Yurian was just about to ask how expensive summons were and whether they were all that rich when Gong Sijin approached with a serious expression.
“Mr. Yurian, do you know what that creature is?”
“I told you, it’s not a monster.”
How many times did he have to correct them? Calling it the same as a monster—if that Custos woke up from the dead, it would probably beat its chest in frustration.
“Monster or not, do you know it well?”
Gong Siyoung pulled the chair back, spinning it around. Yurian stared at him like he couldn’t believe he didn’t know.
“I told you, it’s a Custos. It’s a summon. Like a mage’s pet. Well, not really a pet—more like a slave you command… anyway, just look at it. It’s clearly sturdy, right? People usually use those as gatekeepers. You stick one in front of something you don’t want others to find—like a basement full of secrets or a warehouse hiding illegally hoarded money.”
A Custos could only be controlled by the mage designated as its owner. Ownership could be transferred by engraving it onto a magic stone, so in practice, it was bound to the stone itself.
It was a completely different entity from a monster. Even if it attacked on command, it was closer to a spirit or beast than an actual monster.
“And taking one down isn’t that hard either. You just break the magic stone embedded in its eye.”
As if on cue, the footage on screen showed the Custos from the front. Yurian stepped closer to the monitor and tapped the face.
“See this? Smash that, and it stops working. It just stays inactive until the mage retrieves it and replaces the stone. That’s when you raid whatever it was guarding.”
He shrugged casually. Gong Siyoung frowned.
“If you knew that, why didn’t you help?”
“I said it wasn’t hard in theory. I didn’t say it was easy to do. And before I could say anything, you already got everyone disarmed.”
If the Custos had crumbled on its own, then its owner had probably set it up that way—so it would reverse-summon itself once certain conditions were met.
“Whoever did that is probably an insanely skilled mage.”
At least 8-circle, he thought. But no one seemed to be listening.
Watching Park Ildo and Gong Sijin whisper among themselves while the others stayed silent, Yurian scratched his chin.
“This is basic knowledge though…”
“I don’t want to hear about ‘common sense’ from you.”
Gong Siyoung shot back immediately.
Yurian quietly moved over and sat beside him. The moment he dropped into the empty chair, Gong Sijin finished his discussion and clapped his hands.
“Alright. Let’s clarify something first. Mr. Yurian, you said you couldn’t see a status window inside the dungeon either, correct?”
Yurian nodded.
“Then when you killed monsters in there, you did it without a status window? Fine, let’s say that Custos thing doesn’t count. What about the spider? You even called it by name—Coldweb, wasn’t it? You even built a fire and warmed your hands.”
“Well… that’s also common sense. You don’t know Coldweb?”
“Not at all.”
It wasn’t common for the status window to show exact monster names.
You could check rank, and experienced hunters recognized common species—but most cases weren’t that simple.
Which meant they couldn’t pinpoint weaknesses instantly like Yurian did.
“Coldweb is easy to deal with. Aside from the ice webs and swarming behavior, you can wipe them out with just 2-circle magic. Fire works perfectly. It’s really simple—”
Bang!
Park Ildo slammed the table.
“Who asked how to deal with it? I’m asking how you know that in the first place!”
“How? I told you, it’s common sense. My job was killing monsters. You think I could survive without knowing that? I don’t have two lives.”
Yurian had even compiled and distributed a monster compendium before. The closer you got to the Great Canyon, the more rare species appeared—and having gone through three subjugation campaigns, he knew more than most.
That knowledge, built from experience and observation, had been well received.
For Yurian, something like Coldweb was simply basic knowledge.
“Alright. It’s common sense to you, but not to us. That means we can help each other. We know things you don’t, and we need the information you have.”
Gong Sijin stepped in smoothly, signaling Park Ildo to stop. A fox-like smile curved his lips.
“Since we’re on the topic, I’d like to make you a formal offer. Mr. Yurian, would you consider joining our guild? We’d like to continue receiving your help.”
“Master!”
“Hyung!”
Park Ildo and Gong Siyoung both shot to their feet, but Gong Sijin didn’t even blink.
“If you intend to return to your original world, then just until that happens. If you join us, we will not abandon you under any circumstances.”
He extended his hand.
In front of that calm, reassuring smile, Yurian couldn’t help but hesitate.
People who looked kind were often the most dangerous. The offer sounded good—but kindness didn’t feed you. Yurian knew that well.
“I get that I might be useful. Those two don’t seem to agree, but let’s assume I am. So if I join… what happens?”
“It’s simple. Like other hunters, you’ll clear dungeons for the guild. You don’t have a rank yet, but since you entered a dungeon, you’re clearly a hunter. You can provide monster information like now, or enter dungeons with us and eliminate threats.”
That wasn’t difficult. Killing monsters was what he’d always done.
As Yurian considered it, Gong Sijin lowered his voice slightly.
“We’ll take care of everything else. Food, clothing, shelter. Our guild has excellent welfare. As for salary, tell us what you want—we’ll match it as best we can. Anything else you need, we’ll provide.”
“Hm…”
Gong Siyoung and Park Ildo were both glaring at him. Yurian glanced between them, then back to Gong Sijin’s smiling face.
Then his eyes drifted to the sword leaning against the wall.
Gong Siyoung had brought it. He acted like it didn’t matter, but he’d carefully kept it safe.
Yurian also remembered seeing him in the dungeon—an S-rank hunter, supposedly on the level of a Sword Master… falling like an idiot.
‘Doesn’t even know what a Custos is, and he’s going in there alone…?’
A gate inside a gate. He didn’t fully understand it, but he could feel the danger.
Even if he couldn’t see it, there were definitely monsters swarming inside.
He didn’t seem to read mana, and without skills, he didn’t look capable of much.
Was it really okay to let him go in alone?
Besides, he’d returned Yurian’s sword. That made him something of a benefactor.
And honestly… he was kind of fun to watch.
If Yurian was going to survive in this world, he’d need help. And if he had to stick with someone, someone like Gong Siyoung wouldn’t be bad.
Seeing an S-rank hunter as something like a stray cat, Yurian nodded.
“Alright. I’ll join. But I have a condition.”
Park Ildo scoffed. “Like you’re in a position to make demands.”
Ignoring him completely, Yurian pointed at Gong Siyoung.
“Let me keep Gong Siyoung with me.”
* * *
Dozens of articles flooded the main page of portal sites. Sensational headlines labeled as breaking news updated every few minutes.
[Shock in the Hunter World… ‘Gate Inside a Gate’ Nested Dungeon Controversy Escalates]
[Questions Raised About Gate Clear Conditions, Inquiries Flood ‘Rapture Guild’]
[Emergency Meeting of Major Guild Masters Underway at Hunter Management Bureau]
It hadn’t even been half a day since the existence of the nested dungeon was revealed.
Gong Sijin had left for the guild master meeting, and since then, Rapture Guild had been operating under emergency protocols.
A completely new type of dungeon—no one had ever reported anything like it before. The panic was understandable.
Gong Siyoung, for once, wore a serious expression as he scrolled through his phone. The moment he flicked the screen—
New headlines replaced everything.
Twice as many articles as the dungeon news poured in.
[S-Rank Hunter Gong Siyoung Caught in Dating Rumor… Who Melted the ‘Ice Princess’?]
[Gong Siyoung Spotted With Anonymous Civilian… ‘Lover?’]
[Netizens Buzz Over Gong Siyoung Dating Scandal… ‘Who Is It?’]
“…What the hell?”