The F-Rank Guild Master Has Too Much Money Chapter 35

 

 

‘Why here…?’

 

Before my regression, a dungeon had never once appeared in Jamsil.

 

I quickly stowed the balloon and flowers I was holding into my inventory, then sprinted toward the gate.

 

After searching the whole area engulfed by the dungeon, it was clear everyone had already been swept inside.

 

They must have all gone inside.

 

Even Ji Yun-seo was no exception.

 

* * *

 

The moment I stepped through the gate, the bright light vanished, and I found myself in a grassland that looked as though it had been plucked straight out of Africa.

 

Tall grasses brushing my waist, towering trees, and an endless plain filled my vision, making it hard to breathe. The thought of Ji Yun-seo wandering alone in this wilderness gnawed at me.

 

Even adults who awaken as hunters feel fear the first time they enter a dungeon. Awakening doesn’t erase fear—especially for those who once lived peaceful lives.

 

So how terrified must Ji Yun-seo—still just a child—be? Without realizing it, my hands began to tremble.

 

☆ Aether has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

The kid will be fine. Don’t worry.

 

☆ Guardian has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Get it together! What are you doing! We’ll help with the search.

 

That’s right. Yun-seo will be safe.

 

Even the gods promised to help—she’ll be found. I looked at my shaking hands, clenched them into fists, and summoned the wind.

 

“Find Ji Yun-seo. Now.”

 

At my command, a gust of wind swept past me.

 

Deer-like monsters and rabbit-like herbivores shrank away from my aura and vanished into the tall grass.

 

“Huh?! Uh—are you a hunter? C-Can I come with you?”

 

A man who’d been hiding behind a massive tree stumbled out toward me. Clearly one of the civilians dragged in when the dungeon formed.

 

Since he seemed uninjured, I gave him a curt nod and kept moving. One by one, others hiding among bushes, trees, and rocks emerged, gathering behind me as I ran.

 

But no matter how much I searched, Ji Yun-seo was nowhere to be seen. By the time I reached the gate to the second floor, ten civilians had clustered around me.

 

“Getting through the first floor was manageable, but things might be different from here. If a fight breaks out, stay back.”

 

“Wait… aren’t you that guy from TV?”

 

“Yeah, the one they called F-rank.”

 

“What? He’s F-rank? How can an F-rank even be a hunter?!”

 

“But didn’t he clear a dungeon before?”

 

“That was only because Choi Tae-hyuk was with him, right? There’s no way an F-rank could’ve done it alone.”

 

“So what—you’re saying we’re doomed? Oh, God…”

 

“Damn it. I should’ve stayed hidden instead of tagging along. If you’re F-rank, you should’ve said so from the start!”

 

The instant word spread about my rank, their faces shifted. Some muttered prayers, others sank into despair.

 

☆ Those Bastards has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Who do they think they’re talking to?!

 

☆ Me at Times Like This has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Humans disgust me. Truly vile.

 

“Anyone who wants to wait for the rescue team can stay here.”

 

I hadn’t come to save people—I came to find Ji Yun-seo.

 

There was nothing more exhausting than fighting while protecting others, and I had no intention of babysitting those who looked down on me.

 

At my words, the group fell silent. I stepped onto the gate first. After a moment’s hesitation, the others followed. In a flash of light, the world shifted.

 

Another grassland spread out before us. But unlike the first floor of harmless herbivores, this one belonged to predators.

 

“Be careful!”

 

As soon as the light faded, I slashed a blade of wind at the monster that lunged at us. It dodged deftly, and I immediately activated my clairvoyance.

 

[B-Rank Canasori]

 

– A B-rank monster that hunts in packs.

– Its fangs contain potent venom, but its weak point is the nape of the neck.

 

A preemptive strike was best. I drove my wind blade into its exposed weak point. With a shriek, the Canasori dissolved into sparkling dust.

 

Just like an ant nest—take down one, and the rest come swarming.

 

As if on cue, several more burst out of the grass.

 

Unable to handle them with blades alone, I summoned a storm of wind that shredded the Canasori pack to glittering motes.

 

“Whoa… isn’t he supposed to be F-rank?”

 

“I told you. I saw him on TV.”

 

“This is incredible.”

 

“It’s beautiful,” someone murmured behind me. The glowing dust drifting on the wind was indeed beautiful—but there was no time to admire it.

 

I summoned the wind again and pushed forward, cutting down everything from spider-like monsters called Diya to multi-armed creatures known as Yao.

 

Every step forward was a battle, fending off swarms of unknown monsters with my wind blades.

 

“Eek!”

 

A scream rang out from behind. I flicked my hand, lashing the wind backward. With a metallic clang! a monster was flung away.

 

‘What the hell is that?!’

 

Normally, dungeon monsters matched their environment.

 

On a grassland floor, you’d expect beasts resembling ordinary wildlife. But here, bizarre creatures completely unrelated to the setting appeared.

 

I grimaced at the sight of a beast with leopard legs, a lion’s head, and a bird’s body, then activated clairvoyance.

 

[A-rank Chimera Roc]

 

– A monster with the legs of a swift leopard, the head of a lion, and the body of an eagle.

– Possesses tremendous speed, savage claws, and razor-sharp fangs.

 

Unlike the Canasori and other mobs that vanished in one blow, the Chimera Roc sprang back up instantly. Then it reared onto two legs, towering over us.

 

I spread a shield of wind to protect the people behind me and shouted,

 

“From now on—don’t move a muscle.”

 

Even at a glance, I could tell. This wasn’t just another monster—it was the floor boss of the second level.

 

The only saving grace was that Chimera Rocs didn’t hunt in packs. Its eyes locked on mine, and it crouched low. With a growl, its body swelled larger. Behind me, someone let out a stifled gasp.

