Chapter 200

Back when Shin Yuri and Shin Jae-heon actually entered this dungeon, it must have already been filled with nothing but corpses, making it far easier to clear than one might think.

There would have been no one left to protect.

But that wasn’t the case now.

She had to smash the monsters while making sure they didn’t escape outside.

—Clang!

Still, watching Shin Yuri and Shin Jae-heon handle the monsters put her mind at ease—no need to worry there.

So Yeri glanced at them briefly before heading back up to the upper floor.

—Kiiing!

A refrigerator came charging toward her from inside, proudly on display. She kicked it away with her foot.

—Kwachak!

With a sharp crunch, the dented fridge slammed into the wall.

Then another one behind it lunged right at her.

This one was a kimchi fridge.

“Ugh, how many refrigerators does every house need, anyway?!”

So Yeri, who was the culprit behind installing four fridges in their shared four-person home, grumbled.

Everyone needs their own!

What was she supposed to do with all the stuff she had to store!?

It made sense in theory, but seeing them turn into monsters now made her sigh at the sight of all those fridges in the house.

Of course, for her with S-rank dealer stats, smashing a few fridges was a piece of cake.

—Kwachak!

—Bam!

With brutal sounds, she took out the large appliances first, allowing the trapped people to escape quickly.

“Th-thank you!”

“Let’s head down quick!”

And naturally, the people made a beeline for the elevator.

But this was the “Everyday Destruction” dungeon, where all everyday appliances and electronics had turned into monsters.

Would the elevator really be fine?

“Take the stairs!”

—Kwachak!

So Yeri shouted as she smashed the elevator doors.

Something inside got hit by the flying door panel.

—Kroooh!

It even sounded pissed off.

With that voice, the elevator from the lower floor shot up at high speed.

“Just as I thought.”

The elevator had turned into a monster, as expected.

—Ku-kung!

So Yeri waited for it to arrive, then stomped it flat with her foot.

—Kwachak!

With that sound, the elevator’s lights flickered out, and it met its end.

“Whoa…”

The fleeing people stared at the scene in a daze.

So Yeri beckoned them.

“Hurry and get out.”

“Got it.”

One thing was certain: any thought of taking the elevator had vanished from their minds.

“I smashed all the CCTVs on the way up, too…”

The ones in the stairwell probably wouldn’t suddenly attack people.

“All the monsters on the upper floors are dead!”

Just then, Shin Yuri’s panicked voice rang out.

So Yeri quickly headed downstairs and waved at them.

“I cleared them all~!”

Shin Yuri and Shin Jae-heon turned to her with dumbfounded looks.

“When did you…?”

“That’s not the point!”

Just don’t worry about it!

So Yeri quickly vanished from sight.

She’d swept up all the trash mobs, so now it was time for the boss monster to appear.

“I wonder what the boss monster is.”

It had to be some massive machine, right?

Not a fridge or computer or washing machine…

She was pondering this when…

—Kurung. Thud.

—Bwoooong!

An ominous rumble echoed from below.

Glancing down absentmindedly, So Yeri freaked out.

The usual things in an apartment basement. Massive mechanical hulks swarming together.

She’d forgotten about them.

“Cars!?”

If this had been an A-rank instead of B-rank dungeon, the cars might have burst through the ceiling regardless of whether the building collapsed.

But since it was B-rank, they seemed to judge that politely exiting through the entrance used less energy than demolishing the whole structure. The cars poured out all at once.

—Tap!

True to her S-rank prowess, Shin Yuri noticed the anomaly in the parking lot at the same time as So Yeri and blocked the entrance.

Shin Jae-heon followed, bounding down by kicking off the walls a few times, taking position in front of her.

A boss monster resembling a car that had scored some product placement appeared before them.

As if dozens of cars had merged, the massive boss had several vehicles attached to its shoulders and arms.

“…!”

Shin Yuri seemed taken aback by the enormous boss monster.

So Yeri debated jumping down to help them for a moment.

But then.

Residual images formed at the tip of the stick Shin Yuri held.

—Kwajik! Kwak!

With a vicious sound, the afterimages pierced straight through the massive boss monster.

—Kuku-kung…!

Perhaps because it was forcibly cobbled together from heavy parts—the boss, struck at its joints, collapsed easily.

Of course, being an S-rank attack played a part in that too.

“No need to help after all~”

So Yeri said cheerfully.

The young Shin Jae-heon and Hunter Shin Yuris who actually entered this place back then must have taken down the boss just as easily.

