In the flesh (Bonus)

The designated meeting spot was Yeongil Café —

A small, stuffy place that smelled like reheated coffee mixed with cheap air freshener.

It wasn't the same as we had met before.

But it was discreet.

Loud enough to keep private conversations private, quiet enough not to feel like a food court.

Everyone was already there when I arrived.

Song Hana was on her phone.

Doyun was staring at a slice of cheesecake like it had insulted someone in his family.

Jisoo was reading the newspaper.

Yes, an actual newspaper. Printed one.

He always said he trusted ink more than pixels.

And over in the corner, leaning against the cushioned wall, was him.

The star in my mental show.

Sung Jin-Woo.

I stopped for a moment.

It was like the first time I saw Kim Gongja.

Reading a description, seeing a sketch, hearing stories — none of that prepares you to see the real person.

In flesh, bone... and bandages...?

Jin-Woo was thinner than I expected.

Slim arms, narrow shoulders.

He wore a light blue hoodie, worn-out jeans, and a pair of sneakers that had clearly seen better days. His hair fell awkwardly over his eyes, like he had no idea what to do with it.

The bandages on his shins and arms completed the look.

He looked... ordinary. Genuinely ordinary.

But I knew that wouldn't last.

I greeted the others quickly and approached him.

''Sung Jin-Woo?'' I said, trying to keep my voice neutral.

He looked up, slightly surprised. But nodded.

''Liam Han?''

''In the flesh.'' I extended my hand.

He shook it, a little awkward.

The day before, we'd exchanged a few messages.

I introduced myself, explained the porter position in the group, the payment, the level of safety.

He'd been polite. Brief, but open.

And now here he was, in the middle of the table, surrounded by strangers, holding a mug of tea like it was a shield.

We sat down.

''Alright. Let's get straight to the point.'' I leaned my elbows on the table. ''Today's dungeon is in Namyangju. Rank D. Old residential zone. The portal wasn't listed until late yesterday afternoon. We grabbed it before any bigger team could claim it.''

Doyun nodded with a low hum.

Hana sipped her hot chocolate.

Jin-Woo just watched me, focused. He seemed prepared to give it his all.

I knew why. His family circumstances were... shitty.

''As usual, we don't have much info on the enemy type, so we'll probably land in a generic scenario. If it's a variant dungeon, still low risk.''

The others seemed to follow quickly.

I had sent them the analysis file earlier.

Then I looked at him.

''This'll be easy, Sung Jin-Woo. Just stick with us and carry the essentials. No danger at all.''

He nodded again. Still contained.

The silence lingered a little too long, so I broke it.

''You're Rank E, right?''

His shoulders tensed.

One of those micro-reactions you only notice when you're prepared to scan everything.

Hesitation.

''…Yeah.''

''Me too.'' I gave a half-smile. ''Two walking disasters at the same table. It's a miracle we don't cause a blackout just by clinking cups.''

He blinked, surprised.

Like he'd been bracing to get mocked and didn't know what to do when that didn't happen.

Then he laughed. Brief, soft.

But real.

One of those laughs that slip out before you even realize you smiled.

''I thought… well, I thought you were gonna make fun of me.''

Wow... He admitted it outright.

I figured he'd keep that to himself.

Maybe it was because we were... the same?

''Nah. I leave that to the idiots who didn't survive their own arrogance.'' I leaned back in my chair. ''Besides, how many raids have you been on?''

''Around a hundred… maybe a hundred and ten, I think. Nothing too tough, however.''

I raised my eyebrows.

I'd expected that, but damn.

This guy had been through some serious crap.

''That's more experience than a lot of Rank C guys on forums. That's a résumé right there.''

He chuckled again, a bit more relaxed this time.

''That's a good perspective.''

''By the way, seriously, no need to stay tense. Roasting other Rank E's isn't part of this group's policy. We only self-roast here.''

Not exactly a lie of mine.

Sure, they had their biases.

But since he came in under my recommendation, odds were no one would mess with him.

''Fair policy.'' He said.

''See? You're already getting the vibe.''

I wanted to talk more, but our conversation ended there.

Jisoo stood up, clapping his hands together.

''Enough chit-chat. Let's clear this and get home with mana stones in our pockets.''

We got up.

The mission was about to begin.

And this time, the original world's protagonist was walking right beside me.

Let's see how that changes things.

_______________

[The main mission has been updated.]

[Fourth objective completed: Form a team with Sung Jin-Woo.]

Luxxion spoke.

And the notification appeared right in the middle of my vision.

