Chapter 113 – Opportunity (２)

‘Why is she calling…?’

Jun lifted the smartphone with a slightly bewildered expression.

It didn’t make sense.

He couldn’t fathom any reason Woo Jimin, who was in Siberia right now, would be reaching out to him.

Could something bad have happened?

That uneasy thought even flickered through his mind.

Still, he had to answer the call.

And the moment he pressed the call button, Jimin’s urgent voice came through.

[Mr. Jun!]

“Yes. What’s going on?”

Her voice was frantic.

[Can you get over here right now?]

“What?”

His tone betrayed his surprise.

Come to Siberia out of the blue?

But instead of hesitation, Jun’s face actually brightened.

He’d been wanting to go to the Level-9 Dungeon anyway.

He wanted to see for himself what that crimson light flowing out of it really was.

And now Jimin was calling him in.

For him, this couldn’t have been a better turn of events.

“Understood.”

Jun answered again.

[Thank you. There should be a Gate waiting at the guild.]

“Got it.”

Jun replied and rose to his feet.

*

A short while ago, in Siberia.

Several people with grave expressions were talking amongst themselves there.

“Is that true?”

“Yes. The mages’ spells are barely scratching the monsters. It’s not that they’re dealing no damage at all — but even White Wood’s magic has dropped to less than half its full power.”

“What the hell is going on?”

“Nothing’s been confirmed yet, but it seems there’s some kind of unknown barrier covering the monsters’ bodies.”

“…I see….”

It was because of the report that had just come in from inside the dungeon.

From the start, it had been clear the monsters weren’t pushovers, but the deeper they pushed into the dungeon, the more monstrous the creatures’ resistance became — far beyond anything they’d imagined.

Especially their incredible resistance to magic.

And because of that, the mages’ firepower had plummeted.

With the party’s core damage dealers — the mages — losing their punch, clearing the dungeon had become even more brutal.

The tank line and the healers were burning out fast too.

“This is a tough spot. In the worst case, we might have to pull every Superhuman back.”

“Probably. The Superhumans in there right now are the best in the world. If any of them gets hurt or dies… that wouldn’t just be a guild problem — it’d become a problem for the whole world.”

Everyone knew that.

The value of each and every Superhuman in there was beyond what money could measure.

If even one of them died, it would pose a grave threat to humanity’s safety — that was just plain obvious.

So taking the blame for failing to clear the dungeon was a hundred, a thousand times better than letting them get hurt or killed.

No — it would be incomparably better.

But then, a surprising piece of news arrived.

“Take a look at this.”

Woo Jimin brought something over to them.

“What is this?”

Brad, the Guild Master of The Genesis, asked.

“It’s the analysis data from the Magin outbreak incident that happened in the Republic of Korea a while back.”

“Ah, you mean the one where Emily fought too?”

Of course they knew about that incident.

Since it was a battle White Wood’s prized Disciple, Emily, had taken part in, Brad had been keeping a close eye on it.

And the analysis data from that incident had just arrived in Siberia.

“There are some pretty astonishing results in there.”

“…Let’s see it first.”

Everyone present began reading through the analysis data.

And as they read, astonishment began to dawn on their faces.

“…This is….”

“Incredible.”

“Is this about that mage, Baek Gijun?”

“Yes.”

What had stunned them all was the data on Gijun.

“Yes. It’s possible we might actually have the key to this dungeon.”

It was Woo Jimin who spoke.

“Unbelievable.”

“How is this even possible?”

Brad too was blinking in sheer amazement.

“This kid’s something else.”

It was a genuine word of admiration.

Gijun’s data was pointing at one particular thing.

That he was dealing special damage against Magin.

When he compared the mana Gijun had released against the damage inflicted on the Magin around him, the figures fell so far outside common sense that they didn’t seem to belong to the same equation. The damage dealt dwarfed what the mana output should have been capable of producing.

“How is something like this even possible?”

“….”

No one could answer Brad’s question.

Because, as he’d said, it was outside common sense.

The report itself said as much.

The cause was still under analysis, they hadn’t pinned it down yet.

But one thing was clear.

There was no way this data was false.

Everyone knew Hwarang’s analytical capabilities were among the best of any guild in the world.

“…It wouldn’t hurt to place some hope in him, would it?”

In response to Brad’s question, Woo Jimin nodded with a confident face.

“Actually, I’ve already called him in. He should be arriving soon.”

“Good. It really is an unbelievable thing.”

Brad muttered those words again.

At the same time, he looked over the data Jimin had brought once more.

Of course, they both knew.

Gijun alone wasn’t enough to decide the success or failure of this raid.

He’d definitely grown stronger, but the upper-rank Magin he’d taken down wasn’t particularly powerful compared to the monsters swarming inside that dungeon.

So, there was only one thing they were hoping for.

“It’s an investment in the future.”

“Right. Growing a mage with abilities like that as fast as possible is more important than anything.”

That was exactly it.

