Ji-Kai found himself bound to a vampire by a contract, after using the reward he earned from the mission where he saved Park Yoon-Suk from death — at least the man was still alive.
Now, he was with that very vampire — who turned out to be their Queen, named Camistra Orlandria — inside the underground chamber of the pyramid he had infiltrated earlier.
Alongside them, he found a girl trapped within the same crypt.
The situation puzzled him, but the System pushed a new mission his way, forcing him to think things through.
This girl doesn't look familiar… maybe she's a local.
But why is she here, in such a secret place…?
«Who are you, girl?» he asked in English, hoping she would understand him so he wouldn't have to use the translator in a situation like this.
«Ah… I'm just an archaeologist, sir…» the girl replied nervously in English, her voice trembling slightly.
Good — she understands me. And as she said, she's an archaeologist.
That made her presence here somewhat logical.
Ji-Kai considered taking her along — maybe she knew the way out, or understood this place better.
She could be a great help. But then he remembered Camistra, the vampire queen standing restlessly behind him.
Right… I forgot about that arrogant queen. She'd probably terrify the girl if she saw her like this.
What should I do? I need a way to handle this before— oh, wait. I've got it.
Indeed, he had found a solution — and judging from his sly grin, it probably wasn't a particularly noble one.
«My name is Kim Ji-Kai, and I… well, I ended up here by accident. If possible, I'd appreciate your help getting out of here,» he said politely, trying to prove his good intentions.
The girl still looked nervous, though her expression softened slightly as she replied:
«Alright… but I don't know the way out either. I'm lost too.»
Great… we're both cooked now .
Ji-Kai was a bit taken aback, but quickly collected himself. He realized he was still holding her arm and immediately let go, stepping back — which drew Camistra's attention.
«Who is that person you were speaking with?» Camistra's voice echoed sharply as she approached, the clack of her high heels resonating in the chamber.
As soon as the girl laid eyes on Camistra, she froze — shocked to see another human-like figure beside Ji-Kai.
«What is a human doing here?» Camistra asked, her crimson eyes locking onto the girl, who visibly tensed from fear.
«Don't worry, miss. This is my colleague, Mary. She's just… a bit of a weirdo who likes to role-play as a vampire queen. Nothing to worry about,» Ji-Kai said smoothly — referring to Camistra, of course.
The little lie helped calm the archaeologist a bit, but Camistra… well, she was not pleased.
And so, the trio began their march through the massive underground hall, searching for a way out.
As they walked, Ji-Kai spoke with the archaeologist and learned her name was Yasmin, a local of this country. Meanwhile, Camistra followed behind them, clearly irritated.
After a while, Ji-Kai noticed Camistra's sour expression and slowed his pace, letting Yasmin walk ahead while he whispered to the vampire queen.
«What's with the sulking?» he murmured, as if he hadn't just insulted her royal dignity with that lie.
«You say that as if you don't know,» Camistra replied coldly, eyes turned away.
«Still mad about that little lie of mine?»
«Couldn't you have come up with a better way to calm that human?»
«Like what? Tell her you're my girlfriend who likes wearing fantasy costumes?» His tone was teasingly sarcastic.
«'Weirdo' would've been much better than that,» she shot back sharply.
Ouch. That was harsh, but fair enough. Dating a vampire would be weird anyway, right?
I've got more important things to deal with.
Speaking of which — time to check on Park Yoon-Suk's mission again…
[ Special Mission: Cure Park Yoon-Suk ]
[ Details: Park Yoon-Suk survived a fatal attack but was exposed to a complex demonic toxin. Its symptoms are subtle at first but will evolve over time. If left untreated, he will transform into a demon. ]
[ Objective: Cure Park Yoon-Suk ]
[ Time Limit: 328 days ]
[ Reward: Random Legendary Item ]
328 days left. Not great. He had already spent 37 days — he needed to hurry.
The Anubis Dagger will be a huge step forward
With it, I can enter higher-level dungeons and maybe find a cure for Yoon-Suk.
«What are you staring at? Have you lost your mind already?» Camistra's voice cut through his thoughts, making Yasmin stop and glance back as well.
Ji-Kai was startled for a moment but quickly smiled.
«Just thinking deeply. Nothing important,» he replied — his tone heavier than usual, showing the fatigue from the constant pressure of that special mission.
Yasmin gave him a small, sympathetic smile. Camistra didn't react, though she couldn't deny the flicker of curiosity at his sudden change.
She simply refused to acknowledge it.
Minutes later, Yasmin stopped, looking around for a bit before sighing and turning to Ji-Kai. He could tell from her expression that she had reached a dead end.
«Alright, looks like we'll have to think differently if we want to get out,» Ji-Kai said, checking his phone — no signal.
«There might be a hidden door somewhere around here. It makes no sense for this place to have an entrance but no exit,» Yasmin said, scanning the walls.
Despite her dark skin, her features were surprisingly refined — contradicting Ji-Kai's old assumptions about people from Africa.
In fact, he'd once been shocked to learn that there were even fair-skinned Africans.
Maybe most of what people say about other continents is just nonsense.
«Yasmin's right. There has to be a hidden passage somewhere. We'll split up and search. Yasmin, go that way. Mary, take the other side. I'll go this way,» Ji-Kai instructed, which clearly annoyed Camistra.
«Who gave you the right to issue orders here?» she protested.
«Mary… go… that… way,» Ji-Kai repeated slowly, his tone sharp despite the calm smile on his face.
In the end, Camistra relented and complied — grudgingly, of course — convincing herself it was a request, not an order, to protect her royal pride.
Thus began their search among the ancient relics and treasures.
Yasmin grew more and more fascinated the deeper she explored, while Camistra seemed thoroughly disgusted by the idea of touching old stone walls — royal arrogance in its purest form.
As for Ji-Kai, he was inspecting a pile of strangely arranged rocks.
His curiosity pushed him closer, and when he did… he found exactly what he needed.
«You really are a damn bastard, System,» he muttered, smiling wryly at what he saw.
«Mr. Kim, did you find something?» Yasmin asked as she approached, Camistra trailing behind, still wiping her hands clean.
«Yeah… something I didn't expect to find.»
At that moment, Ji-Kai's eyes met those of something — or someone. Something the System had told him should've been buried in the desert… and yet, here it was.
[ Mission 4: Between the Desert Dunes – Completed ]
[ Reward: C-Rank Enhancement Material ]
[ Notification ]
[ There's a continuation to Mission 4. ]
[ Mission 4 – Part II: Only One Shall Remain ]
[ Details: You have found the mythical creature Ilv — a jackal-like beast, massive in size, black as night, and ferocious in form. ]
[ Objective: Defeat Ilv. ]
[ Reward: Direct communication with Anubis. ]
[ Note: This mission serves as a shortcut to obtaining the Anubis Dagger. You may decline and continue following the existing clues. The choice is yours. ]
Ji-Kai stared at the large pit before him, stones forming a rough ring around its edges.
As he peered inside, his gaze met the glowing eyes of the mythical creature itself — Ilv, servant of Anubis, the Egyptian god of death.
«Yasmin, things are about to get dangerous. Stay back,» Ji-Kai said, pulling a sword from his small bag — a sight that left Yasmin speechless.
«As for you, Cami— I mean, Mary — you're coming with me.»
A shortcut? No way I'm saying no to that.
And with a vampire by my side, it's the perfect chance to test her strength.
At this point, he had no time to waste. Whatever it took to get what he needed — he would do it.
Time, after all, was far too expensive.