After the minor incident, Jin-Woo headed to the Gate together with the Knights Guild. Just before entering.
"Hold on."
CEO Park Jong-Soo and Vice CEO Jung Yun-Tae did one last check on their team's equipment and condition. With the entrance right in front of them, the previously noisy atmosphere had faded into silence.
'...'
At some point, Jin-Woo had come to enjoy this tension before entering a Dungeon. The feeling of his mind going calm. It was something he could never have imagined back when he was dodging calls out of fear of the Hunter's Association's mobilization order.
"Captain, no issues at all." "Good."
Park Jong-Soo nodded and stepped toward Jin-Woo, who had been standing a pace back from the assault team. Jin-Woo's gaze shifted toward him.
"Sung Jin-Woo Hunter." "Yes."
Jin-Woo uncrossed his arms and met Park Jong-Soo's eyes. Park Jong-Soo bowed his head deeply.
"I'm counting on you."
A short sentence, but one brimming with a multitude of feelings. Jin-Woo answered with the same words.
"I'm counting on you."
Park Jong-Soo and Jung Yun-Tae went in first, and the rest of the Hunters leapt inside one by one. After confirming that every Hunter had entered, Jin-Woo—who had been the last one remaining—finally walked slowly through the Gate.
* * *
[You have entered the Dungeon.]
As always, the System message that no one else could see was the first thing to greet Jin-Woo.
'Hm?'
Jin-Woo tilted his head. A Dungeon whose passages were so massive that even giants could walk through them. He hadn't been inside many high-rank Dungeons, but he had been lucky enough to see one before. That was why what caught Jin-Woo off guard wasn't the Dungeon's scale. It was the sensation he felt from the Dungeon's air.
'What is this...?'
For some reason, being inside the Dungeon felt comfortable. He had felt countless times the ominousness carried on the air, but this was something new entirely. But—
"Ogres!"
Contrary to Jin-Woo's premonition, the assault team ran into trouble right at the entrance.
"Two-Headed Ogre!" "Everyone, be careful!"
A magic beast worthy of being a Dungeon boss stood right at the entrance, its bloodshot eyes gleaming.
"Graaargh!"
The Two-Headed Ogre's frame was more than twice that of a normal ogre. The sheer magnitude of its strength was impossible to even guess at. If an average assault team had encountered a Two-Headed Ogre inside a Dungeon, they would have scrambled to flee in terror.
"Let's go!"
But the elite Hunters of the Knights were different. Park Jong-Soo, the tank who held up his shield, charged straight at the ogre. Spotting him, the ogre raised a colossal club overhead—something that looked like it had been made by uprooting an entire tree. Kwoom! An impact loud enough to shake the cave. Yet Park Jong-Soo, who had bulged every muscle in his body with his skill, didn't bend a single knee as he withstood the Two-Headed Ogre's monstrous force.
"Captain!" "I'm fine!" "Then I'm comin' in too."
Jung Yun-Tae, the sub-tank, took his position beside Park Jong-Soo. Having successfully locked the ogre's gaze firmly onto himself, Park Jong-Soo bulged the veins on his neck.
"Attack!"
The Knights' counterattack began. Arrows, magic, swords, and spears rained down on the Two-Headed Ogre. Graaargh! The enraged Two-Headed Ogre went berserk. But Park Jong-Soo never gave it a chance to turn its attention away. The occasional attacks that flew toward the others were intercepted by Jung Yun-Tae, who dashed over to block every last one. Koom! Just now, too, Jung Yun-Tae had blocked a kick from the ogre, leaving two long streaks on the floor as he slid back. Thanks to him, the damage to the other Hunters was virtually nonexistent.
"Grrragh, graaargh!"
Under the dealers' relentless attacks, the ogre's body began to tear apart bit by bit. A magnificent display of teamwork! Jin-Woo could see why the Knights Guild had kept their position as Yeongnam's number one for so long.
"Graaaagh!"
In the end, the foam-flecked ogre toppled backward. Koom! A boss-level magic beast had fallen without inflicting a single injury. A clean victory.
"Yes!"
Leader Park Jong-Soo clenched both fists tight. Was it because they had a guest? The team, and he himself, had been more fired up than usual today. What kind of impression must we have made on Sung Jin-Woo Hunter's eyes?
'If he were so moved by our teamwork that he decided to join the Guild, that would be the best outcome possible.'
Glancing sideways, Park Jong-Soo's gaze met Jin-Woo's. Flustered as if his thoughts had been seen through, Park Jong-Soo hesitated for a moment before ultimately smiling and approaching Jin-Woo.
"We'll take a moment here to regroup before moving on." "Ah, sure."
