(37) SS rank dungeon

Lucas stared into the sky, right where the mysterious castle was located. 

Top-ranking hunters already moved — Identifying the castle as an SS rank dungeon from the system. 

Therefore, the world was in an even larger uproar than before.

From the moment the portal opened, which was around three decades back — Not a single dungeon higher than S rank appeared. 

Just to guarantee the clearance of a single-rank S dungeon, around three SS-rank awakeners were necessary. Even then, there was a chance of the expedition failing horribly. 

If the dungeons were not cleared within a specific time, the monsters would of course come pouring out of it like an unstoppable tide. 

'Now that a rank SS dungeon appeared, no one was even sure whether it is possible to clear it. Unluckily for them, even rank SSS dungeons will be appearing throughout the world in the future.'

Lucas was not very worried regarding this, he was more like welcoming these changes. In these impossible dungeons, the protagonists would act like treasure navigators for him. He might as well be able to swallow up all the benefits by himself. 

'This new SS rank dungeon is right above the anti-clock academy, so I'm pretty sure it is connected to the plot there. I wonder which protagonist will help me gain some new skill catalog or weapon.' Lucas flashed a smile subtly while staring at the castle. 

Lucas was lacking skill catalogs anyway so he was looking forward to his future scheme, regarding this dungeon. 

Leaving aside this plan, Lucas felt very satisfied with the progress on Katlyn's side. He wantonly didn't emphasize much on hiding his identity, hence the manager and the doctor didn't take it very seriously either. Conveniently letting Katlyn know of his action. 

Lucas received a call from the manager of the hospital yesterday, expressing his apologies for this matter. 

'I would have liked to visit her and progress our relationship, But I need to focus on my birthday today.' 

After returning yesterday, Lucas immediately began planning how to take down Yagren once and for all. 

Dergon seems to have handled the matter in his area perfectly, the cardinal force had no more reason to stick their noses in this matter either. Well, that was the case, unless the one supporting Yagren blatantly tried to join alone. 

The first step was the negotiation with the people who controlled the rulers in Halmen district. This was somewhat doable thanks to Lucas's father's influence. 

When Lucas informed Terence of his plan, he didn't hesitate to lend a hand. He was very vigorous in this matter too, as he was able to find the identity of Yagren and his grudge against Lucas. 

Today at Lucas's birthday party, around two important figures would be coming. 

One was Lucas's sister, Grace's friend, whom she wanted to introduce to Lucas. She was a famous CEO and the ruler of the whole music and entertainment industry. She controlled one of the rulers in the Halmen district too. 

'...I feel regretful not meeting her soon, but it's good that she is coming seeking me and not the other way around. I can most likely gain cooperation with her by signing a contract with her company. She can't put any overwhelming demand in the contract too, because of my father's backing.' 

The problem was the other controller of the ruler, he was not related to Lucas in any way. The ruler of the underworld in Survile, famously known as the blackjack. He was a Rank S hunter and renowned for his evil techniques. 

The Blackjack would attend the party disguising himself.

As expected of Terence, his connections with the dark side weren't small. He was able to invite someone like Blackjack if he made up his mind. 

Reaching home, Lucas was greeted by Grace and Syuzia in the hall. 

Learning of Syuzia's identity as an adopted daughter, Grace had of course decided to at least meet her once. So they were at least aware of each other's existence, though Grace ignored Syuzia most of the time. 

Lucas tilted his head, watching Grace approaching him. 

"Can we talk for a second?" Grace asked a little ruefully, still remembering Lucas's straight rejection of her invitation. 

"Sure." Lucas held Syuzia's hand and smiled slightly while replying. 

They moved to the dining hall, while Lucas talked to Syuzia about her progress. 

Finding himself in a lot more pleasant state than yesterday, Lucas couldn't help but feel amazed. The pressure was still present even when he was back at home, the danger didn't vanish in thin air after all. 

However, Lucas's mind had grown stronger, enough to not feel pressured by Yagren anymore at least. 

'As I thought, Sacred will was worth buying.' Lucas looked at Grace, who sat opposite him. 

"I wanted to tell you about the people visiting today for your birthday. Many people have a close relationship with our father, so I want you to not cause any incident today at any cost." Grace stared at Lucas with resolution. 

Grace's relationship with Terence had improved drastically in the past week, making them a lot closer now. She was more attached to him than she originally was. 

"Uh, I understand. Was that all, I thought it was something important, Father already told me about this matter." Lucas said disappointedly. 

"No...I have more to say. Remember when I wanted to invite you to meet my friend?" 

Lucas nodded his head, "I remember it. She was someone important in the music industry, right?" 

"That's right. So, I wanted to ask whether you had any intention of signing a contract with her." Grace closely kept an eye on Lucas's expression as she spoke. 

"Hmm, Honestly, I was thinking it was about time I chose a sponsor too. I will think about it if she presents a good contract." Lucas didn't divulge any more information.

There was no point in talking with Grace about his problem with the Halmen district. 

"Then I will be going. I need to start preparing for the party in the evening too."

Waving his hand to Grace, Lucas arrived in his room alongside Syuzia.

"Right, Syuzia. I wanted you to learn more about guild works. I might create my guild team in the future and I want you to be a part of it." Lucas patted Syuzia's head with a smile. 

"Alright, I will learn about it quickly, Papa!" Syuzia answered, looking fired up immediately.