No way, Kim Jin-Woo thought the entire time. Even when he had found out that empty down gems were being distributed to the general public under the Associationâs name, he never would have thought to link that matter with the whereabouts of the down gems that Angela had tracked down. He had always thought that the Association was the one supplying down gems, not receiving them.
However, when he reached the building under Angelaâs guidance, he saw the words âExplorersâ Associationâ on the signboard of the building and frowned heavily. âThese fuckersâŠâ
The proudly displayed sign couldnât be any more of an eyesore. Heâd have to dig deeper to know what was really going on, but seeing that even the general public was being scammed, there was no reason to be proud of it.
Kim Jin-Woo stared at the sign coldly. He felt the presence of watchers both inside and outside the building.
The hidden watchers seemed rather formidable, seeing as Angela was standing far behind Kim Jin-Woo as she whispered in a low voice, âIf you approach any closer, youâll catch the attention of the watchers.â
Although he was somewhat ahead of Angela, Kim Jin-Woo nodded at her words. He could forcefully enter if he wanted to, but he saw no reason to go to that extent.
âMaster?â Angelaâs eyes widened when she saw Kim Jin-Woo suddenly step out of hiding.
âHead back first.â Without even looking back, Kim Jin-Woo left a quick word as he headed straight toward the Explorersâ Association office. With each step he took as he stepped out of the shadows, his presence grew, and when he reached the streetlight, he felt like a totally different person.
***
Lee Chul-Ho, the explorer who was guarding the entrance to the Explorersâ Association, squinted when he saw a man suddenly appear out of nowhere. He asked in a soft whisper, âWas there a guest who was scheduled to come over today?â
âWhat time do you think it is, asshole? Even if there were, do you think theyâd be coming at this hour?â his colleague shot back, scolding him for no reason.
âThen whoâs that guy?â
âHow would I know? Thatâs your job.â
Lee Chul-Ho stood in front of the man and blocked his approach⊠No, he tried to block him. But the moment he saw the manâs black eyes glowing red under the moonlight, he was left dumbfounded.
Outwardly, there was nothing special about the man. He looked like an ordinary person just like anybody else, and seeing that he had come to the associationâs office, he was definitely an explorer, but nothing in particular stood out.
Despite that, Lee Chul-Ho couldnât bring himself to speak a single word the moment he saw the man. Like prey in front of a predator, his body was so stiff from fear that he found it difficult to even breathe, let alone open his mouth.
Thump. Thump.
The man looked at him indifferently as he continued his approach.
âHey, hey⊠Hey!â Lee Chul-Hoâs colleague exclaimed, tapping him on the back. If not for that, he would have forgotten about his duties and simply continued staring ahead.
âY-you are?â In that brief moment, Lee Chul-Ho was barely able to squeak a sentence out as he swallowed dryly.
âIâm here to see Song Jong-Chul,â the man said.
The moment Lee Chul-Ho heard the manâs reason for visiting, he felt his tension release and sighed with relief. It couldnât have been any more fortunate that the man had fully answered his question. Perhaps he was more relieved to know that the man wasnât an enemy without even realizing it himself.
âDo you have any appointments?â Lee Chul-Ho asked.
âNot really, but I know him well enough that I donât need an appointment to see him,â the man replied. The sheer presence he emanated was too overwhelming, and he seemed to be powerful enough to back it up.
Although the associationâs president had once been at a low point in the past, he was now riding some momentum and had regained his former prestige. But seeing this man casually mention the president by name, Lee Chul-Ho felt relieved that he had been polite to him.
âIf you can tell us your name, weâll relay the message to him.â Guessing that heâd probably know of this man if he was indeed as powerful as he imagined, Lee Chul-Ho made a calculated move.
âKim Jin-Woo,â the man replied.
When the man\\\'s indifferent gaze connected with him for a split second, Lee Chul-Ho felt a chill run down his spine, but he soon forgot that fact and exposed his feeling of surprise. âPerhaps youâre the one from the 12th FloorâŠ?â
The man didnât respond. But judging from his confident attitude and display of indifference, Lee Chul-Ho was certain that the man was the one and only Level 12 dungeon baby of South Korea.
âAh, please wait a minute.â Slightly panicking, he asked Kim Jin-Woo to wait while he hurriedly stepped aside and radioed his colleague stationed within the building.
âThey say heâs the highest leveled one in our country, but now that I see him up close and personal, heâs nothing special.â While waiting for a response from within the building, Lee Chul-Hoâs colleague moved toward him and started gossiping. At those words, Lee Chul-Ho stared back at his colleague, wondering if he had gone mad.
âMan, I thought if he were five levels above us, heâd be pretty impressive.â Considering the abnormal hearing of dungeon babies, Lee Chul-Hoâs colleague spoke in a low mutter.
But Lee Chul-Ho forgot to turn off his radio as he gave his colleague a piece of his mind. âAre you crazy!? Does that guy look like a normal human being to you?â
âOf course he does; does he not look like a normal human being to you!?â his colleague shot back.
Terrified at his colleagueâs senselessness, Lee Chul-Ho looked hard at his colleague, but it seemed he didnât sense anything from Kim Jin-Woo. He exclaimed, confronting his colleagueâs ridiculous attitude, âYou asshole, youâre lying about the fact that youâre from the 6th Floor, arenât you?â
âCrazy bastard, we climbed up together, so what bullshit are you even talking about?â his colleague responded angrily.
Lee Chul-Ho shook his head as he sneakily looked in Kim Jin-Wooâs direction. He was wary about whether Kim Jin-Woo had heard their conversation and might have taken any offense. But he froze up when he realized that Kim Jin-Woo didnât give a damn about their conversation.
