Chapter 76 – Back To The Grind.

“Finally… What took you so long? Were you really having more fun with that idiot hero than with your own demon king?”

“He was just better suited to help me interact with the adventurers, now that the test is over, I don’t need him as much.”

Rusty replied to Aburdon, whom he had finally summoned after returning to his empty inn room. The party had already disbanded, leaving him alone once more. Aburdon, the demon king bound to Rusty, scoffed at the response, his pride clearly wounded by the idea of being less useful than Alexander, the hero. The black orb of light that represented the demon king hovered above Rusty’s head, as though trying to assert its superiority as a companion.

Despite his smugness, Aburdon knew he couldn’t refuse an order from his master. Initially, Rusty had wanted both of them to be summoned at the same time as three heads, after all, seemed better than one or two. But the two bickered continuously, like an old married couple, and only caused more problems. It was easier to summon them one at a time. Now that Rusty was becoming more accustomed to the adventurer’s life, it was fine to let Alexander rest for a while.

“Next time, wouldn’t it be better to just take all the money for yourself? They would’ve let you pass the test if you gave them the badges, wouldn’t they?”

“I doubt it. Working as a team was part of the test. It was better not to push my luck.”

“Hoh?”

Rusty responded, aware that Aburdon wasn’t being completely honest. He had already figured out that both of his guides had their own agendas. The demon king often urged him to kill, betray, and plunder – strategies that could lead to faster progress, but with much higher risks. Alexander, on the other hand, advocated for teamwork, discipline, and a slow but steady progress. The hero also had a soft spot for humans, encouraging Rusty to spare them, even when doing so could hinder his quest to save Gleam.

“If you continue down this path, you’ll just be crawling along at a snail’s pace. If you wish to save your friend, wouldn’t it be better to use everything at your disposal?”

“What do you mean?”

Aburdon floated closer as if trying to whisper into Rusty’s ear.

“You’ve already encountered adventurers, seen how they operate. Even during the test, you saw them take treasure and monster parts, didn’t you?”

“Yes, that’s right. What are you getting at?”

“Why don’t you just steal everything from them? Here’s the plan: first, we buy a detailed map of that maze. I bet they’ve got one that marks all the best spots.”

“Best spots for what?”

“For an ambush, of course, my dear Rusty!”

“An ambush? You want me to kill them?”

Rusty wasn’t sure how to feel about this suggestion. The adventurers were technically his enemies, but at the same time, they could become allies. As long as he maintained his identity as Albert, they’d treat him as one of their own and even offer help.

“Well, if you want to be a goody-two-shoes like that stick-in-the-mud Alexander, you don’t have to kill them. Just knock them out if you prefer. Once they’re out of the way, we grab their spatial bags and take all their loot! How’s that sound?”

“Hmm…”

Aburdon finally laid out the plan, and Rusty wasn’t completely opposed to it. After observing how things worked at the guild, he knew he could sell the extra monster parts without much trouble.

“That doesn’t sound too bad. They’ll probably have some coins on them too. If I leave them alive, Alexander won’t have anything to complain about…”

“Exactly! You could even use a place like that chamber with the sleeping mist. Once they’re asleep, you just grab their stuff and disappear!”

Rusty mulled over Aburdon’s plan, recognizing its advantages. It wasn’t much different from what he’d done in the old dungeon, luring unsuspecting adventurers into traps and killing them for experience points wasn’t anything new. This wouldn’t be any different, and adventurers were practically walking loot boxes, just waiting to be opened.

However, he knew Alexander would likely complain if the killings continued, and there was also the issue with the guild. If adventurers kept dying, the guild would eventually send an even stronger party to hunt him down, which was exactly what he wanted to avoid. It was smarter to play it safe and leave them alive for now, at least until the situation called for more drastic measures.

“I’ll think about it, but first we’ll go to the guild and look through that board, will you be able to remember the monster names and prices?”

“For my superior intellect, something like that is child’s play.”

“Good…”

Rusty nodded and waited patiently, still bound by the rules of this place. His body, incapable of sleep, felt restless as he remained confined to the small room, with little to do besides listening to his guides bicker. At the crack of dawn, he gathered his belongings and headed back to the guild.

Today, he had three tasks: first, to retrieve his iron card; then, to study the board for the most profitable monsters; and finally, to head into the dungeon and begin his exploration. Once inside, he had no intention of leaving for a while. This would likely be the last time he returned to the guild for at least a week. The auction day had not been announced just yet but he probably didn’t have much longer than two weeks to get a sizable amount of money. Even if he couldn’t come up with the required funds in time, he had no intention of giving up. If it came down to it, he would bloody his armor again without hesitation.

As Rusty entered the guild, he noticed it was quieter than usual. The usual bustle was missing, and it seemed that none of the other participants from the rank-up trial had arrived yet. Alexander had mentioned something about adventurers celebrating with drinking and partying after accomplishing something noteworthy. Rusty wasn’t fully familiar with the customs yet, but he did notice a few adventurers passed out drunk in the corners, evidence of last night’s festivities. He approached the guild receptionist, who, to his surprise, was the same one who was arguing with some adventurers yesterday.

“Ah, what can I do for you, sir?”

The receptionist stifled a yawn, covering her mouth with one hand.

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“I’m here to collect my iron adventurer card.”

Rusty replied, keeping his voice steady and low, trying to act as natural as possible.The receptionist blinked a few times, clearly still groggy from the previous night’s events. She quickly straightened up and began sifting through paperwork on her desk.

“Of course. Could I have your old adventurer card?”

“Here.”

Rusty had his card ready and handed it over. The woman took it and grabbed a pre-prepared list from the side. She scanned through the names, eventually confirming that “Albert the adventurer” was on the list. Then, she reached for a stack of new cards. The stack was sizable, though Rusty noted it seemed smaller than the number of people who had participated in the trial.

She flipped through the cards, stopping halfway to pull out Rusty’s new one. His old card had a copper tint, but this one gleamed with iron. The back bore the Adventurers Guild insignia, while the front displayed his name, rank, and the details of where and when the card was issued. Rusty accepted the card, glancing briefly at the rank now etched into the metal. His mind was already wandering as the significance of this upgrade hit him. With this, he could finally return to his main mission.

“… Remember, if you lose this card, we can remake it, but there will be a fee…”