Jin-Woo nodded. Unlike himself, who could replenish mana and stamina with potions, other Hunters had hard limits on their mana and stamina. After fighting a powerful magic beast, even a brief rest was essential. Before long, Park Jong-Soo had come to stand beside Jin-Woo and stared at the ogre's carcass before speaking with a troubled look on his face.
"This is a problem." "...?"
Jin-Woo's gaze turned to Park Jong-Soo. Park Jong-Soo spoke.
"As I expected, this raid isn't going to be easy. A Two-Headed Ogre right at the entrance, of all things."
He rubbed his chin and turned to Jin-Woo with a grin.
"Do you happen to know the Two-Headed Ogre's nickname?"
When Jin-Woo shook his head, he answered as if he had been waiting for the question.
"Gravekeeper."
Was it a nickname born from the fact that so many victims were inevitably left in its wake, given how powerful a magic beast it was? But Park Jong-Soo's explanation that followed was different from what Jin-Woo had expected.
"The thing is..."
He gazed toward the depths of the cave. In his eyes, it looked as though a sinister presence was seeping out from the dark far side of the cavern.
"It doesn't show up when you meet it as a boss, but when you run into this one at the entrance, every single time, that Dungeon..."
Park Jong-Soo finished his sentence in a worried voice.
"Undead show up."
* * *
An urgent phone call came into the Hunter's Association reporting center. A young girl's voice, still tender with youth.
—H-hello, is this the Association?!
The moment the call was connected, the sobs heard through the receiver put the staff member on alert.
"Yes, that's right. Please tell me what's happening." —Right now, *sniff*, at my school... there are monsters outside. *sniff sniff* "Outside? Where are you calling from right now?" —I'm hiding. I was with a friend, and my friend... *sob* I'm... in the bathroom.
The voice, broken by sobs, made conversation difficult. But the seasoned staff member quickly pieced together the words to infer what the girl was trying to say. An alert was immediately sent to Association HQ.
[Monsters have appeared at a school. One victim confirmed. The caller is currently in hiding.]
Could it be a Dungeon Break inside the school? The staff member shuddered at the horrifying thought and focused every ounce of attention on saving the reporting girl.
"How many monsters are there? Are they nearby?" —I don't know, I don't know. Ahh, there are so many screams, *sob sob*, I hear. Am I, *sniff*, going to die? "Calm down and listen to me."
The staff member knew from years of experience just how weak a human could become when facing mortal danger. All the more reason for the person taking the report to stay composed. Calm the caller first, then present the best possible solution for the situation. That was their role.
"Hunters from the Association are rushing there right now. Hunters never abandon a civilian. So you have to stay calm until the very end. Do you understand?" —Really? Then, *sniff*, I can survive?
The voice on the other end was gradually beginning to pull out of its panic. A good sign. Believing he had successfully calmed the girl, the staff member asked what might be the most important question for her survival.
"Do you happen to know what kind of monsters they are?" —Yes, yes. I know. I know. I saw them. On TV. "What kind of monsters?"
If the magic beasts were dull-sensed and relied only on sight to chase humans, then simply hiding in the bathroom was a good solution. The staff member prayed that the monsters at the school were that kind.
—Their... bodies are human, *sniff*, but they have ugly faces. Ah, and their skin is green. 'No way?'
The staff member's eyes went wide.
"Orcs... are they Orcs?" —Yes. That was the name. Orc. 'No!'
The staff member shot to their feet without thinking and shouted.
"Get out of there! Right now! Orcs are—"
At that moment. Despite the staff member's desperate wishes, the sound of the bathroom door being smashed to pieces was followed by a blood-curdling scream.
—Kyaaaaaah!
* * *
The Knights' raid was proceeding smoothly. So smoothly, in fact, that it was oddly so—smooth sailing all the way. Another one went down.
"Graaagh!"
A colossal, rotting beast tried to flee from the assault team but was caught by a magic-type Hunter's binding spell and met a wretched end. As the same pattern kept repeating, the Hunters themselves began to grow puzzled.
"This is weird." "Why do these things keep running from us?" "Don't they seem like they're being chased by something?"
Inside this Dungeon, powerful undead magic beasts had been appearing one after another—Vampires, Liches, Dreadworms, Red Ghouls, and more. Undead were never easy opponents. They were difficult to kill, and even after killing them, you couldn't afford to let your guard down. You never knew when they might recover or resurrect and attack again. And yet. These ones couldn't even put up a fight, helplessly surrendering their lives to the assault team.
'As if they were so frightened by something that they couldn't even think of resisting...'
