“...“

“Please continue, Colonel Smith,” I said.

“I have heard the name Squiat before, sir,” Colonel Smith said.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes. Right after clearing the tutorial dungeon, I’m sure he was called one of the Supernovas of the West. I believe his nickname was Squiat, the Blinding Light…” he answered.

“Supernovas of the West?” I asked.

“Yes. It refers to the eight people of the Federation and the Union,” Colonel Smith said.

“...”

“...”

“

Hm

… they must not be

that

big of a deal since I've never heard of them…” I said.

“That’s the case based on the standards of the entire continent, but the people of the Federation are saying that the Supernovas of the West are powerful people. They actually started out from scratch,” Colonel Smith explained.

“That’s true. Anyway, since you’ve heard of them, they must not be completely incompetent. You’re saying that it wouldn't be strange if I was to support them personally, right?” I asked.

“That’s right. I already told the press that this is a continuation of the Federation Support Project. I also informed them that along with Squiat, the remaining Supernovas of the West as well as the small to mid-sized guilds of the Federation, are receiving support from us. The press and the guild master have yet to catch on, too,” Colonel Smith answered.

“And the incident with Deok-Gu…” I asked.

“That incident won’t be mentioned outside of the guild,” Colonel Smith replied.

“I knew you were great at your job, Colonel Smith. I’m glad I recruited you. You’re reliable and trustworthy,” I complimented him.

“Thank you, sir. But…” Colonel Smith paused.

“Yes?”

“Can I ask you a question?” he asked.

I felt like I knew what he was going to ask, so answering his question in advance would probably put him at ease.

“

Ah

, I won’t do anything to the Federation, so don’t worry so much. I’ll use this opportunity to take care of your former comrades, Colonel Smith. Once we get rid of the scumbags, those positions will be available. You’re okay with that, right?” I asked.

I thought he'd be happy, but his expression turned kind of dark.

‘Strangely, he prefers living a quiet life, and he even wants his subordinates to do the same.’

It was ironic because he couldn’t give up his mustache, even though he wanted to stay low-key.

Anyway, it sounded like the incident was handled without much fuss. Of course, I had made a personal agreement with Squiat, but there were many other things I had to handle in addition to our agreement.

Actually, Squiat didn’t want the continent to become noisy all because of what Park Deok-Gu had done. He actually stopped me when I told him that I wanted to apologize formally. Instead, he requested for protection.

It made sense, as his life was threatened, after all.

However, he also wanted me to do something about the expedition contract, which was an even bigger problem. Of course, there was nothing for him to worry about because I knew the truth and had to take action.

It was a ridiculous contract in the first place, and when looking at it objectively, Squiat was a courageous whistleblower who had revealed the unfair contract terms.

He was lying on the hospital bed while I was sitting next to him.

Everything was going according to plan.

The fact that Park Deok-Gu and Kim Ye-Ri were so overprotective of me gave him an excuse. He begged me to believe him and claimed that we needed to establish an organization that would keep the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep in check.

I told him that it would be nice if the Blue Guild could come up with a way, but I also told him the cold truth that we couldn’t do that and that supporting the Federation was the best option.

I was sure he felt ashamed for saying that to me in the first place.

‘He got beaten up by Park Deok-Gu, after all, so he must be feeling ashamed.’

Basically, his face was red while we were talking.

He was probably mad at himself for bringing that up again after getting beaten up by the pig for bringing it up in the first place. He had never experienced major failures, and I was sure his pride had plummeted to the abyss after the incident.

We had many discussions about it, but in the end, I still decided to support the people of the Federation and the Union under the Federation Support Project.

Actually, I was planning on supporting only Squiat and a few others, but I had to do this so that the continent wouldn't notice what was going on.

It happened exactly five days ago. Squiat had finally recovered to a certain extent, so he stood up and immediately created a branch in Lindel. Then, they received a large amount of funding. I had to say that Squiat really was a motivated individual.

“Mr. Chang-Ryeol, how much longer until we reach our destination?” I asked.

“We’re almost there, sir,” Lee Chang-Ryeol answered.

“This is hard…” I mumbled.

“Would you like me to carry you?” Lee Chang-Ryeol asked.

“No, it’s fine… but… I had no idea that there's a building in a place like this,” I answered.

“The guild master actually purchased a few buildings under your name,” Lee Chang-Ryeol revealed.

“There’s more? Where did he get all that money from?” I questioned.

“...”

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.’

Upon reaching the building I had never seen before, I saw the fish from the Federation.

He was still injured, but he was dressed decently today.

“Welcome, Father Lee Ki-Young.”

“I’m sorry for being late, Mr. Squiat,” I said.

“

Haha

, you don’t need to apologize. Thank you for coming all this way. It’s also an honor to meet you, Colonel Smith. Please come this way,” Squiat said.

“...”

“I’ll head in with you, sir,” Lee Chang-Ryeol said.

“Thank you, Mr. Chang-Ryeol.”

‘He must’ve spent quite a bit of money.’

This was the first thought that popped into my mind the moment I entered his guild house under Lee Chang-Ryeol and Colonel Smith's protection.

He was a mosquito, not a fish.

‘He must have established a branch in Lindel to suck as many profits as possible.’

