Dungeon & Commander (24)
He couldn't even imagine how he'd survived or what had happened. And he wasn't particularly curious. Right now, the reason didn't matter.
There were no traces left anywhere.
After much deliberation, Kim Jun found the leather bag that Yi Do had left behind.
Surprisingly, even in pitch-black darkness without a single ray of light... the outline appeared as clear as if he were viewing it through an infrared scope. Inside the bag were three cores.
Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Kim Jun started running.
"Is this really okay?"
Woo Jong-hee asked cautiously.
"Mind your own business."
Kim Su-nam said.
Even as they returned to the team members, Woo Jong-hee kept glancing back at the darkness where Yi Do had dragged Yoo Min-jeong away.
"Aaaack!"
A scream echoed from that direction.
A woman's voice.
Woo Jong-hee whipped his head around and glared at Kim Su-nam. A woman's plight was something women noticed quickly. He had a gut feeling about what was happening.
Woo Jong-hee looked at his teammates, seeking help.
Buffer Park Min-woo had completely tuned out, and Kang Jun-hyeon was hesitating about whether to step in.
At that moment, tanker Joo Young-ho stood up and walked toward Kim Su-nam.
"What?"
Kim Su-nam asked.
"How long do you plan to cling to that line?"
"Line?"
"You'll regret it big time once you realize it's a rotten lifeline too late."
Kim Su-nam glared at Joo Young-ho. He knew something. Was he calling Yi Hwan a rotten lifeline?
How could Yi Hwan, the top contributor who had elevated Brave Guild's reputation this far, be a rotten lifeline?
"So?"
"Just keep it in mind. If today's mess comes to light, you'll be the one covered in filth."
With those meaningful words, Joo Young-ho returned to his spot and sat down. He had no intention of directly stopping Yi Do, whom he had watched with amusement for a while.
Unable to hold back any longer, Woo Jong-hee was about to step forward when Park Min-woo whispered,
"Better stay put. Unless you want to end up like her."
"......"
Woo Jong-hee was speechless.
If even his team leader position couldn't properly control Yi Do, then if he himself fell victim to the madman, Kim Su-nam would just look the other way.
Choi Muhyun took in every word and nuance of the conversation and atmosphere without missing a beat. He just couldn't say anything with the gag in his mouth.
Even if this was a virtual space and their real bodies were in the simulators... he would never forget today's events for the rest of his life.
He etched each and every one of those people in front of him into his mind.
He would pay them back.
With plenty of interest.
For the first time, Choi Muhyun harbored a hatred so intense he wanted to kill someone. He now had names and faces for people he despised that much.
That was proof he had grown up as a raider.
Kim Su-nam knew exactly what Choi Muhyun's gaze meant. He let out a sigh.
'That kid's Choi Min-su's son. How did I not realize? If Uramata Guild disbands, he'll head to Cheonhondan. If he rises there... he'll come back for revenge someday.'
A sharp scream filled with agony.
Kim Su-nam shook his head. This was as far as he could go. He couldn't handle any more.
He ran without stopping.
He ran as if his body would shatter.
He didn't care if monsters charged or raider teams pursued—he just ran.
The gate was visible in the distance. He had no idea how he'd pinpointed its exact location and found the shortest path, and right now, he didn't care.
He had to pass through the gate with the three cores.
There was no condition that all team members had to survive and return. Whether raider or not, as long as one person crossed the gate with three cores secured... the first test was cleared.
His ankle twisted.
Kim Jun tumbled forward.
The cores rolled away.
Kim Jun reached out and scooped them into his arms. The leather bag's bottom had torn off.
Not much farther.
That's when the hyena-like scavengers approached.
The ones who'd been lurking around the gate from the start, not interested in hunting but planning to steal cores from other teams.
Kim Jun gritted his teeth.
Two kinds of lethal power responded to his intent to kill, swirling out from his body and enveloping him.
Kim Jun charged forward.
Her clothes were stripped off.
Yoo Min-jeong had never felt such a strong urge to kill herself as in this moment.
She'd heard about sexual incidents in simulators—in virtual spaces.
Girls entering Magic School received strict warnings and lessons. They had to be extra careful because evidence was unlikely to remain.
Yi Do's eyes were bloodshot.
This wasn't his first or second time doing this.
His excitement was visible every time he peeled off another layer.
Now only her underwear remained.
She screamed her lungs out, but her mind was calm. The shrill noise was just to buy time.
At first, she was terrified, but recalling how Kim Jun had stayed composed even in sudden crises allowed her to become as cool-headed as if he were right there beside her.
'What should I do? From Yi Do's actions, no evidence will be left. No matter what happens to me here, Brave Guild, that guy, and the raiders there will play dumb. Uramata Guild... they'll protest, but as a small guild, they can't directly punish anyone.''There's only one way.'
