Shun POV:
“That Arcane Dungeon is located near the Jiyeok: settlements in the North East of Chunhae that are very close to Sharir’s borders. The problem is... those borders aren’t far from Rodon’s, and... Rodon is a country owned by one of the Ten Families: the Castillo Family.”
Minji leaned back in her chair and let out a light sigh.
“The Castillos could care less about Rodon itself, but they hate... the Ravendawns.”
My lips curved into a wide smile at this new information I acquired. It meant that after I brutalised Chloe, the likelihood of being able to use the Castillos as a shield to escape the Ravendawn’s retaliation was high.
“Minji.”
I stared into her eyes with dilated pupils, making her sweat a little. It was possible I had another Juri right in front of me.
“Do you have any connections with the Castillo Family?”
Minji’s facial features fell to a neutral position, showing a lack of any strong emotion.
“...I’m a receptionist, Shun.”
“Tch.”
Despite my outward annoyance, I continued to observe her reaction. There was a slight compression of the clear skin on her forehead followed by the faint raise of an eyebrow. The corners of her lips curved into a light smile, seemingly amused at the thought of knowing them on a personal level.
I surmised that this much was common knowledge to the public. However, something else was bothering me. If the borders of Sharir and Rodon were that close, then...
“!”
‘Was Juri an undercover Castillo?’
My hands balled into shaking fists at this sudden realisation. The veins around my mouth bulged while bloodlust began to leak out. If that was the case, then I messed up by not taking on that mission.
‘This... DAMN SYSTEM!’
The unfavourable timing. The penalty I would suffer from. All the conditions were met for me to not succeed or even try to take on that mission.
Why give it to me in the first place then?
What was the point?
The rage within me reached new heights when something soft rested against my cheek. The light touch of slender fingers sealed the bloodlust trying to run rampant. I glared at Phoebe, only to see her eyebrows quiver, but her lips spread out with abundant care.
“Byeol’s ready to give us her report.”
Phoebe assessed the situation after examining me for a few seconds and spoke again.
“Should we postpone it?”
“...”
My head fell down. System or not, I knew I would have never been in an optimal state to track Juri down. However, not being in an ideal condition and suffering from double the fatigue were two different circumstances. The former had hope. The latter restricted even ability usage due to the cost some required in the Codex.
“Hey... It’s alright.”
The slight tremble of her sweet voice was transmitted to my cheek along with her warmth.
“...I’m fine.”
I moved Phoebe’s hand away and walked off. All of my attention returned to the growth I needed. I wasn’t satisfied.
‘It’s not enough.’
***
[Mission: The Awakened Sentri’s Mausoleum (1/1)
Difficulty: A+
Boos Monster: Awakened Sentri King.
Floor Bosses: 130.
Floor Number: 70.
Party Requirement: 1~1,500.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Scout? A beautiful one too. Enjoy the slight protection it offers you. I bide my time and grow in power.
Rewards: 10, 000 gold + Random Loot Drops.
Failure: Death.
Scout Report:
Experienced Scout Byeol reporting for duty! I’ve listed my findings below. Please ask me if you have any additional questions!
• I failed to grasp how powerful the Boss Monster is, but based on my estimation, it’s at minimum upper Enryo.
• I came across 20 Ki Artifacts: Hanzo’s Blade V8 (Legend), Soul Forged Bead (Unknown), Chaos Grail (Unknown), Degrimmer (Unknown), Clinging Call (Unknown)...
All are sealed in hidden rooms, but the positions of these rooms are very likely to change once you enter. I marked them down on the map I recorded below, but please be careful!
• From Floors 1-30, expect Floor Bosses (Sentri Warriors)(upper Jikki) to show up early. They move around in large groups and systematically destroy whatever they find before reporting to the higher Floor Bosses.
• From Floors 31-50, expect Floor Bosses (Sentri Knights)(Enryo) to command hundreds of Sentri units from afar. They specialise in breaking down confidence and awareness through precise, systematic formations. Units seem to rotate often. They head out on scouting missions and report back to Sentri Leaders, who then report to Sentri Knights. These Knights will inform the higher Floor Bosses. Please don’t think of the Floors as being separate in this dungeon!
• From Floors 51-60, expect Floor Bosses (Armoured Sentri Knights)(Mid Enryo) to engage in one-on-one duels. I observed them training with each other, exchanging tips and advice on how to improve. As for normal Sentri, it seems like Sentri Teachers train them. Though I shouldn’t guess, I believe most are hidden in the dungeon.
• From Floors 61-70, expect Floor Bosses (Sentri Guardians)(Mid Enryo) to also engage in one-on-one duels but with spectators. They are strong. Additional information for Floor 63 is included in the strategy section.
