Chapter 960. Item Distribution (1)

“I’ll move... one step forward,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

‘I feel like something is going to happen...’

“You don’t have to be hasty about it, Mr. Hyun-Sung,” I told him.

'I feel like something bad is going to happen if you go about it hastily.''

“I think it’s best to try it when you’re ready to take a step forward. For now, just do the best that you can,” I advised.

“Okay, Mr. Ki-Young. Thank you... for the advice,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

I wasn’t sure whether he actually understood my advice or not, but a morning that would put an end to my anxiety dawned beneath Kim Hyun-Sung’s sunset.

Naturally, I heard murmurs everywhere. It was still early, but some people realized that Kim Hyun-Sung and I were already awake. Those worried about our reaction got up and started working.

‘They’re pretty fast.’

As always, morning was the busiest time of the day for adventurers.

The majority of the adventurers preferred to work whenever the sun was up. There were many reasons for that, but it was basically for their safety. Some of those reasons varied from the visibility or the working hours of the temple priests, but safety was the biggest reason.

That was why there was an unwritten rule in many places about how preparations for an expedition had to be done early in the morning.

‘Are they competing to see who wakes up earlier?’

There was a saying about how the early bird would get the worm, and it applied here.

They could claim hunting grounds, accept quests first, and carry out missions first. It would also increase their chance of encountering a monster. Basically, they could be one step ahead of their competitors, and the expedition members here were all one step ahead of everyone out there.

They cleaned up the camp and ate some jerky or bread for breakfast, even though I gave them enough time to eat. The assigned supply unit moved another step forward. They had woken up a while ago and were preparing to serve breakfast to the adventurers.

Normally, I wasn't the type to wake up early, but it wasn’t bad to do it once in a while.

‘I should start a little early.’

My day had started a while ago, but I pretended like I was just getting started as I drank some coffee.

“I look forward to working with you today as well,” I said to Kim Hyun-Sung.

“Me, too,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

‘All right.’

“You don’t have to take what I said today to heart. Well then...” I told him.

“Okay.”

“Shall we start the meeting, then?

Ah!

I’ll have a light meal during the meeting,” I said.

“

Ah...

”

‘You don’t want to? That’s too bad.’

The busy atmosphere

did

have an effect, but it really wasn’t because of the atmosphere.

‘I’m curious about the results.’

I wanted to know Gelk's loot. I was sure the appraisers of the expedition group had already appraised them, but I still couldn't see the loot, and it was all thanks to this guy—Kim Hyun-Sung.

Everyone around us was busy, but it seemed like he really wanted to enjoy his food. I wanted to relax with a cup of coffee as well, but my idea of a break was working, so I decided to check Gelk's loot.

Actually, it had been a while since I detached from things like items and money, but I was still really greedy. I wanted nice things and more gold. I wish this was mine, and I wish that was mine. I wanted everything.

“I’ll check the byproducts and items that Gelk had dropped. I want all staffers, including the commanders, to come to the mobile meeting room... Actually, I’ll tell Miss Floretta myself,” I said.

“Okay, Mr. Ki-Young,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

I headed toward the mobile meeting room. I thought I got here pretty quickly, but I saw people in the room.

‘How did you guys get here so fast?’

Did they even sleep? It seemed like they had been waiting for us while fully armed.

I wondered whether all of them were awake when Kim Hyun-Sung and I were talking while circling around the camp. I liked that they were disciplined, but it was really amusing.

Perhaps they were impressed by how I controlled Kim Hyun-Sung yesterday. I assumed they felt my charisma when I used my almighty power to remove the strike squad leader from his position.

I decided to look stern, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that I was being inconsiderate.

“Let’s start from the regular situation report,” I ordered.

“Okay. The first strike squad has joined the second and third strike squads. They entered the eighth floor and are resting at the moment,” Floretta reported.

I thought they were on the fifth floor...

“Yesterday morning, the boss monsters of the sixth and seventh floor, Executor Sarlax and Tormentor Achellie, were defeated.

"There were six casualties, many were injured, and they’re going to focus on treating the injured, so they’re going to take a one-day break. The supply unit has requested rum and beer. The request is waiting... for your approval—”

“Reject it,” I interrupted.

“Commander Jin wants to treat the hardworking strike squad members—”

“We’re still inside a dungeon, after all. I understand that they are inside a safe zone that they had created, and I understand that he wants to reward his squad members for their effort, but they have yet to investigate the eighth floor nor acquire samples of the monsters there...

"It can be said that they're still in danger. Think about it... what they want to do is dangerous," I explained.

“There are some casualties, and the squad members are exhausted. Commander, we should at least—”

“I will not allow it. I’m sure there are other ways to reward the squad members for their hard work. Don’t you agree?” I asked.

“Yes... y-you’re right,” Floretta responded.

'How dare you even think about drinking rum and beer inside a holy temple? That’s ridiculous.'

I could hear someone swearing at me, but for the sake of law and order, I couldn’t allow it. If something bad were to happen, I'd definitely feel so guilty about it that I wouldn't be able to sleep.

“Next is the sixth strike squad,” Floretta continued.

“Okay.”

