That might really have killed me if it had hit, Erik thought to himself. He walked inside the office, closing the door as he walked in. In front of him was a wooden table placed against the wall with a large window directly behind it. A brown curtain partially covered the huge glass window, allowing a small amount of light to come through.
To Erik's right, there was a bookshelf filled with books about magic and adventuring as a profession, these were the books the guildmaster frequently used.
The table was a wooden one, with a fancy white teacup acting as a pen stand for several fountain pens. A lot of brownish papers were stacked on the table, with a stamp and a red ink container placed together next to the pen stand.
The guildmaster was sitting in his white, cosy armchair with his feet on the table. The paperwork seemed to have been completed, as it was placed aside. On the table, a white bowl of noodles rested, though the chopsticks were missing, the same chopsticks that had just been used by him in an assassination attempt on Erik.
Erik walked towards the guildmaster's table. Standing a step away from the two simple wooden chairs arranged with the table opposite the guild master's armchair, he looked at the guild master as he began to speak.
"I don't know much about how to treat juniors, but I am almost certain you shouldn't try to kill your juniors, especially children," Erik said, in a loud voice with a visibly pissed look.
The guildmaster pulled back his leg and placed it on the floor, standing from the chair. He walked towards Erik and patted Erik's right shoulder playfully, looking at him with a smile.
"I was just checking whether you are still training or just wasting your time in that shit hole," the guild master said in his deep voice, emphasizing the "shit hole" part.
"That shit hole is my school, sir Valdrik," Erik retorted as he moved the guildmaster's hand away and stepped back.
"Seriously, you don't have to study there to become a good adventurer. You can climb up ranks like butter if you just become a full-time adventurer," Valdrik said in a slightly frustrated tone as he looked at Erik.
Giving an annoyed expression, Erik continued, "I prefer learning there since the instructors there are competent in their field and know what they are teaching," Erik said, emphasizing the word "competent."
"I am not interested in learning stuff from fellow adventurers, whose primary focus won't be to teach me," Erik replied, giving Valdrik a disapproving glance.
"Fine, whatever you say," Valdrik said with a shrug gesture as he looked away from Erik.
"Coming to the important thing, I have something important to tell you, sir Valdrik," Erik said in a serious tone, looking at Valdrik.
"What? Do you need me to find some high-paying jobs for you like usual?" Valdrik added in a frustrated tone. "I'll tell you if I have any," he added, dismissing Erik with a wave of his right hand.
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"It's not about that. It's regarding the dungeon," Erik added.
As the word "dungeon" left Erik's mouth, the environment in the room became a serious one.
Valdrik turned to look at Erik. "And what about the dungeon do you want to tell me, Erik? Did something strange happen?" he asked with a serious look.
Erik nodded at this. "Yes, it sure was something strange; I think I encountered a new type of monster in the dungeon today," Erik added in a serious tone.
Valdrik's eyes widened. "A new monster, you say?" he said. "You aren't playing pranks with me now, are you?" Valdrik asked loudly, looking at Erik.
"I am not," Erik replied without flinching.
Valdrik looked at Erik's expression, not sensing any lie in his face. He moved back to his seat, sitting back in his chair. He looked at Erik. "Do tell me about today's incident in detail," he added as he leaned forward taking the support of the table.
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Erik described the events that transpired in the dungeon, the unusual lack of monster spawning on the 16th floor, the dense miasma on the 17th floor, and the new type of monster that could not only possess a person but also use that person's memories and abilities.
After Erik finished recounting the day's events, the guildmaster took some time to think about what he should do. After a moment of thinking, he spoke up.
"How many people know about this whole ordeal?" the guildmaster asked, glaring at Erik.
"It's me and Amelie's party," Erik added. "I have already asked them not to reveal anything about this monster sighting to other adventurers," he added in a neutral tone.
"You did? That's good," Valdrik said as a sigh of relief left his mouth. "You can leave now," the guildmaster said, waving his right hand to gesture to Erik to go.
Wait, shouldn't he offer me a monetary reward? Guess I have to do something about it, Erik thought to himself.
"So, Sir Valdrik, may I ask something?" Erik added with a polite tone.
"What do you wanna ask?" Valdrik replied, raising his eyebrows.
"I am curious, where should I get the payment for defeating this monster? And how much should I be paid?" Erik said, giving a mock thoughtful look as he folded his hands.
Valdrik hit the table in fury. "You can't be serious! You aren't revealing any information about this to anyone."
"I am not," Erik added with a slightly surprised tone.
He's falling for my trap. I mean, he should have just given me payment upfront for keeping it a secret, Erik thought to himself.
"How will I get paid then, sir?" Erik said in a polite tone. "You do know I work a single day in a week, don't you, Sir?" Erik added.
"Seriously, Erik? That's what you were getting at?" Valdrik said with a slightly disappointed look.
"I do have a family to take care of," Erik said, slowly whistling as he looked away.
Valdrik took a moment to consider. He glared at Erik disapprovingly and added, "Fine, but I want absolute silence on this topic."
Erik nodded. "Yes Sir."
"How much do you earn on your average exploration?" Valdrik asked, giving Erik a curious expression.
"Something around 60,000 to 80,000 ryon," Erik replied immediately.
"60,000 ryon, huh," Valdrik said, pausing for a moment, taking his time to think before continuing.
Erik looked at Valdrik attentively, waiting for the amount he would offer.
Valdrik took a piece of paper from the register and a pen from the stand.
"Will 70,000 ryon be enough for you?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yes, that should be enough," Erik said, nodding, maintaining a calm expression.
Valdrik entered the amount he was giving Erik in the register. The amount he wrote was 100,000 ryon.
Valdrik looked down at the table he was working on. There were two drawers on either side of the table. He slid open the drawer on the left, taking out 100,000 ryon from it.
"Here's the money," Valdrik said as he stretched his hand with 100,000 ryon. "Ask any of the receptionist to give 30,000 ryon to Aron and Amelie's party when they see them, and also inform them to meet me," Valdrik said with a stern look.
Erik nodded, taking the money in his hand. There were 10 notes of 10,000 ryon. "Understood, Sir," Erik mumbled, looking at the money in his hand.