Chapter 60 - Pohang (1)
The journey to Pohang went smoothly.
After taking the train, they boarded a large bus waiting at the station and headed toward the dungeon outbreak area.
Their destination was Yeongil Beach.
Along the long stretch of beach stood a grand pavilion-like structure and a majestic statue of a general, standing tall and proud.
"It's still there."
"You've been here before?"
"Yeah, back in high school with my parents. We traveled all over back then. The snow crab place at the hotel behind here is pretty good, though. Pricey, but worth it."
Back then, he'd saved up his allowance to treat his parents to snow crab.
Burning through 400,000 won on a single meal wasn't easy, even for someone from a well-off family.
But seeing his parents so happy made all that scrimping and saving feel worthwhile.
Screech.
The bus came to a stop in front of the seaside.
Across from them, restaurants and hotels lined the street, but unlike the usual bustle, there wasn't a soul in sight except for officials.
"Where are you from?"
"Mugung Guild."
"Ah, they've set up a temporary base near the beach performance hall. Head that way."
As soon as the bus stopped, a soldier approached to greet them.
This area was under government control due to the dungeon break.
"People must be pretty bummed. It's peak vacation season."
It was right around the end of spring, heading into summer.
The news had mentioned record-breaking tourist crowds, partly due to compensation psychology after the nationwide dungeon break panic not long ago.
Other places were fine, but here, even the association's anti-break tech couldn't contain the dungeon, so they had no choice but to lock it down.
Splash.
The sea rolled in with cool white foam.
Han Su-ah, for whatever reason delighted, stepped onto the sandy beach and jogged lightly ahead.
"Nice. Should we come here for our next vacation?"
"You wanna go with me?"
"Of course. How about the whole team? We could stay at that hotel you mentioned and have snow crab again."
"...Not a bad idea."
Kim Sun-woo gave a wry smile and nodded.
His parents were gone now, but with the others around him, he didn't feel lonely.
They walked along the beach toward the performance hall, where they spotted facilities set up like military barracks.
Soldiers, association staff, and hunters bustled about, hard at work.
As the Night Team approached, a sweating association employee came out to meet them.
"Thanks for coming. Sorry to jump straight into business, but... do you have a plan?"
"Is it that urgent?"
"Yes, very."
The employee pointed desperately at the pitch-black dungeon portal floating over the sea.
"Locals, small business owners, tourists—they're all piling on the complaints. Our budget was already tight, and now with special disaster insurance payouts... it's a mess."
The employee let out a long sigh.
It wouldn't be a big deal in Seoul or a major metro area.
But for a smaller place like this—or rural outskirts—the higher administrative body handled interim execution.
Even if the central government allocated extra funds later, Pohang City had to cover it until then.
"The complaints are insane. City hall's swamped, and even the provincial office is paralyzed. Please, wrap this up fast."
"We'll do our best."
Robert replied curtly.
They couldn't rush a raid just because admins were griping.
If something went wrong in a hurry, who'd take the blame?
"We'll enter the dungeon in one hour. Given the situation, let's finish the initial scouting before the main assault team arrives."
The main assault on this dungeon would be handled by Mugung's primary team anyway.
The Night Team's job was exploration and intel gathering.
With time to kill before the assault team showed, this was an efficient way to accommodate them.
An hour later.
As the prepared Night Team stood before the dungeon entrance, mages from the Crimson Tower joined the scouting party.
"Nice to see you again. Same crew."
As expected, Jin So-hui—one of the Crimson Tower successors—was with them.
She seemed to be leading this raid, as everyone followed her orders.
"At least this is better than Daehak-ro. That place reeked."
"Shame Huashan Sect isn't here. They would've made it solid."
Kim Sun-woo smacked his lips.
With Mugung Guild, Crimson Tower, and Huashan Sect, they could've cleared this dungeon with ease.
He'd heard Huashan had been offered a spot based on their Daehak-ro experience but declined for some reason.
"Ah, those cowards."
Jin So-hui sneered at his words.
"They tucked tail and ran 'cause they were scared."
"...Huashan Sect?"
"Yeah. Word is, the ones who got hurt in Daehak-ro were their next-gen Plum Blossom Sword Saints. The handler was pissed. Public opinion's turned sour too—their stock's taken a hit."
"But they succeeded in the raid."
