"I''m Min-seok, Master," the man said softly, careful to keep his voice low so Jae-hyun wouldn''t hear. "We met at the dungeon. Remember now?"


    Seojun''s eyes flicked over to Min-seok, searching his face. He looked at the other two — the man named Jin-hyu and the girl, Hannah. For a moment, his mind was nk. But then, like a sh of lightning, the memories returned. He finally recognized them.


    ''These three… they were the first people I met when I came back to Earth''


    Seojun nodded slightly "Yeah… I remember now," he murmured under his breath, just enough for Min-seok to hear.


    Min-seok nced at Seojun with a faint smile. "You''ve changed a lot, Master. You''ve, uh, gained some weight," he chuckled nervously, ncing at Seojun''s more filled-out form. "By the way, you disappeared so suddenly… where did you go?"


    Seojun looked at Min-seok more closely and noticed the young man''s clothes — torn and old, hanging off his thin frame. He seemed even thinner than Seojun remembered. Without thinking, Seojun activated his appraisal ability.


    Name: Min-seok


    Age: 19


    ss: Tamer


    Title: N/A


    Rank: E


    Stats:


    Agility: C


    Strength: D


    Mana: F


    Stamina: D


    Min-seok looked thin and worn, his clothes torn and old. Seeing him like this reminded of Seojun of his own past before he gained his system.


    Seojun, standing at the same height as Jae-hyun, Min-seok''s weak stats. They were the kind of numbers he would have seen on himself before gaining his system.


    "Y-yeah, Master became more… handsome," Hannah added shyly, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "It''s just been one and a half months and you look so different."


    Seojun felt a strange mix of confusion and curiosity. "Why do they keep calling me ''Master''?" he wondered silently.


    Min-seok seemed to pick up on Seojun''s confusion. "You must be wondering why we''re here in the US, Master," he exined. "Actually, Jae-hyun was recruited by the Vortex Guild. To officially join, he needs to have a familiar." .


    Jin-hyu, who had been quiet until now, chimed in. "But all the familiars in Korea were avoiding Jae-hyun. It looks like they could see what a terrible master he''d be."


    Seojun''s gaze shifted to Jae-hyun, who was currently levitating in the air, courtesy of the mage girl, as he tried to catch an extraordinary bird with bright plumage that darted through the trees.


    Seojun looked around the dense, vibrant forest. "Just what is this ce?" he thought, feeling a strange energy in the air.


    Min-seok noticed his puzzled expression. "You seem lost, Master," he said gently. "Do you know where we are? This is one of the Beast sanctuaries of the US. It''s a ce where mythical beasts, familiars, and evolved animals live."


    Min-seok nced at Seojun with a resigned smile. "You probably think I''m crazy, Master."


    Seojun looked at him, puzzled and thought, What is he talking about now?


    Min-seok sighed, his expression weary. "They left me in the dungeon and didn''t help me only Jin-hyu and Hannah came back but here I am" he sighed


    "I have no choice, Jae-hyun offered me arge amount of money toe along, and I needed it."


    Seojun raised an eyebrow. "How much?"


    "500 gold coins," Min-seok said, with a faint smile. "It''s not a fortune, but it''s enough tost me and my sister for a week."


    Seojun was taken aback and thought, 500 gold coins? that''s already arge amount?


    Min-seok shrugged. "It''s a not much but it helps."


    Jin-hyu ced a reassuring hand on Min-seok''s shoulder. "It''s okay, Min-seok. Someday we''ll earn more gold coins and be top rankers. At least you''re awakened now," he said with a hopeful tone.


    Min-seok kicked a small stone in frustration. "But my ss is the weakest. I can''t even tame a insects because of my F-Rank Mana. There are so many sses, yet I got the weakest one," he said with a sigh.


    Hannah, still holding her wand, murmured, "It''s okay. Maybe you''ll experience dual awakening someday."


    Min-seok pouted. "You''re so lucky, Hannah. You''re a healer, but you''re still stuck following Jae-hyun."


    Hannah scratched her cheek, looking embarrassed. "I owe him, though. I have to repay him somehow."


    Seojun nced at Min-seok''s status and frowned. He saw that Min-seok''s ss was listed as "Tamer."


    "What do you mean, ''weakest ss''?" Seojun asked, confused.


    Min-seok looked surprised. "Where are you from, Master? Tamer is considered one of the weakest ss it''s not easy to tame knowing how much Mana required to be able to do that."


    Before Seojun could respond, Jae-hyun called out, his voice sharp. "Come on, stop chatting and get moving!"


    As the group started to follow Jae-hyun, Si''s voice echoed in Seojun''s mind. "Looks like your ss, Master, isn''t recognized in this realm. Humans here don''t understand the the strength of a Tamer ss." Si''s tone was a mix of amusement and frustration. "They don''t realize how powerful a tamer can be."


    Jae-hyun, with a determined expression, grabbed Min-seok''s bag forcefully and rummaged through it. His eyes lit up when he found what he was looking for — a small, silver whistle with strange markings on it.


    "Gotcha," Jae-hyun muttered with a smirk, holding the whistle up triumphantly.


    Min-seok''s eyes widened in shock. "Wait, Jae-hyun! Don''t—"


    The mage girl stepped forward quickly, her face pale. "Brother! Don''t use that! We don''t know what it can do!" She reached out to grab his arm, but Jae-hyun shoved her back roughly.


    "Stay out of this!" Jae-hyun snapped. She stumbled, and Min-seok quickly caught her before she fell.


    "Are you okay, Kaeri?" Hannah asked


    "You''re out of your mind, Jae-hyun!" Min-seok shouted, his voice full of urgency. "You can''t control what happens next!"


    Jae-hyun''s face twisted with anger. "Shut up and stay back! All of you!" He raised the whistle to his lips, ignoring their pleas.


    Reluctantly, they moved back, hiding behind arge tree, their faces filled with fear and worry.


    Hannah, her voice trembling, replied, "That is a Dreadwhistle. It can call any monsters or mythical creatures within a wide area..."


    Min-seok''s voice was low, filled with anxiety. "We''ve seen videos of people using the  Dreadwhistle to call familiars and monsters They are videos of people using it to call for monsters to level up faster and the other use it to call familliars, they were sessful getting familiars but… most of them ended up  injured or… dead. It''s not meant to be used lightly."


    Jin-hyu added, whispering, "It doesn''t just call one creature. It can attract anything nearby, even the ones no one would ever want to face."


    Jae-hyun blew the whistle, a sharp, eerie sound that echoed through the forest like a ghostly wail. For a moment, there was only silence. Then, the ground began to tremble, and a distant, monstrous roar filled the air.


    The group stared in horror as the sounds of creatures approaching grew louder, and the forest seemed toe alive with movement.


    "We''re dead..." Min-seok whispered, terror in his eyes.