Chapter 46 : Into the Dungeon. (4)
Chapter 46: Into the Dungeon. (4)
I climbed into the cargo bed of a Dio Guild truck and moved to the site.
There were twelve people inside, including Instructor Nike.
Everyone was wearing a full set of cutting-edge equipment.
The air inside the rattling vehicle sank heavily.
Even Bang Su-hwan, who only ever dozed off during class.
Even Lee Ji-jun, who had always been brimming with confidence.
Even Hase-na, with her upright and stern impression.
Everyone was stiff.
I was no different.
‘Even though I know what’s going to happen…….’
I clenched my fist and forced myself to ignore my sharply racing pulse.
Suddenly, something a UFC champion once said came to mind.
“Honestly, I’m afraid of fighting. It’s not much different even if the opponent is a child.”
Humans carry a fundamental fear of combat.
How could they not?
When you hurl fierce attacks at each other, you never know what kind of unforeseen accident might occur.
Even the strongest person in the world can’t be completely free from that fear.
And a dungeon full of monsters—how much worse would that be?
‘If I mess up, I could die.’
As the heavy air made it hard to breathe, the truck stopped and the door opened.
“Get down.”
Instructor Nike took charge of the Dio Guild agents and interns.
As I stepped outside, swirling sand brushed against both my cheeks.
A strong wind blew from somewhere.
The air was thick with the acrid smell of exhaust fumes.
The truck had stopped in the middle of an eight-lane road.
Whether traffic had been cut off or not, there wasn’t even an ant in sight besides the trucks.
Not far away, an unknown object floated in the air.
Three meters wide.
Four meters tall.
An elongated oval gleamed like a beast’s eye.
It was the source of the wind.
Woooong! Woooong!!
A bizarre wailing sound spread out from the sphere.
Just looking at it felt overwhelming.
With a sensation as if my throat were being constricted, I forcibly suppressed the urge to run away immediately.
Only then did it feel real.
‘It’s a gate.’
An entrance leading to an unknown world.
And an exit from which monsters poured out.
“Instructor Nike. You’ve arrived!”
“Yes. Please give your report.”
An agent already on site began the briefing.
“Currently, thirty-five multi-gates have appeared across the Gangnam area.”
The intern hunters swallowed hard.
Normally, at most one gate would open per district.
Even during the Big Lava incident last time, only a single gate had appeared in Eunpyeong-gu.
But thirty-five.
“Of those, three gates measured at <Ruin-class> have appeared, all concentrated in this area. The main teams of each major guild are on their way here.”
I ran the numbers in my head.
On average, the number of people who could enter a single gate was around ten.
The number of hunters needed to block the multi-gates was—
‘About 350.’
The Dio Guild had around one hundred hunters.
Excluding the riffraff, the number actually deployed to combat units was barely around thirty.
Even if they were all mobilized, it was nowhere near enough to stop the multi-gates.
Soon after, other trucks that had arrived stopped one after another.
They were hunters wearing equipment from companies different from ours.
“Whew. This is insane.”
“How long has it been since we last had a multi-gate?”
The emblems engraved on the trucks caught my eye.
The Jincheon and Superior guilds.
Along with Dio, they belonged to the top three guilds in South Korea.
The agent continued the briefing.
“First, we will organize combat units according to gate risk level—.”
“Let’s wrap this up roughly and skip it.”
Someone cut in.
It was a hunter from the Jincheon Guild.
His hair stuck up in all directions, and he had a solid, robust build that looked every bit like that of a seasoned general.
A gigantic warhammer was slung over his shoulder.
The intern hunters whispered among themselves.
“That’s Bongseon Heo Jin-oh.”
“It’s my first time seeing him in person.”
“That build is no joke.”
The Jincheon Guild took their call signs from figures in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Heo Jin-oh was an S-rank hunter of Jincheon.
With the appearance of such a heavyweight, the Dio Guild agent shrank back.
“Time is of the essence. Is this the time to be leisurely briefing?”
“Ah, that’s not—.”
“Greetings.”
Standing in front of the threateningly approaching Bongseon was Instructor Nike.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Hunter Heo.”
“Save the pleasantries. Let’s start assigning gates.”
“Very well.”
“I’ll take command. I’m the highest rank here, so no complaints, right?”
“…….”
“Hey. You guys, come over here.”
Bongseon beckoned with his huge palm and arbitrarily swept through the site.
Strictly speaking, what he said wasn’t wrong.
Among those present, Bongseon was far superior in both ability and experience, so no one could stop him.
The Dio Guild had no choice but to follow Bongseon’s orders.
“Bullshit.”
That was when it happened.
A voice came from behind.
“Showing up late and acting like you own the place?”
A hunter with a nasty, mad-dog-like expression.
The strongest of the Dio Guild.
Na Sang-min appeared.
He walked forward, dragging a silver long spear along the ground.
It was a strange sight.
The expressions of all the Dio Guild members, who had feared and been intimidated by Na Sang-min, brightened.
