Kwon Jihan, standing in a confident pose with his hands on his hips, looked at Yoon Seo and flashed a broad grin.
Behind him, Nyam was at a loss for what to do.
Peeeeeeeeeep!
Riceball, who had been crying so much that it had swollen up, rolled off Kwon Jihan's head and landed on Yoon Seo. It had been in such a rush that it hadn't even flapped its wings. Yoon Seo quickly caught Riceball and gently comforted it.
Peep. Peee. Peep. Peep-peep.
"Riceball, yeah. You were upset, weren't you?"
Peep-peep. Peeee. Peeeeppp.
"I didn't mean for it to happen…."
Peeeeep!
"Yeah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Riceball buried its face into Yoon Seo's elbow, sniffling. Yoon Seo, with his arms awkwardly folded, tenderly cradled the small bird while looking up at Kwon Jihan. Kwon Jihan strode over and pulled Yoon Seo into an embrace. Yoon Seo rested his forehead against Kwon Jihan's broad shoulder as a gust of cold air swept in from outside.
The overwhelming messages from the excited god of love kept rising, reminding Yoon Seo that they were indeed in a dungeon.
After the brief hug, Kwon Jihan grabbed Yoon Seo's shoulders and scrutinized him thoroughly from head to toe.
"Were you having a good conversation? Those guys didn't try anything funny, right?"
"Yes. We were just talking. But how did you get in here? There was still a lot of time left."
"I used the quantum leap warp system. The warp particles got converted into F-energy or something. As soon as the dungeon opened, I came right in."
"...."
Yoon Seo blinked.
"The warp trap? The one that disintegrates you at the molecular level if it fails?"
"Yeah. Do I need to apologize to hyung again?"
Yoon Seo let out a small sigh.
"No, it's fine. But let's try not to make a habit of this."
"Well, it takes both sides to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Kwon Jihan pulled Yoon Seo into another embrace. Taking advantage of the fact that Yoon Seo couldn't use his hands because he was busy comforting Riceball, Kwon Jihan held him tightly.
"I was so worried I thought I'd die…."
Kwon Jihan mumbled into the top of Yoon Seo's head, pressing his nose into his hair.
Yoon Seo thought that Riceball, who was still sniffling into his elbow, and Kwon Jihan, who was rubbing his face against his head, were exactly alike.
"Hey, hold on."
"...."
"Hey, can we talk for a minute, myam?"
At the interruption from the humanoids, Kwon Jihan clicked his tongue in annoyance and tilted his head to acknowledge them.
For some reason, the two humanoids, huddled together, trembled as they spoke in unison with shaky voices.
"Can you… create F-energy, myam?"
***
Kwon Jihan's answer was, "Let's eat first."
The humanoids quickly set the table again and reheated the kimchi stew. The two humans and two humanoids sat facing each other at the table. One of the three humanoids had to stay outside in the garden, so they set aside a portion for him.
"It looks delicious, myam. Let's eat quickly, myam."
"Let's dig in, yam."
Yoon Seo watched curiously, wondering how on earth a robot would consume food. With a whirring and a click, a long rod extended from the chest of the humanoid. There was a small hole at the tip of the rod.
Buuuuung.
A beam of light shot out from the rod, and the chunks and broth of the kimchi stew began to disappear.
"This is a great place for kimchi stew, yam."
"Kimchi stew never gets old, myam."
The humanoid's robotic voice sounded content. Observing quietly, Kwon Jihan spoke up.
"It seems they break down the food into atomic units and absorb the atoms into their bodies."
"You two Earthlings should eat too, yam."
"Let's do that."
Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan picked up their spoons. They began eating before the humanoids could disassemble the entire stew.
Peep….
"Riceball, you should eat too. Those mealworms look tasty, right?"
When Riceball let out a soft sound, Yoon Seo gently petted it.
The kind humanoids had even placed a small bird feeder for Riceball, but it refused to leave Yoon Seo's arm.
Peep, peeeep.
Riceball glanced back and forth between Yoon Seo and the mealworms, clearly torn. It didn't want to leave Yoon Seo but seemed eager to eat the mealworms. Kwon Jihan pulled the bird feeder closer and set it right in front of Riceball. Only then did Riceball flutter down and peck at the mealworms. After eating one and finding it delicious, it plunged its whole body into the dish. Once it was full, Riceball flew around the house, happily flapping its wings and exploring.
As they ate, Kwon Jihan listened to the whole story. He took out the warp particle container he had used earlier from his inventory.
"I'm not exactly sure what F-energy is, but the warp particles were transformed into an energy similar to this dungeon's. There are still some particles left, but I'm not sure if it'll be enough for what you need."
