A day when a light wind blew.
In the middle of an abandoned vacant lot stood a small, shabby building, lonely and forlorn.
They said it had once been a bustling, thriving place of business, but now it was nothing more than an eyesore.
The few windows that remained in the little building were shattered, and its walls were stained by the indignities of time.
Because it was tucked away in such an out-of-the-way place, people had naturally stopped coming.
Only the office supplies and furniture strewn across the floor bore witness to its once-busy history.
In a word, it was a place where time had stopped.
Naturally, there was no way it was being maintained.
Aside from a few people who occasionally used it as a place to indulge in delinquency, no one paid it any attention.
As a result, the more time passed, the more it exuded only a bleak atmosphere.
If one walked past the trash scattered across the ground, at the end of it stood a single old tree.
But seen up close, the tree already appeared dead.
Its trunk had turned black, and its branches were withered and twisted. Only a few torn, dried leaves hung frailly from them.
There was not the slightest vitality to be felt from the tree.
However, if one looked carefully beneath the shade cast by the tree, an alien scene unfolded, as if connected to another dimension.
The tree’s massive roots.
If one lifted them aside, a wide space opened up beneath.
It was large enough for an adult man to enter with ease.
Following the path where the roots stretched led to an underground space, where small stones and crystals glittering on the floor drove away at least a little of the darkness inside.
Even each tiny fragment of stone had been arranged with precision, giving the impression that someone was maintaining the place in meticulous detail.
And just then, someone emerged from within.
“Our first client is the Kobold Dungeon. It isn’t far from here, so let us head there, Lord Maru.”
Maru, whose body was covered by a robe, nodded in agreement with Vetter’s words.
As befitting a master of transformation, Vetter had perfectly recreated the appearance of the hunter Ji Seongmin.
At the same time, just as Azmo had advised, he acted while wearing a pure gold necklace around his neck and rings set with all sorts of diamonds and jewels on his fingers.
‘The more I see, the more incredible he is.’
Even as Vetter walked forward, he could not help but marvel inwardly.
It was because the more he saw, the more he felt how extraordinary that person’s abilities were.
Just looking at Maru beside him, he was an existence possessing tremendous power.
And yet the great Master commanded such a being as if it were nothing.
Was that all?
The dungeon’s current location had originally been somewhere else as well.
The Master had moved a dungeon that had been located elsewhere to this place.
‘To think he has the ability to move a dungeon’s location as he pleases….’
It was an astonishing ability.
But it was not the ability itself that was frightening.
The true fear lay elsewhere.
‘Master possesses tremendous insight.’
When he had moved the dungeon after the Monster Wave, Vetter had thought it was merely a measure of punishment.
But that had not been his true intention.
Just by looking around, one could tell at a glance that this place had been abandoned.
Whatever this place had been in the past, now it was nothing more than a worthless vacant lot full of trash.
‘Thanks to that, there are hardly any humans, either.’
Perhaps he had moved the location here out of consideration, so they could act freely.
‘He must have been thinking of the trading company from that time.’
If he thought of it that way, everything now fit together.
“Mm.”
To think the trading company would begin from this place….
Vetter quietly looked around, and indeed, this place had excellent foundations.
The small building, though already old, looked as though it could be used again if repaired.
Perhaps that building, too, was intended to be used as part of the trading company.
All of this must be the Master’s scheme for the sake of concealment.
Vetter’s expression was filled with a smile of reverence and respect.
But the more that was the case, the more his worries grew as well.
‘Can I properly keep up with his thoughts?’
Soon, Vetter shook his head.
He had to strive to understand that person’s thoughts.
No, he had to understand and follow them no matter what.
Disappointing him was something that absolutely could not happen.
Vetter clenched his fist tightly, determined to carry out the Master’s command without fail.
Lost in thought, Vetter continued moving with Maru.
As they walked, people began to appear.
However, the people did not even spare Vetter and Maru a glance.
To anyone’s eyes, Vetter looked like a hunter, and Maru looked like a familiar being commanded by that hunter.
After they walked a little farther, the number of people suddenly decreased sharply.
Then, at some point, there was no one on the street except Vetter and Maru.
It meant there was a dungeon nearby.
