Emblem of the Sun (3)

Bam—!

Dean's fist hit the side of the window again. Holy fuck, I almost got a heart attack.

"Why are you suddenly doing this?!"

I held onto my chest. That came out of nowhere. Most impressive was the fact that I could hear it through the window. It was a testament to how loud it was.

"What do you mean you've canceled our booking!? How is that even possible? You already know we booked this in advan—What? Wait, don't!"

Bam—!

His fist smashed against the side of the car for the third time.

'Is his fist okay?'

Sounded like it hurt.

"Damn it, fuck!"

The car door opened and Dean walked in. Almost everyone in the car was already aware that something had happened given how loud he was, and thus remained quiet. The girls, who were lively a moment before, suddenly looked downcast.

I could tell from a glance that this was not the first time something like this had happened.

"Here."

"Yes?"

Staring at the tablet in Dean's hand, I looked at him in surprise.

"Here's a list of the dungeons that are available. Pick one and tell me why. If you can convince me, we'll go there. I need to make several important calls. I'll fill you in on the situation later. For now, pick a dungeon."

I retrieved the tablet from his hand.

'Why does this feel like Déjà vu?'

Staring at the tablet, and then Dean who was sitting in the front seat with his arm covering his face, I could only bitterly smile while turning on the tablet.

"Oh~ What are you going to choose?"

Holy shit! A head peeked beside me almost giving me a fright. It's her again!

"Relax Mia. Can't you see you're scaring him? Don't waste your energy now. Save it for when we're clearing the dungeon."

Olivia said, lifting her eye mask slightly before pointing toward the seat beside her, where Sarah was. She was quietly eating her candy without an ounce of worry. 

"Why can't you be more like her?"

"I'll get fat if I become like her."

"But at least you'll be quiet."

"Ugh."

Mia silently glared at Sarah who looked up with a startled look.

"Uhm? Whaamt happened?"

"Don't speak with your mouth full."

Mia barked, her eyes falling on the packet of candy in Sarah's hands. A smirk suddenly appeared on her face, and Sarah's eyes instantly constricted.

Swallowing everything she had in her mouth down, she moved the packet behind her.

"What do you want...?"

"Hmm, nothing. I'm suddenly feeling a little hungry."

"And?"

"I noticed you had a couple of snacks. Mind sharing with me?"

"No!"

Sarah grabbed a handful of the candy and shoved it up her mouth. Her cheeks instantly inflated, reminding me of a squirrel. If not because I didn't want to seem rude, I would've probably burst laughing.

"Hey! You're going to get diabetes at this rate!"

"Mhhh! Hmmm!"

"Don't speak with your mouth full!"

"Hmm. Hummmm!"

"...What did I just say?"

'Just what are they doing?'

Seeing Mia walk toward Sarah, I already knew things were going to get chaotic. The fact that Dean hadn't done anything up to this point suggested that this was a very normal occurrence.

Thankfully, before I could intervene, someone already did for me.

"Mia, sit down."

It was Joana.

Her voice was stern, leaving no room for objection. Turning her head back to face the front, Mia sighed before lowering her head dejectedly.

"Fine."

She sat beside me.

"Did you choose yet?"

I shook my head.

"No."

'How do you expect me to choose when you create a whole scene?'

"Ah, alright. I'll go to sleep then."

She closed her eyes shortly after that, and silence finally returned on the bus. I didn't know when, but before I knew it, I realized that my stiff shoulders had relaxed. 

This… It's so much better than Knight's Crest.

Compared to the cold and tense atmosphere in Knight's Crest, things seemed a lot more harmonious in this group.

I liked it a lot better.

Alright, let's see the dungeons available. Sobering up from my thoughts, I opened the tablet and looked through the list presented before me.

Immediately my eyes went wide.

So many choices.

