A Small World
“Hm.”
What on earth could Jeong Myeong-ho want from Baek Seung-tae?
At that moment, Baek Seung-tae held out his phone and whispered.
“...It's Jeong Myeong-ho.”
“Answer it.”
“What?”
“I said answer it. Tell him to meet up. In one hour. And don't forget to mention you're going with a friend.”
“Ah, got it.”
Baek Seung-tae carefully accepted the call. He set the time and place for the meeting and casually added the bit about his friend. From the reaction, it seemed Jeong Myeong-ho wasn't opposed.
I wonder what kind of face Jeong Myeong-ho would make if he found out that friend was the team leader who'd joined this expedition?
The world is vast, yet so narrow.
“Why do you think Jeong Myeong-ho wants to meet me?”
“Who knows.”
An Seong-ho shook his head.
Normally, he'd play dumb even if he knew something, but this time he was genuinely puzzled. Jeong Myeong-ho had staked everything on this expedition. He needed to find a dungeon item in the relic discovered inside the Sokcho Dungeon to claim one of the Five Stars.
Of course, Jeong Myeong-ho probably wasn't gunning for the heir position in Brave Guild. That spot was already taken. Who could beat Lee Hwan anyway?
But just becoming one of the Five Stars would grant him immense power, so the competition for the remaining four spots was fierce.
An Seong-ho glanced at Baek Seung-tae.
“I wanted to ask back then too, but the mood wasn't right, so I let it slide.”
“Ask what?”
“Did you really find the Domoto Ring yourself?”
“Y-yeah.”
An Seong-ho spotted the signs of a lie in his body language: exaggerated gestures, a stiff face, upper body leaning away.
“Be straight with me. I think that's why the pollock roe bastard called.”
“Fine, whatever. Truth is...”
An Seong-ho was stunned by Baek Seung-tae's story. He knew Baek Seung-tae had acquired the Domoto Ring after falling behind with Kim Jun, but the part about nearly dying to the Absorption Tree was new.
“So Kim Jun dug under those massive ribs and found the Thunder Brain Sword?”
“Yeah.”
Baek Seung-tae, having answered, ordered some cold noodles.
An Seong-ho shook his head. His appetite had vanished—probably needed focus for something.
He zeroed in on that detail.
Dug up the ground.
Exactly where the Thunder Brain Sword was buried.
That meant... he either knew it was there beforehand or sensed it.
Given Kim Jun's reaction, he didn't know about the Thunder Brain Sword, so it had to be some special sense that led him to it.
An Seong-ho's eyes widened.
Item detection!
Kim Jun was an item radar.
Jeong Myeong-ho's interest in meeting Baek Seung-tae was probably tied to that.
An Seong-ho chuckled to himself. Kim Jun kept surprising him, shattering common sense time and again.
According to intel he'd gotten a few days ago, Kim Jun could already unleash Yeon Ga's Po-noe Strike. It was a skill that blasted lightning from the hand to overwhelm foes—even in Yeon Ga, few raiders used it in real combat.
And now this guy was an item radar too!
Why was Jeong Myeong-ho curious about item radars?
He'd find out when they met.
Then his phone buzzed.
An Seong-ho startled—it was Kim Jun. He put a finger to his lips toward Baek Seung-tae and answered.
“Kim Team Leader's calling? The sun's gonna rise in the west tomorrow?”
―I need to talk. About the Sokcho Dungeon raid.
“Alright, got it.”
An Seong-ho set the time and place right away. After hanging up, he looked at Baek Seung-tae.
“Looks like you'll have to meet the pollock roe bastard alone. Just tell him what happened, straight facts. But don't mention meeting me.”
“Kinda scary.”
“No worries. He's the one in a hurry.”
An Seong-ho grinned.
The coffee tasted like absolute shit.
Selling this swill for money. That's why he never bought coffee outside.
Jeong Myeong-ho glared at the server, but yelling at some part-timer would just backfire on him. Plus, he wasn't here for the coffee.
Damn, why's he so late?
He checked his watch.
The meeting time had passed. By three minutes!
A low-rank raider daring to keep an expedition leader waiting?
Jeong Myeong-ho twirled his finger. The water in his glass began to swirl in response.
There were six people in the coffee shop besides him. They looked decent enough, but their true nature was... worms. Parasites.
Leeches on the cores secured by raiders' blood and sweat.
If raiders suddenly vanished and cores became unobtainable, the economy would collapse into chaos... and the modern civilization they'd built would crumble.
He could wipe out those vermin with the water in his glass in three seconds. He usually ignored such filthy bugs, but today, with stress building, he felt like he might snap.
Crack.
The glass cracked under the vortex's centrifugal force.
Jeong Myeong-ho stopped his gesture instantly.
That's when Baek Seung-tae walked in. Alone. Despite saying he'd bring a friend.
Scanning the room, Baek Seung-tae spotted him, approached, and sat.
Jeong Myeong-ho swallowed his irritation, stood, and offered his hand. Shaking with a low-rank raider grated, but it might soothe the guy.
“Jeong Myeong-ho of Brave.”
“Guess I don't ring a bell.”
With that, Baek Seung-tae ignored the hand and just sat.
Memory?
So they'd met before.
Jeong Myeong-ho racked his brain but drew a blank. That bug-chewed expression suggested it wasn't a fond memory.
“Past is past. Why'd you want to meet?”
Baek Seung-tae asked.
Jeong Myeong-ho cut straight to it. He wanted an explanation of how Kim Jun acquired the Thunder Brain Sword.
“Oh, that?”