First of all, I told him that I'd provide him with a ton of support, but I couldn't understand why he needed so much money until now. There was something expensive everywhere I looked—from the guild house to even the dungeon auction hall—everything was unnecessarily luxurious.

“As I mentioned earlier… I want to introduce you to people who share the same interests as us,” Squiat said.

“Sure.”

“They’re all gathered in the meeting room,” Squiat informed.

“More importantly, are you feeling better, Mr. Squiat?” I asked.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Squiat replied.

'Look at this guy trying to act tough. His friends must enjoy acting tough, just like him.'

We were having meaningless talks while walking toward our destination. Once we were there, I saw a total of fourteen people. In addition to the members of Supernova or whatever, there had to have been some mosquitoes that gathered upon catching a whiff of blood.

They were all wearing fancy clothes and were trying their best to show that they were strong. Actually, they

looked

strong. Their overall stats were Epic or above, and they wore equipment that was suitable for them.

They were good enough to make a living in either Lindel or Celia.

“Nice to meet you, everyone,” I greeted.

“It’s nice to meet you, Father Lee Ki-Young.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Father Lee Ki-Young.”

“We’re grateful that you came all the way here.”

“Regarding our offer…”

“This is Raynan of Extinction, a member of the Supernovas of the West,” Squiat introduced.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Rayan,” I greeted.

“This is Robinwood of Frenzy. He’s also a Supernova of the West,” he said.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Robinwood,” I said.

Greeting each and every one of them was a lot of work, as there were fourteen of them with their own fancy nicknames. They were all acting as if they were big shots. I knew that they did not want to disappoint their sponsor, but they were trying

too

hard.

‘So these guys can stop the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep? Really?’

Lee Chang-Ryeol was quiet, but I felt like he was laughing inside. This was just absurd.

“Is this everyone?” I asked.

“If we summon all the members from each guild, there are going to be over a thousand people. Among them, there are about four hundred and twenty-three Epic adventurers; they all have a ton of experience when it comes to raid expeditions.

"They achieved excellent results as part of an attack team in the tutorial dungeon, and they’re veteran warriors with a lot of combat experience,” Squiat replied.

“I see. A lot of people gathered here. Don’t you agree, Mr. Chang-Ryeol?” I asked.

“To be honest…” Lee Chang-Ryeol paused.

“Yes?”

“It’s subpar.”

An awkward air descended upon the room.

“…”

“It sounds rude, but that’s all I can say, sir. They’re all subpar,” Lee Chang-Ryeol added.

He was so straightforward.

“

Ha… haha

. That’s funny. Excuse me, Father Lee Ki-Young.”

How many adventurers could withstand such words?

I saw the mosquito of annihilation moving toward Lee Chang-Ryeon, and I couldn't help but think that he was raring to prove Lee Chang-Ryeol wrong.

Colonel Smith pulled me back, and Lee Chang-Ryeol’s dagger was pressed at the mosquito's neck in the blink of an eye. The mosquito of annihilation stopped dead in his tracks and glanced at Lee Chang-Ryeol, who somehow appeared behind him in the blink of an eye.

Cold beaded sweat rolled down his forehead.

The mosquito was so slow that he didn’t even notice Lee Chang-Ryeol's attack.

I couldn’t help but sigh. If I were an actual investor, I would pack my bags and leave. No matter how I looked at it, this stock was on the brink of getting delisted. It was a risky stock that would fall into the abyss without fail.

“We still have a long way to go. F-For now… I think it’s best if you help with cleaning up the dungeon with the denizens of the Federation. There’s no need for a… welcome party.

"Yes… okay.

Ah…

I think stabilization should be the top priority…” I suggested.

“...”

“I think it’s best to handle the problems in front of us first before distributing anything or assigning people for expeditions. I think it’s best… if I tell you the direction you should take. I need to talk about how to lead this group, so… for now, please do your best… in your respective roles,” I continued.

“...”

“Mr. Squiat,” I said.

“Y-Yes, Father Lee Ki-Young?” Squiat answered.

“Your words are still engraved deep in my heart, but…” I paused.

‘I don’t know what you’re planning on doing that you’re taking all this money away from me. This will get you nowhere. This isn’t right even in your eyes, right?’

“I have a lot I want to say…” I paused again.

'I don’t know if investing in you guys is the right choice.'

“But I don’t think this is the place for it,” I said.

Wouldn’t it be faster to find other people?

‘You understand what I’m saying, right?’

To be frank, the reason I chose Squiat was that he was a passionate individual. He had courageously brought up the idea of keeping the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep in check and had asked me to give him that job.

He had the spirit and guts of most rookies.

There was really no reason for him to be the leader of the group. This was still an unofficial group, and the level of adventurers in other places was pretty much the same as them. It was true that he started all this, but there was no need for me to give him everything he wanted to obtain.

He knew better than anyone else that his confident, gutsy, and energetic side was not really necessary. He knew better than anyone that he needed to prove his worth in front of me.

‘He doesn’t look so good.’

Squiat had an inferiority complex, or perhaps he was just embarrassed. Most importantly, he looked nervous and scared. He looked different from when he was in the meeting room at the time. I could no longer see the passionate Squiat.

'It's not because they can't that the others are not acting like you.’

'They are competent and can certainly make the same move as you, but they are not going to do what you have done because they have a lot to lose.

'So what do you think? Now you have a lot to lose as well.'