Chapter 119 – Proof (５)

‘Am I doing the right thing?’

After sending Gijun into that Level-9 Dungeon, Woo Jimin hadn’t been able to rest at all.

Her expectations for him were high, that was true—but this time, she couldn’t help worrying.

That anxiety had started the moment Gijun stepped inside.

It felt like sending a young child near deep water.

Of course, White Wood and Ha Taehyeong—Superhumans she trusted deeply—were in there with him. But the problem was that she couldn’t see it with her own eyes.

‘Did I push him too hard?’

The thought crept in.

Had her own ambition thrown Gijun into reckless danger?

It wasn’t as if such cases were rare.

Promising talents sometimes lost their edge because they were crushed under expectations.

Still, she didn’t think Gijun was the type to break easily.

From everything she’d seen, he wasn’t a man who’d buckle under hardship or obstacles.

‘But still…’

The Superhumans inside were the best in the world.

Beside their brilliance, Gijun’s contributions could easily be overshadowed.

So the thought flickered through her mind—what if, just maybe, Gijun ended up losing his nerve?

‘No, that’s not right. What kind of nonsense was that….’

But then Woo Jimin shook her head.

Gijun wasn’t the type to let something like that get him down, was he?

And then it happened.

“Guild Master.”

Someone was looking for her.

“Yes?”

“The data just collected from inside has been transmitted.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. The other Guild Masters and the Research Institute Director are all reviewing it together over there.”

“Got it. I’ll head over.”

Woo Jimin rose and moved.

As she made her way to the camp where the Guild Masters and each guild’s research directors had gathered, she felt a peculiar atmosphere in the air.

Everyone was staring at the data just transmitted from inside the Dungeon, faces alight with barely contained excitement.

The moment she caught their reactions, Woo Jimin knew instinctively.

‘He’s caused another incident.’

That was the reason for the strange thrill bleeding through their expressions.

‘Baek Gijun, this guy….’

In that instant, a smile tugged at Woo Jimin’s lips.

And once again, the thought of her own pointless worry vanished completely.

Beyond that, she found herself apologizing inwardly.

For the sin of not trusting Gijun yet again.

“You’re here.”

Brad, who had spotted Woo Jimin, spoke up.

“This might just be an incredible stroke of luck for Hwarang.”

Just as I thought!

It was obvious who Brad was talking about, even without him saying a name.

“Go ahead and take a look.”

Brad beckoned Woo Jimin to stand beside him.

She moved to his side and examined the fully analyzed data.

Her jaw dropped as she scanned it.

“What the hell is th—”

The content of the transmitted data exceeded everything she’d imagined.

“They’re saying it’s at a level where he could be deployed as a full combat asset immediately with no issues.”

“…Does that even make sense?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

It was Ha Taehyeong’s assessment as the party leader.

Proof that Gijun was already more than fit for the front lines.

There was no way that was just Taehyeong’s biased judgment colored by personal feelings.

Ha Taehyeong only synthesized opinions; he had no authority to unilaterally author the report compiled from them.

Even the evaluation from White Wood, attached beneath it, was equally remarkable.

White Wood was convinced that if Gijun kept growing at his current pace within the next year, humanity would surely overcome the 9th-Level Dungeon’s impasse.

“This is insane.”

Woo Jimin pressed a hand to her forehead.

She never expected him to send back results of this caliber.

And it felt suffocating.

A desire to leap into the Dungeon herself surged up from deep within her chest.

It seemed Brad felt the same.

He was chewing his lip raw.

Their eyes met in that moment.

Realizing they were thinking the same thing, they both let out a short, breathy laugh.

“Anyway… it looks like we’ve made an extraordinary discovery.”

“Indeed.”

“All right, then. We’ve got our own work to do.”

“Yeah.”

At Woo Jimin’s words, everyone gathered there nodded.

Their task was simple.

Based on the data sent from inside, they had to predict the Dungeon’s progression as accurately as possible and extract any information that could help the Superhumans within—even a little.

“Let’s remember: the ones fighting aren’t only those inside. We can’t leave everything to them.”

*

‘I’m getting used to this.’

As the party’s hunt continued, Gijun kept adapting more and more to the group.

At first, he’d already shown remarkable skill, but now his performance made it seem like he’d been raised specifically for this party.

“Nice! Cleared another one!”

And just now, they’d pushed through yet another ordeal.

“This is getting damn tiresome.”

“How many of them poured out anyway?”

What they’d had to face was an endless flood of Monsters.

For over five grueling hours, Monsters had surged from every direction throughout the Dungeon.

The number they’d taken down easily cleared several hundred.

Hundreds of Monsters, each one as strong as the Boss of an average Dungeon.

It had been a truly hellish forced march.

And of course, within it all, Gijun’s contribution had been immense.

His true value shone even brighter against a horde than against a single powerful Monster.

Growing looser by the minute, Gijun wove across the Dungeon’s interior, toying with the Monsters—easing the Tankers’ burden while pouring out no small amount of firepower himself.

