nChapter 9-11: Raid

nThe streets of Hongdae were filled with young people. A place filled with the passion and dream of many young men and women.

nAt Cafe Amoa in the heart of Hongdae, four men and women were gathered. They were dressed differently and the atmosphere they gave off was entirely different from a common person.

nThey seemed like a combination that would rarely gather together but they were all tied by one common thing.

nAll of them were Awakened. In addition, each one of them were Starters and a guild master!

n“If only this place was Paris. We could have gathered in Paris and once the stores open….”

nThe woman in her mid-30s waved her hands. She was frowning slightly while talking about flying to Paris.

nWavy, long hair and charming lips. The beauty spot above the nose and slightly droopy eyes gave her a glamorous type beauty.

nThen the bald man wearing sunglasses and sitting opposite her smiled and said.

n“I like the quiet.”

n“Then why did you pick the middle of Hongdae?”

n“I don’t like noise but my favourite thing is the vibrant energy of young people. Does Ms. Kim hate something like this?”

nThe woman he called Ms. Kim was actually Kim Suk-soo. Kim Suk-soo clicked her tongue.

n“Well, I don’t dislike money. By the way, why are we all gathered here?”

n“Heaven’s Will.”

nThe woman nodded as she roughly guessed the story.

n“Ah. It is about Kim Yong-woo. Didn’t he go crazy? I heard that he is ranting nonsense every day about ants.”

n“He used to call me ant excrement.”

n“Oh my. Excrement is a little harsh.”

nKim Suk-soo giggled and laughed.

nThen a young man with blonde hair raised a coke to his lips and said.

n“Ajusshi, don’t humans become crazy every day? Quickly cut to the chase. I don’t have time. I need to meet up with my team to decide a strategy to raid a dungeon.”

n“Isn’t the Mithril Guild closed?

n“Ajusshi’s information is slow. It resumed again yesterday. The guild members are having a hard time. Those who perished in the Philippines….”

n“Curiosity killed the cat.”

nThe strong, young man knocked on the table.

n“Aish! Don’t you know that country was being ruined by creatures and a broker arranged for me to enter by boat? I was clearly invited.”

nKim Suk-soo who had been listening quietly asked.

n“That reminds me, how is the area? I heard that martial law has been declared.”

n“Noonim. Don’t even say it. Tanks are being called in. Ah, and do you know that the creatures that are killed outside the dungeons don’t drop Cores? Do you understand?” (Noonim= respectful way for males to refer to older females)

nThe young man’s words were completely different from how he previously spoke to the man wearing sunglasses. He was a young man so Kim Suk-soo was a difficult opponent for him.

n“Really? That is really good news.”

nKim Suk-soo didn’t have much of a reaction so it seemed like she already knew.

nExactly a week ago, large number of creatures came out from the dungeon in the Philippines. It was that there were 5,000 creatures. The civilians and Awakened received damage but after a few days, the military was organized and started to earnestly clean it up.

nIt was natural considered the quality of the attack in the first place. But no Cores dropped despite all the creatures killed. There was only one.

nThere were numerous speculations but the more reliable theory was that creatures needed to be killed in the dungeons. In other words, there was a close relationship between the dungeon and the Core.

nAnyway, the Awakened were glad to hear it.

n“By the way, what is with those cat like scratches? Didn’t the tanks wipe them all out?”

n“Well, one of them got lucky. I don’t know much. It must have been a strong creature. Noonim, can we stop this topic? I’m feeling awful.”

n“I’m sorry dongsaeng Noonim was too short-sighted.” (Dongsaeng=younger sibling. Sometimes used to refer to a younger person who isn’t related.)

nAlthough he survived the raid, members of his guild had died so he naturally felt sad. Unlike the United States, South Korea had no compensation for those who died in dungeons. All of the Awakened that weren’t in a institute had no choice but to go into the dungeon with nothing.

nMany of the rich and powerful showed an avid interest in the Cores. If the guilds hadn’t emerged then the Awakened in South Korea would have been their slaves.

n“Let’s return to business.”