— ●[Dungeon Selection]●—

[Ivory Lane]

﹂ Ecosystem: Aquatic, Highland, Random

﹂ Ratio : 81%, 9%, 10%

[Price — 8,500,000]

[Clandice Street]

﹂ Ecosystem: Frost/Tundra, Grassland, Desert, Random

﹂ Ratio : 30%, 15%, 20%, 35%

[Price — 5,000,000]

[Crystal Way]

﹂ Ecosystem: Grassland, Highland, Marsh, Forest, Random

﹂ Ratio : 2% 3% 1% 9% 85%

[Price — 11,050,000]

[Meadow Street]

﹂ Ecosystem: Shrubland, Swamp, Desert, Random

﹂ Ratio : 10% 12% 53% 25%

[Price — 9,030,000]

[Grime Avenue]

﹂ Ecosystem: Forest, Desert, Random

﹂ Ratio : 8% 70% 22%

[Price — 6,110,000]

[Congress Lane]

﹂ Ecosystem: Forest, Aquatic, Random

﹂ Ratio : 7% 77% 16%

[Price — 5,000,000]

.

.

.

— ●[Dungeon Selection]●—

Just one quick look and I realized that there were at least ten different places I could choose from.

Seems like I dodged a fat bullet.

It became even more obvious to me that Knight's Crest was giving up on the group I previously managed. At the very least, Emblem of the Sun seemed to be a lot more supportive than they were towards their lower-performing groups. 

"Hm?"

Just as I was about to scroll further, my hand came to a sudden pause. My heart, which had previously been calm, suddenly started to beat rapidly as well.

Wait, isn't this?

[Clandice Street]

﹂ Ecosystem: Frost/Tundra, Grassland, Desert, Random

﹂ Ratio : 30%, 15%, 20%, 35%

[Price — 5,000,000]

'Isn't this the same one that appeared on the previous list...?'

My heart almost leaped out of my chest as my grip on the tablet hardened.

Let's calm down for a second. There's still more to the list, what if it's not the only one in here? Also, there were four other choices, what guaranteed that this one was going to be the lucky one?

I hurriedly scrolled through the tablet and looked for any familiar places. My throat felt dry throughout the entire time as I calmly looked through all of the names listed in front of me.

There's… there's none. Clandice Street was the only one out of the names that was still available.

Rummaging through my pocket I took out my phone and quickly scrolled through the news.

Even though Tier 1 Star Chasers weren't that popular, there were still certain dedicated pages for them.

'Surely, if something happened, they'd post it there.'

[SwanTwo of Rose Guild advances to Tier 2]

[Cody Lane of Bull'sCry quits. The group is on the verge of disbanding]

[Trend shows there's a decrease in the numbers of teams and individuals tiering up to the next level. Will this trend continue?]

No, no, no, and no.

Regardless of how hard I looked, there seemed to be no news about a possible miracle dungeon.

Just to make sure, I searched the name of the dungeons I remembered, and when I saw nothing again my heart sped once more.

'This… is it possible that Candice Street is the very same dungeon in my vision?'

But was it truly okay to trust this vision? Even though there were strange coincidences that came along with it, they could all be fabrications of my subconscious.

"Uh!? Shit! It's almost time!"

Dean's voice broke me out of my thoughts. When I raised my head, our eyes locked.

"Hey, newbie. Did you choose already?"

I hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, I have."

"Okay, book it."

"Uh?"

Just like that? He wasn't going to check it?

"I get your confusion, but we have no time. If we don't go now, it'll be impossible for us to navigate through the crowd. You know how busy it gets in the morning. Plus…"

He looked at the group and sighed.

"We're still far from reaching the point where we can use the guild's station. For now, we don't have to worry about being noticed by people."

That somehow made sense. Indeed, despite being an avid fan of Star Chaser, I never heard of any of the members of [Blue Daisy], meaning that they truly were an unknown group.

"Anyways, newbie. Book the dungeon."

Dean rubbed his eyes, blinking repeatedly as he tried to wake himself up. In the meantime, I booked the dungeon.

The process was easy, and after a couple of minutes, I managed to set up a reservation.

I hope this turns out well.

