Chapter 303
As they neared the Erosion Dungeon, the falling ash thickened.
The once-busy alleyways, roads, sidewalks, and trees were already covered in a layer of white.
The way the ash swirled through the air resembled snowfall—almost beautiful, in a way.
Uijae halted.
A towering wall, higher than a utility pole, blocked the path. Likely a barrier constructed by a Hunter’s ability.
There were no signs of people. It seemed the residents had already been evacuated.
Uijae turned to Little Mackerel, who had followed closely behind.
"The residents?"
"We moved them to the seafood market a few days ago. Didn’t feel right, so we played it safe. Planned to send them back once the Rift Management Bureau handled it, but…"
"You made the right call."
Little Mackerel's expression grew serious.
"Is it really bad?"
"Yeah."
Beyond the wall, something twisted and pulsed ominously—like an active volcano on the verge of eruption.
"It could go off at any moment."
For a brief second, the sight of the dead sea flashed through Uijae’s mind, consuming his vision.
That eerie, lifeless landscape.
He shook his head, forcing the image away.
He had suffered through the Memorial Dungeon for a reason—to learn from a future that wasn’t set in stone.
"I can’t just stand by and watch."
"I have to deal with it now."
Turning, Uijae called out.
"Minggijeok, contact all departments. Tell them to issue a no-entry order for this entire area. Make it wide—up to the seafood market."
"Understood."
"Little Mackerel, you—"
Little Mackerel blinked, waiting for the rest of the sentence.
Uijae hesitated, trying to find the right words.
In the end, he couldn’t.
So instead, he patted Little Mackerel’s shoulder a couple of times.
"Go stay with your brother. Keep an eye on the residents."
"What, are you kicking me out?"
"Quick on the uptake."
"Hyung, do you take me for some weak little fish? I can fight, you know."
Clenching his fists, goldfish began appearing around him.
Uijae refrained from pointing out how utterly non-threatening they looked.
Instead, he simply pointed at himself with his thumb and asked:
"Are you stronger than me?"
Little Mackerel’s mouth snapped shut.
Uijae lazily waved his hand.
"If not, then you’ll just be in the way. Go."
Minggijeok, still on his phone, cast him a disapproving look.
"With standards that high, who the hell would qualify? Ruthless, dear customer."
"I’m saying I’d rather be alone. It’s easier that way."
"And how many monsters do you think are going to come out of there?"
"Even if a lot come out…"
Thanks to the Memorial Dungeon, buried memories were resurfacing.
And swarm battles?
Those were his specialty.
Well… probably.
They hadn’t started as his specialty, but after handling the endless waves of monsters pouring from the West Sea Rift, he had adapted.
Survival required learning, after all.
"No way there’ll be more than in the West Sea Rift."
Muscle memory doesn’t fade easily.
He drew out his massive spear.
The familiar weight settled into his grip, instantly quieting his mind.
Hoo.
A slow inhale, then a steady exhale.
As Uijae placed his hand on the wall—
Boom!
The wall trembled.
"……."
Beyond it, the ominous energy churned violently.
Was it reacting to him?
Or had it simply reached its limit?
Impossible to tell.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Each time the wall trembled, dust and debris rained down, making the ground quake as if an earthquake had struck.
Uijae looked up at the towering structure, gauging its size as he murmured,
"Wait. I'll open it for you…"
With a smooth motion, he spun his spear once in his grip, then slashed the wall diagonally with its tip.
A streak of white light followed the spear’s arc—sharp, clean, without wasteful movement.
Then—
Crack!
The solid wall split apart along the path traced by his spear.
Rumble, rumble—!
Chunks of the wall tilted and collapsed with a heavy crash, sending dust and ash swirling into the air.
Uijae remained unfazed.
His visibility blurred momentarily as the airborne dust mixed with the white ash.
And then—
SCREEEECH—!
A massive clawed foot emerged from the thick haze.
Uijae dodged lightly, stepping aside just before it slammed down.
Deep claw marks were left imprinted in the asphalt.
Growl…
A guttural, throat-scraping snarl rumbled through the ground, scattering more white ash into the air.
The scene looked like a blizzard, the swirling debris making it difficult to see.
Boom…
The ground trembled.
