It seemed this was their goal all along.
Yoon Seo knew he would need to keep entering dungeons regularly if he wanted to continue honing his control. Rather than risking his special abilities being discovered by new people, it might be better to continue working with those who already knew. As Yoon Seo hesitated, the party leader quickly added.
"We have another three-dungeon raid planned for this Thursday. Would you care to join us?"
Wait, what's with the way he's speaking?
"The locations are all nearby, around the Yeoju area, starting at 2 PM."
"Alright. I'll join you."
"Thank you!"
Yoon Seo nodded without seeking Kwon Jihan's approval.
"Well, could you provide us with your contact information, please?"
Ah, my contact info.
Yoon Seo hadn't thought that far ahead and furrowed his brow in frustration. At that moment, a large shadow loomed over them, and Kwon Jihan smoothly stepped between them.
"010-0000-0000. Reach us at this number."
"Ah, yes. We will contact you at that number!"
The party leader quickly saved the number on his U-pad.
"Well, how about an after-party to celebrate finishing today's three-dungeon raid…?"
"That's enough. Get lost."
Kwon Jihan cut him off bluntly, his gaze cold rather than intense. With the shadow of his cap covering his face, he looked even more chilling. The party members, intimidated by his mere presence, stiffened when they saw his stern expression. Though Yoon Seo used to think Kwon Jihan was arrogant and rude, now he only felt grateful for his consideration.
"Is it okay to give out your number so easily?"
"I've got three numbers. That one's just for handing out casually."
Kwon Jihan smiled boyishly as he turned back to Yoon Seo, as if his earlier coldness had never existed.
"But hyung, are you sure it's okay for you to enter dungeons so frequently? There's an S-rank Yellow Dungeon scheduled for Saturday…."
"I'll make sure it doesn't interfere with the Saturday dungeon."
"You know that's not what I'm worried about. If something happens and you get hurt…."
Kwon Jihan lowered his voice.
Yoon Seo found it amusing. If you asked half the people in the world who the strongest person was, they'd probably name Seo Chaeyoon. And yet here he was, worried about someone.
"Don't worry. Now that Riceball is awake, I won't be running out of mana anytime soon."
The gem on his dagger hummed and glowed. Yoon Seo allowed the 'Existing Soul' the freedom to change forms.
Pew!
Riceball, newly transformed, flitted around Kwon Jihan like a butterfly. Jihan held out his finger, but Riceball refused to land and fluttered off elsewhere.
"Where's it going? Should we let it be?"
"It's fine. There's a barrier around the place, so it won't go far. It looks like it's still excited, so let it fly around for a bit."
The terrain of this F-rank dungeon was a dry and barren grassland. Its size was no larger than a single football field, so if you stood in one spot, you could easily see the dungeon barrier.
"There's probably another dungeon outside that barrier, huh?"
"Most likely. Hyung, don't rely too much on your self-recovery. Save some of your mana."
"…Hunter Kwon Jihan, can't you see my total mana?"
['Kwon Jihan' has activated the
Yoon Seo allowed Kwon Jihan's skill to work by lifting the memory distortion on his mana capacity.
[Mana 9500/9999]
Kwon Jihan clicked his tongue as he saw that even after clearing three dungeons in a row, Yoon Seo still had 95% of his mana left.
"Hyung, why are you so strong that you make it impossible for anyone to worry about you? This is why they call you a hidden overpowered character…."
"I'm not really hidden anymore."
"You're still halfway hidden. You're keeping your identity secret."
"A lot of people know, though."
"Then let's call you a half-hidden overpowered character. This is why these half-hidden OP characters…."
Kwon Jihan shook his head in disbelief, but his expression suddenly stiffened. Yoon Seo wondered what was going on, and then Kwon Jihan spoke in a low, serious voice.
"Hyung, your experience points… what's going on?"
"
"It's… 13.2 billion. 13.2 billion?"
"Yes, about that much."
"..."
Yoon Seo expected Kwon Jihan to react with something like, "How is it that high? You really are a hidden OP character," but instead, Kwon Jihan's face grew pale, as if he had just realized something terrifying. As Yoon Seo looked at him in confusion, Kwon Jihan spoke with a troubled expression.
"…You said it was three years."
Ah.
Yoon Seo finally understood why Kwon Jihan was reacting this way. For having spent only three years in the Great Dungeon, his experience points were unusually high. No one really knew exactly how much time had passed while using the
"The Seokyoung Guild gathered 10 billion experience over 10 years. But you… alone… have 13 billion… How is that even possible…?"
"..."
There wasn't much Yoon Seo could say, so he stayed silent.
