Jonathan alternately looked at the deserted street and the sky. It was a day he wished he wouldn’t experience ever again. Armed warplanes were flying through the skies of New York, and all the bridges and tunnels shut down. The George Washington Bridge was obviously closed, so he drove twenty-seven miles north to the Tappan Zee Bridge, but the soldiers didn’t let anyone go through it. He was concerned about how to escape from the city and wondered if this was what it would be like during a war.

He looked at the empty space where the Twin Towers had been, and the same question kept popping up in his mind. ‘Did Sun know about this? It’s ridiculous, but… it makes sense.’

What I had said about Jonathan Investment starting a banking business sixteen months ago fit in too well with this situation. I had once said that a day when no one would care about us would come and now was the time.

Jonathan opened his phone[1] after looking around the lonely street, and found the number of Jeffrey Kay, the corporate hunter.

<Jonathan: Bring me the list of banks that we can hunt and take over.>

***

Four days after the terrorist attacks, the U.S. immigration officer looked back and forth between my face and my passport countless times. When the officer’s barrage of questions continued, I heard a noise on the side and saw airport police armed with automatic rifles running around. I had told Woo Yeon-Hee what the situation would be like in the airport, but she still seemed sad upon seeing a person who looked Middle Eastern being dragged away at gunpoint.

It was Woo Yeon-Hee’s turn after mine, and many Koreans who couldn’t speak English had been denied entry. Fortunately, her English conversation skills had improved enough to pass, and she said it would be better to deal with monsters. When we exited the airport, she spoke to me.

“I’m worried if people would be able to cope well with the monsters on the Day of…you know…”

She whispered as she was conscious of the surroundings. Agents could no longer be armed even in a heavily tinted van. We headed straight to the Whitewater training camp.

Things were bustling there as I saw vehicles from the U.S. Department of State. During this time, even official agencies of the U.S. government sought private contractors to supplement their security forces, and Whitewater was the first place they signed a contract with.

Meanwhile, many self-proclaimed ‘patriots’ appeared, and they were easily discernible from the logos and patches on their clothing that I remembered from the past. In reality, they were all opportunists who had come to train, sensing opportunity in this disaster. Although a significant number of them were criminals who had committed felonies, Whitewater accepted anyone who had military experience as the demand for mercenaries and ‘privately contracted’ security would increase in the future.

The current manager of the camp was one of the executives of the organization, who used to be a successor of John Clark. He came into the building from the car.

“Hello, Ethan.”

He seemed to have become a real businessman instead of a retired soldier.

“Where are the officials from the State Department?” I asked.

He said, “They are on the inspection with our staff. Are you here for a contract? I’m handling it well on my own, so don’t worry…”

I didn’t like his arrogant attitude, so I took off his sunglasses first. There was no need to be polite toward such a fellow. While I couldn’t replace him at this critical moment, I had to clarify who the real owner of this place was.

[You have used the Medal of Restraint.]

He widened his eyes and tried to move, but he couldn’t. His eyes darted around to seek help, but the agents in the van didn’t notice us. Woo Yeon-Hee glanced at him and realized that I had used the item on him. She pulled out a dagger to place it under his chin, then looked at me for further orders. I saw him gulp as his Adam's apple moved.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“...Dagger,” he replied.

“I’m not asking for your code name,” I responded bluntly.

He answered, “Nicholas Lee, sir.”

“Okay, Nicholas. It’s good that you are attached to this business, but you shouldn’t cross the line.”

“Sorry…I’m sorry…”

He looked like he would burst into tears soon. When I removed the item, he partially collapsed and breathed heavily. I said as he hunched over, “I’m not here for the contract with the State Department. I came here today to retrieve our Cat.”

Woo Yeon-Hee asked when Nicholas left, “Where are we?”

“Private security company training center.”

“You have to explain a bit more about it. I don’t understand,” she added.

“They train mercenaries to send to places that need them. Anywhere in the world,” I said.

“Oh, wow. It’s like a different world for me. Did you make this place for that day?” she questioned.

The act of terrorism must have left a deep impression on Woo Yeon-Hee as she mentioned the Day of Advent frequently these days. Leon arrived, and he came with a tactical vest. I had heard that he was once caught trying to escape from the camp, but he now looked like a professional mercenary who could go to Afghanistan to fight. He looked at me with resentment as I had left him here for eighteen months to train. He had been under intense training while being locked up here.

