###
Kang Hyun summoned Aden from his inventory.
“A-class disciple appears!”
“Full of energy, aren’t you?”
“How could I not be after eating ribs?!”
Once again, it was an E+ rank dungeon like before.
“Are you going to show me that today too?”
“Yes.”
“Wow!”
With the elixir provided by Seonghwa, Kang Hyun’s mana had reached E rank.
Now that his mana had increased, it was time for some experiments.
“Are they the same bison as last time?”
“Yes. This time, the goal is experimentation, so we’ll finish it quickly.”
“Um… but there are a lot of them?”
The bison glared menacingly.
Fifteen in total.
Last time, there were only ten.
“But they’re a bit smaller, aren’t they? Even so, I heard this is tougher than the previous dungeon.”
Apparently, this was the highest difficulty of E+ rank.
“Will you be okay?”
“Probably.”
Kang Hyun put a finger to his lips and whistled.
Fweeeet—
The bison immediately focused on him.
They scratched the ground with their front hooves and charged fiercely.
Dust billowed up in clouds.
The sheer momentum of the herd was as overwhelming as their numbers.
“Spirit. Soul. Essence.”
“Ugh, are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Ritual. Command. End.”
“You don’t look okay! Last time, you almost got in serious trouble because one survived!”
“Termination. Declaration. Fade.”
“Eww! <Shield>!”
“【Die】.”
Whoooosh—
The charging bison collapsed all at once, rolling and tumbling to either side.
The dust completely obscured their view.
“Nice Shield. If not for that, I would’ve inhaled all this dust.”
“Ugh, ugh… Are you sure none of them survived like last time?”
“Nope. It’s a clean sweep.”
Last time, it was nine.
This time, all fifteen bison were eliminated at once.
It was an immensely satisfying result.
After all, these weren’t just ordinary bison.
‘【Die】 consumes a fixed amount of mana regardless of the target’s strength.’
Even without 【Die】, Kang Hyun felt much stronger now with his increased mana.
Once my physical endurance improves, I might finally be able to say, ‘Hey, I’m an Awakened!’
[Perfect Clear! (Solo)]
[A tremendous achievement! You have completely thwarted the invasion of the World Tree!]
[Due to your achievement, a ‘Blessing’ will be bestowed upon the surrounding area! Everyone will praise your achievement!]
[As a reward for perfectly clearing the dungeon (Solo), you are granted a special item.]
Then it was time for the reward.
As expected, another Bronze Box (+2).
“It’s about time we got another elixir.”
“Drumroll, please!”
Aden hyped up the moment.
Effects burst forth in a radiant glow.
Fwaaaah—
Ding!
[You have obtained the ‘Fruit of the Divine Tree.’]
[Fruit of the Divine Tree]
[If mana is E+ rank or below, increases mana by 1.]
“Oh!”
“Oh?”
“It’s a mana elixir!”
“Wow, we got one!”
Without hesitation, Kang Hyun devoured it.
Sweet and delicious.
Not bad at all.
“Now my mana is E+ rank!”
This was a significant milestone.
He could now use the cultivation techniques from his previous life.
It was time to schedule some training.
Ding!
[An Awakened has achieved a ‘Perfect Clear!(Solo)’ of an E+-rank dungeon, completely halting the World Tree’s invasion!]
[To honor their achievement, a ‘Blessing’ descends upon the surrounding area. Everyone, please celebrate!]
The Perfect Clear notification rang out.
Kang Hyun decided to check internet comments for the first time in a while.
With Korea in such turmoil lately, it was bound to be buzzing.
└ Oh.
└ Wow!
└ Wait, what happened?
└ It’s here!
└ Thank you for another Perfect Clear today.
└ Whew… Yesterday, when no Perfect Clear notification came, I thought they might’ve died in a dungeon.
└ Same here. Please, just don’t encounter any more dangerous dungeons.
└ Don’t jinx it. Words have power, you know.
