Chapter 25

25. Dungeon

Ko Byeong-gap lost his mind for a very short time, and then when his dark vision returned to normal after five to six seconds, he wanted to deny reality.

“Fuck…”

They were in a dark underground labyrinth. There were torches that lit a feeble light. His front and rear showed a passageway that he couldn’t see the end of.

From any angle, it was obvious that it wasn’t an ordinary Back World.

“Dungeon…”

Yes, that was a special crack called a dungeon.

‘Shit!’

Ko Byeong-gap bit his lips. Fragments of memories that seemed like hell crossed his mind.

He looked back reflexively. The escape portal was nowhere to be seen, which was natural. The only way to escape a dungeon was to eliminate the boss monster.

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The hunters who came in before Ko Byeong-gap also seemed tired. Anxiety lingered in his eyes, and his hand that held his weapon trembled pathetically.

“Shh!”

The woman equipped with a Hwando signaled and held Ko Byeong-gap on the shoulder, which meant for him to be quiet.

She said in a whisper, “Don’t make any noise.”

Ko Byeong-gap answered with a nod. The woman beckoned and gathered the people. Five of them put their heads together, close enough to reach each other’s breath if they spoke.

“Dungeon.”

“Gee, I know.”

The woman’s voice was calm. On the contrary, he could feel the tremor in the voice of the middle-aged man with a beard.

“A dungeon?”

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The young man with a youthful impression asked a question in bewilderment.

Ko Byeong-gap glanced at the young man. The equipment he wore was tight and short. His eyes looked blurry, like he had a long way to go.

‘He’s a newbie.’

It was just a guess, but he was a human who had just become a hunter.

“To put it simply, Crack. It’s usually called a dungeon, and some people call it a Black Crack.”

“Black Crack?”

“It is named so because it looks black, unlike other cracks.”

“Ha, but it isn’t black, is it? It’s obviously blue…”

“It means it’s not mature yet.”

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Ko Byeong-gap cut off the young man’s words. People’s attention was drawn to him naturally.

He continued in a low voice, “We went in less than an hour after the crack broke out. So it’s going to take a couple of hours at the earliest for it to copy the surface.”

“His explanation is correct. The dungeon looks exactly like any crack in the early days. That’s why it’s even more dangerous.”

“Oh, how dangerous is that? Is it very dangerous?”

The woman took a moment to answer.

“Dungeons are different in size from ordinary cracks. I can’t even imagine how many monsters there would be. There’s no telling if there’s a thousand or two thousand.”

“A thou… A thou… A thousand?!!” The young man’s mouth dropped open.

“But it’s weird, isn’t it? I’ve never even heard of a D-rank dungeon in my life. A dungeon is a phenomenon that usually occurs in the upper cracks above this rank.”

The bearded middle-aged man’s comment was correct. Special cracks named dungeons were a phenomenon that only appeared in the top ranks. There had never been a precedent for a dungeon in the lower ranks.

“That’s right. There’s no dungeon in the lower ranks. At least as far as I know.”

“No, so what the hell is going on?”

“It’s…” The woman swallowed her words with a troubled face. Except for Ko Byeong-gap, the hunters waited for the woman’s answer with a nervous face.

“Well, don’t hesitate to speak!” The middle-aged man with a beard urged. Suddenly, Ko Byeong-gap spoke on behalf of the woman.

“There are two possibilities.”

“What?”

“The association may have miscalculated the rank of the crack, or mutations in the dungeon are still underway.”

Ko Byeong-gap habitually looked for a cigarette, but he didn’t smoke it. In that situation, smoking cigarettes was, at best, suicidal.

He sighed a little and then said, “There are a few cases where the association miscalculates the rank, but it’s unlikely. Maybe the crack is still mutating.”

“What do you mean?”

“I told you. The crack is still young. In other words, this dungeon is unfinished. I’m sure the ranking is going up even at this moment.”

“Complete or unfinished, the dungeon remains the same, right?”

“That’s true. Fortunately, they would be able to detect abnormalities outside in a few hours.”

“Wow!” The young man’s complexion brightened up.

“Well, then, a rescue team will be here in a few hours!”

“…”

No one answered the young man’s question. The woman, the middle-aged bearded man, and the skinny man with a cold impression. Everyone looked glum. The young man soon sensed the strange air current.

“Ah, what’s wrong with you all? Nooo, say something, anyone!”

“Sigh.”

