Chapter 10

Ian is my past life, but he is also a completely different being.

There is evidence that shows this most clearly.

His magical talent and mine.

Compared to Ian, I am the most ordinary of commoners.

Even Isaac, who looks at Ian with eyes of reverence, is a genius I can’t even compare myself to.

That’s why I find it so strange.

Though it’s embarrassing to compare it to Ian’s, the Mana Heart I just made was far too mature.

Fwoosh-

A vivid flame bloomed on my palm.

Compared to when it used to flicker and die, this was a world of difference.

I don’t even have to go that far back. It’s overwhelmingly better than when I used to pant after casting Buff Magic just five times.

In both quantity and quality.

Those damn buffs, I could stack them ten times over. No. In the first place, I don’t have to fight so crudely.

[Fireball], [Lightning], [Shield], and so on. I can perfectly handle over twenty Beginner Magic spells.

If I push myself a little, I can even cast an intermediate-level spell once.

Therefore, the D-Rank Dungeon raid plan I had diligently written was naturally discarded.

It had become useless.

Now, there’s no need to even discuss whether the raid will succeed or not.

A more valuable question would be how many hours it will take to clear it.

Even in that situation, my face reflected in the mirror was filled with confusion.

It was good, yes, but bewilderment came first.

That was the case just a short while ago.

Thinking what’s good is good, I used Buff Magic recklessly, and a rumor almost started. That my Buff Magic had a growth effect attached to it.

That was why.

Others might say I’m so spoiled by my good fortune that I’m shitting in the chamber pot, but I absolutely had to pinpoint the reason.

After a long time spent agonizing over all sorts of hypotheses.

“Huh.”

The description of the only Skill in my Status Window caught my eye.

Past Life Lucid Dream: When you sleep, memories of your past life will randomly surface. The higher the Rank, the clearer the memories become.

Past Life Lucid Dream is a Skill without a displayed Rank.

So I can’t be exactly sure.

But I can make a plausible guess.

If dreaming of Ian three times in a row signifies an increase in the Rank of Past Life Lucid Dream.

Then couldn’t the word ‘memories’ be interpreted as the Synchronization Rate with Ian? That’s my guess.

As an outsider, I need permission from the Ilseong HR Team to enter a Dungeon.

To be precise, I need the permission of the Hunter Head, Park Cheol-hyeong, who is behind the HR Team.

So I went to see him.

“You want to enter where?”

“The Hwaseong D-Rank Orc Dungeon, I’d like to go too…”

“Are you serious?”

As expected, a sharp response flew back.

“I heard you were pestering the HR Team, so I came to see. Are you trying to go completely off the rails now?”

“Is it not allowed?”

Park Cheol-hyeong stared at me as if I were a madman.

“I’ve had a feeling for a while now. You’ve got some serious nerve. What are you banking on? Aren’t you an F-Rank?”

“…I am.”

Officially, I am an F-Rank.

But if I were to properly measure my abilities, I’d easily be D-Rank.

And even that doesn’t include life-or-death combat experience.

Park Cheol-hyeong scrunched up his face as much as he could and crossed his arms.

“What, you plan to get hurt, come back, and then make a case out of it? You think we’ll be kowtowing to the Association then?”

“If we can’t clear it, I’ll have to join Ilseong right away. What grounds would the Association have to blame anyone for anything?”

“You never know.”

Park Cheol-hyeong pointed between his legs.

“If you want to go in there so badly, try crawling between my legs. I’ll let you go then.”

“……”

“Just looking at you twists my guts. I think doing this might make me feel a little better.”

Look who’s talking.

Considering our conversation in the General Manager’s office, he should know full well that I was just a scarecrow.

Why is he tormenting me like this?

If I just take this, I feel like my very Soul will be scarred.

So I said a word.

“You don’t have to worry about safety. I’m a proper Awakener, too. I won’t blame others for dying in a Dungeon like someone else.”

“What did you say, you bastard?”

Park Cheol-hyeong’s eyes instantly turned savage. I could feel a murderous intent thicker than the first time I saw him.

But well, thinking about fighting Monsters with my life on the line, it’s not that scary.

If things go south, I’ll just run to the General Manager.

From our last conversation, it seemed like he’d grant most of my requests.

Then, suddenly, Park Cheol-hyeong spoke.

“Fine, do whatever you want.”

I hadn’t expected it, but permission was granted.

As I was debating whether to thank him, Park Cheol-hyeong smirked.

“You’d better be prepared when you come under me.”

“…You’re going where?”

Choi Soo-jung asked with a reluctant face.

That was the third time already.

“The Hwaseong D-Rank Orc Dungeon.”

“And you’re going in with who…”

“With you guys. To raid it together.”

Choi Soo-jung’s face soured.

I don’t think she had that expression even when I first joined.

“See, I was right. This Hyung has been saying weird things since yesterday, I tell you!”

Kim Soo-gyeom made a fuss, saying we had to stop him.

At that, the team members, without exception, crossed their arms and stared at me.

Their faces were full of worry.

“It’s already been decided?”

“I just got permission.”

“Can’t you cancel it?”

I can’t say I’ll cancel now.

I’d rather use an Escape Stone and be embarrassed.

When I told them that, the kids’ expressions grew even more serious.

Team Leader Kim Jeong-su was clutching his head, crying, “Oh, my head.”

Well, this is a realistic reaction.

“Do you have something you’re counting on? What on earth possessed you to go in there…”

“Hm. In my own way?”

“What is it?”

I can’t lay my cards on the table here, not knowing who might be watching from where.

It might be a different story if we were inside a Dungeon with just us.

So I gave a vague answer, and people slapped their foreheads.

