Kim Songcheol finally sought out Magic Alliance Branch Manager Gye Eunhwa.

The purpose was to thank her and also to seek advice.

Gye Eunhwa had been in an A-rank Dungeon before. She had even been active there. That is, until she realized there was no Source.

“Already going up?”

Gye Eunhwa expressed surprise with a tone that wasn’t very surprised. She knew Kim Songcheol’s potential well.

Considering his current Magic Thread power, it could even be said he was a little late.

Even mages who are less skilled than Kim Songcheol are going into A-rank Dungeons for first-tier magic.

“Yes, I’m about to leave now. Thank you for everything.”

Kim Songcheol placed the fruit basket he brought onto the table.

Various fruits were neatly arranged in the large basket.

“Oh, so in your world, you give fruit when you’re grateful? How cute.”

Gye Eunhwa showed more interest than expected. She even put down her beer can and ruthlessly tore off the plastic wrap covering the fruit basket.

“This is an apple… I know what an apple is, but I don’t know the others. What’s this long one?”

“That’s a banana.”

“I’ve never seen one before.”

Gye Eunhwa plucked a banana and examined it from various angles.

It seemed she didn’t know how to eat it because there were no bananas in her world.

Thus, even in similar worlds, small differences existed. Though they weren’t particularly important.

“You just peel it and eat it.”

Kim Songcheol used Telekinesis magic to pluck the banana stem and peel it for her.

Gye Eunhwa took a bite of the white flesh.

Soon, a smile spread across her face.

“It’s delicious. I’ll enjoy it. You’re very promising. There have been quite a few mages who received my help, but it’s rare for them to even bring a basket like this.”

“Well… I guess they had their reasons. Since they’re hunters.”

“I understand.”

Gye Eunhwa replied quite coolly and put the rest of the banana into her mouth. It seemed to suit her taste.

“Ah, by any chance, do you know a mage who can identify The Source?”

“I know someone who can see it. Normals solve it by seeing. But you, Kim Songcheol Mage, said you’ve already tried seeing, right?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Kim Songcheol slowly nodded.

“If it were anyone else, I’d tell them to give up! But our Kim Songcheol Mage can’t do that. But let me tell you in advance, I don’t know enough to point out ‘this is the person.’ I’m an A-rank Dungeon dropout. And there’s one more problem. From A-rank onwards, the Magic Alliance isn’t that strong of a place. Once you learn first-tier magic, the common magic of the thread ends.”

The Magic Alliance is maintained by mages providing labor in exchange for shared magic.

However, once first-tier magic is learned, there’s no more magic to share, and the reason to be active in the Magic Alliance also disappears.

If the labor provided by mages disappeared, its power would naturally weaken.

“So, I’ll introduce you to a new place.”

Gye Eunhwa raised a finger and grinned.

“What kind of…?”

“The organization itself isn’t much. Compared to truly top-tier magic organizations like ‘Pioneer,’ it feels like a bunch of small fry getting together to do something small. But the important thing is that they’re first-tier mages, right? One of them used to be under me. He’s a foe who passed through Ojak, and if you’re from Ojak, you’ll like him. Try to get information from him. He’s been active in A-rank Dungeons longer than me, so something will come up.”

Gye Eunhwa handed him a profile. There were no detailed contents. Just a name and a picture.

His name was Di Shawn.

He was Black, and his face looked to be in his thirties or forties, but his dreadlocked hair was entirely white.

“Their organization’s name is ‘G-up,’ and their main base is near G16 Slab… wasn’t it? I remember because I went there once. Even if they look a bit rough, they’re pacifists, so if you tell them you’re looking for Di Shawn, they’ll probably contact him for you. It’s best if Di Shawn is there.”

After finishing her words, Gye Eunhwa took out another banana.

“This is good. Send it to me occasionally if you think of it, okay?”

“As long as I have the thread, I’ll send you tons of it.”

“I don’t take those words as a joke. I can receive tons and sell it in my world’s capital city.”