Huh? Why am I being so cautious about this guy? Lee Chul-Ho questioned himself, but before he could come up with an answer, a voice responded on his radio.
{Hey! Jung Chan-Sik is heading down! Donât let that bastard do anything crazy!}
âWhat?â Lee Chul-Ho asked.
Jung Chan-Sik was a dungeon baby that had joined the association around a half a year to a year ago. He was a guy who had suddenly joined the association after leading a small expedition team for them, but because he wasnât particularly special, Lee Chul-Ho had paid no particular attention to him.
âWhy all of a sudden? Explain to mââ Lee Chul-Ho couldnât even finish his sentence, as the back door suddenly burst open and someone charged toward Kim Jin-Woo.
{I donât know, he got worked up about being resentful toward Kim Jin-Woo or somethingâŠ}
âYou asshole!â
A panicky voice emerged from the radio. Lee Chul-Ho witnessed a shadow burst out from the office door; a man, presumably Jung Chan-Sik, charged toward Kim Jin-Woo fiercely with a raised fist.
âYou shouldââ Lee Chul-Ho couldnât help but curse at the sudden development, but before he could even finish his sentence, Jung Chan-Sikâs fist had landed on Kim Jin-Woo. âFucking explain thatââ
And at almost the exact same time, Kim Jin-Wooâs hand moved.
Smash!
When Lee Chul-Ho finally came to his senses, he saw that despite Jung Chan-Sikâs surprise attack, Kim Jin-Woo was holding him by the neck.
âEarlierâŠâ
{Donât let him kick up a fuss! Big brother Jong-Chul, I mean, the President is heading down as well!}
The message was too late, and Lee Chul-Ho was unable to respond.
When he saw Kim Jin-Wooâs indifferent gaze as he held Jung Chan-Sik by the neck with one hand and lifted him up, Lee Chul-Ho froze on the spot. And when he looked into Kim Jin-Wooâs emotionless eyes, he finally understood why he had been wary of this man called Kim Jin-Woo this whole time. His eyes were terrifyingly similar to those of the being he once fearedâa labyrinth master.
âJung Chan-Sik!â
At that moment, the building door opened and several men emerged. They rushed out enthusiastically, but stopped dead in their tracks at what they saw.
âThatâs a bit too much for a warm reception, isnât it?â Kim Jin-Woo replied without being affected at all by the reactions of those around him. His cold words pierced the chilly air of the night.
***
Kim Jin-Woo was half-heartedly listening to the guardsâ conversation when he saw Jung Chan-Sik suddenly rush toward him, and he tilted his head.
But seeing that he would get punched if he didnât do anything, Kim Jin-Woo pushed out his left hand to block Jung Chan-Sikâs fist while grabbing his neck with the other hand, asking, âWhat is the meaning of this?â
âKurgh,â Jung Chan-Sik grunted.
Based on Jung Chan-Sikâs eager expression, there was definitely something wrong, but Kim Jin-Woo didnât loosen his grip.
One of the men who ran out of the building belatedly approached Kim Jin-Woo and pretended to be friendly. âWhoa, whoa. Letâs calm down; let him go and letâs talk this out. I think thereâs been some kind of misunderstanding.â
It was Song Jong-Chul that gently approached Kim Jin-Woo and spoke, pushing his arm down.
âMisunderstanding? I donât think thereâs any misunderstanding with my friend here,â Kim Jin-Woo replied.
It was Jung Chan-Sik that had caused Lee Jun-Young to become addicted to down gems. And it was Kim Jin-Woo that had taken Lee Jun-Young away from him and saved her. There was no way there could be any misunderstanding.
âOkay, I get it. Letâs put down that hand and talk it out. Weâre one big family, yeah? Why are we fighting among ourselves? Unless youâre going to personally handle this guyâs funeral, let go of that hand, yeah?â
At Song Jong-Chulâs words, Kim Jin-Woo slowly loosened his grip.
âCough!â
Kim Jin-Woo stared at Jung Chan-Sik, who lay collapsed on the ground as he kept coughing, before asking Song Jong-Chul a question. âYou said âmisunderstandingâ, right? What misunderstanding is there?â
The person concerned seemed to have neither the intention nor the energy to talk, so Kim Jin-Woo had no choice but to ask Song Jong-Chul.
âLetâs head in first and weâll talk it out. No need to embarrass him in front of the others, right? Weâre all friends here in South Korea,â Song Jong-Chul said as he wrapped up the situation. He exclaimed, âAre you done with the show? Go back up, you sons of bitches!â
Kim Jin-Woo looked at the various men returning to their positions before staring at Jung Chan-Sik once more.
Anger. Frustration. Jealousy.
The unique status window that was revealed by the Eyes of Truth floated above the other manâs head. But Kim Jin-Woo couldnât understand why Jung Chan-Sik felt that way.
***
âItâs been a while, but our reunion couldnât have gone any worse.â It had been almost a year since Kim Jin-Woo met Song Jong-Chul. He was no different from before, as he smirked while pretending to be friendly. He continued, âBut that aside, I donât know why our friend here got all worked up, so letâs hear him out.â Unlike his voice that was full of laughter, his tone was bone-chilling.
Jung Chan-Sik, who was still holding on to his neck and shivering, responded coldly with a hardened expression. âItâs really nothing much. Itâs quite embarrassing to even bring it up.â
âTalk. The real embarrassment has yet to even begin,â Kim Jin-Woo said.
With that pressure, as well as Kim Jin-Wooâs demeanor that had changed drastically within the past year, Song Jong-Chul could no longer beat about the bush. He said, âIâve said some careless things.â