Dungeon difficulty is being reassessed.
Dungeon difficulty has been adjusted from C-rank to B-rank.
System Guide: The current rank of this dungeon is B-rank.
This dungeon is appropriate for the user’s current level.
A chorus of groans escaped the guild members as they read the system messages.
“Those bastards. Did they seriously set up house inside the dungeon or something?”
“If they’re ignoring safety regulations to this extent, they really are insane. Do they think the system’s a joke?”
“But isn’t this the first time we’ve actually observed synchronization increasing and expanding the dungeon’s range? Isn’t this worth reporting to academia?”
“To do that, we’d need to figure out exactly how many people stayed inside the dungeon, and for how many hours.”
“Hm. Then wouldn’t that mean we should delay clearing it and track down the root cause instead?”
The system messages piqued the curiosity of all the guild members. Of course, this was an unexpected development. But in truth, a rise in difficulty wasn’t a serious problem for the HP Guild. Not only was Han Jaeyeong an S-rank Hunter, Shin Jieum was an A-rank swordswoman, and the rest of the HP Guild members were all B-rank or higher mages.
And what had actually shocked Han Jaeyeong wasn’t the system message itself, but something else entirely. Using their item, Han Jaeyeong once again looked at the scene Jeong Daon had been seeing.
It doesn’t seem…that unusual.
Sure, it was a landscape you wouldn’t see in modern-day Korea, which made it feel unsettling. There were plenty of strange elements. But still—
Her color’s completely drained.
Jeong Daon looked deeply abnormal.
Was it really a sight severe enough to make her face turn that pale? What on earth had she seen?
She even urged them again, “I said get out of here.
Now!
”
“Calm down, Hunter Jeong Daon.” Shin Jieum stepped in and tried to soothe her. “I know you’re shaken, but a B-rank dungeon isn’t something we can’t handle.”
To Shin Jieum, it probably looked like Jeong Daon had panicked due to the sudden turn of events. That would’ve been normal for anyone. No matter how astonishing her abilities had been right after awakening, Jeong Daon was still young, and this was her first proper dungeon raid, only for something like this to happen. Anyone would panic in that situation.
But Jeong Daon was not just anyone.
“B-rank isn’t the problem. Why are you all hesitating like this?”
As she said that, Jeong Daon looked straight at Han Jaeyeong.
In terms of age, and dungeon experience, comparing her to Han Jaeyeong was laughable. And yet, there was something in her tone that felt like a stern rebuke. A reproach aimed at the person who was supposed to take responsibility, asking why they were wavering. It didn’t sound like the words of a young, untested Hunter who was under Han Jaeyeong’s care, but rather like someone who had once stood on equal footing.
It was strange. She was a strange person.
Han Jaeyeong stared at Jeong Daon. “Finish what you were saying. If B-rank isn’t the issue, then what is?”
"That's..." Jeong Daon started to speak, then closed her mouth and frowned.
Seeing her hesitate mid-thought, Han Jaeyeong was about to press her further—
Rumble, rumble!
A loud sound echoed from somewhere far away.
The first person to recognize what it was was Shin Jieum. “The ground is shaking.”
“I-is that an earthquake?”
“Can earthquakes even happen inside a dungeon?”
“They could. Considering that dungeons are essentially worlds of another dimension, if the dungeon’s range expands, physical shockwaves could—”
“Hey, aren’t you a mage? That’s a pretty sloppy theory.”
“Then do you have a better one?”
“Alright, alright. We can debate dungeon theory later.” Han Jaeyeong put a stop to the discussion among the guild members, which was just about to heat up.
Of course, as a mage, Han Jaeyeong found the topic fascinating as well. But if they let it go on, everyone would forget they were inside a dungeon, or that the ground was shaking, and spend the entire day arguing instead.
Jeong Daon was right. In a situation like this, it was the guildmaster’s responsibility to make the call.
“Hunter Shin Jieum.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s split up. You take everyone else and focus on clearing the dungeon, excluding me. It’s a B-rank dungeon, so two hours should be enough.”
“Yes. Then what about you, Guildmaster?”
“I’ll investigate that village while the dungeon is being cleared.”
“Understood.”
It was a demand that could be called unreasonable—telling them to clear the dungeon without Han Jaeyeong, an S-rank Hunter. Even so, Shin Jieum didn’t object to their judgment. Neither did the other guild members. They were close enough with one another that the tension was a bit lacking, but inside a dungeon, a battlefield where lives were on the line, the guildmaster’s decision was absolute. As if they’d never been arguing at all, they quickly prepared to depart for the dungeon clear.
“Charge the monster scanners first.”
“And here I was thinking something big might happen, but we’re leaving without even looking around properly.”
“What are you talking about? Just seeing something like this in person is already incredible.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Alright, everyone stop chatting and get in. Hunter Jeong Daon, come with us—”
“I’m not going.”
“…What?” Shin Jieum, who had been about to get into the car, stared at Jeong Daon in disbelief, then turned to Han Jaeyeong.
Her look clearly said
do something
, but Han Jaeyeong just shrugged. “She says she’s not going. Let’s respect her opinion.”
“Ah, Guildmaster, what is this now…?”
“It’s fine. Even if it’s not fine, I’ll make it fine. Please take care of the other guild members.”
“…Understood.”
She looked dissatisfied in more ways than one, but in the end, Shin Jieum climbed into the vehicle. It was a wise decision.
