Forbes listed my name as John Doe in their annual billionaire list. I was at first place with a wildly inaccurate estimate of 168.3 billion dollars, with Jonathan a close second, with information just as wrong. The Secretary of Treasury had kept his word, and I was now heading to New York on a night flight with Yeonhee. She seemed interested in her first flight in first class but soon fell asleep.
I first went to meet Father’s friend at his firm before joining my agents in New York. I had explained a bit to Yeonhee already. Still, she seemed surprised at the numerous muscular men sitting inside the van.
“I told you about this.”
“But…”
Yeonhee looked around at the armed men before leaning towards me to whisper softly.
“Can we trust these guys with our secret?”
So that was the reason. She looked away, back towards my agents and her eyes lost focus for a bit.
“Did something happen to these guys?”
These were the same agents who covered my first solo dungeon after reaching E-rank, though I approved of their new alert attitude. In any organization, sh!t flows downhill. After yelling at John, John yells at Mick, who yells at the men, and he probably led them on marches with fifty kilos of rocks in their packs. Yeonhee looked especially interested in Mick, who sat in the passenger seat.
“Who is he?”
“Why?”
“While other men fear you, his emotions are mixed. There’s a certain amount of awe mixed with fear.”
“I worked with them once before. You seem to be at the top of your game, you’re sensing more.”
“Yes. You took them to only the dungeon entrance, right?”
“Of course.”
“I think having our identities revealed is more terrifying to me than fighting monsters. We’re monsters to them, you know.” (EN: She’s not just referring to these guys. She’s beginning to feel isolated from ordinary humans…)
“You’re right. You’ve grown, Yeonhee. Don’t worry about that. I’m not making money for nothing. I’ll do whatever is necessary to protect our identity. That’s my job and you…”
“Just follow orders?”
“Yes.”
The roads were wide, and we were in an area rural enough to drive without caring too much for lanes. Some local motorcycle gangs made full use of this as they tried to taunt us. Our driver slowed down, however, as we did not want to be noticed.
We passed a few towns, and the sky turned dark. We arrived after twelve hours, and I thought a helicopter may be a better option despite the legal complications. I took two walkie-talkies, and gave one to Yeonhee before heading to the mountains with her.
**
<I’ve found it. Let’s meet at the entrance. Follow my walkie-talkie beacon.>
The agents were ready, and I deployed them around the entrance, to set up a perimeter, while waiting for Yeonhee. The agents seemed attracted to the blue light of the entrance again despite what they had gone through, and after she rejoined us, Yeonhee seemed to understand their fascination. However, she was also observing them carefully in case someone was tempted to enter. We checked our backpacks again, as hunters learned to do, when Mick came back with the items I had asked for in advance.
They were quivers of arrows, a bow, and a small bag filled with daggers.
“Here, Yeonhee.”
I threw a dagger to her, which she immediately unsheathed. She tested it out in the air, and while it would seem like an unusual ballet to civilians, the agents recognized the fluid movements. It was a dance designed to kill with a knife, a skill with only lethal purpose.
Everyone stared at Yeonhee because she was not only a cute Asian woman, but she had been trained in knife fighting. What my men didn’t know was that not one of them could win against her in hand to hand combat, with her heightened senses and physical stats.
Yeonhee spoke in a disappointed voice.
“They’re usable, but only that. How many are there?”
I gave her the bag, and she seemed satisfied with the contents. We were now ready to enter, and Yeonhee seemed to interest the agents more than me with her bow and bag of daggers at her side. I spoke to Mick.
“Take care of things up here.”
**
The quests were the same as usual, as there was a hunting quest, a one-on-one quest, and a boss quest. The dungeon was a cave complex, and the monsters were Kcyphos, which were four-legged beasts. While they were weak individually, they were formidable as a group.
Yeonhee waited for my explanation and seemed happy with the fact that they were not bugs.
“Our goal is to conquer this dungeon in five days and I do not want to use the Man Who Overcame Adversity.”
The wounds would hinder our schedule as I wanted to conquer the dungeons as quickly as possible. I was counting on Yeonhee’s assistance.
“Is that possible?”
“I depend on you.”
“…Shouldn’t I open boxes? I still have a lot of points.”
“After you get more used to your increased Sense level. Your senses need to be honed during battle.”
Yeonhee looked pleased with my words, and I wrapped up my briefing. We had walked for a bit when we saw eight Kcyphos. They had large horns and were covered in fur. Kcyphos were cute outside, but the fur hid a hideous face and a terrifying carnivorous appetite.
It was then Yeonhee shot an arrow.
[You have received 0.5 points.] (EN: This is an F-rank dungeon, and Sun is E-rank. He gets half points.)
[Kcyphos extermination: Kcyphos Soldiers 1/120]
Her aim was accurate, as she had hit the monster’s third eye that was mostly hidden in the fur. Their third eye was their most vulnerable point and directly connected to their magic stone.
I felt a black aura spread from Yeonhee and saw a Kcyphos suddenly attack one of its own. She had used Isis’s Gaze, and that was not all. Yeonhee had thrown a dagger through the air to “mak siccar”. (EN: Isis’s Gaze was introduced in chapter 102) (EN: Celtic for “make sure.”)
[You have received 0.5 points.]
[Kcyphos extermination: Kcyphos Soldiers 2/120]
I had stepped back to check Yeonhee’s condition, while she’s using Isis’s Gaze, and she understood my intent. Yeonhee nodded once to me, and the same black aura flew out two control two Kcyphos so they would attack the other four. One of them crushed another’s third eye.
[You have received 0.5 points.]
Yeonhee was standing still, and her eyes had turned black.
[You have received 0.5 points.]
[You have received 0.5 points.]
There were only three left, and Yeonhee was still using her skill. While the lone one would be the monster under Yeonhee’s control, I was curious about what would happen after Yeonhee’s monster died.
[You have received 0.5 points.]
[You have received 0.5 points.]
Yeonhee’s Kcyphos and another died in a brutal battle, and I saw the last survivor rush to her. Yeonhee’s eyes had turned back to normal, but they intended to kill. Yeonhee glared at the survivor as she took out a second dagger to charge at the monster.
She was a completely different person as she stabbed the Kcyphos’s third eye.
[You have received 0.5 points.]
[Kcyphos extermination: Kcyphos Soldiers 8/120]
I ignored the message as Yeonhee seemed not her usual self. She did not move a muscle as she stood still with her dagger in the monster. I did not approach her directly.
“Ah…”
I heard a sigh, and I realized that she had been too focused on killing to move. She turned her head to me, and I saw a gaze still dark and murderous. After it slowly faded, Yeonhee stood up like nothing had happened and smiled. She said one word to me.
“Clear.”