"Just who… are you, Oppa?"
Seohye used the word 'oppa' for the first time. I didn't attach much significance to the word. Age-wise, I was indeed her oppa, and the title itself wasn't anything weird.
"I'm just an ordinary person."
"Ordinary?"
Seohye's red eyes wavered.
"There'll be trouble if you say you're ordinary again."
"..."
I examined Seohye's eyes carefully.
'Red eyes.'
It was a characteristic of the former Red Demon, the Red-Eyed Killer. From the stiffness of her body and her flow of mana right now, it didn't look like she was planning on attacking me. Her eyes were just red.
'But…'
Something about those eyes bothered me.
"Seohye."
"Yes?"
"I know that barrier magic isn't the only ability you have."
Actually, I didn't know. I just threw out a wild guess. If Seohye denied it, it meant she didn't have one, and if she remained silent, my guess was true.
"..."
Seohye didn't respond. I had sprung the words so suddenly on her that she couldn't even come up with a proper denial.
"About those red eyes…"
"Red eyes?"
"If you have a mirror, take a look at yourself."
A considerable number of female Players carried a mirror with them. That applied even now, ten years in the past. I didn't get it. In any case, Seohye was in her late teens, an age at which one was sensitive about one's appearance, and she had a mirror with her.
"Kyaa!"
Seohye screamed involuntarily upon seeing her face in the mirror. Apparently, she had been unaware this entire time that her eyes were turning red.
"I don't know what ability you're using when your eyes turn red," I said. "I only know that the mana flow of your eyes is weird."
Seohye seemed very shaken by her red eyes.
"Wh-Wh-What is this?"
"You're alright. You're alright."
The killer I knew from the future, the Red Demon, showed a very fragile part of herself. As expected of an oppa with a little sister who had a 'tofu mentality', I consoled Seohye quite adeptly.
"In any case, those red eyes. The mana flow is suspicious."
Sung-gu cut in as if frustrated. "C'mon man. You gotta explain in concrete terms how it's suspicious. You can't just say it's suspicious and call it quits. Though, yeah, of course those red eyes are super sus."
I thought for a bit. "Almost like it's… opening its mouth to swallow you alive?"
Observer's Eye saw Seohye's muscles stiffen for the slightest moment. That meant she had also sensed something weird, whether that was instinctive or something else.
"You've already felt something like that before, right?"
"..." After a long moment of hesitation, Seohye said, "I feel it often."
"When?"
"I'm not sure. When I'm dreaming, I feel it. When no one's there, it feels like someone's watching me. No, they're… glaring at me."
I paid close attention to her eyes. They had returned to normal.
"Be wary of your eyes."
That was all the advice I could give at this point in time.
'Red eyes.'
There was something more to them. They harbored some kind of secret. I had the feeling there would be some kind of incident related to those 'eyes' in the near future.
'Looks like our relationship won't end here.'
Sung-gu followed Hyukjin closely.
"Still, I didn't think that girl would say the word oppa."
"..."
The two of them were heading to the U-Plex Dungeon. Choi Sung-gu chattered tirelessly. "She must have warmed up to you a lot."
"..."
"But seriously man, what's your secret? Cheon Sooji's after you. Yeonseo's after you. Why're all the ladies so impatient to get a piece of you?"
"..."
Hyukjin didn't bother answering. Even if he didn't, Sung-gu could keep up a conversation all by himself.
"I'm jealous man, I'm jealous. I'm really fuckin' jelly."
".."
They neared the U-Plex Dungeon. At the entrance were wardens dispatched by the Players Association. A man wearing sunglasses stopped them.
"As I'm sure you know, this is the U-Plex Dungeon, a brutally difficult dungeon. Please turn back."
After Hyukjin's party, several Players and parties challenged the dungeon, but not a single one of them made it out. As a result, this place became a prohibited area, and most Players were forbidden from entering.
"Entry is temporarily restricted to Players who have gotten talent plate readings of thirty. This is a measure for your safety, so we ask that you cooperate."
The man acted by the manual. He didn't do anything wrong, and Hyukjin didn't quarrel.
"Sung-gu. You've got thirty talent plates."
"Huh? Huh? Riiiight, I forgot."
Sung-gu fumbled for a moment like a blockhead before producing the 'Player Card' the Players Association had issued him. In addition to his personal details, it indicated how many talent plates he had.
Thirty talent plates. That number meant a great deal in this world where new culture was quickly spreading. It meant you had the foundation to become a new leader, a new somebody.
"I apologize for not recognizing you."
"Not at all, I also forgot I had thirty."
Sung-gu shrugged. Though it might have looked like modesty to the men guarding the dungeon, Sung-gu was sincere.
'A talent plate reader that said Hyukjin had [No Talent] means nothing.'
He regarded the reliability of such a faulty device as 0, so he had erased the fact that he had thirty talent plates from his mind altogether. How accurate could a talent plate exam that said Hyukjin had 0 plates possibly be?
"We can go in together, right?"
"You may. However, both of you must sign an agreement stating that the Players Association holds no liability."
After signing, Hyukjin and Sung-gu walked up to the dungeon.
[Enter the U-Plex Dungeon?]
They entered.
[You have entered the U-Plex Dungeon 1st Floor.]
The dungeon hadn't changed.
"But bro, do we have to clear this place again?"
