Until now, Lee had been happy and inquisitive, a behavior that belied his age . However, it all disappeared in an instant, and a fright took over his face .

  He let out a sigh before speaking .

  “I know it’s an honor to meet the Knight, but I really thought hard on whether I should meet you or not . Since I would have to talk about the heartbeat, I had an urge to decline the meeting . ”


  “You’re feeling fear right now . ”


  “Yes . I feel it . I feel a great amount of it . ”


  Lee didn’t hesitate to agree with Sungyoon’s statement . He hugged himself and spoke .

  “May I ask why you’re curious about that, Knight?”


  “I hear the heartbeat too . ”


  “Lord, have mercy!”


  Lee covered his face with his hands .

  “I remember it now . They said you’re a 1st Gen Connector like us . When I think about what you do for a living, I had a hard time believing it to be true . ”


  “Still, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m a 1st Gen . ”


  “I’m not saying you’re lying . I believe you . ”


  Lee took a deep sigh . He kept opening and closing his mouth and moving his eyes while trying to organize his tangled emotions .

  “As you probably know, when we hear the heartbeat, we feel an incredible amount of fear wash over us . That’s why it’s hard to talk about it . ”


  “Regarding that, it seems I’m a special case . Although I hear the heartbeat, I don’t feel the fear . ”


  Lee’s eyes turned round in surprise .

  “Is that so? That’s surprising . As expected of the Knight! So what are you curious about then?”


  “Do you know what causes this phenomenon?”


  “I have no idea . ”


  Even though it was a disappointing answer, it was well within Sungyoon’s expectations .

  “I see . Then let me ask you these questions . Where and when did you feel the heartbeat? Can you describe what it feels like? I want to compare it to my experiences . ”


  “Understood . I also want to know why Mr . Woo is different from the other 1st Gens . I know a couple of 1st Gens who suffered similar symptoms as me, and our experiences were more or less the same . ”


  Lee gathered his thoughts for a brief moment before speaking again .

  “When I felt the heartbeat for the first time, I had just acquired my third Jewel rank Gem and earned the right to enter the Great Labyrinth . ”


  Lee’s voice sounded far away as he thought about the past .

  “As a 1st Gen, I had reached the pinnacle . While I was inspired by it, it also troubled me . The thought of whether I should enter the Great Labyrinth or not sent my mind into conflict . Everyone around me said that I would be foolish to attempt raiding the Great Labyrinth, and the government of my country tried to stop me too by offering all kinds of benefits . They wanted me to relax and live my life . In a roundabout way, they were telling me to live my life on Earth as a stud . ”


  It was an unpleasant memory, but Lee’s tone of voice remained the same .

  “Still, we’re talking about Connectors, monsters, moonstones, and labyrinths . The consensus is that the Great Labyrinth might hold the truths behind these topics, and so, I couldn’t let go of my interest . As someone young, I had ambitions and wanted to be famous . When I had started my career, due to my power of the 1st Gen, the thought of being able to enter the Great Labyrinth never crossed my mind . However, although it had taken me thirty years, I had done it . ”


  Emily and Grace discreetly glanced at Sungyoon .

  Lee, a Connector considered to be one of the top 1st Gens in this world, took almost thirty years to fulfill the requirements needed to attempt the Great Labyrinth . But, Sungyoon had finished clearing the initial stages of the Great Labyrinth in only two years . It really put everything into perspective for the two women, and they once again realized how amazing Sungyoon was .

  “Once . Just once . That’s all I wanted . I just wanted to see it for myself . I didn’t plan on making a career out of it . Even if I had Jewel rank Gems, all three of them were Silver rank . When even the 2nd & 3rd Gen Connectors more powerful than me couldn’t clear the Great Labyrinth, I knew I had no chance . I just wanted to make a memory I could tell my grandkids in front of the fire . ‘Grandfather went into the Great Labyrinth!’”


  Lee licked his lips and continued his story .

  “After I decided to attempt the Great Labyrinth, I had to find another party . My original party was dead against raiding the Great Labyrinth . Also, I was a 1st Gen with no experience in the Great Labyrinth, so I had a hard time finding one . Somehow, I joined a party that regularly raided the Great Labyrinth . Thus, I finally entered that place . At first, I was amazed . As you already know, the Great Labyrinth is unlike any other labyrinths out there . ”


  Lee had seen the green plains and the blue skies of the Great Labyrinth for the first time, and he was dumbfounded . However, it had lasted only for a brief moment . Then, intense emotions had filled his heart, and he became tense .

  “At first, it was ok . It was tough but I killed a couple of monsters, so I started thinking I could go down a couple more floors . Then several days passed, and our party had roamed around the green plain without a destination in mind . But when we were fighting a group of monsters, something happened .

  “I heard the heartbeat and fainted . ”


  Lee unconsciously moved his hand toward his heart .

  “When I regained consciousness, I found myself yelling and crying and my comrades shaking me . Snot came out of my nose, and I drooled . It had looked as if I were having a seizure . I still feel grateful to my ex-teammates . I had lost my mind, but they hadn’t given up on me . They protected me until I calmed down . ”


  “You had good party members . ”


  “Yes . They were one of the greatest blessings of my life . At that time, I had no idea why I acted that way since I had lost consciousness . But I soon found out that fear was the reason . My body was shaking, and I was covered cold sweat . It was the type of fright that makes you want to void your bowels . ”


  After a long sigh, Lee continued .

