Anne’s nest was connected to the Horned Squirrel’s Cave.
Upon entering the nest, a quaint cabin nestled in a tranquil forest came into view. In front of it stretched fields with various crops and drying racks holding white linens and clothes.
The setting was a stark contrast to other dragon nests.
Do-Jun sat at a pavilion outside as Anne brought tea and an assortment of snacks on a small carrying table. The cookies and bread were beautifully arranged on the plates, showcasing her impressive culinary skills.
“You seem a bit different, Lord Izaas,” Anne remarked, watching Yong-Yong chatter away with a bright smile as he helped himself to the snacks.
For Anne, this was an unusual sight. Lord Izaas, from her memory, had always been stoic and expressionless. Yet, the creature before her now seemed much more docile.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yong-Yong replied, popping a cookie into his mouth.
He had little recollection of his past. While Laghaim often said similar things, Yong-Yong hadn’t paid much attention to them. What mattered wasn’t the past but the present.
“No, you’ve definitely changed. Compared to when you ruled over the Deep Realm as the Overlord... You seem much gentler now,” Anne explained.
“Overlord?” Yong-Yong muttered, momentarily reminded of the man who had introduced himself as the Flame King and had nearly gotten Yong-Yong caught while sneaking a midnight sausage snack.
He had also referred to him as the Overlord.
But what did it even mean?
What was more interesting to Yong-Yong was the fact that Anne appeared to retain memories of the Deep Realm.
“Just as I expected... you’ve lost your memories,” Anne concluded.
Unlike other dragons, Anne had not entered the eternal slumber.
Unable to tie up loose ends after the “Final Battle” in the Deep Realm, other dragons scattered across the Core to replenish their strength through slumber. However, Anne had chosen to forego it to monitor the Core’s state instead.
She explained, “You were the master of the Deep Realm, Lord Izaas. Everyone called you the Overlord and feared and revered you. While you didn’t interfere much with the Deep Realm, you didn’t leave it in chaos either.”
Anne paused, looking at Yong-Yong, recalling when she had declared she wouldn’t enter the eternal slumber. Lord Izaas had patted her head and said, “Be a good girl. When I wake up, I’ll come to you first.”
She had believed him and waited through countless years until he awoke. While some had called him a tyrant, a merciless and savage ruler, Anne had followed Izaas with unwavering loyalty.
She continued, “You once said that when all the dragons awaken from their slumber, you will return to the Deep Realm. Not out of greed for past glory but to restore order to the Core disrupted by the Transcendent Seats.”
Yong-Yong tilted his head. “I said that, huh?”
Anne stole a glance at Do-Jun, who had been silently sipping tea and admiring the scenery. To an outsider, he looked no different from any ordinary human, devoid of power. She hadn’t shown it, but she had been using her unique skill called Deep in Mind to attempt to read Do-Jun’s memories.
Why can’t I read him...? she wondered.
She couldn’t access anything. This was a first for her. It felt like trying to peer into a void—an empty, hollow vessel. In fact, she couldn’t even establish a connection to begin with.
At that moment, Do-Jun met her gaze. Instantly, her body froze, and she felt as if she were being sucked into his eyes.
She tried to turn her head or rise from her seat, but she couldn’t. Even the slightest movement, like twitching a finger, was impossible. It felt as though Do-Jun was controlling her body, and until he released her, she was no more than a puppet.
The strange sensation vanished, and Anne swallowed nervously as she slowly lifted her head.
Do-Jun smiled faintly, like an adult amused by a child’s antics.
Her heart raced wildly. She had been the one trying to read his memories using Deep in Mind, but now she felt completely exposed, as if she were standing naked before him. It was as if he could see through everything.
I should stop here, Do-Jun thought, deciding to stop teasing Anne.
He had been watching her discreet attempt to channel her magic toward him for some time now. Casually, he waved his hand in the air as if fanning something away.
Glancing at his watch, Do-Jun remarked, “We should get going.”
It was already past 10 PM.
Anne stared at him blankly, still trying to process what had just happened. The mana she tried to impose on Do-Jun vanished completely. With just a casual wave of his hand, he had effortlessly erased a dragon’s magic.
Whether or not Yong-Yong noticed this, he waved his paw and said, “I’ll come back to hear more next time.”
The two left the nest.
Anne looked at Do-Jun’s empty teacup before sighing and starting to clean up.
In truth, Cheol-Soo was terrified of ghosts; so scared that he never worked late at the office alone. The E-rank Hunter accompanying him sighed inwardly while watching him nervously scanning his surroundings.
The Horned Squirrel’s Cave was generally dark, and whenever a flying squirrel unexpectedly darted out, Cheol-Soo occasionally yelped.
“Chief!” Do-Jun appeared and called from out of nowhere, startling both Cheol-Soo and the E-rank Hunter.
Realizing it was Do-Jun, Cheol-Soo caught his breath and yelled, “Y-you! S-stop doing that!”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?” Do-Jun asked, puzzled.
