Chapter 133

The incomprehensible phenomena didn't stop there. What was even more incomprehensible was that a week had passed, and apart from being frequently seen interacting with Che Huiyi at school, Castorice showed absolutely no intention of joining the guild.

Joining a guild may have disadvantages, but the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

The benefits of not joining... aside from being able to call yourself a free agent, there are none at all.

So what exactly is the reason that this newly appointed S-Class has not yet joined the guild?

The reason is actually quite simple.

Castorice has neither money nor fame, so there is absolutely no need for her to join a guild. Although more money could allow her to quickly accumulate funds and bid for A-Class dungeons, it is indeed unnecessary. Right now, Castorice and Han Songyi can make a lot of money by bidding for B-rank and C-Class dungeons and hiring five or six E-level hunters to fill the ranks.

Han Songyi even managed to raise enough money for her grandmother's first surgery in a short period of time.

Moreover... Castorice believes that not joining a guild and being a maverick hunter will actually increase her recognition.

S-Class characters are never short of discussion, and Castorice is currently the youngest, most beautiful, and most mysterious S-Class -S-Class. With multiple titles and an air of mystery, countless paparazzi try to dig deep into her information every day.

At least for the time being, there's no need to worry about approval.

Life moved forward at its own pace. It was another afternoon after school. Castorice had just stepped out of the classroom when she saw Che Huiyi walking towards her from the corridor.

"Castorice".

Upon seeing her, Che Huiyi immediately smiled and said, "Today I bid for an A-Class teleportation portal, so I'd like to hire you to help me."

"Senior Che?"

Castorice said unexpectedly.

It's Che Huiyi, not Hantes.

As mentioned before, joining a guild can help you quickly accumulate funds and bid for A-Class dungeons. Conversely, without a guild, you cannot bid for A-Class dungeons.

As the highest level dungeon under normal circumstances, A-Class dungeons not only offer far greater rewards than B-rank dungeons, but also offer the possibility of obtaining rare equipment or weapons from bosses. The craftsmanship of these weapons may even surpass that of all other artisans in the world, and such equipment is generally referred to as Divine Artifact.

This resulted in A-Class portals being completely controlled by top-tier guilds, with almost no other guilds or individuals besides the five major guilds able to win the bids.

"Yes, but since it's an individual bidding process, there are only the two of us this time."

Che Huiyi said shyly, "As for other options... let's do what Castorice did and hire hunters to meet the number of people required."

She looked like a good student skipping class, which made Castorice laugh.

"But why the two of us? What about the Hantes Guild?"

Castorice.

"Because... because I need to buy a Divine Artifact recently, I'm a bit short on money... If there are two of us, we can split the profits from the A-Class teleportation portal, and we'll earn more than the guild!"

Che Huiyi's gaze was somewhat unfocused, but she still finished speaking.

It's obvious they're lying, or rather, they're feeling guilty.

After thinking for a moment, Castorice realized that Che Huiyi's lack of money was a pretense; her real intention was to use this opportunity to give her money.

Perhaps it's because of the Mana Allergy incident before, so she wants to repay herself?

Although Castorice didn't need it, the other party was a decisive person, and it took so long to contact her, not in Hantes's name but in his personal capacity, so it must have taken a lot of effort.

In this situation, it would be too cruel to refuse her.

"Great, that's exactly what I need for start-up capital. Thank you, Senior Che."

Castorice didn't point it out, but instead expressed her gratitude with a smile.

"Alright! Let's set off right away!"

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Strange Underground City

Although we decided to go together, we actually needed to gather eight people because of the rules.

Castorice originally wanted to invite Han Songyi along, not because she wanted to bring her into the dungeon, but because she thought that since she was going to hire some hunters anyway, she might as well let Han Songyi join in and earn some hiring fees. However, after hesitating for a while, she gave up.

After all, Han Songyi has been working very hard these days. She has to go to school in the morning and then go into the dungeon with her after school. Even if she doesn't have to do any work, she will still volunteer to be the Magic Crystals transporter, trying her best not to be too obvious about being a kept woman.

Such a high-intensity lifestyle is quite tough for a high school student. Money can be earned anytime, so it would be better to let Han Songyi rest and spend some time with her family.

Thinking this, Castorice sent her a message that meant, "I have something to do today, let's fight again tomorrow."

