They Called Me Trash? Now I'll Hack Their World-Chapter 185: Corruption [3]

Morning came with sunlight streaming through the window and the persistent ache of muscles that had worked too hard the day before.

I got up, washed, changed into clean clothes, and checked on Scarlet.

She was still asleep, curled up in her bed with the blanket pulled tight around her. The dark veins were still visible on her exposed arm, faded but present, a constant reminder of the corruption lurking in her system.

I need to figure out how to cure that properly. The compound is just managing it, not eliminating it.

But first, mission report and payment collection.

I left her a note saying where we’d gone, then headed downstairs to find Tessa already awake and dressed, looking surprisingly energetic for someone who’d hiked through a forest and nearly died in a mine yesterday.

"Ready?" she asked, finishing the last of her breakfast.

"As I’ll ever be."

We headed to the Adventurer’s Guild together, the morning streets already busy with daily activity.

The guild hall was moderately crowded, adventurers checking mission boards, parties planning expeditions, the usual controlled chaos of people making their living through danger.

I got in line at the reception desk while Tessa wandered off to grab something to drink from one of the tables scattered around the common area.

The line moved slowly, each person ahead of me taking time to file reports, collect payments, argue about mission classifications.

Finally, my turn.

The receptionist was the same woman from before she looked up as I approached, recognition flickering in her eyes. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Wandering Fangs, right? Back already? That was fast."

"Mission complete." I pulled out the survey report I’d filled in, along with the official mission form.

"Silverpoint Mine fully documented. Structural assessment included. And... additional findings."

I slid the paperwork across the counter.

She scanned it quickly, her expression professional, until she reached the section about the dungeon seed.

Her eyes widened.

"You found what?"

I reached into my storage ring and pulled out the corrupted crystal shard, placing it carefully on the counter.

The receptionist stared at the shard like I’d just placed a live venomous snake in front of her.

She didn’t touch it. Just leaned closer, examining it from a safe distance.

"This is... this is definitely corrupted mana crystal." Her voice had gone quieter, more serious.

I pulled out another item from my storage, a section of corrupted wolf hide I’d harvested before leaving the mine, the fur still showing traces of that sickly purple-green discoloration.

She looked at it, then at the crystal, then at me.

"Those damn things are growing everywhere these days," she muttered, more to herself than to me. "Third report this week of new seed formations. The guild council is going to lose their minds when they see this."

She carefully set both the crystal and hide aside, in a special container marked with warning symbols that suggested they had procedures for handling corrupted materials.

Then she pulled out a ledger, made several notes, and started counting coins.

"Fifty silver for mission completion as contracted." She stacked the coins in neat piles.

"Plus twenty silver bonus for discovery of significant threat requiring immediate guild response." More coins joined the pile.

"Plus ten silver hazard pay for engaging corrupted creatures without prior warning."

She pushed the entire stack across the counter, eighty silver total.

I blinked.

That’s... more than I expected.

Well, not that I am complaining.

"The bonus and hazard pay are standard for discoveries like this," she explained, seeing my expression. "You did good work. Thorough documentation, physical evidence, survived an encounter with corrupted beasts. The guild council will want to debrief you properly later, but for now..." She gestured to the coins. "Your payment."

I scooped up the coins, feeling the satisfying weight of the money.

Divided them between my coin pouch and my storage ring, keeping enough accessible for immediate needs, storing the rest safely.

Then turned and headed toward where Tessa had settled at one of the common room tables.

She was grinning like an idiot, deep in animated conversation with a group of young adventurers, all of them looking fresh-faced and eager, probably F-rank newbies based on their equipment.

"Like, he didn’t even break a sweat! Lightning everywhere, sword moving so fast I could barely see it—"

She was gesturing wildly, clearly embellishing the story for dramatic effect.

The newbies were eating it up, their eyes wide with the kind of hero worship that made me deeply uncomfortable.

Sigh!

"Our work’s done here," I said, reaching her table. "Let’s go."

I need to focus on Scarlet’s corruption.

But Tessa just grabbed my arm and pulled me down into the empty seat beside her with surprising strength.

"Sit and enjoy! Meet my new friends!" Her grin widened. "This is Jack, Kira, Jorin, and Lyssa. They just registered yesterday... total newbies, but very enthusiastic!"

The four newbies nodded eagerly.

Jack, a young guy, maybe nineteen, sword at his hip waved. "Nice to meet you!"

Kira, archer, quiet but attentive, smiled politely.

Jorin, the big guy, probably the tank of their group, gave a respectful nod.

And Lyssa—

Lyssa leaned forward with a flirtatious smile, her eyes locked on me with obvious interest.

"So you’re the famous Jin? Tessa’s been saying such interesting things about you." Her tone was playful, teasing.

"Maybe you could tell us more? Over drinks sometime? Just the two of us?"

Before I could respond—or could even process what was happening—Tessa’s hand slammed down on the table.

"He’s my husband," she hissed, her earlier friendliness evaporating instantly. "Back off."

Lyssa blinked, clearly not expecting that reaction.

"Oh! I didn’t realize you were... I mean, she mentioned marriage but I thought—"

"You thought wrong." Tessa’s grip on my arm tightened possessively. "He’s taken. Completely. No exceptions."

This is the most aggressive I’ve ever seen her till now...

Should I be concerned or flattered?

Lyssa held up her hands in surrender. "My bad! Didn’t mean to step on toes. Just thought—"

"Well stop thinking and start respecting boundaries," Tessa said sweetly, her tone completely at odds with the territorial fire in her eyes.

Awkward silence descended over the table.

Jack cleared his throat. "So! That mission! Tell us more about the corrupted wolves? We’ve heard stories but—"

I let them talk, only half-listening, my mind already turning over the corruption problem.

The compound from Oakmere worked on miasma infection. It’s working on dungeon corruption too, but not perfectly. The base principles are the same, mana-based contamination that spreads through the body.

Maybe I need to modify the formula. Increase potency. Adjust for the specific signature of dungeon corruption versus miasma.

I could—

Suddenly, the guild doors burst open.

A group of adventurers stumbled in, four of them, all looking panicked and disheveled.

One was supporting another who looked barely conscious.

"We need a healer!" The one in front shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. "Hurry! Someone help!"

The guild hall went quiet, all conversation stopping.

The receptionist immediately stood. "What happened?"

"We were on a mission in Thornwood Forest when these things attacked us!"

The adventurer was breathing hard, still supporting his injured companion.

"Black beasts. Wolves but wrong. One of them bit my friend and now he’s... he’s not waking up."

He gestured frantically at his companion.

The injured adventurer’s head lolled forward, and I caught a glimpse of his exposed arm.

Dark veins spreading. Pulsing with that familiar sickly purple-green glow.

Corruption.

My stomach dropped.

It’s spreading faster than I thought. If corrupted beasts are already this far out from the mine, attacking random adventurers...