Seo Jun-Ho had only met one of the Nine Heavens until now. What he thought of Kim Woo-Joong could be summed up with a single sentence.

‘He’s hard on the outside but soft on the inside.’ 

Kim Woo-Joong had a kind heart but seemed cold and unapproachable to most. He was like a knife. On the other hand, Shin Sung-Hyun…

‘Hm, how should I say this? He’s like a businessman.’ 

No, that wasn’t enough to describe him. He had the air of a man of high status, like some second-generation chaebol. He resembled the many politicians whom Seo Jun-Ho had met in the past, but he also seemed like an experienced businessman.

‘But he’s strong...’ 

Despite the difference in appearance, both Kim Woo-Joong and Shin Sung-Hyun had something in common: they were powerful.

“Mmhm.” Jun-Ho let out an unwitting grunt. When he first met Kim Woo-Joong, he wondered if the man was the most powerful Player out of the Nine Heavens.

‘That’s how shocking he was...’ 

But now, Shin Sung-Hyun was the second person to shock him like that.

‘They’re both the same kind of monster.’ 

They were both powerful. Of course, that was true for all the Nine Heavens.

‘Kim Woo-Joong isn’t special.’ 

Seo Jun-Ho hadn’t been able to judge them after only meeting one member, but now that he had met two, he could get a sense of how strong the remaining seven were.

‘The Players and fiends in the Nine Heavens are incredibly powerful.’ 

Seo Jun-Ho was currently stronger than he had been in his prime, and he also thought that he had already recovered most of his battle sense. But if he fought Kim Woo-Joong or Shin Sung-Hyun…

‘The battle would last only 10… No, about 15 seconds?’ 

There was a huge wall between them and him, even bigger than the city walls of Leiark. But of course, it didn’t mean it was impossible to cross.

‘I can reach them if I just have more time. With my skills, it’s possible...’ 

While Seo Jun-Ho was assessing Shin Sung-Hyun, the Guild Master was doing the same to him.

‘Incredible.’ 

His eyes immediately went to the calendar on his desk.

‘It’s been… A little less than a year and a half since he debuted.’ 

A smooth smile spread across his face. Rather than material items or fame, Sung-Hyun was always seeking out people.

“Please, sit,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Captain Gong.”

“What did she say?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.

“She said that you’d be of great help to me, even if all we did was meet face-to-face.” Shin Sung-Hyun softly chuckled.

“What do you think?”

“I thought she was exaggerating, but now, I see that it’s true.”

“Really? You reacted so quietly, I thought that you were disappointed,” Seo Jun-Ho said.

“...Of course not.” Shin Sung-Hyun paused and reached inside his breast pocket.

‘A baton?’ 

It looked like one that an orchestra conductor would use.

Swish. He swung it carefully, and the space above his desk wavered. A teacup appeared.

“It’s like magic,” Seo Jun-Ho commented.

“I hear that a lot.” He wiped the baton with a clean cloth as he spoke, “Most spatial skill users have good spatial awareness. Unfortunately, I do not...”

“Oh, so that’s why you use the baton…”

“Yes. Using this makes it easier to control space.” As he twisted the baton a bit, the space in front of him swayed slightly.

‘Yeah. It’s a lot easier to use a baton instead of just using your head and your hands.’ 

When Seo Jun-Ho first started training with his elemental ability, Watchguard of Darkness, he used a similar method. Actually, most elemental ability users used some sort of instrument in the beginning.

‘But I’m surprised; I didn’t think a member of the Nine Heavens would still use an aid.’ 

Of course, this didn’t mean he was unskilled. If the baton made it easier for him to use his skill, then it was only right for him to use it.

“First, I’d like to thank you for accepting our invitation,” Shin Sung-Hyun said.

“I should be the one thanking you for allowing me to participate in Goblin’s Dungeon campaign.”

The Guild Master grinned and held out a pamphlet. “This contains information about the Dungeon we’ll be going to.”

“Then…” Seo Jun-Ho opened the pamphlet and quickly skimmed the contents. “A 1-star Dungeon…?”

“You should already know about the 1-star Gates on the 1st floor.”

“That’s right…”

“Similarly, stars are assigned to Dungeons in Frontier as well,” he explained.

Seo Jun-Ho was confused. The Goblin Guild had been the first to discover this Dungeon, which meant that no one had ever been inside.

“You seem to be curious about the star system.”

“Yes… I just don’t understand how a Dungeon can have a star when no one’s ever attempted it before.”

“It’s simple. Frontier has things that Earth does not have.”

What did he mean? “Are you… Referring to empires?”

“No. Gods.”

Gods? Seo Jun-Ho blinked as he stared at the Guild Master.

“There are many religions in Frontier, but the believers here can actually invoke the powers of the gods they worship,” he explained.

“Oh yes, I’ve heard of that.”

“Among them exists a god that can label the difficulty of a Dungeon. The God of Adventure, Achaea.”

The 2nd floor was a mystical place. Such things would be unimaginable on Earth, but here, it was normal.

Seo Jun-Ho nodded. “So according to this god, this Dungeon is as dangerous as a 1-star Gate?” he asked.

“Precisely.”

The pamphlet suddenly felt heavy in his hand.

‘It’s a door-type Dungeon, then.’ 

