"What's wrong?"
Jia turned around with him, looking at the gate curiously. Cheon Areum stared at the glowing gate for a moment before resuming.
"Nothing, I just thought I heard something."
The small island, encircled by shimmering water, held a dense, shadowy forest at its heart, its trees swaying gently in the breeze. At the island's edge, nestled against a tranquil stretch of pale sand, stood the gate. They had barely begun surveying their surroundings when Kim Ryung broke the quiet. He exclaimed enthusiastically.
"I can already see a bunch of enemies right off the bat."
Cheon Areum craned his neck, scanning in every direction. The view was peaceful—calm waves, swaying trees—nothing that hinted at danger.
"Inho, is the map ready?"
Kim Ryung turned to the man beside him—another A-Class Alpha with a sharp gaze.
"It takes five minutes to finalize," Inho replied evenly.
"Oh, thanks for the reminder," Kim Ryung muttered with a nod.
Cheon Areum stood silently, feeling out of place. From the very beginning, he had been lost. The dungeon scenes he'd read about were nothing like this. Everyone stood still—focused. Calmly analyzing the map, estimating the enemy count, gauging the danger level, even pinpointing the boss's location. It was organized. Intimidating. And he felt like the only one who didn't belong.
All the while, he stood there like an idiot.
Isn't this a scam? If weaklings like me can't even see anything, what's the point of dragging me along?
"What are you drawing, Areum?"
"It's a crab with fifty legs. Can't you tell?"
He mumbled, half-pouting, scribbling on the sand with a twig in aimless curves. Jia's eyes softened with amusement. She smiled without a word and crouched beside him, joining him.
"Hey, Aera, don't you think that omega is pretty cute?"
"So what? You want to try hitting on him right now?"
"I'm just saying..."
"I'm getting his number as soon as we clear the gate, so don't even think about it."
"What?!"
The two Alphas standing beside Kim Ryung bickered loudly, completely absorbed in their own world. The rest of the group didn't even flinch—tuning them out as if they were background noise.
F-Class ears work just fine, you know... Cheon Areum thought, side-eyeing them. Must be nice, being that carefree. Should I just hit on one of them? They both scream money and power… Hmm, Aera's pretty cool, but a female Alpha... that's a bit... complicated.
"Ryung, the map cannot pinpoint the boss's location."
"This is new. I'll just have to find it myself, then. Let's clear out all the small fries first. Hajoon, get over here. And Aera, the left side of the island is yours—notify me if you encounter the boss."
The ones quarreling over him were Aera, who seemed like an assassin, and Hajoon, who showed no signs of being awakened.
"Aera, take Jia with you. Hwan, Inho, Gunwoo, Areum—you all will be coming with me. We'll come over to your side once the right side has been cleared. It won't take too long. You can hold on your own, right?"
The last question was aimed at Aera, who scoffed and tugged Jia away, walking off without a word—her answer clear enough. Cheon Areum glanced down at what Jia had been sketching in the sand. It was a portrait... of Aera herself.
He dropped the twig from his fingers and rose, heading toward the island's right side. Though his vision offered little clarity, he figured it was better to start taking notes now—for when he reawakened and had to clear gates himself.
If he played the villain role like in the book, clearing the gates shouldn't be too hard—assuming he didn't mind being remembered as a ruthless, heartless monster meeting the same fate of a villain.
The one he was most interested in was Kim Ryung. He didn't know what kind of abilities he had yet. If he had searched on the internet, it would surely show up, but seeing it in person and on the screen wasn't the same. Keeping his distance close to him, Cheon Areum stole glances at him.
Kim Ryung's body was twitching ever so slightly—unnoticeable almost. Only looking at him with utmost focus would it be detected. Cheon Areum tilted his head and skipped to the front. Kim Ryung's already red eyes were aglow. Like a collimator.
He's excited.
The thought flashed, seeing the expression on Kim Ryung's face.
"Locking in. Step aside, Areum, you'll get hurt."
Stopping at a certain middle point of the right part of the island, Kim Ryung spoke, his gaze focused on the forest.
"Hwan, the booster, and protect Areum. Hajoon, take care of the aftermath. Inho, keep the map open."
