They stood in the shadow of a pillar while the auction noise rolled on. Fire bowls breathed. The long table glowed with metal and glass. Haeun faced him with her hands easy at her sides, eyes steady.
Loki was telling Haeun the story he had planned out.
"I wanted to change hunting ground," he said. "So I took a gate to another town. Out there I heard about a temple-like dungeon that stands open like a building. I was curious, so I went to check it out."
Haeun's head tipped. "And?"
"It was full," he said. "Level five-six Rare-tier monsters the whole way, then a level eight Epic at the end."
Her mouth parted before she caught it. "You went in alone," she said. The astonishment sounded clean, without flattery. "And you cleared it alone too."
"That is right."
A small breath left her, half laugh and half disbelief. "So that is how you climbed to seven so quickly."
The faintest smile showed. "That was cruel of you to clear it solo. You could have waited for me."
"I told the mosters to wait for my friend," he said, dry. "But the monsters refused and just kept attacking me for some reason."
Then the faint smile reached her eyes. Then she narrowed them as if to test a seam in his story. " Alright. You cleared it. Why tell me now? "
"Because I only found that kind of place in that town," he said. "I have walked enough of Ashen Hollow to know there is nothing like it here. Which means—"
"You think those temple-like dungeons are present in specific towns only, not everywhere," she finished.
"Exactly." He glanced at the hall, at the heads and heirs bidding for shoes they did not yet know how to walk in. "I want you to use your manpower. Gather as many rumors as you can about open-air temples or dungeons that look like buildings and give you a message as you are bout to enter them."
"A message?"
"Show your Strength and Prove your Faith to receive Unique Rewards.", Loki repeated the message.
Haeun folded one arm and touched her chin with the other hand, thinking. "Ok, that can be done. But how do we get people to talk?"
"Tell them the person who brings verified information will get paid after your people confirm the site," Loki said. "It can be High-tier equipment or a skill book if they want it. And you can pay them money if they want that instead."
Her eyebrow rose. "You already decided I would pay for you."
He did not pretend otherwise. "You have the network and capital. I do not. It's obvious who should pay."
A soft sound left her, not quite a laugh. "It's very rude of you to use me for money," she said lightly. Then her eyes sharpened. "But it's workable since I will be getting items. But there is an additional condition."
"You don't have to say it. I know your condition."
She looked up.
"You can come with me too," he said.
Her surprised face did not last long. It broke, and then turned into a smile she did not try to hide. "So you already decided to take me," she said. "And here I was thinking of ways to trick you into it."
"Apologies to your brilliant schemes," he said. "You are doing too much work this time. It would be wrong of me to leave you behind." He paused. "Besides, I do not dislike the idea of you coming."
Her heart gave a treacherous jump she refused to show.
"Oh… is that so," she said, tucking a sharp white strand behind her ear.
She let the warmth pass for a breath, then set it aside. "Good to know you have a conscience," she added, amused.
She offered her hand. He took it. The shake was simple and sure
Across the room, Min-gyu watched from the edge of a column. His jaw worked once and then stilled. The smile he put on his face did not reach his eyes.
Footsteps approached the two. Kwon Mira came with Sera at her side. The mother's pace was unhurried, each step placed; the daughter's was a half-notch quicker, her eyes bright.
"Haeun," Mira said. "Everyone has decided to go out and try hunting themselves with the new gear and skills they got. Our security teams do too much of the work for us, so most of them don't have real experience, including me. Will you join us?"
"Yes," Haeun said. "I was about to see Mr. Loki off anyway."
Sera turned her face toward Loki, hopeful in a way that did not feel grasping. "Would it be all right to bring Mr. Loki too?" she asked. "If he is free."
The voices at the table dropped as if the room itself wanted to hear. The wife's head angled. Even the twins stopped talking. Min-gyu's shoulders tipped half-forward, waiting to pounce on the answer. Mira's eyes moved between Haeun and Loki, weighing grace against advantage.
Loki studied the circle, then looked back at Haeun.
'I was gonna roam looking for dungeons anyway, and there is still time before I meet with Captain Kang, ' he thought and decided to go with them.
"Sure, I can come with you all," he said.
Relief and excitement ran through the younger faces. Plans changed in small ways across the adults.
Sera's hands came together once in a small clap she tried to smother. "Thank you," she said, bright.
Haeun held his eyes a beat. "You can lead the others," she said softly. "I will follow your calls."
The auction rattled on behind them. Minjoo's voice carried, crisp and steady. TLE moved like water in a drier world.
Haeun stepped closer, the faint scent of jasmine and steel surrounding her. "After this run, we'll talk details."
"Done."
They moved back into the light together. Chairs scraped. Armor settled. The hall bent to a new plan in the quiet, efficient way of people who had decided to live.