Chapter 53

An A-rank dungeon.

As the attack unit stepped inside, they exhaled slowly, trying to calm their pounding hearts.

It was overwhelming.

They had felt something similar when entering an ancient dungeon, but now, an even greater pressure enveloped them.

Yet, not a single Hunter spoke of it.

Even amidst the heart-pounding pressure, they simply focused on what lay ahead.

To be precise, on the man standing before them.

“Combat check.”

It was an order to check all equipment and preparations.

Once these words were uttered, it meant they were about to enter battle immediately.

Each Hunter inspected their weapons and their condition.

“All ready.”

Kang Yuseong nodded.

“Porters, ensure you stay with the Hunters at all times. That is the safest position.”

An A-rank dungeon was different from any dungeon they had encountered before.

Monsters could appear even in areas that had already been cleared.

This was why porters, who had initially relaxed in the rear, were often annihilated in the early stages.

However, hearing Kang Yuseong’s words, the porters felt something different.

No matter what happened, he would protect them.

And if it was the man standing before them, no one else…

The porters also nodded vigorously.

“Understood!”

Not a single one of them was a novice.

They were all veterans who had worked in sync with this attack unit.

Thus, their trust in Kang Yuseong was exceptionally high.

“Let’s go.”

Just as they were about to move.

A sudden commotion erupted from behind them, and a group of people appeared.

“Form up!”

As soon as they entered, they immediately fell into formation.

They were the Hunters from the Phoenix Guild, whom they had seen at the entrance.

Preparing for battle inside the dungeon, they truly lived up to their reputation as Hunters from a prestigious guild.

Their flawless preparation for combat, radio checks, and formation-building were highly skilled and without any gaps.

Kang Yuseong watched them silently.

Not bad.

Of course, the problem was that Kang Yuseong could see their end too clearly.

Kang Yuseong averted his gaze from them and began to move.

Whether they survived or not was their own business.

He had no time to worry about them now.

*Clank—*

The attack unit moved.

Seeing them move silently and in perfect order, the Phoenix Guild Hunters frowned.

“Quite impressive, aren’t they?”

Their appearance was completely different from what they had seen outside, forcing even them to acknowledge it.

“They’ll be dead soon anyway. Let’s not bother with them. Captain, begin combat command.”

From this point, the unique authority of the attack unit leader began.

Jung Yu-han, the Phoenix Guild’s attack unit leader, nodded.

“We’re moving out too. Vanguard, forward.”

At his command, two teams of four Hunters stepped forward.

“Alright, Captain Jang Seong-hu. Secure a route for us to push straight through quickly. We’ll follow behind.”

Jang Seong-hu, the leader of the reconnaissance team, nodded.

“Okay.”

It was a scene that revealed the Phoenix Guild’s usual training.

Whatever their personalities, their skills were certainly undeniable.

Soon, the vanguard departed, and the attack unit led by Jung Yu-han followed.

Silence.

The surroundings were filled with an inexplicable stillness.

Kang Yuseong scanned the area.

From A-rank dungeons onward, it was not unusual for something to happen anytime, anywhere.

This meant it was completely different from previous dungeons.

While the attack unit leader’s combat command ability had always been important, in A-rank dungeons, it became the absolute core, demanding extreme skill in battlefield coordination.

One wrong judgment could lead to annihilation.

Such incidents were all too common here.

That was why the Phoenix Guild Hunters had reacted so blatantly at the entrance earlier.

Even a slight variable here could trigger a massive, uncontrollable catastrophe.

‘Variables…’

But the same applied to them.

For the attack unit led by Kang Yuseong, the Phoenix Guild Hunters were an unwelcome presence.

No one knew what kind of situation they might create.

However, Kang Yuseong didn’t care.

Once inside, it was the attack unit leader’s responsibility to account for all variables.

Kang Yuseong, who had already factored in their appearance, meticulously surveyed his surroundings.

This was terrain that required a reconnaissance team.

But it was also a very high-risk method.

The only reason Kang Yuseong’s attack unit exerted such powerful strength was one thing.

They were tightly united around Kang Yuseong as their center.

‘Let’s react according to the situation.’

The reason he wasn’t sending out a reconnaissance team immediately was simple.

Kang Yuseong, with his vast experience, had already identified places where monsters might be hidden. This was possible because he knew all the A-rank dungeon monsters inside and out.

For example, in the dense bushes ahead, there was a very high probability that a monstrous bird, a Taburan, had laid its eggs. Passing by unknowingly could lead to a surprise attack from the extremely sensitive creature.

All the detailed information about the surroundings was reinterpreted and then dismissed in Kang Yuseong’s mind.

– Fifteen degrees to the right. We will advance in that direction.

At Kang Yuseong’s radio command, the attack unit nodded, their faces clearly tense.

Strange cries and rustling sounds from somewhere heightened the tension to its extreme.

*Thump, thump.*

Even the sound of their footsteps was so unnerving that their tension had reached its peak.

