One of the handlers, the most passionate about his job, raged.


    His voice reverberated across the empty and barren lobby of the Horza idde Mana Dungeon''s entrance.


    This handler was naturally Fyun, who was fuming—like an excessively stern and systematic father reprimanding his reckless children—after finding out that despite losing their lead scout, the extermination party still proceeded.


    They could''ve been wiped out.


    "Rai Hou! I expected better from you! Why did you decide to proceed? If the WAA lost all seven of you, it wouldn''t have been just a minor setback!"


    Despite being such a talented individual—one of the actual few worthy to be amongst the truest of elites—Rai Hou couldn''t help but shiver as though all by his lonesome in the middle of a fierce blizzard that was Fyun''s wrath.


    He was both respectful and fearful of his handler as the guy was truly capable, always securing the most perfect mandatory quest in terms of difficulty and rewards.


    This not only boosted his fame but also elevated his standing among his peers in the cutthroatpetitive Yon Augenn Region, giving him a decent chance to rise as one of the next generation''s heroes.


    He simply doesn''t dare disrespect Fyun.


    "S-Sir Fyun, I apologize for the seemingly irrational decision. However, someone stepped up to fill Koneko''s role. Naturally, I tested his scouting abilities first, and upon deeming them trustworthy enough for us to proceed safely, I made the difficult decision to continue in hopes of having a chance to save Koneko." Rai Hou exined, his heart racing yet his tone calm.


    Fyun''s brows furrowed in suspicion after hearing his champion''s words.


    He carefully researched the known capabilities of each member of the dungeon extermination party, hence, he couldn''t help but doubt Rai Hou''s words.


    From what he knew, Freeze''s abilities were for detecting traps, but the young man from Krebori had no detection skill that could sniff out creatures of the void who were hiding in their pesky pockets.


    ''Unless the guy hid his true capabilities?'' Fyun wondered, his gaze, calm and calcting as though peering into the depths of Freeze''s very soul.


    This caused him to shiver ufortably.


    Being on the receiving end of the stern senior''s gaze was far from a pleasant experience.


    "Hoh, Freeze is a finer scout than I imagined, huh? Well done." Fyun sincerely said, praising the Kreborian scout more than he deserved. Experience more tales on My Virtual Library Empire


    This naturally elicited an unsatisfied outburst from a certain ape, his voice filled with indignance echoing to the skies.


    "HA! Senior Fyun! How could it be that ipetent fool?! This little stick couldn''t even detect traps properly, leaving me to clean up his mess! It was only after we got a certain item drop that he managed to do his job adequately, so how could he lead us through an entire pitch-ck dungeon floor?! HAHA!


    This little thing—oooh, how I want to strangle you to death! I don''t even trust him to guide us through the brightly lit purple floors, let alone the entire dungeon!" Dalton said—fuming—his hands making strangling motions.


    The hulking young adventurer''s words left Fyun''s mind in a chaotic disarray.


    "Huh? It wasn''t Freeze? Who else could it be but him?" He asked Rai Hou, impatient and confused.


    "It was Crowley. He had a detection skill that could even spot enemies hiding in void and spatial pockets. His eyes could also see well in the dark. He guided the party from the first floor up to the sixth, where we found a safe spot and used the two-way travel scroll." the Yon Augenn champion respectfully replied.


    This time, it wasn''t just Fyun''s mind that was chaotic; his heart was also a raging storm on the high seas.


    "It was…Crowley?"


    ''How could it be him? Is this young man truly as impressive as the Valenzians suggest? Also, they lost Koneko on the first floor but made it all the way to the sixth?''


    The senior handler didn''t want to believe such absurd stories.


    However, Rai Hou had never dared to bullshit with him, even more so now that one of the extermination party''s members was in deep trouble.


    This meant that Shye Crowley''s lead scouting abilities were truly sufficient for them to proceed.


    ''Hoh, could it be...this guy already has a subss at such a young age? Impressive, I must say...''


    Fyun believed that Shye chose the scout ss as his subss. It was the most feasible exnation, after all.


    "I see…I shall report this to the association. Well done, Crowley. Rai Hou, I shall trust your judgment and allow the extermination party to proceed." The senior handler said, pausing for a few moments, seemingly embarrassed.


    "H-Here are your supplies. We were attacked by unusually skilled bandits on the way here, and unfortunately, we failed to protect more than half of the consumables. For that, I, Fyun, apologize. I will report this grave mistake to the association and take full responsibility."


    The senior handler''s words made the hearts of the extermination party members sink.


    Just earlier, they hadpletely run out of restoration consumables. Freeze had to beg as though a stray cat for mana potions three times.


    If the consumables they were expecting were reduced by more than half…


    "T-This might not be enough, Sir Fyun... We''ve underestimated the dungeon''s rate of consumable consumption. Especially me; I need way more mana potions now because of the item that allows me to detect traps wlessly," Freezeined, unable to hide his frustration.


    He didn''t want to beg for mana potions anymore.


    "I truly apologize, Freeze. This is all we managed to secure; we lost a couple of spatial bags in exchange for our lives. What do you all think? Is this really not enough? If everyone agrees it''s too dangerous to continue, we can report this mission as a failure. Of course, I will take full responsibility for this failure, including Koneko''s unfortunate circumstances." Fyun said as calmly as possible.


    However, his heart was clearly not as calm, as evidenced by his shaking hands.


    A few members of the extermination party felt their resolve waver upon hearing the senior handler''s words.


    This was a chance to leave the unsettling depths of the Horza idde Mana Dungeon scot-free. They could abandon Koneko to die and ce all the me on Fyun and the other handlers.


    Naturally, some of them, namely Mira and Rai Hou, couldn''t bring themselves to betray the handlers who had taken care of their careers.@@novelbin@@


    However, the unexpectedly low number of consumable restocks made them hesitate.


    Rai Hou was certain that these supplies wouldn''tst until they defeated the ninth floor''s guardian, let alone the tenth.


    Just before the situation turned unfavorable for the unfortunate handlers, a young man''s voice intervened, saving them from the grim fate of dismissal or demotion.


    "No, these are enough, Sir Fyun. We shall continue the mission."