“If you ask for it, I’ll send it right over.”

Even if he brought tons of thread, it would still be a profitable business for Kim Songcheol. He had received a lot of information from Gye Eunhwa.

Moreover, with the portals open these days, bananas had become even cheaper. That’s because Central and South American bananas were also coming into Korea.

“I’ll contact you if I think of it. Oh, it’s a bit sudden, but be careful. The A-rank dungeon, that’s not an easy place at all. It’s narrower than a B-rank, but there are many strong foes, so it’s bustling with nothing but them. Sometimes monsters pop out too.”

When you reach the late A-rank, from the perspective of an early A-rank, it’s no different from a deep-sea monster.

The disparity within A-rank was that great.

“I’ll be careful. But I can’t not go.”

“You’ve become a full-fledged hunter.”

Gye Eunhwa chuckled, patted Kim Songcheol’s shoulder, and chugged her beer. The snack was, of course, a banana.

“It’s good as a beer snack too?”

She pulled out another banana.

Judging by her aura, a request for a container of bananas seemed imminent.

***

“Are you ready?”

Kim Songcheol, dressed in a black combat uniform, was waiting in the lobby and greeted Cha Sehyeon.

Cha Sehyeon also seemed to have put some thought into her attire for the A-rank dungeon.

Cha Sehyeon usually appeared in clothes that made it hard to tell if she was going to the supermarket or a dungeon.

But today, the explosiveness of her usually baggy pants was greatly reduced, and her top was even a sturdy jacket.

“Can’t you tell by looking? I’m completely ready.”

Cha Sehyeon had even tied her hair up tightly. She had abandoned the fashion she had maintained until the B-rank dungeon and transformed anew solely for combat.

Seeing her like that, it naturally felt like the Celestial Spirit Maiden’s resolve was extraordinary.

Her attendant official position training clothes and her hair always tied up high.

In a way, she might have needed much greater resolve than simply protecting her country.

Her goal would certainly be more difficult. More so than protecting her country.

“If you’re ready, let’s go.”

Kim Songcheol led the way into the room with the stone slab.

Their primary objective was a mage who could ‘see’ the Source.

It was much easier than finding a mage who could directly confirm the Source through Di Shawn, and if Cha Sehyeon had the Source, they could immediately begin the process for first-tier magic.

What if she didn’t?

It would be one of two things.

Either try again like Kim Songcheol, or go back down to a B-rank dungeon.

The two stood on the stone slab. After adjusting it for an A-rank dungeon, Kim Songcheol pressed the transfer button.

An illusory light burst forth.

Boom!

As soon as Kim Songcheol regained consciousness, he heard a tremendous explosion and instinctively flinched.

‘What was that?’

He immediately shielded Cha Sehyeon with defensive magic, while quickly scanning his surroundings.

Cha Sehyeon had also already activated defensive magic. With two semi-transparent barriers, it was hard to see anything around them.

“Damn it, turn one off!”

“You turn it off, why would I?”

“Oh, come on!”

As Cha Sehyeon’s defensive magic disappeared, the surroundings finally came into view.

It was a complete battlefield.

The first thing he saw was a sword cleaving a person in two.

From a distance, loud explosions erupted with flashes of light, and in the sky, Hunters flew around, unleashing magic and sword aura.

“Shit, we came to the wrong place.”

No one had entered an A-rank Dungeon in Korea before.

They were the first two.

The teleportation stone slab was random, and they had coincidentally landed in the middle of a battlefield.

“Run!”

Cha Sehyeon cast teleport magic. She didn’t have any specific coordinates in mind. She just picked the furthest point within her sight.

But that was a miscalculation. As the teleportation magic circle appeared, it drew the attention of the Hunters.

Teleportation was a slow-acting magic, making the caster an easy target.

Hunters, having learned this, would prioritize targeting mages using teleportation magic.

The distinction between friend and foe was already blurry.

