Chapter 74: Always so busy..

The giant's chitinous carapace gleamed in the scorching sun, its numerous legs scuttling across the sand as it lunged towards Jin Woo, its cavernous maw agape and dripping with venom.

"Haah, why does this look somewhat bigger than the other ones?"

Jin Woo gripped his dagger tightly, his muscles coiled and ready to spring into action. With lightning-fast reflexes, he dodged the creature's attack, slashing at its vulnerable underbelly as he rolled to the side.

The centipede let out a deafening screech, its green blood splattering across the desert floor. Undeterred, Jin Woo darted in again, his dagger flashing as he targeted the joints between the creature's armored segments.

The beast thrashed and writhed, its massive body crashing against the sand as Jin Woo continued his relentless assault.

Two days had passed since Jin Woo had last completed his daily quests, and from the past two days, yesterday he was summoned to the penalty zone for 4 hours and he managed to kill three giant centipedes in those 4 hours, gaining two level-ups.

Right now, he was in the middle of nowhere in the heart of a sprawling desert, his body drenched in sweat as he faced off against a colossal centipede-like creature.

Today was the third time inside the penalty zone and only 15 minutes were left in the survival timer.

"Just DIE!!" Leaping high into the air, he brought his dagger down with all his strength, burying the blade deep into the creature's head.

"Crrrrrreeeeeeekkkk!"The centipede let out one final, agonizing shriek before collapsing to the ground, its lifeless form twitching as the last vestiges of life left its body.

Jin Woo landed with a soft thud, his chest heaving as he surveyed the carnage around him. Dozens of the giant centipede's brethren lay scattered, "Fuu... I smell like shit..."

As he sat there, Jin Woo couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size and ferocity of the creatures he had faced. He still remembers how he had run for his survival for the first time, "And now, I am stronger than them.."

Jin Woo retrieved a small flask of mana potion from the system shop, taking a long, refreshing sip. The cool liquid soothed his parched throat, and he felt a renewed sense of energy coursing through his body and his fatigue decreased.

With a sigh, he rose to his feet, his gaze sweeping across the desert expanse. "Ah, only 10 minutes left," He registered the time panel which showed his remaining time.

_Level Up_

_Level Up_

He then looked at his status window,

...

Name: Sung Jin Woo

Level: 31

Job: None

Title: Wolf Assassin

HP: 6900

MP: 420

Strength: 95

Agility: 95

Sense: 76

Vitality: 55

Intelligence: 49

Physical Damage: Activated

Reduction: 20%

Attribute Points: 2

...

He smiled after seeing his attributes and decided to put one attribute point in his strength stat and another on his Vitality, " This should do it, I should really thank Azaroth for suggesting this to me indirectly, although he doesn't need to know about it."

.

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Hwang Dongsoo paced his lavish office like a caged animal, fury emanating off him in waves. Abruptly he clenched his fist and punched the solid wall, cracking the thick plaster.

"EEk!" The man clad all in black behind him flinched violently at the display.

"Why the hell isn't she picking up?" Dongsoo growled through clenched teeth.

She had promised to relay the details to Dongsoo. But ever since that meeting Rose had with Azaroth Morningstar, she was avoiding his calls.

A feeling of dread crept up the underling's spine. "S-Sir, perhaps she just needs time-"

Dongsoo whirled to face him, eyes blazing. "So she is going to ignore ME? I don't know what happened at her meeting but I can't wait any longer. It seems I'll have to use my strength to open the mouths of these Association members!"

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.

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*Flash!*

"Ok! Pack Up!"

"Good work Miss Yoo!"

"Nice Work Miss Yoo!"

As the final flash of the camera faded, Yoo SooHyun let out a content sigh and adjusted her posture, feeling the fatigue from the long shoot.

But it was a good kind of tired - the kind that came from a fulfilling day of work.

"That was wonderful!" As she walked out of the photo stage, her manager rushed over, practically beaming with pride and excitement.

"Here!" She handed SooHyun a tall glass of icy orange juice - a refreshing treat after hours under hot lights.

"Ah, thanks noona"

Sitting down in a plush, black chair, SooHyun sipped her drink through a straw as her manager gushed about their latest triumph: SooHyun's role as the face of Gucci's newest line of bags in the Nation.

Her manager beamed. "And that's not all! The Gucci executives loved your shots so much they're offering you a multi-year contract! Meaning no matter what, you will be the face of the brand in Korea for at least 3 to 5 years!"

"That's amazing!" SooHyun exclaimed.

Her manager excitedly discussed their contract and the amount of money they were going to make.

Although she wasn't short on money, this deal was a great achievement for her independent career as a model.

Ever since she started dating Azaroth - though their relationship was kept secret from the public - SooHyun seemed to have been blessed with good luck. She felt like Azaroth was her lucky charm, bringing her success and fortune in both her personal and professional life.

'But he is always so busy…' She thought feeling a little depressed.

When SooHyun found out about Azaroth's achievements from the news that day, SooHyun was bursting with excitement to meet and congratulate Azaroth on his 1st debut as a Squad leader and setting a new world record for Dungeon clearance.

She couldn't wait to see the proud smile on his face and to share in his success, this was the first time she had a relationship with someone and she wanted to be with that person.

But when she reached out and called him, Azaroth told her he was busy.

Disappointed but understanding, SooHyun tried again the next day, only to be told that Azaroth was visiting a friend in another country. In the meantime, she had become friends with Azaroth's secretary/maid Eun-Su, who revealed that Azaroth had actually returned last night. With determination, SooHyun decided to surprise Azaroth at his villa with a delicious cake and to share her own achievement with him.

"He will not be annoyed by me, right?" She thought but soon realized that Azaroth will be rather happy after finding out about her success. 

She knows that Azaroth is not ignoring her but is rather busy after having this much burden on his shoulders. He also must want to spend time with her but just isn't able to.

So, unlike those ungrateful girls who bore resentment after being ignored by their boyfriends, our understanding SooHyun will go to him to ease his tension.

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