“D-don’t just pop out of nowhere like that! It’s bad for my heart!”
Do-Jun chuckled softly and said, “It looks like we can head back now.”
“W-what about the ghost?”
“It seems the Hunters misunderstood. I ran into a pink-haired woman, who turned out to be a Hunter as well. Her unique outfit probably made her seem like a ghost to the other Hunters, with the Fissure being dark and all.”
There was no need to mention that the “woman” was actually a dragon. Do-Jun tweaked the story a bit for everyone’s benefit.
“That makes sense. Of course, there’s no such thing as ghosts.” Cheol-Soo laughed awkwardly.
Do-Jun knew about his fear of ghosts but decided to pretend otherwise.
“As expected of you, Chief. Honestly, I was a bit scared, but having you here was reassuring.”
Cheol-Soo seemed to brighten at the compliment and laughed heartily.
“Of course! Just leave it to me. Even if a ghost showed up, I’d knock it out with one punch,” he said with his head held high.
The E-rank Hunter watching from the side stared at Do-Jun incredulously. Among the contracted Hunters, Do-Jun was nicknamed the “Drill Sergeant.”
He’s lying, the Hunter thought.
Unlike Cheol-Soo, Do-Jun seemed completely composed.
Meanwhile, after Do-Jun and Yong-Yong left, Anne remained alone in her nest, scrolling through the Core’s forum. She had opted out of the eternal slumber to stay updated on the Core’s movements, and browsing the forum was part of her daily routine.
[Subject: Let’s End the Debate. Facts only.]
She broke a snack in half and popped a piece into her mouth as she scrolled through the posts.
Recently, the forum was ablaze with one topic, a name mentioned repeatedly: “Lee Do-Jun.”
Anne clicked on the post and thought, I thought the name sounded familiar...
Let’s start with the tutorial ranking debate that’s been going on forever. We all know that these rankings haven’t changed in 4,000 years. Apparently, the top spots have always been occupied by Transcendents from the Deep Realm, with the original #1 being Imfelheim. However, about four months ago, Imfelheim was pushed down to #2. LOL. The new #1 is listed as (Unknown), so no one actually knows who it is.
Recently, Tarantuloso was taken down on the second floor. There’s been a lot of talk about who did it, but it’s highly likely that it was the person who took the #1 spot in the tutorial rankings. Agreed? Also, everyone on the second floor keeps mentioning the name “Lee Do-Jun.”
Conclusion: Tutorial Rank #1 = The person who took down Tarantuloso = Lee Do-Jun.
[Likes: 4,771, Dislikes: 69,042, Comments: 5,623]
﹂WindBloodAllianceCanGoDie: LOL. Stop hyping up some random nobody.
﹂Jookdoli: Lee Do-Jun is a Transcendent who’s using a fake name; he’s actually Murmu.
﹂Honolulu153: Agreed.
﹂GiveMeRelicArtifactPls: Think for a second. Even with a fully maxed-out orange status window, there's no way anyone can beat Tarantuloso. Even with artifact spam, it’s impossible. Even the second-floor boss, Bi-Yeong, couldn’t take it down. How could a non-Transcendent manage it?
﹂CoinLife: Honestly, unless someone has the “Core’s Blessing” and can use navy or purple status windows on the second floor, it’s impossible.
The forum post was ablaze with heated discussions.
Was the person who defeated Tarantuloso a Transcendent or not? And who was the mysterious “Unknown” ranked first in the tutorial rankings?
Due to the nature of the Core, adventurers from different floors couldn’t move freely between them unless they were Transcendents. This restriction made the forum the only place for cross-floor discussion, leading to many wild theories.
Once a topic caught fire, it usually burned for at least a month.
Wanting to find out more about this man’s true identity, Anne thought that she would ask Izaas more about this man named Lee Do-Jun.
By the time they got home, it was almost bedtime.
The clock’s hour hand pointed at eleven, and Yong-Yong flopped onto the rug in the living room. He relished its soft, fluffy texture.
Yong-Yong murmured blissfully, “This is why home is the best,” as though he could melt into the rug.
“Father, you must be tired after such a long day,” said Yoon-Hee, running up to Do-Jun and taking his coat. A faint, sweet scent wafted from the suit jacket—a peculiar fragrance, not quite perfume.
“Did you put something on?” she asked.
“Nope, I was at the nest of this dragon named Anne. The smell must have stuck to me.”
Do-Jun briefly explained what had happened earlier.
Listening intently, Yoon-Hee slightly bit her lower lip and muttered, “Hmm... A maid outfit, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s what she was wearing,” Do-Jun responded.
“Is that... your taste?”
Do-Jun shrugged. “Who knows?”
He headed to the bedroom, grabbed some clothes and a towel, and stepped into the shower.
Standing alone in the living room, Yoon-Hee absentmindedly touched her lips with her fingers, deep in thought.
“A maid outfit...” she murmured.