
Thanks to that, today—well, technically yesterday since it was past midnight—I had made a total of 350 potions.
It was practically factory-level production.
“…….”
For some reason, Dante fell silent for a long moment. Then suddenly, he grabbed my hand.
His amethyst-like eyes sparkled as he spoke with emotion.
“Miss Muriel…! Thank you for coming to the Veratis Guild! Please stay with us for life—no, forever!”
“A l-lifetime contract…?”
“If you’d like, a lifetime contract sounds perfect!”
No, that’s a bit much.
Now that I looked closely, that wasn’t ‘sparkling’—it was ‘madness.’ I forced an awkward smile and tried to pull my hand back, but Lishian sharply smacked Dante’s wrist.
Dante pretended to wince in pain and retreated, clutching his wrist.
Lishian glared at him coldly.
“Don’t touch her carelessly.”
Dante shot him a flat, annoyed look and shook his head.
“You’re sick, seriously…. Anyway, Miss Muriel. Since you’ve made this many potions, I should repay you, shouldn’t I?”
With a faint smile, he rose and walked to the bookshelf.
Among the many books, he tapped one with a dark-blue cover using his left hand.
The bookshelf shifted on its own, revealing a hidden space. Dante slipped inside.
A moment later—
He returned holding a large pouch of money.
Thud.
When he set it on the table, it made a heavy sound.
“Seven thousand rubels. Will that be enough?”
My eyes went wide.
‘That’s more than enough…!!’
Seven thousand rubels—converted to Korean won, that was about 9.7 million won. Nearly ten million!
Nodding enthusiastically like I had hit the jackpot, I watched as Dante smirked and slid the pouch toward me.
I quickly grabbed it and peeked inside.
It was filled with glittering gold coins.
‘One, two, three, four….’
Roughly counting, there were about seventy.
Each gold coin was worth 100 rubels.
I took one out and held it up to the light. Its pristine surface, free of even a fingerprint, gleamed brilliantly.
‘It’s beautiful….’
Gold really is wonderful….
After returning to my room with Lishian, I immediately moved on to the next step.
Exchanging 3,800 rubels into coins.
Do you wish to exchange 3,800 rubels into coins?
YES / NO
I quickly pressed “YES.”
At once, I heard the clinking sound of coins pouring out, and a new window appeared.
You have exchanged 3,800 rubels and obtained 83,600 coins!
Then came another notification.
〈Let’s Go to the Dungeon Hub City!〉 Quest Complete!
As a completion reward, you have received 1,000 coins and 100 reputation.
‘Done….’
Now I can go to the Hidden Shop and buy “Fate Distortion”!
I glanced at the clock on the wall.
The current time: 12:42 a.m.
I should have been tired and sleepy, but strangely, my mind was clear and my body felt energized.
Was it adrenaline?
Thump, thump—
‘Finally….’
A new possibility is opening.
Would you like to enter the Hidden Shop?
The membership card slid out of my inventory and floated in the air, scattering golden dust.
I clenched my fists. I steadied my breathing and tightened my jaw. My eyelids trembled slightly.
When I slowly opened my eyes—
A pure white arched door came into view.
It swung open wide on both sides, as if welcoming me.
A radiant light poured out from beyond it.
“…….”
As if bewitched, I took a step forward.