In that instant, tension flooded Jeong Myeong-ho's body.
Baek Seung-tae knew exactly what he wanted. How? Figured it out himself? Or tipped off by someone?
Jeong Myeong-ho waited for the story.
Just as Baek Seung-tae opened his mouth, his phone rang. He made an annoyed face, glanced at Jeong Myeong-ho for permission.
Jeong Myeong-ho nodded.
The call was short.
Baek Seung-tae looked troubled as he eyed him.
“What now? Something urgent came up. I'll tell you tomorrow. See ya.”
Jeong Myeong-ho didn't grab him. It was raw humiliation—the kind he hadn't felt in ages.
Lee Hwan was a raider. Objectively, subjectively superior. His mockery stung but was bearable.
Baek Seung-tae's sneer?
Intolerable. Undesirable. Unnecessary.
Baek Seung-tae wore it on his face, his whole body. Every sidelong glance at Jeong Myeong-ho flashed a victor's smirk.
That call probably wasn't urgent. He'd likely asked someone to ring him, then walked in here to meet Jeong Myeong-ho.
All to humiliate him. Planned and executed.
Jeong Myeong-ho stormed out of the coffee shop.
He spotted Baek Seung-tae heading to the parking lot.
He chased in a flash, scanning around. No one watching. Good.
He slammed a fist into the side of the startled Baek Seung-tae as he turned, then kneed him down. At full power, the jaw would've shattered, leaving him speechless. But he needed info, so just a knockout.
He dragged the sprawled body to his car trunk and loaded it in.
Scanning again, he frowned at the CCTV in the corner of the lot.
Heading to the management office, deleting the footage took about seven minutes. A mix of threats and bribes worked wonders on vermin.
As he drove out, the stress from Lee Hwan melted away.
Jeong Myeong-ho turned on some music.
Kim Jun opened his Leaderbook.
Once authentication cleared, the Leaders portal filled the screen.
He glanced around. Past midnight in this 24-hour cafe, only one or two customers. The female staffer eyeing him was a bit uncomfortable, but tolerable.
Heart racing, he typed a name into the search bar.
Yoo Wan-seop.
Obviously, Kim Jun's clearance couldn't access Yoo Wan-seop's legendary raid logs. What he wanted was official association announcements, news, blogs—everything compiled.
Even that showed why Yoo Wan-seop was called Korea's strongest tanker.
This guy's the master of Uramata? Unbelievable.
How could he get as strong as Yoo Wan-seop?
What was his training method?
Kim Jun didn't want to miss a thing—not favorite foods, sleeping posture, anything.
“Ah, he likes chicken porridge.”
Kim Jun jotted excerpts from articles into a dedicated notebook he'd bought just for Yoo Wan-seop info.
This was how he'd studied for the college entrance exam. Trivia piled up into real power.
After logging 30 intriguing facts about Yoo Wan-seop, he reviewed them. For efficient study, input needed output balance.
He memorized them three times straight, then pulled out a second notebook. This one was for the Sokcho Dungeon raid—his first as team leader.
Subject-switching boosted efficiency.
Stuck on probability? Switch to English reading. Sleepy? Review Korean summaries. Kept focus sharp for hours.
Kim Jun checked the wall clock. Five minutes till the meeting.
Right on cue, An Seong-ho pushed open the door.
Kim Jun closed the Leaderbook and stowed it in his bag.
“When'd you get it?”
An Seong-ho sat and eyed the bag.
“Not long ago.”
“Excited?”
Kim Jun grinned instead of answering. The initial burden of the Leaderbook was gone. Now he got why everyone scrambled to become team leaders.
An Seong-ho raised a hand for coffee.
Kim Jun eyed the quirky team leader who'd named his team after himself.
The reason he'd called An Seong-ho? Data on the relic interior in Sokcho Dungeon. An Seong-ho had fast intel channels—maybe he already had it.
Before calling, he'd casually asked Yoo Min-jeong about him. Her answer was blunt.
“He's too calculating.”
Kim Jun nodded.
In the Dungeon Association's second license test, An Seong-ho had faced a Wireshi Rex whose health never dropped no matter the attacks. He judged it unwinnable, logged off, and left Pink Team to handle the giant monster alone.
An Seong-ho glanced around, leaned toward Kim Jun, and whispered.
“Alright, let's talk. Why'd you wanna meet?”
“Relic interior simulation data.”
Kim Jun got straight to it.
An Seong-ho's face stiffened in slight surprise, then relaxed into a smile.
“B Group has that. Captain's call. Why think I have it?”
“Because you're An Seong-ho.”
An Seong-ho burst out laughing.
People stared, but he didn't care. Kim Jun just watched the team leader calmly.
The laughter cut off abruptly.
“Play nice, and I might snag the relic interior sim data.”
“Really?”
Kim Jun feigned shock with a touch of sincerity. No data yet, but possible... close to the truth.
“You know Section Chief Kwon Young-il?”
“Who?”
“Dungeon Management 2's chief. Knows Yeongnam and Gangwon dungeons better than anyone.”
“Ah.”
Kim Jun felt a subtle vibe.
An Seong-ho was a proud raider, established team leader. He could be arrogant, yet wasn't. Shrewd and calculating, sure—but not condescending from on high.
Calculated without the arrogance.
That style probably built ties with association staff.
“If we play it right, we can get it from Chief Kwon.”
An Seong-ho eyed him meaningfully.
Kim Jun got it instantly.
“What do I do?”
“Nothing big.”
And it wasn't. Meet his daughter, sign a card, snap photos. Peanuts compared to the data's value.