Chapter 114 – Opportunity (３)

“Is that true?”

“So I hear.”

Around that time, inside the dungeon, they were discussing news from outside.

“No, but still….”

In that situation, Ha Taehyeong was somewhat troubled.

“I know Gijun is talented, but there’s no way he can do anything meaningful in a Level 9 Dungeon.”

The news in question was about Gijun being assigned to the raid.

Ha Taehyeong’s reaction wasn’t out of disbelief in Gijun.

It was concern for him.

“Getting in here isn’t about skill, is it.”

“True enough.”

At Ha Taehyeong’s words, White Wood nodded.

As he said, a Level 9 Dungeon wasn’t a place you entered merely because you were skilled or gifted.

The biggest problem was the Magi that filled the dungeon.

Without considerable Magi resistance, even surviving was impossible.

To raise that resistance, you had no choice but to keep entering dungeons over and over, adapting to the environment itself.

When he thought about it that way, Gijun’s experience was woefully lacking.

Equipment might raise his resistance to some degree, but coming into a Level 9 Dungeon, he would still be far short of the resistance needed.

“Still, they must have decided it’s fine before sending him in.”

“…That may be so, but….”

But at White Wood’s words, Ha Taehyeong fell silent.

When he thought about it, that was true.

Weren’t the Superhumans outside also among the world’s best?

There was no way they didn’t know about Magi resistance.

And yet, if they were letting him inside, it meant their judgment on that point was also complete.

“And frankly, I’m rather looking forward to it.”

White Wood spoke again.

“Ah, right. Since you’ve met him in person….”

White Wood nodded.

“The talent I saw in that young man back then was among the best I’ve ever witnessed. Even my own Disciple, Emily, would seem utterly ordinary standing beside him.”

“…Hah.”

“That’s hard to believe.”

The Superhumans murmured among themselves after hearing White Wood’s words.

They were all members of The Genesis.

Every one of them knew Emily well enough—they understood better than anyone just how extraordinary her talent truly was.

And this wasn’t just anyone saying it; it was White Wood himself.

Setting aside other fields, when it came to magic, he was a man with a gaze more exacting than anyone else in the world.

For that White Wood to offer such high praise meant that talent was beyond any shadow of a doubt.

Ha Taehyeong, too, parted his lips slightly, a soft exhale of surprise escaping him.

He himself had known about Gijun’s ability, but he hadn’t expected White Wood to go this far in his commendation.

“In any case, I’m already curious to see just how much more he’ll grow before he surprises me again.”

White Wood said, letting those words hang in the air.

And now—this moment.

“They say he’ll be entering soon.”

Ha Taehyeong said it flatly.

At his words, a gleam of sharp curiosity flickered in White Wood’s eyes.

“Good. Let’s move.”

They started walking again.

To meet Gijun.

*

“I’ll guide you as far as the First Gate.”

The ones who’d entered alongside Gijun were Superhumans from Hwarang Guild.

At the front of the group stood a man named Han Minjun.

Han Minjun.

A Superhuman who’d been active in Hwarang for nearly a decade.

His name appeared in the media now and then—a fairly well-known Superhuman.

They were reserve forces.

People judged to be still a bit short on skill to belong to the regular raid team and tackle a Level-9 Dungeon.

Even so, they were already among the top-ranked Superhumans in the country—formidable assets anywhere in the world.

Which only showed how high the wall of a Level-9 Dungeon truly was.

“Beyond that, even we’d be in danger.”

Han Minjun said.

At that, Gijun had to silently click his tongue in his own head.

If that man says it’s dangerous, then the Dungeon’s difficulty must be beyond imagination.

“A regular Raid team will meet you near the first gate. We’ll escort you there as safely as possible. Please be careful, Mr. Gijun. The Monsters inside are no joke.”

“Understood.”

Gijun lifted his Staff, his face taut with tension.

Then they began to move.

No Monsters appeared, of course.

The regular Raid members ahead had already cleared every Monster in the vicinity.

Still, they stuck together in case of an unexpected blind spot.

As they moved like that—

Han Minjun thought to himself.

He really is holding up well.

He’d been checking Gijun’s complexion every so often as they walked, but the man showed no sign of strain.

Looks like his talent isn’t just about magic.

A Level-9 Dungeon.

Despite the suffocating Magi that filled every inch of this place, Gijun showed no sign of discomfort whatsoever.

It was a fact that could only be explained by saying he possessed an innately monstrous resistance.

Were there talents like this in the world?

Of course, Han Minjun had never even heard of such a talent, let alone witnessed it.

A Superhuman born with an inborn resistance to Magi?

That was practically a subject for study, wasn’t it?

Truly a fascinating person.

A nameless Superhuman had grown to shake the entire world overnight.

And, as if fate itself had been waiting, he was a prodigy draped in talents others could only dream of—

—talents no one else possessed.

It seemed Han Minjun wasn’t the only one thinking it.

Every Superhuman present kept stealing glances at Gijun, their eyes brimming with undisguised amazement.

*

…Was I too calm?

Gijun felt their stares, of course.

But he couldn’t pretend otherwise.

He had never acted in his life, and he had no confidence he could start now.

Can’t be helped.

The reason Gijun felt no discomfort in this dungeon was, naturally, thanks to Real Spirit.