nThere was silence until a mysterious woman spoke. She was a similar age to the young man but she had a cold face. A tight skirt and blouse. She gave off the perfect impression of a ‘cold city woman.’

n“I met an Awakened.”

nThe young man complained after hearing the man in sunglasses’ words.

n“What about it? Those who haven’t defeated creatures aren’t real heroes.”

n“He took care of a monster beyond the normal standard all by himself.”

n“Eh? Isn’t that an urban legend? No, a dungeon legend?”

nKim Suk-soo covered her mouth as she smiled.

n“Omo, dongsaeng. It is real. The monster.”

nThe young man made a shocked expression.

n“Eh eh? Haven’t they never been seen before?”

n“They exist. Dead people can’t attend our meetings.”

n“…Get down to business.”

nKim Suk-soo sighed.

n“I’m not afraid of the Ice Princess. Hey, Alin. Loosen up your expression. Don’t you know that you will get a lot of wrinkles by the time you are my age?”

n“It appears one person has already heard the story.”

nAlin and Kim Suk-soo stared at each other.

nThe young man looked between them before sending a signal to Sunglasses. It asked him to proceed with the story.

n“Hmm…I’ve acquired information that indicates the Awakened man is in Heaven’s Will.”

n“Heol. Ajusshi, he is a real person?”

n“Kim Yong-woo wasn’t talking nonsense.”

nThere was a moment of silence between the four of them.

nHandling a monster beyond the normal standards alone. If it was true, it would be an overwhelming fact.

nThe presence of these monsters weren’t just mere legend. All the people who had intelligence networks had classified it as Class 1 confidential information. The fact that they were reluctant to talk about it meant it was important information.

nThese people gathered due to necessity. Everything was for the sake of profit.

n“Defeating it alone? No way. You saw a phantom.”

nKim Suk-soo expressed her opinion. The young man also nodded.

nIt might be different a few years later. But right now, it was widely accepted that none of the Awakened could handle those type of monsters. It had only been 8 months since the Awakened appeared. The Starters were talented but even they couldn’t exceed the limits of time.

n“Do you know why 12 people raids were created?”

nSunglasses asked politely. This time it was Ice Princess Alin who replied.

n“In the worst case scenario, at least one person can flee.”

n“That’s right. That number should have been sufficient to deal with standard creatures. Even 4 people are enough to kill kobolds and goblins.”

nEveryone was silent. Sunglasses wasn’t wrong. Humans had come up with the idea of a 12 people raid in the first place.

n“And not long ago, Kim Yong-woo’s group was completely destroyed.”

nThe three of them were silent. Except for the guild master Kim Yong-woo, the other 11 people had died in the dungeon. The only living person who returned was Kim Yong-Woo. The standard of the creatures that could wipe out the raiding party wasn’t normal.

n“Kim Yong-woo returned alive but he was babbling like a lunatic. He kept talking about an elephant that could handle the non-standard creature.”

n“He went crazy. You don’t need to take him seriously.”

nKim Suk-soo clicked his tongue. Kim Yong-woo originally had a few screws loose. He seriously thought he was chosen by God. Kim Yong-woo’s nature was enough to make them suspicious.

n“I thought like that as well.”

n“Then why?”

n“Recently Kim Yong-woo’s attitude has changed. His changed mindset makes him seem like an entirely new person…he even transferred a Bugatti Veyron to that guy. I think that Kim Yong-woo met this person in a dungeon before.”

n“Wait, is he human? That car? Really? He didn’t just lend it for a moment?”

nThe man shook his head.

n“People never saw Kim Yong-woo driving the Bugatti Veyron. On the other hand, that man was seen driving the Bugatti Veyron quite a bit.”

nThen a little boy sitting to their right gave an astonished cry.

n“Amazing! This is a special feeling! Tomorrow the sun will rise in the west!”

n“…I recognize it.”

nKim Suk-soo and the other people felt their admiration increase. Kim Yong-woo was someone who was really stingy with his money.

nDespite controlling the funds of the guild house, he insisted on going dutch when dining together with other people. He would only have a bowl of jajamyeon once a month yet Kim Yong-woo gave a prized car to someone else?

