Chapter 66: Conversation in the coffee shop

In the end, Kei decided to sit down at a coffee shop near the Dungeon and wait for the next development.

Kei had already prepared for the possibility of this city falling. As soon as the Dungeon erupted, Kei would take Sora and flee straight to Thunder’s shop, where Thunder would immediately open a warp gate to transport everyone to another city.

Buying those two insurance tickets from Thunder had drained two months’ worth of the store’s profits, but Kei believed it was worth it.

To Kei at this moment, nothing was more precious than the lives of the people close to him.

However, unless it came to a last resort, Kei didn’t want to run away like that. After all, the store left behind by Grandma Kim was a precious treasure that Kei wanted to cherish for the rest of his life.

He had originally thought the Crying Ghost Guild would need a lot of time to deal with that white wolf Boss. But perhaps Kang Ian was right. An SS-rank Dungeon didn’t seem to be too difficult a task for the Crying Ghost Guild, especially when he himself was involved.

After all, the reputation of being one of the top five strongest SS-rank hunters in Korea wasn’t something easily earned.

Time passed quickly.

By the time dusk fell, the Dungeon gate finally fell silent again. Just about half a day after entering, Kang Ian and Moon So Yeon led the Crying Ghost Guild’s team out.

They walked and chatted, their expressions completely relaxed as if they had just finished a routine training session. Kei carefully observed each person. Aside from a few hunters with minor injuries, no one seemed to be in serious trouble.

"They really are strong..." Kei muttered.

Perhaps this was the true strength of one of the strongest Guilds in Korea right now.

Kei gathered his belongings, planning to quietly leave before being noticed. But just as he stood up, Kang Ian’s gaze from afar had already locked onto him.

Kei sat back down gloomily. This man was truly cunning!

Since he had already looked at him like that, there was no way Kei could run away, especially since before entering the Dungeon, he had explicitly said he wanted to meet Kei after dealing with it.

Five minutes later, Kang Ian and Moon So Yeon walked into the coffee shop. The two headed straight for Kei’s table, their clothes spotless without a trace of dust, not looking at all like two hunters who had just been through combat.

"You don’t need to follow me, Moon So Yeon." Kang Ian complained. "I can meet Kei on my own. You should go back and check on those injured people! Getting hurt by just an SS-rank Dungeon, how weak!"

"The more you say that, the more I have to follow." Moon So Yeon replied calmly. "Besides, I want to meet Kei too."

Kang Ian raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you want to meet him?"

"I want to apologize to Kei about the Heukryong Kai matter."

That was the reason Moon So Yeon stated.

But in truth, Moon So Yeon had another reason in her heart. She was a little worried about Kei. She knew how nasty Kang Ian could be, so she didn’t want to leave him alone to face the man.

Furthermore, what happened between Moon So Yeon and Kai yesterday truly required her to offer Kei a sincere thank you and apology.

Kang Ian pulled out a chair and sat down. Instead of sitting across from him, he deliberately shifted his chair right next to Kei, not even bothering to hide his intentions.

Moon So Yeon immediately glared at him.

Kang Ian didn’t care at all. He rested his hand on the table, propped his chin up, and stared intently at Kei. That gaze made no attempt to hide its curiosity, as if trying to see through every layer of secrets on him.

The corner of Kei’s mouth twitched.

He was too lazy to argue with Kang Ian, so he simply turned to Moon So Yeon.

"After that day, are you okay? When you fought Kai, were you seriously injured?"

Moon So Yeon was slightly taken aback. She didn’t expect Kei’s first question to be a concern for her well-being.

"I’m fine." She smiled softly. "I only suffered superficial wounds. Thanks to the treatment team handling it promptly, I’ve almost fully recovered."

"That’s good then." Kei let out a sigh of relief.That day, Moon So Yeon fought Kai as if she were desperately battling a Boss, but all her attacks were nullified, and she was even choked and lifted up like a chicken seized by the neck. Every time he recalled it, Kei felt very guilty.

If he had stepped in to stop it sooner, this fight probably wouldn’t have happened.

Kang Ian was still staring at him without blinking.

Kei felt that gaze but deliberately pretended not to notice. He picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, and asked:

"And you? After entering the Dungeon, did everything go smoothly?"

"Very smoothly." Kang Ian replied immediately. "That Boss was weaker than I expected."

"Don’t talk as if you took it down all by yourself." Moon So Yeon frowned.

"I never said that." Kang Ian shrugged. "But without me, you guys would have wasted a lot more time."

Kei looked at his calm expression and couldn’t help feeling annoyed.

"You’re really overconfident."

"Thanks."

"That’s not a compliment."

Kang Ian raised an eyebrow with a faint smile.

"I know."

Moon So Yeon let out a soft sigh, while Kei set his coffee cup down on the table. Though he didn’t want to admit it, he still felt relieved knowing that everyone from the Crying Ghost Guild had returned safely.

Outside the glass window, the sunset dyed the city of Dong-San red. The rift had been dealt with, but the black stones and the white wolf Boss had left far too many unanswered questions.

Kang Ian leaned in a little closer and whispered into Kei’s ear with a thoughtful, meaningful smile.

"Kei."

"How are you going to explain those space rings?"

Kei’s hand froze on his coffee cup.

Moon So Yeon also silently watched him.

Kei slowly looked up. The conversation he had wanted to avoid had finally arrived.