"Please come this way."
A petite girl with beautiful blue hair was guiding me.
Looking at her soft facial features and sweet voice I believed that she was a few years older than me.
We turned at several corridors before reaching a familiar door.
The two guards standing at the door nodded at the girl. Then, turning back they opened the doors.
Screeech-
I walked into the room and sat on the couch.
"Master will be arriving shortly."
The girl bowed while still standing at the door and left.
A few seconds later the guards closed the door.
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I was currently sitting at the base of the Black t-shirt gang.
It took me a few hours to arrive here. This was due to the reason I changed my transportation many times to avoid tracking.
I picked up the glass on the table and stared at my reflection.
A white mask with no opening for even eyes and brown hair. This was reflected in the glass.
I was using my stigma [Iridescence] to make my hair brown while the mask was the same as before.
"Are you not going to drink?"
A deep voice rang in the supposed empty room.
Sighing, I put the glass down.
"Old man why do you always try to appear mysteriously in the room? Does it hurt to walk through the door? Or do you like peeking at your guests while hiding?"
Richard, leader of the Black t-shirt gang, flinched.
The previous time I came here I talked with dignity and poise.
My current crass behavior, which was directly opposite to before, shocked him.
I raised my legs and put them on the table. Then I crossed my legs and rested my cheek on my right fist.
"Did you prepare what I asked for?"
Richard who was brought out of his stupor coughed slightly.
He nodded at my question and placed a stack of papers on top of the table.
"These are the Master-Servant Oaths you asked for."
Oaths are used to take pledges between two parties with the System as the overseer.
If any party breaks the Oath, they are directly judged by the System itself.
This serves as the safest guarantee. As a result, the use of Oaths is very widespread in society.
"Young master, about what you said last time…"
At Richard's trailing words I threw a piece of paper on the table.
Last time I promised him that I will take care of the matter with the Red-wolf gang.
Richard, picked up the map I threw, with a questioning gaze.
He looked at the location marked on it and spoke.
The location marked on the map was pointing at a specific place on the mountain range dividing Downtown from Bermuda Island.
"Young master, pardon me but I don't understand what this is."
"It's a Stage-0 Dungeon."
Richard stiffened.
The total Stage-0 dungeons known on Earth don't even reach 3 digits. Each one of them is very famous and known widely.
But the dungeon I told him wasn't among the known ones.
With a half-uncertain, half-expectant voice, Richard asked.
"W-what is the meaning of this young master?"
"I'm allowing you to train your men in that Stage-0 Dungeon."
Richard sucked in a cold breadth.
His face was lit up brightly within seconds.
However, his expression quickly turned dull and he shook his head.
"I'm grateful for your generosity, young master. But I'll have to refuse. I'm afraid our gang members aren't strong enough to clear a Stage-0 Dungeon."
Clearing a Stage-1 requires a well build team with at least 3 Enma rankers.
For Stage-2 Dungeon, a team with 5 Gamma rankers and 30 Hatamoto rankers was the minimum force required for a clear.
But for a Stage-0 Dungeon?
No, one knows. It was entirely plausible that even a team made of Sandra rank awakeners can't clear a Stage-0 Dungeon.
Richard knew that if the young master was offering this deal then it must be one of the easiest Stage-0 dungeons.
But the Black t-shirt gang couldn't clear even a Stage-1 dungeon.
I shook my head at how easy it was to judge Richard's current thoughts.
Truly, losing composure in a deal can deal a fatal blow.
I was going to make Richard remember this fact in a few minutes.
"Old man you don't need to worry about being unable to clear the dungeon. So, I'll only ask it once."
Richard looked at me.
"Are you refusing the offer I am giving you?"
Richards could only open and close his mouth for a few minutes.
He couldn't decide what was that he should choose.
Should he accept my offer and aim higher when there was a possibility of losing everything?
Or should he be satisfied with what he has?
I knew I could persuade Richard if I use [Domination Decree]. But I didn't.
A man without any ambition is a boat without the sails.
If he is afraid even after I reassured him then he is useless to me.
The story was changing, there was no knowing what butterfly effect was already in motion.
There were two more people like me. Who were possibly a lot stronger than me.
I have to kill Mammon, one of the 13 Monarchs of the Universe.
I was long ahead of the point of no return.
From here it was race. A race where everyone was running toward different goals but there could only be a single winner.
'I can't carry a burden with me.'
If Richard refuses I'll take Miller with me and search for someone else to form an alliance.
The black t-shirt gang sounded goofy and weak.
The only reason I chose them to ally with was that I felt it was better to start from the ground up and build a solid foundation.
They were a good option but not a necessary one.
Finally, after a few minutes, Richard made his decision.
"I thank young master for his generosity. We'll make good use of the dungeon and increase our forces as fast as possible."
A smile blossomed on my face.
"Then we will create an Oath. I'll provide you with the necessary information to clear the dungeon. In return, I will get 60% of the loot."
"60%? Young master th-"
"70%"
"You-"
"80%"
It seems Richard at least had the wisdom for his age. Immediately after two times, he understood that I wasn't negotiating.
I was informing him what the dividends were.
Richard bitterly smiled. It seems that he understood where the fault lay.
Had he kept his composure when we were talking a few minutes before and not gotten swept by me, he might have been able to put up proper negotiations.
But the moment he lost to my momentum, he already lost any chance at negotiating.
"Okay, young master. I'll bring an Oath shortly."
Richard pressed a button on the table and started giving his orders.
In half an hour, the door opened again and the same blue-haired girl that guided me entered the room.
She gracefully walked to Richard with a tray in her hands.
Her scarlet eyes curiously darted between me and Richard as she placed the tray on the table.
Taking my eyes off her, I looked up at Richard.
He nodded at me and picked up the Oath placed on the tray.
I took the Oath from his hand and read it to make sure that it was correct.
Then both of us inserted a trace of our energies inside the Oath.
Riiipp-
The paper flew into the air and got torn into two pieces.
One piece flew into me and the other into Richard.
The warm feeling inside my soul told me that the Oath was now bound.
"See. It wasn't hard."
"Yes, young master. Chloe, will you please return this tray and bring refreshments for the young master?"
Richard smiled at my words and respectfully asked the blue-haired girl to bring me something to eat.
'Hol'up, did he just request the maid rather than order?'
Feeling something amiss, I looked back at the two of them.
'Eth, is it just me or does he looks afraid of that girl?'
(He is afraid.)
Slightly nervous, I created a little harmonized energy and coated my eyes.
'[Appraisal]'
I used appraisal on the girl to see if something was amiss, and I immediately regretted it.
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