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Chapter 8
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<Notice>
The Raid Dungeon will open.
Period: September 30, 2032 – October 31, 2032
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Unlike dungeons or quests that Awakeners had to personally discover, raids announced themselves this way—notifications appeared directly on every Awakener’s status window.
Not only the date, but the exact location too.
It was obvious the system was designed to gather Awakeners in one place and force them into competition.
Of course, whether this “system” had any kind of will of its own—no one knew.
Either way, once this season came around, Awakeners all over the world busied themselves preparing for Raid Dungeons.
Because countless rewards rained down there.
Weapons, talismans, skills, stats, even diamonds.
For anyone, no matter where they lived, it was the perfect opportunity to hit the jackpot.
At this moment, it was the fastest way for me to make the most money in the shortest time.
That’s why raids were the core of my “11.5 billion plan.”
All the groundwork I’d laid until now was for this.
‘Base stat total under 75. Requirement matched.’
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Locations:
Base stat total under 75: Syria
Base stat total 75–134: Indonesia
Base stat total 135–179: Finland
……
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Base stat total.
The raid dungeon’s difficulty was divided by that number.
“Base stat” meant your pure stat values, with all influences from spirit guardians, talismans, and skills stripped away.
In other words, for Awakeners, it was basically your level.
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Strength: 10 (+1)
Vitality: 10 (+1)
Reflexes: 10 (+1)
Concentration: 10 (+1)
Willpower: 20 (+1)
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My base stat total was 60, which put me in the “under 75 group” headed for Syria.
It was the debut stage for many rookie Awakeners.
But under 75 didn’t mean everyone was equal.
There were Awakeners armed with powerful spirit guardians and top-tier gear—
and then there were ordinary folks.
The gap between the two was enormous.
Just like the massive stat difference I had before and after using Evil Dragon Demon Arts.
‘Up until last year—or even just a few months ago—I was at the very bottom of that gap. But not anymore.’
Before, I couldn’t even dream of competing. But this year was different.
Because now I owned a legendary spirit guardian.
Not just any—an all-rounder type legendary spirit guardian that most people couldn’t even dream of.
“Don’t bother with the receipt.”
I bought a drink from the duty-free convenience store and turned to leave.
That’s when I locked eyes with a man passing by.
His eyes went wide, like he recognized me, and he gasped.
“Huh? H-huh?”
A familiar face.
“Bro! You’re that guy, right?”
It was the man I’d run into in the centipede dungeon—the one who had almost ended up as food for thugs.
[(Mirinae International Co., Ltd. Director, Lee Jin-yoon)]
That clumsy man’s business card.
He still looked young enough that he hadn’t even done his military service, yet his title was “Director.”
Obviously, he hadn’t worked his way up. He was just sitting there as a non-executive director thanks to his parents’ backing.
He even admitted it himself.
“Hehe.”
I’d figured as much the moment I saw him carrying an expensive-looking weapon into that dungeon.
Rich family kid.
Even his clothes gave it away. They looked plain at first, but a closer look revealed all luxury brands.
“Mirinae… don’t tell me.”
The problem was, this wasn’t just any rich family.
“Mirinae Department Store?”
“Yes. Haha.”
He laughed awkwardly.
The Mirinae Group, famous for Mirinae Department Store.
Its chairwoman was Baek Soon-deok, younger sister of Baek Ga-deok—the former chairman of Baeksan Group, the nation’s largest conglomerate.
“So Chairwoman Baek Soon-deok is…”
“She’s my grandmother.”
Which meant this guy was part of the Pan-Baeksan clan, Korea’s top chaebol family.
And a sixth cousin to Saint King Baek Seon-yul, Korea’s strongest Awakener.
“What the hell.”
Knowing this, that day’s situation became even stranger.
“Why the hell were you being chased by gangsters?”
For someone in his position to almost get killed by street thugs—it didn’t make sense.
For starters, it was strange he had no bodyguards.
Someone like him should always have skilled Awakeners as escorts.
Even if not, his own combat power should’ve been extraordinary.
With the money his family had, his gear and spirit guardian should’ve been leagues beyond those thugs’.
So why was he so helpless back then?
He scratched his head and said sheepishly,
“W-well… actually… I’m just really scared of everything.”
“What?”
“Whenever I’m in danger, I freeze. My mind goes blank. That day too… all I could do was run.”
He added, “Luckily, those guys couldn’t break through my talisman shield.”
So that day, he’d been wearing an incredibly high-performance talisman.
And those thugs had beaten him with knives and axes until their arms must have given out.
But they still couldn’t break his shield, so the chase had gone in circles.
In short, he could’ve withstood their blows and crushed them easily—
but because he was too scared, he just stood there taking the hits.
“Unbelievable… Fine. But why were you alone? No bodyguards? Your parents just let you go?”
“That’s why I went. To build up some courage. I didn’t tell anyone.”
Sigh.
So basically, it had been a spoiled prince sneaking out of the palace and almost getting killed.
And I happened to save him.
