Chapter 112: Yeoncheon County Dungeon - (1)
“We sure talked a lot without even realizing it.”
After that, I had a long, unreserved conversation with Ham Jiyeon.
At first, I was desperate for some rest, but as we talked, I found myself enjoying it.
So, over a beer and some snacks, we continued chatting in a friendly manner.
In the end, to Ham Jiyeon, I became a hopelessly inexperienced guy with absolutely no romantic history, a lifelong single.
I didn’t feel the need to correct her, so I neither confirmed nor denied it.
Perhaps because of that, she even made a playful declaration that she would personally teach me what dating was all about someday.
Anyway, once she left, my home returned to its usual quietness, as if nothing had happened. It was a familiar atmosphere for me.
“186.6 billion won, huh.”
My wealth had grown tremendously.
The sponsorship contract with Hyunjung Corporation contributed the most.
Selling half of the legendary-grade magic stones I obtained in the latest gate also played a big role, along with selling by-products.
“Now I can comfortably buy at least one epic-grade artifact. The average price is about 125 billion won.”
Seeing all those zeros in my account balance made me feel dizzy.
At the same time, I realized that this vast amount of money could disappear in mere seconds if I wished.
“Anyway, tomorrow is going to be hectic too.”
I lay down on my bed.
It was definitely an expensive bed—just lying on it made me feel unbearably sleepy.
Tomorrow morning, I had a scheduled official shoot regarding my sponsorship contract with Han Hyunjung.
The previous shoot reported in the articles was more of a quick, informal session for breaking news.
In the afternoon, I was set to meet Kim Miso and head to Yeoncheon County.
Originally, this was supposed to take longer, but the team that had planned to raid the dungeon before us had canceled, opening up a spot.
I fell into a deep sleep within seconds of closing my eyes. It was the first proper rest I’d had in a long time.
I dreamed.
A dream connected to my past life.
I met someone dear to me.
Someone I had no idea how to meet again in this life, even if I wanted to.
Just seeing her made me happy.
We didn’t say a word—just smiled at each other—but that alone conveyed so much.
We are destined never to meet. If, by any chance, we live the same life again, I don’t want to see you.
Her words flashed through my mind like a running lantern. Words I could never forget.
A love that burned like fire.
Just because I had regressed didn’t mean those memories had disappeared. They were as vivid as ever.
For the first time, I fully immersed myself in a dream of my past life, wandering within it for a long time, even though I knew it was just a dream.
The more I thought about it, the more complicated my past seemed.
And I was certain that the Late Bloomer Model Student Constellation held the key to unraveling these connections.
Time continued to flow like that.
The next day, when I arrived at the venue for the official contract signing shoot with Han Hyunjung,
I confirmed that, just as promised, Lee Yeon was nowhere to be seen, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
‘She does keep her promises.’
It was probably something Han Hyunjung had arranged as well—keeping her out of sight.
“That sword... What is it?”
“Ah, I got a new one.”
“Did you buy it?”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t throw away my old greatsword just to replace it unless I had money to burn.”
“Wow, the red aura is intense.”
Han Hyunjung, who had suddenly appeared beside me, examined the Blood-Drinking Sword with a curious expression.
It seemed eager to live up to its name, constantly radiating a strong, crimson energy.
When switching from the Greatsword of Fighting Spirit to a new main weapon, I had already adjusted for weight reduction and knockback burst skills.
Due to the penalty from resetting, the weight reduction effect was now 100g instead of 10g.
But since it still felt light, the penalty was hardly noticeable.
As for knockback burst, the penalty was a skill level reduction, so it was now at level 3.
“Quite a crowd, huh? They’re here for meetings with me, but in reality, they came because of you.”
“Is that just flattery?”
“If you’re curious, why not ask them directly?”
Han Hyunjung laughed.
Following her gaze, I saw some big names among the attendees.
There was Baek Sung-jae, the Vice Master of the Jungpung Guild, which was in direct opposition to the Eden Guild.
I also spotted Joo Eun-hye, the third-ranking member of the Sun Guild and the top curse debuffer.
They were people one wouldn’t normally get to see up close.
“Their expressions aren’t exactly friendly.”
“Well, of course.”
Han Hyunjung left the rest unsaid.
It was no secret that I was close to Kim Miso of the Eden Guild.
Some gossip outlets had even tried to stir up dating rumors between us, though they didn’t gain much traction.
“Anyway, they came early because they wanted to see what kind of person you are.”
“That’s unexpected.”
“And now that you’ve shown up with a brand-new greatsword, it’s going to be even more of a topic.”
Han Hyunjung ran her fingers along the blade of the Blood-Drinking Sword.
An artifact of this caliber was undoubtedly epic-grade.
And as I had said, I hadn’t sold my Greatsword of Fighting Spirit to obtain it.
That meant I had acquired it from a dungeon or gate.
But getting an epic-grade artifact wasn’t easy.
Which meant that once again, I had likely gone solo somewhere far above my level and reaped the rewards all by myself.
The shoot wrapped up quickly.
All we needed were a few official photos for Hyunjung Corporation’s website and press releases.
Once the brief shoot was over and before parting ways with Han Hyunjung, I spoke up first.