"Technically, thanks to your performance, Sun-woo. I pitched in to save face. Huashan's warriors came back beat to hell. So they're dodging risk this time."
"..."
Kim Sun-woo tasted bitterness.
He hadn't expected that backstory to Huashan's no-show.
"I get quarterly evaluations matter, but bailing while everyone's stepping up? Kinda unethical, don't you think?"
Tsking her tongue, Jin So-hui suddenly stuck out her hand to Kim Sun-woo.
"Anyway, let's do this well again."
"...Yeah, you too."
As the two chatted, the Night Team and Crimson Tower finished entry prep.
Kim Sun-woo returned to his team for a final gear check when Han Su-ah sidled up and asked quietly.
"That's the one from Daehak-ro, right? Crimson Tower successor."
"Yeah, So-hui."
"Hm."
Han Su-ah nodded, trying not to show it.
Mugung's main assault team. Crimson Tower successor.
All heavy hitters.
Tough to match with just "daughter of Essential Armory's CEO."
As expected...
Han Su-ah gripped the staff she'd brought from the Cradle of the Broken Pilgrim, her face resolute.
I need more than just my background. Something of my own.
She felt the need to solidify her standing as a hunter.
How long would Kim Sun-woo stick with the Night Team?
Probably after this mission or the next—team leader training would end.
Being a dual awakener healer/buffer was great, but it wasn't enough to push forward on its own.
"Alright, let's enter. It's a sea zone, so expect coastal or deep-sea conditions. Keep that in mind."
Dungeons usually mirrored their outbreak area's environment.
Blazing Peak was near mountains.
Death's Land in Daehak-ro was flat plains.
Not identical, but similar enough—that was academic consensus.
"Entering."
At Robert's command, the Night Team and Crimson Tower mages stepped into the dungeon.
A chill swept over their bodies, followed by damp air clinging to their skin.
"...This place."
Kim Sun-woo, up front with Robert, scanned the surroundings.
The visible landscape felt off.
Things right in front of them refracted, magnified, or shrank.
It was new to Kim Sun-woo, but Robert nodded knowingly.
"Deep sea dungeon."
"So we're underwater? Breathing's fine, though."
"Deep sea water's special. It just exists around us—no interference with breathing or movement like real submersion. But as a water-attribute field, fire magic will be halved here."
Robert glanced back, and Jin So-hui grinned, raising her hand.
"Expected it when I heard 'ocean.' I've prepped."
A red bracelet jingled on her wrist.
Some artifact, likely boosting firepower even in deep sea conditions.
"No issues? Moving out. Deep sea dungeons aren't usually aggressive—lower risk than most. Should be easy to scout."
The scouting party pressed forward.
He'd worried it might be unpredictable like Death's Land with its vampires.
Fortunately, this seemed like a known type.
Whoosh.
Crimson Tower mages' familiars roamed the dungeon, scouting.
The space itself was just a dim cave, heavy with moisture in the air—nothing special for a deep sea dungeon.
It dashed Kim Sun-woo's expectations nicely.
"...It's quiet."
Kim Sun-woo nodded at Han Su-ah's words.
Unusually silent for a dungeon.
Normally, ambient monsters tangled mana flows.
Here, it felt abandoned—no signs of life.
"Mage Jin So-hui. Any monsters on scan?"
"It's about time for some, but nothing. Same elsewhere."
Jin So-hui frowned at Robert's question.
Ten minutes in—they'd passed the entrance.
Gatekeepers or low mobs should've popped by now. Nothing.
"...Huh?!"
Then one mage voiced surprise.
Bad sign mid-raid.
As eyes turned, the mage pointed awkwardly at the second path left.
"Eaten monster corpse ahead. Blood's dried—been a bit."
"Let's check."
They hurried forward.
An eaten corpse meant something that ate it existed.
Soon, Robert and Kim Sun-woo found it.
"Ugh..."
"Damn, they devoured it good."
Tuna-like monster, human legs aside.
Body cleanly stripped except the head.
Dried blood suggested about 30 minutes old.
"Hold on, lemme check ahead."
Sensing something off from the traces, Jin So-hui extended her hand.
"..."
She inhaled sharply, frowning.
"Something there?"
"...Yeah."
Biting her lip, she spoke cautiously.
"Eaten monster corpses scattered along this path. Looks like we have company ahead."