Two swordsmen nearby rushed towards them, and a mage in the sky shot magic.

The swordsmen’s blades glowed brilliantly with sword aura. This was a familiar attack method.

However, the mage’s magic was indistinguishable; he couldn’t even tell what kind of magic it was.

A thick purple smoke, swirling around his body, spread out, giving off an immense sense of unease.

‘Is that magic…?’

It was not the magic Kim Songcheol had known until now.

No magic formula was detected, and it felt like something alien was reaching out.

‘First-tier…?’

As the thought instantly reached him, Kim Songcheol immediately took action.

That action was the best of the Thirty-Six Stratagems.

It was better not to confront the unknown.

Kim Songcheol grabbed Cha Sehyeon by the scruff of her neck and used Blink.

Flash!

Kim Songcheol and Cha Sehyeon instantly moved away, flickering several times.

The swordsmen simply turned away. They decided it was more efficient to deal with other enemies than to pursue them.

The mage in the sky watched them with a look of disbelief.

It was because the Blink was incredibly fast.

‘What was that…?’

A continuous casting of Blink that made her jaw drop.

While she could have followed if she really wanted to, an enemy was flying at her from behind, swinging a sword.

It was not the time to chase after a fleeing enemy.

After using Blink five times in a row, Kim Songcheol grabbed Cha Sehyeon by the scruff of her neck and deployed ‘Ether Wings’ at maximum speed.

It was a 7-Circle Magic, and unlike simple flying magic, it was specifically designed for high-speed travel.

Aargh!

Something like a cross between wings and a cloak rippled over Kim Songcheol’s shoulders, propelling them forward at an incredible speed.

That speed easily exceeded 500 km.

“W-wait a minute…!”

Cha Sehyeon, who was being dragged along by the scruff of her neck, soon requested an emergency stop.

The peerless evasion skill, Blink, was an excellent means for Kim Songcheol, but not for Cha Sehyeon.

Headaches and nausea dominated her from the continuous Blinks.

“Ugh…!”

Kim Songcheol quickly slowed down and set her down on the ground.

“Ugh!”

Cha Sehyeon finally threw up what was inside her.

“Are you okay?”

Kim Songcheol patted her back with the same look he would give his younger sister who had drunk too much.

“Ugh, this initiation is really tough, seriously.”

Cha Sehyeon barely wiped her mouth and stood up.

She already seemed fed up with the A-rank Dungeon.

Regardless of her upset stomach, they had fortunately escaped the battlefield.

Kim Songcheol and Cha Sehyeon finally moved with a bit more ease.

Having more ease meant a calmer mind, not a slower speed.

Kim Songcheol, who was swiftly traversing the sky, soon discovered a Base.

A-rank Dungeons do not have Teleportation Sites scattered everywhere like B-rank Dungeons. They are operated to connect large Bases. After all, there aren’t many people who use them anyway.

The Base was so developed that it almost resembled a futuristic city.

Cars flew in the sky, and tall skyscrapers stood everywhere.

Nevertheless, tiled-roof houses were occasionally seen, and people dressed in medieval attire walked by.

It was like a melting pot of all worlds and times.

Kim Songcheol and Cha Sehyeon wandered through the vast Base for a long time before finally finding a Teleportation Site and moving.

The place they appeared was another Base, ‘Hansinaru’.

It was a Base built on a lake as vast as a sea, and likewise, it had a combined appearance of future, present, and past.

Based on the information he had obtained beforehand, Kim Songcheol set out to find a Mage who could see The Source.

Fortunately, it wasn’t difficult to find one.

After all, that Mage had even put up a sign and was doing business checking ‘The Source’.

Old 3-story building on the outskirts of the base, 1st floor.

The sign had the words ‘Gyusimja (The Heart Seeker)’ written on it in an antique style, and below it, the three characters ‘Open for Business’ sparkled in red neon.

“Let’s go in.”

“Alright!”

The two entered the store to meet Gyusimja.