“Hyunjung, you’ve mentioned that you occasionally arrange artifact sales, handle proxy purchases, or act as a broker, right?”
“That’s right. Do you need something? Just say the word. As a sponsor, that’s the least I can do.”
“An epic-grade artifact. Excluding weapons and belts, could you put together a list of other available items?”
“Any particular preference?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
She asked because some artifacts had ‘curses’ that affected the wearer’s mind.
Such artifacts were often labeled as cursed and known to have psychological effects.
I had my own ways of dealing with that, so I wasn’t concerned. It was something I had dealt with in my past life.
“Alright. As you know, proxy purchases come with a 1% handling fee. You’re aware of that, right?”
“I never expected it for free.”
“I’ll get started right away. For our protégé, even the owner has to work hard! Hohoho!”
With a cheerful laugh, Han Hyunjung quickly disappeared.
A woman who divided her day into seconds and lived busily. Sanghyun also planned to live like her.
Even at this moment, somewhere, a future rival was surely growing diligently.
On the way to the Yeoncheon County Dungeon.
They started their journey in the security limousine, the same one he had first met Kim Miso in.
All the prepared supplies had already been loaded, so all that was left was to wait until they reached their destination.
Since there wasn’t much to say, he just sat in his seat, sipping on the grapefruit ade next to him.
Kim Miso stared at Sanghyun and then spoke in a blunt voice.
“Oppa, do you have nothing to say?”
“Something to say? Like what?”
“Anything, really.”
“I’ve already read the dungeon-related materials thoroughly. We had the briefing before getting in the car, remember?”
“No, not that. Something personal. Don’t you have anything you want to say?”
“Nothing. Really, nothing.”
Watching Sanghyun shake his head nonchalantly, Kim Miso shrugged her shoulders.
Of course, Sanghyun could somewhat guess what she was thinking.
It was probably about the contract with Han Hyunjung.
For someone as ambitious and possessive as Kim Miso, this must have been quite a shock.
To put it in extreme terms, she might even feel as though Han Hyunjung had stolen Sanghyun from her.
“Oppa, I have something to say.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“This dungeon raid will probably be my last one with you. At least for a few months.”
“Are you going on a trip or something?”
A response Sanghyun hadn’t expected.
At first, he thought of a vacation, but someone as eager to level up as her wouldn’t just leisurely travel the world.
The conclusion was obvious.
Just as Sanghyun was about to voice his guess, Kim Miso answered first.
“I’m planning to conquer dungeons and gates without holding back. The chairman said he would support me.”
“Your father?”
“Officially, he’s the chairman. It’s the chairman’s support.”
There was a heavy determination in Kim Miso’s voice as she bit her lip.
A firm resolve to see things through to the end, no matter what.
“You’re really going all out.”
“Watching you was really motivating. If you can grow this much, why am I still stuck at this level? That thought crossed my mind a lot.”
“I understand that feeling.”
It wasn’t just lip service—it was genuine.
In his past life, he had the exact same thoughts while watching the growth of the named ones.
They’re improving this much!
Why is it that even though I’m grinding through dungeons, my growth is so slow?
“I’ll come back truly strong. Until then, I won’t contact you. I don’t want to risk getting weak-hearted.”
From her last words, Sanghyun could sense her hidden feelings.
Affection. It was obvious to anyone.
“Alright. Get strong and come back. I’ll be waiting.”
“Seriously, your reactions are so boring. Heh.”
“I admit it. That was pretty old-man-like, wasn’t it?”
“If someone heard you, they’d think you were 55 instead of 25.”
That made him flinch.
Because in his past life, he had been exactly that age.
Seems like a woman’s intuition is impossible to deceive.
“Oppa, see you later. Look forward to my transformation.”
“I genuinely will. Just don’t overdo it. The worst thing is getting injured.”
“Don’t worry. Even if I were told to get hurt, I wouldn’t!”
Seeing her so full of determination, it seemed like there was no need to worry.
Three hours later.
After final checks and preparations, Sanghyun and Kim Miso entered the dungeon.
Despite the absence of any installed lighting, the bow in Kim Miso’s hand emitted a continuous radiance.
It was an artifact he had never seen before, and its effects seemed far greater than even the Blood-Drinking Sword.
“What kind of bow is that?”
“A legendary-grade bow. I borrowed it by putting up collateral with Hyunjung Corporation.”
“Legendary?”
The average transaction price: 625 billion won!
Not 6,250 won, but 625 billion.
An artifact of a tier just below Almighty-grade—virtually one of the strongest.
“If I didn’t equip myself like this, I’d just end up chasing after you again.”
“At this rate, if I don’t stay on my toes, I’ll be the one following you.”
“Hah, don’t be dramatic!”
Just then.
Ku-hu-hu.
As if waiting for them, a group of trolls clad in thick armor appeared.
Even at a glance, there were at least thirty of them, making for a considerable force.
‘Predation! Let’s go wild with my newly acquired skill!’
Sanghyun firmly gripped the Blood-Drinking Sword and took an aggressive stance.
It was time to put to use the skill hidden in the Greatsword of Fighting Spirit.
The gift that had been left to him forever.