A gigantic shadow loomed over Uijae.
He looked up.
A colossal white lion towered over him, its mane billowing in the wind.
Dungeon Break.
A phenomenon that occurred when a dungeon was left unchecked for too long.
When the number of monsters inside reached critical mass, the dungeon could no longer contain them and would forcefully expel its inhabitants into the outside world.
And when that happened, the dungeon’s dominant entity—the boss—would inevitably emerge as well.
Uijae stared up at the lion, as large as a four-story building, and muttered,
"So you're the dungeon’s master."
Had this creature been a human once?
Had it been someone he knew?
There was no way to tell anymore.
Around the giant lion, more monsters spilled out from the dungeon, steadily gathering.
Neither Uijae nor the lion made the first move.
They measured each other, assessing how much force would be needed—how much power was necessary to kill.
But Uijae’s thoughts extended beyond that.
Were all of these once human?
A sudden wailing siren shattered the silence of the streets.
From people’s phones, from loudspeakers installed on the street corners—
A grim alarm announcing the appearance of a rift and the outbreak of a Dungeon Break.
[A Dungeon Break has occurred. Residents, please evacuate to the designated shelters.
Repeating: A Dungeon Break has occurred. Residents, please evacuate immediately.
Your safety will be protected by the Hunters….]
Uijae raised his spear and aimed its tip directly at the lion’s head.
A clear declaration of battle.
But—
The lion didn’t react.
No deafening roar.
No raised paw to strike him down.
Instead, it simply gazed at him in silence.
Then—
Boom…
The lion walked past him.
"…What?"
Uijae, stunned, watched as the massive beast brushed past him.
The other monsters followed, ignoring him entirely.
Some smaller creatures even rubbed affectionately against his legs as they passed.
Uijae stood there, dumbfounded, watching the procession.
Was this a relief?
Should he be glad?
Did this mean he could communicate with monsters?
No.
None of that.
A cold sweat drenched the back of Uijae’s neck.
His instincts screamed at him—
This is bad.
The Erosion Dungeon’s creatures weren’t attacking him.
They didn’t see him as an enemy.
Because he was undergoing Whiteout. Because he was mutating.
Which meant—
They saw him as one of their own.
But that didn’t make sense.
He had fought against Erosion Dungeon monsters before.
They had always been hostile.
So… when did this change?
When did they stop showing hostility toward him?
The answer came to him immediately.
Ever since he left the Memorial Dungeon.
Tick.
It felt like the sound of a clock’s second hand echoed in his ears.
Uijae glanced down at a small, white, furry creature rolling near his feet.
Moments later, what appeared to be its mother came over, gently picking it up in its mouth.
Before leaving, the larger beast nudged his thigh with its head—then rejoined the procession.
Uijae found himself thinking something he never would have considered before.
"Were they family even before they became monsters?"
Until now, he had refused to acknowledge his own mutation.
After all, aside from his changing hair color, he hadn’t felt any different.
But the Memorial Dungeon had revealed the truths he had forgotten.
What his hair color meant.
What the monsters really were.
Now, when he looked at them—
He saw the humans they had once been.
"……."
And the thought crept into his mind—
Would he become one of them?
"……."
He couldn’t shake the feeling.
The power of thought was terrifying.
He understood the way the monsters thought. Their instincts.
They sought places teeming with life.
They sought vengeance against those who had killed their kind.
They needed to feed.
They needed to grow their numbers to make up for the ones they had lost.
They were heading for the seafood market.
No.
Uijae slammed his fist into his own thigh.
Pain flared through his leg, snapping him out of his daze.
Up ahead, a dark figure suddenly appeared—
Minggijeok had stepped in front of the advancing horde.
Uijae immediately took off running, shoving past the monsters that refused to stop him.
"Minggijeok! Mackerel!"
No response.
He pushed through the horde, using his spear and arms to shove them aside.
The monsters only let out irritated growls—but none attacked him.
That made it all the more horrifying.
Finally, he broke through to the front of the procession—
Just in time to see the lion swing its massive paw in slow motion.
And there—
A man in a black suit stood directly in its path.
"Minggijeok!!"
Amidst the swirling white ash—
A spray of red blood scattered through the air.