“Oh, come on! It’s about time you give me one by now!”
“Kwuk!”
“It’s not like I’m asking for a lot. I just want one, just one. Is that too much to ask?” I shouted as I took out my anger towards Shaman Ko on the Trolls.
I stuck my spear in the last Troll warrior before plopping down on the ground. I wasn’t tired and my Fatigue wasn’t too high yet; I was just annoyed.
“Ha… I didn’t really want Predation, but the damn wheel hasn’t landed on Absolute Destruction once this past month.” Shaman Ko’s Roulette Wheel spun every day at 11 am and had landed on 3 every time. It wasn’t a bad thing, for sure. 3 points a day for a month was like gaining two and half more levels, and it would definitely pay off in the long run, but I needed some sort of insurance. The stronger I got, the more people knew about me and the more enemies I would make. I needed something as powerful as Absolute Destruction in case things went to shit.
No matter how much stronger I could get, there would always be a limit. There was always a chance that there was something or someone out there stronger than me, and could get the drop on me.
I was getting anxious now. If this kept up, then there was a chance I could never see Absolute Destruction and Predation ever again. If the Wheel at least stopped on either one once, I wouldn’t be so damn nervous, but still today, the Wheel had landed on 3.
“It’s fine! It’s only been a month; it’s too early to start stressing it. And who knows? It might just land on it tomorrow.” I got back up and charged in at another Troll horde.
—
The Gnosis Guild’s headquarters…
“Again?”
“Yeah.”
“Ha… this is driving me nuts. Why is she like this even though we’re offering her something this great for free?”
Before the Gnosis Guild handed Lee Jiwon their report on Lee Kangchan, they were working on Lee Jiwon’s biological mother, someone Lee Jiwon had no idea still existed. They were bribing and fawning over her, but without Lee Jiwon’s knowledge. They had to keep her existence a secret from Lee Jiwon for now if she was going to become their best card. Besides, their client was Lee Jiwon, of all people. They had to stay on his good side, no matter what!
“I mean, come on! All mortals dream of becoming devas and here we are, offering that chance to her for free, so why is she acting like this?”
Don Gates were still the most valuable thing in this world. This new world was tough on mortals, especially since the world was rife with vicious monsters, superhuman devas and deities, and constant guild wars. Using a Don Gate was the door to a new life for oneself and one’s family. Many large guilds had established a monopoly over the locations of Don Gates, making Don Gates that much harder to find, and that much more valuable.
Either way, giving someone the location of an uncontested Don Gate was the greatest gift anyone could give. That was why the Gnosis Guild decided to gift a Don Gate to Lee Jiwon’s biological mother.
“Tsk. The most she can do with her life right now is work in someone else’s kitchen. What is she thinking?”
The Gnosis Guild had ended up investigating more about Lee Jiwon’s mother than about Lee Kangchan, the target Lee Jiwon had requested from them. They had learned that she was barely making ends meet by working in kitchens, and made the effort to bribe her as discreetly as possible. They started with expensive cosmetics, moved to golden rings and then to a Don Gate… but none of them worked.
She had seemed to have accepted her fate and was content staying a mortal for the rest of her life. None of the Gnosis Guild’s gifts worked and that only served to frustrate them.
“What do we do now?”
“She won’t accept anything, no matter what we offer her.”
“It still doesn’t mean we should reveal our identity to her. This is to stay a step ahead of Lee Jiwon. If we do anything more…
“I know. Even if we had good intentions, trying to convince her anymore isn’t smart. Keep our identity a secret and continue to gift her. We’ll contact Lee Jiwon one week from now.”
“Got it.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
—
“Whew…that should be enough for today.” I turned away from the last Troll as it slumped to the ground, dead, and headed for the Werewolf Clan’s FOB.
“It’s already been two months.” I had only initially planned to test the difference between the Troll dungeon and the Pharos dungeon, but I changed my mind when I realized Absolute Destruction and Predation had appeared on the Roulette Wheel. I wanted to stay here until the Wheel landed on either skill.
“Okay, okay, I get it. It’s my loss.” It didn’t happen, and all I managed to do was just tire myself out mentally. Still, I did manage to hear some good news from Lagus.
—
One week ago…
“It’s been a while, Mr. Lee.”
“It has. How have you been?”
I still kept in contact with Lagus these days, especially since we were both Muskan’s Comrades.
“I’ve finally done it.”
“Did what?”
“We finally got the Sahtashwi and the Behi-Kinant Guilds to abolish the second caste system.”
“Really? Congratulations!”
“It was all thanks to you, Mr. Lee. If it weren’t for you, the Sunbin and Myth Guilds wouldn’t have come to our aidl. Of course, we can’t forget about your own battle prowess.”
