Dungeon & Commander (155) - Mission: Warning
The corpse lying on the autopsy table had once been a living person.
But anyone confronting the bluish skin, the cloudy eyes, and the pervasive stench of decay would naturally have their convictions shaken.
Seo Yunhyeong let out a sigh.
He hadn't imagined that O Jae-gyu was dead when he received the call from Investigator Bang Su-cheol and issued the mobilization order.
Bang Su-cheol wouldn't contact him for something trivial, so he'd even ordered his direct subordinate inspection investigators to dig into the details.
Only then did he learn, belatedly, that O Jae-gyu had been found as a corpse that very day.
Deputy O Jae-gyu had been a whistleblower.
An internal informant who had exposed all sorts of illegal activities and corruption in the Core Country, making decisive contributions to resolving major cases reported to the Investigation Bureau.
He could be chatty and frivolous at times, but no one was braver when it came to making decisions.
The police believed a villain had killed him to infiltrate the Association.
A reasonable guess.
But was that the whole story? What if the villain knew O Jae-gyu was a whistleblower? What if they'd orchestrated this to eliminate him?
Only a tiny handful knew O Jae-gyu was an informant.
"Seven in total."
Suddenly, he craved a cigarette.
"One of them might be a traitor."
Seo Yunhyeong pulled out a cigarette and lit it, then placed it between O Jae-gyu's lips. It was his ritual to send off the chain smoker who vowed to quit every three days.
Seo Yunhyeong lit one for himself as well.
"I won't let your death be in vain. I promise you that. Farewell."
Turning away, Seo Yunhyeong left the autopsy room. With his back to the entrance, he pulled out his phone and pressed the shortcut key firmly.
The other end picked up after three rings.
"Did you find out anything?"
―The family knows nothing. Deputy O was meticulous in his work, so that's no surprise. For now, we can't say for sure if the villain knew his identity and targeted him.
It was Han Gi-moon, team leader of the Inspection Investigation Team, directly under the Investigation Bureau Chief.
"What's your take?"
―There are no coincidences in this world.
"Agreed. Dig deeper."
―Yes, Bureau Chief.
Seo Yunhyeong headed to the parking lot and climbed into his ten-year-old car. As he turned the key, the engine shuddered violently, fueling his rage until he slammed the steering wheel in frustration.
Whenever people who made bold decisions to right wrongs and uphold common sense died off one by one like this, it ignited a fury that nearly shattered his reason.
This filthy world—do I really need to live so nobly?
Maybe I should just shake it off, leave the Association, and live for my family—for myself.
No. Absolutely not.
If he ignored the blood they'd shed, the lives they'd lost, the grief of shattered families... he'd be no different from the rot infesting the Association. He had to cut it out somehow and rebuild the place anew.
As he drove back to the locked-down Association, his phone rang. The bureau chief slipped on his Bluetooth earpiece.
"Seo Yunhyeong speaking."
―Bureau Chief, it's Song Anna.
Song Anna was an investigator on the Inspection Investigation Team.
"Report."
―The cheating scandal during the written awakening test came from the Dungeon Management Division, but the orders seem to have come from higher up.
"Higher up meaning Bureau Chief Jeong Gi-taek of Dungeon Management."
―Possibly even higher.
"Why do you think that?"
―The Education Bureau was involved too. It would have been impossible without their help.
"Good. What about the practical exam?"
―Choi Nam-sik and Siuba, who hid their mercenary backgrounds to take the test, were transferred to the hospital, but their whereabouts are now unknown. The medical staff said they followed transfer orders, but no one issued them. Around the time the mercenaries vanished, we spotted this person on the hospital CCTV. Sending it now.
Seo Yunhyeong pulled over to the roadside. A text arrived with a video attached.
A woman in nurse's scrubs was passing through the hospital lobby.
"Lee Eun-ji, buffer from Jushin's Medici Team."
―Correct.
"If Jushin tampered with the practical exam and the Medici Team was involved, Kim Se-wi is almost certainly behind it."
―I agree.
"Well done."
Hanging up, Seo Yunhyeong realized just how many people had mobilized to disqualify one examinee in today's awakening test.
That examinee, favored by Choi Min-su, had brazenly dodged or shattered every trap and scheme to pass. A mere carrier-turned-examinee had wrecked elaborate plans involving high-ranking Association officials.
How absurd.
He burst out laughing. But one thought soon erased the amusement.
Would Jushin give up?
Or would they pull even dirtier tricks to keep Kim Jun out of the Raider world? Given Jushin's notorious persistence, Kim Se-wi and the Medici Team wouldn't back down easily.
Seo Yunhyeong immediately called Choi Min-su. It rang without answer from the pillar of Cheonhondan.
Even after three tries, nothing.
"Must be busy."
Scratching his chin, he called Bang Su-cheol next. Same result.
With a sigh, he floored the accelerator.
Bang Su-cheol turned, pressing a handkerchief to his nose.
Go Cheolmin and the Pink Team were slowly following through the narrow alley beside the sewer, where black sludge oozed. Their faces were twisted in disgust from the stench.
"How much farther?"
Go Cheolmin asked.
"Almost there."
They still had about ten minutes, but he didn't specify.
"Ack!"
A scream from Yeom Sang-taek at the rear. Choi Muhyun caught him as he nearly collapsed.
