The receptionist, still staring at the Hydra, whispered, awestruck:
"This, this is amazing, but the training building is destroyed, walls are broken, and this thing, it's over sixty feet long, maybe even a hundred feet. From its size alone, this must weigh over 120,000 kilograms."
The Guild Master's gaze darkened.
"Outstanding," he muttered.
Then THUD! CLANG!
Volric collapsed, armor clattering against broken stone.
THUD!
Jorah followed, unconscious.
Merilda's eyes widened.
"Volric! Jorah!"
The Guild Master snapped.
"You all must be exhausted. Guards, lift them to the healers immediately!"
"Yes, sir!" the knights shouted, rushing to carefully carry them away.
The Guild Master turned toward Vorian, Merilda, and Lucivar.
"You three, follow me."
Exhausted, they nodded and followed him through the guild halls, leaving the massive four-headed Hydra behind, its bodies stretching across the ruined yard, each head still dripping with blood and venom, its sheer scale leaving the courtyard trembling.
As they entered the Guild Master's private room, he stopped mid-step, eyes locking on Lucivar.
Lucivar was covered in Hydra blood, slime, and venom-stained saliva. The stench was overpowering.
"Good heavens," the Guild Master muttered, pinching his nose.
Even the receptionist instinctively stepped back.
The Guild Master's gaze hardened.
"Explain yourself. How did you survive being swallowed by a Hydra, four heads, all of them alive and attacking you at once? You should have been dead instantly from the poison!"
Lucivar met his gaze, calm as ever, crimson eyes glinting.
"I didn't die," he said simply.
"Please, Merilda," the Guild Master said, leaning forward in his chair, his voice heavy with disbelief. "Tell me exactly what happened."
Merilda swallowed hard, still shaken.
"What he said is true," she replied quietly. "We were already on the brink of death. If Lucivar didn't come out, we would all be dead right now."
The receptionist blinked in shock.
"That's insane," she muttered. "I'm truly thankful you all survived."
Merilda nodded slowly.
"And I'm sure Vorian, Volric, and Jorah are going to be healed soon."
The Guild Master exhaled deeply, rubbing his forehead as if trying to process everything at once.
"Good, good." He leaned back, then straightened again. "Now then, we need to discuss the worth of the Hydra."
Merilda hesitated.
"Or, do you want to postpone it until they wake up?" she asked.
The Guild Master shook his head immediately.
"No. It's fine. You can go on, Merilda."
Merilda nodded.
"Alright"
The Guild Master's face became serious.
"But I must say this first." His voice hardened. "Bringing that monster into the guild yard destroyed several parts of our property."
Merilda's eyes widened.
The Guild Master raised a finger, counting.
"The back yard wall is shattered. The training ground building is destroyed. Several storage rooms collapsed. And a portion of the guild's outer structure has been cracked."
He paused.
"To rebuild everything, it will cost roughly 15 million gold coins."
Merilda flinched.
"And that," the Guild Master said firmly, "will be deducted from the Hydra's payment."
Merilda didn't argue. She only nodded.
Then the Guild Master slowly looked toward the window, staring at the massive corpse of the beast outside.
"But," his tone shifted. "You brought the full body."
He looked back at them.
"A complete four-headed Hydra."
His voice carried a strange excitement, like even he couldn't believe what he was saying.
"All scales are intact. The flesh is untouched. The venom sacks are valuable. The teeth, claws, bones, everything is money."
The receptionist nodded rapidly.
"Even the blood itself sells."
The Guild Master continued.
"And the core, most importantly."
He narrowed his eyes.
"The Hydra core is not destroyed. Only cracked. Meaning it still holds enormous value."