Back at the guild, Eric was about to push open President Tadela's office door when he heard heated voices inside. He paused, listening in.

  "What did he promise you?" Tadela's voice was sharp and accusing.

  "President Tadela, I'm afraid I don't understand what you're talking about," the leader of an eight - member adventurer team replied.

  "We're simply following the terms of our contract and requesting to terminate our agreement with your guild."

  Tadela's tone turned stern, "Think carefully. To those nobles, you're nothing more than disposable tools. Once they're done with you, they'll throw you away."

  "What nobles?" the adventurer pressed.

  "President Tadela, could you please speak in a way that a commoner like me can understand?" he added, frustration evident in his voice.

  Tadela was about to respond when the door creaked open, cutting her off. The adventurer team, all high - level professionals with top - notch gear, stood before her. The room fell silent for a moment as Tadela regained her composure and sat back down.

  "Seems like the president has other guests," one of the adventurers remarked.

  "We'll take our leave then," the leader said.

  "Hope the president can see the situation clearly."

  As the team brushed past Eric, who was standing at the door, he couldn't help but ask, "Who are they……"

  "They're an adventurer team that signed a long - term contract with the guild," Tadela explained. "They've been the main force for collecting materials for us. But now they want to break the contract."

  "I spent so much effort and resources building up their team," Tadela said, her voice tinged with frustration.

  "There should be a penalty for breaking the contract, right?"

  "Technically, yes. But the guild recently took on a huge order for materials, with an incredibly high price. If we fulfill it, the guild's size will double. But this material can only be found below the twentieth level of the dungeon."

  Tadela's expression darkened. "We can't afford to lose this team. If they leave, there's no way the guild can complete the order. The compensation we'd have to pay would bankrupt us."

  Eric could see the desperation in her eyes. "I guess this is all the work of that person behind them," he said quietly.

  "This material order is probably just bait he set," Tadela replied. "And what happened outside earlier today……" She shuddered, feeling a chill run down her spine.

  Just then, there was a knock on the door.

  "Come in," Tadela called out.

  "Master, no adventurer team outside is willing to take on your task," the cat - eared maid said, her ears twitching nervously.

  "Raise the price," Tadela suggested.

  "Master, it's already at the highest. If we go any higher, the guild might go bankrupt directly," the maid explained.

  Tadela slowly sat back in her chair, feeling as if an invisible hand had inserted itself into her fate and was toying with it. And to him, it was just a simple game, and she might just be the prize for winning the game.

  The door creaked open again. Tadela looked at the person standing in front of her, not at all surprised. The man was dressed in fancy clothes, but they couldn't hide his large belly. Eric bet the tailor must have had a tough time making this outfit. If he had to guess, this was probably the noble Tadela had mentioned.

  "Is this fun?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

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  "Tadela, what are you talking about? I heard about your guild's mess and rushed right over," the noble said, his tone dripping with false concern.

  "If you're willing, I can help you get through this crisis," he continued, a sly smile playing on his lips.

  Tadela raised an eyebrow. "And then what?"

  "All you have to do is be my mistress," he replied, his eyes raking over her in a way that made her skin crawl.

  "Ptui," Tadela spat, her disgust evident. "Or, when the guild goes bankrupt, becomes a slave, and then gets bought back by you."

  "That way, you'd lose your dignity," the noble said, his smile widening.

  Tadela's expression turned cold. "This level might bankrupt me, but it won't make me a slave."

  The noble chuckled. "Trust me, I have no less than a hundred ways to make you a slave."

  Tadela's eyes narrowed. "I admire you and am willing to let you keep your dignity. Otherwise, you would have already become a slave by now."

  "Did you really cause the trouble this morning?" Tadela forced herself to ask, suppressing her anger.

  "Think it over," the noble said, his tone patronizing. "Is it really that demeaning to be my mistress? You're just a commoner."

  "If you carry my noble bloodline, it would bring glory to your family," he added, as if that was supposed to be some kind of honor.

  Tadela had already given up on speaking. Just the thought of sharing the same air with this pig made her feel nauseous.

