[The Hidden Dungeon's Reward]

“I knew it, nyang!”

The nagging started the moment I stepped inside.

“Hey, can I buy the thing to undo this?”

“It’ll automatically wear off after 5 minutes, nyang!”

“What was I even caught in?”

“You were trapped in a Nightmare. Lumen transforms into the person the target relies on most psychologically. Then, in that state, it betrays the target to inflict emotional trauma, nyang.”

“…….”

“Most people see their parents or a lover, but those who don’t have such people tend to see their closest friend, nyang!”

I took a moment to reflect on my barren social life.

“Who did you see, Uju?”

“I saw….”

She looked at me with pure curiosity.

“I saw Rackcho. Rackcho asked for help, so I almost fell for it, you know?”

The system clearly stated that Lumen transforms into the ‘person one relies on most psychologically.’

Of course, that was a lie, but in this harsh world, isn’t a little white lie like this necessary sometimes?

“Still, Uju is smart, so you didn’t get hooked~.”

Rackcho’s tail swept the already clean floor as if to ensure not a single speck of dust could settle.

This is why I can’t stop teasing her, I swear!

“But that nightmare? What if I get caught in it again?”

“You’ll develop a resistance, so it won’t happen a second time, nyang!”

“By the way, why do Hidden Dungeons even exist?”

There was still some time left before the five minutes were up anyway.

Might as well chat a bit.

And ask about things I’ve been curious about.

While I was at it, I chugged some potions that were nearing their expiration.

“You want to know why Hidden Dungeons appear, nyang? As you climb higher in the Tower, the required levels and stats increase, so they’re hidden in various places to help you climb more comfortably, nyang!”

“Does the system want us to climb the Tower quickly?”

“I don’t know that, nyang! But it’s certain that it has a desire for the Tower to be cleared, nyang!”

“…I guess this isn’t a system restriction?”

“Restrictions are lifted as time passes, nyang. It was a restriction originally, nyang.”

The system wants the Tower cleared.

Restrictions are lifted as time passes.

It was a time for learning new facts.

And then, an alarm sounded, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠signaling that my question time had come to an end.

“Grrr, damn it…!”

Seo Ian was grinding her teeth, absolutely livid.

“Are you okay?”

I asked out of concern, seeing her temper reach the boiling point, but the tip of Seo Ian’s sword pointed straight at me.

“Is it the ‘benefactor’ this time?”

“Ah… yeah, I get it. It’s suspicious enough.”

I suppressed the sudden surge of frustration with a sense of understanding and pulled the Litmus of Truth from my inventory, touching it to the tip of my tongue.

“I am Kim Uju.”

The blue of truth appeared.

For the record, I didn’t get this for situations like this.

I got it to use when I met Rian Carter.

But looking at this momentum, will I even have any left by the time I meet him?

“Benefactor?”

Seo Ian’s flustered voice reached me.

“Were you trapped in a dream too, Benefactor? Then that fat cat bastard…!”

Ah, Ian…!

Even if our Rackcho is a bit chubby, saying it to her face like that will hurt her feelings…!

Seo Ian’s eyes lit up in an instant as she lunged at Rackcho.

“Nooo!!”

I reached out to pick up Rackcho, then realized my mistake and immediately changed direction.

Ugh! Getting hit by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that hunk of metal would hurt like hell…!

But I didn’t want our guild’s ace to get an entry penalty!

“Die, Lumeen!!”

“It’s not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him!!”

Seo Ian charged fiercely toward Rackcho.

I rolled a capsule recovery potion into my mouth with my tongue and stepped in front of Rackcho.

“Benefactor, you’re possessed by that thing right now. I don’t want to hit you.”

Thinking she couldn’t avoid a collision, she slowed her approach.

But I didn’t let my guard down.

My intuition, seeing the look in her eyes behind the helmet, told me not to.

Seo Ian continued.

“But if you’re possessed and out of your mind, isn’t it my responsibility as the ace to knock some sense into you, even if I have to hit you?”

I don’t know what kind of thought process led to that, but no, that’s not it.

“I told you, it’s a misunderstanding!”

I pulled the Litmus of Truth from my inventory and held it to Rackcho’s mouth.

“Rackcho, you’re not Lumen, you’re my Tower Merchant, right?”