When Kwon Jihan tossed the container, Nyam caught it. Nyam and Yam shot lasers from their eyes to analyze the container, and then spoke happily.
"This should be enough to fly to a planet capable of repairs, myam! Thank you so much, myam!"
"I never said I'd give it to you for free. We spent a fortune generating those particles."
"W-well, what do you want in return, myam?"
Kwon Jihan casually glanced around the area. Yoon Seo, unbothered, made a suggestion.
"How about we take
"Oh, this is nice. This place is a dungeon, yet it exists on Earth, connected to it but also cut off. It's a strange place. No time limits, no boss monsters—this dungeon will make a great hideout for us. As expected, my hyung is a genius."
Ziiiiing. The mechanical sounds from the bodies of Myam and Yam became louder. They seemed extremely flustered.
"S-skills can't be given or taken at will, myam."
"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it."
Myam and Yam were shocked.
"Are you one of the 'Judges,' myam?"
Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo exchanged glances.
"What's a 'Judge'?"
"It means someone who has the ability to judge awakened beings, myam. Even those who awakened with pure intentions can become corrupted over time, myam. When that happens, a Judge can decide to remove the corrupted awakened person's skills as punishment, myam. Our planet has five robots with the Judge trait, myam."
"What if the Judge becomes corrupted?"
"Judges don't become corrupted, myam."
"Isn't that just something you can't know? Anyone can fall into corruption."
"Do you think Kwon Jihan will ever be corrupted, myam?"
"...."
Yoon Seo imagined Kwon Jihan threatening civilians and committing crimes.
"Judges don't become corrupted."
"That's right, myam."
As Yoon Seo accepted this explanation, Kwon Jihan raised his hand with a question.
"I'm not a Judge, but I have the 'Predator' trait. How is that different from a Judge?"
"A Judge can delete a skill and return it later, but a Predator cannot return a skill once it's taken, myam. Similarly, there are the 'Moderator' and 'Ruler' traits, myam. A Moderator can adjust the strength of another's skill, and a Ruler can take both skills and life at the same time, myam. All four are considered part of the Judge category, myam."
Upon hearing this explanation, Yoon Seo thought of one more person.
Lee Kangjin, who possessed the
Could he have had the Ruler trait?
How many traits and skills exist in this world?
Yoon Seo was once again struck by the vastness of the universe… and how small Earth seemed, barely a level 1 planet.
Perhaps thinking the same thing, Kwon Jihan sat beside him, lost in deep thought with a solemn look in his eyes.
Myam and Yam looked at Kwon Jihan with big, hopeful eyes.
"Isn't there anything else you want besides
"..."
Kwon Jihan tapped the table with his fingers.
Since Kwon Jihan was deep in thought, Yoon Seo answered on his behalf.
"Let's finish our meal first, and then we can talk again. After showing us the spaceship, we can discuss things further."
"Understood, myam…."
Yoon Seo suppressed a smile at their weak response. Looking at these innocent humanoids, who didn't even think of fighting to take what they wanted, he felt relieved. Even in a vast universe, it was comforting to know that the rule of 'only the good awaken' still held true.
***
After finishing their meal, they went back upstairs to take another look at the spaceship. Once the warp particle container was handled by the humanoids and placed inside the space radiation shield, the once-blocked device opened up and formed a half-moon shape. The humanoids hugged each other, rejoicing at their success. Nyam, who had been guarding the garden, rushed over to join in the celebration when he heard the news of the spaceship's repair. After giving them some time to celebrate, Kwon Jihan asked,
"What's a Kiruv modification? Can you explain it to me?"
"Is that what you're asking in exchange for the F-energy, myam?"
"No, I just want to know. It feels like fate that we met, so why not tell me?"
When Kwon Jihan responded slyly, the humanoids eagerly began to brag about their technology. Yoon Seo only half-listened since the content made no sense to him. He just watched Kwon Jihan nod in admiration, ask questions, and occasionally exclaim softly. It made him think, "As expected, this guy really is the smartest person in the world."
[The God of Love wants the two of you to kiss.]
[The God of Love is waiting for the two of you to kiss.]
[The God of Love encourages 'Kwon Jihan.']
As usual, the God of Love didn't manage to sway Yoon Seo, so it turned its attention to Kwon Jihan. In the middle of his conversation with the aliens, Kwon Jihan glanced at Yoon Seo. Yoon Seo shook his head sternly. Kwon Jihan, as if he expected that, gave a slight smile before returning to the conversation.
The God of Love's demand for physical affection had no sense of time or place. Yoon Seo once asked Lawrence's couple if they received such messages, but they said they didn't. It made sense since they were always stuck together in the first place.
Once the complicated conversation ended, Kwon Jihan asked,
"How many planets are there in the universe with levels higher than Earth?"