Korea. 2 AM, Sunday, April 13th.
Lee stumbled onto his feet and grabbed Hajin, who was about to crash along the ground.
Suho landed in front of the two and stared at his sword. "Hm. That's a new convenient ability. I should remember this... But anyway." He looked at Lee and Hajin and said, "What the heck happened?"
Lee gave Hajin a blank stare.
Hajin coughed. "Ah. Well... It's a long story." He looked around and said, "...Could we hang out inside to talk?"
"Sure." Suho laughed. "My parents are probably up now since I ran out in a rush."
True to his words, the door suddenly opened and a kind looking middle-aged couple stepped out.
"Suho? What happened... Are those your friends?"
Hajin sighed.
===
"So." Suho set down a glass of apple juice for Hajin and Lee. "Hajin had a feeling things were going to go down in Paris on the Traveling Club trip. He wasn't sure though and was originally going to go alone, but then you decided to tag along, Lee. And then it turned out there was a Djinn heist, but after that a dungeon suddenly emerged out of the blue with an unkillable boss monster."
Lee nodded. "Yep."
Hajin sighed. "...Yeah. And I still haven't finished my business there too..."
Lee looked at Hajin. "Wait, what? You mean the heist wasn't the whole trip?"
Hajin's face turned red. "W-Well... It was part of it. If the Djinn got Homer's Ring then they'd be able to perfectly control the dark magic they have, so that'd be bad. But there's another guy who we need to get too since he's a good schemer..."
Lee facepalmed. "...Hajin. You are married to the literal richest woman on Earth next to her mother, and one who, for some reason, trusts you unconditionally. Did you not think to just like, put out a hit?"
"..."
Suho laughed. "Never a dull moment with you two, huh?"
Lee sighed and sipped on his juice.
They had retired to Suho's family dining room. Suho's parents, after a brief explanation and reassurance, had gone back to sleep.
That left just Suho, Hajin, and Lee up to chat.
Suho looked over at Hajin and said, "You really have a habit of rushing into danger, don't you, Hajin? First the museum, then Yeonha, now this..."
Hajin turned a bright red. "I-It's not my fault. It just... happens."
Lee rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah. It'd happen less if your impulse wasn't 'yes, I must defeat this incredibly dangerous opponent on my own without consulting anyone else.' Like, did you even talk to Yeonha about it first?"
"..."
Lee facepalmed.
Suho laughed and said, "Well, you say that Lee. But weren't you the one who ran off with that guy without questioning?"
"I thought we were just going to kidnap someone or fight normal human people. Not the literal embodiment of the night and the lord of vampires."
Suho chuckled. "Fair. I doubt anyone could have expected a random dungeon to emerge out of the blue-"
At that time, all three of them got an alert on their smartwatches.
Lee paused and looked at his first. "...You're kidding me."
Hajin looked at his next and groaned.
Suho looked last and carefully read the message.
===
[Re: Cube Cadet vacations - Warning Notice]
To all Cube Cadets.
Please be advised that there has been a noted global appearance of powerful dungeons across various countries.
It is recommended to stick to known public locations and not to wander too far off the known tourist locations in the event you are traveling.
Countries currently noted to be affected by the Dungeon phenomenon: China, America, France, Germany, Ireland, Australia.
Note: Although there have been no instances reported in Korea, it is suggested to remain cautious in the event that an Instant Dungeon emerges.
Rest well and we look forward to seeing you all next week.
===
Suho lowered his smartwatch and smiled. "Well. That's exciting?"
Lee sighed.
===
Since Yeonha would definitely be panicking, and since she would absolutely still be awake at this hour, Hajin had run off towards the Yoo Estate to preempt any panic.
Lee had texted the group chat saying that he was fine and they were back from France a little bit early. Although he was a bit worried about Rachel's response...
===
[Wifey Rachel]
XD
^_^
You would end up doing something like that with Hajin~
It's okay. Glad you're safe.
Get our baby girl a souvenir!
===
...It seemed that he had underestimated his fiancee's ability to adapt to the craziness in his life.
But since it was like that, Lee had decided to just stick around at Suho's place until morning before he headed back.
And for now, that meant sparring with him out in the back of his house in the small dojo he had.
Lee took a look around and said, "Huh. You're pretty well off too, aren't you?"
Suho handed Lee a wooden training sword and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I wouldn't say I'm rich. But my parents do well enough. They tutor some heroes in various fields, so we make a decent living."
Lee took the training sword and idly swung it a few times to get its weight and measure. Then he pointed it at Suho. "Makes sense. Also explains why people never really questioned your ridiculous talent."
Suho raised an eyebrow and said, "That's a fair point... so should I be questioning yours?"
Lee laughed and decided to tease Suho a bit. "Well, mine comes from a lifetime of struggling. I think you'd understand, right?"
Suho's eyes widened. Then he chuckled. "So that's how it is... you're like me then."
"Mm. I don't know what 'like you' means... but probably something similar."
It was an acknowledgment without directly confessing.
But it seemed enough for Suho. He nodded and said, "That's fine. We're both trying to live the best in this life, so the past doesn't really matter, right?"
"Right." Lee smiled. "The only life we have is the one right now. So there's no point in being dragged down by what's over."
"...I really do learn so much when with you, Lee." Suho laughed. "It's like you're a grand sage from a martial realm or something."
Lee laughed too and said, "Oh no. Don't tell me you've been reading murim novels or something."
Suho chuckled. "My parents bought me some as a homecoming gift. They've been pretty fun and inspiring."