“Please, it wasn’t much.”
“There’s no need to be humble.”
Things really were different now. In the past, the Ravi Guild had lost and been dismantled, which led to the formation of Lagus’s Liberation Army. But now, the Ravi Guild had come out victorious and Lagus was spearheading a new age for his people in India.
“If you ever find yourself in India again, come see me. I would like to show you a new India.”
“Sure. I’d like to stop by again one day.”
“If you ever need my or the Ravi Guild’s help, feel free to call me anytime. It’s the least we could do for our greatest friend.”
“I understand. I wish you and the Ravi Guild the best of luck from now on.”
“I wish you the same. Well, no. If you get any luckier, you might just turn into a four-leaf clover.”
I chuckled at his joke.
—
I dragged my feet all the way to the FOB on the second floor, so carefree that this dungeon was like my home. I was planning on finally stepping out of the dungeon, but I wasn’t in a rush.
Just then, my Comm Link started to ring. “Who’s calling now?” So many people had been calling me these days that I wasn’t sure who it was this time.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Mr. Lee,” a deep voice replied.
“Who is this?”
“This is Alpha of the Gnosis Guild. I’m calling to let you know that we have completed your intel request on Lee Kangchan.”
My heart rate started to quicken. I hadn’t forgotten about it once. “I…see,” I replied as calmly as possible, but my voice still trembled slightly. My voice never faltered when I faced the Blood Prince or the Predator Duke, but mentioning Lee Kangchan’s name made me nervous.
“We have the report ready for you, so feel free to stop by anytime.”
“I understand. I’ll be there soon.” I was going to take a much needed rest once I left the dungeon, but I hadn’t expected this to happen. It was like Fate telling me it was time to face him!
“Alright. I should at least speak to him face to face.” Lee Kangchan was the only man I had ever feared. He had made me realize just how stupid and scary solo play was. I had never thought I would have my revenge on him, I was too scared to. All I could do was run like a hunted hare and escape into the Sea of Reset.
I tightly balled my fists. “Don’t be nervous. It’s time to get to the bottom of this.” I slowly walked for the dungeon entrance.
—
The Werewolves hunting on the first floor had notified base that I was finally leaving after two months.
“Jiwon!” Kylie was first to greet me.
“Oh. Hey.” I tried to act normally, but obviously came out a bit stiff.
“Yeah…” Kylie, however, caught on and seemed a little taken aback. “Is everything all right?”
“Haha. It’s nothing. Don’t worry.” Seeing Kylie scan my face made me laugh. I was telling myself to not be nervous for this whole past hour after I got the call, but Kylie had noticed. So much for that. The past me was afraid of Lee Kangchan. That Lee Jiwon was gone now. I had no reason to be afraid of him. He didn’t know me, and I was the most powerful deva in the world, maybe.
“I have to go back to Seoul. Is that alright?” I asked with a small smile.
Kylie smiled back. “Of course. Give me a minute.”
There was only one way out of the Faroe Islands, but it was simple; we just had to go to London. Many Werewolves here even had Teleport magic, and getting to London would be easy.
“Open Stats Menu.”
==[Name: Lee Jiwon
Level: 619 Death Count: 0
Title: Earth’s First Deva
HP: 8,815,700/8,815,700 MP: 347,800/347,800
Strength: 18,534 + 1,245 Agility: 13,951 Vitality: 14,051
Willpower: 3,418 Intelligence: 3,148
Unassigned Stat Points: 980 + 246
Fatigue: 0
Special Effects: Luck Boost (X+1), immune to all Status effects, Dungeon Seeker 14 points
Physical Attack: 66,954 Physical Defense: 29,197
Magical Attack: 10,994 Magical Defense: 16,884]==
I had gained 49 levels in two months. I had finally surpassed level 600 and at an extremely fast pace at that.
“Ugh…it still pisses me off that I don’t have Absolute Destruction.” The first thing I noticed as I examined my Stats Menu was the empty slot next to Dungeon Seeker. If only I never had it in the first place, then maybe I wouldn’t feel this way.
“Screw it. It’s not set in stone yet.” I invested all of the unassigned Stat points and Shaman Ko points into STR once again. Soon, Kylie returned with a Warp Mage and Lod behind her.
“The Faroe Islands will always welcome you with open arms. Come visit us often.”
“Thanks. I was planning to come back for the high-grade dungeon anyway.” I bid them farewell, and allowed the Warp Mage to teleport me to London. There, I headed straight for the Teleporter next to London’s Store and teleported back to Seoul.
In less than a minute, I had arrived back in Seoul all the way from the Netherlands. But as soon as I arrived, I heard the crowd talking about the Nayuta, Cheng Long, and Yung Gong Guilds.
