Melo POV:

A pretty woman sat across from us. Dark brunette pigtails, tied with a pink bow, fell over her shoulders. Blue eyes with faint hues of grey examined the menu in front of her.

“Why did you want to meet my husband?”

I looked down at Barbara, holding my hand on the table. She never liked displaying public affection, but because of me, she forced herself to do certain things. I couldn’t move my hand away; I needed the support she provide—

Smooth fingers ran over mine before filling in the gaps to reassure me that she would always be by my side.

“Wow. Are you really Barbara? You hate… being romantic in public.”

“My husband’s well-being is more important than those trivial preferences.”

Bedisa stared at our interlocked hands when her smile widened.

“Did you know Donovan and I are an item now? He slept over last night. Yeahhh, I know, but we didn’t do that yet—we did a lot of cute bonding. You know, memory sharing? Aspirations and goals for the future. Somehow, we moved on to the topic of children. I hate those little things. Those crying, pooing, weeing, noisy little insects that they are. Ohh, how it pains me I was once like that~~ Actually, I wasn’t. Mummy always told me I was a quiet baby. A quiet toddler and a quiet teen. See?~ I was cute and quiet: traits that followed me into adulthood. That’s why Donovan plans our dates so carefully because he needs to prepare a lot of topics beforehand for us to discuss!~ It can’t be helped. He’s so sweet and adorable. Do you know what I mean?”

“…”

The silence made sweat form on her brow. Chatter from inside the cafe drifted toward Hazel Mirror’s open balcony and past a transparent railing that overlooked areas of the central city.

“…I had a vision. Yeahhh, I know. I know. Don’t remind me again.”

Bedisa flicked her hands up while rolling her eyes to the side.

“The likelihood of my visions being accurate is around 20%, which is why I have so many of them!~ I can’t compare to The Oracle. That’s why we call her visions: Prophecies.”

“Bedisa, what did you see that involved my husband?”

She coughed into her hand but didn’t speak right away. Whenever her gaze met Barbara’s narrowed eyes, the visible sweat on her forehead increased. The tension made uneasiness spread across my chest, and then Bedisa explained.

“…I saw a Scout standing in front of a dungeon in what looked to be the country of Sharir. An imperial soldier called her, Byeol.”

Sweat rushed toward my chin once the uneasiness became ominous. Talons grabbed hold of a heart. Fire flashed memories forward before the water tried to suffocate me again.

“…An Arcane Dungeon?”

The words croaked out of my mouth, leaving the confidence behind. Bedisa bit her lip and gave me a nod. The table shook; I attempted to control the incoming episode, but the strength slipped away. I watched my hand vibrate in Barbara’s grip.

“The scene… faded. And then, I saw you… standing in front of that dungeon… This vision was from a week ago. I delayed telling you because… Yeah.”

I slammed the table and glared at Bedisa.

“You should have told me or at least told Barbara immediately! She could have gone to Sharir and assessed the situation in advance!”

The chains sat me back down. I winced in pain, incapable of remaining conscious without Barbara’s support in the outside world. Bedisa closed her eyes until a light sigh left her mouth.

“No offence but hardly anyone takes my inaccurate visions seriously. You know that~ Anyway, this one bugged me for some reason, so here I am, letting you know.”

She got up from her seat, dipped her head toward me, and gave Barbara a deep bow before walking off.

“Enjoy your date!~”

I watched Bedisa disappear inside the cafe. A 20% accuracy rate was unreliable, so no Guild reached out to her for visions concerning Dungeon Breaks, but this was an opportunity. The next step was what I needed to take.

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‘!’

Smooth lips pressed against mine when hands ran through my curly hair, massaging the scalp in circular motions. Her eyes opened to narrow slits, underlining their allure and the intimacy of the kiss. Barbara moved back after a few minutes—her cheeks dark red, but she refused to look anywhere else. Her fingers joined with mine, causing the surrounding scenery to fade away and focus on a thin smile.

“Do you want to go, Baby?”

My head fell now that the present limited the future. I couldn’t look at her; I didn’t want her to see the fear hidden beneath a shadow.

“No… I don’t…”

Barbara remained silent. Her arms wrapped around me, taking away the burden with her comfort and love.

“But… I have to… face it again…”

I couldn’t—I needed to. Barbara kissed my cheek before wiping her eyes; she attempted to hide the tears, but some still reached her chin.

“Yeah. Let’s… Let’s go together, Melo.”

***

‘!!’