[The God of Life urges you to check the time for the exit portal.]
Kwon Jihan must have received the same message, as his gaze shifted downward. There were about five minutes left until the exit portal closed. If they didn't leave before then, everything inside the dungeon would disappear.
"Riceball, come here. Let's get out of here."
Beep!
From afar, Riceball responded and flew over diligently. Kwon Jihan still wore a heavy expression.
Before stepping through the portal, Yoon Seo took one last look toward the dungeon barrier.
"That must be near Mikael's Gorge."
'Mikael's Gorge' was a name they arbitrarily attached while making the planetary map. Kwon Jihan looked in the direction Yoon Seo was staring.
"How do you know that's the gorge?"
"Because this is 'Hwangah Great Plains.' With three suns directly above us, that direction is north, and north of Hwangah Great Plains is Mikael's Gorge."
"So how did you know this was the Great Plains? There are eight plains like this."
"You can tell by the by-products this area produces. It's written in great detail."
"Hyung, you only saw the map once."
Yoon Seo blinked as if there was nothing wrong with that. Kwon Jihan let out a sigh of disbelief.
"This is ridiculous. You've got 13.2 billion experience points, and now you're remembering something you glanced at once? How overpowered are you going to get? It's so frustrating, but also impressive."
Yoon Seo was about to ask if it was really that strange to remember something he saw once, but he stopped himself.
Yoon Seo exited the portal first, and Kwon Jihan quickly followed behind.
"Don't tell me you remember the names of all the terrains too. What's south of this dungeon?"
"A cliff and a snake's nest. If you keep going west, you'll hit the lava fields, and beyond that, the sea. To the east, there's a cave full of black vampire bats."
"Okay, fine. You've got some memorization skill I don't know about, right?"
"Don't tease me."
"I'm not teasing. I'm genuinely amazed. I didn't know you were this smart. Actually, if you really spent that much time in the Great Dungeon, it makes sense to call you a sage. Little Savior Seo Chaeyoon. Sage Yoon Seo. It fits perfectly."
"I'll say it again, it was only three or maybe four years. It was definitely not hundreds of years."
Yoon Seo spoke seriously, but Kwon Jihan didn't seem to listen. He kept talking about the same thing on the road back to Seoul, saying things like, "Hyung, you're so smart," "You're a genius," "Your memory is beyond extraordinary, and your comprehension is off the charts," "You're a sage," and "An ultra-genius overpowered character."
By the time they arrived at Kwon Jihan's house, Yoon Seo was beginning to wonder if maybe he really was an old man with exceptional intelligence. Fortunately, they were almost at their destination.
This time, Kwon Jihan didn't insist on Yoon Seo staying the night.
"Riceball, Sticky Rice, I'm off. See you on Wednesday."
Beep!
"Take care."
Kwon Jihan cheerfully said goodbye, but as he reached for the car door handle, he paused and looked at Yoon Seo as if he had something important to say. Yoon Seo, who had been scratching the back of Riceball's neck, noticed Kwon Jihan's gaze and turned to face him. With a serious expression, Kwon Jihan asked,
"Did you have a final request to memorize maps or something?"
Yoon Seo frowned in disbelief.
"Do you really think those people would have left such a request?"
"They easily could have. It's more reasonable than trying to catch ten 90-centimeter red seabream."
"..."
"Anyway, I'm glad that's not the case. I'll really be going now. See you on Wednesday."
Kwon Jihan opened the car door and stepped out. Sticky Rice gently started the car.
Come to think of it, he was right. Making a planetary map or memorizing one seemed far more constructive than trying to catch ten 90-centimeter red seabream, wasn't it? As that thought crossed his mind, Yoon Seo remembered that at the time, the Revengers didn't know that the dungeon was a planet. His long-buried frustration flared up again.
***
14. The Great Dungeon Briefing
The day for the Great Dungeon briefing had finally arrived. Yoon Seo arrived early at Seokyoung's headquarters to discuss the production of items and strategies needed for the dungeon conquest.
After knocking twice on Yoo Juncheol's office door, Yoon Seo opened it without waiting for a response. Inside, Yoo Juncheol and Kwon Jihan were seated, with a hologram filled with complex charts and formulas floating in front of them. Several potions in various colors were also on the table.
"Hyung, you're here?"
"Yoon Seo, you're early. Please, have a seat."
"Hello."
Beep!
A white ferret poked its head out from Yoon Seo's neck and stretched all its limbs as if it had just woken up, yawning.
Today, Riceball wasn't a bird but a ferret. Waking up to find a ferret lying belly-up at his bedside had been the most adorable thing.