Gerard POV:
I rested my back against the wall before opening a gold pendant.
‘...’
“G-Gerard, come a little closer!”
“O-okay...”
Byeol pulled on my arm, decreasing the distance between us. She had wanted to take a picture together for a long time, so here we were.
“Aren’t you both a couple? Be a little more intimate.”
Both our heads turned toward one another before spinning away.
“C-couple?!! U-um...”
“A couple?... Oh...”
The woman behind the camera raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything more. She took a step back to give us some space to talk things over.
‘Could I really be in a relationship?’
I stared at a large belly jutting out when Byeol’s slender fingers turned my head toward her. Her bright smile illuminated the darkest depths of my mind and pushed away any strange thoughts that wanted to hold me back.
“We’re ready!”
Byeol placed my hand on her waist, but I could see the slight tremble of her body. Trauma came in different forms and affected even the brightest of people.
Why did she have to suffer?
I didn’t have that answer, but I did have the opportunity to support her. I could show her love that I couldn’t show myself. Maybe... that would be enough?
I gripped her waist and leaned forward. Byeol’s eyes softened like the star that she was. Red tinted her smooth cheeks before she raised two hands to form V signs.
“Aww, now that’s adorable!”
The flash of the Ki Artifact faded with the closing of the pendant. I pressed it against my chest and prayed that she would be alright. If I died, Aiden would have Phoebe and Sanura. If I died, Byeol would have Minji and her boyfriend.
If Byeol died... I don’t think I could ever recover from that. The Scout Phoebe mentioned before stopped keeping in contact a few weeks after she moved to Gem City. Three months later, I found out she got married.
‘Life, haha...’
I wished her happiness just the same. Phoebe and Aiden were more important to me than trying to court a woman. I slipped the pendant behind my top and checked the Ki Artifact set I was wearing through the Dungeon System.
[Ki Artifact: Jibang Gauntlet V10 (Legend)
Ownership: Gerard
Durability: 70/300
Description: The 10th and last iteration of the Jibang Armour Series, which boasts tremendous offensive and defensive capabilities. The creator abandoned the project after including Armour Set effects. It seems... it didn’t have the desired effect they wanted.
• When defending against attack combinations, all damage is reduced within a 20-metre radius by 5%(20%) for 30 seconds.
• When used to attack, damage is significantly increased for the duration of the attack.
• When weaponless, attack and defence rise sharply. Tanks need no weapons! (Condition)
• When every piece of the Jibang Armour is equipped, and all conditions have been met, 1 Defensive Burst can be utilised. (Cooldown: 10 minutes)
----
Jibang Armour Set:
• Jibang Helmet (0/1)
• Jibang Chest Armour (1/1)
• Jibang Gauntlets (1/1)
• Jibang Boots (1/1)
----
Set Effects
• When 2 pieces of Jibang Armour are equipped, defence is doubled.
• When 3 pieces of Jibang Armour are equipped, Ki Recovery Rate is doubled.
• When 4 pieces of Jibang Armour are equipped, physical attack is tripled.]
[Ki Artifact: Jibang Chest Armour V10 (Legend)
Ownership: Gerard
Durability: 120/500
Description: The 10th and last iteration of the Jibang Armour Series, which boasts tremendous offensive and defensive capabilities. The creator abandoned the project after including Armour Set effects. It seems... it didn’t have the desired effect they wanted.
• When defending against attack combinations, all damage is reduced within a 20-metre radius by 5%(40%) for 30 seconds.
• When used to attack, damage is significantly increased for the duration of the attack.
• When fighting opponents one on one or when at the frontlines of the battlefield, attack and defence rise by an astronomical amount. Tanks are sturdy! (Condition)
• When every piece of the Jibang Armour is equipped, and all conditions have been met, 1 Defensive Burst can be utilized. (Cooldown: 10 minutes)
----
Jibang Armour Set:
• Jibang Helmet (0/1)
• Jibang Chest Armour (1/1)
• Jibang Gauntlets (1/1)
• Jibang Boots (1/1)
----
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Set Effects
• When 2 pieces of Jibang Armour are equipped, defence is doubled based.
• When 3 pieces of Jibang Armour are equipped, Ki Recovery Rate is doubled.
• When 4 pieces of Jibang Armour are equipped, physical attack is tripled.]
