Yohan’s head jolted.

‘What’s going on?’

Has this idiot changed?

If the protagonist showed up here, his entire plan could fall apart. No—more than that, he couldn’t let him take the item he was just about to choose.

His emotions stirred violently, but there wasn’t even time to calm down.

[Time remaining: 00H : 00M : 55S]

Yohan’s gaze turned to the panel showing the remaining time.

Only 55 seconds.

In that time, he had to strike a deal with Seo Changhee.

Seo Changhee had an ingrained instinct that pushed him to always choose the best option to stop this damn apocalypse of absurd difficulty.

If Yohan forcefully took the item from him, their relationship would become a complete disaster.

He had to start with a friendly conversation.

“Sorry, but I’d like you to give me this. I’m the only one who can bring out its true potential.”

“That’s going to be a problem. My instinct tells me I need to get this. If anyone should back down, it should be you.”

Instinct? Like it was some sort of command from an old-school mother-in-law.

He wasn’t going to give up easily. In that case… Yohan had no choice but to bait him with something even more valuable than this.

“In exchange, I’ll help you find the ‘Dawn Fragment’. And while I’m at it, I’ll also help you figure out which item you should really choose.”

Yohan tapped his finger against the white Zippo lighter on the table.

Ping!

The lighter spun on its axis and stopped right in front of Seo Changhee.

Then—

Flinch

Seo Changhee’s gaze faltered.

“How… do you know? Even the top guilds and rankers don’t know that the Dawn Fragment exists…”

How do I know? Because it’s essential for you to awaken as a “Spiritual.”

Deep down, his instincts were probably screaming that he had to obtain the Dawn Fragment.

But Yohan couldn’t say all that. It was better to stay vague.

“Are we really going to play twenty questions when we’re out of time? Or are you going to take the deal?”

[Time remaining: 00H : 00M : 17S]

“Interesting. You talk like you know everything about me.”

Seo Changhee stared deeply into Yohan’s eyes, trying to see if his intentions were genuine.

Receiving that intense gaze triggered an almost uncontrollable urge in Yohan to punch him in the face.

But well, what could he do? To get what he wanted, he had to put up with even that.

Besides, if that item fell into this idiot’s hands, he wouldn’t even be able to use half its potential.
More likely, he’d end up causing a catastrophe with it.

A few seconds later, Seo Changhee seemed to make his decision and picked up the lighter Yohan offered him.

That meant he agreed.

“I’d like to at least know your name. Just in case we don’t run into each other inside the dungeon.”

“Kang Yohan. But just call me Yohan.”

“Kang Yohan, huh…? You’re lucky. Not many get the chance to become acquainted with someone like me. Ah, my name’s Seohee. Well, the whole world will know it soon anyway.”

He said that with a faint smile, brushing back his hair.
Although, he’d probably never be famous for anything good. But hey, everyone’s entitled to their dreams.

And Yohan had given him the item that suited him best. Once they entered the dungeon, he’d realize how amazing the lighter really was.

It was an S-class item, after all.
Though it did have very clear drawbacks.

[Seo Changhee has chosen the lighter ‘White Blaze’.]

[Kang Yohan has chosen….]

At that very moment, the ten minutes expired.

[Entering the ‘Withered Garden’.]

***

The pitch-black vision returned to reveal a place completely different from the previous luxurious room.
He had entered the dungeon’s interior.

[‘Sealed Church’ has been designated as your starting point.]

[From this moment, all participants may view the detailed information of the item they selected.]

[Items obtained in the Mystery Room deal 10% additional damage to monsters in this location.]

The dungeon’s entry point was different for each person.
Yohan had landed in front of a half-ruined church.

The gray sky and gloomy atmosphere suited the place perfectly.

‘What a spectacular start.’

Maybe now he understood why Seo Changhee had delayed taking his first step as a Spiritual and chose this place instead.

He couldn’t let any special opportunity slip by.

Moreover, he had to ensure he created a debt that would be hard for Seo to repay.

Hmm.

This dungeon was going to be very productive.

‘They say taking down the boss takes around five days, so I have some breathing room.’

The real action would start on day four or five.

That would also be the time to secure hidden pieces and major rewards.

‘Until then, I’ll have to hope everyone else stays active while I pass the time.’

Though, there was a small problem:
He had arrived so quickly, he had no weapons, food, or supplies.
He’d have to gather everything on his own.

Fortunately, this place was known as a “treasure dungeon,” and compared to others, it was quite rich in resources.

[Invoking bloodline technique: Vampiric Bat – lowest rank.]

“Kyuu.”

A black, fluffy bat appeared.
It was a familiar summoned through a contract.

“Scout from the air to see if anyone’s approaching.”

“Kyung!”

The bat waved a tiny paw in salute and took off.