 

A massive paw, bigger than my body, came swinging down. I blocked it with a shield of wind and dashed straight toward it.

 

The short blade of wind extended in an instant, and I drove it toward the beast’s head.

 

“No time to waste—die!”

 

Despite its enormous frame, the Chimera Roc moved with shocking speed. It dodged—but not completely. The lengthened blade ripped across one of its eyes.

 

“Kraaah!!”

 

Blood streamed from the ruined eye as the monster shrieked, wings spreading wide. As it tried to take off, I launched myself skyward on the wind.

 

In one bound, I brought my blade down toward its skull, another piercing scream tearing through the air.

 

“N-Nice shot!”

 

“Amazing!”

 

“Why doesn’t my phone work?! I need to record this!”

 

“If an F-rank can do that…how strong is an S-rank?!”

 

The sound of a massive skull shattering echoed. Then the Chimera Roc dissolved into glittering motes of light.

 

The moment my feet hit the ground, pain tore through my chest. I’d conserved as much energy as possible, but still had spent more than I realized.

 

‘I should’ve brought An Bom.’

 

If An Bom had been here, a single healing spell would’ve dulled this pain.

 

I tried to steady myself with deep breaths. Little by little, the pain eased. I pushed myself up.

 

“Let’s move.”

 

Withdrawing the protective wind I’d left around the others, I sprinted ahead once more in search of Ji Yun-seo.

 

“Yun-seo!”

 

The winds I’d sent were already scouring the dungeon, but worry gnawed at me, forcing the name from my throat.

 

“Excuse me… is someone missing?”

 

“My niece is in here. Will you help me find her?”

 

“What should we do?”

 

“Call her. …What’s her name?”

 

Together, we shouted Ji Yun-seo’s name as we pushed forward.

 

It was the same as announcing our position to every monster nearby, but the thought of her in danger outweighed the risk.

 

If anything, better that the monsters came to me. Even if it meant carrying the burden alone, I would take it. Each beast I cut down made the ache in my body worse, but I couldn’t stop.

 

“…We’re going to the third floor.”

 

* * *

 

☆ Why? has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Why is that there? And why is the child—

 

“Shit.”

 

A curse—half scream—rose from behind me.

 

On the third floor, in a place that looked like paradise, stood a beast so massive humans were little more than ants before it.

 

A sleek black body, three heads slumbering in eerie peace, and a tail of writhing snakes. A creature straight out of Greek and Roman myth.

 

‘…Cerberus.’

 

And near that dark colossus—

 

☆ It’s Baby! has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Baby! Aether’s Baby is here!

 

“Yun-seo.”

 

Ji Yun-seo was there.

 

Tear tracks streaked her cheeks, proof she’d been crying. My teeth sank hard into my lip.

 

I didn’t know why she was with the monster, or why it hadn’t harmed her—but none of that mattered. All that mattered was killing it before she could get hurt.

 

I glanced back. The ten civilians behind me were pale as ghosts.

 

“Listen carefully from here on.”

 

Though it looked like a wide-open plain, this was still a dungeon—not a real grassland.

 

I herded them toward the corner nearest the gate, repeating the same warning over and over: no matter what happened, they were not to move.

 

I had no idea why Ji Yun-seo and the boss were together. The only certainty was this: I had to slay the boss to get her out.

 

Ignoring the pain clawing through me, I tightened my grip on my blade. Once everyone nodded, I advanced slowly toward the monster.

 

☆ Aether has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Your face looks so pale. Are you okay?

 

☆ Shouldn’t You Bring a Healer? has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

At this rate, Aether’s going to die!

 

Sensing me, the three heads stirred awake at once. Six blood-red eyes fixed on me—then slid back toward Ji Yun-seo.

 

The moment its guard slipped, I charged. My sword slashed at its right neck—only for a deafening clang to rattle through the air, numbing my hands.

 

“A shield?!”

 

The beast rose to its full height. Even crouched it had been massive—but now, even looking straight up, I couldn’t see its face.

 

“Graaaah!!”

 

From its left head, a torrent of fire spewed forth.

 

I darted aside on the wind and immediately invoked Clairvoyance. Brute force alone would never win this fight.

 

[Hades’ Pet — Cerberus] [Rank: S]

 

Defense: 190,000

Attack: 200,000

 

Skills:

• Shield (S-rank)
• Strike of Magma (S-rank)
• Speed of Light (S-rank)
• Fangs of the Beast (S-rank)
• Venom of Hell (S-rank)
• Miracle of Healing (S-rank)

 

– A mob copied perfectly from Hades’s own pet dog, thanks to Corne’s friendship.

– Cannot be killed unless all three heads are severed.

– Left head: fire.

– Middle head: healing.

– Right head: darkness.

– Tail: a venomous snake.

– Strong against wind, weak against light.

– Its breath reeks of sulfur; contact with it melts flesh on the spot.

 

A shield, every skill at S-rank, and resistance to wind… In trying to find its weakness, all I’d done was expose my own.

 

I bit my lip, then shook my head hard.

 

“I’m a god. I can’t afford to cower before an S-rank.”

 

Forgetting the pain, I summoned the storm. Let’s see how strong this so-called hound of Hades really is!

 

A tornado roared to life. Sensing danger, the monster’s massive paw lunged toward me.

 

I barely dodged, then forced the winds to intensify. With a tornado that size, I wouldn’t have stood a chance against Rosetta back during the Queen Ant fight.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Blood surged up my throat. I wiped it away and hurled the storm straight at Cerberus.

 

The beast raised its enormous paw—and slammed it down.

 

With a single thunderous impact, the tornado shattered and vanished.

 

“Urgh!”

 

☆ Holy Crap, Rollback! has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

That’s gotta hurt! Aether, are you okay?!