Chapter 50 : Into the Dungeon. (8)
Chapter 50: Into the Dungeon. (8)
Na Sang-min’s voice sank low.
“Hey. Choi Yong-gi.”
His face flushed red, as if it might explode at any moment.
“What did you say? Say that again.”
I knew why he was this agitated.
An F-rank Hunter.
Just an intern, at that.
How infuriating would it be to see a mere rookie running wild at the scene?
Still, there was no helping it.
Inside the dungeon, I had spoken boldly to Instructor Nike.
Even if I was weak.
Even if fear seized me.
Even if the shadow of death loomed over me.
As a hero.
‘I would save everyone.’
I faced Na Sang-min.
“I will handle it.”
Everyone who had been watching me gasped in shock.
They probably thought this.
That I was acting on reckless bravado.
That I had lost my mind and gone insane.
Na Sang-min grabbed me by the collar.
“You think this is a joke?”
“It isn’t.”
I stared straight into Na Sang-min’s eyes with a serious gaze.
“Please trust me.”
Life was truly absurd.
What Instructor Nike—once a member of a pseudo-religious cult—had emphasized so strongly was trust.
He had taught that in moments of dire crisis, the only way out was to firmly trust and rely on one another.
‘To think I’d end up following those words.’
An explosion sounded from somewhere.
Everyone flinched in surprise, but Na Sang-min didn’t blink, glaring straight at me.
“So what are you going to do?”
It was unexpected.
I noticed Na Sang-min’s attitude slowly changing.
People said he had become a Hunter unwillingly because of a high salary.
They called him the mad dog of the Dio Guild.
Even so.
As the leader of the combat unit, he was striving to find the best possible option.
“Tell me your concrete plan.”
“The multi-gate—”
I pointed at the oval shape emitting a pure white light.
“They look independent, but in reality they’re connected as one. If we close the main gate, the rest will close all at once.”
Na Sang-min’s lips twitched.
“Are you kidding me? Even a kid knows that.”
He was right.
What I said was basic knowledge, written right in the manuals.
Multi-gates were connected like a spiderweb.
Once the main gate closed, the others shut simultaneously.
The only way to deal with gates opening all at once was to find the main gate as quickly as possible.
The problem was—
‘No one knows which one is the main gate.’
So until the main one was found by sheer luck, they had no choice but to enter and exit gates in the dumbest way possible.
However.
“I will find the main gate. And I will close it.”
The plan was so simple and clear that no further explanation was needed.
Na Sang-min listened to me because there were no other alternatives.
“How much time do you need?”
“While you, Hunter Na, close three dungeons.”
In the Gangnam area alone, there were thirty-five open gates.
More than twenty gates still hadn’t been closed.
In the worst-case scenario, statistically speaking, that meant entering and exiting over twenty gates.
In that process, casualties among Hunters were inevitable.
By comparison, my proposal was quite efficient.
As I spoke with unwavering confidence, Na Sang-min took a step back.
“I’ll take the gamble, assuming I’m being fooled.”
He released my collar.
“I don’t know what you’re relying on to be so confident. But if you succeed, I’ll give you anything you want.”
Was it because of his sense of responsibility that someone so prideful bent this far?
Or was it because he desperately wanted to minimize the damage caused by the multi-gate?
Either way, I learned something new about Na Sang-min.
‘He might be a better person than I thought.’
The moment a faint sense of goodwill arose, Na Sang-min’s expression turned demonic.
“If you fail, it won’t end with disciplinary action. I’ll seriously kill you.”
When I nodded heavily, Na Sang-min turned away.
“How many people do you need?”
“Just me al—”
“Can people from the same intake go as well?”
Bang Su-hwan shot his hand up.
He hadn’t dared to interrupt until now, but quietly joined in.
Hase-na and Lee Ji-jun followed.
“Please let us go too.”
“We’re begging you.”
Na Sang-min had a nasty and violent personality.
But he wasn’t an S-rank Hunter for nothing.
With bold judgment and leadership, he reorganized the team in an instant.
“Okay. Interns, fall back. You three, cover Choi Yong-gi.”
Na Sang-min looked at me.
“Choi Yong-gi. You’re the key man of this operation.”
A key man referred to someone who played a central role in solving a problem within an organization, possessing the corresponding level of capability.
This time.
It meant the person who would close the gate.
After finishing his words, Na Sang-min disappeared into the gate.
Only then did Bang Su-hwan let out a sigh of relief.
“Hyung, seriously, couldn’t you at least turn on your blinker before charging in? Every time you step up in front of Na Sang-min, I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack.”
When I patted his shoulder, Hase-na and Lee Ji-jun naturally gathered in one spot.