“Gi-woong. This is a bit much. You said you’ve never even been in a Dungeon in your life.”

“It’s a little awkward to say this, but Oppa, aren’t you an F-Rank?”

“The moment the aggro shifts, they’ll charge right at you. You shouldn’t take this lightly.”

“Hyung, how about you reconsider?”

Gazes full of concern poured down on me.

I expected it, but the reaction is more intense than I thought.

“I don’t even get it in the first place. You said we couldn’t clear a D-Rank Dungeon. You told us to take it easy this time.”

“I did.”

“Then why are you suddenly preparing for a full-on raid like this?”

At this rate, it seems like a lengthy persuasion process will continue.

“Actually.”

So I brought out the words I had prepared in advance.

“You, you made a bet with whom? The General Manager?”

“Then are you really coming to Ilseong?”

“To which team?”

“Hey. What kind of question is that? Of course, he has to come to our team.”

An even more intense reaction than before hit me.

“This makes sense now. Since you have to join Ilseong anyway, you’re trying to make a last-ditch effort.”

“Hyung. Good luck.”

“I’ll pack plenty of Escape Stones. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?”

The way people’s eyes were sparkling gave me a bad feeling.

“Wait. Aren’t you guys misunderstanding something? Aren’t you looking down on this Oppa too much?”

Just then, Choi Soo-jung said with a frown.

Right. You, at least, should say I can do it.

“Who said Choi Gi-woong is coming to our team?”

What?

“You guys have no sense of reality. Do you know how many teams are after this person right now?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Exactly.

This made me curious too, so I perked up my ears, and Choi Soo-jung said with a serious face.

“I overheard it yesterday, anyway. They were saying Choi Gi-woong might be coming to Ilseong.”

“Who?”

“I think it was a C-Rank team.”

“Where on earth do you go around picking up stuff like that?”

“Anyway. If Oppa comes to Ilseong, there will be plenty of teams welcoming him with open arms.”

“Me?”

When I asked in bewilderment, Choi Soo-jung shrugged.

“It was noisy after this month’s performance results came out. The rumor spread like wildfire that you turned useless kids into decent people.”

I didn’t know.

Come to think of it, the gazes that looked at me like a traitor seemed to have softened a bit.

“Eh. Let’s be honest, Im Seong-joon was in a league of his own. It was a bit of a shock when he died, but honestly, I bet no one feels much about it now.”

Kim Soo-gyeom said, and Choi Soo-jung added.

“So, which team are you going to? Have you decided?”

So she was just trying to get to this question in the end.

I clicked my tongue and said.

“Let’s go get our equipment fitted first.”

The General Manager smirked.

“So, that guy decided to go along too?”

“Yes. He’s acting up, not knowing how scary a Dungeon is. I have to teach him a lesson.”

“Do you think they’ll clear it?”

“Nah. No way, not a D-Rank. I know their level all too well.”

Park Cheol-hyeong said with a frown.

“That’s why I’m asking. General Manager, what is it about that guy that caught your eye? No matter how I look at it, he’s not someone you’d go out of your way to show interest in.”

“I wanted to see. I was curious how he would change if I put another team under him.”

“Is that all? Honestly, I admit he made Kim Jeong-su’s kids useful, but handling high-rank Awakeners is a different story, isn’t it?”

“And.”

The General Manager added with a peculiar gaze.

“I did some digging, and it turns out he was a guy that Head of Department Han Seung-hoon cherished exceptionally.”

“Head of Department Han Seung-hoon from the Association?”

“Even when I was kicked out of the Association alone, he protected Choi Gi-woong to the very end. I’m a little curious about the reason why.”

“If he’s the one that guy singled out… it does seem like there’s something to him.”

After pondering for a moment, Park Cheol-hyeong clicked his tongue.

“Anyway, when that guy comes in, give him to me.”

“You were just saying you weren’t interested.”

“He needs to be educated.”

“I feel like that’s not all.”

At the General Manager’s words, Park Cheol-hyeong made an excuse with a startled face.

“He’s threatening me.”

“Threatening? You?”

Park Cheol-hyeong recalled the situation from a little while ago.

-You’d better be prepared when you come under me.

-Before that, I have a favor to ask. I made a bet with Team Leader Choi Hyeong-woo.

-A bet?

-He said that if we took on that Dungeon in Hwaseong, he would buy us equipment. Team Leader Choi Hyeong-woo did.

-So why are you telling me that?

-Ah. I suppose it would be better if I said it, right?

“At that moment, he was smiling. As if he were looking at a fish that took the bait.”

“He did?”

“He was saying it in a way that if I didn’t resolve it on my end, he’d burn the whole thing down.”

“He must be fearless.”

“Exactly. So when that guy comes in, I’ll educate him properly. I will.”

Just then, a knock echoed in the General Manager’s office.

The door opened and Choi Hyeong-woo entered.

Unlike yesterday, his face was extremely cautious.

“I heard you were looking for me.”

Park Cheol-hyeong stared at Choi Hyeong-woo pathetically for a moment, then sighed.

“Did you promise to give them items?”

“…Pardon?”

“Choi Gi-woong, you promised to give that guy items if he entered the Dungeon. Is that true?”

At the sudden question, Choi Hyeong-woo tilted his head with a bewildered expression.

“What is that supposed to…”

“Just tell me if it’s true or not.”

Faced with a gaze that said ‘I’ll kill you if you lie,’ Choi Hyeong-woo swallowed hard and nodded.

“I, I think I might have said something similar in passing.”

“You bastard. Why can’t you watch your mouth?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Forget it, take off that item and give it to them.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear me? Take off your item now and give it to those bastards. Before you cause a scene at the company.”