Chapter 20: Jiwon makes a request

Seung's heart pounded in his chest, the rhythm quickening with each second as anxiety constricted his throat. He could feel the raw power surging around him, suffocating him, rendering him frozen as if his limbs had been shackled by fear itself. The monster before him, a hulking mass of fury and claws, was draining their mana with a relentless force.

Panic clawed at his thoughts.

'It's absorbing our mana! Am I going to die here?' The question screamed through his mind, but he found no answer, only the numbing coldness of dread.

Suddenly, the screen flickered to life with a message that brought a spark of hope. His eyes widened as he read:

[Blocking external attack...]

[Completed. You can continue the fight now.]

Seung stared at the monster, and a slow smirk crept across his face. "What an idiot," he muttered, a new confidence settling over him.

The azure light that had encased them flickered out, along with the dungeon boss's menacing reddish aura. Without its power, the monster seemed to deflate, and Seung, along with his clones, crashed to the floor with a bone-jarring thud.

"Yagrhh!" The monster roared in fury, lashing out with a massive blow that sent tremors through the ground. Seung barely had time to roll out of the way, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His clones, echoing his movements, scrambled to their feet, their faces pale but determined.

'We're on the same page,' Seung thought, a fleeting smile tugging at his lips. This was no time for second thoughts. He gripped his dagger tighter, feeling the weapon thrumming with elemental energy, a crackling promise of the power within. With a sharp intake of breath, he propelled himself toward the monster's eyes, his target clear.

The air whistled around him as he closed in on the beast's face, his dagger poised for the killing blow. The weapon gleamed with a deadly light as he brought it down with a cry,

"Go to HELL!" The blade sank into the creature's bulging eye with a sickening squelch, causing the Chimera to thrash wildly, its pained roar reverberating through the dungeon.

Despite the violent shaking, Seung clung to the creature's head, his knuckles white as he fought to maintain his balance. The beast's screech echoed off the dungeon walls, but Seung's resolve hardened. His gaze flicked to his clones, who were already on the move.

"If you guys aren't tired, let's finish this hunt already!" Seung's voice rang out, his determination cutting through the chaos.

"Yes, sir!" The first clone's voice was strained, but his resolve was unyielding. With a fierce yell, he drove his dagger into the monster's body. The sound of the blade tearing through flesh was followed by a spray of green blood, the sickly fluid splattering across the ground as the Chimera snarled in agony.

The second clone didn't hesitate, his own blade carving deep, jagged lines into the dungeon boss's hide. The monster's roars grew weaker, its body trembling as the trio reassembled in front of it, their breathing heavy but synchronized.

The Chimera, now a cornered beast, snarled in defiance. The air around them thickened once more, the pressure building as if the dungeon itself was holding its breath.

'I will finish this immediately!' Seung's resolve crystallized. His grip tightened around the hilt of his dagger as the screen blinked, displaying the activation of his skill: 'Light Speed.'

In an instant, Seung was gone, a blur of motion. The next moment, an azure light slashed through the air, slicing clean through the Chimera's neck. The severed head tumbled to the ground with a resounding thud, followed by the colossal body collapsing lifelessly behind it.

Silence descended on the chamber, broken only by Seung's labored breathing. He stood there, back turned to the monster, dagger clutched against his chest.

"I have... wheh, I have done it... right?" His voice was a whisper, disbelief and exhaustion mingling in his tone.

He turned, eyes fixed on the massive corpse. As the reality of his victory sank in, his lips curled into a wide grin.

"I knew an E-ranker is just a punching bag for me," he chuckled, though the weariness in his voice was undeniable.

"Aigoo," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "but I was pushed to my limit to defeat it. I should train and hunt more frequently from now on; besides, it may not be long before I find a C-rank dungeon."

Outside the dungeon, Mr. Choi paced nervously, his hands gripping his waist as he stared at the portal, worry etched on his face. He couldn't shake the ominous words the soldiers had shared earlier.

"Even though this is a weak dungeon, no Hunter has been able to defeat it."

"It means no adventurer has ever stepped out of the portal."

"I don't want to believe anything," Mr. Choi muttered to himself, swallowing hard as he kept his gaze fixed on the portal. His thoughts were interrupted by the presence of a soldier standing behind him.

"Excuse me, sir," the soldier began, his tone casual, "Do you mind if we go inside to clean up? It's been over an hour since..."

"Please wait a bit longer," Mr. Choi cut him off, his voice firm, his eyes never leaving the portal.

A sharp sound pierced the air—Twish! —and suddenly, there was movement.

"The Hunters are coming out!" someone shouted.

Mr. Choi's heart leaped in his chest as he spotted figures emerging from the portal. He grinned widely, relief washing over him as he recognized Seung and two other men, their faces obscured by masks.

"There's so many people here," Seung remarked, a hint of surprise in his voice as they approached Mr. Choi.