nThe Bugatti Veyron was widely considered to be the fastest car in the world. There were differing opinions that the Hennessey Venom GT was faster but it was clearly a precious car in South Korea. The speed allowed in this place was very limited.

nKim Yong-woo had been so prideful after he bought it that they were sick of it. Even if Alin asked him for a ride, he would blow her off like she was a fly.

nIt really was like the sun rising in the west tomorrow.

nSunglasses pulled his cool coffee closer and said.

n“Of course, I can’t be sure. It is just a high possibility. And if he is the same person, he isn’t someone who can handle a creature beyond the norm. Even if 100 Awakened are gathered, they would find it impossible to handle the creature. At the time, Kim Yong-woo was the lone survivor so he must have seen something.”

n“Ajusshi, aren’t you worrying about needless things?”

n“No…it is clear that he has considerable skill. In addition, it is true that he bumped into a non-standard creature.”

n“Hey, let’s say he really did meet a non-standard monster? So how did he come back alive?”

n“I think he holds a rare grade skill. Therefore he could escape to the outside.”

nRare grade skill! They all swallowed their saliva.

nJust like the name, it was a rarity. At least it was in South Korea. The only known user of a rare skill was Chinese.

nEven the Starters who woke up 8 months ago only had normal level skills. The man in sunglasses had an Exceptional Normal skill ‘Improve Muscle Strength.’

nSkills could be obtained through a particular type of work, certain actions against creatures and completing difficult quests.

nQuests could be found on their own but an updated list of quests also existed. Once a month, the quest list updated to coincide with the level of the Awakened. Completing quests with difficulty levels one or two steps higher would give a skill. Sometimes a lot of luck and hard work was required.

n“But hasn’t he joined Heaven’s Will?”

nIce Princess Alin said calmly.

nThe five guilds had similar strengths. Respect was given to all sides. It was an unspoken law to not recruit members that had already joined a guild.

nThe man raised his sunglasses.

n“It is Kim Yong-woo alone who is making a fuss. They’ve never gone on a raid together.”

n“Then he can still be taken.”

nAlin was convinced as she closed her eyes. She forgave him for calling this meeting of guild masters.

nThen the young man said with confusion.

n“Ajusshi. I don’t understand. Why are you telling us? Isn’t it better if you alone monopolize him? We aren’t amateurs. If there is any ill will….”

nSunglasses scratched the bridge of his nose.

n“I have failed. I was rejected before even speaking one word. I almost died.”

n“Heh, even ajusshi fails at times.”

n“There are thousands of witnesses in the vicinity of the Heaven’s Will Guild House…they lose their appetite as soon as they see me.”

n“Uhh? Is ajusshi really going to give up?”

n“You haven’t looked at him. My head would have been rolling on the floor of the restaurant if I said even one word.”

nThe young man’s expression became determined.

nThere was something they implicitly agreed on. Sunglasses was the strongest among those gathered here.

nIn addition, they knew how obsessed he was with becoming strong. He would get whatever he wanted. A boiling spirit that never admitted defeat. Their hairs started to stand up.

nIf this was true then they absolutely needed to recruit his talent. Even if they had to spend billions of won!

nOnce he was drawn in, the balance between the five guilds would start to lean towards him.

nMaybe they could go up to the next floor. Obtaining the title of the first ones to arrive on the 2nd floor was a great achievement. It was the ‘authorization’ that indicated they were the best guild in Korea!

nSince America’s official announcement, the existence of the Awakened was known to everyone. A lot of people made movements behind the scenes.

nNow it was a world of dungeons and Awakened. As the Awakened obtained more Cores, the people were forced to rely on them even more.

nAnd having the title of the strongest would be very useful….

n“I only want one thing. Information sharing about the rare skill. I don’t want anything else.”

n“….I will go first. The answer is yes.”

nAlin stood up quickly. There was a red flush on her cheeks.

n“Oho, ho. It is already that time. I heard it well. I’m a yes!”

nKim Suk-soo followed suit.

n“Hmm hmm! Ajusshi, contact me separately.”

nThe young man was the last to leave.

