Onwards To A New Day

"...Yeah, do you read them, too?" He asked, sitting near the edge of his bed by the shelf.

Hyun nodded, "Well…I haven't been able to find any while we were staying at the plaza. I swear–I think some people actually ransacked it for manhwa, of all things! I was pretty pissed, you know?"

They both laughed at the ridiculous nature of such a thing. Hyun reached up, grabbing one of the comics from the shelf that caught his eye.

"The Mysterious, Bizarre Journey of The Frog King."

–It was definitely a title that was difficult to explain to others, so he was surprised when the orange-haired, similarly-aged man knew about it.

"You read Frog King?!" Hyun asked.

"Y-yeah–wait, you do, too?!" He answered in surprise, following with his own question.

"Of course! It's totally the best! I mean–that scene where the Frog King shows all of those people who doubted him how awesome he is! Man, it gets me so pumped!" Hyun clenched his fists together, getting excited just talking about it.

He wasn't any better, getting just as passionate as he nodded vigorously, "That's one of my favorites, too! Everyone doubts him just because he looks like a frog, so when he shows off his super-awesome power, everybody is just speechless–it's so satisfying!"

"Right?!" Hyun replied.

There was little sleep gained that night, as the two read through a bulk of his extensive collection of manhwa, though they spent more time discussing it rather than reading it–though calling it "discussions" could be slightly disingenuous as it could be more aptly described as "passionate ramblings".

Most of these talks were kept to whispers while the girls slept, though every now and then, the two young men let their childhood slip through, getting a bit too passionate as they were promptly reminded to be quiet by a thrown pillow by the muscular, frightening Myung-Hee.

They had similar tastes, though there were a few distinctions: the two both loved action stories that focused on underdogs, but the difference came in their secondary picks.

He loved a good, slow adventure story, one that didn't necessarily require action.

Hyun, on the other hand, was more into romance than any other girl he had ever met–and perhaps worryingly so, he loved brother-sister romance stories.

"...No, sorry, dude, I don't have "My Little Sister Can't In A Million Years Be This Adorable", sorry," he told Hyun.

Hyun slumped his shoulders, looking defeated, "Aww…Darn, I guess it really is that popular, huh? It was probably sold out."

No, I just don't order that crap! He thought.

Despite a bit of differences in some areas, he was elated to finally find somebody similar enough to him, one to share more of his "less cool" features with.

After a long enough night, the two passed out–at some point, unremembered and unintentional.

During the next few days, they decided to lay low, letting some time pass by with the prospect of the enigmatic player killers still on the loose, and likely holding a specific grudge.

While resting in the time of reprieve, he looked through his skill tree, finding something peculiar pertaining to the [Martial Artist] section of the extensive, vast skill tree.

[Martial Artist Proficiency: 2/9999]

"Huh?"

It didn't make much sense to him: a skill with a cap of such a ludicrous number seemed redundant as nobody would pour that many skill points into it.

But, he realized what it really was upon closer inspection: "Proficiency Growth."

I see…Some RPGs had skills like this. The more I use martial arts, the more my proficiency rises. It looks like there are a lot of skills locked behind it, as well. Hmm…Well, looks like I have my work cut out for me, he thought.

To make up for the daily quests they skipped, on the morning of the fourth day since the encounter with the player hunters, they ventured out to find a proper dungeon to take on.

"Alrighty, I'm ready to gain some E-X-P!" Hyun stretched his arms out, proclaiming out to the world.

They were all walking the street together, venturing the abandoned, unlively neighborhood that didn't respond much to such words.

"Have you two been in a dungeon before?" Kamou asked, looking at Ara and Hyun.

Ara nodded, "Only once, but we had to leave midway through."

"Yeah…It was pretty tough–I thought maybe we could try sneaking a few chests despite a level difference, but we got cornered pretty quickly," Hyun laughed a bit, scratching his head as his shaggy, orange locks moved around.

"Gotta be careful with that," Myung-Hee said, walking at the front of the group.

They were all properly equipped, still holding an air of caution despite seeming casual in their walk, as they constantly looked around–looking out for both Defects and players. It was a rare sight to find players in the neighborhood, and those that were seen were usually more cautious about others than he was.

The laugh he gave was as if saying "Yeah, you should know that pretty well by now" but turned to look back at the two new members of the party.

"As long as we stick together, it'll be fine. I've scouted out this place before, but I was too low level for it previously…and alone," he said, checking his sides to make sure his daggers were still there, "It's level twelve, but at level ten, you're both fine, especially with a group as large as this! Kamou is pretty damn clutch with her support, I'll say."

"I can attest to that," Myung-Hee added.

Kamou's pale cheeks turned to a soft pink at the compliments, twirling a strand of her silken, silver hair around her lithe finger.

Soon, they arrived at the dungeon that fell from Heaven, embedded in the middle of one of the neighborhood streets, cratering the surrounding ground as it towered high with its all-black, steel form.

"This one looks a lot bigger than the one from before," Kamou commented, looking up.

"I think the previous one was supposed to be lighter–so this is the real deal," he said, standing before the entrance, "I wonder how deep down it goes, though."

"...It's kind of scary, isn't it?" Hyun chuckled wryly.

"I think it's exciting," Ara smiled brightly, seeming delighted at the prospect of the dungeon, "Right, Brother?"

Hyun replaced his clear worry with a smile, nodding, "Yeah…totally!"

[Jeong-Hui. Level 12. Health Points: 2250/2500]

[Kamou Yoo. Level 12. Health Points: 2700/2700]

[Myung-Hee Yun. Level 12. Health Points: 3000/3000]

[Hyun Choo. Level 10. Health Points: 2150/2150]

[Ara Choo Level 10. Health Points: 2100/2100]

He looked at the interface displaying the party's status, checking it before looking back at the others before choosing to enter the dungeon.