Dependable Silver Thorn

[Golden Sunwood Tavern]

As one of only two taverns in Mute Wind Town, the closest town to the Amethyst Dungeon, it differed from its competitor, which sold cheap liquor and was packed day and night with all sorts of riffraff. The cups at Golden Sunwood Tavern were always filled with undiluted liquor.

Accordingly, its higher prices meant that the customers who came here were all Adventurers with some strength.

But today, the Adventurers who should have been scattered throughout the tavern were strangely clustered on the right side, making the four people sitting alone on the left look as though they had reserved half the place.

After all, they were the Silver Thorn Squad—a Diamond Rank Adventurer squad whose members were all above Level 50.

It was not that the Silver Thorn Squad was particularly overbearing. It was simply obvious to anyone with eyes that the atmosphere around them was off, and no one wanted to provoke them at a time like this.

Everyone drank quietly on the other side, both timid and curious, hoping to catch a scrap of gossip to talk about over the next few days.

The most eye-catching member of the Silver Thorn Squad was undoubtedly the Half-Dragon Garr. At seven and a half feet tall, he was taller while seated than ordinary people were standing. Combined with his reinforced heavy armor, he looked like a city wall.

And in truth, he was indeed the wall protecting his companions. In countless battles, he had stood at the front, holding back swarming enemies and creating a safe space for his teammates to attack.

The only slight regret was that Garr had failed to inherit his Dragonkin mother's ability to breathe fire. Otherwise, if he suddenly let loose a breath attack while blocking the enemy, even a savage Orc general would die on the spot.

Yet the words coming from this Half-Dragon's mouth now carried not the slightest hint of bravery:

"We're done for, we're done for. I'm afraid we can't stay in the United Kingdom any longer.

Boss, this mission is impossible anyway. Why don't we slip off to the Western Isles before they're prepared?

Once we enter the Dungeon again, we won't have another chance to run!"

Clang—

A sharp blade struck Garr's breastplate and bounced onto the table. The Shadow Walker Night Owl casually toyed with two more blades between his fingers.

This Elf, who had slit the throats of countless Monsters with throwing knives, was currently glaring at his own frontliner as though he were looking at goblin shit.

"Did you forget that the last time we spent just two days on a boat, you nearly vomited your stomach out?

And you want to run to the Western Isles? You'd probably die on the ship halfway there.

Besides, the mission hasn't even started yet. If we complete it, we get a city!"

Night Owl's eyes gleamed when he mentioned a city. Who knew why a pure-blooded Elf was so interested in acquiring a human city?

"You have to be able to complete it first!

They said we have to bring her back completely unharmed, but it's already been half a month!

Don't tell me you don't know what happens to Adventurers who get trapped in the Amethyst Dungeon and don't die.

It's either the Parasitic Tree on the Fifth Floor or the Tentacle Nest on the Ninth Floor. Even if we rescue her, her brain will have rotted away. Do you think the Duke will acknowledge that as 'completely unharmed'?

At best, she was captured by wandering savage Orcs to be kept as emergency rations. By now, her limbs have probably been mostly cut off.

And even then, we have to pray she didn't suffer a mental breakdown from despair.

This mission is practically impossible to complete!

When the Duke comes knocking to hold us accountable, Night Owl, you can use Shadow Shuttle and escape. The three of us will be beaten to death!"

It was no wonder Garr feared Duke Amara so much. Ten years ago, when everyone at this table had still been Gold or Silver Rank, Amara was already a Level 70 powerhouse standing at the peak of humanity.

Though all four of them were in their fifties, only around ten levels below Duke Amara, in reality, even if they were tied together, they would only be enough for a max-level big shot like the Duke to warm up.

The gap between levels became increasingly apparent the higher one went. Not to mention that someone like the Duke, who had been max level for so long, would surely possess numerous high-level skills. Otherwise, he would not have been capable of withstanding the Empire's pressure at the border for so many years.

"Enough, enough, Garr. Stop talking."

Seeing Garr about to continue preaching defeatism, the captain Nova had no choice but to interrupt:

"There's still a chance we can bring her back. If her brain is damaged, there's nothing we can do, but if she's missing a few arms or legs, we can just feed her a Limb Regeneration Potion.

The risk is indeed great, but so is the reward.

How can we give up before we've even seen her?

Let's treat it as a gamble. If all we manage to bring back is someone who has gone stupid, I'll report to the Duke alone. You can use the chance to escape."

In truth, Nova knew his warrior was right. If this had been ten years earlier, he would have chosen to flee as well. He could have hidden in the Western Isles or in Elf or Dwarf territory. No matter how powerful Duke Alama was, there would have been nothing he could do to him.

But that was no longer possible. Conflict between the United Kingdom and the Hermit Empire had become increasingly frequent, and they looked ready to go to war at any moment. At a time like this, neither the Elves nor the Dwarves would casually permit foreign high-level combatants to enter their lands.

The only place they could go was the Western Isles. After all, as a human, he could hardly take the initiative to head to the Hermit Empire and become a blood servant for those Vampires.

But the Archipelago was no good place either. The Mist farther west was constantly expanding, swallowing islands one after another, and the slave owners on the islands were desperate.

If a Diamond Rank Adventurer with nowhere else to go appeared there at a time like this, they would definitely use that to threaten him into defending against the Mist.

That job had a far higher death rate than exploring a Dungeon.

After weighing everything, it was better to gamble: gamble that they could rescue the Duke's Daughter unharmed, or gamble that even if they only rescued someone who had gone stupid, the Duke would not simply beat him to death.

But the squad was not a one-man dictatorship. In the end, the members had to decide together.

"The usual rule. Let's vote. I vote for entering the Dungeon."

"I want to be a city lord!" Night Owl also voted in favor.

"I still think we should run now." The Half-Dragon clearly had no desire to gamble.

"Ivan?"

The three of them looked together at the squad's fourth member—Ivan Niets—who had not said a word from beginning to end and had been fiddling with something under the table.

The Halfling's short body was almost swallowed by the edge of the wooden table. When he kept quiet, he truly had little presence, but as the squad's main damage-dealing Mage, his opinion was naturally just as important.

"Finally got it out!"

A damaged, warped, discarded Magic Crystal was tossed before the others. Ivan eagerly took out a brand-new B-Rank Magic Crystal and inserted it into the empty slot in his abdomen with a click.

Magic power surged in from all around, flowing through the Magic Crystal into every part of Ivan's body. The violent torrent of magic scoured every neural synapse, casting him into a hazy trance.

"Ahh..."

The entire tavern heard the Halfling Mage's satisfied moan, and everyone's expressions could not help turning strange.

Night Owl gripped the blades in his hand tightly, barely stopping them from flying into his embarrassing teammate's throat.

"That magic-addicted idiot..."

Looking at the great Mage opposite him, whose eyes had rolled back and who had even started drooling, Nova only felt that leading this squad was exhausting.

"The mission can't be delayed. Let's call it two to one. Garr, carry Ivan on your back. Night Owl and I will be enough for the first few floors."

Garr sighed and did not object further. He merely held out his hand to Nova.

"?"

"Magic resistance potion! Did you forget the last time he fired a Magic Burst at point-blank range while on my back and nearly sent both of us to our deaths?"

"..."