Shun POV:

The darkness comforted the cluster of trees that drew closer to one another. Its gentle hands shielded them from the light and deepened the thick grooves that ran along their faces.

Laboured breaths interrupted the solace they had embraced. A united front located the scathing sound that disturbed the tranquillity offered by the night. This was their home, so what could escape their domain?

They gazed at me in confusion. They swayed in my direction, questioning why I ran away from such loving affection. Thin pathways narrowed. Sharp branches tore into my flesh under their command.

Obstacle after obstacle urged me to slow down. Sweat accumulated, then fell like a cascading tide. Drenched rags clung to a frail body, but thunderous thumps robbed me of the ability to feel my limbs.

I forced myself to continue.

I forced myself to push on till the density of darkness decreased—till the trees parted. Ambient light coated the vast open field that greeted me. Its source couldn’t be determined, but that didn’t matter. I sped across it without looking back.

There was no need to when the sky ripped apart.

My head tilted toward it. Toward the dark clouds rolling away, revealing two fuchsia eyes that glowed as they peered down at me.

“I found you, SHUN!!!”

I woke up to the sound of my own scream.

“...”

The bed sheets were soaked in sweat, and my arms continued to suffer from tremors that reached down to my fingertips. I placed a shaky hand over my face, clenching my teeth as several more images assaulted my mind.

“W-why?!”

I ignored the blood flowing out of my nose and gripped the side of my head. When I slept inside the cave or outside in the forest, I was fine. That meant the trigger for these nightmares... Was it the city? Or was it the room instead?

“I’ll kill her. I’ll kill her. I’ll kill her.”

My quivering lips met and parted; they repeated the same sentence without rest. Despite breaking through to Uso a few weeks before I left the mountains, I knew I wasn’t strong enough yet. I also knew that we would meet again one day, but when that day came, I’d kill her for good.

No hallucinations. No desire to escape. Only death.

Just death.

I wiped myself down, changed the bed sheets, and made my way outside of the inn. I spun around when something hot crashed into me.

“...”

Bits of radish, cabbage, crushed garlic and salted seafood slid off my face toward the ground.

“That’s my bad!”

The receptionist pulled out some tissues and began wiping my face. It bothered me how I was unable to notice her despite being so close, but after that nightmare I had, my head still wasn’t in the right place.

I grabbed her wrist and dashed it to the side. What she should have done was hand me the tissues, not treat me like some child who needs looking after.

“Hey! Phoebe apologised, so why act like that?”

I shifted my gaze to a man taller than me. He had a potbelly and short brown hair. Beside him stood another man of similar height.

His physique was lean, and his grey-blue hair was almost black, with a fair amount of spikes around its outline. Two dark blue eyes rested on me while his thin lips remained sealed.

“...”

I couldn’t sense any of them.

“It’s fine! Actually, we’re looking for another party member, so why don’t you join us?”

“What??”

The large man’s entire frame faced the receptionist, and his hands flicked open. The quiet one’s eyebrows fell by an almost nonexistent amount in response to the suggestion.

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“What’s the problem, Gerard?”

They conversed in a manner that showed how deep their friendship was, despite having opposing opinions on the subject at hand.

“No.”

I gave my answer a few seconds later and walked off.

“We can’t work with an attitude like that. Especially in dungeons, Phoebe.”

“Hmm.”

I blocked out whatever else they had to say until I could no longer hear them. The streets of Chunhae were close to the definition of the word immaculate, yet had a simplicity that gave off a traditional feeling throughout the city.

Yeongyeol was around a 20-minute walk from a nearby guild I marked on my way here. This place would be my base of operations for now.

The door to the guild shut behind me while I approached the front desk. A receptionist with black hair, violet eyes, and very pale skin sat behind the counter.

Her presence alone drew the eyes of the many men sitting around the room. They would glance at her, let out a sigh, and then continue with whatever they were doing.

My eyes swivelled to the nametag above her large bust that read ‘Juri’ in bold. She was unaffected by the attention she drew, but the cause wasn’t her growing accustomed to their gaze.

She seemed preoccupied with something else.

That was all I could tell from her rather neutral expression that focused on whoever approached the front desk. I slammed my adventurer license on the counter, causing her eyebrows to twitch despite the smile that formed on her lips.

“How may I—“

“Give me all the dungeons that have a minimum party requirement of 1.”

