Mason clutched his giant axe, panting heavily as he prepared to protect his teammates behind him.

  Standing in front of him was a terrifying creature resembling a bipedal goat—powerful, muscur, and wielding a massive club. Its cruel, bloodthirsty eyes were locked onto Mason.

  Hannah from the Giant Axe Adveeam had already "disappeared," and the other teammates were all injured. Mason deeply regretted letting Charlot Meburg join them; otherwise, her he nor his panions would have fallen into such peril.

  The goat-like monster charged forward with thunderous steps. Mason's expression was one of grim determination—he was ready to face death.

  But in an instant, the monster vanished into thin air.

  From the darkness stepped Charlot, a relieved smile on his face as he called out, “Good thing I made it in time! Mason, Homonsa, everyone, follow me—I’ll lead you to safety.”

  For the first time, Charlot had maniputed the byrinth, deliberately creating a crisis only to appear heroically at the most critical moment before familiar faces.

  Mason's bitterness melted away in an instant. Filled with the relief of surviving near-death, he gathered the team and followed Charlot without hesitation.

  ...

  Charlot quickly located the remaining adventurers ahem back to the ference hall.

  Fortunately, this hastily assembled adveeam hadn’t suffered catastrophic losses. Only seven ht people had died, and the team still numbered over a hundred members. Most were wounded but not critically, and timely treatment ensured no one’s life was in immi danger.

  The Machubi byrinth had engulfed everything within the a fortress—animals, monsters, eerie entities, and even malevolent spirits. These creatures roamed freely, iably g with the adventurers.

  Under normal circumstahe adventurers would have been wiped out.

  However, during the byrinth's formation, these adventurers were transformed into byrinth NPCs, granting them prote under byrinth rules, thus preventing rge-scale casualties.

  ...

  The leaders of a dozen smaller adveeams gathered together, vaguely in opposition to Charlot. As experienced adventurers, they had deduced that the chaos they had entered must somehow be ected to Charlot.

  The leader of a small team named Yas stepped forward and said, “We’re not Byron spies, nor do we want anything to do with those vampires. Let us leave, and we promise not to say a word. We’ll even forfeit our reward.”

  Charlot didn’t answer. Instead, he smiled warmly and spoke loudly, “First, I want to thank everyone!”

  “I’ve found the family treasure!”

  With this siatement, all murmurs ceased. Every adventurer was instantly captivated by the word "treasure." Thoughts of anything else vanished from their minds.

  Treasure. Wealth. Money!

  Nothing could be more entig.

  “I once swore to the goddess that if I found the treasure, I would share five pert of it with those who helped me locate it.”

  “I will fulfill my promise!”

  The crowd of over a hundred adventurers erupted with excitement. No one cared anymore why they had been abandoned in Machubi or why they had entered so much danger. Now, all they could think about was how much of the treasure they could cim.

  Charlot’s gaze swept from left tht and back again, ensuring that everyone was thhly captivated. Only then did he say in a devilish tone, “Unfortunately, the treasure I’ve obtained isn’t the legal currency of the Fars Empire.”

  “So, I ’t divide it among you just yet.”

  “You must uand—the treasure beloo the a orobility. It has to be verted in Strasb into gold écus and silver flors…”

  “As for times? What evehose?”

  “Ladies alemen, you are all about to bee rich!”

  His words immediately drew cheers from the crowd of adventurers.

  Spreading his hands and shrugging, Charlot procimed loudly, “So, I must trouble you all to apao Strasb to retrieve your share of the wealth.”

  “No problem!”

  “We’ll go to Strasb with you!”

  “Yenerosity is truly unmatched.”

  “How much we expect to get, exactly?”

  “Is this trip to Strasb sidered a paid mission?”

  The adventurers bombarded him with questions, but Charlot answered patiently one by one. Oheir excitement had subsided a bit, he led the group out of Machubi.

  Before leaving, he gnced into the depths of Machubi and muttered to himself, “Last time, I said I’d find you, drag you into the sunlight, and watch you turn to ashes.”

  “That was my mistake!”

  “I was in a rush to handle some personal matters.”

  “But now…”

  Charlot noticed that the mohat had killed Hannah, though trapped in the byrinth, was still resisting its transformation and hadn’t turned into a byrinth NPC.

  Why even Lord Leo could be easily verted into an NPC, but this monster could not, Charlot had no time to iigate.

  “I will e back eventually and fulfill my promise—t you into the sunlight and watch you turn to ashes.”

  ...

  Lord Leo was currently in a wretched state.

  All he had wanted was to retrieve his subordinates, but the a orc fortress had suddenly transformed into an endless byrinth, making escape impossible.

  Fortunately, vampires were exceptionally resilient. Though vampires were usually known for their elegance, in desperate situations like these, they could eat anything.

  Lord Leo had even devoured several rge rodents. Ae ruin would be teeming with such plump little creatures.

  Charlot didn’t know how to deal with this noble from Byron, so he temporarily avoided a frontation. Vampires, after all, were notoriously hard to starve to death.

  ...

  The adventurers who emerged from the Machubi byrinth ate their fill of food and drank plenty of water and wine, all of which Charlot had purchased ba Strasb. Rested and rejuvehey followed Charlot back to Strasb with great anticipation.

  Charlot, of course, didn’t take this group of adventurers back to 58 Elysée Avenue. Instead, he brought them to 1 Yansun Street in the Lukavaro District, an old patrol guard office.

  Although abandoned for who knows how many years, the building’s basic structure was still intact. With a bit of ing and minor repairs, it was habitable.

  These adventurers, used to camping outdoors, weren’t picky about living ditions. The thought of immireasure left them without pints about Charlot’s arras.

  After settling the adventurers, Charlot wasted no time and headed straight for the tral Gover Office to see his "former boss," Mrs. Aldegonde, a stern and highly respected seniover official.

  Mrs. Aldegonde was surprised by Charlot’s visit and asked, “How’s work at Kilmainham Prison? Going smoothly?”

  Charlot smiled and replied, “I’ve been transferred to the Lukavaro Distrid joihe patrol guards.”

  Mrs. Aldegonde frowned slightly, puzzled. “Patrol guards in that area? If I recall, the patrol guard positions ier Fifteen Districts are... you know, all ghost saries.”

  Charlot khis as well. Even if he hadn’t, a visit to 1 Yansun Street would have made it obvious.

  Smiling, he said, “That’s why I o rebuild my records. Without that, I ’t draw my sary.”

  Mrs. Aldegonde nodded slightly in uanding. Having once been Charlot’s superior, she was willing to extend him this small courtesy. She promptly issued the necessary dots.

  Her help ehere, though; for the remaining bureaucratic processes, Charlot would have to hahings himself.