After receiving a reply, Castorice put down her phone.

Because of Castorice's special condition, the two were unable to travel to the portal by means of transportation, so they simply rode the Dead Dragon together.

The Dead Dragon Polykertes was created by the previous Senatus, also known as Polyxia, and is an extension of her will, but not herself, because Polyxia is not here. The Dead Dragon became the extension of the will of the current Senatus, also known as the Castorice.

It doesn't inherently Castorice, although it could have it.

This time, the portal was located at the foot of a mountain in a remote suburb. The hunters who came to make up the numbers had already been waiting there. After all, they were all low-level hunters of D and E-Class, and since they hadn't joined a guild, they didn't have much to do on a daily basis.

Although it was just a hiring fee, Che Huiyi was a generous boss, and the money she gave them was enough for them to run two dungeons every day, so there was nothing wrong with treating her boss the best.

But...

As they watched the two figures, one in gold and one in purple, leap down from the Dead Dragon, it was as if the intersection of heaven and hell naturally drew their attention.

There's probably no one else in this country besides Che Huiyi who would be able to associate with this 'Maid of Deathly Shadows' without any apparent reservations.

The title "The Maid of Deathly Shadows" is the same as "Dancer" for Che Huiyi and "Humanity's Strongest Weapon" for Choi Jung-in. It is said that a hunter hired by Castorice unconsciously uttered the title while in a dungeon, and it spread immediately after being overheard by others.

Well... it's not exactly clear, but it sounds impressive and suits me well, so it just became my nickname.

Once everyone was present, the hunters from the association walked from the portal to Che Huiyi, the successful bidder, and left after registering everyone present.

"This time it won't just be the two of us going in, so let's not go straight into the lord's room."

After entering the portal one after the Castorice, Che Huiyi said, "We can clear out all the enemies here first, and then move the Magic Crystals out."

Castorice was familiar with this, and nodded slightly. Then her modern clothes immediately transformed into the 'classic skin' in the game.

"Huh...?"

Her words surprised Che Huiyi.

Looking at her own casual clothes and then at Castorice's 'combat suit', Che Huiyi, who took out a longsword from her spatial storage, asked curiously, "Is Castorice so skilled in subspace True Magic? I can only store my sword in there right now."

In fact, this reflects her progress over the past few days. Before, let alone swords, her subspace could only hold jewelry such as rings and necklaces.

"But the Castorice does have summoning abilities, so it's not surprising."

Although curious, Che Huiyi didn't feel anything was wrong. After all, in her eyes, Castorice was a True Magic- oriented person who knew the concept of Mana Manipulation, so she must have practiced a lot.

It's quite normal for someone to be stronger than me, a swordsman who only knows how to use magic to enhance himself and is a self-taught swordsman.

"If you need it, Senior Che, you can keep a spare set of equipment here with me."

Castorice smiled and said without any burden.

Through their interactions over this period, she realized that Che Huiyi was very well-equipped.

Unlike other hunters who enjoy life, Che Huiyi spends most of her money on equipment and weapons. It can be said that she has prepared a lot of sets of equipment suitable for various occasions for the dungeon, while a small portion of her money is used to support other hunters in the guild.

Castorice never expected to meet such a kind-hearted person, which greatly increased her affection for Che Huiyi, and she regarded her as her second friend in this world.

The reason why it took so long to receive news of his repayment, and why he only hired E-Class and D-Class hunters, was because the other party's funds, in addition to equipment, were not very abundant.

In other words, the house has many valuable items, but not much money in total.

Mona from Otherworld is... no, Mona is much poorer than Che Huiyi.

"Ah... no need then. It's better for Castorice to pack more things that are useful to herself."

Faced with Castorice's kind offer, Che Huiyi waved her hand, feeling embarrassed to let her equipment take up space.

As the two finished speaking, the other hunters followed one after another.

Although her original intention was for these hunters to wait outside, witnessing A-Class dungeon and S-Class battle up close was a rare opportunity, especially since these two S-Class were also rare beauties.

Not only can they feast their eyes, but they will also have good topics to talk about, so hunters naturally hope to enter the dungeon together.

After all, it was only an A-Class dungeon. Although she wasn't wearing any equipment, Che Huiyi didn't think that with herself and Castorice there, they wouldn't be able to protect these low-level hunters behind her.