Hase-na muttered.
“To think there’d come a day when that psycho feels reassuring.”
Bang Su-hwan and Lee Ji-jun burst into laughter as if in agreement.
So this was—
‘A sense of belonging, I guess.’
It was ridiculous that guilds were still splitting into factions even with a multi-gate outbreak.
Yet at the same time, each guild banded tightly together, showing their unity.
Na Sang-min stood in front of Bongseon.
“At times like this, we should follow regulations and procedures. Do you think you can just do whatever the hell you want? Isn’t that right, Hunter Heo Jin-oh? Is Jincheon always like this?”
At the sneering jab, Heo Jin-oh scowled.
“Regulations and procedures? Ha. Sounds like the least fitting words for someone like you.”
“Someone like me? You talking down to me? You wanna die?”
“What, gonna cause trouble again and jump ship to another guild?”
“You son of a bitch.”
S-rank hunters from different guilds faced off, growling at each other.
Anyone could tell the two didn’t get along.
“Let’s stop there.”
Someone cut in.
He was a long-haired man wearing flashy clothes, a golden bow slung over his back.
Lee Ji-jun, standing beside me, pressed his lips together.
“Oh. Balkan.”
The Superior Guild used the names of major peninsulas around the world as call signs.
Balkan Shin Hyun-seong.
An S-rank hunter of the Superior Guild.
Lee Ji-jun originally belonged to the Superior Guild, but after his projected rank was downgraded, he came to the Dio Guild, so he knew about Balkan.
Lee Ji-jun let out a snort of laughter.
“All the stars of South Korea are gathered in one place.”
Balkan opened his mouth.
“Now is not the time to fight, but the time to unite our strength.”
Though his tone sounded like he was scolding a child, no one raised an objection.
Because his words were entirely correct.
Na Sang-min and Bongseon each puckered their lips and took a step back.
The Dio Guild agent who had been watching stammered.
“Then I’ll report again.”
To summarize the content, it was this.
A multi-gate had occurred on Dosan-daero.
<Crisis-class>, <Collapse-class>, <Ruin-class>, <Apocalypse-class>.
Among them, there were three <Ruin-class> gates on Dosan-daero alone.
It was a higher stage than during the Big Lava incident.
Each guild’s S-rank leader would take charge of one gate.
“Team Leader Lee Yu-seol and Deimos, follow me. Hey, you and you over there too. And…….”
Na Sang-min pointed out several people.
Our eyes met briefly, but he soon turned his head away.
There were no interns among those he chose.
It was an obvious outcome.
There was no way he would bring along greenhorns who could hold him back at a life-or-death site.
“Nike, you too.”
“I can’t, Hunter. I’ll be guiding the interns.”
Instructor Nike raised her hand.
Na Sang-min glanced our way and clicked his tongue.
“Do that. Then it’s eight in total! Move in.”
Na Sang-min disappeared, leading the seasoned hunters.
“We’re moving too!”
“Follow me!”
The Jincheon and Superior Guilds also entered their respective gates.
What remained were—
Six interns including me, and Instructor Nike.
Instructor Nike stepped forward.
“The gate we’re entering is <Crisis-class>.”
Crisis-class was the lowest-ranked gate.
Generally, it was a difficulty that could be cleared without much trouble as long as there were C-rank hunters.
“I’ll be going in with you, so there shouldn’t be any major problems. Come this way.”
With Lee Ji-jun, who had once received a projected A-rank,
and Instructor Nike, an actual A-rank, it was considerable overkill.
The problem was—
< Choi Yong-gi : F- >
Judging by rank alone, I was clearly a hindrance.
Did that hurt my pride?
Not at all.
‘Rather, this is fortunate.’
There was a reason I absolutely had to enter a <Crisis-class> gate during this dungeon run.
‘If it hadn’t worked out, I was planning to throw a fit or sneak in anyway. I got lucky.’
I steeled my resolve and stepped toward the gate.
“Form up.”
At Instructor Nike’s command, we took formation just like during training.
“Ten seconds until entry. Nine seconds! Eight seconds!”
As I stared at the flashing unknown passage before my eyes, my heart pounded wildly.
It was my second life, but this was my first time entering a gate.
“Go!”
As I injected mana and stepped forward, my entire body was sucked into a world of light.
A large bird flapped its wings loudly as it flew over my head.
‘This place is…….’
It was a tropical rainforest so dense it seemed to cover the sky.
As I advanced, stepping on the soggy ground, a heavy scent of grass slowly rose up.
It felt like I’d come on an overseas trip, but—
Seeing the uniquely shaped vine plants,
and the gaudily colored insects with far too many legs crawling over the leaves,
I could tell this wasn’t Earth.
“Uegh—”
Bang Su-hwan vomited, perhaps from motion sickness.
As someone patted his back lightly, Instructor Nike pointed ahead.
“Get a grip! They’re coming!”
The moment the words left her mouth, something emerged from the bushes.
A short, green-skinned being.
A goblin.
