Chapter 12 – This Is １st Circle? (３)

‘I wonder if Oppa¹‘s doing okay.’

Around that time, Jiyun, who had just finished clearing a dungeon raid, thought of Gijun.

She too knew that today was Gijun’s first raid, and she couldn’t help but feel both anticipation and worry.

‘I hope he does well.’

Baek Gijun.

During their Academy days, Gijun had been Jiyun’s idol.

And not just hers alone.

Until word got out that he suffered from Mana Circle Formation Disorder, nearly the whole Academy had followed Gijun.

Tall and striking, warm-hearted, and prodigiously skilled.

He was the kind of person you couldn’t help but adore.

Then one day, the idol fell.

For Jiyun too, it felt like the sky was caving in.

Many turned their backs on him that day—but not Jiyun.

The fact that she was the only Academy graduate who still kept in touch with Gijun was also thanks to her own effort.

“Miss Jiyun. You worked hard today.”

As Jiyun was lost in thought about Gijun, her teammates spoke up.

“Ah, everyone worked hard. Thank you.”

“We were thinking of grabbing a bite. Want to join us?”

At the teammate’s question, Jiyun shook her head.

“No, I have somewhere to be right now. Let’s eat another time.”

“Is that so? All right.”

Jiyun stripped off her gear and climbed into her car.

Then she turned the ignition.

Gijun Oppa’s raid today is…

Jiyun’s destination was the Red Goblin Dungeon.

The very place where Gijun’s raid was underway.

It was the first Hwarang Raid for the person she admired and respected most.

If she didn’t congratulate him, who would?

Of course. I have to go and celebrate with him.

Jiyun touched up her makeup, checking her reflection in the rearview mirror.

*

Moving alongside Gijun, Ha Seol spoke.

“That’s really incredible. I heard you can’t weave Circles together—how on earth did you overcome that…”

Ha Seol looked at Gijun with eyes full of genuine admiration.

“There’s no precedent for this in the whole world, is there? At this level?”

“Probably… you think so? Even I find it amazing myself.”

Gijun replied nonchalantly.

It was an obvious question, and also because he figured explaining would only tire him out more.

She was right.

There truly was no precedent for this.

In fact, those with Mana Heart Formation Disorder were the rarest of the rare, and even the cases that had been researched were few and far between.

Debating whether it was even possible would be meaningless, anyway.

That was when—

Kee-ree-ree-reek!

The cry of a Red Goblin echoed from up ahead.

“Just leave it to me.”

With those words, Ha Seol readied her shield again.

She blocked the monsters’ attacks.

Then a Fireball flew toward the goblins and exploded.

It was over in an instant.

Ha Seol couldn’t help but keep gasping in awe.

All gone.

The Red Goblins that had swarmed them were reduced to ashes, wiped out entirely after two volleys of Fireballs.

She’d seen it several times already, but it was still a sight hard to believe.

“Wow… I’m not just buttering you up, but I think we might see you on the news before long, Senior Gijun.”

Gijun didn’t disagree with her sentiment.

Well, maybe Ha Seol was laying it on a bit thick to praise him.

But when Gijun coolly assessed his own situation, he was certain it wasn’t a distant possibility.

It’s just a matter of time.

“It’s only a matter of time.”

“That’s exactly the right word for it.”

Just then, as the two of them were talking—

Gijun’s gaze shifted.

Huh…?

From an empty patch of nothing, an unfamiliar energy pricked at his senses.

Magi — densely compressed, potent.

“What’s wrong?” Ha Seol asked.

“Hold on.”

At the sudden tension in Gijun’s face, Ha Seol’s expression faltered. She turned her head to follow his line of sight — but her face still showed she sensed nothing.

“Wait a second,” she said, frowning.

“Maybe… we’re about to get some praise.”

“Praise?” she echoed, bewildered.

“Because it looks like a Dungeon Break is about to happen.”

“A… Dungeon Break?” She choked on the words.

“Contact headquarters. Right now.”

“R-right! Got it!”

Ha Seol hurriedly tapped the smart watch strapped to her wrist.

“Dungeon number KR-RG2 — signs of a Dungeon Break detected. Requesting support!” she blurted.

[Standby personnel identified. Sending immediately.]

A response arrived from the guild almost at once.

“But… a Dungeon Break…”

Ha Seol’s face still showed she had no clue what was happening.

And now.

BOOOOOM!

A thunderous roar erupted from the direction Gijun had been staring at.

Only then did Ha Seol’s eyes go wide—nearly popping out of her head.

“Wh-whoa… Holy shit! How did you know? Jeeeesus!”

As expected, it was all thanks to Gijun’s talent.

No one was more sensitive to Mana than him.

That was why he could pick up on even the tiniest shift in Mana flow.

Fucking insane.

Gijun breathed a sigh of relief.

Who would’ve thought they’d run into a Dungeon Break here of all places!

A Dungeon Break.

It was one of those unexpected disasters that could erupt inside a Dungeon.

The cause of a Dungeon Break hadn’t been clearly identified.

It was basically the same as a natural disaster.

If a Dungeon Break occurred and they failed to resolve the internal issue, the Monsters inside could spill out and attack civilians.

To prevent such a catastrophe, the government assigned each guild the Dungeons they were required to clear.

So just by detecting a Dungeon Break early and reporting it, they’d already earned plenty of praise.

“But of all places, a Dungeon Break happening right here.”

For Gijun, this couldn’t be better news.

Of course, it’s not over yet.

“What comes next is what matters.”

When a Dungeon Break occurs, two outcomes branch from it.

First, a Monster Wave.

Second, the Boss Monster’s emergence.