Sure enough, shortly afterward, the dungeon came into Vetter and Maru’s view.
The ground was filled with stones and gravel, and just behind it, a small mountain rose tall.
And the dungeon Vetter was seeking was right in front of it.
“This is our first client, the Kobold Dungeon, Lord Maru.”
The dungeon’s exterior was shabby.
Between the rocks and small stones, the entrance of a burrow was revealed. Moss gathered around the entrance, creating a dark and gloomy atmosphere.
Looking closely into the burrow, one could see rough stairs made of stone.
“Tsk, as expected, it seems it isn’t being maintained properly.”
Vetter clicked his tongue and muttered.
The stairs, too, had not been maintained, so dust and dirt were piled thickly on them.
The dungeon’s faded exterior made Vetter suspicious.
‘Can proper transactions truly be conducted in a place where even this most basic maintenance is not being done?’
Even if they did make a deal, it was uncertain whether it would truly be profitable.
But Vetter had no choice.
Because this place was the first client that would announce the beginning of the trading company.
On top of that, this was the only place they could trade with right away.
“…….”
In truth, Vetter had moved busily yesterday.
Following the Master’s command, he had visited the Awakened Center, and after that, he had gone around to several dungeons to begin sales negotiations.
But the result had been rejection across the board.
Well, was that not inevitable?
Unlike on the continent of Eldorad, this place had no concept of a trading company.
Moreover, even if they were the same monsters, who would trust Vetter and trade with him from their very first meeting?
In the end, Vetter’s sales efforts had failed.
To be precise, they had almost ended in failure, but the last dungeon he visited had listened to him.
It was none other than this Kobold Dungeon.
“Then shall we head down, Lord Maru?”
Just as Vetter and Maru were about to enter the dungeon.
“Uh, wait just a moment!”
Someone suddenly appeared and blocked their path.
To think he would dare stop Vetter as he was carrying out the Master’s command.
At the insolent action of this outrageous person, Maru placed his hand on his magic sword.
But the other party’s words came faster.
“This is a dungeon! It’s dangerous for non-awakened people to enter. Are you hunters?”
The one who spoke was a human man, and he did not appear hostile.
“As you can see.”
Vetter answered the man briefly.
Instead of asking why he was blocking his path, he stared intently at the man’s face.
“Uh… please show me your hunter license.”
The man hesitated for a moment, then held out his hand to Vetter.
Since Vetter and Maru were not official hunters, there was no particular reason for them to obey the man’s words.
However, they were currently disguised as hunters.
Therefore, Vetter took out a hunter license from within his clothes.
That hunter license belonged to the hunter Ji Seongmin, whose form Vetter had taken.
The words the researchers had once spoken suddenly came to mind.
Back when Vetter had lived as a test subject in the laboratory, he had heard many things from the researchers’ mouths.
And one of them had been about identity checks for hunters attempting to enter dungeons.
They had definitely said it was a measure to prevent major disasters.
Vetter took out the hunter license and showed it to the man in front of him.
“Ah, you’re an F-rank hunter? You may enter the Kobold Dungeon.”
The man quickly checked only the hunter license Vetter handed him, then returned it.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
As the man bowed in greeting, Vetter and Maru entered the Kobold Dungeon.
Once Vetter and Maru disappeared down the stone stairs, the man gave a sinister smile.
Then he took a phone from his pocket and called someone.
The call connected quickly.
“Yes, hyungnim. Actually, two suckers just went inside the dungeon. Heh heh.”
The man continued speaking with a laugh.
“Yes, yes, I checked, and he was an F-rank hunter. His only weapon was one sword, and the other guy had his whole body decked out in gold and jewels, you know? They just went in, so I think you can hit them from behind. Yes.”
The man’s call continued.
* * *
The Kobold Dungeon existed quite deep underground.
Only after they had descended the stone stairs for quite some time did a corridor appear.
The walls of the corridor stretching through the darkness were unevenly lit by small torches.
Strange symbols and indecipherable letters were carved into the walls.
In various spots on the walls illuminated by the faint torchlight, there were spaces, and small kobolds were resting there.
Kobolds basically had dark ash-gray skin and long, large ears.