• The Boss Monster can summon Sentri Guardians that are all Mid Enryo as well!
• Sentri use the Sentri Style, which specialises in both hand-to-hand and weapon combat. Techniques are a mixture of slow and rapid, aimed at breaking the target down in a way that... almost helps the Sentri grow? Before killing them. Watch out!
• Floor 64 appears to be a Safe Zone, but I’m unable to enter it, and Sentri can move past it to higher or lower Floors. I have a bad feeling about it.
• Locations: Caves, Plains, Arenas, Castle floors, Castle Areas... I’ve listed the others below with all dungeon monsters that appear ranging from the common Sentri to Orcs, Goblin Leaders and even Warhogs. The Monsters are not united yet!
• The average time to complete the dungeon should be around 4 months. Finally, I’ve added some monster-hunting strategies that have been verified by the guild!
...
]
I leaned against a tree while reading over Byeol’s detailed report.
“Phoebe.”
“Yeah?”
She took another bite out of a glossy yellow-orange fruit before looking up at me. My lips rose, threatening to encroach upon the borders of my eyes.
“Good choice.”
“Uhh... Sure. Did you want a bite?”
The smile didn’t wane as I bent down and took the fruit out of her hand.
‘This is more than enough.’
Fresh juice wet my tongue with every bite of the sweet persimmon. According to Minji, dried persimmons were called gotgam in Chunhae and were often served with cinnamon punch. She had finished her shift at the time, so I thought it was just pointless idle talk when I realised something was wrong.
Dried persimmons had a Korean name, but the cinnamon punch didn’t.
Sujeonggwa.
That was the name of Korea’s traditional cinnamon punch. This information was backlogged in my mind from an article that explained the persimmon was the national fruit of North Korea, yet Minji didn’t know what it was called.
In other words, the people of Chunhae didn’t speak the Korean language at all. They only seemed to know a few words while their names and housing styles reflected the Korean culture. Even Nam Gu-Seul, the noble in love with Kibo, chose to name her shop Namilicious.
I concluded that the language I was speaking may in fact be this world’s ‘English’: a universal language spoken in most places. It would have been easier to ask, but a question that obvious would seem suspicious given my age.
Minji worked for the guild, and that guild reported to Central Guild in Shako, which was near to the Ravendawn Estate. I wouldn’t make such a stupid mistake by talking too much.
“Hey! I wanted that back, Shun.”
I stared at the core held in place by my fingertips. Phoebe’s soft chuckle brightened the area while I felt my cheeks rise.
“You can buy me one when we come back. It’ll be a date, or... am I jumping ahead again?”
The arch of her amber eyes pushed the shadow the tree cast over us away. Her smile completed the scene, painting a picture of expectation but acceptance if it was too soon.
“...Whatever.”
I avoided her gaze, and Phoebe let out a soft laugh. She could see the faint smile that I didn’t want her to see.
Aiden moved in a methodological manner: his spear slicing through the air with refined precision that made use of the momentum every movement created. Katherine stood close by and gave him instructions that he implemented right away. Her input alone led to immediate improvement, but Aiden’s ability to maximise the advice gained doubled that growth.
Gerard and Byeol stood away from them, hugging each other tight like the world would end if they parted.
“B-Byeol, why not just wait for me instead?”
“Gerard... Umm... It’ll be okay! I’ve been gaining more confidence scouting Arcane Dungeons these past two months... So...”
Byeol took a step back. She stared at the grassy field, fidgeting while her mouth opened and closed several times before a shy voice left it.
“After this one... I-I would like... to ask you out on a d-d-date...”
Her eyes spiralled, and her hands flew to her face.
“D-d-do you accept?!”
Byeol spun around, unable to stop the pounding of her heart that made her look like a ripe plum. Gerard was no different. He parted his lips multiple times, but the end result was a light chuckle that loosened the tension in Byeol’s shoulders.
His large hand rested against her trembling back, offering the comfort and reassurance she needed during this moment. Byeol was trying to break whatever hold the past had over her in order to be with Gerard.
She called it a date, but everyone knew it was Byeol asking Gerard to be her boyfriend or maybe something more. From what I had observed, that step in a relationship was often omitted.
“I would love that, Byeol...”
Byeol spun back around, grabbed his cheeks and gave him a kiss so deep Gerard’s arms went limp.
“T-TAKE CARE EVERYONE!!”
She bolted off into the distance, leaving a trail of dust clouds behind. As for Gerard, he stood there in a daze, still processing the deep affection Byeol had shown him. Once his brain caught up, he fell to his bum, and Phoebe chuckled.
“Well, that took a long time to happen.”
Her words supported my current hypothesis, but I didn’t really care. There was an Arcane Dungeon waiting for me.
“Let’s move.”