Park Jong-Soo hardened his gaze with a sense of resolve that he had to push for at least this much. Most of the damage inside Dungeons was caused by boss-level beasts. As a means to minimize casualties within the raid party, Park Jong-Soo had made the bold move of entrusting the handling of the boss-level beast to Jin-Woo.
'With the power Sung Jin-Woo Hunter showed back in that ant cave, he should be able to take down a boss-level beast on his own.'
With the anxious feeling that even this might get rejected, Park Jong-Soo pressed his lips shut and waited for Jin-Woo's answer. In contrast to Park Jong-Soo's face, which was growing stiffer by the second, the silence dragged on.
'Kuhuh...'
Jin-Woo pulled the hand that had been resting under his chin up to just below his nose, covering his mouth and furrowing his brow, trying to hide the smile that kept creeping onto his lips. He wanted to look like he was agonizing over the decision. The strategy worked. Park Jong-Soo, oblivious to the passing of time, gripped his hands in a sweat as he focused on Jin-Woo's verdict. Finally, Jin-Woo let out a sigh as if he had no choice, and—
"I understand."
He continued.
"Let's do it that way."
Park Jong-Soo clenched both fists hidden beneath the desk.
'It's done!'
The moment Jin-Woo's consent came through, every worry and concern seemed to wash away. Why had he agonized over this for so long? He should have done it this way from the start. The frozen expression that Park Jong-Soo had been wearing ever since leaving Busan bloomed into a bright smile for the first time. All that remained now was to contact the Hunter's Association and secure the raid permit. Since Sung Jin-Woo Hunter had decided to join the raid party, there was nothing left standing in their way.
"It's been a while since the Gate was discovered, so we need to start the raid by tomorrow at the latest." "Then I'll see you tomorrow." "Ah."
Park Jong-Soo, who had been packing his things, spoke in a hurry.
"Actually, rather than that, why don't you ride down with us?"
If they were going to meet again tomorrow anyway, wouldn't it be better to travel together rather than go through the hassle of arranging another meeting? In that spirit, Park Jong-Soo extended the invitation.
"We'll put you up at the finest hotel and cover all accommodation costs."
But Jin-Woo had no reason to make the long drive down. All he had to do was attach one of his shadow soldiers to Park Jong-Soo's shadow. That would take care of it. There would be no risk of getting lost or arriving late. Jin-Woo glanced down at a circular shadow crawling along the floor, then made up an excuse.
"I have some errands to run this evening, so it would be difficult to go down together." "Ah!" "But I won't have any trouble making it on time."
As long as the guild master himself didn't show up late, that is. Just then, Vice President of the Knights guild, Jeong Yun-Tae—who had stepped out of the meeting room to "handle some business"—burst back in through the door and let out a scream.
"Hy-Hyung!"
A flustered Park Jong-Soo leapt to his feet and turned around.
"What? What?" "The shadow just moved! Right from this side to that side!"
Park Jong-Soo froze for a moment, then stood up and glared at Jeong Yun-Tae.
"Yun-Tae... have you been drinking?" "..."
Sensing the mood had turned cold, Jeong Yun-Tae lost his words and wiped his upper lip with his index finger.
"I asked if you've been drinking." "I had a couple of cans of beer as a chaser at the rest stop earlier, Hyung." "Did I tell you to be careful during business or did I not?" "I'm sorry, Hyung."
Jeong Yun-Tae bowed his head toward Park Jong-Soo, then followed up with a bow toward Jin-Woo.
"I'm sorry, Hunter."
Park Jong-Soo pushed down on the back of Jeong Yun-Tae's head with his hand while also lowering his own head.
"This kid's actually decent, but when he drinks he sometimes talks nonsense. If he startled you, I apologize." "No, it's fine. Shadows move sometimes, you know."
Just as the conversation was about to end on that warm note, Jin-Woo's phone, which had been placed on the table, buzzed. Bzzzz.
