Seeing many of his fans interested in the new dungeon, Shaun started to research about it.
Browsing the internet, he read many news about the new dungeon. He checked them one by one. However, in the end, he decided to call one of his mother's colleagues.
The information on the news didn't satisfy him enough. Other than declaring it was an E-Grade dungeon.
Scrolling through his contacts, he decided to call his Uncle Pier, the youngest among his mother's friends.
"Hey, Uncle Pier, I just wanted to ask you questions about this new dungeon."
"You know the deal, payment first." Even though they were talking on the phone, Shaun could already imagine his Uncle Pier's posture, asking for payment. "Well... Since this is your first time calling after your mother's death, it's going to be free. Just this once, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah... So, Uncle, what's the deal with the new dungeon?" Shaun asked again, he needed to get answers immediately before his Uncle would change his mind.
"The new dungeon, huh? It's quite interesting compared to others. While most dungeons have a consistent difficulty, this one actually gets harder the deeper you go..."
Uncle Pier continued describing the Dungeon with a serious voice, meanwhile, Shaun took mental note at every important detail.
"By the way, are you interested in participating in the preliminary exam three years from now at the Star Sect? You'll still be under 25 by then. Oh, and I met an interesting guy who learned Moonstar Martial Art in just two weeks! He might be more talented than you!"
Uncle Pier loved to talk, and it was through his chattering that Shaun discovered the WindStar Martial Art and started practicing it.
Learning a Star Martial Art was one of the ways in getting an invitation to get into the Star Sect. The only Sect overseeing their territory.
Even just by having a member of the family part of the Sect will elevate the status of the whole family, directly becoming some sort of a noble in the face of the ordinary people.
"I'm not sure if I can participate in the preliminary. Let's leave that for now. I still have three years to decide" His mother had always wanted him to participate and join the Star Sect. She believed it would keep him safe from the Kang clan once he become a member.
"Anyway, thanks for the information about the dungeon. I was thinking of visiting it together with my fans next week."
"Be careful with that new dungeon. It might be very dangerous this time." When his Uncle Pier said that, he used a very serious voice. Quite different from his usual tone.
"Goodbye, I'm off to travel the world."
After bidding farewell, Shaun decided to go back to sleep.
When he woke up the next morning, he didn't stay in bed like he had been doing for the past month. He got up, groomed himself, and looked at his muscles in the mirror.
"My dear muscles, it's been tough on you. Don't worry, I'll get you back in shape," he said to himself.
He headed to the gym room and started exercising.
For the past week, Shaun had been checking the news about the new dungeon.
As soon as he learned that the Star Sect had released information about it being safe for public exploration, he logged on to Starwitter and posted, "Hey, guys! The news about the new dungeon is out! If anyone is available on May 5, come join me! Entering a dungeon is serious business, and it can be dangerous, so think twice before coming. See you soon ;) "
Not only his fans marked May 5 on their calendars, but also the assassins assigned to kill him.
They made careful preparations, planning to act as his fans and strike at a critical moment.
Time flew, and May 5 arrived. Shaun had prepared many things for this outing with his fans.
It was his way of rewarding the endless love he had received during the most vulnerable part of his life.
Based on Uncle Pier's warning that the dungeon might be more dangerous than the Star Sect claimed, Shaun packed various life-saving artifacts his mother had given him over the years.
He also brought a Spatial Artifact where they could hide if things got too risky. After careful preparation, he set off for the new dungeon.
Upon arriving at Kaio Hill, he saw a huge crowd of people. "Is there an event happening here? Why wasn't I informed?"
He soon noticed people with banners, and upon reading what was written on them, he realized they were actually his fans.
"Maybe... I should have selected only a few people for this outing. How can I protect so many people if it gets too dangerous?" Shaun regretted not specifying who could join him in the dungeon.
Nevertheless, he was happy to see that many people still supported him despite his month-long hiatus.
Wearing a mask, Shaun quietly made his way through the crowd. Once in a secluded area, he took off the mask and stashed it in his Spatial Artifact.
"Hey, guys!" Hearing Shaun's voice, all of his fans rushed toward him, surrounding him.
Soon, he had no space to walk, as his fans crowded around him, not even giving him room to breathe. Fortunately, he was strong, so this didn't affect him too much.
"Guys, personal space, please." Using his Elemental Power of air, he amplified his voice in order to be heard above the clamor.
If he didn't, his fans' voices would drown his out.
Realizing they were unintentionally hurting their idol, they backed off, giving him some personal space.
Shaun breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that lacking personal space could trigger his panic attacks.
"Thank you all for coming here! But... There are so many of you. How are we going to explore the dungeon?" His voice still carried the enhancement of his elemental power, reaching all of his fans.
"I have an idea!" said a fan wearing a President badge on her chest.
"She must be the president of my fan club," Shaun thought.
"Everyone, do you remember how we grouped up when we celebrated Shaun-kun's birthday by clearing a dungeon? Let's separate into those groups! The group leaders, please step forward and introduce yourselves to Shaun." Soon, 18 people stepped forward.
'Judging by their powers, they must be experts at B-Rank. I didn't realize I had such powerful fans.'
Shaun thought, surprised by the number of skilled individuals among his fan base.
"Shaun, these are our B-Rank experts in the fan club. Rest assured, they are powerful and can help protect those who are not practitioners or lack powers," the president explained.
"Thank you all very much." Shaun thanked the experts first and then turned his attention to the rest of his fans. "With these powerful experts on our side, I'm confident that we can have a safe outing together. So... everyone, let's explore this new dungeon!"
The group of people who had surrounded Kaio Hill now entered the dungeon one by one in an orderly line. At the back of the line, five sturdy individuals followed closely.
"Boss, what should we do? Shaun is being protected by 18 B-Rank experts." One of the henchmen asked through the walkie-talkie.
"I don't know! That old guy didn't tell us that Shaun actually had such powerful fans," the leader replied.
"Let's abort the mission! Let's go!" With the leader's order, the 5 men discreetly left the hill.
Meanwhile, Shaun chatted with his fans, unaware that he had narrowly escaped a disaster.