“Mr. Elias, the strike squad leader of the sixth squad, is still recovering. He’s recovering, but he’s no longer physically fit to lead a strike squad, so they’re looking into regrouping with the main force,” Floretta said.

"That report is from Miss Hye-Jin, right?” I asked.

“Yes, I received the report from her,” Floretta replied.

“I think it’s best if the sixth strike squad joins the main force. Please send them the rendezvous coordinates,” I ordered.

“Understood,” Floretta said.

“Anything else?” I asked.

“I-I do, Father Lee Ki-Young. It’s... about Gelk's loots...” Floretta answered.

“

Ah!

”

'Looking at their faces, I finally understood why they were up so early.'

‘They have been waiting for this.’

“I see. I would like to see the items first. Have the items been sorted?"

“It’s done, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. We sorted them out into two categories—items that can be used right away and items that can be used as samples. Additionally, items that can be used right away were sorted based on rarity...” Floretta explained.

“I see,” I commented.

"And this file contains a report about the contributions made by each clan, guild, and individual,” Floretta informed me, and I saw numbers before my eyes.

“It is presumptuous of me, but each clan and guild had created a list of the items that they wanted. It would be great if you could take note of that,” she requested.

‘How long have they been waiting for this?’

It was like they settled all of their affairs before coming here for this.

Perhaps I made these greedy and avaricious bastards wait for too long.

‘They must’ve been feeling really anxious.’

I realized that I was being inconsiderate of them. They had to have been really anxious while waiting for me to make a decision. They had been waiting to see whether they would be rewarded for their hard work, and they all looked like puppies wanting to go pee.

I was very certain that there wasn't a person alive who wouldn't want items that would boost their strength.

I had a non-combatant job, but the majority of the people here were the opposite. High-quality items could increase their survivability and raise their strength by a rank or perhaps even two ranks.

The Blue Guild had plenty of treasures, so Legendary items could no longer catch the Blue Guild's attention, but it was different for these ordinary adventurers.

A powerful item could increase a clan or guild's fame, and items were the reason why they were even here. It wasn’t the best example, but many people cared about their public image, so I was sure they were excited to see Gelk's loot.

The problem was that they could only see them, and it was my job to distribute them.

There were so many groups here, so these drops would become the seeds of conflict.

Of course, it was customary for people like the strike squad leader to distribute the items, and we had never really discussed the loot distribution, so it wouldn't be strange if we went for the default distribution.

‘Something good must’ve dropped.’

These warriors had gathered upon being asked to work for the sake of the continent, but none of them actually wanted to work for free.

“Is this all?” I asked.

“There are more, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,” Floretta replied.

Spirit Gelk had assimilated monsters on his way to the top, so I was sure that he had left behind a ton of loot.

“There's quite a lot of them,” I commented.

I was sure they had been wanting to talk about these items since yesterday. They wanted to ask what they were supposed to do with them, but Kim Hyun-Sung and I had ended up arguing.

Since the atmosphere was tense, no one had the courage to ask. After all, none of them wanted to get involved...

‘These guys...’

I could always take these items away and tell them that the temple needed them, but...

‘I need to be generous.’

It would be helpful morale-wise.

“For the sake of a smooth raid... I think it’s best if we distribute these items now,” I suggested.

“Thank you for making that decision,” Floretta said.

“I feel kind of bad for saying this, but I don’t think each clan and guild will get all the items that they want to obtain,” I told her.

“I understand,” she said.

“I’ll make sure to distribute them fairly based on their contributions and compatibility,” I added.

“...”

“Looks like the atmosphere got tense. You guys look more serious than when you were fighting Gelk. Please listen to me while sipping on your tea. You may not like what's going to happen, but we’ll distribute the items as fast and as simple as possible. I’ll allow each group to object once,” I informed.

‘But that doesn’t mean I’ll accept your objection.’

“Okay.”

“Understood.”

“Let’s take care of the easy ones first. They’re items from the boss monsters that Gelk had absorbed rather than from Gelk himself.

"The first one is Helmet of Palt. It’s a Legendary item that redirects a certain amount of damage dealt to the wearer to the helmet. This will go to the Clan Union, which is eleventh on the contribution list. Additionally, I’ll give them Palt’s Flag as well. Any objections?” I asked.

“...”

“None.”

“...”

“If there are no objections, we’ll continue with the distribution. The Clan Union will decide the ownership of the item,” I added.

“Thank you!”

‘Yeah, those items are enough for you guys. Helmet of Palt is kind of lacking, but Palt’s Flag gives an AoE buff, so it should be useful.’

I was sure adventurers who were slightly more powerful had their eyes on different items. For example...

[Checking Semi-Mythic Spirit Gelk’s Boots.]

This one.

‘This is such a good item.’

“I would like this item, Mr. Ki-Young,” Kim Hyun-Sung chimed in.

He had been quiet all this while, but he suddenly placed his hand on the table.

I wanted to cheer because it meant that he had finally taken a step forward in the right direction.

'Did he speak up to get himself a gift?'

I assumed, but he wasn't talking about Spirit Gelk's Boots.

[Spirit Gelk’s Messenger Bag - Legendary]

“It’s a nice bag,” Kim Hyun-Sung remarked.

“...”

'This crazy bastard...'