'Who could this be?'
He checked the caller, but it was a number he had never seen before.
"I'll step out to take a call." "Yes, yes."
Jin-Woo politely excused himself and left the meeting room. Once he was gone, Jeong Yun-Tae, who had caused the commotion, and Park Jong-Soo, who had been holding his breath in anxiety, let out sighs of relief simultaneously. Then Jeong Yun-Tae tilted his head and muttered.
"For real, the shadow actually moved, though..." "Shut it!"
When Park Jong-Soo's eyes flashed, Jeong Yun-Tae finally clamped his mouth shut. After a brief silence, Jeong Yun-Tae, curious about the outcome of the negotiation, was the first to speak.
"So, Hyung, how'd it go?" "What do you mean how'd it go? We agreed to work together." "That's great!"
The anxious look on Jeong Yun-Tae's face brightened as well. Still grinning, he asked again.
"But did you at least ask him to join our guild?" "Don't even get me started. He handed me this and said he's starting his own guild."
Park Jong-Soo held up the [Guild Founding Member Applicant List] file case, just as Jin-Woo had done earlier. Jeong Yun-Tae let out a snicker.
"The guilds are all settled in now—what's he gonna build at this point? If he came to our guild, he'd be treated like a king. Why make life harder for yourself when there's an easy road?" "That's exactly what I said."
Park Jong-Soo clicked his tongue in regret as he went to put the file back, but an application form slipped out. Startled, he scrambled to pick it up—and his face went rigid.
"Huh?"
Pasted right on the application form was a familiar photo of a woman he had seen many times before.
"Keck!"
Jeong Yun-Tae's face went rigid too.
"Hyung, is this woman, by any chance...?"
Unable to believe his eyes, Jeong Yun-Tae looked to Park Jong-Soo for confirmation. Park Jong-Soo nodded.
"Yeah, that's right. The Vice President of Hunters."
Silently staring at Cha Hae-In's photo, Jeong Yun-Tae subtly glanced at Park Jong-Soo.
"Hyung. Shouldn't we look into some kind of merger or something?"
Park Jong-Soo's brow furrowed instantly.
"You little punk, seriously..."
* * *
Jin-Woo, having left the office, pressed the call button. A familiar woman's voice came through the receiver.
—Son. After confirming the voice, Jin-Woo felt a measure of relief on one hand, but on the other, a slight sense of disappointment.
"You got a phone?" —Yeah. As soon as I got one, I wanted to hear my son's voice, so I called. I hope I'm not interrupting you when you're busy?
Jin-Woo glanced briefly toward the office where the two men from the Knights guild were waiting, then let out a small smile.
"Not at all." —Good. But I'm not sure if I picked a good one. I'm not familiar with this sort of thing at all. "Did you go to the store by yourself? You didn't take Jin-Ah with you?" —Why would I drag her away when she's busy studying?
He sometimes wished she would think about herself instead of only her children. After finishing the call with his mother, Jin-Woo let out a quiet sigh. But. Now that he knew the caller was his mother, why had he felt disappointed?
'What was I expecting?'
Smiling, Jin-Woo slipped the phone into his pocket and lifted his head. His eyes lit up. Thanks to the generous visit from the Knights guild earlier, he would get to sample tomorrow's Dungeon.
'An A-rank Gate close to S-rank.'
It had been far too long since he had last loosened up. How many days had it been since he returned from the Jeju Island raid? About a week? In that time, all he had done was enter a mediocre B-rank Red Gate once. Thump. Thump. Feeling the unfamiliar pounding of his heart, Jin-Woo looked forward to tomorrow's raid.
* * *
The Knights guild's elite Hunters had gathered in one place. They were buzzing with a peculiar mix of anticipation and excitement. And for good reason. It was a raid that could have demanded they risk their very lives. Had it turned into a Red Gate, they would have faced certain annihilation. Yet Sung Jin-Woo Hunter himself would be joining them on such a raid.