"No. It's not clearable."
"Eh? Why not?"
"Noah will remember us."
After digesting that for a moment, Sung-gu's eyes grew wide.
"He won't be reset?"
"He'll definitely remember us."
The 1st, 2nd, and even the 3rd floor were doable, but there was no way to escape Noah on the 4th floor.
"Then what do we do? Fight him?"
"There's no doubt we would die if we did."
"Then? Why'd you bring me here? Y-You're not going to offer me as a sacrifice, right?"
Sung-gu stealthily reached for Hyukjin's hand. Hyukjin slapped his hand away extremely heartlessly.
"Grab my hand, and I'll kill you."
"Hik!" Sung-gu trembled from head to toe.
"As I told you before, same procedure as last time. The Big Black Dogs will appear on the 1st floor."
They would proceed the same way as last time. Only this time, Hyukjin was here to deliver 'Rapundel's Remains' to Charles.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
They began to hear the sound of barking.
"The Big Black Dogs probably won't remember us."
An NPC of Noah's level would remember them, but not these monsters. They had to slowly build up intimacy using the same method as last time.
Hyukjin saw the Twin-Headed Big Black Dog in front of him. Once the Big Black Dogs' tails were moving in slow figure eights, he slowly, unhurriedly moved to the boss. The drooling Twin-Headed Big Black Dog was still impossible to hunt at his current level.
Hyukjin stopped calmly in front of the Twin-Headed Big Black Dog without the slightest trace of intimidation. Then, he extended an item.
Rapundel's Remains.
The Twin-Headed Big Black Dog sniffed the item in Hyukjin's hands for a long time, then sat on his haunches.
AWOOOOOOOO–!
He began to howl.
At his howl, the Big Black Dogs tearing voraciously into the Black Yak's Lean Meat began to howl as well.
AWOOOOOOO–!
AWOOOOOOO–!
The sound of howling filled the floor. Sung-gu trembled.
'Fuck. Why the hell is it so scary?'
To Sung-gu, the Big Black Dogs' howls made terror resonate in his very bones. He was under the influence of the 'fear effect' created by high-level monsters.
Hyukjin just stood there quietly, gazing at the Twin-Headed Big Black Dog.
'This howl… is strange.'
Sung-gu was feeling a 'fear effect' right now, but Hyukjin was different.
'My chest aches.'
What was this?
'This feeling is…'
Hyukjin turned his meditative gaze inward, reading his own feelings. He focused on the howl and on the Big Black Dogs. Certain 'words' began to drift to the surface of his consciousness.
Govern thy emotions with eyes of meditation.
Read all things with a tranquil heart.
And gaze down upon all phenomena with peaceful eyes.
He didn't hear any other 'words'. Something was lacking. Hyukjin had a hunch.
'Incantation territory.'
This was incantation territory. He was beginning to harness a special authority that could enhance his power of 'observation' even more. Not long afterwards, Hyukjin had a realization.
'What I'm doing right now…'
To his surprise, it wasn't just simple observation, but empathizing.
Sung-gu saw tears drip from Hyukjin's eyes.
'What's with him?'
Sung-gu almost wanted to say, "It's because you're like this that you're scary, man!" but he held back. Why was Hyukjin crying? Did he go mad all of a sudden? Sung-gu was extremely confused, but he internally slapped himself back to stillness.
Hyukjin put out a hand.
"I see. You're very sad."
He met eyes with the Twin-Headed Big Black Dog. Tears were running out of the boss monster's four eyes.
[The 'Shepherd Boy' is very impressed by your 'empathy'.]
[The 'Shepherd Boy' expresses utmost goodwill towards you.]
The Twin-Headed Big Black Dog began to lick Hyukjin's hand.
'It doesn't hurt at all.'
This high-level monster's saliva was a strong acid. Last time, when Hyukjin's head was in the Twin-Headed Big Black Dog's mouth, the saliva was excruciating. But now, it didn't hurt at all.
The licking didn't harm his hand at all, but the Twin-Headed Big Black Dog's emotions were relayed to Hyukjin in full.
'Heartbreaking pain.'
It felt like he was deeply connected to the monster's emotions. This phenomenon was one he knew about.
There was an article about it on Playpedia.
–Tamers of a high level are not only able to easily read monsters' emotions, but are able to feel those emotions. In other words, the more in-tune a Player is with a monster's emotions, the more talent they have as a tamer.
He heard notices.
['Find Charles' Owner!' has been cleared.]
[The clear has been recognized as a peerlessly perfect clear.]
While those notices were going off, Darongi clambered onto one of the Twin-Headed Big Black Dog's heads and patted it with an air of self-importance. The boss' other head turned to stare at Darongi, who gave another pat, as if to encourage the Twin-Headed Big Black Dog to cheer up.
Hyukjin was able to read the Twin-Headed Big Black Dog's emotions through Eye of Perception.
'He's actually… getting significantly comforted?'
As ridiculous as it was, the Twin-Headed Big Black Dog was greatly consoled by Darongi.
[Distributing the rewards for 'Find Charles' Owner!']
This was a quest created by linking the First Pioneer title effect with a first discovery of a hidden piece. It would give out far greater rewards than a regular quest.
[Title 'Hundred Dog Master' acquired.]
Hyukjin got a new title, Hundred Dog Master.
____