The whole country was in turmoil due to concerns about progress.
With the nation on edge, everyone found relief in the Perfect Clear.
└ Shouldn’t we temporarily ban the Perfect Clear Awakened from entering dungeons?
└ If we do that, the country is really screwed… Without Perfect Clears, this season’s progress will collapse.
└ For real. Progress acceleration is already in decline. If we lose Perfect Clears, who knows what will happen?
“I guess I’ll have to keep clearing dungeons for a while.”
This abnormal dungeon situation needed to be resolved quickly, one way or another.
###
Adolescent Kang Subin.
She was known for being aloof at school.
Even so, she had many friends.
Because, at her core, she was a kind person.
Especially among boys, her demeanor was oddly appealing.
When someone is beautiful, everything about them seems like a charm.
Subin sat by the window, quietly staring at her hand mirror.
More precisely, at the earrings reflected in it.
‘…They’re beautiful.’
Truly, breathtakingly beautiful.
She couldn’t show it off much because she was at school.
At home, it was different.
She’d been so shocked when her mom opened the jewelry box, saying it was a gift from her brother.
That evening, she had bounced around her room all night.
Of course, she locked the door and kept it silent.
Even with family, how could she let them see her like that?
‘Ah…’
The blue gemstones glimmered.
Tilting her head to reflect the sunlight made them look even prettier.
Even in the shade, they shone.
They were just so stunning.
Subin adjusted the angle of the mirror and caught a faint smile forming on her lips.
Immediately, she straightened her expression.
She subtly glanced around to make sure no one had noticed.
If someone saw her grinning alone like that, she’d have to bite her tongue in embarrassment.
She went back to admiring the earrings.
‘They’re so beautiful…’
How much must they have cost?
Did her brother always have such great taste?
‘Surprising.’
Even though they weren’t that far apart in age, her brother had always seemed like an old soul.
He was mature, reliable, and even when she acted out in her adolescent rebellion, he always treated her well.
When they were kids, she only had good memories of him.
Their family hadn’t been well-off, and with their parents working double shifts, her brother had practically raised her on his back.
Old-souled and occasionally clumsy, but no one was more dependable or mature than her brother.
‘…Why can’t I be that mature?’
She just caused trouble for her parents and brother.
Even yesterday, she’d snapped at him for no reason.
The man had been working tirelessly and had come home after ages, yet she couldn’t be kind to him.
‘Come to think of it, he really has changed.’
No, technically, her brother hadn’t changed.
But something about him… felt different.
She couldn’t put her finger on it exactly.
‘Being recruited by Seonghwa as a doctor, having a Guild Master visit him personally… Did his work go that well?’
Good for him.
They say men change when they succeed—maybe it was something like that?
“Kyaa! Subin!”
“What?”
“…I was trying to startle you.”
“Wow.”
“Wow~ Thanks for the premium reaction~”
She almost laughed at her best friend’s teasing.
“Subin! You look happy. Did something good happen today… wait, what’s that on your ear!?”
“Huh? Oh…”
A wave of satisfaction surged.
She barely suppressed the smile that threatened to form.
“Whoa, whoa! What is this?! Where’s it from? Blue gemstones? Wait, is this the Tiffany pop-up main piece that’s been all the rage lately?”
“Shh, Shh…”
Her friend’s excitement immediately drew attention.
‘…Well, it’s not exactly uncalled for.’
The earrings really were that stunning.
Her brother was the best.
“Where did you get them? Tell me! Tell me!”
“I don’t know. I got them as a gift.”
“A gift? From who? What taste! Don’t tell me—your boyfriend!?”
A few boys in the classroom noticeably flinched.
“The only one who’d give you something like this is a boyfriend, right? It’s your boyfriend, isn’t it?!”
“No, it’s not. My brother gave them to me.”
“Brother? Boyfriend becomes ‘darling’, darling becomes ‘honey’, right?”
“Ugh, it’s really my brother! My real brother.”
