Dungeon & Commander (122)
Hong Mun-hak froze. He knew exactly what the young lady-in-waiting meant.
He'd been caught in the act of his affair by Kim Jun.
O Won-jin stood beside him, struggling to hold back his laughter. The notoriously strict and intimidating Hong Mun-hak was at a complete loss in front of Kim Jun.
As Hong Mun-hak stammered incoherently and hurriedly vanished down the hallway, O Won-jin burst into hearty laughter.
"I wouldn't want to get on your bad side."
Lee Ha-yoon gazed at her monitor with a satisfied smile.
She'd turned the spectacular tale from the D-rank dungeon into writing, and views would explode again this time.
Sure, there were clueless critics tearing into her work, but they were cowards who only knew how to wield a pen and had never glimpsed the darkness of the dungeons. They were just jealous that a Raider was stealing the spotlight with her writing.
The climax of this piece was, of course, the Nuclataurus.
Who wouldn't be awestruck by a story of nearly capturing one of the strongest monsters, one that triggered a nuclear explosion at the slightest touch?
In truth, it didn't matter that no one had actually encountered a Nuclataurus in the recent Uijeongbu Dungeon raid. What mattered was how much joy she could deliver to her readers—that was the true value of her writing.
The idea for the Nuclataurus had come from an absurd rumor during a grade disturbance that claimed countless Raiders' lives.
One team supposedly encountered a Nuclataurus mid-raid, accidentally set off a nuke, but a Lyposaurus miraculously appeared and healed their wounds.
Whoever started that rumor had real talent as a writer. Lee Ha-yoon scolded herself for not thinking of it sooner.
"Hmm, next raid, I need to meet a Lyposaurus. That'll double the views."
She'd uploaded the piece to the internet three hours ago.
Comments were probably exploding by now.
Lee Ha-yoon checked the site where she posted. As expected, thousands of comments had piled up, with views in the hundreds of thousands. In a few days, it could hit millions—maybe even tens of millions.
"Huh?"
Lee Ha-yoon frowned at the comment content.
About 30% of the comments mentioned Skyla. Most were overwhelmingly negative, pure vitriol.
Fuming, Lee Ha-yoon searched for Skyla—and suddenly remembered her face.
"Ah, that woman. She was so annoying, tailing me everywhere, and now she's a Raider? Fine, let's see what you've got."
Lee Ha-yoon clicked over to Skyla's site, ready with harsh words and critiques. But in an instant, she was sucked in, devouring the text.
When she finished, Lee Ha-yoon was speechless.
To make a mundane F-rank dungeon raid this thrilling? Anyone reading it would feel like they were diving into the dungeon themselves, battling monsters firsthand.
"Ugh, annoying."
Lee Ha-yoon hurled her monitor aside.
Committee Chairman Seok Byung-su had a throbbing headache.
"Now, let's discuss the Uramata Guild's Pink Team. Last meeting, we concluded F-rank dungeons were appropriate. But with their solid performance in the Changwon Dungeon and the addition of an ice dealer, we should review that."
The committee members in the meeting room exchanged glances, saying nothing.
They all knew how the Dungeon Association viewed Uramata Guild. In fact, internal guidelines restricted Uramata teams to F-rank raids through this year—and likely next.
It might even hold until they shut down the guildhouse. Operating on just F-rank raids was a miracle.
The problem was public opinion.
Pink Team had shattered the Changwon Dungeon record.
Their haul of Formion cores was worth a staggering 1.1 billion won, blowing past Lee Hwan's previous best.
Daily Raider and countless outlets had reported it. Everyone knew Pink Team's capabilities.
Assigning them to another F-rank in this climate? The backlash could be fierce.
Protests, complaints flooding in. In the worst case, the chairman—and maybe the whole committee—could get replaced. No one in the room wanted that.
Yet no one spoke up to push for E-rank.
That would earn the Dungeon Association's ire.
Seok Byung-su skimmed Pink Team's records.
He sighed inwardly.
'These idiots... all of them. Yoo Wan-seop's daughter, Choi Min-su's son, Crazy Buffer Yang Hee-seon's client, an ice dealer recognized in America, and a carrier backed by Yeon Un-jae and Choi Min-su. Why the hell are they stuck with Uramata? With specs like that, any guild—even Jushin—would welcome them with open arms. Damn it!'
"Chairman."
Park Chang-sik, seated in the back, raised his hand slightly.
He was the one who'd gone karaoke with Go Cheolmin.
"Speak."
"How about assigning Pink Team to a D-rank dungeon raid?"
"...What?"
Seok Byung-su couldn't believe his ears.
The other members murmured. Some even pointed at Park Chang-sik.
Once the screening committee decided and the Association approved, Uramata's dungeon license would upgrade to D-rank—meaning all their teams could enter D-ranks.