*Crack—*

At that moment, a porter following behind them stepped on a fallen branch, and a sound echoed.

The attack unit’s gaze immediately snapped backward.

That sound, which they would normally ignore, now reverberated as loudly as thunder.

The porter stood there, visibly startled.

– You seem too tense.

At times like this, the attack unit leader’s role was crucial.

Especially in a place like this, where they felt they had surpassed their own limits, it was even more important to alleviate that tension.

Otherwise, they would freeze up completely and be unable to perform at their best.

– Take a deep breath once in a while.

Only then did the attack unit realize they had been breathing rapidly.

Kang Yuseong observed them calmly regaining their breath and offered a faint smile.

When nerves become extremely frayed, people tend to look at each other aggressively and explode over minor mistakes. This is fatal for an attack unit that needs to work together as one.

They moved again.

*Snap—*

But then, another snapping sound was heard.

The attack unit’s eyes sharpened, but they didn’t react as they had before.

Then, suddenly, Kang Yuseong’s radio command came through.

– Hold.

The attack unit paused.

*Snap—*

The moment everyone stopped in unison, the sound of a branch breaking was heard again.

Tension filled the entire attack unit.

Hearts pounded, and brains began to work at an extremely rapid pace.

Adrenaline was being secreted.

*Snap— Snap—*

This time, countless branches snapped.

Only then did they realize.

Something was approaching them!

But Kang Yuseong, who should have given the command to prepare for battle, stood still, a frown on his face.

‘Captain…’

It was when the attack unit looked at him with puzzled expressions.

*CRACK!*

Branches on the side splintered completely, and something burst out.

*Shing!*

The attack unit instinctively drew their weapons, about to strike down at it.

– Hold!

“…”

*Gulp—*

Sweat trickled down the cheeks of the attack unit members who had instinctively moved to strike the object that had suddenly appeared.

“Hah, hah!”

The object that had burst out was a person.

His entire body was a bloody mess, and one of his legs seemed broken, preventing him from standing properly. The attack unit gasped in surprise when they saw the emblem etched on his chest.

A crimson eagle emblem.

He, too, wore an expression as if his heart might stop at any moment, but then, realizing the situation, he screamed frantically.

“He-help me! Pl-please!”

It was a Hunter from the Phoenix Guild, who had entered this dungeon with them.

Blood streamed from his head, and his eyes were filled with extreme terror from whatever he had witnessed.

“What is your name?”

At that moment, Kang Yuseong approached him and asked in a low voice.

But the man reacted unexpectedly.

“He-help me! I said help me! You bastard!”

He thrust out both hands, grabbed Kang Yuseong by the collar, and shook him, cursing madly.

The man was so agitated that foam appeared at his mouth, and a silent stir went through the attack unit.

Kang Yuseong slowly removed his hands.

“Name.”

His eyes settled into a calm, steady gaze.

“What is it?”

The man, meeting Kang Yuseong’s eyes, trembled violently, then slowly regained a sense of calm in his gaze.

“I… I am…”

The man bit his lip tightly, then continued.

“Jang… Seong-hu. Jang Seong-hu.”

Surprisingly, he was the leader of the reconnaissance team that had set out earlier from the Phoenix Guild.

The man, who had been full of confidence, now appeared before Kang Yuseong’s group looking like a complete wreck.

Kang Yuseong nodded.

He understood his words and gave his name.

It meant he had calmed down to some extent.

“What happened?”

His tone was calm.

Yet, no one knew that this very tone was rapidly calming the agitated Jang Seong-hu. It was a voice that made him almost feel as if he had escaped this terrible place.

Jang Seong-hu lifted his bloodshot eyes and remained silent for a moment.

He had just realized that he had asked for help from those he had so blatantly ignored at the entrance, and his pride was belatedly wounded.

“I can only help if you tell me what happened.”

Kang Yuseong looked at him calmly.

Jang Seong-hu trembled as he met that gaze.

This was unbelievable.

From what he had experienced, this place…

This place was absolutely not somewhere a person could remain sane.

He and the Phoenix Guild Hunters were designated as future S-rank Hunters.

Being deployed to an A-rank dungeon was merely a countdown.

Yet, even they were instantly overwhelmed in this A-rank dungeon.

But this man before him…

*Gulp—*

Jang Seong-hu swallowed hard.

It was strange.

He couldn’t understand why his mind felt so calm looking into this man’s eyes right now.

But he quickly shook his head, regaining his cold gaze.

It was just his imagination.

“You… you should go back. If we can’t handle it, how can you…”

But he suddenly shuddered mid-sentence.

He was smiling.

Kang Yuseong, who was looking at him, was smiling.

“As I said earlier.”

His lips opened again.

“I can only help if you tell me what happened.”

‘What…?’

Help?

How could he speak with such confidence, even seeing him in this state?!

This A-rank dungeon was…

Jang Seong-hu clenched his fist.

He was the one who asked for help.

And now his comrades were in danger.

By now, they were probably…

He squeezed his eyes shut, then slowly opened them and began to speak.

“We…”