Premium Weapon (1)

Despite being sent flying by the wounded minotaur he had confronted earlier, Anderson emerged relatively unscathed. While his head bore a bleeding gash, it hadn't incapacitated him entirely. He had been on the verge of rising to his feet, ready to rejoin the fray, yet his intention shifted in an instant as he bore witness to Elise's actions.

Elise had forethoughtfully devised a trap, anticipating the monster's potential charge. Her strategic magic casting of the boulder thwarted the wounded minotaur's chances of a final, desperate attack. A clever act by Elise in Anderson's thought.

The sole remaining monster was the second minotaur, a seemingly easier-to-handle foe now that all the party members remained on their feet. Yet, as he was prepared to rise, his intent shifted course again. An opportunity for gain had come out of his mind, causing him to reconsider his initial course of action.

'Why not let them die?' Anderson contemplated silently.

Lack and Gil displayed visible weariness as they valiantly held off the advancing minotaur. Elise, having already expended her energy casting two spells without any respite, led Anderson to speculate that she might be unable to conjure another. This means without a backup for Lack and Gil against the formidable half-bull monster, it would result in their defeat and demise.

Anderson harbored a deep-seated resentment towards Gil, stemming from the incident that made Anderson not have sex with Elise before, and ended up getting blue balled.

If Lack were to fall in battle as well, then he wouldn't get a problem if he fucked Elise after this. The resentment wouldn't haunt him, for he would cease to exist. However, a contrasting outcome emerged should Lack survive. In that case, Anderson predicted a lingering animosity from Lack as he would grapple with the knowledge that his senior had dashed his crush right before his eyes.

Once Gil and Lack had fallen, Anderson intended to rise swiftly and flee, ensuring Elise's safety as they escaped. He envisioned that he would fuck Elise after they escaped from this dungeon as a token of his heroic rescue. Motivated by this plan, Anderson opted to bide his time where he was now, eagerly anticipating its execution.

However, Anderson's scheme was swiftly dismantled by an unexpected source: the person he wanted to rescue. Contrary to his expectations, Elise summoned yet another formidable shard of ice, which she hurled at the remaining minotaur. The ice impaled both the creature and the adjacent wall, effectively pinning the monster in place. Within a short span, the minotaur succumbed to its injuries. Its immobilized state, suspended mid-air and impaled by the ice, rendered any attempts to move, sealing its fate.

'Was she always this strong?' Anderson thought in bewilderment. He didn't expect that Elise was this strong, as if she just held back her true strength.

As the battle concluded, a temporary hush settled over the scene. Lack was the first to recover, offering a thumbs-up and vocalizing his admiration for Elise. In contrast, Gil appeared utterly drained from mana depletion, causing him to collapse and barely hold his body with his gun.

On the other side, Elise approached Lack, extending her commendation to him as well. Her voice was indifferent, though, as she remarked, "Impressive job at staying alive."

She then directed her steps towards Gil, her expression tinted with a trace of concern. Given their shared reliance on magic as a weapon, it made sense for Elise to worry about Gil's well-being.

Yet, this sequence of events ignited a spark of anger within Anderson. Elise's no effort to approach toward him stoked his frustration, exacerbated by the fact that she bypassed him entirely to check on Gil, whom Anderson deemed a useless member of the group.

'F*ck, there aren't any good things on this quest,' he thought bitterly.

Initially anticipating an easy quest to get the toy a noble brat wanted. Instead, Anderson was ensnared in a grueling dungeon devoid of valuable spoils. He got blue balled in the middle of intercourse. Worst of all, he was thrust into battle against two hard boss-level monsters that he thought were low-level ones. And in the end, only be ignored by the others, who presumed he had been knocked early on. All these grievances traced back to a single source: a feeble and vexing young brat.

Anderson's gaze became fixated on Gil, whom he held responsible for this string of misfortunes. As frustration coursed through him, he gradually rose from his position and deliberately approached the exhausted Gil.

As Anderson advanced, his progress didn't escape Lack's notice. "Senpai, you're alright, it seems," Lack observed. However, Anderson brushed off Lack's words, determined to continue his path.

Upon reaching Gil, Anderson grabbed the young man's clothes, abruptly brandishing his sword and directing it at Gil threateningly. "You despicable bastard!" Anderson's voice rang out in a shout fueled by fury.

Fortunately, Lack intervened swiftly. He stepped in, deftly prying Anderson's grip away from Gil, and positioned himself between the two. "The heck, What are you doing?" he demanded, his voice laden with confusion and concern.

Still in anger, Anderson found himself discontented with Lack's actions and retorted, "Are you actually taking this worthless brat's side, Lack? This imbecile dragged us into this mess and nearly got us killed! And you're defending him?"

Though Anderson's words held a kernel of truth, Lack was keen to avoid escalating the situation into a full-blown altercation. He aimed to pacify Anderson, but before he could interject, Elise's voice cut in from the sidelines.

"You understand what would happen if you kill a noble, right Anderson?" Elise's voice sliced through the tension, her words hitting their mark. The weight of her implication caused Anderson to clench his teeth, his understanding of the situation suppressing any immediate retort.

Summoning his frustration, Anderson shifted his attention toward Elise, his question infused with a tinge of accusation. "So, you're taking his side too, Elise?!" He chose to lay the blame on Elise as well.

Elise emitted a resigned sigh in response to Anderson's accusation. But it was Lack who stepped forward to address Anderson's frustration.

"Calm down, senpai. Maybe what you said is true, but I believe he also didn't know there would be a minotaur here. If he knew, he would tell us before coming here," Lack's voice resonated with reason, attempting to soothe the brewing conflict.

What Lack said was half false. Gil was indeed aware, but he hadn't anticipated encountering two minotaurs at once.

Meanwhile, Gil, who was still on the ground, broke his silence. "It's my fault for not searching the information thoroughly. I'll compensate with twice the reward amount of the pay."

Anderson's frustration deepened, his teeth clenching even harder in annoyance. The ease with which Gil sought to resolve the situation with money irked him. Despite his irritation, he realized that resorting to violence against Gil wouldn't yield any favorable outcome upon careful consideration. Moreover, the doubled reward surpassed the typical compensation for slaying a minotaur. Rejecting or complaining about it might subject him to ridicule when he returned to the guild.

With few viable options, Anderson reluctantly chose to acquiesce. He clicked his tongue in frustration, and he flung his sword onto the ground.

"Damn it!" he cursed, his frustration palpable. "Where is your toy, damned brat?! Let's just get it done fast now!"

As soon as Anderson's words left his lips, an inexplicable event unfolded. A chest materialized in the center of the field.

However, the chest was already opened, and when the party went to look at the chest... It was empty.