"I'm Min-seok, Master," the man said softly, careful to keep his voice low so Jae-hyun wouldn't hear. "We t at the dungeon. Rember now?"
Seojun's eyes flicked over to Min-seok, searching his face. He looked at the other two — the man nad Jin-hyu and the girl, Hannah. For a mont, his mind was blank. But then, like a flash of lightning, the mories returned. He finally recognized them.
'These three… they were the first people I t when I ca back to Earth'
Seojun nodded slightly "Yeah… I rember now," he murmured under his breath, just enough for Min-seok to hear.
Min-seok glanced at Seojun with a faint smile. "You've changed a lot, Master. You've, uh, gained so weight," he chuckled nervously, glancing at Seojun's more filled-out form. "By the way, you disappeared so suddenly… where did you go?"
Seojun looked at Min-seok more closely and noticed the young man's clothes — torn and old, hanging off his thin fra. He seed even thinner than Seojun rembered. Without thinking, Seojun activated his appraisal ability.
Na: Min-seok
Age: 19
Class: Tar
Title: N/A
Rank: E
Stats:
Agility: C
Strength: D
Mana: F
Stamina: D
Min-seok looked thin and worn, his clothes torn and old. Seeing him like this reminded of Seojun of his own past before he gained his system.
Seojun, standing at the sa height as Jae-hyun, Min-seok's weak stats. They were the kind of numbers he would have seen on himself before gaining his system.
"Y-yeah, Master beca more… handso," Hannah added shyly, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "It's just been one and a half months and you look so different."
Seojun felt a strange mix of confusion and curiosity. "Why do they keep calling 'Master'?" he wondered silently.
Min-seok seed to pick up on Seojun's confusion. "You must be wondering why we're here in the US, Master," he explained. "Actually, Jae-hyun was recruited by the Vortex Guild. To officially join, he needs to have a familiar." .
Jin-hyu, who had been quiet until now, chid in. "But all the familiars in Korea were avoiding Jae-hyun. It looks like they could see what a terrible master he'd be."
Seojun's gaze shifted to Jae-hyun, who was currently levitating in the air, courtesy of the mage girl, as he tried to catch an extraordinary bird with bright plumage that darted through the trees.
Seojun looked around the dense, vibrant forest. "Just what is this place?" he thought, feeling a strange energy in the air.
Min-seok noticed his puzzled expression. "You seem lost, Master," he said gently. "Do you know where we are? This is one of the Beast sanctuaries of the US. It's a place where mythical beasts, familiars, and evolved animals live."
Min-seok glanced at Seojun with a resigned smile. "You probably think I'm crazy, Master."
Seojun looked at him, puzzled and thought, What is he talking about now?
Min-seok sighed, his expression weary. "They left in the dungeon and didn't help only Jin-hyu and Hannah ca back but here I am" he sighed
"I have no choice, Jae-hyun offered a large amount of money to co along, and I needed it."
Seojun raised an eyebrow. "How much?"
"500 gold coins," Min-seok said, with a faint smile. "It's not a fortune, but it's enough to last and my sister for a week."
Seojun was taken aback and thought, 500 gold coins? that's already a large amount?
Min-seok shrugged. "It's a not much but it helps."
Jin-hyu placed a reassuring hand on Min-seok's shoulder. "It's okay, Min-seok. Soday we'll earn more gold coins and beco top rankers. At least you're awakened now," he said with a hopeful tone.
Min-seok kicked a small stone in frustration. "But my class is the weakest. I can't even ta a insects because of my F-Rank Mana. There are so many classes, yet I got the weakest one," he said with a sigh.
Hannah, still holding her wand, murmured, "It's okay. Maybe you'll experience dual awakening soday."
Min-seok pouted. "You're so lucky, Hannah. You're a healer, but you're still stuck following Jae-hyun."
Hannah scratched her cheek, looking embarrassed. "I owe him, though. I have to repay him sohow."
Seojun glanced at Min-seok's status and frowned. He saw that Min-seok's class was listed as "Tar."
"What do you an, 'weakest class'?" Seojun asked, confused.
Min-seok looked surprised. "Where are you from, Master? Tar is considered one of the weakest class it's not easy to ta knowing how much Mana required to be able to do that."
Before Seojun could respond, Jae-hyun called out, his voice sharp. "Co on, stop chatting and get moving!"
As the group started to follow Jae-hyun, Silla's voice echoed in Seojun's mind. "Looks like your class, Master, isn't recognized in this realm. Humans here don't understand the the strength of a Tar class." Silla's tone was a mix of amusent and frustration. "They don't realize how powerful a tar can be."
Jae-hyun, with a determined expression, grabbed Min-seok's bag forcefully and rummaged through it. His eyes lit up when he found what he was looking for — a small, silver whistle with strange markings on it.
"Gotcha," Jae-hyun muttered with a smirk, holding the whistle up triumphantly.
Min-seok's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, Jae-hyun! Don't—"
The mage girl stepped forward quickly, her face pale. "Brother! Don't use that! We don't know what it can do!" She reached out to grab his arm, but Jae-hyun shoved her back roughly.
"Stay out of this!" Jae-hyun snapped. She stumbled, and Min-seok quickly caught her before she fell.
"Are you okay, Kaeri?" Hannah asked
"You're out of your mind, Jae-hyun!" Min-seok shouted, his voice full of urgency. "You can't control what happens next!"
Jae-hyun's face twisted with anger. "Shut up and stay back! All of you!" He raised the whistle to his lips, ignoring their pleas.
Reluctantly, they moved back, hiding behind a large tree, their faces filled with fear and worry.
Hannah, her voice trembling, replied, "That is a Dreadwhistle. It can call any monsters or mythical creatures within a wide area..."
Min-seok's voice was low, filled with anxiety. "We've seen videos of people using the Dreadwhistle to call familiars and monsters They are videos of people using it to call for monsters to level up faster and the other use it to call familliars, they were successful getting familiars but… most of them ended up injured or… dead. It's not ant to be used lightly."
Jin-hyu added, whispering, "It doesn't just call one creature. It can attract anything nearby, even the ones no one would ever want to face."
Jae-hyun blew the whistle, a sharp, eerie sound that echoed through the forest like a ghostly wail. For a mont, there was only silence. Then, the ground began to tremble, and a distant, monstrous roar filled the air.
The group stared in horror as the sounds of creatures approaching grew louder, and the forest seed to co alive with movent.
"We're dead..." Min-seok whispered, terror in his eyes.
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