Shun POV:

I sat in the corner of the room with my head down. Ever since that day, I imposed harsher restrictions on myself to make the most out of the dungeon runs.

Ever since that day, Phoebe stopped knocking on my door. It was her way of giving me the space she thought I needed. Regardless, it wouldn’t be long till I broke through to Monzen.

“...”

The entrance stood tall. It loomed over me from across the room, overlapping with the prison that once stripped away everything. Whenever I was blessed to see another day, it acted as a reminder: the freedom I obtained was bound by shackles.

They chained me to the past and provided little comfort when compared to the four walls. My cheeks rose at the thought of how powerless I was then.

I threw on my Troll attire, picked up a large brown bag and closed the door behind me. The automatic lock sealed the entrance with a strong barrier.

It didn’t take long for chatter to drift into my ears on the way to the ground floor. I walked past the receptionist, went through the side door, and approached one of the large dining areas.

I only entered these busy sections of Yeongyeol when I had to. Room service was an extra 3 gold, but it was better than nothing. However, since Phoebe still worked here, she sometimes delivered my food.

Her irregular work hours made it pointless to plan around her. Even if it was deliberate, she never said or did anything extra, apart from adding a wink to the usual ‘I hope you enjoy your meal.’

Phoebe stood up and waved me over to where the party was eating. I pulled out a chair beside Katherine before taking a seat.

“I want to crush an Arcane Dungeon.”

The party members remained silent, allowing the conversations nearby to become clearer. Their reaction was as I expected, but it would have been worse if I asked any earlier. The incident last week didn’t just affect Phoebe, but the other party members too.

“Arcane Dungeons... If we fail, it means a Dungeon Break will occur. We could be putting the lives of thousands, if not millions, at risk, Shun.”

“Shun... Do you have to rush this?”

“...Preparation is necessary. It’s the only way I’ll agree.”

Katherine placed the teacup to her lips but chose not to add to the party’s concern. I moved the empty plates to the side and dropped the brown bag on the table. Its width expanded before the contents spilt over, now that it had room to breathe.

A warm smile spread across Katherine’s face while the other party members stared at the variety of equipment. Phoebe was the first to move, picking up a longsword and examining its structure with a careful eye.

“Did... you buy these?”

“I made them.”

“What??”

She lowered the bone sword and pressed a hand against her forehead.

“You’re a blacksmith too, Shun?...”

“I am now. Whether it’s repairing equipment, enhancing it or creating new ones, I can do it all.”

No one said a word. Phoebe’s vibrant amber eyes gazed right into mine, accompanied with darker than usual cheeks.

“...You’re so hot.”

“...”

I shifted my gaze back to the equipment while Phoebe followed her normal routine of covering her mouth once her brain caught up to her directness. Gerard and Aiden chuckled, but Katherine looked off in the distance, deep in thought about unknown matters.

“Ahem... Let’s at least check these out first.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Phoebe got to her feet and slipped the weaponry back into the bag before handing it to Gerard.

“...Kibo’s Smithy.”

“Yep.”

Aiden’s cheeks rose, revealing an emotion I had never seen him express before: anticipation. The slight tension of the muscles around his eyes and the initiative to take the lead out of the inn first, rather than observe from behind, showed signs of excitement too.

Gerard left seconds later after opening the side door for Katherine. Her smile and bow made him turn away from the bright light she emitted while Phoebe’s eyes rested on me.

“Can I walk with you?”

“No.”

I left the inn, and Phoebe trailed behind me. We made our way down the clean streets of Chunhae when The System decided to remind me it still existed.

[The Mission Log has been updated.]

[Mission: Talk with Phoe—

The moonlight bounced off the glass windows of houses and shops. Its actions mimicked the sun, brightening the entire area in an effort to hide the loneliness within.

“How are you feeling, Shun? Can I at least ask you that?”

I turned my head to the side and saw Phoebe maintaining the same distance between us since we left the inn. The warmth in her smile stretched out its hand toward me; her amber eyes shimmered in an attempt to take over the role of the moonlight.

“I’m fine, you?”