“What do we do?”
“Just say the word, boss.”
Screams echoed everywhere.
The world was still hell.
I opened the map on my phone and pointed somewhere.
“Follow me. We’re going that way.”
The symbol of Gangnam, and the lifeline of South Korea.
It was the Han River.
A fierce battle was underway on the bridge connecting Apgujeong-dong.
Slash!
A Hunter from the Jincheon Guild split a Hydra clean in half.
Acidic liquid spewed from its neck and splashed toward a Hunter from the Superior Guild.
“Evade!”
“Ghk!”
He barely avoided being hit by the hydrochloric acid, but it seemed one leg was twisted, as he limped.
The Jincheon Guild and the Superior Guild worked together to evacuate civilians.
“Hurry, cross to the other side!”
“There’s an air-raid shelter near Geumho Station! Quickly! Move!”
Major guilds of the Republic of Korea gathered around Gangnam-gu.
Except for reclusive Awakeners, capable individuals concentrated in one place.
A Hunter from Jincheon watched the people crossing the bridge that had turned into utter chaos.
‘We can’t let the monsters cross Dongho Bridge.’
Yongsan-gu, Jung-gu, Seongdong-gu.
There was no way to even estimate how far the damage would spread.
Monster corpses littered the bridge.
The number exceeded a hundred.
A Hunter from the Superior Guild panted as he dragged one leg.
Seeing that, the Jincheon Hunter approached.
“Are you okay?”
“Well, it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
The two wore protective gear of different colors and types.
They were the combat unit leaders of Jincheon and Superior.
They had received the same order.
“Hold the defensive line.”
Their role was Defender.
They were to protect the line drawn as the final bastion.
“Here, use this at least.”
The Jincheon Hunter handed over a cooling spray.
The Superior Hunter took it and sprayed it on his ankle.
As the cold sensation reached his Achilles’ heel, it became much easier to walk.
“This stuff’s good. Where’s it from?”
“Jincheon supplies. Don’t you guys have anything like this?”
“Of course we do. Quit showing off.”
Guilds were originally exclusive groups.
They pursued only their own interests, so cooperation was rare.
But given the circumstances.
The two men became comrades, if only briefly.
The Superior Hunter returned the coolant and spoke.
“I’m Cream Lee Do-hoon.”
“Jaryong Kang In-seok.”
The men leading the teams were A-rank and A+-rank Hunters.
The Jincheon Guild side tilted his head.
“Cream? You mean whipped cream you eat? That’s a pretty childish call sign.”
“Superior call signs come from peninsulas. The Crimean Peninsula in the Eastern European Black Sea…… Tch. Forget it. What’s the point of talking geography with an ignorant guy.”
“What? You little bastard.”
The warm atmosphere instantly turned hostile.
The Superior side, having received help, yielded a step.
“Jaryong, like Zhao Yun from Romance of the Three Kingdoms?”
“Oh? You’re smart.”
Only then did Jaryong and Cream meet each other’s eyes.
They had been fighting for hours, drenched in monster blood and entrails.
From prolonged combat, their bodies felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton quilts.
Fatigue was steadily piling up.
“Want a smoke?”
Jaryong held out a cigarette.
Smoking during combat was prohibited.
Cream also valued rules, but—
Given the situation.
“Sure.”
Jincheon lit the lighter.
Cream drew the smoke in deeply.
“Hoo. This job’s not worth it anymore.”
“Agreed. I want to retire and farm or something.”
The conversation didn’t last long.
They had no choice but to extinguish their still-unfinished long cigarettes.
Monsters were already surging in from the far end of the bridge.
“Ha. Let’s go again.”
“Thanks for the cigarette. I’ll pay you back someday.”
“Tch. Superior guys sure know how to talk.”
“Let’s survive first.”
Amid the desperate battlefield, camaraderie bloomed like flowers on asphalt.
Another clash erupted.
Jaryong’s sword transformed into a gun and unleashed indiscriminate fire toward the bridge.
Cream spread pure white, fluffy mana across the ground and made it shoot up like spikes.
“Kiieeek!”
“Kkhak!!!”
They were in the midst of blocking the twelfth Monster Wave.
“Puhaha! See? It really is whipped cream.”
“Mock me all you want. You’ll die doing that.”
The two exchanged pointless jokes while sweating profusely.
“Hey. When this is over, let’s grab a drink. How about whipped-cream beer?”
“You paying?”
“You cheapskate. You even bummed a cigarette. Fine. I’ll treat you!”
At that moment.
An Ogre they thought was dead raised its claws and struck in a single blow.
The sharp hand blade severed one of Cream’s arms.
“Ugh!”