nSunglasses who was left alone leaned back in his chair and sighed.

n‘Really terrible eyes….’

nHe saw himself ‘drop dead’ as soon as the other person glared. His breath became short as his spirit was lost. It felt like he was prying into a deep abyss. It seemed like a shower of sweat had flowed.

nHis body trembled as he remembered those eyes.

n* * *

nThe sun at noon.

nI leisurely sat on a park bench and watched the people. Children were wandering around chatting while it wasn’t unusual to see the figure of a woman sweating.

n‘Peaceful.’

nI was wearing rimmed sunglasses.

nDespite the existence of dungeons, they continued to live their normal lives.

nAnd if I didn’t take any special actions, this peace would last for quite a long time. In my previous life, I randomly killed humans and the peace ended too quickly. The areas around the dungeon became a wasteland. The city became ruins.

nBut now I would change that. It was unacceptable to step on anyone like I did in my previous life. If they didn’t point a sword at me then I wouldn’t become hostile.

nFor the moment.

n‘It doesn’t feel bad.’

nWasn’t I once dead? Now I was free.

nMaybe that’s why I felt more generous. I never imagined in my previous life that I would be blending in with humans.

nBut now I was stronger than in the past. No, to be precise I have the potential to become stronger.

nSo I don’t care. The strong were free. That’s why I decided to become a warrior above all others. I needed to make an effort to become a real warrior.

nI don’t know much about humans in modern times. I couldn’t read their culture and behaviour at all.

nIt was natural. I had no interest in them in my previous life. Humans were just the prey of the creatures but now things were different.

nHumans were still peaceful. Especially here in South Korea. Maybe it was because the threat of North Korea was stronger than that of the dungeons.

nNow I needed to pay attention to them. It was necessary to analyse and completely investigate them.

nSo I spent time wandering and observing.

n‘It is easier thanks to Kim Yong-woo. I was able to save a lot of time.’

nIt happened suddenly when I emerged from the dungeon. A few pairs of eyes followed me as soon as I came out.

nThey were Kim Yong-woo’s hired messengers. He had drawn my outfit and rough appearance on a piece of paper and they had been waiting for 2 weeks. His patience was worth praising.

nEverything became easier thanks to that.

nI met Kim Yong-woo at the Guild House and he proclaimed that he would be my subordinate. He worshipped me. And he knelt down and kissed my feet.

nThe outrageous actions were all because I saved him. It had been shocking at the time.

nI didn’ have anything to lose so I humbly accepted.

nKim Yong-woo seemed to be quite strong among the Heroes. It wouldn’t be bad to use him to accomplish my goal. I would be in a perfect position behind him. Receiving attention immediately wasn’t desirable.

n‘Now that I have an ID….am I also a person from here?’

nI took out my wallet and checked my identity.

nKim Yong-woo had created an identity for him. My name and surname was still the same but my status was listed as a returnee.

nWhen I was 9 years old, I left Korea for the United States and returned after graduating from Harvard University. Kim Yong-woo also graduated from Harvard in the United States.

nI was someone who didn’t even receive a middle school education. So I didn’t care about it. As long as my actions were free.

n“Can I sit beside you?”

nA woman I saw earlier came up to me and asked. I didn’t turn my head let alone answered but the woman naturally sat next to me. She had been following me since I briefly stopped by Heaven’s Will in the morning.

n‘An annoying woman has come.’

nI clicked my tongue.

nAt first glance, she seemed familiar like he had seen her before. She was different when I knew her but she was obviously the guild master of the Timely Rain Guild. But I gazed at the status window just to be sure.

nName: Alin

nOccupation Hero (Archer) Title None

nStats

nStrength 25 Intelligence 34

nAgility 47 Stamina 23

nMagic Power 30

nPotential: (169

/401)

n

nUniqueness: ‘Timely Rain’ Guild Master

nSkill: Aim (N), Quick Burst (N)

n‘Indeed.’

nThere was no doubt.

nThe clear eyes, sharp nose and thin lips gave her a striking beauty that stood out. However, half of her face had been burned in a previous life. She was a terrible person who chased me more than anyone else.

