A few minutes earlier,

"Tina, can you call these hunters?"

Before she could leave the room, the director called her again and asked.

"No, before that. The mind mage, it was Adam, right?"

"Yes."

"Then can you call him before calling anybody else?"

"Sure." Nodding her head, Tina left the room.

Seeing this weird request from the director, the Templar couldn’t help but ask.

"Do you have something in mind?"

After thinking for a while, the director smirked.

"Just wait and watch."

The room remained silent until Tina entered with a man.

He was a young man who had just entered his twenties. He was quite tall but was on the thin side. His long blond hair and a tattoo with the symbol of a sun in the middle of his forehead made him quite appealing to one’s eyes.

Looking at the director, the newly promoted hunter bowed slightly and muttered.

"How can I help you, Sir?"

"It’s good to see you, Adam. What is our brilliant mind mage planning for his future?"

Adam hesitated because of the unknown man, but still, he found no reason to hide. Looking at the director, he opened his mouth.

"Nothing, Sir. I’m looking for a dungeon suitable for my skill level."

"So, there is something that has come my way. Are you interested in being part of that?"

Muttering, the director asked gesturing him to sit on the chair.

"If it’s within my skill, why would I not, Sir?"

"It is well within your skill level."

Saying this, the director looked at the Templar and saw him nodding his head.

Having his approval, he began explaining to him about the new dungeon and what was to be gained from it. He kept the danger surroundings the dungeon to a minimum.

"But, sir, shouldn’t it be cleared by the Church?"

"Yes! That’s how it should’ve been, but as you see, the Church is busy clearing the mess caused by the recent catastrophe and lacks manpower. And that’s why they turned to our academy in hopes of finding future heroes who can help save the world from the clutches of the monsters."

Saying this, the director paused to let him digest before continuing his words.

"...are you perhaps busy for the time being.. should I look for others?"

He was about to call his secretary before Adam interjected.

"N-no... It’s not that, sir, if the team composition is great, who would be foolish enough not to be part of it."

"Well, about that team..."

Saying so, the director began explaining how he was thinking of making a team of ten people from the academy. Finishing his words, he leaned toward the young man and got up from his seat.

Moving toward him, he spoke in an innocent tone.

"...well, there is a favor I would like to ask you, and if you do that..." Pausing, he looked at the hunter and muttered, "...I would owe you a favor, my student."

’A favor...’ Adam was shocked to hear this.

A director is a highly esteemed individual in any society, and when that society relies heavily on dungeons, one could foresee the value of a dungeon academy’s director.

Owing a favor to that man is no laughing matter. Adam knew this fact very well. And before he knew it, his tongue began to move on it own.

"Anything you say, Sir."

Nodding his head, the director let the Templar lead the conversation. From there, the man explained how, because of the circumstances, everyone would be rather skeptical to join the dungeon and would need some push to agree, and how his role was to become that push.

"...If others were agreeing, you don’t have to do anything... but if others were to show skepticism, you just have to agree and make them agree. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?" The director asked with a smile.

’There is nothing to lose here...’

After thinking for a while, Adam nodded without any hesitation.

Hearing the reply from the hunters, a smile bloomed on the face of both the director and Templar. Now, for the last bit of caution, he asked.

"It’s a sensitive matter, and if the words get out that I favor you all... then a bad reputation can befall on the institute and you all as well. I trust you all... in fact, I know that you will not reveal anything..."

Pausing, he looked at their faces and sighed.

"But there is no lack of malicious intent. So, I must please request you all to vow to keep this a secret."

’not a single loose end. If something were to happen, there won’t even be a single record.’

After thinking of a way, Michael found something that could help. Sighing, he faced east and bowed slightly. Putting his left hand above his head and his right hand over his left breast. In the same position, he muttered:

"I, Michael K Gulhar, vowed on the radiance of the everlasting light that I will never tell anyone about the conversation that happened today and the action that we take because of this conversation."

Hearing his name, the Templar frows his brows for a moment before letting it go. for a moment. Calming himself, he smiled again and saw them finishing their vows. Eager to let the plan come to fruition, he began explaining.

"To get as much advantage as possible, we will leave within two to three hours. There are five artifacts with me that you can divide among yourselves. After that, you can pack anything necessary, so we can start the journey."

Saying the Templar called for Tine, who brought a suitcase.

’How was he certain that we would agree to the proposal. Huh! Am i thinking to much about this.’ Michael found things suspicious, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

The suitcase looked less like a container and more like a relic in its own right.

Made out of dark, time-cracked leather with a rigid frame of unknown metal. Its edges were reinforced with tarnished brass, and at the center of its front rested a sun emblem.

Looking at the emblem, a name rang in his mind, ’The church of the eternal down.’

