I found myself seated in the middle row of the car, flanked on either side by the men in black. Their presence was pretty darn suffocating for a guy like me, but... it was a silent reminder that I was effectively their captive.
That woman with the snake eyes?
She was seated calmly in the front passenger seat, her gaze fixed ahead while another one of her men in black handled the wheel. The car itself moved steadily forward toward a certain direction of the city block...
I was lucky enough NOT to be tied, gagged, or even blindfolded... which meant that wherever they were taking me, they didn't mind me seeing it at all. So, if I was correct, we were most likely heading toward the center of the city...
The center where adventurers from all over the nation had gathered: The entrance of 'Titan's Descent' Dungeon.
I would have liked to visit this area as an actual adventurer myself... but instead, I was brought here as a bona fide captive.
Why?
"Hey, lady?" I called to the only woman in this car, trying to do what I do best: communicating. "Where are we going here?" I inquired, trying my luck to get some information.
The woman herself... didn't answer my question. She kept her gaze fixed on the front, showing not a single shred of care toward me...
"Not much of a talker, eh?" I added, trying my best to get some sort of reaction... but to no avail. She still ignored me. Hell, she didn't even bat a single glance in my direction.
I looked left and right to my sides—to the two men who flanked me.
"Hey, you guys?" I tried getting their attention instead. "Your boss there is pretty cold-hearted, isn't she?"
"..."
They, too, didn't react to my attempt at humor...
'Tough crowd...'
I couldn't help but let out a sigh at my fruitless attempt with these 'professionals.' It made me really appreciate that damn Cyclops was more expressive than these stuck-ups.
But now... I was wondering what they wanted with me... though I had a pretty good guess as to why...
"... you guys are after my relic, aren't you?"
"...!"
I saw it.
I saw that all of them stiffened ever so slightly at my deduction... and I couldn't control the smirk slowly forming on my lips.
'Bingo~.'
Even the 'snake eyes' woman—I seemed to have seen her take a quick glance toward me through the car's rearview mirror... because I felt a sudden familiar pressure in that one single instance.
So... they really were aiming for this relic, huh? The relic of the God of Lightning, Zeus...
They wouldn't really give a damn about some newbie adventurer who survived a wild dungeon. Those kinds of people (who survived at least) were most likely a dime a dozen at this point...
Instead, what they were interested in would be the thing that these wild dungeons rewarded to those who managed to clear them—of course, I was talking about treasure.
If that was the case...
"Why didn't you guys just take it by force?" I inquired to all of these men in black... but of course, more so toward their boss lady... as I asked her in a more measured tone, "Why not just kill me and be done with it?"
That was a rather risky question coming from me... but it was worth a shot.
I saw all of their expressions stiffen even more.
And the 'snake eyes' lady?
"...!"
She was throwing a quite mean glare toward me through the rearview mirror of the car! In that moment, I felt that familiar, dreadful presence again as she lowered her dark sunglasses...!
The pressure itself wasn't as bad as before. Maybe it was because she was seeing me through the rearview mirror... or maybe she wasn't using those 'snake eyes' of hers to their full capacity like before.
Thus... I was still able to stare back at her 'snake eyes' with a bit of willpower boost.
"Do not tempt your fate, Mr. Isaac Hunter," she warned, her glare steady and unyielding, essentially trying to shut my trap. I even saw a bit of a frown on her beautiful visage.
"Oh... I wouldn't want to, lady," I joked, though I could still feel the dreadful pressure weighing on me. "I just want to know if I'll be able to see tomorrow's sunrise... particularly with my whole body intact."
As those words left my mouth, the pressure in the car suddenly spiked—the 'snake eyes' woman was glaring at me, her eyes slowly glowing ethereal green in the darkness of the car...!
Even my fellow passengers were starting to show some agitation as they felt the collateral of her dreadful stare toward me...
However, for some inexplicable reason...
Her stare didn't faze me anymore.
I didn't know why... but 'something' strange was happening to me again as I stared back at the beautiful visage of this 'snake eyes' woman.
I didn't realize it until later, but... 'something' was 'rising' within me as I gazed into her intimidating yet strangely beautiful eyes.
It was weird, of course... since earlier in front of the hospital, her stare was enough to fill me with dread and freeze me on the spot.
But now?
It felt as if I was craving it more—not because I enjoyed being looked down upon, no... It felt like a challenge—a challenge of dominance, and that 'something' within me was pushing me to win this challenge...!
(Un)fortunately, she broke off her glare, hiding her 'snake eyes' away from my sight, which brought some relief to the other men in the car beside me...
Much to the dismay of that 'something' inside me.
"Your safety will be assured, Mr. Isaac Hunter," she said, reassuring me as she returned her gaze to the road ahead.
"Is that so?"
I raised an eyebrow at her supposed promise.
"Yes..." she confirmed, though I could tell from her tone that she was annoyed, "as long as you comply with us."
"Sure, whatever you say, lady."
This conversation was effectively over... but luckily, it didn't turn into an awkward silence because, through the tinted car window, I saw where these men in black were finally taking me...
The one place where every adventurer gathered before embarking on their dangerous expeditions.
"Adventurer's Guild...?!"