“Ah, you’re here. Eat yet?”

“Come on, I came right after you called. How would I have eaten? You said we had to hurry.”

Byeonggap’s face was as expressive as dried fish as he spoke. Seongyeong giggled.

“I’ll buy you food after we’re done. Just get in, quick.”

He climbed into her luxury SUV. Seongyeong didn’t waste a second; she pulled out.

“Where’d you say it was?”

“Pyeongtaek.”

“That’s two hours away.”

“We gotta make it in one.”

Byeonggap raised an eyebrow and shot a look at the driver’s seat.

“How the hell do we get from Seoul to Pyeongtaek in an hour? It’s the weekend—traffic’ll be a nightmare.”

“That’s why I gotta floor it.”

“If it’s that urgent, why didn’t you just take the train?”

“Why would I take the train when I’ve got a car?”

Seongyeong stomped on the accelerator. The speedometer needle swung hard.

She cut past cars like a maniac, as if she couldn’t stand anyone being in front of her.

“What the hell did you eat, noona!? What if we crash!?”

“Oh please, even if we crash, we won’t die.”

“Well, you sure as hell won’t…”

He said that, but the odds of an actual crash were slim.

Awakeners far surpassed ordinary humans in every way—including driving ability.

Someone like Jeong Seongyeong could probably dodge a 25.5-ton dump truck barreling from the opposite lane.

Once they hit the highway, the road opened up. Thankfully, the stunt driving stopped.

“By the way, I was too caught up earlier to ask—but why the sudden dungeon raid?”

“I’m not raiding it myself. Just acting as an overseer… Nothing special.”

“Give me details. I need to know what I’m getting into. It’s a full dungeon, not a normal rift.”

Jeong Seongyeong kept her eyes locked forward while one hand rummaged through the cabinet beside her. She found a pack of cigarettes, slid one out, and put it between her lips.

“New hunters joined the guild. A- and B-rank kids. So we’re running a dungeon to verify their skills—sort of a hazing ritual.”

She blew out a stream of smoke and went on.

“Normally, with a regular rift, one senior hunter tagging along would be enough, but dungeons are stricter. Two S-ranks have to accompany as overseers.”

“In case of emergencies?”

“Exactly. Though it’s not like anything major would happen in a B-rank dungeon… Anyway, there was someone supposed to come with me, but they bailed today, so I had to find a substitute in a hurry.”

“And that substitute is me.”

“Right. Actually, another guy was supposed to fill in, but I turned him down.”

“Turned him down? Why?”

“That bastard’s annoyingly insufferable.”

“…”

Hmph. Go Byeonggap let out a short breath through his nose and looked out the window. The forest of buildings had vanished, replaced by nothing but mountain ridges.

“But am I okay to be an overseer? I’m D-rank.”

“Hey… do you think I don’t know you? I saw you take down a balrog right in front of me—where’s this modesty coming from?”

“…No, that’s separate from the fact I’m actually D-rank. Won’t it cause issues with the paperwork?”

“No problem there. The documents will have the name of the guy who was supposed to go originally.”

“This isn’t illegal, is it?”

“Come on, illegal? Even if it were, I’m tight with the guild master, so it’s fine. How many years have I been at Undermoon?”

Jeong Seongyeong put on a nonchalant expression and kept talking.

“I didn’t leave even when Illumission offered me double my salary, so they wouldn’t raise a fuss over something like this. Would they?”

“Why didn’t you go? They offered double.”

She thought it over briefly, then answered as if it were trivial.

“I already have enough money. Plus, adapting to a new place is a hassle.”

“That’s true.”

At the mention of Illumission, Kim Hana naturally came to mind.

More precisely, he recalled the ominous things she’d said. She’d definitely warned him not to get entangled with Illumission’s hunters…

“Ah, Noona. I have something to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you know a hunter named Kim Hana? An S-rank hunter.”

“Who? Kim Hana?”

She mulled over the name a few times, then tilted her head and asked back.

“Who is she? Doesn’t sound familiar.”

“Yeah? Never mind then.”

“Ah, what’s up with that? Kim Hana’s a woman’s name—what’s she do?”