Seeing Templar nodding his head, Tina opened the suitcase. Inside were five items. A thick black chain. A dark leather- bound book with veins of blood pulsating on it.

A simple silver ring. A pair of boots with too much detail to understand in a single glance. Last but not least was a worn iron pendant shaped like interlocking chains.

Seeing these precious items lying in front of them like that, the hunters couldn’t help but gulp a mouthful of saliva. As if begging for permission, they looked at the Templar with a pleading gaze.

"Sure, you can take a look."

Getting the confirmation, they moved ahead and began inspecting the items. Michael was no exception either, and the first item he took a peek at was the book.

<--------------------------------->

[Artifact: Chains of the Burdened King]

[Artifact Description: Forged for a tyrant who sought to make his subjects kneel, these chains carry the weight of their oppression.]

[Rank: Uncommon]

[Tier: II]

[Enchantments:[Weight of Dominion], [Kneel]]

[Weight of Dominion: Creates a meter-wide field of chains binding all the enemies for a few seconds. The larger the number of enemies, the shorter the time.

[Kneel: If used on a single target for a minute, it can make them lose the motivation to fight.]

[Longing: The king did not fear death. He feared being forgotten. His last desire was not for power or survival but for a single soul to bow before him.

[Blessing: When one soul bows before the wielder freely, you can have one of their skills.]

<--------------------------------->

[Artifact: Tome of the Last Ritual]

[Artifact Description: The blessing of a ritual seeped into this book, making it destructive. The soul of the sacrificed lies within its pages.]

[Rank: Uncommon]

[Tier: II]

[Enchantments: [Soul Script], [Sacrificial Surge]

[Soul Script: Use the skills of the souls trapped in the body.]

[Sacrificial Surge: Offer the page in exchange for the boost of destruction of your next spell.]

[Longing: The soul within died without being mourned. Learn about the history of each soul sacrificed and create a tomb for each of them.]

[Blessing: +5 in all the stats.]

<--------------------------------->

[Artifact: Ring of Shared Burden ]

[Artifact Description: Bond without pain is nothing but a beautiful mirage.]

[Rank: Rare]

[Tier: I]

[Enchantment: [Tethered Suffering]

[Tethered Suffering: Any damage sustained by the wearer will be shared equally with the allies in a radius of 10 meters.]

[Longing: Die trying to save your loved one.]

[Blessing: Increase the Spirit of the loved one by 5.]

<--------------------------------->

[Artifact: Boots of the Rift Strider]

[Artifact Description: Fly fly fly... Don’t you ever cry cry cry.]

[Rank: Uncommon]

[Tier: II]

Enchantments: [Rift Step], [Weightless Grief]]

[Rift Step: Reach the distance you can see within the blink of an eye. It can only be used once every five seconds.]

[Weightless Grief: The greater the sorrow you feel, the faster and lighter your movement becomes.]

[Longing: A small being simply wanted to fly high enough that it couldn’t see anything that made it sad.]

[Blessing: When be contempt with your life, you will advance to the next tier irrespective of the level difference.]

<--------------------------------->

[Artifact: Warden’s Chain Pendant]

[Artifact Description: I will protect you even at the cost of my life.]

[Rank: Common]

[Tier: I]

[Enchantments: [Last Ward]]

[Last Ward: Once per day, when the wearer would receive a fatal or devastating blow, the pendant intercepts.]

[Longing: A guardian not by duty, but by choice.]

[Blessing: When the wearer protects another without hesitation or at the genuine cost to themselves, they receive the skill [Regeneration]].

<--------------------------------->

’Expect for the pendent everyone of them is good. Well, it can be used to unlock a skill if the right circumstances are met.’ Eyeing the book, Michael thought to himself.

"I think these will be of great help in your journey. As there are only five of these, you will have to decide which of you will have them."

The Templar instructed them as the hunters nodded their heads. Soon the talk had finished, and one by one they began to move out of the room.

"Shit... I was holding my breath there."

Soren whispered right after getting out of the room, to which others agreed as well.

"Yeah, right."

"I didn’t know it would be this difficult to talk with them."

"What talk, you barely said a word, not that I’m any better."

Interjecting within their talk, Adam decided to ask the hard question.

"So, how should we decide which five of us should have the artifacts?"

"Let’s collect ourselves in your room, so we can have the discussion there."

Michael replied, seemingly lost in thought.

"Are you busy at the moment?" Misha asked, looking at his demeanor.

"Yeah... you guys go. I have some things to attend to."

Saying this, he didn’t wait for any answer and began moving toward his room. Getting there, he pulled a sheet of paper and began writing to his grandmother. After finishing his words, he put them in a cover and wrote above it.

"Open only if I don’t reply within a week."