nI could guess the reason why she chased after me. I was the cause behind the woman’s burns.

nSo…when my dungeon was on the verge of ruin. The Dungeon Core was being threatened so I hired a fire creature to guard it, wounding the woman.

nThanks to that, the woman and her guild considered me an enemy that couldn’t live together under the same sky. They continued to chase me and pushed me to the brink several times.

nIn the end, I was the winner but received intensive damage. It took me 1 year to recover.

n‘Our destiny has gone around.’

nThe Timely Rain guild master had come to meet him. I could get rid of her but didn’t. I had a hunch that things kept on moving around like a hamster wheel.

nIf I didn’t know about my previous life…the whole thing had now been initialized so it was pointless to argue against it. If I joined hands then I can figure out their intentions sooner or later.

nThe woman flushed and lowered her gaze. I was using the full power of Outstaring.

nI said lightly.

n“What do you want?”

nThen the ice cold expression somewhat eased off. I talked first so now I was waiting for a reply.

nAlin took out a business card from her shoulder bag. Then she smiled and handed me the business card.

n“Contact me.”

n“……?”

nAlin’s eyes remained beautifully curved at my reaction (This is referring to the eye smile that Koreans like).

nShe got up and coyly stroked my shoulder.

n“Call, I’ll be waiting.”

nAnd she left without looking back. My forehead wrinkled as I was left alone.

n‘That human female…what was that?’

nIt was difficult to understand her intent. She visited just to give me a business card before departing? It was too inefficient.

nWhy did she touch my shoulder before leaving? If she had a hostile attitude then I could cope with it but it wasn’t apparent.

n‘Temptation?’

nI don’t know much about women. I had woken up on the battlefield. For 300 years, I only sought to become stronger.

nBut one of the few things to be cautious of were beauties, especially on the battlefield. Those who held the beauties in their arms would be found dead the next day.

nEven the 4 Grand Dukes wouldn’t think of playing that game. But it wasn’t just the Demon World.

nJust like demons liked slaughter, a succubus desired men and acted like battlefield scavengers. In my long life, those women were far away from me. The joy of becoming stronger was greater than sex.

nOf course, my body had some experiences. I still had a libido. If I didn’t occasionally indulge his body then my mental state would go out of control.

nBut such acts were done without any kind of special feelings. There was no special senses from my side. I recognized it myself.

n‘I am the wrong person to use that type of method on.’

nOf course, I was curious about why Alin gave me a business card but not enough to contact her. I abandoned the business card on the ground and stood up.

nIf there was a business matter then she would find me. If she didn’t come then I didn’t need to go find her.

nHer potential was one of the highest among humans. Among all the people I’ve seen, she was among the top. Someone with no greed or false nature. If her talents were raised then she would bloom like a flower.

nHowever, I became sure of her character in her previous life so she won’t easily follow me. There were also more constraints because she was a guild master.

nI needed people to follow me in my own raids. Truly an elite minority. A party that would automatically follow me in the future.

n‘Now I need some experience with what humans call a raid.’

nAlin was moved to a corner of my brain as I walked in the direction of the parking lot.

n* * *

nTtalkak!

nIn the early evening, a dark room. The only light came from the monitor. I slowly moved the mouse to operate the computer.

n“Um.”

nI wasn’t very familiar with the small screen and machine. In the past I had never used a computer but I saw it a few times. I had become accustomed to it over the past few days but I still felt uncomfortable using it.

nDuk. Duk. Duduk.

nMy index finger tapped the keyboard. The typical stance of an eagle.

nIt was ludicrous to think I could use it quickly when I only touched a computer a few days ago. It was to the extent that 300 strokes seemed to be used. I identified all the icons on the desktop.

nI adapted to the computer like cotton soaking up water. It was an indispensable necessity for people living in modern times so I needed to learn it, even if it was by force.

n‘I need to look at an Awakened online cafe to receive information about raids.’

nEveryone had learned about the existence of the Awakened due to the announcement from the United States. Their strength and supernatural powers. Many people were enthusiastic and bombarded the portal sites about them.