Juri’s eyes fell on the license. A slender finger tapped its edge before the metal card flipped through the air. It descended, but once the card made contact with her hand, its spinning motion continued till Juri caught it between her index and middle finger. Rather than holding the license flat from the side, she held it by the edges, revealing my name to me like a magician.

“One moment, please.”

Once Juri stood up, gasps drifted around the guild. They were directed toward her delicate hourglass frame that was on further display as she pulled out several papers from the shelf behind her.

However, I was trying to grasp why I couldn’t sense how damn strong this woman was. The veins on the sides of my mouth bulged in tandem with the irritation and anger mounting within me.

“Should I party with you, Shun?”

I peered down at Juri for a few seconds before snatching the large stack of papers off the counter.

“I don’t need you.”

Her thin lips curved into a half-mocking smile, forcing my pupils to dilate at the fact that a damn receptionist was belittling me.

‘This little!!’

I barely managed to calm myself down. I couldn’t make a scene here, so the corners of my mouth rose instead.

“Just do your job, Juri.”

Her eyebrows twitched several times, resisting the urge to form a deep frown. In the end, she took a seat again and smiled.

“...Then I wish you success, Adventurer Shun.”

I grabbed my license and left the guild.

[The Mission Log has been updated.]

[All Dungeons acquired have been transferred to the Mission Log.]

Dozens of windows flashed in front of my eyes as I sprinted through the streets of Chunhae.

[Mission: Tower of the Fallen Ravine (15/75)

Difficulty: D+

Boss Monster: Giant Turtle King.

Floor Bosses: 8.

Floor Number: 7.

Party Requirement: 1~10.

Deep within the ravine is my kingdom. It is my domain! Any one of you humans who dare touch this place shall perish! How was that? Was it powerful enough? You’re a Scout, so record it properly! Don’t question me, you damn meat roll of putrid flesh. If I could leave this Boss Roo—You’re still recording?! DAMN IT! SAY THAT NEXT TIME, YOU FOOL! I WILL SLAUGHTER YOU ALL!!!

Rewards: 5 gold + Random Loot Drops.

Failure: Death.]

[Mission: Tower of the Giant Warhog (90/200)

Difficulty: C

Boos Monster: Queen Warhog.

Floor Bosses: 15.

Floor Number: 10.

Party Requirement: 1~20.

Hear me, my subjects. I... I don’t want to give a monologue. Can you just enter the dungeon so I can kill you? My babies need flesh, and you humans provide decent nutrients. Thank you for your time.

Rewards: 20 gold + Random Loot Drops.

Failure: Death.]

[Mission: Swirling Swamp of Mayhem (80/90)

Difficulty: C

Boos Monster: Ultimate Fishnin.

Floor Bosses: 20.

Floor Number: 15.

Party Requirement: 1~50.

I... Am... The... ULTIMATE FISHNIN. Behold the power of a goldfish that has evolved beyond the fish tank! Enter this dungeon and die. Leave this dungeon be and die. Death is the only option.

Rewards: 50 gold + Random Loot Drops.

Failure: Death.

Additional Information:

• Not all Ki Artifacts have been acquired.

• Ki Artifacts randomly shift location after every entry.

• Hidden Rooms randomly appear.]

I scanned through all the new information I obtained, sorting them into dozens of categories within my mind.

‘Interesting.’

The added descriptions encouraged more adventurers to challenge the dungeons by giving them a false sense of security. If the Boss Monsters had any brains, they could manipulate these interviews further. Conversely, the Scout information, along with the soldiers standing guard at each dungeon entrance, helped to balance out the thrill with a reminder of the danger.

Whoever came up with this system was smart.

The likelihood of Scouts being able to party with regular Adventurers was low. Instead, their job was to go in alone and gather data on the dungeon. Based on how these Dungeon Systems operated from my novel knowledge, there should be a limit to the protection they can receive. Higher-ranked dungeons posed a higher threat to Scouts.

‘It’s plausible.’

I arrived in front of soldiers guarding the entrance to the Tower of the Fallen Ravine. I wouldn’t repeat the same mistake I made in Patari. That was why I asked for all the dungeons with a minimum party requirement of 1.

The party penalty was tempting, but the attention it drew was enough to raise the security level of an entire city.

I pulled out my license and ignored whatever concerns came out of their mouths. Every step up the small stairway reminded me of all the preparations I had made to reach this point.

I shot across the platform toward the thin barrier coating the dungeon. My lips curved into a wide smile as my outstretched hand crashed against it.

“Test me and make me strong!”