Park Chang-sik paused, then continued.
"Even if we assign them to D-rank, expedition leaders choose their teams. After just two F-rank clears, with all that media spotlight—who'd take Pink Team?"
The mood shifted with his calm explanation. Everyone pondered the idea silently.
Seok Byung-su liked it.
The committee would win public favor, while giving the Association a perfect excuse.
They began reviewing specifics.
His fingertip hovered over the mouse button, click, no click.
After agonizing, Go Cheolmin turned his face away and clicked. A second later, the next raid's dungeon location scrolled onto the monitor.
He slowly turned back, doubting his eyes.
"...Uramata Guild, Pink Team, Sokcho Dungeon, D-rank! D-rank!"
Confirming twice, three times, he bolted from the master room, leaping down instead of using stairs in his haste.
Thud!
Landing with a bang, Go Cheolmin met the stares of guildmates eyeing him oddly.
"D-rank! D-rank! We're heading to Sokcho in a month!"
Go Cheolmin shouted.
"You sure you didn't misread?"
Skyla, flipping through a newspaper on the bench, asked indifferently.
"Even with our results, D-rank seems unrealistic. Double-check."
Yoo Min-jeong chimed in, starting recovery exercises with her dumbbells.
Choi Muhyun, mid-weightlift, ignored him and resumed grunting through reps.
Kim Jun, scaling the wall with Mokhonbo Po steps, did the same.
Only Yeom Sang-taek approached.
"Yeah, you believe it, right?"
"Huh? What? Hold on, my throat's dry..."
Yeom Sang-taek passed by to grab a water bottle from the fridge. Go Cheolmin stomped back to the master room and texted the assignment to the team.
Less than 30 seconds later, they all rushed up.
Hugs all around.
Moments later, Go Cheolmin yelled,
"Beef today!"
Lee Wan-yeol sat alone in a private room at Walkerhill Hotel's Chinese restaurant.
Ten minutes until the appointment, but he'd arrived an hour early.
His mouth was parched.
Already on his third glass of water.
Footsteps approached. The door opened, and Choi Min-su entered.
"You're early."
"Ah, yes. I just got here."
They shook hands.
Pre-ordered courses arrived. They chatted lightly about weather and sports over the meal.
Lee Wan-yeol was surprised at how down-to-earth and chatty Choi Min-su was—always bragging about his wife and son at every chance.
"Now that we're fed, let's get to business."
Choi Min-su said.
"The Association... has decided to accept the awakening test proposal."
Lee Wan-yeol paused deliberately, watching his reaction.
Choi Min-su nodded calmly. Inside, he wanted to shout for joy, but now wasn't the time. He waited patiently for the conditions.
'Not your average guy.'
"As you know, the Association can't ignore public scrutiny. It'd look like favoritism toward Cheonhondan."
"Understood."
"So, we're forming a special committee. Kim Jun must pass their exam to qualify for the test."
Committees were the Association's dodge for headaches. With outsiders involved, they could claim no liability if issues arose.
Choi Min-su knew this well.
If Pink Team hadn't excelled in Changwon, set a record with rare Formium cores, and made headlines, the Association wouldn't have budged so fast.
"What does the exam entail?"
"The committee's just forming, so details will take time."
A month, half a year—maybe they'd stall until Kim Jun was forgotten. Lee Wan-yeol was sure Choi Min-su grasped this.
He was curious about the reaction.
Choi Min-su smiled steadily.
"We'll do the awakening test on October 1st, the last exam date this year."
"Pardon? You... what did you say?"
"You heard me."
"The Association's already made the maximum... concession..."
"Ah, yes, I know. So we'll help with that. It must be tough for you, Section Chief, so let me assist. To be clear: Kim Jun gets his test on October 1st. If not, I'll resign from the Association that day."
"......"
Lee Wan-yeol doubted his ears.
Choi Min-su, the top tanker, submitting resignation? Over one carrier?
"To avoid misunderstanding, I'm not retiring."
Choi Min-su emphasized.
He'd leave the Association but continue as a Raider—meaning independent dungeon runs.
"All dungeons in Korea are Association-managed."
"Which makes me question if it's still worthy of the name. But 'even bad laws are laws,' so we'll comply. Fine—but if we form our own association, you can't interfere. Yours is under the Ministry of Culture; ours would be Seoul city-backed. What do you think? Not my idea, but... not bad. Monopolies aren't healthy."
Choi Min-su finished leisurely, adding,
"I could work as a mercenary too. Not all dungeons are Association turf."
Japan nearby had independent ones, drawing foreign Raiders.
"......Must it come to this?"
"Yes. We need precedent."
Choi Min-su replied.
Precedent!
Lee Wan-yeol closed his eyes. If a powerhouse like Choi Min-su left, others would follow.
"Then."
Choi Min-su exited the private room.