"Kyah!"
It was Jung Yeorim, who had pitched the idea, who let out a squeal of joy upon hearing that Sung Jin-Woo would be joining. The other Hunters all expressed themselves differently in manner and degree, but knowing that a powerful safety net had been secured, every one of them was thrilled. Only one person here was still on edge—guild master Park Jong-Soo, who was stamping his feet as he waited anxiously for Jin-Woo to arrive.
'Ugh, I should have just dragged him along by force yesterday.'
Park Jong-Soo checked the clock. Five minutes to eleven. If things went as planned, the raid was supposed to start in five minutes. But the person who had said he would arrive soon was nowhere to be found, and his nerves were fraying by the second. Without him, the raid couldn't even begin. The moment word got out that Sung Jin-Woo Hunter had joined the raid party, the Hunter's Association had issued the permit without a moment's hesitation. Sung Jin-Woo's name alone had carried that much weight. But now, to start without him?
'That aside...'
Park Jong-Soo surveyed the faces of the raid party members. Look at those expectant eyes. He might not even be able to depart not because of the Association, but because of his own guild members' objections.
'Three minutes left.'
On edge, Park Jong-Soo pulled out his phone once more, then forced himself to put it back with superhuman restraint. Calling again someone who had contacted ten minutes ago to say he would arrive shortly—it was still rude, wasn't it? But there was no sign of someone with a powerful presence approaching, and no message from Jin-Woo saying he had arrived. Searching for something to burn instead of his own insides, Park Jong-Soo stuck a cigarette between his lips.
'Where on earth are you, Sung Jin-Woo Hunter—!'
At that moment. Jin-Woo was leaving his apartment. Dressed in lightweight clothes that were easy to move in and a pair of sneakers. He glanced at his watch—one minute to eleven. He looked up, and a gloomy sky gazed back down at him. Did that brat Jin-Ah bring an umbrella? But the thought passed in an instant.
'Well, shall I head out?'
A smile crept onto the lips of Jin-Woo, who had pulled a hoodie over his head. First, concealment. And then.
'Shadow Exchange.'
He swapped positions instantly with one of the soldiers who existed in shadow form.
* * *
The high school that Jin-Ah attended. Three male students who had been tasked with an errand by the art teacher wore expressions full of displeasure.
"Isn't this basically forced labor?" "Seriously." "Why does she always dump her own work on us?"
Grumbling, the three boys unlocked the door to what was now being used as storage—Art Room 2—and stepped inside.
"Ugh, dust." "Gross."
Just as one would expect from a storage room that hadn't been used in ages, a haze of dust greeted the boys. Scattered around were old art supplies, discarded paintings, and plaster casts used for sketching.
"She said to bring a few plaster casts, right?" "There are six groups total, so six of them." "Ugh... even if we grab one each, we'd still have to make another trip." "Then you carry four yourself."
The boys rolled up their sleeves to move the casts. One of them reached for the cast in the farthest corner and spotted something behind it.
"Huh?"
The unusual tone in the boy's voice drew the other two over.
"Uh, is this...?"
A large black hole hovering against the wall. It was a Gate, as tall as a person. The biggest of the three boys saw it and let out a scoff.
"And here I thought something was wrong."
He pressed his hand against the surface of the Gate and said—
"A closed Gate like this is safe. People aside from Hunters can't go in, and nothing inside can come out."
That was when it happened. Crackle. The instant a crack split the Gate's surface, a hand shot out and seized the boy by the head.
"Huh?"
The boy struggled, but the hand gripping his head didn't budge an inch. And then—crunch! A sound like a hard shell breaking apart echoed as blood sprayed in every direction.
"U-Uwaaaah!" "Joon-Seok!"
Amid the blood-soaked screams of the boys, the black curtain that had been sealing the Gate shattered like glass, and the beasts that had been trapped inside poured out.