“I’ll ask you one thing. Is our organization involved in the terrorist incident?”

This bastard talked nonsense.

“That’s the first thing you ask? No, and I don’t want anyone to even joke about it from now on.”

I warned not only the agents but also Woo Yeon-Hee.

“We’re confronting even a more dangerous threat than that. Let’s go,” I said.

The car started to move.

“W…wait!” Leon shouted.

“...?”

“Where are we heading to? Why aren’t you explaining anything?” he asked.

“Dungeon,” I replied succinctly.

He was about to say something but instead looked at Woo Yeon-Hee. His face stiffened as he had recalled what happened in Las Vegas. When she smiled at him, his face became even more rigid.

“I hope you’re ready,” she told him.

He asked, “For what?”

“You may have thought of things from a fantasy film when you heard the word ‘dungeon,” she said.

“...”

It seemed so.

“But it’ll be a horror film. You’ll have to follow my orders and show me respect. That’s the kind of world we’re in. Right, leader?”

She looked at me.

***

Another van arrived at Whitewater, and Mick got out from the passenger seat. We were the only ones on the road across the field. Mick greeted me and opened the trunk where a small safe was. Anyone would’ve been able to break it, but no agent in our group would dare touch it. The safe and the items we had placed in it before leaving North America last time were secure. Woo Yeon-Hee took out her favorite weapon, the D-class Dagger of the Sinner.

“This can exert two hundred points worth of attack. No wonder why I loved this,” she said.

While she chose her backup weapons, Mick spoke to me.

“I put your backpack in the back seat.”

Then, Mick looked at Leon as if he was examining the quality of a product. They knew each other as Mick was the one who transferred Leon to the camp. I heard Mick had ‘disciplined’ him on the way, but it would have been more like beating Leon to death.

“You!”

Leon walked straight to Mick, and Mick glanced at me for consent. I nodded.

Slam!

Mick’s fist hit Leon’s nose directly when he was defenseless.

“You’re not fully trained yet. You’re on level one, and I’m your boss, Casino Chip.”

Mick scolded Leon who had collapsed. Leon stood up, wiping his nosebleed.

“Can somebody please explain the situation? Also, my name is not Casino Chip,” Leon said.

“Yes, you are Casino Chip. Say it again. What’s your name?”

Agents surrounded Leon, so Leon froze as Mick opened his mouth.

“...Casino Chip.”

“To be exact, that’s your code name. Forget about the memories outside this camp including your birthplace, name and job. You’re Casino Chip now.”

Mick threw a backpack at Leon when he didn’t show any resistance. Everyone else, including Woo Yeon-Hee, the agents and I began carrying backpacks that had camping items. We began moving and Woo Yeon-Hee asked, “E-class?“

“No, we should test him,” I replied.

“Will he be able to withstand it?” she questioned.

“He’d be lucky if he doesn’t piss his pants,” I said.

“Did I…?” She widened her eyes.

I smirked.

“We’ll see if he’ll be helpful or not in the dungeon.”

“Is there any way we can check other Awakened’s quests? If he has a bad one, we cannot keep him with us,” she asked.

“We’ll kill him if he tries something funny,” I said.

Woo Yeon-Hee was indirectly saying that she didn’t want Leon with us, and I felt the same. However, it was essential to bring more team members as were going into higher-class dungeons. We needed to recruit more and begin training them from now.

Leon was following us at the same pace with us. His nervousness turned into a shock as he saw the dungeon entrance, and he was the only one. As usual, the agents built a small tent and divided themselves into three teams - control, stationary and search team. Woo Yeon-Hee was looking down at the entrance.

“You must follow my instructions when you get in. Keep in mind that failing to do so means committing suicide. You’ll know why once we go in,” I said.

“What is that, and what are we fighting against?” His voice shook.

“That’s a dungeon, and we’ll fight the monsters,” I replied.

He looked at Woo Yeon-Hee and me as if we were crazy. It must have been easier for him to accept if we described ourselves as terrorists as he was still not aware of his awakening. We would soon see if he was a lucky or cursed box since his true character would be revealed in the worst situation. I had a suspicion that he would be more toward the negative side.

We entered the dungeon.

[The quest ‘Declan Extermination’ has begun.]

When the message appeared, Woo Yeon-Hee looked at me with joy.

“They’re mutts,” she said in an excited voice.

1. Smartphones didn’t exist back then! ☜