Chapter 178

“Haa, haa, ugh.”

She was panting, caught between the sensation of nausea and feeling like her stomach would burst. I ate this much until my stomach burst? I could do a mukbang, couldn’t I? Only such ridiculous thoughts came to her mind. As she lay on the floor, panting, a large blue exit soon opened in the air. It also meant that the boss monster was completely dead. The group rushed to Cho-i Hyeon simultaneously.

“Are you alright?”

At Yeonhan Kim’s question, Cho-i Hyeon, who had been hunched over, lifted her head. And she grinned. Her teeth were stained red, but Yeonhan breathed a sigh of relief, as if glad.

“Come here.”

Taehyeok Sa tried to pick her up. But he was soon snatched away by Taeyang Kang. Taehyeok Sa looked at him in disbelief, but Taeyang Kang, as if it were naturally his duty, picked up Cho-i Hyeon. Cho-i Hyeon didn’t care who it was and calmly closed her eyes. Her stomach really felt like it was going to burst. It would be really funny if her stomach burst and she died here. She chuckled.

“Are you laughing right now?”

Dongju Kim reprimanded her. Nara Shim approached Taeyang Kang and looked at Cho-i Hyeon, who was in his arms.

“I’m really glad. Really.”

“Why, did you think I’d die?”

“It was that kind of situation!”

“I told you.”

Cho-i Hyeon smiled with her eyes closed.

“I’m not dying.”

“We really didn’t think you wouldn’t die.”

Zhixuan muttered beside her.

“Hey, someone hit him.”

And just then, Suui Kim, who was standing nearby, hit Zhixuan. Zhixuan looked at Suui Kim in disbelief. Suui Kim then looked back at him with a brazen face, as if to say, “What about it?”

“Can’t we grant the wish of someone who’s suffered?”

“…I’d rather die than suffer. No, thank you.”

“That’s a good choice.”

Before exiting, they looked back. Countless hunter corpses lay everywhere. Seeing this, Myeongok Shin said,

“…It would be good to take their mementos with us.”

“We should.”

Yeonhan Kim turned and walked among the bodies. As everyone except Taeyang Kang approached, Cho-i Hyeon, who had her eyes closed, also opened them.

“Let’s go over there too.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, except I feel like my stomach is going to burst. Let’s help.”

“Okay.”

Cho-i Hyeon got down from his arms and approached the bodies. She began to collect items or accessories from the bodies that could be given to their families. Everyone else was doing the same. Cho-i Hyeon felt nauseous. It wasn’t the feeling of her stomach bursting, but thinking that all these bodies were her doing made her head ache. However, she collected the mementos without showing any sign of distress. Her hands trembled slightly as she picked up the items.

“If it’s too hard, just stay put.”

“No, I’m fine.”

Gihyeon Park said something to her, but Cho-i Hyeon shook her head.

“That’s right. If it’s too hard…”

“How hard can it be?”

Jihan Kim also worried about Cho-i Hyeon’s condition, but Cho-i Hyeon’s stubbornness could not be broken. She must have felt that much responsibility.

“When we get out, I’ll deliver everything.”

“…Are you sure?”

“I have to be.”

Delivering the mementos of dead hunters to their families is quite a difficult task. There was no other way. Cho-i Hyeon had volunteered to do such a thing. Although Taehyeok Sa couldn’t know how this incident had settled in her heart, he decided to respect her choice.

“Alright, have we collected everything now?”

“Yes, we have.”

Everyone straightened up and looked towards the exit again.

“Still, won’t we be heroes when we get out?”

Zhixuan asked with an innocent face. At his words, people fell silent. It would probably be that way. The sole survivors would likely become world-famous and live with corresponding treatment. Cho-i Hyeon smiled bitterly.

“The Entity, what an amazing thing.”

She didn’t feel like being congratulated at all. So the group stepped towards the exit leading outside, unaware of what was happening out there.

***

As all the Hunters entered the EX-Rank dungeon, people all over the world watched the news, clasping their hands together. Korea, in particular, could only hope for their safe return with anxious hearts. Everyone stayed glued to their TVs, without even eating, waiting for news of their clear. Reporter Kim was one of the reporters stationed outside the hidden dungeon. He constantly cursed his boss for sending him to such a dangerous place while taking pictures of the EX-Rank dungeon.

“Damn it, does he know we’re all dead if this thing explodes?”

“He knows, that’s why he sent you here.”

“Ugh, damn it, if I die here, I’ll die cursing him.”

“Well, if this thing explodes, Korea will be devastated, so won’t he die soon too?”

