Dungeon Predator (WN)

Kang Oh and Asu held hands. There was a beautiful sunset stretched out in front of them.

They were in Maroon Hill, a place where the sunset could always be seen. And they weren't interrupted by anyone else either!

"It's as beautiful as ever," Asu said.

This was her third time here. As always, the sunset's glow was more beautiful than any gem.

Kang Oh and Asu watched the sunset for some time while holding hands.

Their hair fluttered in the cool breeze, and Kang Oh's voice was carried on the back of the wind.

"Where should we go tomorrow?"

Once he finished Valan's quest, he went on dates with Asu whenever he had spare time. Sometimes they were short and sometimes they were long; it depended on their schedules.

"Where do you think we should go?" Asu asked back.

"Wherever is good."

'As long as I'm with you.'

"Really? Then let's go there." Asu grinned.

"Where?"

"An amusement park."

"What?" Kang Oh's eyes widened.

"Something wrong?" Asu sported a mischievous expression.

"Mm."

Asu wasn't just any idol, she was a really popular one! What would happen if he showed up to an amusement park with her?

'The paparazzi will have a blast, that's for sure.'

To be honest, Kang Oh didn't care if their relationship was revealed to the public. No, he actually wanted to reveal it eventually. It would be like saying to the world 'she's mine'.

However, he didn't want other people to gossip about their love life, and he didn't want to damage her reputation either.

Thus...

"An amusement park doesn't sound..." Kang Oh said, sporting an awkward expression.

"No? Oh, that's weird. You were the one who said you'd go anywhere I wanted when you were finished with your job." Asu stared at him piercingly. It was as if lasers were coming out.

"If it's alright with you, then we can go. But are you sure it'll be ok?" Kang Oh said with genuine concern.

"It'll be fine. I have an idea." Asu pounded on her chest. 'Trust me.'

Kang Oh couldn't help but look concerned.

* * *

The weather was so clear. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and there was a refreshing breeze blowing.

Underneath that fair sky...

"Gyaaahk!"

"Uwaah!"

There was a giant amusement park rife with cries of excitement and fear. This is the amusement park Jae Woo and Soo Ah chose. They came with their arms linked together, but they weren't wearing hats, sunglasses, or masks to disguise themselves.

It was quite bold.

Did she not care if word got out that she was dating someone?

Then, something strange happened. Countless people passed Kang Oh and Soo Ah. Not a single one of them recognized her though.

They didn't notice the popular girl group, Triple Lower's main vocalist for god's sake! What was going on?

"Hehe." Soo Ah laughed.

Jae Woo scratched his cheek. He had been worried about coming to an amusement park, but it looks like his concerns weren't necessary.

'This place will be fine.'

Jae Woo took a look around. Yes, it was an amusement park, but it wasn't an actual amusement park. After all, there were rides and attractions far larger than any in real life.

Rollercoaster World.

It was basically the virtual reality version of Rollercoaster Tycoon. The game allowed players to construct their own amusement park!

Players could ride their own roller coasters, and they could also come to other people's amusement parks too.

It wasn't a popular game, but it had a cult following.

Anyhow, they were inside Rollercoaster World!

It was an amusement park created by an ardent fan of the game, 'Tycooni'.

What about Jae Woo and Soo Ah?

They were having a date using their scanned characters.

"This is nice," Soo Ah said.

No one recognized her here. Aside from them, everyone that moved was an NPC. This place was like heaven to her, as she didn't have to worry about what other people thought.

"Oppa, let's ride that one." Soo Ah grabbed his hand. She had pointed at a giant roller coaster that looked like a tiger's open mouth.

Jae Woo sported a bitter expression. To be honest, he wasn't really good at riding roller coasters.

When he was young, or to be more specific, when his father was still alive, he had come to an amusement park with his parents. That was when he'd ridden his first roller coaster. Although it was meant for kids, the mini roller coaster was still quite the frightening experience for him.

Jae Woo could still remember it clear as day. He could remember how scared he was. After that experience, Jae Woo hadn't been fond of roller coasters.

It was basically childhood trauma.

'But it's virtual reality, so I should be ok, right?'

"What's wrong, Oppa?" Soo Ah stared at him.

"Yeah, let's go!" Jae Woo hid his frightful expression.

'Yeah, I'll be ok. It's virtual reality, after all!'

He dragged his feet across the floor as if he were bound in shackles, and followed Soo Ah.

Sometime later...

"Uheok! Mom!"

"Gyaaa, this is so fun!"

Though their arms were linked together, their reactions were completely different. One was pitifully crying out for his mother, while the other was enjoying the thrill of the ride.

* * *

"Heok, heok!" Kang Oh covered his mouth. He felt nauseous. His body shook too.

There was something he'd forgotten. It was because it was virtual reality that the creators went all out.

Plus, Rollercoaster World was designed specifically to replicate the thrill that you would experience in a real rollercoaster.

Thus, the roller coasters here were actually scarier than the ones in real life. As he didn't have much experience with roller coasters, these rides were akin to brutal monsters that were far higher leveled than him.

The rollercoaster he'd just ridden was proof of that.

'It was called Happy Rollercoaster, right? What a load of shit!'

The creator's naming sense was the worst. 'How could you put 'happy' in the name!?'.

