The notification came three days later. It was the notification that I was waiting for. The notification was something I had been thinking about for a while. So when the notification finally arrived three days later I was relieved that the notification was here, at last.
Not with urgency.
Not with drama.
The blue panel was just sitting there quiet and still at the edge of Kang Ji-Hoons vision. He was sitting on the rooftop of his apartment building. Kang Ji-Hoon was watching the glow from the dungeon zones, in Neo-Seongnam. It was really away. The blue panel was still hovering at the edge of Kang Ji-Hoons vision.
[New Dungeon Detected: Low-Risk Zone]
[Access Status: Open]
[Recommended Party Size: 3–5]
Ji-Hoon looked at the line of the thing he was reading for a really long time. He just kept staring at the line not moving his eyes away, from the last line.
The man closed the panel. He did this after he was done with it. The panel was now closed.
The man did not need any recommendations. He was happy to figure things out on his own with the recommendations for the things he wanted to do. The recommendations were not necessary, for him.
The city was already full of rumors. People were talking about the boy who did not get a beast about the knight in armor who showed up behind the boy. A lot of people did not believe it. Some people said it was a mistake with the System. Others thought the boy was just trying to get attention because his awakening did not work out. The boy who did not summon a beast was what everyone was talking about. The single armored knight that appeared behind the boy was really interesting, to people.
Ji-Hoon really did not care about it. Ji-Hoon just was not interested, in what was going on. The thing is, Ji-Hoon did not think it was a deal.
The man packed his things. He did not take a lot of stuff with him. He packed lightly.
A basic blade.
A worn jacket reinforced with salvaged dungeon fibers.
The man had an utility pack that was filled with tools. He really trusted these tools. In fact he trusted the tools, in this utility pack more than he trusted people.
Before he went out he looked at the mirror that was broken near the door. The mirror was cracked. He took one look at the cracked mirror, near the door.
The man did not look powerful all. There was really nothing about him that seemed powerful. He just looked like a person, the kind of person you see every day. Nothing, about the man looked powerful.
That suited him fine.
The dungeon was on the edge of the city. It was a looking thing made of black stone that stuck up from the ground. The dungeon looked like a cut that would not get better. Some of the ranked guilds said the dungeon was safe enough, for people who were just starting out. The dungeon was a place for trainees to go and get some experience and feel more confident. The dungeon was a place where people could go and practice without getting into much trouble.
People were standing near the entrance of the place. The groups were. Arguing with each other. Some of them were also adjusting their equipment. The groups of people were really lively.
Ji-Hoon walked past them by himself he was all alone.
Someone actually noticed this thing. It is pretty interesting that someone did notice. The person who noticed is probably thinking about the thing they noticed which's the thing that someone noticed.
"Hey " a voice called out. "Are you waiting for your party?"
Ji-Hoon did not stop.
The dungeon gate did something cool when he walked up to it. It started to glow with this light that moved all over the place checking him out.
[Solo Entry Detected]
[Warning: Survival Rate Reduced]
Ji-Hoon stepped through anyway. He just walked in. Ji-Hoon did not stop to think about it. Ji-Hoon just kept moving.
The world was really twisted. It was like everything, in the world was not right. The world was just so twisted.
Cold air hit his face when the light went away and stone was all he saw. The inside of the dungeon was really dark. There were some crystals in the walls that gave off a little light. It was so quiet in there it felt weird. The dungeon was still, like the dungeon itself was waiting for something to happen. The silence of the dungeon felt really heavy.
The sound of metal scraping against stone was really soft behind him. Metal made this scraping noise as it rubbed against the stone, behind him.
The knight came into view.
The armor looks dull. The design is really old. The face is completely hidden behind a helmet. This armor does not look powerful all. The armor does not give out any energy, like the summoned beasts do.
The thing was there. It simply existed. The thing just existed like that.
Ji-Hoon breathed out slowly.
The man told me to stay behind him. He said this to me. I was supposed to stay behind the man.
The knight was silent. He did not say a word. The knight just stayed quiet.
The thing actually moved.