Jincheon shot the Ogre’s head with his gun, then supported Cream.
“Hey! Whipped Cream!”
Blood gushed from Cream’s shoulder stump.
The severed arm rolled across the ground.
“Healer! Healer, get over here now!!!”
Jincheon bulged the veins in his neck and called out to members of the same guild.
But no one answered.
There were no surviving healers.
And it wasn’t just the healers.
He slowly looked around.
Dozens of Hunters had already lost their lives.
As if indifferent to the horrific tragedy, a flock of birds leisurely flew across the sky in a V formation.
When monsters came charging en masse, the bridge shook.
It was the thirteenth wave.
Cream muttered, cold sweat dripping down.
“……Sorry. Looks like I can’t pay you back for the cigarette.”
With only one arm, he couldn’t fight properly.
If things continued like this, he would die instantly from excessive blood loss.
Cream was strangely calm.
As someone who fought on the front lines, he had always been prepared.
Prepared for the fact that he, too, could die at any time.
“I was going to buy the beer.”
As Cream’s life force faded, a shadow fell across Jaryong’s face.
On the bridge where monster and human corpses were piled like mountains.
“Stop spouting bullshit. Just keep pressure on the wound.”
Jaryong laid Cream down and stood up alone.
With their leader incapacitated, the Superior Guild lost its will to fight.
“Captain Cream is…….”
“Are we all going to die now?”
Jaryong shouldered the gun that transformed into a longsword.
“No, we survive. We hold out to the very end and make it back alive!”
The words meant to bolster morale were effective.
With Jaryong at the front, Jincheon and Superior joined forces.
Tudududu!!!
Flames burst from Jaryong’s gun.
Even if they killed every monster here, it would be meaningless if the gate wasn’t closed.
Watching the monsters being torn apart again and again, he prayed desperately.
‘Please. Please, before that happens!’
Click.
Just as they finished blocking the seventeenth wave, Jaryong’s gun let out a hollow metallic sound.
He was out of ammunition.
Dark clouds spread through Jaryong’s heart.
‘……Is this as far as it goes.’
He dropped to his knees.
No one blamed him.
Jaryong bowed his head deeply.
‘Life really is…….’
There were already too many wounded to fill with false hope.
‘Cruel.’
He didn’t scream, but deep inside, he wailed.
Clenching his teeth, he barely held back the tears welling up.
Then, Cream, who had been groaning while clutching his remaining arm, pointed somewhere.
“Jaryong. Look over there.”
From within the fog, figures emerged.
A large, fat man and a woman with a ponytail.
And leading them—
A man with pure white hair walked forward.
Jaryong spotted a glimmer of hope.
If high-ranking Hunters had arrived, it would greatly reinforce their forces.
The man stopped in front of Jaryong.
He bowed his head slightly and spoke.
“I am Choi Yong-gi, an F-rank Hunter from the Dio Guild.”
Jaryong was deeply disappointed.
The letter I visible on the name tag on his chest.
It was the abbreviation for intern.
And an F-rank, at that.
‘They sent baggage, not reinforcements.’
Jaryong waved his hand.
“Run. This isn’t a place for you.”
It was an act of consideration.
Jaryong’s attempt to save even one more life.
However, the man didn’t listen to Jaryong.
Instead, he took command of the battlefield.
“Hase-na. Can you reattach that man’s arm?”
“It won’t be perfect, but I’ll try for now.”
“Su-hwan. Get your shield up and prepare to block the next wave. Lee Ji-jun, you fight with him.”
“Yes! Hyung!”
“Roger.”
Monsters poured out of the gate and charged in immediately.
Jaryong shouted.
“Can’t you hear me? This isn’t something interns can handle! If you want to live—!”
The monster was blocked by the shield of the hulking man.
Blood scattered into the air by the white-haired man turned into arrows and rained down like a storm.
Thanks to the healer, Cream’s arm was slowly reattaching, bone and muscle knitting together.
Even so.
‘It’s not enough.’
There weren’t enough troops to annihilate the countless monsters.
“Ugh! ……Hyung!”
“Damn it. There’s so damn many, like a pack of dogs!”
At that moment.
A man who appeared to be the leader of the Dio Guild stepped forward.
He placed his palm on the ground.
Immediately, a massive magic formation appeared on the surface.
The monsters that entered that space all stopped at once.
“Kegegek!!”
“Kiieek!!”
When they started moving again, the monsters began tearing into each other.
Red and blue blood splattered everywhere.
Monsters that had lost their reason threw themselves down into the Han River.
The momentum was so ferocious it looked as if they were committing mass suicide.
The man standing within the magic circle stained with purple gore turned around.
“Everyone, get up. Let’s end this damn war.”