They weren't planning to engage the BOSS.

The E-Class hunters, being True Magic, lit fireballs for illumination. They didn't have the same powerful senses as the S-Class hunters and still needed light to maintain normal vision.

This underground city was still a cave, perhaps a mountain cave, or perhaps underground. There was only one path in front of them, so they went forward.

"Something's coming."

Before long, Che Huiyi felt a foul smell enter her nostrils, and several huge canine creatures with red fur rushed out from the dark corners where the firelight could not illuminate.

Whether as the inviter or a senior, Che Huiyi had no intention of making Castorice engage in unnecessary battles. After all, this was a dungeon she had bid for in order to repay Castorice, so she naturally wanted to give Castorice the best gaming experience.

"It's the Dungeon Jackals!"

The D-Class True Magic was startled and almost lost the magic to maintain the fireball.

Che Huiyi frowned slightly, but her sword did not falter at all. Golden light climbed up the blade, and in her agile and dazzling movements, which resembled a dance, more than a dozen Jackal were wiped out in just two seconds.

But...

Something's not right.

Looking at the fallen Jackal carcasses, Che Huiyi immediately noticed the collars around their necks and asked in confusion, "Why are there C-Class Demon Beast in A-Class dungeon? And why are they wearing... collars?"

It's almost like it's been tamed, but... a monster taming another monster?

Che Huiyi always felt that this A-Class dungeon was somewhat unusual.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Is it popular again?

"Excuse me... what does this mean?"

Although they were low-level hunters, the others didn't miss this opportunity to learn, or rather, to learn a point of knowledge they could brag about to others. "Is it strange that Jackal appear in A-Class dungeon?"

Dungeon Jackals are actually quite common. Although they are C-Class Demon Beast, D-Class can also be encountered. They usually live in groups in the forest.

Che Huiyi hadn't intended to hide anything, but when she heard someone ask a question and saw Castorice's equally curious eyes, she explained in detail, "If it's an intermediate-level dungeon, that is, B-rank or C-Class dungeon, it's not surprising to see Jackal. Demon Beast often appear in dungeons that are the same level as themselves or one level higher."

"These underground cities won't have powerful enemies that can kill them without a driver, nor will they face the predicament of not being able to catch prey, but... it's different if you're two levels apart."

After hearing Che Huiyi's explanation, everyone understood.

A difference of one level can be made up for with quantity and hard work, but a difference of two levels cannot be made up for by these methods.

"And this collar..."

Che Huiyi pointed to the rough leather items around the Jackal' necks, which resembled collars, and her expression became increasingly puzzled. "These things are not something that mindless Demon Beast could make. What makes humans different from other animals is that humans can make and use tools."

"Does the Car Hunter mean... there's someone inside this portal?"

The lower-level hunters were somewhat astonished, and also felt a chill run down their spines.

"It's probably not a human... but Demon Beast with human-like intelligence..."

Che Huiyi's expression grew increasingly serious.

"That shouldn't be surprising, right? Don't White Specters also possess this kind of intelligence?"

Her words actually relieved the hunters.

"..."

Che Huiyi paused for a moment, but still patiently explained, "White Specters are B-rank Demon Beast. The main reason they are called White Specters is that as B-rank Demon Beast, they are inherently difficult to deal with, and they also possess considerable intelligence and tactical abilities. However, if their strength were replaced with A-Class, the situation would be completely different."

"This..."

The hunters then remembered that this was A-Class dungeon.

There are six levels in total, from S to E. There is a dividing line between each two levels. E to D are called low-level hunters and low-level Demon Beast, C to B are mid-level, and A to S are also called high-level, but they show huge differences in strength.

A-Class dungeon will naturally be full of A-Class monsters and an S-Class boss. That alone wouldn't be a problem, but having intelligence makes all the difference.

"I'm sorry, Castorice, it seems we can't continue this dungeon."

Che Huiyi looked at Castorice with a guilty expression. "I have to report this to the guild and then bring in an elite squad. I will compensate you with another A-Class teleportation portal later."

"Compensate?"

Castorice tilted her head in confusion.

Although I knew what Che Huiyi previous excuse was that she wanted to buy Divine Artifact.

"Ah... um... no! Castorice, you already knew what I meant, didn't you!"