“I don’t know, nyang.”

Rackcho’s eyes were already narrowed into straight lines, clearly sulking.

Ah, Rackcho, even you…!

This is all because Seo Ian called Rackcho fat.

“Rackcho thinks that to protect Uju’s safety, the team members working with him need to have some common sense, nyang.”

Rackcho let out a surprisingly sensible remark and began to chew on the Litmus of Truth I held out.

She even snatched the remaining litmus paper and chewed that up too.

That paper, which was more expensive than cash and smaller than cash, soaked in saliva and turned to mush, soon lost its form….

Wait, hold on?!

“Rackcho, just because it’s long doesn’t mean it’s a churro! Spit it out right now!!”

You damn cat!

What if you get a stomachache!

And do you know how much that cost!

As I stood there, feet stomping in anxiety, afraid to touch her for fear of a penalty, I heard the clattering sound of metal hitting metal from behind.

I turned around to see Seo Ian, her armor shaking as she tried to hold back her laughter.

“Ian. Are you laughing?”

This is serious, you know?

“I wasn’t laughing. I was shivering because it’s cold. Actually, your reaction was just a bit funny. Anyway, are you Rackcho? I’ve heard a lot about you from Ver. Ver says he likes you.”

“Are you crazy, nyaaang!!”

Rackcho instantly bristled, puffing herself up to nearly twice her size.

I’d never seen her hiss like this before, and I was genuinely worried she might explode.

“We’re both males, what are you talking about, nyang!!”

“Hmm. Like the Benefactor said, I guess you really are the Tower Merchant Rackcho.”

Seo Ian crossed her arms and dropped her guard.

“Was that just a test?!”

“You chewed up the Litmus of Truth, what else was I supposed to do?”

She shrugged, looking completely unbothered.

That was so Seo Ian.

“Anyway, get out of here now, nyang. Clear the dungeon and come back, nyang. It’s not in a cleared state right now, so there’s nothing I can do to help you, nyang.”

-Ding!

With only 1 percent of HP left, what could possibly be difficult?

Seo Ian cleanly decapitated Lumen, triggering the world announcement.

Perhaps because I hadn’t landed a single hit on the boss, our guild’s ace was able to claim the top spot on the ranking.

“Wow, as expected of our ace. You were cool this time, too.”

“Is it even news that I’m cool?”

We bumped fists.

Soon after, Seo Ian’s helmet came off, revealing a face drenched in sweat.

She was smiling brightly, looking relieved.

Just as we were about to part ways after congratulating each other on our hard work.

A notification of a kind I’d never heard before slammed into our ears.

“Shadow of the Benefactor?”

I tilted my head and looked at Seo Ian, and she just shrugged.

“It says it’s an achievement given to someone who fought alongside the Benefactor? I don’t know the details either? It just popped up.”

“Then what about the ‘Title’?”

“Don’t know? I think I’d have to look closely to know?”

Our Ian, she really doesn’t know anything, does she?

“No, why are you looking at me like that? That look is like you’re looking at a blockhead!”

“No? No way?”

While I was denying it so intensely, the Tower suddenly began to shake.

‘Rearranging’. Another notification I’d never heard before.

“What’s rearranging?”

“I think we should get out of here first?”

“I think so too. It’s going to collapse soon. Contact me later.”

Seo Ian nodded and vanished from sight.

Confirming she had escaped safely, I moved my body to Rackcho’s room.

“You’re here, nyang?”

“I’m here, nyang!”

As I mimicked her tone, I noticed Rackcho’s eyes widen and her tail slow down noticeably.

Seeing how cute she was, I chuckled, and Rackcho, who had been sulking for a moment, smiled brightly as if mimicking me back.

“You did well, nyang! You pulled a good contribution rate in this Hidden Dungeon, nyang!”

“Oh? How much?”

It was the first time I’d been praised by Rackcho for getting a good contribution rate.

“A whopping 15 percent, nyang!”

“That doesn’t seem that high?”

“But the total amount is high, nyang!”

Rackcho pulled up the reward window.

150,000 Ticks.

The experience points were decent, too, bringing me to level 90.

So that’s why she said 15 percent was a good score.

Anyway, now the question was whether Rackcho had brought something worth draining my wallet.