He had just completed his coming-of-age ceremony, so he couldn’t afford to waste mana recklessly.
Just one or two big spells would drain him dry.

Until he officially awakened and obtained a proper class with a skill tree, and until his mana pool solidified, he had to act cautiously.

He couldn’t just fail and jump to the next cycle anymore.

And just as he spent several hours exploring and planning his next move—

[The Vampiric Bat warns of approaching presences.]

Something was coming.

About 30 seconds later, several presences could be felt behind the sealed church. Yohan thought it might be Seo Changhee, but the people who appeared were complete strangers.

“Huh? A person? He doesn’t look like a hunter. Doesn’t have any gear.”

“Hmm. Did he come in alone?”

“Aw, poor thing. And here we are, five of us, and still our hearts are racing.”

Four men and one woman. They carried decent weapons and armor, probably brought in from outside.

It was one of those moments where the gap between rich and poor was painfully obvious.

Yohan took a discreet step back, but the man who seemed to be the leader raised both hands.

“Hey, hey, easy there. Looks like you’re new to dungeons too. Even if it’s a treasure-type one, a D-rank is still dangerous. What do you say we team up?”

He approached with a friendly smile. But behind that smile was a stench—like that of a rotting corpse.

After all, if they had survived the earlier chaos and made it here, kindness was the last thing one could expect from them.

[Activating ‘Prophet’s Eye’ – Level 1.]

[A cooldown of 3 days applies before reusing it on the same target.]

He checked the items they had chosen in the Mystery Room.

Since his level was still low, he couldn’t view full status panels.
And if the target was high-level, the fatigue increased further.
Sometimes, only partial information would show—or nothing at all.

[A-rank: Gyeongseong Daycare Summer Vacation Bug Container]

[A-rank: Golf club for screen use]

[A-rank: Alarm clock (Made in South Africa)]

[C-rank: Portrait of a certain count]

[No item.]

The last girl seemed not to have picked anything during the previous chaos. Understandable—the situation had been extremely chaotic.

Even so, she had managed to join the group. Probably thanks to her looks.

She wasn’t stunningly beautiful, but her long straight hair, the mole under her eye, and her shy smile triggered a protective instinct.

She had a strange charm that drew people in. Yohan turned his gaze to the group’s leader.

‘He got lucky picking up an A-rank item.’

The chance was only 5%. It wasn’t one of the three S-rank items, but A-rank was still quite rare.

Yohan then observed the rest of the members one by one.

From what he’d learned in previous loops, there were currently three guilds inside this dungeon:

[Daesan Industrial Association]

[Iron Sword (Yoshut)]

[Sun Priests]

Unlike the treasure hunters who came just for loot, these were mid-level guilds with well-formed attack squads.

They definitely had good gear and solid personal abilities.

At least, these people here were not from any of those guilds.
They were far too weak. In both mana capacity and experience.

The bitter part was—they clearly thought the same about Yohan.

He could see their greedy eyes sizing him up.

‘What kind of item did that guy pick?’—their eyes practically shouted.

And since he was alone, he looked like the perfect target.

But.

Yohan also needed supporting characters to decorate the stage.
Because these five weren’t the only ones here.

“We ran into monsters twice on the way. They weren’t easy. I can assure you it’s much safer to move together than solo.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

When Yohan agreed without resistance, the man smiled broadly and introduced himself:

“Haha. Smart choice. I’m Yoo Youngho. Beside me are Kim Yunyeol, Jeon Mincheol, Jo Yongbae, and Park Yeri. Some of us knew each other before, and we met the rest here.”

Each nodded or gave a small wave.
They didn’t have defined roles, but all claimed to have cleared at least three dungeons.

“I have no dungeon experience.”

Yohan gave a short self-introduction.

“Ah, well. This isn’t a bad place to start. The downside is, not many can come here because of the big guilds. But closed dungeons give great rewards.”

The smile on Yoo Youngho’s face grew wider.

He could at least pretend to be subtle.
Even a trapped prey would slip away from someone this obvious, idiot.

“So then, would you mind telling us what item you picked in the Mystery Room?”

“……”

Seeing Yohan’s uncomfortable expression, Yoo Youngho quickly added:

“No offense meant. It’s just that now that we’re teammates, knowing each other’s strengths helps the group, don’t you think?”

He was saying it wasn’t for selfish reasons, but for the team’s benefit.
Classic politician talk—claiming the public good takes precedence over personal interests.

In truth, it wasn’t just a suggestion.
Depending on Yohan’s answer, they wouldn’t hesitate to draw weapons.

If he had something useless, they’d kill him for being dead weight.
If he had something valuable, they’d squeeze it out of him and take it all.

Yohan touched the item hidden under his shirt.

Should he answer? Fight?

It was time to decide.

____

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