They compressed. Their slight curve matched the rising of her thin lips while Phoebe swept her pink ponytail to the front of her chest.

“...Better now.”

A breeze of comfort brushed past my cheek. I looked back toward the night sky, where the stars twinkled in harmony. Each one looked out for the other, forming a unison of light that added to the moon’s despair.

“Good.”

***

“These bonus effects are insane!”

Phoebe pulled out a dark green box with black streaks through its plain design. Three compartments popped open: two from the sides and one from the front. They emitted green lights that formed a blank window.

It was a rare grade Ki Artifact called Equipment Reader.

As the name implied, it scanned equipment and showed the results of that scan in a green window. It was capable of displaying up to 30 results at any given time while also having the option to save around 100 scans to its local storage.

The existence of the Equipment Reader supported an earlier hypothesis. The Primordial Ones used similar methods of enhancing their equipment before they developed Ki Artifacts. Contrary to what most believe, no civilisation started off as advanced. There was always a process that led to technological breakthroughs, which paved the way for greater accomplishments.

We were simply seeing the result of that, and this artifact was the proof. Regardless of how their society worked, there would be people at the top and people at the bottom; not everyone could afford the same luxuries.

That would be a utopia, and Ayadell was the furthest thing from that definition.

I shifted my gaze to Aiden. He stood off to the side, talking with Kibo’s daughter, Sanura. She was well-loved in Chunhae. Her presence in Kibo’s Smithy would lead to long lines of male adventurers recalling that they needed equipment repairs.

His cheeks went a faint shade of red while his hand rubbed her shoulder with affection that Aiden never showed anyone else. Sanura was the cause of his anticipation from earlier.

“Why not test it out?”

She pointed to the Ruthless Deadmin Spear, prompting Aiden to show off. He spun it around his fingers before swiping it down. A blast of air shot forward, and the entire area shook from his hidden prowess.

“...Don’t worry.”

Sanura’s eyes narrowed, and long eyelashes fluttered. The slight bite of her lip was enough to make Aiden’s heart skip a beat, evident by the severe darkening of his cheeks.

‘...’

I turned my attention to Gerard. He seemed pleased with the Bone TurtleMen set I had crafted for him. As for Phoebe, she examined a gauntlet before nodding her head, content with the effects provided.

“What about you, Katherine?”

The party members all glanced at Katherine, sitting down on a bench in front of the Smithy. Her hands rested on top of one another while the moonlight approached her with care, emphasising a beauty no man could dismiss.

“She doesn’t need it.”

I leaned against a nearby tree and spoke for Katherine. Even after all these dungeon runs, even after all the information I had gathered on her, Katherine’s true strength remained a mystery. Enryo meant nothing to me when I was at Shin but could fight against some low Jikki opponents. This was why I wasn’t confident in assessing the limit of her combat potential.

Katherine showed zero interest in hand-to-hand combat. She stuck to her role without deviation, supporting the party with timing that was too perfect to ignore. Her reflexes were beyond what I could grasp, given the fact she was fast enough to not only react to my teleportation but also counterattack.

Phoebe’s eyebrows fell with concern. The slight tension of muscles from the other party members didn’t go unnoticed.

“Please trust me. My master taught me exceptionally well.”

“...”

Phoebe and Gerard scratched the back of their heads while even Aiden began to sweat. They all had forgotten just who they were worrying about. Katherine Brightfield had never been injured in any of our dungeon runs.

‘...The gaps between Ki Stages get larger.’

That was the only conclusion I could reach regarding her base strength. It was supported by how Ki Practitioners further segmented a Ki Stage into low, mid and upper in order to add more clarity to their current progress within one.

It was a concept I was already familiar with.

I closed my eyes and saw a giant wall still blocking my entry to Monzen. The size didn’t decrease, but its once solid appearance became haggard. Rubble lined the dark ground from my growth that caused it to crumble.

My lips curved upward. The addition of Arcane Dungeons meant further walls would be crushed in no time.

“Phoebe, do you agree then?”

I stared right into her eyes, knowing that she would accept my proposal.

“...Before that, we need to talk, Shun.”