Feeling the gaze fixed on them, Han Jaeyeong explained, “Oh, you’re wondering why I let you have your way? Leaving a ticking bomb like you on the other side would be unmanageable. Even if Hunter Shin Jieum is A-rank, dealing with a bunch of immature mages
and
you on top of that would be too much.”
"…"
“It should take them about two hours to meet the clear conditions. While they’re doing that, we’ll comb through that village.”
Jeong Daon blinked. “
We
?”
“You stayed because you were curious about that village too, weren’t you?”
“That’s true, but…why are you staying? Is it because of the item?”
“Well, I won’t deny that I’m hoping we might get lucky and find one.” Han Jaeyeong shrugged. “At this rate, we’ll just clear the dungeon and leave, but letting that village be doesn’t sit right with me. What if a Dungeon Break happens?”
According to the system message, it was clear that more people than necessary were residing inside this dungeon. And because of them, the synchronization rate had risen enough to trigger a difficulty re-evaluation. If things were left as they were, a Dungeon Break was practically inevitable.
“I do have responsibilities as an S-rank Hunter, after all.”
At Han Jaeyeong’s words, Jeong Daon seemed momentarily at a loss for words. Then she asked, genuinely puzzled, “Is that really…your reason?”
“It’s not some lofty, public-spirited cause or anything. I just think we should at least look into what’s going on.”
They weren’t the police, so there was no obligation to investigate, but that didn’t mean they had to ignore a problem this obvious. If there really was something like a human experimentation lab, like the Truelight Sect’s, then there’d be no need for them to handle it personally. Reporting it to the government afterward would be enough. The cleanup would fall to the government or to someone overflowing with a sense of justice, like Yu Hanul.
“And I’m also curious what it is that’s making Hunter Jeong Daon act so emotionally.”
Yes.
Emotional
. The word fit perfectly. Until now, unless it involved her family member Jeong Dajeong, Jeong Daon had always been calm and composed. For her to act this emotionally…
If that weren’t the case, she wouldn’t be behaving so rashly.
To anyone watching, she looked like someone clearly hiding something. Han Jaeyeong had thought it would take time to learn what kind of person Jeong Daon really was, but maybe they’d find out right now.
Unable to contain their anticipation, Han Jaeyeong smiled. “This is exciting. Though if I end up seeing everything you’ve got after just a little over a month, it might be a bit disappointing.”
“…I’m looking forward to it too.”
“Pardon?”
“Feels like it’s about time I saw what
you’ve
really got, too.”
When Han Jaeyeong looked at Jeong Daon, they saw the corner of her mouth twitch. It seemed Han Jaeyeong’s attitude really didn’t sit well with her.
“I took another look just now, you know.” She had a proud personality. Once provoked like this, her reaction was bound to be sharp. “Thinking back on it, yeah. Even the first time we met, I wondered why someone who was supposedly S-rank was avoiding using their abilities like you did.”
“That was because the situation—”
“Save the excuses.”
“Myaong!” Leo, who was sitting quietly in Jeong Daon’s arms, cried out as if in agreement.
“You barely use magic even after entering the dungeon.”
"..."
“You didn’t properly step in when subduing the alchemist, and you didn’t either when breaking through the interference barrier. You pushed Shin Jieum to the front, or relied on items instead.” Jeong Daon’s gaze sharpened. “Is there some kind of problem?”
And in truth, her assessment was remarkably sharp. Still, that didn’t mean Han Jaeyeong had any intention of confessing honestly. They shrugged and smiled. “Aren’t you jumping to conclusions over something so trivial? I just didn’t need to step in. And if something can be handled with items, that’s simply more efficient.”
“We’ll see about that,” Jeong Daon muttered ominously. “Let’s go and find out.”
The atmosphere had grown a bit awkward, but regardless, the two soon arrived at the village they had seen through the item.
“It’s a strange village.”
Han Jaeyeong surveyed the place. It had seemed odd even from a distance, but up close it felt even more so. There were traces that people had once lived here, yet it felt as though time itself had eroded them away, like an unpreserved cultural relic.
As Han Jaeyeong took the lead and looked around the village, Jeong Daon asked abruptly, “Are you okay?”
“Pardon? With what?”
“…Nothing. So, what do you think of this place?”
“It gives me a bad feeling. Like my energy’s being drained. Maybe like a creepy abandoned-house attraction?”
"..."
Han Jaeyeong had been assuming that some organization had set up a human experimentation lab here, using the company Shining—which managed the dumping grounds—as a shield, and that the personnel stationed in that lab were what caused the dungeon’s synchronization rate to rise.
“This should be the core of the perception-disrupting magic…” Yet in this village, there was no sign of people at all. Instead, it felt like a long-neglected grave, overgrown with weeds.
That was when Leo, who had been nestled in Jeong Daon’s arms, lightly hopped down to the ground.
“Myak!”
After crying out once, Leo circled his owner as if shrugging, then darted off somewhere at full speed.
“Did you send him to scout?”
“Yeah. He’s faster than a human.”
“Still…” Han Jaeyeong tilted their head while watching Leo’s already-vanished back. “Doesn’t your cat seem a bit bigger?”
“Are you really a mage, using vague words like ‘seems’?”
“I’m a mage who values romance. Romance is born from ambiguity. So, what is it? Did you feed him mana or something?”
“It’s not like I injected anything… Wait.”
Jeong Daon, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped.
And Han Jaeyeong saw it too.
In a corner of the village, completely worn away by time, a human, dried up like a mummy, was crawling across the ground.