“Anything to sell?”

The sales window popped up as if she’d been waiting.

A strange purple crystal was floating in the window.

“How much is it?”

“It’s 500,000 Ticks, which is a 50 percent discount, nyang!”

“…Is Lumen’s Eye good?”

“It’s good if you use it well, nyang!”

That ‘if you use it well’ again.

Is it because of the trait?

I thought for a moment.

“Should I buy it?”

If you don’t know, you have to ask.

It wouldn’t come up even if I searched for it anyway!

“Lumen’s Eye is an item that acts as a stepping stone and a key to obtaining something even greater if you have it, nyang.”

“Then I have to buy it, right?”

“But Seo Ian needs to buy it too, nyang….”

Rackcho showed a rare moment of timidity, her voice trailing off.

“Why?”

“Ver is probably selling it right now, too. Since it’s a half-eye, it’s useless if only one person has it, nyang.”

“Is there a way to get it from someone else?”

“It’s impossible to trade unless it’s between people who cleared the Hidden Dungeon together, nyang.”

I see.

Then I’ll have to contact the person involved and agree to buy it. I took out my phone.

“Wait, why isn’t there any signal?”

“All communication channels other than the Tower Merchant are blocked, nyang. It’s because you’ve entered the ‘Moment of Choice’, nyang.”

“Huh….”

I couldn’t hide my bewilderment and let out a sigh.

“I’ll buy it.”

Meanwhile, Seoul.

-Sizzle.

A Korean BBQ restaurant in Seoul where the sound of pork belly sizzling created a magnificent harmony.

Inside, Rian Carter was rejoicing as if he were the one who had cleared the Hidden Dungeon.

“Look, Dylan! Didn’t I tell you? Korea is the answer!”

Dylan still expressionlessly poured and drank his soju.

“But your current actions are not the normal way to reach that answer.”

“The important thing is the result. Not the method. Well, it would be the icing on the cake if the method was good too, wouldn’t it?”

-Bang!

Dylan, looking displeased, slammed the soju bottle he was holding onto the circular iron table.

“Whoa. You’re going to break the green bottle.”

“How is this green? Are you unable to distinguish colors properly now?”

Indeed, the bottle in Dylan’s hand was a blue bottle.

“Hidden Dungeon. This is already the second clear in Korea alone.”

“Not even survival, but a clear…. That’s cool! Very!”

Rian had been inside a Hidden Dungeon before.

He hadn’t cleared it, but he was a being who had endured for a week and managed to crawl back out alive.

Yet, he had been robbed of the achievement of being the ‘first survivor’ by Seo Ian.

That was because he had a record of having died there once already.

Though he had managed to survive and return thanks to the Ring of Resurrection.

“The ‘1 other’ is probably Kim Uju, right?”

Only Seo Ian’s name was on the ranking.

However, the world announcement stated that Seo Ian ‘and 1 other’ had achieved an impossible feat.

Rian filled his glass again and continued.

“It seems they’re trying to put Seo Ian at the forefront, but why?”

“Isn’t it highly likely that Kim Uju is the supporter?”

“Ah. That makes me like him even more. He’d be perfect if he teamed up with me.”

Rian smacked his lips as if he were impatient.

“Are you actually thinking about this?”

Dylan asked with a suspicious gaze.

“Don’t you trust me too little? It hurts my feelings when you stare at me with eyes like that?”

“What is your intention in saying such things now, when you’ve built up your past record as solidly as a fortress wall?”

Rian Carter felt genuinely hurt by the look of sincere curiosity.

“Trust me this time. I really am thinking about it.”

The person he would meet through the Association this time.

That day would be the decisive battle between the US and Korea on the surface, but in reality, it would be the battle between himself and Kim Uju.

Immediately after the world announcement rang out.

The Awakened community began to burn even faster than the Awakened Associations of each country.

Countless posts poured out like a broken dam, but the one that stood out the most was a short post.

Seo Ian, who had checked Hong Jehun’s post, was moving her fingers to type a comment.

“Ah, damn it! What kind of bastard is calling and breaking the flow… Oh, it’s our Benefactor?”

Showing a stark difference in temperature, Seo Ian pressed the call button.

“Our Benefactor, what’s up!”

[Ian, did you buy it?]