If I said I wasn't nervous, I'd be a lie. Not only would I be able to tell if my visions were true or not after this event, but if the dungeon I chose turned out to be a bad one, a lot of the responsibility would fall on me.

If possible, I wanted everything to work out. I may not have stayed here for long, but I was already starting to like this place.

"Ah, right."

Dean looked at me from the front, a couple of keys dangling on his finger.

"Newbie, do you know how to drive?"

I smiled awkwardly, slowly turning my gaze away from him.

"No."

*

"You're twenty-seven and you still can't drive? Listen to me, when I was your age, I was teaching people how to drive. Who in their right mind wouldn't learn to drive at this age? Driving is a fundamental skill that everyone needs to learn…"

There was an air of awkwardness at the front of the car. Whatever impression I gave out in the beginning crumbled apart.

Looking at Dean who was hunched on the wheel grumbling about his past, I could only bitterly smile.

'I'll have to make time to learn how to drive.'

He wasn't wrong about driving being an indispensable skill one had to learn.

If not for the fact that I was too busy chasing after my dream, I would've probably already learned it by now.

"We're here."

The car came to a stop, and Dean turned off the car. Opening the door, we both hopped off from our respective sides and opened the door for the girls.

"Girls, we're here. Come out now."

"Huaaam."

"Hm? Already? I wanted to sleep some more."

"Chop, chop. I don't want to hear any rumbling. Even a minute of sleep is a luxury for me. If I can't afford it, then so can't you."

"Eyy. You're so stingy, director."

"Trade places with me and you'll be just as stingy."

"With the way you look, people would rather pay us not to watch us instead of the opposite."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing~"

Mia skipped out of the van.

Seeing the interaction between the girls and Dean, I felt a little jealous. They had such a good relationship. Could I be like that with everyone one day? I hoped so.

"Do you need some help?"

"No, thank you."

I offered my hand to Sarah but she politely refused, hopping off the car while munching on some candy. Joana followed promptly behind her, and she too refused my help.

I awkwardly retrieved my hand and closed the door of the car.

'Is my hand that dirty?'

"Alright girls, let's get going."

Like little chicks, everyone followed Dean from behind. I picked up my pace and walked alongside Dean.

Seeing his haggard face, I cleared my throat a little.

"I'll definitely learn how to drive."

"Uh? Sure."

I pursed my lips. As expected, he wasn't very happy with me. But what more could I do? I couldn't go back in time.

In any case, I didn't think we'd actually go here.

Staring up ahead, I was amazed by the large cube-shaped building, its symmetrical shape attracting my attention. Its clean lines and minimalist design created a modern and sleek aesthetic. 

Despite never having been here throughout my entire life, I knew what this place was.

A portal station.

There were many means one could use to go to an island from another island, or from the land beneath. For those who couldn't afford it, regular trains were the most basic means. To those who could afford it, portals were the way to go.

Emblem of the Sun had its own designated portal, but that was reserved for its top stars. Just one step outside and they'd be able to create a crowd. They had no other option but to go through the private portal.

We… didn't have that problem yet. Perhaps, one day. Plus, because of how expensive private portals were, only a select few could use them. 

"Here. Take this."

Dean suddenly handed me a small rectangular packet. 

"Are this…"

"Yeah, business cards. Once we arrive, make sure to hand it to anyone that you see. Even if it's a random person."

Are we that desperate?

"We're an unknown group. Our job as managers is to make sure we do anything to have at least one more fan or give them an opportunity to become more famous. If needs be, we will even lower our heads. Our role as managers means doing whatever it takes— and I emphasize, whatever it takes— to support and promote their success. Do not overlook this fact."

"I see."

I took the cards.

I wasn't sure of what to make of his words, but I knew he cared a lot for this group. Was this why the girls liked him so much?

"Now that I think about it. I forgot to check the dungeon you booked."

My heart skipped a bit. Watching as Dean took out his phone to check the book, I could only turn my head away from him.

His face said it all. Looking at me, and then at the phone in his hand, his expression underwent a series of changes.

"You… don't tell me you chose randomly?"