Once inside, no one could leave until the Players or the enemies were dead, just like a Gate. Seo Jun-Ho had been to a door-type Dungeon once before this.

‘The Dungeon with wall mantises, when I killed Wang-Heon.’ 

The boss monster had definitely been dangerous. Of course, he hadn’t actually fought it, so he hadn’t been able to personally experience its power.

“When are we leaving?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.

“In four days. Do you need more time to prepare?”

“No, four days is enough.” He did the math in his head.

‘We have about three whole weeks until we meet in Port Lane, so that’s more than enough time.’ 

Even if the Dungeon conquest lasted longer than expected, it still wouldn’t take three weeks. At most, Seo Jun-Ho thought it would only take one.

“Oh, you also have the participating members listed here,” Seo Jun-Ho noted. He was quite impressed with the list. “They’re all level 120 High Rankers. As expected, Goblin’s fighting prowess is second to none.”

That was all he said. As he nodded in understanding, Shin Sung-Hyun stared with a peculiar expression on his face.

“...” Shin Sung-Hyun had spoken to the other guest, Gasman, only two hours before. His reaction had been very normal.

- Huh? Why are level 120 Players going in? They don’t need any more EXP.

His question was understandable because neither he nor Seo Jun-Ho had reached the maximum level just yet.

‘Only those who had reached it would know. Even if you can’t level up anymore, you have to keep hunting.’ 

If they didn’t train, they would get rusty.

But only those who had reached the summit and experienced it could truly understand, especially because most Players’ goal was to simply reach level 120.

‘How curious...’ 

Shin Sung-Hyun thought that Seo Jun-Ho’s reaction was quite interesting. Seo Jun-Ho thought that it was natural for level 120 Players to join the conquest.

One might even think that he had reached the maximum level before.

‘Well, those with a deeper or more extraordinary mindset tend to see things that others can’t...’ 

Shin Sung-Hyun moved on. He didn’t make a big deal out of it as he held out a pen. “This is a contract. Even though you are a guest, we’ll make sure that you are appropriately compensated.”

There weren’t any predatory clauses in the contract. When Seo Jun-Ho was done signing, Sung-Hyun held out his hand once more. “Ju-Ha will be escorting you to your lodgings.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you in four days.”

About ten minutes after Seo Jun-Ho left, the Vice Master Jang Kyung-Hoon came in.

“...What are you doing?” he asked.

Shin Sung-Hyun was sitting on the sofa he used to greet guests. He was staring at the pen, an unreadable smile on his face. Jang Kyung-Hoon followed his line of sight.

“The tip is blue…? Did Ju-Ha come by?” he asked.

Though there were countless blue pens in existence, this pen was special.

‘Blue…’ 

The nib was normally black, but the moment an elemental ability user held it, it would turn blue.

Shin Sung-Hyun chuckled and placed it down. “I didn’t hear about this.” As he thought, it was best to keep someone close if he wanted to know more about them. It was true this time, as well.

He was starting to look forward to the Dungeon conquest in four days’ time. “Be thorough with the preparations. You must not leave anything out,” he said.

“Your wish is my command.”

***

“This is where you’ll be staying. Isn’t it impressive?” Gong Ju-Ha asked.

“Yeah...”

Seo Jun-Ho wasn’t just saying that for the sake of it. His building looked over the pond, where lotuses were floating on the water.

“Is it really alright for me to stay in such a large section of this place?” he asked.

“I wasn’t the one that decided this. The Guild Master did.”

“Mr. Shin Sung-Hyun…”

Gong Ju-Ha cleared her throat when he said his name. “Um… This was your first time meeting him, correct?”

“Yes, I haven’t really had any opportunities to meet him otherwise.”

“Hmm… I see…You’re already calling him Mr. Shin Sung-Hyun even though you’ve only met him twice…”[1]

“Oh, I’m sorry if that was rude. I just wasn’t sure what to call him.” He apologized right away, but Gong Ju-Ha still looked sour.

“I wasn’t asking you to apologize,” she said.

“Then what is it?”

Tap. 

Gong Ju-Ha placed a hand on her chest. “You’ve met me three times, we text often, we’ve been through hardships together, and we’re quite close.”

“Close…?”

“A-are we not?” She looked shocked. “But you even got Specter-nim to put hearts on his autograph for me.”

“...”

Did that mean they were close? Seo Jun-Ho looked away, trying to hide his embarrassment. “Well… yes, I do think we’re quite close.”

“Phew, I was worried that I was misunderstanding.” She let out a sigh of relief. “But you still call me Captain Gong.”

“Isn’t it courteous to call you that?”

“No, no. Isn’t ‘Mr. Shin Sung-Hyun’ much more casual?”

“Then, Miss Gong Ju-Ha?”

“Personally, I think the ‘Gong’ is a little too formal.”

“...Miss Ju-Ha.”

She finally looked satisfied, and that was that. “I like it. To be honest, I’ve always called you Mr. Jun-Ho, and you always called me Captain Gong, so…”

The Frost Queen squinted at her as Gong Ju-Ha mumbled. “...Fox.”

The temperature around them suddenly dropped.

“Huh? It’s cool all of a sudden! What’s that? I love it!”

It did negative damage…

1. The suffix used here is -ssi, while using his title with -nim (sir, ma’am) would be most appropriate. ☜