"You can't just ask us to go down there blindly, guild master," Nestor shouted. After what had happened with Alektos, no one but Jean called Leander lemon cake. And Leander liked things that way.

"Think about it this way. How do new dungeons appear?" Leander had spoken with Armaros. The raven-haired dungeon core had told him he was born in the sewers and, that, he suspected that most dungeons were born underground, too.

"A lot of negative mana gathers in the air, and..." Nestor began and then blinked. That sounded like something that was silly even to his own ears. "Guild master, how do you think that dungeon cores appear?"

"They are born under the surface, not bothering anyone. Then, something or someone gets them out. They become a problem and we get called. What if, we go to the dungeons while they are still peaceful, or don't know that they have it in themselves to be violent, and we collect all the cores?"

Armaros send Leander a grateful look, but most of the adventurers looked at their guild master like he had grown a second head.

"You mean, destroy, right? Guild master, sir," the tank that had spoken straightened up at his near slip up and hit his chest with his fist.

"No, I meant collect. Most dungeons, or so Belle and Armaros have told me, just want to be able to create things and be left to live in peace. What they create can benefit us. And, we will treat them better than the researchers," Leander laid out his plans. This was it. If someone was going to challenge him to an honor duel, the time was now.

"Do you think that we will get less dungeon delving after this...war?" Valerie asked. She was not going to call it an expedition because people might die on it. It was war, and they couldn't let anything get pass them and go up the stairs to the guild house and Huergaz.

"It is my hope, yes. Imagine, a world were dungeon delving will be replaced with escort missions. Yes, many of you will scoff at a C ranked quest, but, tell me, do you even hope to retire one day? Safe and sound and with all your limbs intact?" All eyes were on him, and he knew he had struck a nerve.

"Because I do. I hope to live my life on my farmhouse, plowing the fields and collecting the harvest. You all must have similar dreams. Must tell yourselves: one more quest and I will strike it big. Then I will buy a shop, land, or a workshop, and leave all this nasty business behind," Leander looked around, people were nodding.

Confirming to him once more that no adventurer wanted for this occupation to be his means to put food on the table forever. Because they didn't have forever, and death was one mistakenly ranked quest away.

"Well, listen to me. We have to think about our future because the civilians sure won't. Alberta was called a soldier by a woman she had saved once. But we are not soldiers. We are adventurers. And, if we could do something else but kill, we would have!" There was a pregnant pause, and, suddenly, all the adventurers hit their chest with their fists, standing to attention. Leander smiled, now, for the final pitch.

"So, I ask you to do a final push. After we secure Alcandino we can learn jobs that will make us competent craftsmen, farmers or what have you. We will all be rich! There will never be a period during which we will have to skip meals or go to bed hungry. Because all of you are allowed to take as much treasure as the bottomless bags the guild will provide you with can hold out of the underground!"

A roar and the stamping of feet were his answer. Yes, gold was the way to make an adventurer jump through a flaming hoop. Leander did not kid himself that it was not.

He stepped back, and let Baleg take the stage.

"You will all be put into platoons of five parties. There won't be any risks taken down there. Remember, there was a boss mob under the market district. There could be more further in the city. Let us not speak about the mobs that we will find outside Huergaz and under the other cities. So, team up. There have to be three tanks to every platoon, and an at least a single healer. Platoons with less will be forced to regroup," Baleg then stepped down and let Soed on the stage.

"Well, I will be coming with you. To make sure that you are paid. The guild is bringing its resident dragon down there, so, don't forget to pick your fireproof runes and burn salves from the item shops. For free and provided by our guild master. Remember, you can't down more than three potions at a time, still, we might be down there for months, so take at least thirty with you and drink them sparingly. Also, this is an official SS ranked quest, so, expect to rank up, after we are done securing Alcandino from the dungeon cores," a loud cheer carried across the room.

Asmodeos smiled. This was something that had to be done long ago. He had known about the mobs under the earth, had sent undead legions after them, but Alklair had mistaken that Asmodeos was doing it for money.

Now, Asmodeos's work will be done. He just needed to find someone to give Dorothy to, for the months that he would be missing. The underground tunnels were no place for a cat that wasn't even a battle companion.

Finally, his greatest desire, to see the adventurers being carefree and taking quests that made them feel useful, but did not make them risk their lives, would become a reality. And he had the new guild master to thank.

Alklair watched Soed like a hawk. The man was hitting all the vibes that Asmodeos had once hit. And he always wore a medallion around his neck that looked like the one Alklair had used to trick Asmodeos with.

If Soed was Asmodeos, then Alklair hoped that this was not a complicated revenge plot with the end goal of whipping up the guild because they could use the help of the SSS ranked adventurer.