"Oppa, are you ok?" Soo Ah asked, looking concerned.

"I-I'm ok. I'm fine!" Jae Woo acted tough, but he didn't look ok at all.

"Let's take a break."

Soo Ah was definitely a considerate woman.

"Yeah." Kang Oh obediently followed her.

Soo Ah sat him down on a nearby bench, and then sat beside him.

"Now then!" She tapped her thighs. 'Lay down!'

"Excuse me." Jae Woo laid his head on her lap.

She stroked his forehead with her hand. Both her thighs and hand were soft. Jae Woo's lips naturally curled upwards.

"Looks like you're not good with roller coasters," she said teasingly.

"...I never said I was," Jae Woo replied a bit sullenly.

"Hmph. You kill monsters so easily, but you can't handle roller coasters?"

"Yeah. I'd rather fight a dragon."

"If you do something bad, then I guess I should make you ride a rollercoaster from now on." Soo Ah sported a wicked expression. She was like a cute little demon.

"...I'll be good."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's ride some more roller coasters!"

"Uheok!" Jae Woo flinched.

Soo Ah screamed with laughter.

* * *

Fortunately, Soo Ah let him off easy. She didn't force him to ride the most intense rides. They had a normal date instead.

However...

"Why am I wearing this?" Jae Woo pointed at his cute bunny ear hairband.

On the other hand, Soo Ah wore a tiger hairband. Of course, she still looked cute with tiger ears.

"It's a herbivore." Soo Ah smiled impishly.

"What?" Kang Oh said angrily.

"What's wrong? Want to ride on another rollercoaster? There's one called Mega Swing..."

Mega Swing.

It was frightening just hearing it.

"Want some?" He quickly switched topics. Kang Oh pointed at a cotton candy stand.

"Sure."

The two bought one and shared it.

"Let's go to the zoo." Soo Ah licked her fingers and led the way.

The zoo, which was a part of the amusement park, was different from normal zoos. It was a giant grassland area with tigers, elephants, and even extinct creatures like mammoths, triceratops, etc.

However, there was no fence around the animals. You could observe and touch the animals from up close. Hurray for virtual reality!

"Oppa, look at him!" Soo Ah picked up a baby bunny.

Kuhang!

It threateningly bared its teeth, but because it was so young, it looked cute instead.

"Oh, so cute!" Soo Ah's eyes gleamed.

But then, something unexpected happened.

"Hey!" Soo Ah said hatefully. The baby bunny was peeing all over her!

"Pfft."

Jae Woo couldn't contain his laughter. 'Hey, nice shot!' he thought, and began clapping.

"Oppa!" Soo Ah yelled.

"Haha."

It felt like the pain he'd experienced had washed away.

Their remaining time was filled with plenty of memorable, happy moments.

* * *

After seizing both the Baiyan and Dellas kingdoms, the Arabas army returned to the cheers of its citizens.

"Uwaaah!"

"Arabas! Arabas! Arabas!"

The triumphal arch opened, and the Arabas army proudly marched into the city.

Bam-ba-ba-bam!

The military band sang sonorously.

Neigh!

A Pegasus, ridden by a handsome man, swooped down to the ground.

Emperor Dukeram!

"Dukeram! Dukeram!"

"Dukeram! Dukeram!"

"Aah, Lord Dukeram!"

The citizens cheered his name. It was only natural. He was the great general that conquered both the Baiyan and Dellas kingdoms!

The Arabas Kingdom's most beautiful women, who were called the Black Pearls of the Desert, threw flowers at him.

Dukeram softly waved his hand and flew towards the imperial palace.

"Ooh, you're here!" the Arabas King said. He was nothing more than the Empire Guild's puppet.

The king and the nobles passionately stared at Dukeram. Since they had purged all the dissenters, they were made up of the Empire Guild.

In other words, they had full control of the Arabas Kingdom now. No one could touch Dukeram or the Empire Guild.

"I completed my mission." Dukeram knelt on one knee and made a fist.

"Good work. Go on and rest. I'll reward you afterwards."

"Thank you very much!" Dukeram stood up and headed to the side. That was where the Empire Guild's mastermind, or Jegal, was located.

"We will begin stabilizing our territory now. We have to ensure that our new land is firmly under our control."

"And what comes after?"

"The kingdom will become an empire. Of course, the emperor will change." Jegal smiled wickedly. "The new empire will likely be called the Dukeram Empire," he added.

In the future, the puppet king would abdicate the throne to Dukeram. They had already purged all the dissenters, and Dukeram was extremely popular with the people.

There was no one here that could prevent Dukeram's rise to power.

"Sounds good." Dukeram beamed.

He was just waiting for the day. Since times long gone, men have always hoped to experience a coronation!

After that...

The Arabas Kingdom focused on destroying all traces of resistance.

Resistance groups popped up every day, but they were mercilessly killed by the Arabas Kingdom's military might.

When the flames of resistance were quelled, the people of Baiyan and Dellas bowed their heads in surrender to the Arabas Kingdom, no, the Empire Guild.

And...

Rumors were secretly being spread that the Arabas King was planning on abdicating the throne to Dukeram.

It was almost time for the three eastern kingdoms to join as one.