Hwan, the tanned blonde, wasted no time—he seized Cheon Areum and whisked him to the far back without a word. Areum didn't resist. Fighting against an A-Class Alpha would've been like an ant challenging a human—pointless.
Once they reached the far end of the beach, Hwan tapped at the air beside them, likely activating a skill. But as an F-Class, Cheon Areum couldn't see the system interface—just the empty air where something powerful flickered out of his reach.
"Accepted."
Kim Ryung pulled out tactical eyewear from his inventory. Cheon Areum saw the item spawn out of thin air.
Is that a special item for his ability?
Hajoon and Inho stood silently at Kim Ryung's side, their expressions unreadable. Among them, Hajoon looked the most human—calm, grounded, almost gentle in comparison. Completely unaffected by whatever Kim Ryung was about to unleash, as if he had seen it happen countless times.
Positioning his hands in a gun symbol, he brought them close to his eyes like a sniper. Cheon Areum watched without blinking as a red laser bullet came out of the tip of his fingers. In just a split second, it hit the ground of the forest exactly where he was pointing.
*BOOM*
Moments later, a thunderous explosion erupted where the bullet had struck, engulfing the area in a fiery blast the size of a small house. The ground quaked beneath the force, sending a shockwave that rippled through the air, flinging debris and smoke in every direction.
Cheon Areum's eyes shimmered a vivid pink with unnatural intensity. Not even a flicker disturbed his lashes as he watched, utterly entranced, a thrill dancing in his gaze.
"Wow."
"This isn't the time to let adrenaline take over. Duck your head and cover your ears."
Hwan mirrored the motion swiftly, yanking him a few more steps backward until their heels nearly brushed the edge of the water.
Cheon Areum obeyed without hesitation, though his ears were already ringing with a high-pitched whine. Soon, a series of deafening explosions erupted in rapid succession, each one shaking the ground like thunderclaps crashing too close.
The explosions lasted a good while, and the temperature had risen considerably. Cheon Areum was sweating profusely when he finally lifted his head and opened his eyes to oversee the destruction. The forest was on fire—red flames had engulfed half of it.
That's when he saw Hajoon use his abilities.
With a graceful sweep of his arms, Hajoon summoned the wind, bending it effortlessly to his will. The gusts lifted water from the nearby shore, spinning it into the air in shimmering arcs. Then, with precision and force, he hurled it toward the flames, dousing the fire as steam hissed up in clouds.
"I hope that didn't scare you, Areum."
Kim Ryung strode toward him, removing his glasses with casual ease. A faint smile played on his lips, unbothered by anything. He just walked through it. Not even a scratch marred his smooth, flawless skin—he looked as composed as if he'd just stepped out of a photoshoot, not a battlefield.
"I'm actually a huge fan—I want to join the war and have you as my brand's ambassador!"
Cheon Areum exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement. For a fleeting moment, he forgot his current reality—that he was no longer someone who could afford an ambassador, let alone for a brand that didn't even exist.
Kim Ryung let out a soft, amused chuckle, raising a fist to his mouth in a restrained gesture of laughter. His eyes sparkled with quiet amusement before he casually lifted his hand and waved over to Gunwoo, who stood off to the side, looking thoroughly uninterested in the conversation.
"Think you can take care of the leftovers?"
"Without saying."
Gunwoo—whom Cheon Areum had nearly forgotten even existed—moved to join Hajoon and Inho. The three of them swept into action, effortlessly clearing out the remaining monsters still lurking within the chaos.
But Cheon Areum couldn't tear his gaze away from Kim Ryung. In that moment, he understood—truly understood—why this man led a group of A-Class Alphas with such ease. He wasn't just charismatic or confident; he was worthy of it. His ability didn't just rival that of an S-Class—it was dazzling, cinematic, the kind of power made to steal attention. The kind that looked effortlessly cool even in the middle of destruction.
"Can I hold your hand?"
Cheon Areum extended both his palms, asking. Without hesitation, Kim Ryung placed his hand into them. Cheon Areum closed his fingers around it, holding it gently—cautiously. It was warm. Warmer than before.