Dungeon & Commander (157)
“We should have taken better care of you and Investigator Bang Su-cheol for cracking that corruption case in the Security Division wide open. But as director, I turned a blind eye, using the excuse that I hadn't fully taken control of the Investigation Division and Security Division. I'm sorry.”
“Ah, no, sir.”
Nam Junsang was flustered.
He'd heard the rumors that Seo Yunhyeong was a down-to-earth man, but he never imagined the director would apologize to someone so far beneath him.
“You know how things are turning out, right? Villains broke into the Core Country, wax dolls rampaged in the Honor Hall... and the special executor handling it all is none other than Kim Se-wi.”
“You didn't know?”
“The appointment was by majority vote. So it's fine if one or two people sit it out. They decided without even notifying me.”
Those words made Nam Junsang grasp the gravity of the situation.
Leaning forward, the director fixed his gaze on the strike captain and explained the incidents involving Kim Jun.
Nam Junsang was speechless.
Organizing interference in both the written and practical exams just to disqualify one examinee? He wouldn't have believed it if it hadn't come straight from the director's mouth.
“Ju Shin doesn't want to see Kim Jun become a Raider, it seems. Looks like they're plotting to finish him off.”
“I really had no idea. Why is Ju Shin so obsessed with Kim Jun? And if I may be so bold, it's hard to understand why even you, Director, would take such an interest in a single examinee.”
Seo Yunhyeong smiled faintly.
“Kim Jun is an unexpected variable. The kind that shakes up the board.”
“What do you mean?”
“Since Kim Jun appeared, enrollment at Raider academies has jumped 27%. Parents are dragging their kids there, hoping that even without awakening signs, they might have potential like him. And that's not all. Academic interest in contamination phenomena has exploded. Kim Jun, a mere Carrier, grew strong enough to pass the awakening test because of contamination—and now experts are racing to minimize the side effects while maximizing its benefits. With him as a success case, they'll research it to the end.”
Nam Junsang stayed silent.
No matter how much he explained, he couldn't wrap his head around what the director was getting at.
“Roger Bannister.”
The name slipped from the director's lips, hitting Nam Junsang like scattered pearls suddenly strung together.
Before Roger Bannister, no one had broken the four-minute barrier in the mile.
It was known as the “miracle wall”—an absolute limit of the human body. But after he shattered it, dozens followed within years.
Bannister broke the notion of impossibility, paving the way for others.
“What has Kim Jun broken?”
“The belief that Raiders are special.”
Nam Junsang clenched his fist without realizing it.
“Do you think there'll be a second Kim Jun, a third?”
“Research on contamination was stifled until now—by Ju Shin and the big guilds, intentionally. But if the causes and processes are laid bare, studies will naturally extend to ordinary people. What do you think that means?”
He knew the answer all too well, and it made breathing hard.
The world of Raiders would collapse.
A new era where anyone could become a Raider would dawn.
Seo Yunhyeong pulled a folded paper from his pocket and slid it across to Nam Junsang.
Unfolding it, Nam Junsang was at a loss for words.
It was a full authority order, signed by the director!
“Lead the Mobile Strike Team as you see fit. I'll take the responsibility.”
Regaining his composure, Nam Junsang mentioned the injured Jo Mi-yeon to the director.
“Leave it to me. I can handle that much.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“One more thing. It'll be hard to tell who to trust. Watch and wait until movements become clear—then strike.”
“I was thinking the same.”
The director rose, extending his hand.
Nam Junsang gripped it firmly.
* * *
Choi Min-su replayed the scene over and over while waiting at the light.
The brilliant white flash bursting from his grip.
It was definitely Po-noe Strike. Senior Yeon Chung-jae's Po-noe Strike...
He'd heard the full story from Go Cheolmin.
Kim Jun had stumbled upon the Cheonroegeom in a dungeon by chance, and the sword's embedded memories and internal energy from Yeon Chung-jae had transferred to him. To ordinary folk, it'd sound like a movie plot—but to a rare few Raiders, it was reality.
Memories and power...
Choi Min-su thought of the “Faust Ring,” dubbed the devil's ring. Vanished in Frankfurt, Germany, it devours the mind and power of anyone foolish enough to wear it.
Countless Raiders lusted after that dangerous ring.
The moment you claimed it, all the absorbed power and knowledge from past victims returned to you.
He also recalled the Golemium, known for golem crafting.
The upper volume covered materials, magic circles, core usage—but the lower held forbidden methods for absorbing others' knowledge and power, sealed as a restricted text.
Efforts like Weavermind and Emvessel to steal or transfer memories and strength persisted.
The light turned green, and the Hummer surged forward.
Choi Min-su glanced at the nav.
Thirty minutes to Do Seung-yong's place.
How could he hide the truth and coax the answers he wanted from Do Seung-yong?
Do Seung-yong was the son of legendary item maker Do Jong-man, following in his father's footsteps as a maker—and renowned as a sculptor surpassing him.
Do Jong-man's wax dolls moved like the resurrected dead when infused with mana, mimicking their models perfectly. A miracle born from hair, a bit of blood, and the Demoben crafting method.
Choi Min-su suspected Yeon Chung-jae had learned Do Jong-man's secrets, refined them, and infused his memories and energy into the Cheonroegeom.
If true, Do Seung-yong could explain what happened to Kim Jun.
And reveal what lay ahead for him.
Information a patron absolutely needed.
Turning the wheel smoothly for a right, an explosion rocked his mind.
—Min-su!
Face twisting in pain, Choi Min-su slammed the brakes, pulling the Hummer to the roadside. His iron will and quick thinking averted a crash.
Stepping out, he gasped raggedly. His heart pounded like it would burst.
“This isn't a dungeon, Madam Mun.”
—Were you driving?
Mun Hyo-rin's voice echoed in his head.
“Cut it. What is it?”
Choi Min-su didn't hide his irritation. He'd warned her repeatedly: message magic shocks the recipient's mind—be cautious in the real world.
Especially for a buffer of Mun Hyo-rin's caliber!
—Why aren't you picking up your phone?
“What?”
Choi Min-su grabbed his phone from the back seat.
Dozens of missed calls—from his son Choi Muhyun, and even Investigation Director Seo Yunhyeong.
“What the hell's going on?”
—Lockdown's been triggered.
“Association?”
—HQ. And get this—the Cheonroegeom from Uramata Guild's vault is gone.
“Stolen again?”
—No. It vanished on its own. Kim Jun must've summoned it. Which means he's tied to the lockdown. That's Uramata Guild Master's take too.
Choi Min-su nearly burst out laughing.
No awakening test had ever been this eventful.
Kim Jun had stirred things up in the first written exam, second practical, third aptitude test... and even the souvenir ceremony wasn't spared.
“Head to the Association first. I'm leaving now.”
—Got it.
The eerie presence faded from his mind.
Climbing back into the Hummer, Choi Min-su called Do Seung-yong first.
“Professor, something urgent came up. I'll visit another time. Sorry.”
—Busy as always. Fine, next time.
Spinning the Hummer around in one go, Choi Min-su floored it, prepared to eat the fine.