Jeong Seongyeong pressed persistently. Go Byeonggap couldn’t bring himself to answer, ‘She’s the mastermind behind the development complex attack.’

So he replied, ‘I met her briefly a long time ago, and she introduced herself as Kim Hana. But no matter how much I search, I can’t find any information on her.’

“Hmm… you’re sure she’s S-rank?”

“Absolutely.”

“No info at all, huh. That settles it, then.”

“Settles what?”

“The type exists. People who pull off one huge score, then quietly retire off the grid. I know a few myself. They wipe their records clean, change their names, move abroad, and vanish.”

“Ah.”

“Like you already know, this hunter gig gets goddamn sickening. If it doesn’t fit you, you can’t stick with it long.”

“True enough.”

Hunter sounds noble, but strip it down — we’re modern-day butchers. Making a living from killing isn’t as easy as people think.

“Noona, how long did you say you’ve been doing this?”

“Me? Coming up on nine years now.”

“Whoa… next year’s the decade mark. Thinking of retiring?”

He asked in admiration. Jeong Seongyeong lit another cigarette and answered, her words slurred around the filter.

“Who knows? Not planning to quit anytime soon. I don’t age, so I’ll probably go till sixty. What else would I do with my time?”

“Guess it fits you, then.”

“Maybe… heh-heh. Though these days, even four days off and I get twitchy. Occupational hazard, that’s what it is. Ah, I’m already married to the job. Who’d take a woman like me anyway?”

As she said it, she glanced sideways. Go Byeonggap just stared ahead, expression flat.

“Tch.”

She snorted a laugh and turned her focus back to driving.

True to her word, they arrived at the destination about an hour later.

The dungeon hadn’t spawned inside Pyeongtaek city. It was past a rest stop you hit after driving down the expressway — a rift in the mountain ridge behind it.

Eight hunters were already waiting there. Five A-ranks, three B-ranks. More than enough firepower to subdue a B-rank dungeon.

“Sunbaenim, you’re here!”

“Good to meet you! I’m Kim Haseon, the new transfer!”

“Oh Yeonu here! An honor to meet you!”

They spotted Jeong Seongyeong and bowed with crisp formality, nerves plain on their faces.

Jeong Seongyeong waved a dismissive hand, looking annoyed.

“Aish, sunbaenim this, sunbaenim that. Cut it out. I’m a bit late, yeah? Sorry about that.”

“No, not at all!”

It was like watching fresh privates salute a senior NCO.

But when their eyes landed on Go Byeonggap, they kept tilting their heads in confusion.

“Who’s that guy?”

“No idea. First time seeing him. Do you know?”

“Me neither. Weren’t we supposed to get Hunter Jeong Seongyeong and Hunter Ju Aegyeong?”

“More importantly, is that guy S-rank?”

The hunters murmured among themselves. Jeong Seongyeong slung an arm around Go Byeonggap’s shoulder.

“This kid’s covering for Aegyeong. I vouch for his skill, so no worries.”

“Ah… yes, yes.”

With Jeong Seongyeong’s guarantee, none of the hunters dared argue further.

Go Byeonggap wondered if he should introduce himself, but Jeong Seongyeong was already organizing the team before he could get a word in.

“No point dawdling — let’s get started. Everyone ready?”

“Ah, yes!” came the chorus.

“Good. Where’s our gear? Ah, this must be it.”

Jeong Seongyeong slung a backpack from the pile — not one for collecting magic stones, but packed with rations and potions.

“Let’s move.”

All ten of them stepped toward the rift. Go Byeonggap and Jeong Seongyeong hung back, walking at the rear.

She leaned in, voice low.

“Byeonggap, I know it’s a bit late to ask, but have you ever been inside a dungeon?”

“Yeah, I have.”

“I knew it! I had a feeling.”

Jeong Seongyeong grinned, snapping her fingers. This time Byeonggap asked a question.

“How long do you think this’ll take? In dungeon time.”

“Hard to say. Five or six hours, tops?”

Five or six hours. He checked his watch — 2:38 PM.

