Chapter 7

The worst part of being a dungeon seeker, as you may know, isn't fighting monsters.

It is maintenance. Everything needs to be maintained as well as possible, including the weapons, armor, and items, but I don't have much money left.

Perhaps I should start reducing my explosives. However, I learned that there is no such thing as overkill from the memory of the Grendel nearly killing me. A seeker's best tool was caution and paranoia.

So I purchased three different types of explosives. The traditional, unique, and specialized. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier. I'm just curious as to how I'm going to get back home since I hardly have enough money for the trip.

Hmm... Maybe I should try gambling with my <shadow>, but that's for another time.

"Hey, newbie!"

Turning to look for the source of the voice, I came across a gruff-looking man before noticing his friends behind him. "I heard you fought an Alpha Grendel, is that true?" the man asked as he leaned in closer. My mind was working on a plan as I stared back at him. This senior bullying their junior cliche was bound to happen at some point.

In contrast to most fantasy stories, I am outnumbered and outgunned. I could use my enhancement spells and demon king skill, but I'm not sure if these guys knew anyone in high places. Unfortunately, my internal monologues exacerbated the situation.

"What cat got your tongue, rookie? Speak up!" he yelled.

I responded by taking a deep breath and mentally preparing for a fight. "Yes, is there a problem?" My spell was ready, and my senses had become superhuman.

Before the man grabbed my shoulder, there was a tense silence. "You've got a talented trainer or you're just lucky; only prodigies get to take down an alpha by themselves, and even they lose an arm or something," he said, surprising me.

Is it possible that I misread the entire situation?

"This isn't something you can just do on your own. Get yourself a party," another said, but his aura was that of an older brother. "If you want, you can join ours until you can form your own."

It appears that I did, and my paranoia is now causing me to have trust issues. But I can't let down my guard. I may be lucky that this group is decent, but who knows what will happen if I have another encounter? I must maintain vigilance at all times! Is that an ice cream parlor?

"Thank you, and I'll tell a friend if she's interested as well," I said.

"Alright, that's good to hear. Take care of yourself."

I sighed as I watched them walk away, disappointed in how I had behaved. Fortunately, I didn't throw the first punch, or I would have looked like a jerk. But they were correct: I needed a party. Spring served as our coordinator, Maya as our ranger, and I served as the rogue. That means we'll need a tank and a combat expert.

Fortunately, the organization was generous in allowing us newbies time to recover, given that our first one was a nightmare. Still, recruitment appears to be a chore, but I have no choice. I need a team, but only the famous or wealthy can afford veterans. As a result, I'll have to collaborate with other rookies. Does that mean I have to create a logo and a name? Ugh...

Mom greeted me when I arrived home, holding a pie. "Did you get everything you needed, Karma?" she inquired. I drooled as I nodded and looked over at the kitchen table. Mom's cooking was outstanding. I suppose having a long life has its advantages. Can the demon skill mimic the traits of other races? If it's possible, I'm sure I could duplicate the elves' longevity and magic.

"All right, go upstairs and clean yourself up because dinner is getting cold."

I dashed to my workshop, placed the chemicals in a secure location, and double-checked before returning to the house. Using my demon skill to command the ants I infected to look for herbs needed to make a healing potion.

After testing it with an oblivious Spring while I was still recovering, I discovered coordinators can't detect me using my demon skill as long as I'm not in the dungeon. So I won't have to be concerned about them for the time being. I didn't like taking advantage of her kindness, but saying anything would set off alarm bells.

Dinner was fine, and now I was spending the rest of the night with my clone making bombs to speed things up. At the very least, now that the clone is doing the more dangerous process, I don't have to worry about losing an arm.

It's still frightening for me because of the risks involved in producing these items, but I'm getting used to it. After finishing the last vial, I went to my computer and texted Maya and Spring to meet me there, and then I went to bed.

----

"So you want to make a team?" Maya asked as she ate her ice pop.

"Yes," I nodded, my gaze fixed on Spring, who was finishing her fifth strawberry sundae.

"Okay, so why do you need me here?" Maya asked, puzzled, before realizing what she was doing. "Would you like me to assist you in organizing a recruitment?"

"Yes, going to that dungeon reminded me to always have someone watch your back when exploring." It was the first thing Mother had taught me, but I failed. I could justify it as not having enough time to find a group, but in reality, it was just me being selfish because I wanted to explore without worry.

After that experience, I'm either going to form a team or die trying... Hopefully, the latter isn't taken seriously by reality. Thus, we spent an entire day looking for recruits, but it appears that lady luck was not on our side, as no one showed up for weeks.

