Chapter 149

[The massive dungeon that appeared in the heart of Seoul is said to be incomparably larger than any dungeon that has appeared so far, measuring 3.2 km in diameter and 1207 m in height. In response, authorities have summoned all hunter guilds…]

Click- Taehyeok Sa turned off the TV with a serious expression. That massive dungeon was visible even from Paehyeok. Taehyeok Sa threw a piece of paper in front of the S-Ranks gathered there. As if he had used Telekinesis, the paper gently landed on the table. And his next words were.

“EX-Rank.”

Everyone’s eyes widened.

“That’s the rank of the dungeon that just appeared.”

A Calamity had suddenly arrived.

* * *

Calamities arrive without warning. The massive EX-Rank dungeon that struck Korea was no different. This news caused an uproar not only in Korea but also overseas. There had never been a dungeon of this size before, but its rank was the real problem.

“An EX-Rank dungeon…?”

“Can it be cleared?”

Gathered in Paehyeok’s Guild Master’s Office were Yeonhan Kim, Dongju Kim, Cho-i Hyeon, Taeyang Kang, and Myeongok Shin. It was as if all S-Rank or higher members of the Paehyeok Guild were present. Taehyeok Sa looked around at those sitting with serious faces and said,

“We will also ask for help from overseas Hunters. Whether they respond is uncertain, though.”

At his words, Dongju Kim said,

“If this place falls, they’ll all fall too, so won’t they respond?”

“Humans are animals who procrastinate even knowing they’ll fail, aren’t they?”

“That’s true.”

“For now, we’ve contacted the USA, whom we’ve helped before. We should get a reply soon.”

At that moment, Cho-i Hyeon raised her hand.

“I heard there’s another SS-Rank fellow in China.”

“There’s a high chance they won’t respond.”

“Then let’s kidnap them.”

Taehyeok Sa sighed and replied.

“I wish I could, but it’s not realistic, so denied.”

“Aw.”

Cho-i Hyeon lowered her hand as if disappointed. Taehyeok Sa also wanted to grab Zhixuan and throw him into the dungeon, but China, or rather, the Black Society, would never get involved in such a matter. Taehyeok Sa clicked his tongue and continued.

“First, we’ve decided to go into a strategy meeting with the other guilds tomorrow. Until then, we just need to decide who will go.”

“How many people in total?”

“According to the information, it seems best to form teams of 8 people per guild. I don’t know how many teams there will be in total yet.”

“…That’s a lot of people.”

“Because it’s such a huge dungeon.”

“Then everyone gathered here can go.”

At that moment, Cho-i Hyeon raised her hand.

“Add Suui Kim and Nara Shim here.”

“We were short on people anyway and had to add some, but why specifically those two?”

“They’re my supporters. So, if they’re with me, they can exert more power than their original skill.”

Taehyeok Sa raised an eyebrow as if this was the first he was hearing of it.

“What’s a supporter?”

“Hmm, if I had to explain it, it’s a kind of skill. By the way, you’re also my supporter.”

“…Since when?”

“Right before the dungeon broke out?”

“…No way.”

As if answering, ‘That’s right. It’s that Red Magic Stone,’ Cho-i Hyeon smiled and nodded. Taehyeok Sa couldn’t even distinguish if this was a good thing or a bad thing anymore, so he shook his head and sighed. Still, for now, it seemed certain that when linked, they could draw out power beyond what they could originally, so he decided to leave it be for a while.

“I’ll hear more about that later.”

“Okay.”

“Then, the total eight members are decided: Taehyeok Sa, Taeyang Kang, Cho-i Hyeon, Dongju Kim, Yeonhan Kim, Myeongok Shin, Suui Kim, Nara Shim.”

As Taehyeok Sa stood up, everyone else followed suit. Taehyeok Sa spoke to Cho-i Hyeon.

“Don’t cause any trouble for a while.”

“Are you saying I always cause trouble?”

“…If not, then it’s fine.”

Taehyeok Sa seemed to have no energy to reply. Well, it was natural to be excited when a calamity he had only dreamed of had arrived. Cho-i Hyeon thought to herself and asked him.

“What do we need to prepare?”

“Condition management. Equipment maintenance. That’s all.”

“Easy. Got it.”

“And tomorrow, there will be a meeting between the Korean guilds at the Paehyeok building, so gather at Paehyeok by 10 AM.”

“Understood.”

“Yes.”

Yeonhan Kim and Dongju Kim answered in serious voices, and the others also nodded. Cho-i Hyeon, she was the first to head to the elevator. She immediately took the elevator down to the first floor and exited the building. As Cho-i Hyeon left the building, she walked towards her house and called Suui Kim. Ring, ring, ring, while the call was ringing, Cho-i listened to the sounds around her. On the large electronic display, news flashes related to the dungeon were still being broadcast consecutively. 1205 casualties, 879 missing. As Cho-i stared blankly at the display, feeling surreal, a click, the other party answered the phone.