[Ki Artifact: Jibang Boots V10 (Legend)
Ownership: Gerard
Durability: 90/250
Description: The 10th and last iteration of the Jibang Armour Series, which boasts tremendous offensive and defensive capabilities. The creator abandoned the project after including Armour Set effects. The boots are a little too big methinks...
• When defending against attack combinations, all damage is reduced within a 20-metre radius by 5%(20%) for 30 seconds.
• When used to attack, damage is significantly increased for the duration of the attack.
• When grounded, tenacity is increased. Defence sharply rises when the Earth Ki Nature is manipulated. Tanks represent the earth! (Condition)
• When every piece of the Jibang Armour is equipped, and all conditions have been met, 1 Defensive Burst can be utilised. (Cooldown: 10 minutes)
----
Jibang Armour Set:
• Jibang Helmet (0/1)
• Jibang Chest Armour (1/1)
• Jibang Gauntlets (1/1)
• Jibang Boots (1/1)
----
Set Effects
• When 2 pieces of Jibang Armour are equipped, defence is doubled based.
• When 3 pieces of Jibang Armour are equipped, Ki Recovery Rate is doubled.
• When 4 pieces of Jibang Armour are equipped, physical attack is tripled.]
[Ki Artifact: Jibang Helmet V10 (Legend)
Ownership: Gerard
Durability: 230/600
Description: The 10th and last iteration of the Jibang Armour Series, which boasts tremendous offensive and defensive capabilities. The creator abandoned the project after including Armour Set effects. The helmet does not fit... Failure...
• When defending against attack combinations, all damage is reduced within a 20-metre radius by 5%(20%) for 30 seconds.
• When used to attack, damage is significantly increased for the duration of the attack.
• When worn, all physical attributes are significantly increased. But I cannot wear it... (Condition)
• When every piece of the Jibang Armour is equipped, and all conditions have been met, 1 Defensive Burst can be utilised. (Cooldown: 10 minutes)
----
Jibang Armour Set:
• Jibang Helmet (0/1)
• Jibang Chest Armour (1/1)
• Jibang Gauntlets (1/1)
• Jibang Boots (1/1)
----
Set Effects
• When 2 pieces of Jibang Armour are equipped, defence is doubled based.
• When 3 pieces of Jibang Armour are equipped, Ki Recovery Rate is doubled.
• When 4 pieces of Jibang Armour are equipped, physical attack is tripled.]
The Jibang set couldn’t be worn by the average person. Its dark yellow colour merged with a deep brown that made me look like a cool warrior when I wore it. Anyway, that was enough stalling.
“Let’s get to wo—“
A loud grumble turned into a growl, forcing me to acknowledge its existence. Beads of sweat formed on my brow at the challenge it presented me every day. I had been trying to lose weight for Byeol, but even with Ki, it proved to be a difficult task.
And...
I love food. I’ve always been a big eater.
Plus...
I’m big-boned. So that didn’t help either.
‘Having a body like Shun’s or Aiden’s would definitely be more attractive to Byeol.’
I clenched my teeth and stood up. The stomach cried out for food, but I cried out for change. I wanted to be the best version of myself for her.
I examined the Sentri’s movements from the 10th floor of a desolate building I had taken a breather in. The 17th Floor Boss directed hundreds of them to perform a sweep over the area in an effort to locate me. Phoebe and Katherine weren’t people I needed to worry about. Aiden’s monster luck wasn’t good, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d fought against several Sentri Warriors already.
Shun...
Well, Shun always fought alone on the way to the Boss Monster. Whenever we caught up with him, he would be surrounded by carcasses. Still, this was an Arcane Dungeon, so I needed to make sure he was safe too.
His condition was worrying.
‘Ah, it would be better if Phoebe found him first, now that I think about it.’
I crashed down in the middle of the Sentri’s formation to save them some time. They dispersed and formed a ring around me while the Sentri Warrior cocked his head to the side, unimpressed.
“Fatty, I’ve been searching for you.”
“...I just had an emotional moment about my weight. Can we skip the fat jok—“
“Hey, Fatty. I bet you’ll be tasty, fried and marina—“
The entire area caved in. Dozens of buildings toppled over from the fist that embedded the Floor Boss’s head deep into the bedrock. The veins around my temple popped along with half of his HP that was deleted.
“!”
I twisted my head to the side, but his finger still managed to tear off a chunk of flesh. It was a miscalculation based on the speed of the prior Floor Bosses I had fought.
This one was fast.