The first monsters showed up a minutes later. They were small and really messed up made from darkness and bones. These were the low-level monsters. The kind that people who are still learning have a time, with even when they work together in groups.
Ji-Hoon did not wait.
The man made the move. He was the one who moved first.
The blade in his hand was not special. The way he moved was really good. He did not swing the blade without a reason. He did not take steps that were not needed. He struck the blade then he moved back then he moved to a place. The blade, in his hand was a simple thing but his movements were very efficient.
The knight did a job of following his rhythm perfectly. He stayed on beat with the music and it sounded really good. The knight was very good, at following his rhythm.
When Ji-Hoon stepped back the knight stepped forward. The knight moved with Ji-Hoon adjusting his position without being told to do. There was no hesitation from the knight. No delay, from the knight either.
The fight was really fast. The fight did not last long at all.
Ji-Hoon stood among the monsters. His chest was going up and down steadily. He did not feel any rush of excitement. There was no thrill, for Ji-Hoon. Ji-Hoon just felt calm.
Just clarity.
A message that was a blue color appeared all of a sudden. The blue message was not very bright. You could still see it. The message was blue. It flickered into existence.
[Solo Combat Confirmed]
[Legion Authority Sync: 0.3% → 0.6%]
This is how the whole thing worked. It was really simple. The way it worked was, like this.
Not killing power.
Not rank.
Survival.
As we went deeper into the dungeon the air got really thick and hard to breathe. We started to see traps like special plates, on the floor that could hurt us floors that could fall in and sharp spikes that were hidden from view. Ji-Hoon was really careful. He took his time to make these traps safe. Sometimes he did it by himself. Sometimes the knight helped him out by holding up a big shield to protect him standing there quietly and waiting for Ji-Hoon to finish.
Something scary happened. A corridor fell in all of a sudden. Ji-Hoon was lucky he just managed to roll out of the way. The stone came crashing down where Ji-Hoon had been standing just a few seconds before.
He lay there for a moment just breathing. He was not moving all he was just lying there and breathing.
The knight stood over the man his shield raised high in the air. The knight was ready, for anything with his shield raised like that. The knight and his shield were a scary sight.
Ji-Hoon laughed softly under his breath.
You do worry about things.
The knight just stayed quiet. Did not say a word.
The thing just stayed there. It did not move away. The thing was still, in the place.
Hours later Ji-Hoon came out of the dungeon by himself. He was covered in blood. He was alive. For a time the noise outside got really quiet.
People stared at the man. The man was doing something that made people stare at him. People could not. Stare at the man. The man was really interesting, to people. People just kept staring at the man.
A meters away a woman, in a white combat coat put down the scanner she was using. Choi Hae-In looked a little upset as she looked at the readings. She was confused. It showed on her face for a moment even though she usually looks very calm. Choi Hae-In was still studying the scanner readings trying to understand what they meant.
The woman said that there were no increases, in magic power.. The man was able to get through it anyway.
Another woman was standing next, to her with her arms crossed and her eyes really sharp. Yoon Seo-A was watching Ji-Hoon with a lot of skepticism she was not hiding how she felt about him all.
One dungeon really does not mean anything she said. The thing, about luck is that it runs out sometimes.
Ji-Hoon did not notice Ji-Hoons friends he did not see them all. Ji-Hoon was completely unaware that they were there the presence of his friends had gone totally unnoticed by Ji-Hoon.
As he walked away another message showed up in front of his eyes.
[Solitary Conquest Logged]
[Legion Authority Growth Condition Ongoing]
The city was really buzzing behind him. The sounds of the city were, around him.
The dungeon gate sealed shut.
Kang Ji-Hoon figured out something that really mattered to him. Kang Ji-Hoon had a moment when he understood something, about Kang Ji-Hoons life.
This power would not make him famous. He would still be the person, with the power and it would not make him famous. The power is something that he has and it does not change who he is or how people see him. This power would not bring him fame.
This situation would make the person very dangerous. The person would be a threat, to others if this happened. The person in this case would do things that would hurt people. That is why it would make the person dangerous.
End of Chapter 2