Above all, because their bodies were small, they could move even through narrow spaces.
Of course, to Vetter’s eyes, it was absurd.
‘To be this careless when one never knows when intruders may come….’
What would have happened if they were intruders right now?
Vetter frowned and continued down the corridor.
A short while later, a large room appeared, and at its end stood a kobold holding a weapon.
It was ever so slightly larger than the other kobolds.
It was the master of the dungeon who had accepted Vetter’s sales pitch yesterday.
“You came?”
The kobold dungeon master greeted them clumsily.
His pronunciation was slightly slurred, but Vetter did not take it seriously.
According to what the researchers had said in the past, he remembered that kobolds were not particularly intelligent, so he understood.
When Vetter remained still, the kobold dungeon master continued speaking.
“We, in danger. Hunters came, very many!”
He was saying the dungeon was in danger.
Well, the request for this transaction had indeed stated that they wanted troops to be sent to the kobold dungeon, or for it to be protected.
Vetter nodded as if telling him to continue.
“Ask troop support. We give anything.”
The kobold asked for help with heartfelt words.
However, the dungeon’s situation was not good.
The inside of the dungeon already looked as if it were on the verge of collapse.
Most of the items were broken or gone.
It looked like the scene of a violent brawl.
When Vetter calculated all those sights together, no matter how he looked at it, there did not seem to be any wealth they could receive as compensation.
“Mm….”
Vetter was once again filled with many concerns.
If this had not been their first transaction, he might have immediately run out of the dungeon.
But Vetter calmly remained where he was.
In the future, while operating the trading company, he would visit many dungeons.
He must not judge a dungeon by its outward appearance alone.
After a brief pause, Vetter opened his mouth again.
“Master of the dungeon.”
Vetter’s voice was blunt and stiff.
“I understand well what the master of the dungeon has requested. That matter is also something we can resolve immediately.”
Vetter spoke as if the contents of the kobold’s request were something they could settle quickly.
“However, what can you offer us in return?”
Administrator Azmo had said at first that they valued mutual prosperity between dungeons.
Of course, that was important.
But that, too, was something that could only be established when there was a certain amount of give and take.
The trading company Vetter envisioned was, at its core, a group that pursued profit.
Otherwise, it would be nothing more than unpaid volunteer work.
At the very least, something had to be exchanged.
But this place was a dungeon on the verge of collapse.
There was no maintenance whatsoever, and it would not be strange if it fell at any moment.
Even if this was their first client, was there really any need to go out of their way to care about a place like this?
‘Do we really need to?’
On top of that, the kobold’s closed mouth showed no sign of opening.
Most likely, he had nothing to give.
Once Vetter’s thoughts reached that point, he slowly rose from his seat.
“It was a good conversation. Then we will take our leave now.”
Vetter glanced at Maru and nodded.
There was nothing more to see here.
As Vetter and Maru thus rose from their seats, the kobold panicked.
“No. I can give. Payment to you.”
Then he rummaged through the pocket of his worn clothes.
Soon, the kobold held out something he had taken from his pocket.
“We. This only thing to give. Yellow stone. We give even this…!”
It was gold.
And gold of a considerable size, at that.
Vetter maintained his expression and sat back down.
“Now we can have a proper conversation. Surely that yellow stone is not the only one?”
“No. More! Our dungeon. Many yellow stones like this underground. Can dig more.”
At the kobold’s words, Vetter changed his evaluation of this place.
As it turned out, it was a fine place to serve as the trading company’s first client.
Vetter began calculating again in his mind.
“…….”
Seeing Vetter lost in thought for a moment, the kobold made another misunderstanding.
He thought Vetter was saying nothing because the yellow stone was not to his liking.
So the kobold took something else out of the sack.
It was a purple stone.
“Purple stones also many! This also many underground! We can dig!”
The purple stone the kobold spoke of was none other than a mana stone.
The moment the kobold finished speaking, Vetter seized both of his hands.
“……?”
The kobold was startled for a moment, but he could not shake off Vetter’s hands.
Then Vetter continued speaking.
“Our trading company will protect this place as if it were my own life. After all, that is the work of a trading company—to protect its clients. First, please sign this exclusive contract….”
Vetter immediately took out a document.