Rowan said nothing, striding directly toward the white luxury car. He opened the door and climbed inside without a glance back.
Naliya stood dumbfounded, her mouth slightly agape. "What's with him? He didn't even look at us and went straight to the car."
She turned to Sorin, who was approaching with a composed expression. "Miss, what happened? Why did the young master behave like that?"
Sorin lowered her voice, speaking discreetly. "Don't worry about him. I need to go straight to meet the association president. Ready our raiders to head back."
She glanced at Ashan, who was observing them. "Mister, what were you going to ask?"
Ashan stepped closer to Sorin. "Since I want to keep my identity a secret, I need you to turn my share of those treasures into money. Can you do that for me?"
Sorin nodded affirmatively. "Yes, I can fulfill your request. The money can be ready right now."
"So where should I drop those treasures?" Ashan inquired.
Sorin gestured to a nearby large truck. "You can drop them there. It will be enough."
Without another word, Ashan headed straight to the truck.
"What did that man do inside the dungeon? Did he try to harm you?" Naliya wondered silently.
"No, he didn't. I'm glad he did nothing to me," Sorin replied, as if reading her thoughts.
Naliya's confusion deepened. "What did you mean by that?"
Sorin recounted the memories of Ashan's actions in the dungeon. "That man is stronger than us. He is a monster in human form."
Naliya's eyes widened in disbelief. "He is stronger than you? So you're telling me he's a higher level S-ranker. How is it possible that an S-ranker we don't know of appears out of nowhere?"
"I don't know, Naliya. But I know one thing for sure. If he wanted us to die, both of us probably wouldn't make it alive from this dungeon raid. The harsh truth is we were at his mercy."
Naliya took a deep breath, her gaze shifting to Ashan. "That doesn't make sense. I don't even feel much mana from him either."
Sorin nodded in agreement. "As an A-ranker, it's not a surprise that you felt it. I feel the same way. But those powers he possesses say otherwise."
"So that's why the young master seems upset," Naliya murmured.
Sorin leaned closer, whispering into Naliya's ear. "Rowan is unconscious."
"What?" Naliya exclaimed, glancing at the car in bewilderment.
"But he walked like nothing happened," she added.
Sorin shook her head. "Didn't you notice that his eyes were closed when walking?"
Naliya recalled the scene, Rowan had indeed walked with his eyes shut. "Then how did he walk?"
Sorin sighed heavily. "His body was moved using blood manipulation. So he can escape from others' attention."
"I never knew that you can manipulate the blood of a living being," Naliya said, astonished.
"It's not me. That man did," Sorin clarified.
Naliya's eyes locked onto Ashan once more. "That person can manipulate the blood of living beings? He is indeed a monster."
"But how did Young Master Rowan end up like that?" Naliya pressed.
Sorin began explaining the events inside the dungeon, including the intense duel between Ashan and Rowan. As the story unfolded, chills ran down Naliya's spine.
"That person defeated a berserk S-ranker?" she whispered, disbelief thick in her voice. "He even severed the young master's arm using a formless sword… and cut through the Dragon Slayer Sword as well."
Naliya drew in a sharp breath. "That's impossible. Only a peak-level S-ranker could pull off something like that. If that's true, he's practically a walking calamity." Her expression darkened. "We can't ignore someone like him. But… what are we even supposed to do?"
Ashan approached them, having finished unloading. "I put everything in there. If it's possible, can we make things quick?"
Sorin nodded reassuringly. "Don't worry. Our appraisers will do their job in under an hour. So please be patient a bit longer."
Ashan's attention shifted to Naliya, who was staring at him with a piercing gaze. "Is there something you want to ask from me? I can tell that you're curious about something."
"It's nothing," Naliya replied hastily, averting her eyes.
Sorin smiled and stepped forward, her eyes filled with earnest hope. "Mister, I've thought about this for a while and finally decided. I would like to invite you to our association."
Naliya interjected, positioning herself between them with a fearful expression. "Lady, you can't do that. No matter how strong he is, he is still an unknown stranger. I can't agree with your decision."
Ashan was stunned. "I really can't understand you at all. First, you entered a dungeon with a person you don't even know. And now you're inviting the same person to join your association. What kind of motives do you have?"
Sorin sighed, glancing at the white car. "It's true that you almost killed my brother, but you did that to stop him. I won't blame you for that. And I know that you're not a bad person. Seeing how powerful you are, we'd like to have good ties with you. In order to maintain peace, strong people need to keep good relationships with each other. That's what I want."
Ashan nodded thoughtfully. "I understand your intentions and respect them. However, I'm not planning to associate with anyone. But I can help you with dungeon raids, since it helps me get stronger. Don't misunderstand, I'm not going to steal goods from dungeons."
"Haha... I know that you're not a thief. We can take you on dungeon raids. But first, I need to ask about it with our head."
She handed him a shining yellow badge shaped like an eagle. "This is a special token that represents my authority. You might already know where our association is. You can use this to visit there anytime you want without any trouble."
Ashan rubbed the surface of the token, a satisfied smile crossing his lips.
…
In the evening, after collecting the money from Sorin, Ashan returned to his apartment. He stood in front of the door, gazing at the bag filled with cash.
'What a great day. I earned 6 million neros early in the morning. I didn't expect that Sorin would give me more than half of the income. Well, technically, I'm the one who cleared the whole dungeon. So I deserve it.'
'Now I'm able to buy a bigger house. I have to look for a house so both of us can move to a better place.'
He knocked softly on the door. "I'm back, Narasha. Open the door."
Click... The door opened immediately. Narasha stood there, arms crossed, looking a bit angry.
"You're late. I want something to eat," she demanded.
Ashan forced a smile, scratching his head. "Sorry about it. The raid lasted a bit long. I'll make something quickly."
He stepped inside and closed the door. His eyes widened as he noticed someone sitting in the front chair. The person turned, sweating profusely, and offered an awkward smile.
Ashan was shocked. "Huh...? Nevil? What are you doing here?"