“Did you hear that, boys? Relax!”
Subin glanced around to see a few boys quickly avert their gazes.
“…Who are you even talking to?”
“Oh, come on, you know. Didn’t you feel the boys’ heated stares today?”
“…?”
“You’ve been smiling all day, basking in the sunlight! You looked so radiant!”
Normally, Kang Subin was so cold and distant that people found her hard to approach.
A flower admired from afar.
But today, something was different.
Subin still had her usual almost-expressionless face, but there was a subtle change.
To those who had always observed her closely, it was clear—she seemed genuinely happy.
“Ah, ah…”
“Wow, Subin’s face is turning red! She’s going to explode!”
Subin wanted nothing more than to bury her face in her desk.
But she couldn’t.
Doing so would make it too obvious that she wanted to disappear.
For a teenage girl in high school, even that felt like too much to bear.
She simply turned her head slightly toward the window.
Yet she could still feel the sharp stares on her reddened ears and neck.
Those jerks. She felt like she could die of embarrassment—or kill them all.
“Subin! You’re adorable!”
“…Please, be quiet.”
At that moment, there was a commotion in the hallway.
Thankfully, the attention was diverted.
She exhaled the breath she had been holding.
“Whew…”
“Oh, Yang Sujin’s here.”
“…Really?”
Her best friend’s tone turned cold.
Subin’s cheerful mood also dipped.
Yang Sujin, her middle school classmate.
An Awakened, she only occasionally showed up at school.
“Ugh, full of inferiority complexes.”
“…She might hear you.”
Awakened ones often had enhanced senses.
“Let her hear it!”
But apparently, Sujin really did hear.
From the hallway, she waved at Subin.
“Hi, Subin!”
“…”
“…Hello.”
Sujin approached, and behind her, Subin could feel the numerous stares of students who had been talking to the Awakened girl.
“What are you two up to? Were you talking about me?”
“No.”
“No? But you were. I heard my name. Tell me what you were saying!”
“…”
The tension in the air was palpable.
Yang Sujin had been a quiet girl originally.
But after Awakening and gaining popularity, she started to antagonize Subin.
There was an underlying sense of jealousy.
Subin had learned the reason, at least superficially.
Their names were similar: Sujin and Subin.
It was such a childish reason.
‘…Ridiculous.’
What Subin didn’t know was that Sujin was also a teenager struggling with her own insecurities.
To have someone prettier, more popular, and academically better share such a similar name felt unbearable.
Especially when the boy Sujin liked cheerfully called out a name.
And it turned out to be Subin, not Sujin.
What should have been her happiest moment became her most humiliating.
A fragile girl’s heart.
It could be torn apart by something so trivial.
“Oh my! Subin, did you get new earrings?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow~ They’re so pretty! But don’t you think they don’t match your personal color?”
“Really?”
“Yeah! You’re already cool-toned, so your skin looks pale, but with blue gemstones, you look like you’re sick.”
Subin clenched her teeth.
The provocations were harsher today.
Perhaps it was because Sujin had overheard her friend earlier.
Especially with all the eyes on them.
Sujin, who had Awakened a few months ago, had become immensely popular.
Students always surrounded her, trying to strike up a conversation, and today was no different.
In the hallway, everyone was watching this scene.
It had been such a happy day.
Now it was ruined.
‘Just go… Please, just leave…’
But then Sujin crossed the line.
“Those earrings seem like a waste~”
“…Do they?”
“Oh! I just got my dungeon payout. How about I buy them? Since we’re friends, I’ll pay you a high price!”
Sujin snapped her fingers and lightly flicked the earrings Subin’s brother had given her.
Subin felt a tremor run down her neck.
“How about 30? Is that enough? How much were these-”
But Sujin’s words trailed off.
Her eyes widened as she stared into the air, as if reading something only she could see.
“…!”
Sujin’s expression turned into a mixture of shock and disbelief.
“You… You… How do you have this?!”
“Huh?”
