Chapter 218: The Golden Vine
[Rolune Region – The Verdant Hollow (D-Rank Dungeon)]
The air inside the dungeon was thick with the scent of damp moss and ozone.
It was a standard D-Rank instance—a sprawling network of natural caverns overgrown with bioluminescent flora and inhabited by Stone-Skin Bears and Moss Crawlers.
Chairman Denzo Smith wiped the grime from his face shield, his breath fogging the glass.
His heavy boots squelched in the mud as he stepped over the carcass of a bear the size of a carriage.
"Sector 4 cleared," Mike Pegu reported, sheathing his daggers. He looked bored.
"Chairman, with all due respect… why are we here? We have the capital now. We should be bidding on B-Rank gates, not trudging through mud for D-Rank scraps."
Denzo straightened his back, his joints popping. He looked at his team—twenty fresh recruits, eager and armed with high-grade gear purchased with Michael's investment. They looked sharp, but they were untested.