  Eric didn't speak either. Stick his neck out? He's not going to do that. He's just a skeleton, after all.

  How long has he even known Tadela, and he's her benefactor, not the other way around.

  To him, Tadela is just a convenient tool. He could easily replace her; she might just not be as useful as Tadela. He did appreciate her, but not enough to stick his neck out for her. It's not worth offending a noble for her sake. Although this noble is indeed disgusting.

  "By the way, who are you? I haven't seen you before," the noble said, turning his attention to Eric.

  Drat, he had deliberately tried to lower his presence, but he still got noticed. In reality, the noble just felt uncomfortable around Eric's aura, like that of a monster. This kind of aura is only found on monsters and true adventurers. First, rule out the monster, so this guy's identity is obvious.

  Eric was thinking hard about how to respond. After all, he really disliked any conversation with this guy.

  "I know now, you're the adventurer this wretch hired, right!" the noble accused, pointing at Eric.

  "...Very well! Excellent!" Eric replied, his voice flat.

  "Young man, you've successfully caught my attention," the noble said, his tone menacing. "I'll make you understand the price of angering me!"

  What a typical overbearing CEO from some other world. How nauseating.

  "Tell me your name," the noble demanded.

  "Skeleton," Eric replied simply.

  "What a disgusting codename. Tadela, you really found yourself a fine adventurer," the noble sneered.

  "See you at the slave market. I hope the slave traders will teach you some skills in bed," he added, his tone dripping with malice.

  The noble turned his greasy, fat face towards Eric. "And, Skeleton. You'll die in the dungeon."

  The noble left, his heavy footsteps echoing in the hallway.

  "Sorry to drag you into this," Tadela said quietly.

  "When is the delivery date for the dungeon run?" Eric asked, his voice steady.

  At this point, he had no choice but to help Tadela, and maybe gain some favor in the process.

  "Are you willing to help? It's very dangerous," Tadela warned.

  "I don't want to," Eric thought to himself. But he said, "Of course, aren't we allies?"

  What a typical two-faced, despicable thing to say. Pfft. But saying this could boost his favorability. The higher the favor, the more useful the tool.

  "In half a month. You're going alone, so don't push yourself. If it gets too much, just retreat. I have other backup plans," Tadela said, her eyes meeting his.

  After leaving the president's office, he saw the eight-person adventurer team again. The team leader took an interest in Eric.

  "Aren't you Skeleton? The one-man-team skeleton," he said, a smirk on his face.

  "I really am Skeleton," Eric replied earnestly.

  He understood that the more he said this, the less these people would doubt his identity as a skeleton. After all, he had concealed his appearance; it would be bad if someone took notice.

  Calling himself Skeleton made others see him as an oddball, so hiding his appearance wouldn't seem so strange, and less likely to draw attention.

  "Well, I'm a zombie then," the team leader said, making a couple of zombie noises for effect.

  "Alright, Skeleton, I hope to see you in the dungeon," he continued.

  "Remember my name, Hukudo from the Hyena Adventure Team," he said, his smirk widening.

  "The Hyena Team will tear you apart, Skeleton," he added, clearly enjoying the threat.

  Seeing Eric's lack of reaction, Hukudo lost interest in teasing further. "Hope you don't break your teeth," he said, his tone mocking.

  "Hahaha, that is if your skeleton bones are tough enough," Eric replied, his voice calm.

  "Our team will hunt you down in the dungeon. Can't help it, you're on the president's side," Hukudo said, his tone turning serious.

  "This shows how ruthless our team is," he added, leaning in close to Eric, keeping his smile, and quietly issuing a death threat.

  Eric didn't speak, just watched Hukudo leave. Was the noble trying to play the "kill with a borrowed knife" trick...?

  Then, he felt a tug on his clothes. He turned his head to see the cat-eared maid tugging at his clothes. Drat, from this angle, those cat ears are just unbearably cute.

  "Thank you for standing by the master," she said quietly.

  "Mmm," Eric replied, his gaze shifting from the maid's ears.

  What guilt does a skeleton have? A skeleton just wants to gain favor.