The Tankers felt relieved, and the Dealers’ positioning grew freer.

Because Gijun had drawn every Monster’s gaze onto himself.

And so, just as the fight ended, everyone gathered together.

“I think you all can feel it.”

It was Ha Taehyeong, the party’s leader, who started speaking.

“I’m sensing a strong Magi beyond here—one we’ve never encountered before.”

At that, everyone nodded.

This was only the second time they’d felt such an intense Magi since entering this Dungeon.

The first had been at the far end of what they’d named the First Gate.

In other words, the First Gate’s Boss Monster.

And now, feeling a Magi as massive as that could only mean one thing: a Second Boss Monster was waiting beyond.

“So we’ve reached the end of the Second Gate,” Ha Taehyeong said.

He checked the time.

“We managed to beat our planned arrival time by a good margin. About two hours.”

“I see.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Gijun.

They all knew the reason they’d saved that time was his joining the party.

“Thanks to that, we’ve secured enough rest. Everyone except Mr. Gijun already knows from experience, but the Gate Boss is strong. Incredibly strong.”

A ripple of unease twisted across the Superhumans’ faces at Ha Taehyeong’s words.

Likely because they were remembering their first clash with the First Gate’s Boss.

Gijun hadn’t fought that thing himself, so he couldn’t grasp just how brutal it had been — but he remembered the scenes he’d passed on the way here.

‘Devastated.’

The aftermath alone told him enough about the ferocity.

Everything in the area had been shattered.

“If the Second Gate has a Boss, it’ll definitely be stronger than that one.”

That went without saying.

The deeper they pushed into the Dungeon, the denser the Magi grew — and the denser the Magi, the stronger the Monsters became.

Meanwhile, the Superhumans’ movements were only more constrained.

Even the ones here, though they didn’t show it, were having their Stamina drained fast under the ever-crushing Magi.

‘I’m the only one not affected by the Magi.’

It might have been arrogant, but in that moment Gijun thought the key to clearing the Second Gate might just rest in his own hands.

‘I have to clear it. No matter what.’

And Gijun made a vow.

He would, without fail, bring down the Second Gate’s Boss.

‘Because there’s a Quest on the line.’

A Quest that offered one of White Wood’s very own spells as a reward.

If he let that incredible Quest slip through his fingers, he knew he’d regret it like nothing else.

So Gijun had no choice but to steel his resolve — no matter what it took, he’d break through the Second Gate within the time limit.

“Alright then… since we’re about to move hard, let’s rest here for an hour and pull ourselves together.”

At Ha Taehyeong’s words, the Superhumans scanned the area again. Only after confirming it was safe did they gather and sit down.

“Hoo…”

“I’m dying. Seriously.”

“Can’t even remember the last time a Raid was this brutal.”

The Superhumans let out hollow laughs, trading a few words back and forth.

Every single one of them was a veteran among veterans — they’d been through high-difficulty Dungeons on Earth hundreds of times — and yet the Ninth-Level Dungeon’s difficulty was beyond imagination.

“At my old age, I have to wonder what the hell I’m even doing here.”

Looks like White Wood felt the same way.

“Still, it was surprising. The part I pointed out — you changed it that fast. So? Does it seem effective?”

“…Yes. Startlingly so.”

That was only natural.

Hadn’t a single piece of White Wood’s advice boosted his magic attack power by half?

It might not have been quite the effect White Wood had hoped for, but the result itself was undeniable.

At Gijun’s words, White Wood smiled, clearly pleased.

“And I’d like to offer you one more piece of advice.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

At White Wood’s words, Gijun’s eyes began to gleam.

When it came to anything White Wood said now, Gijun was ready to believe it even if the old mage told him red beans could make soy paste.

“I may not be a Battle Mage like yourself, but as someone who once participated in the research process to cultivate Battle Mages, I offer this advice, so please lend me your ears.”

“….”

Advice for a Battle Mage.

That single sentence made Gijun’s heart tremble once more.

The truth was, advice on his current combat style was something he couldn’t find anywhere in the world, wasn’t it?

“I thought this knowledge might have become useless in this world… but I’m overjoyed that it might not be the case.”

With those words, White Wood slowly rose to his feet.

“First, would you take off your shirt?”

“My shirt?”

“Yes. According to our research, the composition of Mana circuits for a Battle Mage must differ from that of an ordinary mage. It means we need to alter the circuit’s structure to accommodate explosive muscular elasticity.”

“…!”

This was something he’d never even imagined.

Altering the composition of Mana circuits.

“Of course, it’s not something just anyone can do.”

That went without saying.

As far as Gijun knew, even tampering with Mana circuits was an absurd notion.

“This is knowledge we only discovered after long research, and I’m the only one in the world capable of executing it directly. I am truly grateful—as I said, that this knowledge hasn’t vanished from the world but can be passed on to you through me.”