-What’s up? “Oh, nothing much. You’ve been selected as one of the people to enter the EX-Rank dungeon. Congratulations.”

Cho-i Hyeon raised her voice and spoke brightly. Then, the other party remained silent for a while before answering.

-I have to do my best. “Aren’t you scared?” -I am scared.

However, Suui Kim soon continued in a resolute voice.

-But I can’t back down. “Where does that mindset come from?”

Suui Kim seemed to be deep in thought once again. While there was a brief silence, Cho-i Hyeon looked around. Anxiety was etched on everyone’s faces. Everyone was clutching their smartphones, anxiously trying to get new updates. Cho-i Hyeon also wished that the massive dungeon would just disappear as if nothing had happened.

“I guess I was just born this way.”

And Suui Kim’s answer, after a long silence, was so easy and simple that Cho-i Hyeon laughed. Yes, she liked him for being that kind of person, but in this situation, it wasn’t helpful at all.

“Yeah, you’re so great.”

“Not really.”

“Come to Paehyeok by 10 AM tomorrow. They’re having a meeting with other guilds. Everyone involved seems to have to attend.”

“Alright. See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, take care of your condition.”

After hanging up with Suui Kim, Cho-i Hyeon headed straight home. When she arrived, Nara Shim was watching the news with a troubled expression. Seeing this, Cho-i Hyeon immediately went in front of Nara Shim and blocked the TV.

“Hey! I’m watching that!”

“What’s the point of watching?”

“What’s the point? I need to know what’s going on, don’t I?”

“You’ll know better than anyone in Korea by tomorrow, even if you don’t want to.”

“What? Why?”

Then Cho-i Hyeon smiled brightly.

“You’ve been selected as a hunter to go in there.”

“…What did you say?”

Nara Shim’s face turned pale. She sprang up from her seat and began to pace around the living room, her face frozen. Her trembling fingertips conveyed her feelings.

“Me? Why me, an A-Rank, when there are other A+ Ranks?”

“First, because you’re my supporter. You saw it last time. How much Suui Kim flew around with your buff.”

“So it’s all your fault!”

Nara Shim lunged at Cho-i Hyeon in an instant. But Cho-i Hyeon didn’t dodge; she simply took her body with an ‘oops’ sound. Nara Shim, who had rushed to vent her anger and then suddenly found herself in an embrace, pushed Cho-i Hyeon away with a terribly furrowed brow. But Cho-i Hyeon held her waist and wouldn’t let go.

“What are you so worried about?”

“Aren’t you worried!?”

“Why worry?”

Cho-i Hyeon let go of Nara Shim and smiled.

“Because I’m here.”

“…Yeah, at least I’m grateful that you’re on our side in all this.”

“Right?”

“That’s not a compliment.”

Nara Shim sighed deeply. Cho-i Hyeon smiled brightly and sat on the living room sofa. As she sat on the sofa, Nara Shim also sat beside her, scratching her head.

“So, do you have anything in mind?”

“What?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’? Like a strategy!”

“Isn’t that something the higher-ups should think about, not me?”

“No, that’s true, but still.”

“One thing’s for sure, I’ll be leading the front.”

“Huh?”

“So don’t worry too much.”

“…”

Nara Shim was speechless for a moment. That’s right. Cho-i Hyeon, she was a tank. Probably the strongest among existing tanks. It was only natural that she should go first. While Nara Shim was whining here, Cho-i Hyeon was thinking about being at the very front. Nara Shim felt a momentary shame about herself.

“How can you say that so casually?”

At those words, Cho-i Hyeon grinned.

“Someone once said…”

“What?”

“…that they were just born that way.”

“…What’s that suddenly mean?”

“It’s just, I wasn’t born that way, but I decided to try to be.”

“Your problem is you always leave out the most important point when you speak.”

“But everyone understands anyway, don’t they?”

“The problem is that I understand…”

As Nara Shim rubbed her temples as if her head was throbbing, Cho-i Hyeon chuckled and ruffled her hair.

“Anyway, you just have to go to Paehyeok by 10 AM tomorrow. I heard there’s a meeting among the guilds.”

“Am I joining that too?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, I’m already nervous…”

“It’s okay. Everything will work out somehow.”

The two spent time chatting and laughing, then headed to their respective rooms for tomorrow. And it was only when Cho-i Hyeon was left alone in her room that her seemingly unbothered face grew cold.

“Hey, you’re awake.”

“…That’s right.”

“Let’s talk for a bit, starting now.”

Cho-i Hyeon sat on her bed and began to speak with the Entity. Fortunately, the Entity responded easily today. Cho-i Hyeon slowly opened her mouth.

“That dungeon, it’s related to you, isn’t it?”