He pulled himself out of the crater once I widened the distance between us. The Sentri Warrior’s tongue wrapped around the lump of flesh, pulling it into his mouth where he chewed on it several times. He cracked his neck, then let out a loud burp.
“Tasty.”
The Floor Boss faced one palm toward the earth, and the other in line with my chest.
“Sentri Style: Warrior Healing.”
His HP began to climb at a slow rate. The wound across my jaw wasn’t deep. The only reason he took off so much flesh...
It was fat. Chubby cheek fat.
“Sentri Style: Sentri Blur.”
The Sentri Warrior’s hands balled into fists. He swayed forward, and my head snapped back.
‘Damn!’
I raised my guard in time to block a rain of lightning-sharp blows. They pried open my defence through accurate shot selection in order to deal more damaging strikes. I sank deeper into the earth but remained composed.
‘The dramatic increase to his speed and power seems to be linked to the swaying movement he makes just before the ‘Blur’ happens.’
The Sentri Warrior boxed me in with his assault, but he forgot one thing.
I was a Tank.
My defence rose at a rapid rate, reducing the damage I received. While my Ki Artifacts did their job, I continued to observe his motions.
‘Right there.’
“?!”
The Sentri Warrior stared at his fist trapped in the palm of my hand. The area behind me exploded, but his attack pattern had been added to the Sentri Style report. Once the ‘Blur’ happened, its trajectory could be intercepted via the angle of the Sentri’s fist.
“I want to ask you some questions.”
The Floor Boss tilted his head to the side before chuckling. His laughter became hysteric, but I didn’t catch the joke.
And I liked jokes.
“Me? Huyin? Why would I listen to the cries of a pig when all I desire is its flesh?”
Huyin ripped his fist out of my grip and ran a dark hand through his spiky hair.
“You fat pig.”
‘...’
He rolled down his Uwagi, shifted into the Sentri stance, and released all of his Ki. He also spat to the side.
“It’s going to be a short night for you.”
A deep sigh escaped my mouth. It welcomed a torrent of Ki that fragmented the hard rock.
“Your night is already over then. I’ll ask your subordinates instead.”
Huyin’s lips curved into a mocking smile before he shot forward. I had figured out his ‘Blur’ a few exchanges after it happened. I only let it continue for as long as it did due to my Ki Artifacts.
“Defensive Burst.”
A giant fist met Huyin’s face first. It was unfortunate that he didn’t have time for his life to flash before his eyes since the detonation of Ki annihilated everything in its path.
I deleted the first half of his HP, so it only made sense to do the same with the second half. The faint glow of the Jibang Set faded. The dust clouds swept over the deep fissure that extended into the far distance.
‘I broke through to Jikki the moment the attack landed too.’
“...”
The Sentri surrounded the deep crater but refused to come any closer. Their mouths all dropped open in shock at Huyin’s quick defeat.
“Does anyone else want to make any fat jokes right now?”
My eyebrows furrowed once they shook their heads in unison. I didn’t think Sentri would be so willing to communicate, given their nature.
‘Something’s been off with the dungeons we enter.’
I scratched the back of my head, trying to figure out the source of this uneasiness. I observed each of the monsters one by one before pointing to a Sentri, who looked like he would answer my questions with the truth.
“What’s your name?”
“Jibza...”
The young Sentri’s body stiffened. His bright yellow eyes tried to study me, but he seemed to give up halfway.
“Jibza, have you seen any of my party members? They don’t seem to be on this Floor.”
I made my way out of the deep crater while the Sentri continued their careful observations. Once I met up with the others, this dungeon wouldn’t be as hard as I thought it would be.
‘My date with Byeol...’
I was looking forward to it. We would be tying the knot soon.
“No... I b-believe they are on different Floors, according to Huyin.”
“Hmm.”
I folded my arms and assessed this situation again. From what I had heard, the Sentri loved battle; they found it honourable to die in combat, so how come the Sentri here were showing wariness, preservation and... maybe even negotiation?
Weren’t they conquerors?
‘...If these guys were let loose in Ayadell, wouldn’t they be a huge threat?’
I shook my head to calm myself down. There were tens of thousands of monster communities within Ayadell; this was nothing new.
‘But these guys seem too smart?’
“Don’t you want to fight?”
Jibza swivelled his eyes toward a female Sentri on the other side of the crater. He closed them for a few moments before looking down at the ground.
“...No.”
My lips curved into an understanding smile. I tapped his trembling shoulder and walked off.
“Let’s find Phoebe first.”