What a frustrating guy.
But I couldn’t help but smile.
I had to hide it, though.
‘He’s a walking ATM.’
From my perspective, this was perfect.
A rich, gullible chaebol kid who owed me his life.
“Anyway, bro, I really wanted to thank you. That day, I was so out of it I just ran, but I’m glad I got to meet you today.”
He bowed politely.
At least his family raised him with manners.
“As long as you’re grateful, that’s enough.”
“I’d like to repay you somehow…”
“Really?”
I grinned and casually patted his shoulder.
“Then buy me a drink sometime.”
No need to rush.
Asking for something now would be shortsighted.
With people like this, it paid to maintain the relationship and turn it into a connection.
“Of course! I’d love to!”
He beamed with genuine joy.
“Give me your number, I’ll definitely buy you a drink next time!”
We exchanged names and numbers.
“Hey! Jin-yoon!”
A woman’s voice called from afar.
“Oh, yeah! Coming, Yoon-ah!”
“Hurry up! We need to catch the plane!”
“Got it! …Bro, I’ll call you as soon as I’m back in Korea!”
“Sure, sure.”
He bowed again, then ran off in a rush.
In his hand was a plane ticket. The destination:
‘DXB.’
Dubai International Airport.
‘He’s going to the raid.’
It was the same route I was taking to reach Syria.
Today, the airport was unusually full of Awakeners.
After a 13-hour flight, I arrived in Syria.
Finding the exact location of the Raid Dungeon wasn’t hard.
All I had to do was follow the system’s guidance.
Bustling.
A massive crowd had already gathered around the portal entrance.
The once-empty plain was now packed with tents and vehicles.
Awakeners challenging the raid.
Merchants selling goods to them.
Tourists here to spectate.
Journalists covering the scene.
People of every kind and purpose had come together.
At a glance, it felt like a festival.
But a place with this many Awakeners gathered was a powder keg ready to explode.
When the news had mentioned “military tensions,” it wasn’t an exaggeration.
“Items for the raid! Don’t regret it later, buy them now!”
Peddlers had set up stalls around the portal, hawking junk.
Because they blocked the way, Awakeners had trouble entering the dungeon.
“Move! Move!”
“What are you doing? Don’t ruin my business!”
“Don’t you see people waiting? You’re blocking the entrance!”
“Why blame me? Tell someone else to move!”
Scuffles broke out.
The problem was, these weren’t ordinary people.
If things escalated into violence, this crowd could turn into a bloodbath instantly.
Everyone here was basically a weapon of mass destruction.
“You bastard!”
“What? Wanna fight?”
“Somebody stop them!”
The two men drew their weapons.
Their blades glowed blue.
They were seconds away from clashing.
Everyone watching, myself included, tensed up.
No one knew where the sparks might fly.
“Wait, wait!”
A cheerful voice suddenly cut through the tension.
Its owner boldly stepped between them and grabbed the glowing sword and spear with her bare hands.
“Don’t fight! Talk it out! Dwight, calm down.”
It was Lea.
In an instant, she defused their rage.
She already seemed familiar with one of them.
After a short exchange, the two men shook hands.
Just like that, peace was restored.
All in five minutes.
‘What the… is that charisma for real?’
Lea had just turned two would-be killers into friends.
It was so incredible I wondered if it was some kind of spirit guardian’s power.
As the situation settled, the crowd grew restless again.
“Hey! Shin-woo!”
Lea spotted me and rushed over.
“Long time no see! How’ve you been?”
“Same old. You?”
“I’ve been great!”
“You here for the raid too?”
It was the natural question.
Last time, and now again—we’d only run into each other in Awakener zones.
It was obvious she was one too.
“Nope!”
She waved her hands.
“I came to make friends!”
“What?”
“Look.”
She showed me her phone.
It was full of photos she’d taken today—
with men, women, young, old—everyone.
But they all had one thing in common.
‘They’re all carrying insanely expensive weapons.’
Only then did I realize what I’d overlooked.
All around us were groups of people ordinary Awakeners couldn’t even approach.
Most were tied to well-known corporations.
Family members of owners, or the owners themselves.
This place was basically a social party for the rich.
Especially since this was the debut stage of Awakeners with base stat totals under 75—newcomers.
‘The debut of fresh Awakeners… so of course it draws attention.’
Lea had come here to mingle with them.
In this new era where Awakeners formed a new social class, they were the future elites.
“…I see.”
“Yup. And you? You’re here for the raid, right?”
She asked with a bright smile.
“Well… yeah.”
“Let’s take a picture together then!”
She suddenly wrapped her arm around me and held up her camera.
Click. Click click click click.
Before I knew it, I was on her list of “rich friends.”
Even I couldn’t resist her overwhelming sociability.
“Good luck! Call me after it’s over!”
She waved goodbye and rushed off—
to befriend another powerhouse.
I just stared blankly at her back.
That smile, drawing people in regardless of gender.
I didn’t yet know what intentions lay hidden behind it.