After a deep sigh, Ko Byeong-gap opened his mouth and said, “We’re going to have to be stuck here for at least a couple of days.”

“What? Oh, how many hours did you say earlier?”

“Time in a dungeon flows 24 times slower than the outside world. You don’t even know the basics?”

The young man turned mute. He looked like he didn’t want to believe it.

“An hour here is a day outside. It’ll take a couple of hours at the earliest to figure out what’s going on over here for them to send A-class hunters. It’s two or three hours over there, so it’s going to be about forty or fifty here.”

“Forty or fifty hours?”

“It’s forty and fifty hours when things work out. So maybe we have to stay here for more than five days.”

“Ahhh…”

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The young man staggered and eventually sat down. The skinny man with a sharp impression remained silent and asked the woman, “What are you going to do? You are our leader, so make your decisions.”

“Well…” The woman bit her lower lip and was lost in thought. The young man was frustrated, and the middle-aged bearded man rustled his hair as he pointed along the hallway.

Ko Byeong-gap looked at the four people with a glance and stepped back.

‘If I take them to Ashvilam, they will survive.’

If he took everyone to Ashvilam, they wouldn’t have to worry about dying at the moment. Moreover, the time there was the same as outside, so it would only take a few hours.

“The problem is…”

However, there was one thing on his mind. Was it okay to let others know about Ashvilam’s existence?

Ko Byeong-gap didn’t want to do that. There were many reasons for that. To be honest, there were also childish affections such as possessiveness and monopolistic desire, but before that, he was worried.

Ashvilam, Goblin Lord, and the Ancient Shop.

What if a huge organization like the government was made aware of it? They would probably abuse it by all means.

Although a bit extreme, they might even catch Ko Byeong-gap and do some human experiments on him. There was no guarantee that they would keep their mouths shut, was there?

‘At least I have to keep it a secret until I can protect myself.’

Even if they knew and a large organization approached Ko Byeong-gap, he thought he should be able to stand in a position of superiority.

To do so, he should at least be an A-class… No, he had to be S-class or higher.

‘Taking refuge in Ashvilam will be my last resort. For now, let’s find another way.’

Ko Byeong-gap made up his mind. If he didn’t mind, he could just leave the group and take refuge alone.

“Everyone, gather around.”

The woman gathered the people, and the young man reacted as if he had come down a rope. The middle-aged bearded man stared into the distance and walked slowly.

“It would be good to introduce myself first. I’m Yeom Jeong-hwa, a B-class hunter.”

“C-class, Park Soo-tae.”

“I’m Choi Min-young. My class is C.”

“Jo Young-hoon. I’m C-class.”

‘I think they’re in the same guild. Is it their first time seeing each other?’

They didn’t seem to be very close.

“Are you all in the same guild?”

“Yes, we’re all members of the Prose Guild.”

‘Hmm. It can happen if you’re a big guild.’

Large guilds had hundreds of hunters. So it wasn’t strange not to know each other. Ko Byeong-gap nodded and introduced himself.

“I’m a D-class Hunter.”

“Is that all you’re armed with?”

Jo Young-hoon immediately asked a question. His tone felt stiff because of his cold impression. Ko Byeong-gap understood his intentions at once. He was asking if a low-level hunter like him entered the crack without a gun.

“Yes, that’s all.”

“…”

“Huh. You’re a mosquito…” Park Soo-tae murmured quietly. Ko Byeong-gap heard it but deliberately pretended not to hear. He didn’t want to have an emotional fight.

“So, you’re a B-class. What are you going to do?”

“Let’s move forward. I’ll be at the forefront.”

“We’re moving?” Choi Min-young shouted in surprise.

Yeom Jeong-hwa hurriedly closed Choi Min-young’s mouth and said, “Please be quiet. Don’t make loud noises.”

“Huh! Ugh!”

Choi Min-young barely nodded. Yeom Jeong-hwa continued without losing her composure.

“First, we need to find a place to hide. Even if we have to sit down, we have to do it. We’re more likely to be surrounded in a place like this.”

She was right. Their current location was at the heart of an elongated passage. They were vulnerable in the front and back, so if the enemy pushed in from both sides, there was no answer.

“Soo-tae and Young-hoon, please cover me from behind. Byeong-gap and Min-young, please stand in the back and guard the rear.”

After she pulled out her sword, she added as if to plead, “Don’t shoot unless it’s really urgent. I’ll take care of everything. Follow me about ten steps apart.”