That was Park Jong-Soo's assessment of the magic beasts. At this rate, there hadn't even been a need to bring Sung Jin-Woo Hunter along.
'Nobody ever really knows what's going on inside a Dungeon.'
Who could have predicted that a top-tier A-rank Dungeon could be cleared this easily?
'Well, whatever...'
If the raid could be finished cleanly without a single person getting hurt, it wasn't a bad thing. Even though some unnecessary damage had been incurred, it was fortunate in the end. Jin-Woo, on the other hand, was disappointed.
'I had such high expectations since it was supposed to be a top-tier A-rank Dungeon...'
Fierce magical energy was still pouring out from deeper inside, but if things stayed this way, he wasn't sure he'd even get any decent experience. The Knights Guild was putting up such a ferocious fight that he hadn't even gotten a chance to step forward.
'...'
Jin-Woo let out a quiet sigh inside his head. Then—suddenly, Jin-Woo's steps came to a halt.
'Huh?'
When the stopped Jin-Woo turned around, healer Jung Hye-Rim stopped as well.
"What is it, Hunter Sung? Is there something behind us?"
Jin-Woo didn't answer. His heart had begun pounding so wildly against his chest that he didn't have time to respond to a question.
'No way...?'
Jin-Woo's pupils, which were aimed toward the outside of the Gate, trembled violently. Only then did Jung Hye-Rim realize that something was off.
"Hunter Sung?"
In that instant, Jin-Woo's face went rigid as stone.
* * *
"Uwaaah!" "Kyaaah!"
Screams rang out across the school. Less than half the students had managed to escape the school alive. The rest were either already cold corpses or had been forced to run through the school to hide from the Orcs. But even that futile resistance lasted only so long. The Orcs' hunt, which had started from the lower floors, climbed steadily upward, herding everyone toward certain death.
"Uwaaah!"
Students who couldn't escape and remained in a classroom clamped their hands over their ears at the screams rising from below. The third-year classroom was on the top floor of the school. Jin-Ah was wedged among the third-year students who hadn't made it out in time. A crudely barricaded classroom door was the only thing separating them from the Orcs.
"Ah..." "Damn it."
The boys gripped chairs, mop handles—anything that could serve as a weapon—with trembling hands. But nothing was solid enough to truly rely on. All they could do was hope the Hunters would arrive before the Orcs broke into the classroom. Crash—! The dented door flew off its hinges.
"Uwaaaaaah!" "Kyaaah!"
Amid the students' screams, two Orcs—drenched in blood from how many humans they had killed—stepped into the classroom.
"Ugh, uah!"
The boys who had been guarding the door threw down their mop handles, ran over, and tried to open the back door. But waiting on the other side was an Orc that buried its axe into the forehead of the boy standing at the front. Crack! The boy's eyes went blank, and he collapsed without a word.
"Kyaaaaaah!" "Uwah!"
The front and back of the classroom. Every exit was blocked by Orcs. The remaining students pressed themselves against the windows and screamed, but everyone knew that jumping from the sixth floor and being caught by the Orcs wouldn't end much differently.
*Big brother! Big brother!*
In the tangle of students scrambling toward whatever corner might offer shelter from the Orcs, Jin-Ah kept her eyes shut and called out to Jin-Woo over and over. Her brother, an S-rank Hunter. It felt as if he would come running from anywhere if only she called. That was her only hope.
"Grrrrgk." "Grk?"
The Orcs, who had been herding the students into a corner as if encircling them, came to a stop. The Orcs exchanged words in their own language.
"Boss, there's a human here with a faint trace of mana." "Kill her first."
Unlike ordinary humans, those who could wield mana were a threat. They needed to be dealt with first. The Orc that received the boss's order scanned the students with its eyes and spotted Jin-Ah.
"Ah!"
The Orc grabbed Jin-Ah by the wrist and dragged her toward the center of the room.
"Is it this woman?" "Yes, Boss."
The subordinate was right. Faint, but mana could be felt from somewhere within the woman. Whether it was her ability or a weapon, the fact that she needed to be eliminated first didn't change. The boss raised its axe.
"Ah, ah...!"
Jin-Ah saw the axe rising above her head and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Grrrk."
Snorting through its nose, the boss brought the axe down with an expressionless face. Shiiing—!
*Big brother!*
And then. Fwaaash—! Black smoke that burst from Jin-Ah's shadow took on a complete form in the blink of an eye. Grab. The scout leader Orc's eyes went wide. Wasn't its wrist being held by the hand of a High Orc clad in black armor?
"Grrk?"
Before the Orc could even utter a word, the High Orc brought its fist down and smashed the creature's skull like a watermelon. Crack!
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