Telling the master of Korea's representative guild to come to a C-rank Gate. When Choi Jong-In first received a call from Manager Woo Jin-Cheol, he wasn't exactly pleased. He had even considered sitting it out and sending a raid team made up of a few high-rank Hunters instead. But after hearing the explanation that followed, he couldn't afford not to move.
'Sung Jin-Woo, the Hunter, is inside a Double Dungeon?'
A Double Dungeon alone would have been intriguing enough, but Sung Jin-Woo being trapped inside as well—how many Guild Masters, no, how many Hunters in general, could remain composed after hearing that? At Manager Woo Jin-Cheol's insistence that time was of the essence, Choi Jong-In immediately postponed the raid he had been preparing and called together the elite Hunters.
"The Association has sent a support request. Looks like we'll have to move."
The Hunters, well aware from experience that a summons like this was no ordinary matter, began to murmur among themselves. They were on the verge of an A-rank raid, yet the Hunters guild had to mobilize—need one say more? To make matters worse, the Hunters had just received breaking news about the incident in Japan moments ago, so the commotion only grew louder.
"What's going on?"
The woman with the second-highest standing in the guild after Choi Jong-In, the Vice Master, asked. Choi Jong-In turned to Cha Hae-In and answered.
"It seems a Double Dungeon was discovered inside a C-rank Gate." 'A Double Dungeon?'
Cha Hae-In tilted her head. Of course, a Double Dungeon wasn't something one could easily come across. A dungeon within a dungeon. Such a thing couldn't be common. But to call the Hunters guild over just because there was one extra dungeon tacked onto a C-rank Gate? Logically, it didn't add up. As Cha Hae-In sent a puzzled look his way, Choi Jong-In spoke while gearing up to move.
"Apparently, Sung Jin-Woo is in there fighting something on his own. If it's enough to scare that Manager Woo into requesting cooperation first… Cha Hunter, what's wrong?"
Noticing the sudden change in Cha Hae-In's eyes, Choi Jong-In asked.
"It's nothing." "Right. With Hunter Sung, there shouldn't be anything major, but let's head over regardless."
Cha Hae-In gave a slight nod. The Hunters who had been listening to their exchange quickly packed their gear. Calling it "gear" was generous—it was mostly weapons for the raid—but it was preparation that could not be neglected in the slightest.
"Huh? We're one short…"
A Hunter who had been counting heads felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned around, someone was gesturing toward a corner with their chin. There, a man sat slumped on the ground with a hollow, devastated expression.
"Suzuki?" "Leave him be." "Ah…"
The Hunter understood right away. Suzuki was a Hunter who had recently been scouted and brought over from Japan to Korea. Naturally, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the phone delivering the breaking news.
"We have a job to do. Let's move." "Ah, yes."
The two left Suzuki behind and climbed into the Hunters guild's van. And so, with all the elite raid members on board, the Hunters' vehicles departed one by one, heading swiftly toward their destination.
* * *
"Ow, hot hot!"
Reporter Kim flinched and dropped his cigarette butt. Despite the sandy ground below, the foot that stomped on the butt carried real emotion. But only for a moment. Now was not the time to worry about a cigarette butt. Reporter Kim's gaze returned to the vehicles that had come to a stop. Every person stepping out was familiar—he realized they were the Hunters' absolute best. As he identified the aces one by one, he didn't even notice his fingers getting burned.
'Choi Jong-In, Cha Hae-In, Yoon Jung-Ho, oh? Son Gi-Hoon came too?'
This was, without exaggeration, every face of the Hunters guild on display. To think that such heavyweights would show up at the scene he had tailed Manager Woo Jin-Cheol to on a whim. But the Gate was C-rank. Reporter Kim gulped. He couldn't figure out what on earth was going on inside. Manager Woo Jin-Cheol, who would normally be upfront about such things, had clamped his mouth shut and declared it top secret, so all Reporter Kim could do was soothe his aching heart with cigarettes. At his feet, a pile of discarded butts had already accumulated. Paying no attention to Reporter Kim's longing gaze, Woo Jin-Cheol approached Choi Jong-In at a brisk pace. Just like Woo Jin-Cheol before him, Choi Jong-In couldn't take his eyes off the Gate.