Reporter Kang from another newspaper company said with a stiff, dispirited voice. Reporter Kim agreed with him, but instead of nodding, he put a cigarette in his mouth. His hands were trembling, meaning he was much more nervous than he realized. And as those inside were about to defeat the boss monster, a strange phenomenon began to occur in the sky.

“Hey, there! Over there!”

“Why are you shouting so loud? Did a dungeon break happen?”

“It’s not that, man! Look at the sky!”

“…What is that?”

The blue sky instantly turned a deep ocean blue, and black, portal-like things began to appear in between. One, two, three, four… so many that their number was countless.
Reporters raised their cameras and began to film the strange phenomenon.

“…At this rate, at this rate, isn’t the world really going to end?”

As they swallowed hard, posts from people who witnessed the strange phenomenon in the sky were appearing on Huntred.

[What’s with the hole in the sky?;;;;]
[Are we all really going to be annihilated? Let’s go, world’s end]
└ Exaggerated;;;
└ Is this really the time to say it’s exaggerated when there’s a hole in the sky?
└ I heard it’s because of an EX-Rank dungeon
└ Does an EX-Rank dungeon have a dungeon break in the sky? I’ve never heard of that
└ Hey, why do you think it’s EX-Rank? It wouldn’t be strange for anything to happen.
└ Ah, shut up and watch the news, you alarmist idiots are making things worse, you XXX
[Shouldn’t the outside Hunters be preparing?]
[If that’s really a dungeon break, we should at least try to fight back]
└ I’m putting on my gear now.
└ 2222222
└ 3333333
└ Ah, maybe I should’ve fled overseas.
└ (Link) Hey, it’s happening overseas too.
└ (Photo)
└ It’s not just Korea, damn it… Is nowhere safe?

As Huntred was being flooded with countless internet posts, the people in front of the dungeon were staring at the hole in the sky, tense. And one of the largest holes began to open its maw wider and wider. It was a situation where no one knew what would come out.

“We must run away! What if we all die for nothing by staying here to guard it?”

The argument to flee from here was made, and another reporter followed up.

“Given the size of that hole, it will be visible wherever we go! Wouldn’t standing here and waiting for the Hunters who entered the EX-Rank dungeon be our best chance of survival?”

“No, what do you mean by enduring here, knowing when those guys will return?”

“There’s still no phenomenon occurring from the hole.”

“But we don’t know when things will explode, do we? If monsters suddenly pour out of there, is there anything we can do?”

“Each guild is reportedly receiving reports of the strange phenomenon and is on standby. So, quietly waiting here…”

“What nonsense! I’m leaving. Hey, Reporter Won! Pack your gear! Let’s go back to the company!”

“Ah, alright!”

Several reporters packed their gear and fled from the scene. Other reporters also began to murmur, wondering if they could survive by escaping now. And amidst all this, Paehyeok’s dungeon management team remained silent.

“Team leader, what should we do?”

“What do you mean, what should we do?”

He said in a firm voice.

“We wait here until the Hunters return.”

“Understood.”

“They will definitely come back.”

He looked at the entrance of the dungeon. Their faith was unwavering. They believed in Taehyeok Sa, who had not lost his number one position for over a decade, and in the Hunters under him.

“Once they clear the dungeon, those holes might disappear.”

“…Do you think so?”

“Yes.”

Perhaps that’s what they wanted to believe. How many more hours passed? Woooong-
The entrance began to shimmer. At that sound, all of the dungeon management team, who had been bowing their heads, looked up. This was clearly the shimmer that appeared before someone came out.

“Everyone, check the dungeon immediately! If there’s water and potions, prepare the Entity too!”

“Yes!”

“They’re coming out!”

They looked at the dungeon exit with hopeful eyes. They had finally cleared the EX-Rank dungeon and were coming out. And one by one, people began to emerge. But.

“…Is that all?”

Just under a hundred Hunters had entered, but only Paehyeok’s Group, Jihan Kim, Gihyeon Park, and Zhixuan came out. People were speechless for a moment. All those Suui hunters had died? Despair rose in their minds. But, Paehyeok’s Group had returned. The strongest party had returned. It meant that perhaps it would be alright even if monsters came out of the hole.

“Guild Master!”

The dungeon management team leader approached Taehyeok Sa. He looked a mess. They had never seen him in such a state before.

“Is this everyone coming out?”

“…Yes.”

At that despairing remark, the team leader bowed his head for a moment, then continued.

“Strange phenomena are happening in the sky right now. It’s an unprecedented event, so the government hasn’t issued any specific directives yet.”

The group looked up at the sky. But then…

“Isn’t that glowing?”

Cho-i Hyeon pointed at the Entities and said.