Chapter 82: [ANY SUGGESTIONS?]

“What do you mean by new?” Caelen asked, one brow arching, his gaze narrowing on Eli.

Midas didn’t speak. He only regarded Eli with those eyes, warm on the surface but pressing down like a silent weight. Somehow, that was worse than if he’d interrogated him outright.

Eli’s throat tightened. His palms dampened as he stammered, “I—I mean…” He almost swallowed the words, the urge to take them back gnawing at him.

’God, what if they think I’m just talking out of my ass?’

But then Midas shifted ever so slightly, lifting a hand in a calm, encouraging gesture. “Tell us your thoughts,” he said, voice smooth, unhurried. “I’m quite curious.”

That made it worse.

Still, Eli pressed forward, rubbing awkwardly at his forearm, his words tumbling out.

“I… I follow a lot of raids and hunters. It might not be obvious, but I’ve been watching and studying hunters since forever. And—don’t we usually see the same monsters recycled in dungeons? Ogres, elves, demons, sirens… things like that. But this—” he hesitated, drawing in a shaky breath, “—this was the first time I’ve ever seen statues.”

Caelen leaned back slightly, frowning. “Then how did you know they were grotesques? Personally, I’d never even distinguished grotesques from gargoyles until that moment. I assumed you recognized them because they were common in lower-class dungeons.”

Eli blinked, caught. He straightened a little, forcing himself to answer.

“A-Class is hardly lower class. It’s just not S-Class. The monsters are stronger, more dangerous, but the types

… they’re the same as S-Class. That’s the point. Predictable. Recorded.” His voice quickened as he went on, words tumbling freer now that he was explaining something he knew.

“B-Class and below, you get mostly animalistic monsters—mutant wolves, spiders, maybe a few small ogres or trolls. Rarely humanoid things. There were some cases of dwarves, but nothing more.”

He licked his lips, continuing. “The only reason I recognized grotesques is because they’re tied to churches. Like gargoyles. Decorative statues that ward off evil, except these…” His chest tightened at the memory. “…these didn’t ward anything off.”

Caelen’s brows furrowed deeply, and his gaze cut to Midas. His voice was sharper now. “Have statue monsters really not existed until… our raid?”

Eli froze, pulse hammering in his ears as he turned toward Midas, waiting for him to dismiss it. ’I can’t be wrong… I’ve never once seen grotesques in raid footage. Not even buried in forums or reports. If I missed something that obvious—’

But Midas didn’t dismiss it.

He nodded.

The sound of Eli’s heartbeat roared in his ears. His eyes widened in disbelief, mirrored by Caelen’s sharp surprise.

Midas’s lips curved faintly, a soft chuckle escaping him. “Why so surprised, Elione? It was your observation, after all.”

Eli flushed, ducking his head. “I… just wasn’t a hundred percent sure.”

“Well,” Midas leaned forward slightly, gaze warm but intent, “you were correct. In all the records since the very first gate was discovered—since I cleared the first dungeon myself—there has never been statue-based monsters.”

Eli’s breath caught. His stomach dropped further when Midas added, voice calm but heavy, “Just as there had never been ogres capable of magic or… mutation.”

The words struck like a blade.

Eli’s head snapped up, eyes widening even more.

’He’s talking about the ogres Kairo and I fought in Aureum Heights.’

His heart thudded painfully. The connection burned through his mind before he could stop it.

“Then…” Eli’s voice came out as a whisper, trembling but certain. “…that just further proves the A-Class dungeon turning into an S-Class dungeon isn’t an accident. They’re… connected.”

Midas inclined his head slowly, his gaze never leaving Eli. “Indeed. It means the phenomena are not isolated. It is possible…” His voice dipped lower, thoughtful, dangerous, “…that the explosion from the last S-Class dungeon—the one that fractured the land and birthed unstable tears—has begun influencing the very evolution of monsters themselves.”

He leaned back in his chair, the sunlight from the glass walls catching in his eyes, making them gleam.

“What does this mean then?” Caelen asked at last, his gaze narrowing.

His posture was deceptively relaxed, but Eli could see the subtle tension in his jaw as he leaned back against his chair, one leg crossing neatly over the other.

Midas exhaled softly, a sigh that was neither heavy nor careless, but carried a weight that settled into the room.

“It means the situation is worse than we initially thought. Which also means…” His eyes flicked between the two hunters, steady and unblinking. “…we must consider another plan. A larger one. A full council—not only with the S-Class hunters, but possibly A-Class as well.”

His words slid into the silence like blades. “Fortunately, no other dungeon has mutated its rank. Yet.”

Eli’s pulse stuttered. ’Another plan? So they already had one in place? What the hell is going on behind the scenes?’

Caelen tilted his head, his tone casual, but the faintest curve at his lips betrayed his amusement.

“Perhaps,” he drawled, “instead of letting both Lion’s Fang and Twilight be the only ones permitted to clear S-Class dungeons, we should demote Twilight guild to A-Class. Maybe even lower. Let them handle the risk of a mutation instead.” His tone was half-joke, half-knife.

Eli blinked. His brain scrambled to process. ’Wait—so only Lion’s Fang and Twilight are allowed to clear S-Class dungeons? That’s why…’

His mind flashed back to the conversation Caelen had had with his team, vague words about Twilight being assigned the “next one.”

Now it clicked.

It made sense. ’With the ogre attack and the constant tears, they probably need as many S-Class hunters on standby as possible. And if dungeons can suddenly mutate like the one I was in… keeping it to the strongest guilds makes sense.’

It was unfair for the others, sure. But Eli was almost certain the Association compensated those guilds in other ways.

Still, it made his stomach twist—like he was seeing only the surface of a plan with much deeper roots.

Midas chuckled at Caelen’s barb, the sound light, as though he were humored by a child’s mischief.

“Careful, Caelen. I may lead the Association, but even I would not wish to face the wrath of Twilight’s guildmaster if I dared suggest such a thing.” His gaze glinted faintly, the warmth never fading, but a sharp edge of truth laced beneath the jest.

Eli swallowed, caught between their exchange. ’They’re both joking. Joking. About something this serious.’ His chest tightened.

Midas turned smoothly toward Eli, his gaze sharp yet not unkind. Eli flinched slightly at the sudden focus, the unexpected intensity making his stomach flutter.

“I am impressed that you noticed that,” Midas said, his voice even but carrying a weight that made every word land. “My team had to pull years’ worth of records to confirm it.”

Eli’s lips curved into a small, awkward smile. “It’s nothing, really. I just… notice things.” His fingers twitched at his side, a nervous gesture he barely caught in time.

“Which,” Midas continued, leaning back slightly, “also reminds me—Kairo complimented you quite a lot, much like Caelen did, when I asked him about the ogre attack.”

Eli blinked, processing the words. ’Wait… Kairo really did?’

Midas’s eyes narrowed, thoughtful but expectant. “Since you seem like a genius, much like your father, how about I ask you as well… do you have any suggestions for what we could possibly do?”

The words hung in the air like a challenge.

Oh.

Eli’s mind stuttered, scrambling to catch up. ’Oh… oh no. Wait. Did he just… ask me to suggest something?’

Him?

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