"Damn it…! What the hell…? What is that?"
The Gate emanated such an ominous aura that curses spilled from his mouth unprompted. Unlike Woo Jin-Cheol, who was a combat-type Hunter with an unusually keen sixth sense, Choi Jong-In was Korea's foremost magic-type Hunter. When it came to sensing and detecting mana, he was second to none—aside from Baek Yoon-Ho, who could unleash the power of a beast, and Sung Jin-Woo, who operated on a whole different plane.
"Can you do it?"
That was how Woo Jin-Cheol asked. Choi Jong-In didn't miss the meaning embedded in that question: that he himself hadn't been able to. He answered with a bitter expression.
"You said Hunter Sung is inside?" "Yes. I'm certain."
Nod. Nod. Choi Jong-In nodded slowly. Indeed. Who else could pull off a battle of this magnitude if not him? No—who else could even stand up to an opponent radiating this much mana?
"Planning to save the Earth all by himself?"
The words he had intended to keep inside slipped out involuntarily. But rather than questioning him back, Woo Jin-Cheol simply gave a heavy nod. It really did sound like something he would do.
"Whether it works or not, we have to try. We owe Hunter Sung."
If the magical beasts were ones that even Hunter Sung and the Hunters guild couldn't stop, then no one in Korea could. In other words, if they failed to help Hunter Sung and eliminate those creatures, there would be no next chance.
'Huh? Hunter Sung?'
From a short distance away, where he had been straining his ears to the fullest, Reporter Kim's eyes went wide as a rabbit's.
'Hunter Sung is inside this Gate?'
His gaze darted to the Gate and then swept around the area. Two S-rank Hunters had already arrived here, and there were too many A-rank Hunters to count. And on top of all that, Sung Jin-Woo was inside the Gate?
'N… notebook, my notebook.'
The scent of an exclusive story piercing his nostrils, Reporter Kim fumbled for his notebook. From here on, not a single word or scene could be missed. While everyone else was distracted by Japan, he had a chance to break a massive story involving three S-rank Hunters and the Hunter's Association, all by himself.
'That's why Manager Woo shut his mouth earlier.'
Hunter Sung Jin-Woo was a protected individual under the special custody of the Hunter's Association. Now he finally understood why Woo Jin-Cheol couldn't breathe a single word of the situation outside. While Woo Jin-Cheol and Choi Jong-In exchanged a brief conversation, the entire elite raid team had finished their preparations. Tanks with their armor, dealers with their weapons, healers with mana-infused equipment. True to being the best of the top guild, their preparation was swift. Choi Jong-In, who happened to lock eyes with Cha Hae-In for a moment, nodded. Cha Hae-In, who had been inspecting the raid team, nodded as well. It meant all preparations and checks were complete. The elite Hunters from the Surveillance Division had finished getting ready long ago. Having received a report from his subordinate, Woo Jin-Cheol turned around with a grim expression.
"Let's go."
* * *
The road was long. They were moving at the fastest possible speed, but they weren't running. Even among high-rank Hunters, not everyone shared the same running pace. Among them, Cha Hae-In was especially fast. When she made to sprint ahead, Choi Jong-In, who was in front, grabbed her by the wrist.
"What good would it do to go alone, Cha Hunter?" "…"
He understood her desire to rush to Sung Jin-Woo's aid in his moment of danger, but pushing forward like this could put the entire team at risk.
"If we try to keep up with your speed, the whole raid team's pace could fall apart."
Cha Hae-In, who had been standing stiffly, turned back. Woo Jin-Cheol, who had been watching her, murmured softly.
"So the rumors were true." "Hmm?"
At Choi Jong-In's question, Woo Jin-Cheol deflected.
"Ah… it's nothing."
Choi Jong-In furrowed his brow, then looked forward again. A terrifying mana was seeping out from the depths of the Dungeon. He had to keep his wits about him. And the same applied to Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, who had gone inside before them, Choi Jong-In thought.
'Please… let it not be too late…'
Right now, there was nothing he could do for Hunter Sung other than pray for his safety. All they could do was maintain their vigilance and move as fast as possible. But excessive tension could sometimes make one's body sluggish. Choi Jong-In struck up a conversation with Woo Jin-Cheol to ease the tension.