  “That was the end to my Great Labyrinth adventure . Later, many doctors tested me for all kinds of things, but they were unable to come up with a diagnosis . I tried entering the Great Labyrinth once again, but I suffered similar results . I had to raid only the Personal labyrinths like all the other 1st Gens . Moreover, I started only going to the Moon when it was necessary, and it greatly reduced the chance of me feeling that sensation .

  "I never want to feel that fear ever again . ”


  As he finished his story, Lee looked desperate . It made one wonder if he was feeling a small piece of that fear once again .

  “So you felt that sensation when you fought the monsters of the Great Labyrinth?”


  “Yes . From what I know, every 1st Gen that went into the Great Labyrinth suffered a similar fate . ”


  “Were there any changes to your abilities? Did your senses sharpen? Did the abilities of your Gems get boosted?”


  “I’m not sure . I don’t remember anything . I basically fainted and had a seizure, so I didn’t have the opportunity to check that kind of stuff . ”


  ‘I gained nothing from this . ’


  Sungyoon had merely heard a description of a phenomenon completely different from his own and found nothing that could help him get to the source of his problem . However, since he didn’t have high hopes about Lee’s information in the first place, it didn’t disappoint him too much .

  “What happened to you when you heard the heartbeat, Mr . Woo?”


  Sungyoon explained the changes that he went through, and Lee was amazed .

  “As expected of the Knight, you’re completely different from us . ”


  Sungyoon shook his head from side to side . Since his business here was done, he had no reason to stay there . So, he stood up .

  “Thank you for talking to me . ”


  “It was nothing . It’s an honor to be of help to the Knight . ”


  The two men shook hands .

  “I hope I’m not being rude, but may I invite you to dinner? I would like to call my grandkids over to meet the Knight . They live nearby, and they’re big fans of you, Mr . Woo . ”


  “I don’t want to cause you too much trouble . ”


  “Trouble! No way! It’s a chance to have dinner with the Knight! How is that trouble!”


  Unlike his age, Lee’s eyes twinkled, which showed he was being honest .

  Sungyoon looked at Emily and Grace, and it seemed they weren’t opposed to the idea .

  “I would welcome it . However, I have more people in my party, so I’ll have to discuss it with them first . Do you mind if I contact you afterward?”


  “Of course . The opinions of your party are important . Still, I need time to prepare for dinner . Can you contact me within the hour at the latest?”


  “Sure . ”


  Lee happily gave Sungyoon his phone number and walked them out . Sungyoon, Emily, and Grace returned to the beach .

  ***

  The boiling soup emanated a fragrant smell . Large slabs of steak were placed next to the grill, and chunks of vegetables were cut for decoration . It was a western dish commonly served to guests .

  “I’ll do it . Please go rest, Father . ”


  A woman approached Lee, who was stirring the soup within the pot . She was his daughter-in-law . Since she lived nearby, she came to help when Lee contacted her . Moreover, she also wanted her children to meet Sungyoon .

  “Yes . We’ll do the cooking . ”


  Another one of his daughters-in-law walked up behind him . Lee had many sons, and these two daughters-in-law were married to one of his sons .

  However, Lee had made up his mind to do everything by himself today .

  “It’s fine . I was the one who invited the guests, and I hate the idea of letting others do the work . ”


  Lee liked to cook, and he frequently cooked for others . His two daughters-in-law looked at each other and shook their heads . They knew Lee could be stubborn .

  “We’ll prepare the table . ”


  “Please do that . ”


  Lee used a spoon to taste the soup, and it tasted perfect . His daughters-in-law placed forks, knives, spoons, and plates on the table . They even brought out a new bottle of wine .

  “Mom!”


  Their children ran down from the second floor .

  “Hey! I told you not to bother us . Go play on the second floor . ”


  Their mother was deliberately glaring at them, but the children’s eyes were filled with anticipation, and the threats didn’t work on them .

  “Mom! Mom! When is the Knight coming?”


  “He’ll be here soon . And I’ll report anyone who doesn’t listen to their mother to the Knight . Go upstairs and play . ”


  The children pouted, but the threat worked, and they went back to the second floor .

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Lee’s daughter-in-law heard a pounding on the front door .

  ‘Are they already here?’


  The promised time for the dinner was still fifteen minutes away . However, she preferred them to arrive early than being late .

  “Yes! I’m coming!”


  She went to the front door .

  Click!

  “Welcome……!”


  She put on a pretty smile on her face to greet the awaited guests . However, her smile froze when she opened the door -

  Hello .

  A demon-like being with striking red eyes stood outside the door .

  “Kyahhhhhhhhhhhk!”


  She screamed as she ran into the house . Unlike her, the demon took his time .

  Kwah-doo-doo-doo-doohk!

  The door was made for humans, so it was too small for Kevil . Kevil forced his body past the doorway and ripped apart the nearby walls .

  “What’s going on?”


  Lee’s other daughter-in-law and the children came down from the 2nd floor . When their gazes fell down on Kevil, they became paralyzed as if they had seen the Medusa from Greek mythology . Confusion, shock, and fear filled their eyes .

  “What’s wrong!”


  Lee came running in and saw Kevil -

  I found you .

  Grin!

  Kevil’s demonic mouth widened .

  Ba-dump!

  Lee heard the heartbeat, and fear overtook his entire body .