I had every intention of spending the rest of the day lying in bed, maybe even sleeping through half of it.
Until something hit me.
The dungeon.
I froze.
A cold jolt shot through me as the memory resurfaced.
How could I forget something like that?
I'd been so caught up in everything else that it completely slipped my mind. But what if someone had already found it?
What if Mr. Kim found it?
A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of Mr. Kim lecturing me endlessly about rules, procedures, and violations.
He wouldn't actually arrest me over a dungeon beneath my café... right?
It's not like I put it there.
...Wait.
Is it even illegal?
What if I told them I had no idea it existed?
It's true, I avoided it on purpose. I didn't want anything to do with it in the first place!
But would that even matter?
Would they still hold me responsible?
Would I have to ask Jinhyuk for help?
No.
No, this wasn't good.
The more I thought about it, the more restless I became.
I grabbed my poor wallet and rushed out of the hotel.
By some miracle, it had survived.
Even after the fire, the chaos, and the sheer destruction caused by high-rank hunters tearing my café apart, the inside was perfectly intact, my cards, my cash, everything.
Honestly, it made no sense.
The place had practically turned to rubble, yet my wallet looked like it had been carefully tucked away from the disaster.
With what little cash I had left, I managed to catch a bus back to my ruined café.
When I arrived, the entire area was blocked off with tape that read Do Not Enter.
"Ma'am, you can't enter this area."
A man in a suit stepped in front of me, blocking my path. I could tell immediately that he was an awakened. No, even without sensing his aura, his build and the way he carried himself gave it away.
"What?" I frowned, caught off guard. "But this is my home—"
"This area is currently under the Obsidian Guild's jurisdiction."
My chest tightened.
"My café was here," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Why can't I go in?"
"Like I said, ma'am," he repeated, his tone sharpening, "this area is under the Obsidian Guild. We can't allow unauthorized personnel inside."
Unauthorized.
The word made my stomach drop.
Panic crept in.
If they find the dungeon... won't that come back to me?
"B-but I'm not just anyone," I insisted, my voice faltering despite myself. "I lived here. I just need a moment, I'll grab something and leave."
Instead of easing, his expression hardened. The others behind him looked just as annoyed—no, not just annoyed.
It felt as if they were seconds away from snapping.
My breath hitched.
They were not just guarding this place, they were watching me. And if I pushed any further, I wouldn't be walking away from this easily.
『 Above The Broken World 』
Eradicate these humans. Now.
『 The Shiniest Gem 』
That's letting them off too easily. You should torture them for their insolence. How dare they.
I ignored the blue messages and pulled out my phone.
There was only one way to deal with this.
Mr. Kim.
He gave me his contact information last time, so I dialed his number only ringing a few times before he picked up.
"Ah, Mr. Kim. This is Seo Elena."
"Yes, Ms. Seo. What can I help you with?"
"Um... well, there are people surrounding my home right now, but I need to go inside to look for something." I hesitated, trying to sound as composed as possible. "They're not letting me in. Could you possibly help me? I'm just asking for permission, that's all..."
It was silent on the other end of the call for a moment before he spoke again.
"Is that so? There's no reason for Ms. Seo to apologize. Otherwise, I'd be the one to get in trouble..." he added, the last part coming out as a quiet mumble that I almost didn't catch.
"Please give me a moment. They should let you in shortly. Is there anything else you need?"
Even though he couldn't see me, I shook my head in person. "No, that's all I need. Thank you so much, Mr. Kim."
He muttered a few more things, something about contacting him if I ever ran into trouble, no matter what, but that felt a bit excessive. I let out a small, awkward laugh and hung up the call.
The two guards in front of me stared for a moment before raising their hands to their earpieces. I waited, expecting them to simply step aside.
Instead, they suddenly stiffened and gave me the deepest bow they could.
I flinch at their actions.
"We're very sorry, madam! We didn't realize you were an important guest of the Obsidian Guild."
...What?
I blinked, caught completely off guard.
Mr. Kim, what exactly did you tell them...? Is he still misunderstanding my relationship with Jinhyuk?
I told you, I'm not the madam...
Sigh... This is a bit awkward.
"Ah, no, it's fine," I said quickly, waving my hand. "You were just doing your job."
I didn't have the energy to correct them.
Fine. Misunderstand all you want. Do whatever you want!
They straightened immediately, but the tension in their posture didn't disappear. If anything, they seemed even more cautious now, as if they were afraid of making another mistake.
"Please, go ahead," one of them said, stepping aside.
I hesitated for a moment before walking past them, feeling their eyes linger on me the entire time.
I searched the place here and there, spotting some of my belongings scattered across the ground, along with broken chairs and the plants I had bought. It was a sorry sight, but what could I do...
Anyway, even if the place was in ruins, I still knew exactly where the entrance should have been.
But the problem was...
The entrance to the underground was gone.
I checked every corner again, more carefully this time, but it still wasn't there. Even when I tried starting from the storage room, or what was left of the counter, I couldn't find anything.
Strange. Why isn't it here?
"Hey, system," I called out, not really expecting an answer as I turned to leave.
Maybe there was no need for me to actually worry too much. If anything, this is a good thing. A good thing!
But I pause my movements after a very familiar sight.
『 ( °ヮ° ) ? 』
"Oh, so you decided to talk after ghosting me for so long," I muttered with a sigh. "Anyway, I have a question. Do you know what happened to the dungeon?"
『 (ദ്ദി˙ᗜ˙) 』
"You do? Did I miss it somewhere?" I asked, already about to turn back.
『 (╭ರ_•́) 』
"What... what does that mean? Are you telling me to look for it?"
『 ( ,,⩌'︿'⩌,,) 』
"No? So it's not here?"
『 ◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜ 』
"Then where is it?"
『 (ᵕ•_•) 』
...?
"Why is it so difficult to talk to you...?" I let out a long, long sigh. "Whatever."
I guess it's not a serious issue, as long as it wasn't here. I only came to get rid of any traces that a dungeon existed in the first place. If anything, this makes me happy!
Besides, that dungeon was nothing but a headache. Every time I went down there, I could feel this dull, throbbing pain in my head.
『 .·°՞(っ-ᯅ-ς)՞°·. 』
"Okay, stop crying," I said flatly. "How is the system this much of a crybaby?" I mumbled.
With that, I headed back to the hotel and finally decided to get the rest I desperately needed.