Lee paused. "...Inspiring?"
"Yep. Like this."
Suho swung. And when he did, the air swung as well, moving with his intent to form into more blades.
Lee burst out laughing as he weaved around the slashes before moving forward in a thrust to Suho's chest.
Suho blocked it with the flat of his blade and grinned.
Lee grinned too and said, "You, Suho. Are an absolute BULLSHIT build of a character."
"Your fault for showing me the way. Now... Let's see if my 'answer' to range works properly."
===
> Your Gift, [A Creator's Resolve] activates!
> The impossible fight against Dracula is forced into possibility!
> Great luck! Kim Suho happened to be awake in time to receive your SOS!
> Great luck! Yun Seung-Ah's high affection towards Kim Suho has motivated her to quietly resolve the incident!
> Great luck! A Certain Cadet's seed of wisdom to Kim Suho has bloomed!
> Modified Setting: Kim Suho has learned the Art [Sword Intent], allowing him to attack at range with blades of pure cutting intention.
> Modified Setting: Dungeons corresponding to various myths and fiction have begun to appear all over the world in advance of the Tower of Wish!
> Modified Setting: The Djinn are now consolidating as they realize the Chameleon Troupe possesses a member that can destroy them in a single blow!
It was an absolute mess. And it was a reminder to Hajin that he was literally surviving only due to pure luck right now.
But he couldn't count on it forever.
Especially if Yeonha's theory about him not really being the author of the world but just a seer was true.
So, sitting at his computer in Yeonha's room while his wife was sleeping, Hajin calmly sorted out what to do next.
'I have to prioritize immediate concerns and threats. And I need to assess the level of the threats too...'
First was Kim Suho.
Hajin had clearly designed him to be the protagonist... or at least, he had seen Suho clearly as the protagonist. And that was being proven with how easily that guy had resolved the situation that both Lee and him had failed to break.
Lee had been skilled and had enough tools to 'not die' against Dracula and his summons.
Hajin had been lucky enough to keep fighting, always drawing the ace he needed from his deck of trump cards to win.
But Dracula had been impossible for both of them.
Lee was strong, but he lacked the stats and tools needed to overpower and defeat Dracula.
Hajin was lucky and had lots of tools, but he had nothing that worked against Dracula. At least, not long term.
Even if he had true damage from his new physique, both he and Lee had just learned the hard way that didn't mean anything if his opponent just outhealed them or was flat out immortal under certain conditions.
Hajin tapped on the desk and murmured, "Something to even the odds, no, to make the odds winnable no matter what."
There was something like that.
Lee had teased about it too, though Hajin wasn't sure if that guy really knew what it was: Misteltein.
Originally, Hajin was going to leave it for Suho to find since it would amplify Suho's Gift to the level needed to cut concepts.
...But somehow, Suho had reached that level alone.
And since it was like that, Suho likely wouldn't bother looking for it. And if he did, it probably wouldn't awaken either.
Hajin wasn't too sure, but his intuition was telling him that.
On the same token...
"I should grab it."
It was the ultimate blade for a Sword Saint. But in this world, the Sword Saint had transcended the need for a crutch like that.
For someone like Hajin though, who lacked the raw skill and relied on the strength of his weapons...
A Godslaying Blade was definitely up his alley.
'It was on Kamak Mountain, right?'
Hajin started taking notes on it, as well as making plans to head up to grab it ASAP.
But then he remembered something else.
'Oh yeah. Tomer.'
The system had notified him to check on the requests he had for the Truth Agency.
So since he was free for now, Hajin did just that.
And as expected, Tomer asked for information about her father.
Since the plot had already been messed up anyway, Hajin decided to use the Book of Truth to confirm the information to pull Tomer on his side since they could use a proper magician too.
Hajin already knew the details, but confirming it was essential with all the craziness. So, after a quick submission of 'What is the status of Tomer's father?' and 'What is the backstory of Tomer's father?' to the Book of Truth...
===
[Book of Truth]
Kim Chundong performed volunteer work at a retirement center in the past and became close to Agus Benjamin, the alias that Tomer's father adopted when he fled to Korea.
Due to similar circumstances, they got along well.
Kim Chundong routinely sends flowers on the anniversary of Agus Benjamin's death and maintains a safebox with Agus Benjamin's final will and letter to his daughter.
===
Hajin stared blankly at the response. Then he murmured, "Similar circumstances...?"
From what he remembered, Tomer's father should have lived a life of regret for killing Tomer's mother, who had become a Djinn and planned to sacrifice Tomer for more power. It was a lonely life of isolation and penance while hoping his daughter grew up safely in Korea, but he lost all contact with her instead...
So what did 'similar circumstances' here mean for Kim Chundong?
"...Just who did I replace?"
"Mm... Hajin?" Yeonha's voice mumbled from the bed. "You still up...?"
Hajin paused and quietly shut his laptop.
He could think about it later.
For now, he had more important things to think about. Like his wife who was definitely stressing about his safety.
Hajin smiled and walked back over to bed. "I'm here. Don't worry."
"...Stupid." Yeonha pulled him close and murmured, "I always worry. You're still too weak, idiot."
Hajin laughed and kissed Yeonha's forehead. "Yeah. I know. But we'll get started on fixing that tomorrow. Right?"
"Mmhm... Gotta keep my dumb weak husband alive..." After a tender kiss to Hajin's cheek, Yeonha fell asleep again, resting her head on his chest.
Hajin smiled and wrapped his arms around her before resting his head against her forehead.
...Yeah. Tomorrow.
He could think about everything else later.
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