Through countless Achievements and Equipment, his resistance stats had long since risen dramatically.

He had even clashed directly with a Lord. No matter how thick the Magi of a Level-9 Dungeon might be, it couldn’t touch him now.

Impressive even by my own standards, I guess.

Unlike Gijun, who was perfectly fine, the other Superhumans were already breathing a little harder.

They hadn’t even started fighting yet, which meant the Magi in this dungeon was too heavy for them to simply ignore.

And that makes me even more excited.

He was curious.

Just how far could his power reach?

And if that testing ground was a Level-9 Dungeon, what better environment could there be?

Of course, me solo-carrying this dungeon is out of the question.

Just as Brad had said,

Gijun didn’t entertain the thought that he could finish this dungeon alone.

That was pure greed, after all.

But that didn’t mean he believed he could do nothing, either.

I can definitely pull my weight.

Even if he wasn’t a world-class Superhuman, Gijun knew his power had already far surpassed the level of an ordinary one.

So all that remained was to prove that power again—this time in reality, not in a game.

And I just got my hands on a Lord’s power, too.

The Lord’s power — Authority.

A Skill that granted a phenomenal boost in ability when fighting Magin.

It was almost certain that every Monster in this dungeon was stronger than Gijun by a wide margin.

And many of them would be classified as Magin by nature.

If so, the Skill called Authority he possessed would surely earn its keep in this dungeon.

I want to fight already.

That was what Gijun thought.

He couldn’t wait to fight the monsters inside this dungeon—every second wasted felt like an eternity.

They pressed on, covering a bit more ground.

Roughly an hour of steady travel later.

“There.”

Han Minjun said.

Gijun followed his gaze.

And there, familiar faces came into view.

White Wood. And Ha Taehyeong.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Good to see you.”

Ha Taehyeong and White Wood greeted him.

Gijun stepped forward and exchanged pleasantries.

“Hm?”

Ha Taehyeong cocked his head.

“Your breathing… it seems remarkably steady.”

“Indeed. Not a single hitch in his breath.”

Both men narrowed their eyes, studying him intently.

His mana was undisturbed; his breathing was utterly natural.

No trace of the violent physical reaction the Magi should have triggered.

“How is this possible?”

Ha Taehyeong asked, astonished.

Gijun hesitated, unsure how to explain.

But Han Minjun answered for him.

“It seems he has an innate resistance to Magi.”

“…What?”

“The institute that analyzed the data sent back a similar conclusion. It appears Mr. Gijun has near-perfect immunity to Magi.”

“…Unbelievable.”

Ha Taehyeong and White Wood let out hollow laughs, as if words failed them.

Near-perfect immunity to Magi.

Could such a thing even exist in this world?

No—it must exist, because that monster was standing right in front of them.

The only problem was that this young man was the kind of human who shattered every single piece of knowledge they’d ever held.

‘The more I learn, the more astonishing this kid gets.’

White Wood thought to himself.

He’d been stunned by Gijun’s talent when they first met.

And then amazed by his rate of growth.

And now, this young man had surprised him once again.

Perhaps this talent was even more precious than extraordinary magical aptitude.

After all, immunity to Magi was a resource you could never have enough of in a Level-9 Dungeon raid.

‘And on top of that, his mana shows additional potency against Magin…’

Not just defense—offense too.

Gijun might be the only Superhuman of his kind in the world—so perfectly forged he seemed prepared for this very moment.

‘All that’s left now… is for him to grow stronger.’

Of course, Gijun was already strong, but he needed to become stronger.

Strong enough to pull his weight inside this dungeon.

‘And it might not take all that long.’

If his instincts were right, Gijun would soon rise to become one of the world’s top mages.

‘What a shame.’

A pang of regret welled up inside him.

If only Gijun were American instead of Korean.

If only The Genesis had found him first, instead of Hwarang…

If only he himself could have taken this prodigy under his wing.

‘What a covetable person he is.’

White Wood looked at Gijun like he was about to drip honey from his eyes, to the point where he considered just moving to Korea and living here permanently.

“…Ahem, ahem.”

Ha Taehyeong, catching the intensity of White Wood’s stare, cleared his throat and steered the conversation elsewhere.

“Well, shouldn’t we be getting back on the move?”

“Ah, right… Yes. We can’t waste any more time.”

“Good. Mr. Gijun, are you ready?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Excellent. My heart’s racing, you know. Never thought I’d see you inside this Dungeon…”

With that, Taehyeong extended his fist.

“I’m counting on you.”

Gijun smiled and bumped his own fist against Taehyeong’s.

“That’s my line.”

“Good. Let’s head out right now. From here on, Monsters could pop out at any moment—stay on guard.”

“Yes, understood.”

Gijun nodded.

In that instant, a smile crept unbidden onto his face.

Both Ha Taehyeong and White Wood caught that smile and returned it with subtle, knowing ones of their own.

He’s not tense at all inside this Dungeon.

He’s smiling? How the hell do I even explain that kind of composure…

It meant Gijun already possessed a mental fortitude that surpassed even seasoned veteran Superhumans.

In that moment, any lingering worry or concern they’d held about him vanished entirely.

And so they began to move.

Heading toward the Second Gate, where the other Superhumans would be waiting.