When the dungeons reappeared, Maya and I had to make do. We're just lucky that the dungeons weren't too dangerous this time. We're meeting in the cafeteria today to talk about our recruitment problem.

"I'm at a loss for ideas; I threw everything I knew at recruitment," Maya sighed as she stirred her drink.

"Same..." I groaned before noticing a pair of experienced seekers looking pityingly at us. I swear I'm going to punch some snob if they try to pull our leg.

"I'm sorry, it must be because I'm on this team," Spring said, looking downcast. Maya gave her a sympathetic look.

Oh, this is where she reveals her tragic past... Why do I sound like such a jerk?

We listened, or rather I listened, to Spring tell us about her involvement in the deaths of three dungeon seeker parties. It wasn't on purpose, but it appears that anyone who teams up with her dies young. Two of those who died as a result of her were veteran parties. They regarded her as a death omen after those three incidents. They dubbed her "Death's Bride."

Only I had survived this long, and Maya revealed that my seniors were betting on whether I would kick her out or die first. To be honest, I don't believe in nonsense, but after my encounter with gods, I'm concerned.

"I heard some coordinators can see the 'path,'" I said, looking her in the eyes. "Do you happen to have that?"

Spring twiddled her thumbs. "Yes, but unlike my peers, mine is in complete reverse." "I don't see how they can win."

"So you're watching them die instead?" Maya asked.

Spring nods before turning to face me solemnly. "When we first met, I used my power to see your future and..." I quickly stopped her because it appears my death was too gruesome, as she appears to be about to vomit.

"But... that vision was obviously a mistake, because Karma is here with us."

"Perhaps, but one of my visions about him is more likely to come true soon."

If this were an anime, I'd say something about fate having no hold on me, but I'm not the main character, and I'm not about to test Murphy's law anytime soon, so I kept my mouth shut. Where others see garbage, I see treasure.

"That's more useful than 'seeing' victories," I said, confusing the two. "Think about it. Everyone knows that no one chooses failure, but what if they did?" I explained. "We learn from our mistakes with each loss, and with Spring seeing our future dead ends, we can avoid them." I'm surprised no one took advantage of this.

Sure, knowing you're going to die is terrifying, but if you're going to change it, why throw it away? Everyone desires a vision of the future, and it was something we required in our careers. A seeker does not win battles; they simply survive.

"You're either insane or a brilliant rookie," Maya said. "I never thought of it that way," Spring grumbled. "Those guys had to be glory hounds or suicidal maniacs..." I reflected on her previous teams. I cast a glance around when I noticed someone approaching us.

It was a young man about my age with blond hair and blue eyes. He had a scar on his lips that gave him an intimidating appearance. He was dressed in typical dungeon seeker armor, with a claymore on the left side of his waist and a halberd on his back. The aura of a knight increased the fear factor by a factor of two.

"Are you guys still looking for members?" he asked timidly, which surprised us because his voice didn't match his appearance.

"Yeah, you're planning to join?" Maya asked, earning a nod. "May I know why?"

The 'knight' then explains that his previous party had kicked him because of an argument with the team leader about their defensive formations not being appropriate for the dungeon they had entered, forcing the knight to knock out their leader and take command, saving the team's lives. Unfortunately for the 'knight,' the leader had connections, and he was removed, his reputation tainted by the slanderous rumor.

We only stared at him, and when he described the formation, we cringed because it was riddled with gaps that the enemy could exploit. Before we could say anything, the alarms from another dungeon forced us to turn on the television.

It was in a junkyard this time, and it was bigger than any we'd ever seen. "All right, suit up, and we'll meet up in a few hours; I don't remember what your name is."

The knight blushed with embarrassment and gave a sheepish smile. "Pardon my manners. Call me Arthur, Arthur McQueen," he says, and I accept his handshake.

"Karma," I said, motioning to the two ladies. "This is Spring and Maya, and we're delighted to have you on board."

"Is it that simple?" Arthur inquired. "Yep, unless there's an ulterior motive, then you better hope it doesn't screw us off," I said, activating my enhancement skill slightly to boost my intimidation tactic. Arthur frowned, but did not become enraged at my accusation.

"I have no other reason for joining your party. Doing so would sully my ancestors' good name."

I smiled, feeling a little better. "Great, now go get everything you need, and we'll meet at the entry point," I said as I exited the scene.

—-

Arthur narrowed his eyes as he looked back at the redhead, feeling the young man was off-putting. His presence was palpable. His training as a crusader gave him the ability to read people's souls. Karma's soul had been tainted by a demon, but it had no effect on him, and didn't feel alive. Did he possibly tame a demon? In any case, Arthur was concerned that his colleague would become possessed by it.

The knight then left to prepare for the mission by gathering his belongings.