nIt was the same with the Awakened. The majority became aware of each other’s existence and the Awakened started to assemble. I heard from Kim Yong-woo that there was a cafe the Awakened could subscribe to.

nThe main portal site had articles associated with the Awakened. Just pressing three letters on the keyboard would come up with the Awakened as an associated search term.

nBut the cafe where Saints gathered wasn’t something that could be found through a search.

nI pulled out a piece of paper from the wallet on my desk. A website address, ID and password was written on the white paper.

n‘Here.’

nThe English words on the piece of paper was typed into the address bar and a black screen appeared. The only thing present was the login box in the centre.

nID and password.

nI clicked OK and the background changed to the message ‘Randalph Brigsiel-nim. I sincerely welcome you.’

nThen a bulletin board unfolded.

n‘VIP.’

nThe VIP status was displayed in the top left corner. Kim Yong-woo didn’t just give me an ID but also made sure I was authorized to view all the forums.

nI knew about it at the time. Usually a person would feel hesitant at this type of favour but I was different. My style wasn’t to decline anything given to me.

nHowever, I wouldn’t receive it unconditionally. I gave him one Core in return. It was a Core he obtained from one of the random high ranking creatures that appeared.

nHumans placed tremendous value on this Core. It was the crystallization of pure mana. It didn’t matter to demons and high ranking creatures but the one ones could absorb the opponent’s Core to grow stronger.

nI intended to play an active role in the human world so I pack away any mana before the creatures in the dungeon could get to it.

n‘It is good that I packed it.’

nI know that I gave a Core with a huge value. Actually, Kim Yong-woo had broken into a sweat when I gave him the Core.

nHe had a considerable amount of money in his bank account if I took into account his car. It was cleanly washed and worth at least 5 billion won.

nIn fact, Kim Yong-woo thought that was lacking. The level of the Awakened right now meant they couldn’t kill the creature that would drop this level of Core. It was an extremely rare item.

nThanks to that, I could relax in this house.

n‘Did he sell it at the secret auction in San Francisco?’

nCuriosity rose but I soon turned it off. Money was readily available. And the economy and currency would collapse in approximately 15 years. Even if I could stop it, I wouldn’t.

n“A lot.”

nMy eyes turned to the screen again. The homepage was flooded with various posts. A significant amount of real time articles caused a new page after just 1 minute.

nThere were quite a few Awakened subscribed. If I wanted to view a specific article then I needed to find a separate forum.

nFirst I looked for basic information. There was basic information besides the names of each Awakened. Some were locked and when I clicked on them, a pop up window stated that 100 points was required.

nI had 10 points. The information I required was easily accessible so I didn’t need a lot of points.

nThe title was ‘Dungeon Entrance Map.’ There was a reason why a Dungeon Master bought a map. The only person who knew the dungeon better than me was the fairy Yihi.

nI started to read the posts from the bottom.

n‘I want to know how much details are known.’

nI was quickly disappointed. There wasn’t any valuable information.

nIt was an overview from the Awakened about details of the creatures, how to obtain the Core and basic quest information. I didn’t need that information.

nHowever, the ‘urgent announcements’ at the top had some value.

n「Emergence of the Ale Snake. Please note that they have a strong attack venom that causes paralysis. Check the attached list for pictures. 」

n「Recently the body of an Awakened was found in the dungeon. Test results revealed that it was the result of an inside job. Please pay special attention to the other Heroes on raids.」

n「 A monster wave has started in China. Please click on the link for more information. 」

nA monster wave referred to incidents where creatures emerged from the dungeon. The official announcements warned the Awakened of dangerous information.

nAfter checking other minor things, he clicked on the forums for those seeking ‘raid members.’

n‘People can be found here.’

nSometimes I had questioned it. There was always a schedule for the humans who entered my dungeon. It turns out they could find a raid party here when they wanted.

n‘I have to admit this thing called the Internet is useful.’

nIt was convenient. Hopefully I could handle everything that existed in this world. It really was a civilization of machines. The world ran on extreme imbalance. They were strangely ignorant but managed to use the mana to create tools to help them.

nThere was a small posting on the forum that I examined closely.

