CLANK!
Min-ho's new dagger slid off the hard stone shell of the Spector he was battling.
He ducked under an attack before swinging his new dagger above his head, striking the joint of one of its arms.
His dagger sparked, and the stone shell encasing the arm cracked, revealing a body of flesh underneath.
'The Enchantment kicked in,' Min-ho thought, as he stared at the wound he put on the Spector's joint.
The creature groaned, then turned its attention to Min-ho. But it didn't get to exact revenge before Dok-su swung his blade, slicing off the same joint Min-ho had managed to expose. An arm the three of them had been attacking for the past minute.
Straightening himself, Min-ho glanced at Dok-su for a heartbeat, as his thoughts went back to a couple of hours prior.
***
"You will be taking all the Coins?" Dok-su asked in a somewhat calm yet perplexed tone.
Min-ho nodded.
"Is there a particular reason why?" Ji-su asked.
"Did you decide you would be the one to grow instead?" Im-hee asked, her voice shaken. As though afraid her question was the answer.
She sighed quietly when Min-ho shook his head.
"Check your Rank," Min-ho said, peering out the window.
The sky had brightened up, and several Spectors had emerged, stalking the streets.
Dok-su did as told, and when he checked his Rank menu, his eyes widened.
Everyone noticed his astonishment, but did not know why, which left them a bit uneasy.
"How did you—"
"I can make you grow faster through my Affinity," Min-ho said, returning his gaze to his team. "I can make all of you grow faster with my Affinity."
His gaze fell on Sae-wee, who looked away.
"How?!" Ji-su asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.
"In my Affinity menu, I discovered that I could raise your Tiers by half the number of Coins usually required," he said, a little enthused.
Everyone went quiet, a mix of feelings becoming them. Some felt it was too good to be true, but they couldn't deny what was before them.
"So you'll be increasing Dok-su's Tier with the Coins we give you?" Im-hee inquired, and Min-ho nodded.
"That's incredible," Ji-su said.
"What about me?" Jang-book asked. "Does this also apply to me?"
Min-ho paused. He never checked Jang-book's System, so he didn't know.
But he knew why Jang-book was asking. Being able to cut the number of Coins he needed to grow in half was also a boon.
Though getting 5 million Coins was a distant dream, it was still better than getting 10 million for his growth.
"Give me a second," Min-ho said, then called forth his System and quickly checked.
Once he did, he turned to Jang-book and nodded.
Jang-book's eyes widened.
"You really do have quite an Affinity," Dok-su said, his gaze lowered, a hint of admiration and caution etching his being.
He lifted his right hand, then he began to will his Coins to leave him.
Weaving from light was a white Gem. It had taken a second before the multitude of tiny sparks fluctuated into a glowing crystal. But when it did, he got off the bed he was sitting on and walked toward Min-ho who sat on the bed opposite his.
"I wonder what else it's capable of," he said, staring into Min-ho's eyes.
Min-ho faltered his gaze, then grabbed the glowing Gem in his hand. The Gem burst into a soft dust of light that fluttered toward Min-ho's hand, dissolving into his palm.
[You Have Acquired 20,000 Coins]
The others followed suit, willing their Coins into glowing Gems in an array of colors.
Almost like a ritual, they each came toward Min-ho, handing over their tribute like he was a god.
[You Have Acquired 20,000 Coins]
[You Have Acquired 20,000 Coins]
[You Have Acquired 10,000 Coins]
[You Have Acquired 20,000 Coins]
***
CLANK!
Dok-su had deflected an attack with more ease than Min-ho and Sae-wee did. Though it wasn't by much, it was evident that Dok-su had grown stronger.
How wouldn't he? Now that he had grown by 20%.
As he was distracted, Min-ho didn't notice the Spector's stone pincer coming for him. It almost hit him had a figure not jumped in at the last minute, pushing him off his feet and out of harm's way.
Now on the floor, Min-ho stared into the coal black eyes of the ponytail-haired girl. She stared back into Min-ho's eyes, her lips curling up in a smile.
Looking at her, Min-ho wondered to himself if allowing her and her comrades to come along was the right thing to do.
***
Finally ready to face the trio, Min-ho and his team had gathered at the floating platform, which began to descend, bringing them to the lower floor where the trio waited.
As they came into view, Min-ho and the others could see the trio seated at chairs and tables covering the room.
Shin-ji and the long blue hair both had their feet on the table as they seemingly dozed off.
The ponytail girl lay on the table, her legs visible all the way up her thigh, leaving only her skirt to cover her sacred parts.
As they came down, the trio awoke from their slumber, each of them turning their gaze to Min-ho and his cohorts.
Upon seeing Min-ho, the ponytail girl sat up, a smile present on her face.
Once the floating platform reached the bottom, it came to a stop with a grind that almost startled Min-ho and the others.
It didn't have to be said that they didn't like the trio—he just prayed their uneasiness wasn't so obvious.
As they made their way toward the trio, the ponytail girl popped off her table, placing both hands behind her as she stared at Min-ho with a seductive gaze.
Shin-ji and long hair followed suit, standing fully as they waited for Min-ho and his team to arrive.
"So, feeling up to a conversation now?" Shin-ji asked, but he received no response, as all eyes were fixated on their Z-Eyes, and the number above them.
Each member of Shin-ji's trio had over 200 views and counting.