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The car was silent for a moment, the hum of the engine the only sound between them.
Finally, the bearded master couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer. "Kid, what kind of summoned beast did you raise?"
It wasn't an idle question. The dungeon Ethan had just cleared wasn't something a typical first-rank professional could even survive, much less complete. The minimum combat power requirement was two to three hundred stars—high enough to give even many second-rankers pause.
The bearded man remembered clearly: when they'd first crossed paths, Ethan had acquired a Big Sword Mantis summoned beast egg from him. With its stats, there was no way it could single-handedly handle the sheer number of monsters that would appear in a nightmare-level riot.
And yet, Ethan had finished in a matter of hours. That meant he had wiped out every monster in the dungeon at a speed that should have been impossible.
Unless… he had something far stronger hidden up his sleeve.
His curiosity crawled at him like an itch he couldn't scratch.
To his surprise, Ethan didn't refuse outright. "I'll tell you—but you answer a few questions first."
"Alright," the bearded man agreed. "Ask away."
"What's the name of your organization? And what exactly are those 'strangers' looking for?"
The bearded master chuckled. "You should know—I really don't know what they're after. But if I tell you about the organization, you'll have to join us. Otherwise… well, let's just say the consequences wouldn't be good for you."
Ethan only smirked. "Hehe."
That pause told the bearded man Ethan wasn't intimidated. After thinking for a moment, he decided to just tell him—after all, a young man's curiosity was hard to resist.
"Our organization is called Dragon Cave. We answer to Master Azure Dragon, one of the Four Legends of the Dragon Kingdom."
He leaned back in his seat with a grin. "Join us, and you'll have a powerful backer. Don't worry—we don't throw newcomers into dangerous missions. You can go to college like normal. After graduation, you'll be given a posting. And our resources? Top tier. Even high-grade red skills are available for trade if you have the ability. So? What do you say?"
"I refuse," Ethan replied instantly.
The bearded man blinked. "…What?"
"Boy, don't be ignorant. There are people who'd give anything to get in. I'm offering to bring you in personally."
"I said no," Ethan said calmly.
The bearded master stared at him, his patience fraying. He'd used both temptation and implied threat, and it still didn't work? Then, a realization hit him.
He remembered what Ethan had said earlier about the moat team showing up. The kid had been testing him—trying to figure out if his organization was on the side of the law or not. Since the moat team worked closely with Dragon Cave, that meant his group wasn't tied to any criminal faction. Ethan had nothing to fear from learning their name… which also meant there was no leverage to force him to join.
No wonder Ethan had just given him a dry "hehe" when he'd tried to pressure him.
The bearded man could feel his blood pressure climbing. But at least this confirmed one thing: Ethan wasn't in league with the strangers who had sabotaged the dungeon—in fact, he was their enemy.
"…Fine," the bearded man grumbled. "Then can you tell me now? What's your summoned beast?"
"I haven't finished my questions yet," Ethan replied.
The bearded man exhaled slowly through his nose. "…Ask."
"Does your organization belong to an individual or to the Dragon Kingdom?"
Ethan had, of course, heard of the Four Legends before. But with such a dominant-sounding name, he wanted to know if Dragon Cave operated independently or under government control.
"Of course we belong to the state," the bearded master said. "If we were private, we'd have been crushed long ago. Only one of the Four Legends' groups isn't under direct government oversight—Master Vermilion Bird's 'Sycamore'—and that's because of… political disagreements. The other three answer to the nation."
He went on, "Our Dragon Cave handles more covert, dangerous work. Lord White Tiger's people—like the moat team you saw earlier—are the visible guardians, including city lords and transfer temple officials. We're one light, one dark."
Ethan frowned slightly. "Didn't you just say that private factions get crushed? Why is Master Vermilion Bird different?"
"That's because Sycamore is an intelligence network," the bearded man said. "Something happened between Vermilion Bird and the higher-ups. I don't know the details."
Hearing "intelligence," Ethan thought of the headmaster's grandmother and her uncanny love for gathering gossip. Don't tell me she's part of that organization…
"What about Master Black Tortoise?" Ethan asked.
The bearded master smiled. "No organization. He works alone. And do you know why he's called Master Black Tortoise?"
"Why?"
"Because he's been alive since before the invasion of the Ten Thousand Realms."
Ethan's eyes widened. "…What!?"
The bearded man felt a flicker of satisfaction at finally getting a genuine reaction out of the kid. After dealing with Ethan's calm, calculated manner, it was nice to see him look like a newcomer for once.
"Now," the bearded man said eagerly, "let me see your summoned beast."
Ethan snapped his fingers. A huge figure materialized in the back seat—Big Blade Boy, towering and bristling with lethal presence.
The bearded man's face darkened. "I didn't mean this one. I sold that Big Sword Mantis egg myself—to Darunhua!"
"Oh, then I don't know," Ethan said lightly. "You didn't say you didn't want to see it."
He snapped his fingers again, and Big Blade Boy melted away into the shadows, vanishing completely.
The bearded master froze. He'd fought countless Big Sword Mantises before—but he had never seen one with stealth this refined. Not only had he failed to notice it the entire time it was in the car, but there had been no change in the car's weight or balance when it climbed into the back seat.
After years of driving, he could usually tell a passenger's weight instantly. This… was on another level.
Could it be that the egg he'd sold back then had hidden bloodlines? The thought gnawed at him. And the more he remembered the overly helpful shopping guide who'd been present at the time, the more suspicious it seemed.
"…How much did you pay for that egg?" he asked at last.
Ethan shrugged. "Got a twenty percent discount—less than 1.8 million."
The bearded man's blood pressure spiked. Cheaper than what I sold it for?!
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