It loomed over the area and pierced the sky. A small stairway led to a stone platform with VEX across its surface. VEX was an acronym for Vital Embedded Xerox, which referred to the engravings most Dungeons had. The Senior Scouts didn’t teach this in Scout Orientations since it focused too much on unproven theory.

I placed a trembling hand against the black symbol known as RAV, Random Attributed Vein, that gained a light purple hue when touched. Dungeon Researchers believed there could be a possible correlation between the RAV displayed and the Dungeon Content. Each RAV could have over two thousand variations, but without knowing what they meant, their use was limited.

The pattern altered in the four cardinal directions.

‘A four RAV difference in a consistent VEX. 160 Dungeon Floors? 4 Floor Bosses that could replace the Boss Monster?’

Sweat splashed against the stone as the centuries of experience forced the analysis to continue. Bedisa didn’t mention that this was a Tower Dungeon, but the desperation on that party’s face gave me another push.

“Baby.”

I moved away from the platform when Barbara’s smooth hands caressed my cheeks. Her dark violet eyes examined me before her lips parted.

“Are you sure about this?”

No paperwork, and no information from the Imperial Soldiers. I needed to go in alone in every department. That was the only way I could overcome the past—to subject myself to a greater shock.

“!!”

Barbara’s breasts compressed against my chest. Her back arched in the opposite direction from the force of my hands around her waist. Her eyes bulged, and her entire face darkened. I took it back. I removed the burden I put on her shoulders and gave her my gratitude at the same time.

Once our lips parted, I gripped her trembling hands tight.

“Yeah. I’m ready now.”

Barbara slipped her black sunglasses into my pocket. She spun around and placed a hand on her wide hips.

“…You come back to me safely, Melo.”

“Understood.”

I approached the guards to confirm my Scout License. Experienced Scouts entered A+ to S Rank Dungeons. Senior Scouts entered S+ to SS Rank Dungeons, and Ranked Scouts entered SS+ to SSS+ Dungeons.

‘A 160 Floor Dungeon should be around S+.’

The soldiers bowed their heads before I climbed the stairway. I crossed the stone platform, took a deep breath, and rested a hand against the thin barrier.

***

“Another Scout?”

A Guardian Troll stood beside thousands of other monsters, peering down at me. No Safe Zone upon entry in Arcane Dungeons was standard.

“But this one is a little strong??”

“Strong? Look at his body quaking in fear. HAHA!!!”

A unified laughter spread across the vast Floor until the Guardian Troll piledrived its club into my head. A finger stopped the weapon’s descent, causing shockwaves of air to ripple over the area.

“I need to ask you all a question.”

I flicked the club to the side, making the Troll disappear out of my vision along with it. Ki Pressure brought the enormous monsters to their knees once I stepped forward.

“That Scout you mentioned earlier, where is she?”

Sweat seeped into the earth, turning its brown colour black. They looked at one another, incapable of deciding who should talk first in order to preserve their lives.

“Our humble apologies. We were just jok—”

“!!!”

A hole appeared through the Skeleton Knight’s chest. Its large skull rolled forward before disintegrating beneath my foot.

“Where is she?”

“A-ahem… Right this way, Lord Scout.”

A Troll raised its crushed hand to point toward the Floor Exit. I removed the pressure pinning the monster to the earth and let it stand. We dashed past the thousands prostrated on either side of a wide pathway; their Ki Stages ranged from Enryo to Mid Boukyaku.

‘S+ is accurate.’

Vines wrapped around the open doorway leading to the 2nd Floor. The Troll lagged several steps behind when I glanced back at the shaken monsters.

“I don’t need all of you to lead the way.”

Their eyes swivelled in the opposite direction. Skin and fur fought against the pressure, locking their bodies in place until a mouth opened.

“Hawkins Style: Pressure Territory.”

Currents of air gathered within my field of view according to the path I had taken to reach this point. The zone weighed down on the monsters. The zone quadrupled the effects of my Ki Pressure; it doubled my perception and movement speed. The Ki Cost increased every minute once the technique passed the 5-minute mark, but I didn’t hesitate.

I looked ahead, ignoring the obliteration behind that was mixed with bloodcurdling screams. A foul stench emanated from the Troll beside me; its urination soaked the rags it wore and made a puddle form under its frame.

“…”

My eyes stared deep into the monster’s.

“…I’m your guide?”

“What guide? I’m a Scout.”

Several holes distributed parts of its body amongst the corpses. What remained smashed into the wall before sliding down next to me.

‘Barbara.’

Lips curved upwards when the Hawk let its presence be known. I wiped my eyes, and a blast of wind left a trail behind the bird soaring up the Floors.

‘I’m back.’