Growing Gijun quickly.

The fastest way for a Superhuman to grow was, as always, through a Dungeon.

The stronger the Dungeon, and the better the comrades they fought alongside, the faster a Superhuman could advance.

“And on top of that, his talent is top-tier.”

If you added Gijun’s exceptional talent to that equation, he’d grow strong faster than just about anyone.

“And when this man grows into a top-tier mage, humanity will be able to leap forward to a whole new dimension.”

If Gijun climbed to a position where no one could argue against his standing at the top…

Their plan was to reform a party around him then and take on a Level 9 Dungeon.

Of course, no one knew how long that would take.

At the very least, a few years.

At most, it could take over a decade.

But that was fine.

No matter how long it took, for a talent like this to appear in this era was an enormous blessing for humanity.

And now.

“Looks like he’s arrived.”

Woo Jimin said.

Gijun’s voice was currently coming through her smartwatch.

*

‘So it finally happened.’

Gijun thought.

What he’d only imagined was now reality.

Even though Gijun hadn’t actively stepped up to make it happen, it had happened anyway.

“You’ve arrived.”

When Gijun got there, a single Hwarang Guild Member was waiting for him in front of the makeshift Portal Gate.

“This way, please.”

He led Gijun somewhere.

About five minutes after he started following the man.

“Mr. Gijun!”

He heard Woo Jimin’s voice from over there.

Besides Jimin, Brad and several others were gathered there.

‘Huuuh….’

Gijun steadied his breath.

Wasn’t this a moment to be tense?

A Level 9 Dungeon.

The kind of thing he’d never even dared to imagine, now unfolding before him.

“Thanks for coming.”

Woo Jimin spoke first.

Then she gave Gijun a concise rundown of the situation.

What had happened inside the dungeon, and why they’d called him in.

“So that’s how it is.”

Gijun nodded, as if it all made sense now.

His Light attribute.

He could see now that it was because of that power he’d been brought here.

Who would’ve thought things would turn out like this?

Who could have imagined that a Magin assault would lead to something like this?

The timing was perfect, too.

Good thing he’d been heading to the guild just then.

If he hadn’t timed it that way, he might have missed this opportunity entirely.

It almost felt like heaven itself was lending him a hand.

“Good to meet you.”

Someone extended a hand to Gijun.

Brad.

“Pleasure to meet you.”

Gijun clasped his hand in return.

“That friend of mine, White Wood, couldn’t stop singing your praises. I’ve been wanting to meet you in person myself, and here we are.”

“I’ve wanted to meet you too.”

Gijun said.

It was only natural.

Brad was one of the most famous Superhumans in the world.

Like Woo Jimin, he hadn’t fought directly in a while, but his skill was undeniable—the best, acknowledged by everyone.

Gijun had once looked up to the legacy Brad left behind, nurturing his own dreams.

Even though Brad was a Knight Class, not a mage, those flashy, powerful battle scenes were still etched deep in Gijun’s memory.

“May I take over the explanation from here?”

Brad asked Woo Jimin for permission, and she nodded.

“Thanks. You’ve probably gathered the gist of it, but we need that mysterious power of yours. Not that we expect you to clear this Raid right away—we’ve got a conscience.”

Gijun nodded silently.

“There’s no need for you to push yourself too hard either. What we want isn’t an immediate dungeon clear. It’s your growth. Regrettable as it is, our conclusion is that for a Level-9 Dungeon clear, we have to look to the more distant future.”

Brad met Gijun’s eyes.

His expression asked if Gijun understood.

Gijun nodded.

It only made sense, when he thought about it.

Even the world’s top Superhumans were stuck, unable to clear this place.

Imagining that Gijun, in that situation, would clear a dungeon of this absurd difficulty was a ridiculous fantasy.

Of course, Gijun wasn’t thinking that either.

He knew full well it was impossible.

But Gijun had two goals.

To uncover the identity of that red light reportedly detected inside the dungeon.

And to grow by working alongside the world’s best Superhumans in a Level-9 Dungeon.

This experience would become a tremendous catalyst for Gijun.

By the time this dungeon raid ended, Gijun was certain he would have grown — not just by a step, but beyond anything he could measure against his present self.

“Leave it to me. I’ll give it everything I have.”

At Gijun’s words, Brad smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.

Then Woo Jimin approached Gijun again.

“Mr. Gijun. Follow me this way. I’ve arranged some equipment for you to wear — quickly, but it should suffice.”

“Ah, understood.”

Gijun moved with Woo Jimin.

“You can do this, can’t you?”

Woo Jimin asked as they walked.

Her voice was brimming with anticipation.

“Brad said what he said, but I have my own hopes for you, Mr. Gijun. I expect you’ll astonish us all again this time.”

“….”

She meant every word.

Hadn’t Gijun always been the one to shake the world?

So Woo Jimin naturally believed he would shake it once more.

It meant she held infinite trust in him.

Gijun smiled back at her.

“Maybe.”