The dungeon trembled as the boss's remains evaporated into shimmering pixels of light, a telltale sign of a completed quest. The massive ornate chest in the center of the room creaked open, revealing the spoils of war: glowing artifacts, piles of gold, and more rare items than anyone in the guild had ever seen in one place.
MC stood proudly atop the chest with a fist raised to the ceiling. "BEHOLD! The fruits of our labor! The rewards of heroism! The sacred spoils of... uh… team-based excellence!"
"Of dumb luck," muttered Kira, pulling a healing potion out of her belt and chugging it.
"Of totally planned tactics," MC continued, undeterred. "Of finely tuned strategies and—" He slipped on a gold coin, fell into the chest, and reemerged with a jeweled tiara on his head and a goblet in hand. "Of regality."
"You look like a clown," Lina said flatly, though a faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
"Correction: A rich clown." He held up a rare weapon—an enchanted whip-sword that shimmered with elemental energy. "And this beauty? Oh yeah. This one's going into the Harem Vault."
Luna blinked. "Harem... Vault?"
"It's where we put all the guild's wealth and use it to fund vital expenses," he said, puffing out his chest. "Like recruitment, renovations, hot springs maintenance..."
"Hot springs maintenance?" Ciel raised an eyebrow. "That sounds suspiciously self-serving."
"I'm all about morale," MC replied smoothly. "A happy guild is a strong guild. And strong guilds need—"
"Don't say it," Iris warned.
"—Harem Funds."
Everyone groaned in unison.
He waved his hand, casually flipping through the loot list that popped up on his system screen. "Let's see… rare elixirs, unique crafting materials, lava-proof boots—dibs, by the way—and oh look! A mysterious sealed artifact labeled: Do Not Touch Under Any Circumstances."
Lina snatched it before he could even blink. "You're not allowed near things with warnings on them anymore."
"But what if it's a love potion?" he said with mock innocence. "For research purposes, of course."
"You'll 'research' a black eye if you don't focus," Kira muttered.
Kaela, meanwhile, had taken the liberty of organizing the loot into piles by value. "This is easily enough to upgrade the guildhall three levels, add enchantments to our main gear, and still have a budget surplus."
MC gave her a thumbs-up. "Perfect. That's Guild Leader efficiency right there."
"You haven't done any of the budget planning," Luna said.
"I delegate," he said proudly. "It's called trust."
Ciel crossed her arms. "You mean laziness."
"Same thing if you squint," MC said with a grin.
The party began making their way out of the dungeon, loot packed, weapons polished, and egos—one in particular—sufficiently inflated. As they walked, the System pinged quietly for each member:
[Affection Level: +2]
[Affection Level: +3]
[Affection Level: +1]
None of them said anything, but glances were exchanged. Ciel glanced at MC, scowled, then quickly looked away. Kira muttered under her breath about "stupid overconfident idiots," but walked a little closer. Iris adjusted her gloves with unnecessary focus. Even Lina—normally composed—let out a small sigh that suspiciously resembled a giggle.
MC, of course, noticed none of it.
"Alright, team! First round of snacks and drinks are on the house—my house, specifically the Harem Fund!"
"No!" came the chorus.
But even as they protested, even as they rolled their eyes or threatened him with physical harm, the team walked together in sync, stronger than ever.
And deep in the back of the dungeon, the shadows that had once formed the boss began to writhe faintly, unnoticed by all. Something had watched their fight. Something had listened.
But that was a problem for another day.
For now, the dungeon was cleared, the loot was bagged, and the ego of their fearless (and ridiculous) leader had grown to new, terrifying heights.
END OF CHAPTER 80