"What happened?"
Go Cheolmin deployed Mokhonbo, stepping off the slippery wall to reach Yeom Sang-taek.
Bang Su-cheol was impressed by the footwork.
"Th-there..."
Go Cheolmin frowned at what Yeom Sang-taek's finger pointed to. A cat, half its body torn away, bobbed in the black water. That's what had startled him.
Go Cheolmin lightly tapped his forehead with his fist.
"Pull yourself together."
"Yes, Master."
Go Cheolmin returned to his spot behind Bang Su-cheol, and the group pressed on.
Occasional splashes from rats diving into the water echoed loudly, but they walked in silence.
Bang Su-cheol halted.
Go Cheolmin clenched his fist, and the entire Pink Team froze instantly. Their dungeon raid formation training shone here.
Bang Su-cheol gripped the rusted ladder on the wall and climbed slowly. At the ceiling, he nudged the manhole cover with his palm, but it wouldn't budge—something heavy blocked it.
Even shouldering it yielded nothing.
"Need some help."
Go Cheolmin used Mokhonbo's Po variant to scale the slippery wall, then pushed the metal cover with both hands.
Then—thud.
Go Cheolmin froze, ears perked. No reaction followed. Good.
As the cover lifted, Bang Su-cheol climbed out first.
A shelf toppled forward, spilling cleaning supplies. The room had been repurposed as a janitor's prep area.
Go Cheolmin lightly hauled up Yoo Min-jeong, Yeom Sang-taek, Hwang Myeong-su, and Choi Muhyun.
"This is near the West Building basement level 3 warehouse. That hole should have been sealed during renovations, but bureaucratic red tape and politics left it open. That's how we got in today."
"How close to the Honor Hall?"
Go Cheolmin wanted direction, not backstory.
"We'll have to loop around. The Association's divided into sectors—no direct path from here to the Honor Hall. We go up to ground level 3, pass through a sector gate, then down. The problem's the lockdown. With it active, security will man checkpoints... We'll need to slip through at least two posts or outposts. It'll take time."
"Then let's move."
Footsteps echoed from outside. Someone approached.
"What was that noise?"
"Something heavy fell, I swear."
"If it's nothing, you're dead."
"Check first."
Thinking they'd been caught, Bang Su-cheol scanned around—and froze in surprise.
The toppled shelf from lifting the cover stood upright again. Scattered bleach, mops, glove bundles, Magic Block sets, rubber glove boxes—everything filled the shelves once more.
The Pink Team had silently fixed it.
As the guards unlocked the door, Bang Su-cheol and the Uramata crew hid swiftly.
Go Cheolmin clung spider-like to the ceiling with Mokhonbo. Yoo Min-jeong and Choi Muhyun pressed against it, using his arms as supports. Yeom Sang-taek and Hwang Myeong-su gripped his thighs, bodies extended horizontally.
This is a full circus act.
Bang Su-cheol crammed into a cabinet for storing clothes.
Two guards entered the prep room.
"See? Everything's fine. What fell?"
"I definitely heard..."
"Back to the post before the platoon leader notices we left."
"Hold on."
The suspicious guard approached the righted shelf.
Supporting not just himself but four others, Go Cheolmin cursed inwardly.
Get out already, you bastards!
His limbs trembled. The Mokhonbo Chu adhesion felt seconds from failing.
Yeom Sang-taek's foot slipped from the ceiling. Face flushed, he dangled—until Choi Muhyun grabbed his hand just before falling.
Yeom Sang-taek's shoe dangled 50 centimeters above a guard's cap.
"Let's go."
"...Fine."
The moment the guards left, Choi Muhyun dropped lightly, catching the falling Yeom Sang-taek. Yoo Min-jeong and Hwang Myeong-su landed next.
Go Cheolmin descended, gasping.
Yoo Min-jeong thumbs-upped her master. He was drenched in sweat.
"You lot—lose some weight. Especially you, Choi Muhyun!"
Laughter erupted.
Go Cheolmin approached Bang Su-cheol, still catching his breath.
"Security might be onto us. You sure?"
"Right now, 1st Platoon of the Security Company is combing West Building level 7. 2nd Platoon from 8 up, 3rd down—checking every office and warehouse. It'll take them a while to reach here."
Bang Su-cheol checked the hall and stepped out first.
Soon, Go Cheolmin's group left the prep room.
Kim Se-wi, fresh from the shower, toweled his hair while glancing at the laptop screen on the windowside table.
Still calculating.
"Need a system upgrade. The CFO will bitch, but at this snail's pace, what's the point?"
He opened the fridge.
Cheap beer only, but with the lockdown, he couldn't go out for decent wine.
The guest room suited him well enough. Compared to a five-star hotel, endless nitpicks, but impressive for Association-run.
Savoring the cold beer's throat burn, a beep sounded.
Kim Se-wi hurried to the laptop.
Results in.
0.000153%
Probability: Kim Jun deploys formation to pass practical exam
He laughed in disbelief. Not even 10%, not 1%.
0.000153%—15 out of 10 million. Not impossible, but so rare it was meaningless.
Kim Se-wi checked the details on the keyboard.
All data on Kim Jun up to the day before the awakening test had been fed into the prediction system. What he'd asked: the odds of Kim Jun using a formation to pass the practical.
That was the result: 0.000153%.