And cried afterward.

Wishing they’d arrived just a little sooner to save everyone.

The system window flashed.

So Yeri dismissed it without a proper look and checked on Shin Yuri and Shin Jae-heon.

“Mom, Dad!”

She saw Shin Yuri rushing to where people were gathered and embracing someone.

Shin Jae-heon approached his aunt again and spoke to her.

“What about Uncle?”

“Over there.”

His aunt pointed to a middle-aged man sprawled on the floor.

“Unfortunately, he didn’t die.”

“You brat!”

She smacked Shin Jae-heon on the back, and only then did he smile.

So those were the two hunters’ families.

The young hunters were truly relieved.

If this had been real, so much would have changed.

But this was just an illusion.

“Let’s get out for now.”

Hunter Shin Yuri led her parents. Shin Jae-heon, with a reluctant face, slung his uncle under his arm and gestured to his aunt.

“Is it really safe to go through there?”

The people the two had saved were doubting if the other side of the gate was secure.

But Shin Yuri and Shin Jae-heon, having already cleared one gate, knew it was safe beyond.

“It’s safe once you cross.”

As she spoke, Shin Yuri scanned the surroundings.

She was clearly wondering where So Yeri, who had helped them, had gone.

So Yeri quietly hid herself.

No need for thanks.

Just helping was joy enough.

As So Yeri smiled like that.

“Then I’m heading out!”

Shin Yuri’s bright voice rang out.

She figured if she went first, the others would follow believing it was safe.

So Yeri straightened up and watched the two exit.

—Wooong!

The next moment, her eyes widened.

“Ah…”

Hunter Shin Yuri held her parents’ hands, Shin Jae-heon hunter his aunt’s, as they crossed the gate—but only the two hunters made it through.

The families trying to enter with them couldn’t cross.

Yet the other survivors didn’t react with surprise.

Even though they’d just been debating safety moments ago.

People stared at the gate as if time had frozen.

So Yeri watched Shin Yuri’s parents slowly release her hand, then leaped down from the rooftop.

What a cruel dungeon.

She thought as she glanced briefly beyond the gate.

—Wooong!

With her current Shin Yuri stats at upper S-rank.

This was just a B-rank dungeon from the early gate days.

Conventional wisdom said that with a clear rank gap, you could see outside the gate.

But to So Yeri’s eyes, the other side was pitch black.

Meaning nothing was there.

Decisive proof that this was merely a space from memory.

The “Memory-Shin Yuri” space within the dungeon.

The people seemed to know it too, gazing at the gate with regretful expressions.

As if they never intended to leave in the first place.

—Tap.

Even as So Yeri walked among them, they only glanced her way—no one seemed puzzled by her presence.

If the souls of those who died at the gate were here, would they say this was how it would be if they saw, if they were watching?

She couldn’t grasp the gate’s intent or the system’s purpose.

But uncharacteristically, instead of fueling her research instincts, So Yeri approached the two hunters’ guardians.

“……”

Shin Jae-heon’s aunt and Shin Yuri’s parents stood side by side, staring at the gate. Were they close?

Had they known from the start they couldn’t follow?

So Yeri glanced at Shin Jae-heon’s uncle, who had abused the young boy. He too lay collapsed, unable to cross.

Turning away, So Yeri abruptly pulled the three guardians into a hug.

“!”

The three startled and turned to her.

“Who…?”

At this point, the guardians wouldn’t know So Yeri.

But she smiled warmly.

“A friend. Friend of Hunter Shin Yuri and Shin Jae-heon hunter.”

Hunter might have been an unfamiliar term back then, but they latched onto something else.

“A friend?”

“Yuri has such a pretty big sis as a friend?”

Shin Jae-heon’s aunt asked with wide eyes. So Yeri nodded.

“Yes, she does. She made one.”

A wistful smile was inevitable.

Her words probably wouldn’t reach these people in reality.

So Yeri didn’t believe in the afterlife.

But if the system preserved everyone’s memories, making them act this way…

I hope this gets through. She thought.

“Don’t worry about the two of them.”

The three looked at her.

So Yeri closed her eyes.

“They went through tough times but endured well, and they’re still enduring.”

She smiled faintly.

“That’s why now they’re so strong, beautiful, and confident.”

So Yeri hugged the three tightly.

“If it gets dangerous, I’ll protect you.”

So rest in peace.

She thought she saw the three smiling one last time.

—Flash!