They wore worn-out armor and held swords and shields in their hands.
“Kieek!”
Without the need for any signal, the battle began.
The first to charge forward was Lee Ji-jun.
He pulled out a knife made of blood and stabbed it into the goblin’s heart without hesitation.
Bang Su-hwan and Hase-na joined in as well.
“Kikekek!”
At that moment, a goblin off to the side rushed at me.
I clenched my fist.
Not to use <Judgment of the Superhuman>.
It was time to use, in real combat, the technique I had practiced countless times while waking up at dawn.
‘Let’s go.’
I thrust out my fist, loaded with mana.
With a cracking sound, the goblin’s neck bone snapped and its head twisted ninety degrees.
Unlike when using <Judgment of the Superhuman>, its skull didn’t shatter or explode into pieces, but—
It was more than enough to kill the goblin instantly.
‘Good.’
Even without using hero abilities.
Even without consuming Awakener’s Balance.
I was able to face things head-on alone, without relying on anyone.
There was no need to rush.
If I steadily built up my strength from here on out.
Someday.
‘I might even surpass heroes!’
As I pictured that hopeful possibility, confidence welled up inside me.
Lee Ji-jun let out a snort of laughter and said,
“See? That fox-like bastard. I told you he was hiding his strength.”
Bang Su-hwan looked at me and raised his thumb.
Instructor Nike didn’t join the battle and instead took command.
“Don’t let your guard down. You have to stay focused until the very end!”
It was to give us real combat experience.
The fight ended in an instant.
I took down five goblins.
The others dealt with more than twenty goblins as well.
Contrary to our worries, everything went smoothly.
No, to be honest—
‘……It’s too easy.’
My first gate experience passed without a hitch.
Instructor Nike checked the mechanical device that detected mana inside the dungeon.
“Let’s finish this in one go. This way.”
Following Instructor Nike as we pushed through the undergrowth, a large cave came into view.
“Uooooh!!!”
As we moved a little closer, a thunderous roar echoed from outside the cave.
Moments later, the ground seemed to tremble slightly, and a two-headed orc burst out of the cave.
The tusks jutting out past its lips and the doomhammer clenched in one hand were quite intimidating.
‘A boss mob.’
Once again, Lee Ji-jun volunteered for the dealer role and rushed in instantly with his blood knife.
Slash.
A gash formed in the thick hide, but it didn’t inflict a fatal wound.
“Tch. I was planning to finish it in one shot.”
Next, it was the other interns’ turn to step in.
The wounded orc, furious to the point of exploding, charged forward, shaking the ground.
Bang Su-hwan blocked the orc’s body with his large shield, and the others launched a coordinated attack.
As wounds gradually accumulated on the orc’s body, the monster began to retreat.
Then it suddenly turned its back.
“Hmph. Trying to run?”
“Not a chance!”
Two interns, emboldened by confidence, rushed in.
The orc hesitated, then spun around and swung the doomhammer it held in its hand.
The retreat had been a feint—they had fallen into the trap it had set.
The interns who were sent flying into the air were helpless.
‘This is dangerous.’
Rip.
In that instant, a long vertical line appeared across the orc’s body.
“Guaaah……!”
Soon after, with a thud!, the bisected monster collapsed.
Behind the fallen orc stood Instructor Nike, shaking the blood off her blade.
“I told you not to let your guard down.”
Everyone looked visibly shocked.
‘I couldn’t even see it.’
She truly was a high-ranking hunter.
When the final boss died, a gate opened in the blue plain.
Flash.
Now all that remained was to exit.
It was a perfect mission clear.
“Good work, everyone.”
Lee Ji-jun brushed back his hair, looking somewhat bored, and complained,
“You should’ve taken me to a <Ruin-class>. What’s with a <Crisis-class>? Sheesh.”
Only then did the interns let out sighs of relief.
“No one’s hurt, right?”
“Whew. <Crisis-class> is manageable.”
Instructor Nike hesitated in front of the gate.
She seemed to be weighing something.
“……Before we leave, we’ll collect the spoils.”
A multi-gate had occurred, and even now it was causing harm to humanity, but—
A guild was, at the end of the day, an organization that pursued profit.
As long as the capitalist world endured, they had to secure financial gains on their own.
“Squad one, disassemble the orc corpse. Squad two, extract goblin blood.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
The interns dispersed without complaint.
I also walked along as if following orders, subtly scanning my surroundings.
‘The opportunity has finally come.’
There was something I absolutely had to do in my first-ever gate.
No one knew it yet—
But just a few years later, a tremendous secret hidden inside gates would be revealed.
‘And I’m the only one who knows it.’
I raised my hand.
“I need to take care of some business.”
“Hurry back, Hunter Choi.”
I stepped into the dim undergrowth and headed somewhere.
At the place I was going, three gifts awaited me.
A treasure that would grant immense wealth.
A fortuitous encounter that would let me grow even further.
And lastly—
“An encounter with a dragon.”
At last, I stopped walking and lifted my head.