nMore than 35 stamina. One Hero is required.

nI’ve already collected 2 magicians and archers. Beginners will be refused.

nDo you take direction well?

nExcept for a few, all the post had ‘recruitment completed’ tags on them. There were new recruitment posts within 10 minutes.

n‘There is enormous competition.’

nThere were many demanding requirements with the recruitment. The minimum requirements for a raid always specified certain abilities and skills…and almost all of them refused beginners.

nBeginners referred to people who hadn’t participated in a dungeon raid once. In that sense, I was also a beginner.

n“I still have to send.”

nAfter muttering those words, I sent a small note. The eagle like tapping on the keyboard was used to appeal myself.

n-Take me. I am strong. Kobolds and goblins aren’t my opponent.

nA very subjective and objective note. I knew that I was strong. That alone should be sufficient. In case the other person failed to realize it, I wrote three clear sentences.

nBut no matter how long I waited, there was no reply.

n“Hrmm…they are full.”

nNew posts was constantly rising. I also sent messages to them.

n-I’m sorry.

n-Find another raid.

n-Are you a king?

nI sent 29 notes in an hour and only received 3 replies. The reaction from all three wasn’t good.

nOf course, I was well aware of the cause.

n‘The tone.’

nThere was something called etiquette on the Internet. They couldn’t see each other’s faces here and needed to establish their identity.

nBut I was someone who wouldn’t even be polite to the Dukes and Grand Dukes. I was on the battlefield as a child and learned harsh curses from my opponents.

nThis was the language of a strong man.

nAnd I didn’t want to. I wouldn’t change my speech even if I was struck by lightning.

nMy personality was made by nature and there was no way to change it. Wasn’t it hardened after 300 years? One day I might be able to adapt but that time wasn’t now.

n‘Should I go on a raid with Heaven’s Will?’

nI shook my head.

n‘No. I can’t give up.’

nI am Randalph Brigsiel. And I sent messages to all the posts. One of them would eventually cave in.

nBesides, I wanted to see a raid from the bottom. I wanted to view my dungeon from the perspective of a complete beginner. In addition, I had a deep desire to find hidden talents.

nThe name of Heroes from my previous life. But they weren’t the only strong ones. There were those with high potential who died in the early days. I was looking for people like them.

nAt this time, a new article was posted.

nMore than 33 stamina. Recruiting for a raid group will be open for 6 minutes. Please note.

n8 people are required for the raid. I’ve recruited 6 Heroes so there is only one position left.

nI sent a note just like before. A reply arrived 3 minutes later.

n-Randalph-nim? Do you have experience in a raid?

nOf course, I had experience with a dungeon. A lot of experience. But I’ve never participated in a raid. I pressed the keyboard with a bittersweet feeling.

n-This is my first time for a raid.

n-Well, what occupation are you?

nI contemplated for a moment before replying roughly.

n-Close combat.

n-I understand. These days there aren’t many beginners who would send a note so I feel like I should help. Going on a raid…tomorrow at lunchtime, take Exit 3 at Suyu Station and head to ‘Street Cafe.’

n-Understood.

n-Leave your number. Please text or call when you arrive.

nI was easily accepted. I sighed and leaned my body against the chair.

n‘I would feel more at ease fighting advanced creatures.

nSending a simple note was almost like a war. In any case, my recruitment was completed. I would fight the creatures in a cool manner and the other side would get a good impression of me.

nTock, tock.

nThe sound was coming from the clock on the wall.

nKim Yong-woo had spent 4~5 billion won on a luxury villa in Cheongdamdong for me. All the furniture and appliances were already in place.

n114 pyeong (Unit of measurement). 5 rooms and 3 bathrooms.

nIt was different from a castle but everything I needed was stocked.

nI looked up at the ceiling. Everything was different now.

nI missed the company of Yihi but her spiritual body was unable to escape the dungeon. Of course, I could always summon myself back to the dungeon. However, if I did that then it wouldn’t be easy to adapt.

nI could return after I adapted. Anyway, it was clear I would adapt quickly. The difference would help eventually.

nI closed my eyes.

nThis evening would be exceptionally long.

n