Even if they cleared the dungeon and got out, it’d barely be past three. Six hours inside was only fifteen minutes outside.

“You don’t really have anything to do. Those guys’ll handle the monsters, and if anything goes sideways, I’ve got it. Just keep me company and talk.”

“Sounds good. What about the pay?”

“One point five million in cash, or dinner alone with me. Your pick.”

Jeong Seongyeong said it with a playful grin.

“You said you’d buy me dinner anyway, so I’ll take the cash.”

“Tch, you’re no pushover either.”

They reached the rift by the time the small talk wound down. Unlike ordinary rifts, this one was pitch-black, like a black hole.

A dungeon was different from the usual hidden world. Inside, at least a thousand monsters would be writhing.

The rookie hunters were wired tight, like soldiers before a battle.

Jeong Seongyeong took point.

“Me and this guy go in first. Follow about fifteen seconds later.”

“Got it!” came the reply.

“Byeonggap, let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Go Byeonggap and Jeong Seongyeong plunged into the inky rift without a moment’s hesitation.

The dungeon’s unique unease washed over him, like being sucked into a swamp. But this time, he wasn’t afraid like before.

* * *

A shriek cut through the air — “Kiiieeeek—cack!”

“Fucking hell, right off the bat.”

A monster dropped from the ceiling the moment they entered the dungeon. It was a giant bat-like creature — one he didn’t recognize.

Jeong Seongyeong didn’t even draw her sword. She simply radiated razor-sharp karma in every direction. The bat-thing’s body tore to shreds and died.

It didn’t seem like a strong monster. E or F-rank, maybe?

‘A cave.’

Difference between ordinary rifts and dungeons.

An ordinary hidden world mimics the shape of reality. A dungeon, by contrast, is an entirely new world—its own stage.

Go Byeonggap swept his gaze over the surroundings with practiced calm. This place was the inside of a cool, damp cave. A straight corridor stretched downward.

A massive presence pulsed from the depths. Hundreds, maybe thousands of monsters coiled down there in a tight knot.

“The others’ll take about five minutes to get here. Let’s have a smoke while we wait.”

“Sounds good.”

They both put cigarettes to their lips in unison. Go Byeonggap lit his, then abruptly glanced back—the opposite direction from the dungeon’s path.

At the top of the uphill slope, a reddish light glowed.

‘Looks like a cave exit?’

“Hey? Where you going?”

“Just a sec.”

He climbed the slope toward the opening.

It didn’t take long to reach the cave’s end. Beyond a large mouth, the outside world unfolded before him.

One step out of the cave and it was a cliff. A misstep would mean a nasty fall. Well, not that leaving was possible anyway.

A transparent barrier sealed the exit—like a barrier, blocking passage. He could see through it, but couldn’t step beyond.

Go Byeonggap stared at the view for a long moment. A vast forest thick with trees, a wide river cutting through it, and in the distance, towering mountain ranges.

Here, the sun was already setting. The tail end of the mountains caught the sun, spilling a red sunset across the sky.

A pretty impressive sight.

But Go Byeonggap didn’t think ‘impressive’ or ‘beautiful.’ At that moment, he felt something different.

‘What is this? Why does it look familiar?’

It felt known. Like he’d seen it before.

Especially that sunset…

“Whoa… that view’s killer. I don’t know about anything else, but being a hunter lets you see stuff like this. Right?”

Jeong Seongyeong had crept up without him noticing and asked in a gruff, old-man tone. Go Byeonggap didn’t answer—his mind was elsewhere.

He pulled out his phone like a man possessed. Opened the photo gallery. Called up one of the recent shots on the screen.

A photo he’d taken while scouting around Baltadren with Doran—the scenery had been nice.

He raised the phone to eye level and compared the picture with the real view.

All the while, Jeong Seongyeong was too busy soaking in the vista to notice.

“But seriously, don’t you wonder? Where the hell is this place? Every time I enter a dungeon, it’s amazing—”

“Asvillam…”

“Huh? What’d you say?”

Go Byeonggap muttered in a voice drained of strength.

This place… it was Asvillam.