A Monster Wave is tricky.

You have to evacuate immediately.

It’s a natural disaster that calls for mobilizing every nearby Superhuman.

But a Boss emergence is different.

If you can just take down the Boss Monster…

“Jackpot.”

Jackpot.

No phrase could fit better than that.

“This Dungeon doesn’t even have a Boss Monster.”

Not every Dungeon has a Boss Monster, after all.

This current Dungeon is one of those without one.

That’s why they leave it to trainees barely past apprentice level.

But if a Boss Monster showed up here, that would change everything.

It was a chance to rack up merit and rake in big money all at once.

Jun stared ahead, his heart hammering.

‘So, what is it?’

A Dungeon Break, stumbled upon by sheer luck.

What would follow—a Monster Wave, or a Boss Monster’s appearance?

If it was a Monster Wave, countless monsters would pour out in an instant, more than he could count.

But a Boss Monster was different.

Whether it was a Wave or a Boss, you could tell the moment the Break happened.

And then, the space split open.

A jagged crack tore through the air.

An eerie noise followed, reverberating through the silence.

A moment later, a massive hand clawed its way out of the fissure.

‘It’s here.’

This was the jackpot.

‘Nice!’

Jun breathed a sigh of relief—no, of triumph.

A real Boss Monster had actually shown up!

His breath came rough and fast.

‘I’m meeting a Boss? On my very first Raid?’

This was something Jun had never experienced before.

Sure, even small guilds had encountered Bosses.

But almost nothing ever trickled down to Jun.

For an ordinary Player, or a small guild, hunting a Boss Monster was nothing short of a miracle.

‘Of course, I’ll need contribution points.’

Even discovering a Boss Monster meant nothing if you didn’t contribute to taking it down—the rewards would be a distant dream.

You might get a fixed compensation fee, but that was barely enough for gas money.

But if you actually contributed to the hunt, that was a different story.

The payout started at tens of millions of won.

All thanks to the Magic Crystals and the various byproducts the Boss Monster spat out.

Every single one was a priceless material used to craft equipment.

Then, Ha Seol spoke.

“We need to fall back for now. I’ve sent word—once the others arrive…”

“Why don’t we do it ourselves?”

Jun cut her off mid-sentence.

Her plan was sound, but greed had taken root in Jun.

He didn’t want to let this incredible opportunity slip away.

Wasn’t this the perfect chance to prove his skills and rake in a fortune at the same time?

‘I can soar.’

Jun was certain of it.

If he grabbed this opportunity firmly, he could take a massive leap forward.

Wasn’t that right?

After all, this was a chance to prove he had the firepower to take down a Boss Monster!

“But…”

Ha Seol hesitated.

She had just graduated from the Academy—there was no way she’d ever faced a Boss Monster before.

“We can do it.”

But Jun was just as resolute.

These weren’t empty words.

He genuinely believed it was possible.

He had seen Ha Seol with his own eyes.

Her skills were outstanding.

With the two of them together, they could definitely hold that thing off.

There was no reason not to try.

He swore to himself, again and again—he would devour that bastard and soar.

Then, Ha Seol’s smartwatch lit up.

A message had arrived.

[Superhumans arriving in 10 minutes.]

“They said a Superhuman will be dispatched in ten minutes! Looks like one was nearby.”

“Good. Let’s try handling it ourselves first. Trust me on this.”

“…Got it!”

Ha Seol conceded to Gijun’s words after a moment.

She had her own confidence in her abilities.

And she wanted to give it a shot.

‘Master Gijun’s skills are solid too.’

Then it happened.

Crack—!

The fissure yawned wider, and at last the Boss Monster showed itself.

Its true form was a blood-colored Goblin.

Its skin was far redder than the Crimson Goblins, and it was armed with a massive axe and thick armor.

‘Perfect.’

The moment he laid eyes on the creature, Gijun clenched his fists.

‘The matchup’s good.’

It was the right kind of enemy for Ha Seol, the Tanker, to hold.

If it had been quick on its feet or used magic or ranged attacks, Ha Seol would’ve been too distracted worrying about Gijun to tank properly.

But an enemy wielding a melee weapon, slowed by heavy armor?

A foe she could focus on tanking completely.

Then light flowed from her Shield, wrapping around Gijun’s body.

A HoT and a defense boost Buff.

No wonder she’d been recruited by the Hwarang Guild.

A Tanker with Support skills like this at just twenty years old.

After casting a few Buffs on herself, Ha Seol moved toward the Blood Goblin.

In an instant, the Blood Goblin’s club slammed into her Shield.

Craaack!

An unbelievable roar exploded in the air.

But it wasn’t just the noise.

A colossal shockwave she’d never felt before coursed through her entire body.

“!!”

Ha Seol’s eyes went wide.

In that instant, terror seized her.

An absurd, gut-wrenching fear.

The horrible dread that she might actually die.

It was the first time she’d ever felt the fear of death in a Dungeon.

Then, from behind her, Gijun’s voice rang out.

“Snap out of it!”

It wasn’t the gentle voice he’d used moments ago.

But it jolted Ha Seol back to her senses.

‘!!!’

She hurriedly raised her Shield.

The creature’s club was swinging toward her again.

Bam!

She caught the massive club crashing down at her with her Shield.

The impact was still just as brutal.

But Ha Seol steeled herself again.

‘I’m not alone.’

Right.

Behind her was a mage named Baek Gijun.

Even though they’d only just met today, she felt an inexplicable trust and strength from that name.

It was an emotion she could hardly believe herself, but the Boss Monster no longer scared her.

1. Oppa — an affectionate term a younger woman uses for an older man she is close to; literally “older brother.”