''Took you long enough.''

[System updates only occur when the criteria are fully met. Forming a team implies entering a dungeon alongside the designated individual.]

''Oh. So the café wasn't enough?''

[Negative.]

''What a disappointment.''

Sung Jin-Woo gave me a look.

One of those "is this guy talking to himself?" looks.

''It's a habit.'' I explained, with a practiced expression.

''Better to ignore it.'' Doyun said without even looking back. ''Happens more often than it should.''

Sung Jin-Woo nodded in agreement. He just accepted it.

We moved through the dungeon.

It was a different type from the previous ones — the ground was flatter, as if artificial.

The stone walls had strange marks that looked like scratches, but far too deep to be the work of a common creature.

Mana crystals were rare along the sides, and natural lighting was almost nonexistent.

But there was no humidity. No smell of mold.

[Partial analysis: dungeon with mutation probability below 10%. No energetic anomalies detected so far.]

''So, for now, everything's fine.'' I said again.

Another weird look from Jin-Woo.

The first monster appeared just after a narrow turn.

A sort of disfigured canine, with legs too long and thin, and a jaw that reached all the way up to where its eyes should have been.

Its skin was scaly, but didn't look tough.

A low sound came from it, like a jackhammer failing.

''Crackhound.'' Jisoo announced. ''If they attack in a group, they can be a problem. If they come one by one, cut the legs and move on.''

The names of monsters were, for the most part, crap.

They were more like categories, actually, than real proper names — since they were similar to already documented types.

Three came.

A very simple fight.

Doyun went up front and cut the one on the right.

Jisoo took down the one on the left with a diagonal strike.

The one in the middle came for me.

I dodged its first leap easily. The spear cut in an semicircle, matching the creature's rhythm.

The tip sank into its chest, and the monster dropped, trembling. Dead.

''You… said you were Rank E, right?'' Jin-Woo broke the silence after a while.

I nodded, still cleaning the spear tip with a piece of cloth.

The blood from these things was corrosive if left too long on a surface.

I preferred not to lose or damage my weapon.

''But you don't fight like one.''

I raised an eyebrow.

''Is that a compliment or a perception test?''

He hesitated.

''I just… thought you were exaggerating. Or trying to be modest.''

''I am Rank E.'' I shrugged. ''That's what my paper says. The Association too. But a low number doesn't mean NPC-level performance.''

He seemed to ponder that for a moment.

''That's… fair.''

I looked at the spear again.

It was cleaner than before, but still bloodstained.

''Besides...'' I started. ''If I'm gonna die, I'd rather die looking like a higher Rank than an E no one's gonna remember.''

He let out another small, shy chuckle. 

This time, however, it seemed to be released only out of politeness.

''Makes sense.''

Before I could say anything else, though, the smell hit.

My stomach turned instantly.

It was like someone had dumped rotting carcass in a sauna, let it ferment, and set it on fire.

The urge to throw up hit me like a punch to the chest.

''What the hell…'' Jisoo covered his nose. ''What is that?''

We moved forward, instincts sharp.

What we found... was kind of unsettling.

It looked like a sculpture made by someone who hated their own species.

A pulsating, twisted mass of tissue — skin, flesh, muscle, but not quite human.

It was like someone tried to imitate a human body with random pieces.

And failed. Miserably.

The creature dragged itself. Mouth open. Several tongues hanging out, twisting.

Our dynamics followed the same:

Doyun moved first.

Hana prepared the buffs.

I followed right after.

It was easy.

The monster didn't even try to defend itself properly.

It flailed, moaned, spat a thick dark liquid that dissolved into the floor.

Poison, presumably.

In the end, it collapsed sideways, writhing like it was trying to form words.

The mouth opened one last time. And died.

The silence lasted a few seconds.

No one said anything — except Jisoo.

''Liam.''

I looked at him. ''Yeah?''

''Include that in the report and send it to the Association.''

''Got it, hyung.''

The moment we finished speaking, everyone looked away.

Then, we kept moving.

A few more canines popped up here and there.

No further sighting of anything like that thing.

With a solid body count and mana stones collected, it didn't take long to reach the boss room.

Tall and imposing, as usual. 

Jisoo took the lead.

''Let's finish this and call the Association.''

We got into position.

He pushed the doors open with both hands, the creak echoing down the corridor like a warning.

The darkness inside seemed to be waiting for us.

[Alert: external interference detected.]

[Anomalous forces are acting within the dungeon's structure.]

My blood ran cold.

Great.

This same shit again...?

Exactly what I needed.