"What took you so long?" Mr. Choi asked, his voice tinged with concern. "I was worried about your safety..."

"You need not worry, Mr. Choi," Seung replied softly, "I will always be safe because my clones are with me."

With that, the four of them climbed into the red Range Rover and drove away, leaving the soldiers and the maintenance team to their work.

* * *

As the car rumbled down the road, Seung leaned forward, asking Mr. Choi to drop him off at his previous apartment instead.

"Is there something you forgot to take when leaving?" Mr. Choi asked, curiosity lacing his words.

"Nothing specific. Besides, it's already been demolished."

In no time, they arrived at his former neighborhood. Seung's eyes were drawn to the spot where his apartment once stood, now reduced to a heap of rubble. He sighed, shrugging off the weight of the past as he entered Mister Song's shop.

The old man was just about to leave when Seung greeted him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Song."

"Ah, Seung," the old man smiled warmly, "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Seung replied, his gaze sweeping across the shop. "Ahjussi, are you locking up because you're going out?"

The old man nodded, explaining that his granddaughter would take care of the shop in his absence. Seung murmured a quiet "Thank goodness," though the reason for his relief remained unspoken.

As he ventured further into the shop, Seung noticed that no one was around.

"I thought he said she was inside..." he whispered to himself, puzzled.

A soft, feminine voice broke the silence. "By any chance, are you here to ask for forgiveness?"

Seung turned, finding himself face-to-face with a slender figure—Mister Song's granddaughter. Her posture was graceful, her presence commanding, yet her voice carried a gentle warmth.

"Ahh, you... I didn't know you were inside," Seung fumbled, forcing a smile. But his eyes were drawn to hers, her gaze so expressive that it held him captive for a moment.

She said nothing, simply taking a seat nearby. Seung hesitated before joining her, maintaining a respectful distance.

"Uhm, something important came up that day I left you at the restaurant. You don't find it insulting, do you?" Seung asked, though he already knew the answer he feared.

Jiwon pressed down on the chair, her eyes drifting into the distance as if searching for something unseen. After a long pause, she spoke, "Normally, it would be. But you said you had to attend to something quickly, so we are good..."

Seung raised an eyebrow. 'Why is she speaking as though we have known each other for a long time?' he wondered.

Silence settled between them, heavy and awkward. Jiwon seemed lost in her thoughts, staring at nothing in particular, while Seung stared at his feet, cursing the silence that stretched on.

'D*mn, is no one going to sp...?'

His thoughts were cut off as Jiwon finally spoke. "That I told you it doesn't matter doesn't mean I have forgiven you. I had to pay for your noodles when you didn't even eat them."

Seung winced internally, realizing she was asking for something in return. But what did he have to offer?

"You're the top student at school..." Jiwon began, a grin tugging at her lips as she leaned slightly closer, causing Seung to shift back instinctively. "...so could you please be my personal tutor?"

"A-a personal tutor?" Seung stammered, straightening up and clearing his throat. He hesitated, "Why would you ask your mate to be your personal tutor?"

"That may be true, but you're more knowledgeable than anyone else in school," she replied softly, her voice laced with sincerity.

Seung could see she was genuinely in need, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of responsibility.

"Just be my tutor till the final exams are over. Please..." Jiwon pleaded, her hands clasped together in a gesture of earnestness.

Seung's mind wandered back to when she called him the most knowledgeable student.

'So she knows me as the top student, not the one always being bullied? What a relief!'

Eventually, he agreed to her request, promising to get back to her after he rescheduled his plans. As he left the shop, the weight of the day's events settled over him, his body aching with exhaustion.

When he finally returned home, he gave his clones their orders—one to work out, the other to clean the house. "They can't just be eating my money away," he muttered to himself.

Collapsing onto his bed, Seung was about to drift off when his phone vibrated, pulling him back to reality.

Ding...ding...ding...

He picked it up, his eyes widening at the notification.

[Account balance: seven hundred million one]

[About $623,000]

"Yahoo! Whoa!" he shouted, leaping off the bed. He threw his fists into the air, a grin spreading across his face. With that kind of money, he could finally have a proper meal, maybe even buy a few things he'd been eyeing for a while.

Seung sat back down, still smiling, when a thought crossed his mind. After killing the E-rank boss, he remembered the mana crystals scattered across the chamber. He knew he couldn't absorb them into himself, nor could his clones, so he had drained the mana to enhance his weapon instead.

'Switch to Residue section,' he commanded mentally, and the screen displayed the mana in its solid form—a pure white crystal, different from the red one he had seen before. He had no idea why the mana was different, but he felt certain it would improve his weapon.

[External mana absorbed: 5000]

"Now, let's upgrade Shadow Blade," Seung murmured, excitement bubbling in his chest. "I can't wait to see what new skills I can unlock."