"How did Hunter Sung end up going in there?" "I don't know the details. But based on the accounts of those who reported it, it seemed Hunter Sung Jin-Woo knew it was a Double Dungeon even before entering." "Hmm."
Choi Jong-In's expression grew more serious, and this time Woo Jin-Cheol turned the question back on him.
"Is there something you've picked up on?" "No, not exactly… I just find it peculiar." "Peculiar?" "I've done some research on Hunter Sung myself."
As the master of a guild, Choi Jong-In had an obligation to recruit high-caliber guild members, so it was only natural that he would show considerable interest in Jin-Woo.
"But something similar happened once before, near this very location."
Woo Jin-Cheol knew this well since he had personally investigated the incident. He could tell what Choi Jong-In was about to say. Hunter Sung Jin-Woo had entered a Double Dungeon once before, half a year ago. And now, having had time pass, he had sought out another Double Dungeon on his own. For those who knew the facts, this could never be seen as mere coincidence. True to Woo Jin-Cheol's expectation, Choi Jong-In brought it up.
"A Double Dungeon that most people would be hard-pressed to encounter even once in their entire life—and he's gone in alone, twice, with the second time being of his own accord? Doesn't that strike you as strange?"
Woo Jin-Cheol did not respond. As Choi Jong-In had said, many things about Hunter Sung were shrouded in mystery. The Double Dungeon, the re-awakened, and his unique abilities. But one thing was certain: he was indispensable to the Association—no, to all of Korea. That was why, the moment the Gate containing Hunter Sung was discovered, Woo Jin-Cheol had reached out to the Hunters guild for help before upper management had even given the green light. By any means necessary, Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's safety had to be ensured. Questions could come after. Lost in thought, Woo Jin-Cheol raised his head.
'There it is…'
A distance that would take ordinary Hunters roughly an hour to cover on foot took less than ten minutes at the high-rank Hunters' rapid pace. Before long, the end of the cave was visible far ahead.
"I think we've arrived." "I feel it."
Something terrifying. Choi Jong-In's face had turned rigid as stone. The color was slowly draining from his face. The only small comfort was that he could still sense Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's presence.
'As long as Hunter Sung is safe, we'll be fine.'
With his abilities and the support of the elite Hunters, there was no crisis they couldn't handle, regardless of what monster lurked inside the Dungeon. Carrying that conviction, Choi Jong-In shouted.
"Let's hurry."
The Hunters and the elite agents of the Hunter's Association charged through the massive gate. And what awaited them was a sight none of them had ever witnessed in all their years as Hunters.
"What… what on earth is this?" "What is this place?"
Countless stone statues lay in ruins across the floor. The debris of the statues was scattered and piled everywhere.
"Th… that!"
A Hunter raised his hand. Where his finger pointed, a colossal statue of a deity stood frozen in a posture with both fists clenched, pressing downward. Most striking was its head, half blown away. Woo Jin-Cheol, who had heard the testimonies of the Double Dungeon survivors before, felt his heart pound.
'They were real… the deity statue and the stone figures, they were all real…!'
The survivors had described exactly this. A monster deity statue that could melt C-rank Hunters with its gaze alone, and stone figures whose movements couldn't even be seen. Just as they had said, the traces of a fierce battle were clearly evident everywhere.
'Wait—where is Hunter Sung Jin-Woo?'
All enemies had been eliminated. What mattered now was Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's condition. Looking around for Jin-Woo's presence, Choi Jong-In spotted him.
"He's over there."
Beneath the deity statue's fist, Jin-Woo lay still and quiet, as though he were asleep.
"Hunter Sung!"
The Hunters started to rush over, but this time Cha Hae-In spread both arms to block their path. Woo Jin-Cheol, growing anxious, turned to look at her. Her fine features were drenched in sweat.
"Cha… Hunter?"
Cha Hae-In bit her lip and spoke.
"There's… there's something in there."
Right then. One of the stone statues kneeling beside Jin-Woo slowly rose to its feet. Torn wings and a single remaining arm.
"I have no memory of inviting humans."
The angel statue, now fully standing, surveyed the Hunters who had broken in and curled its lips upward.
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