Yeom Jeong-hwa took the lead with a determined spirit.

***

“Argh!”

“Kegigi geek! Kegigigigeek!”

“Humph!”

There was a saying that reality was harsh. It was wrong.

Reality was always cruel.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

Tada tada tada tada!

Choi Min-young went on a shooting rampage. His eyes were already loose.

“Don’t shoot, you son of a bitch!”

Ko Byeong-gap got angry and kicked Choi Min-young in the stomach, then he collapsed to the floor and grabbed his stomach.

“Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough!”

“Oh my God, where are these bastards coming from?”

That was the beginning of the incident. The subjugation squad, led by Yeom Jeong-hwa, fled in secrecy.

While passing through a deep passage, they encountered several monsters. At that time, Yeom Jeong-hwa finished them without a word.

It went very smoothly. After passing through the passage, they came across a huge space. It was like a palace built underground.

The subjugation squad moved slowly and steadily. Suddenly, they got into a close battle with a group of monsters. There weren’t that many monsters. It was a level that Yeom Jeong-hwa could handle alone.

She stopped the others and quietly dealt with the monsters. However, with Yeom Jeong-hwa out of the ranks, a surprise attack came in from the back.

Ko Byeong-gap immediately reacted and swung his sword.

“Stay still! I’ll take care of it!”

And even though he showed that. What happened was…

Frightened, Choi Min-young froze and started shooting, and not just one, but ten!

Since the gunfire was heard, a swarm of monsters flocked in about 50-60.

Park Soo-tae and Jo Young-hoon faced the monsters somehow with auxiliary weapons. Even though it wasn’t as efficient as Yeom Jeong-hwa or Ko Byeong-gap, it was at the level that enabled them to protect themselves.

Ko Byeong-gap constantly moved and cut down the crowd of monsters. Although there were many, he could handle it because they were between F to D-class.

“Did this guy cheat his D-class ranking?”

“Huh, is he really D-class? That’s ridiculous!”

Jo Young-hoon and Park Soo-tae couldn’t keep their mouths shut while they watched Ko Byung-gap’s sword dance.

Compared to Yeom Jeong-hwa, he was never pushed back. No, his destructive power may be a little lower, but he was better than Yeom Jeong-hwa in terms of body movements.

Yeom Jeong-hwa was also impressed by Ko Byeong-gap as he dealt with the monsters.

‘What’s going on? I’m sure there was nothing special about his Karma.’

She was curious, but she decided to put it on hold for the meantime. There was a mountain of enemies to deal with.

Except for Choi Min-young, the others struggled and fought against the monsters. Finally, after a while, they killed all the enemies.

Of course, Yeom Jeong-hwa and Ko Byeong-gap’s contribution was over 90%.

“Haha, amazing!”

Park Soo-tae clasped one of his bloodied arms and moaned. Jo Young-hoon was also not in good shape. Yeom Jeong-hwa took a potion out of her backpack and healed the two.

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On the contrary, Choi Min-young’s body was clean since he hid in the back and crouched down.

‘That motherfucker!’

Ko Byeong-gap approached and grabbed him by the collar, then said, “Hey, you son of a bitch! If you’re going to do stuff like that, go bite your tongue alone! How dare you put someone else’s life on the line?”

“Humph! Humph!”

Choi Min-young squeezed his tears out. Yeom Jeong-hwa ran quickly and stopped him.

“Mr. Byeong-gap. Be patient. This person. He is already in a panic.”

“Damn it!”

Ko Byeong-gap nervously laid Choi Min-young’s collar. He couldn’t believe they gave such a coward a Hunter’s license. It was a weird country, after all.

“Mr. Byeong-gap, you should get treatment soon, too.”

“I’m good.”

Ko Byeong-gap’s body was clean. It was thanks to the recovery ability from the Ancient Ki-breathing Textbook.

Yeom Jeong-hwa’s eyes widened as she looked at his body.

‘He dealt with so many monsters, and he doesn’t have a single wound? Isn’t he also a lower awakener?’

Ko Byeong-gap looked around him and concentrated on his nerves. No monster could be seen in their vicinity, but he felt a turbulent movement not far away.

The monsters noticed the presence of intruders.

‘If we stood still, the monsters would come at us again. I’m sure all the monsters in this labyrinth are already moving.’ Ko Byeong-gap thought, then shook the blood off of his sword.

“There’s no time to lose. Stand up, everyone. We have to go get the dungeon boss.”