Yoo Min-jeong reached her conclusion and acted on it immediately.
"Piss pants."
"......"
Yi Do couldn't believe his ears.
"Why'd you get the nickname 'Piss pants'? I didn't hear the details of what happened in the dungeon. Since we're already here, tell me why you pissed yourself."
"...Shut up."
The reaction came.
"You really pissed yourself in the dungeon? Nah, that can't be. You're Yi Hwan's little brother. If I were Yi Hwan and my brother pulled that stunt in a dungeon... I'd have killed him on the spot. Killed. Him. In. One. Go."
Dark energy flowed from Yi Do's hand.
Mana from the yin category of the five elements coalesced into the form of a sword.
The black sword aimed at Yoo Min-jeong's chest.
'Stab me, right now!'
Thinking that, Yoo Min-jeong laughed as wickedly as she could and shouted loud enough for others to hear.
"Yi Hwan must pity having a brother like you."
"You fucking bitch!"
Unable to contain his rage, Yi Do thrust the black sword toward her heart—but Yoo Min-jeong vanished.
Choi Muhyun, who had been bound and gagged, reduced to mere groans, disappeared as well.
Kim Su-nam rushed over.
Yi Do glared at him, panting heavily. His bloodshot eyes bulged as if they might burst.
"Where'd they go? Find them! Where?!"
"......"
Kim Su-nam was speechless.
The lid popped open.
Yoo Min-jeong didn't even have the strength to sit up. She'd never stayed in a simulator this long, this intensely... until today.
Yeom Sang-taek extended a hand.
Yoo Min-jeong grabbed it and pulled herself up.
Her legs wobbled.
Her fingertips trembled.
And tears welled up.
To think she'd fail the test like this. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I can't tell you how happy I am."
Yeom Sang-taek was crying too.
"...Happy?"
"We passed."
"Passed? Who?"
"Our team. The results just came in. They passed the gate with three cores."
"Really?"
"Wasn't it you, Choi Muhyun, and Kim Jun who passed through the gate?"
Yeom Sang-taek tilted his head.
Yoo Min-jeong staggered toward the simulators where the other team members were.
Choi Muhyun emerged, his face etched with unresolved questions.
The moment she saw his expression, Yoo Min-jeong knew who had crossed the gate with the three cores.
Yoo Min-jeong walked with Yeom Sang-taek and Choi Muhyun to Kim Jun's simulator. They opened the lid. Soaked in sweat, Kim Jun was sleeping soundly with his eyes closed.
Yoo Min-jeong burst into laughter. Then tears flowed. Choi Muhyun did the same.
Unable to imagine what had happened, but sensing the emotion keenly, the sensitive Yeom Sang-taek began sobbing loudly.
That evening, the first test results were announced.
Not 16 teams, but 11 had passed—including Uramata Guild's team.
Returning to the small break room after the official announcement in the auditorium, Lee Wan-yeol paced back and forth with a scowl.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
One person entered the break room.
Seeing him, Lee Wan-yeol grew agitated.
"How exactly did you handle things?"
Kim Su-nam stared silently at the middle-aged man, who was just a cog in the massive Dungeon Association machine, far from powerful.
Raiders might not be as strong outside dungeons, but they could still wield power in the real world. If needed, he could easily eliminate a guy like this.
"What I'm saying is... unlike the original plan, 11 teams survived. And even a team from Uramata Guild advanced to the second test."
"That was a mistake. I'll clean it up neatly in the second test."
Kim Su-nam was inwardly convinced that Yoo Min-jeong, having escaped by luck, would forfeit the second test if she was sane.
Then, without a knock, the door burst open.
The entrant was a wrinkled old woman.
Her shabby clothes made her look even older as she eyed Lee Wan-yeol and Kim Su-nam alternately.
"We're in the middle of something important, so please leave..."
Ignoring Lee Wan-yeol lightly, the old woman moved shadow-like without a sound and stood before Kim Su-nam.
As a smile crept onto the grandmother's lips, Kim Su-nam unwittingly smiled back.
'I've seen that face somewhere. But I can't remember.'
In that instant, a hand etched with the marks of time slapped Kim Su-nam's cheek.
The force sent him flying into the break room wall, crashing through it into the hallway.
Kim Su-nam lost consciousness.
Suit-clad secretaries approached.
"Get rid of that."
At the grandmother's words, the secretaries dragged away the limp Kim Su-nam.
Only then did Lee Wan-yeol realize who the woman was.
Yang Hee-seon, the legendary top buffer infamous for her fiery temper. Though retired, she wielded immense influence as a permanent advisor to the Dungeon Association.
Lee Wan-yeol was like a mouse before a cat. One word from the old woman, and he'd be fired on the spot, unable to find footing anywhere in the Association.
"Who ordered it?"
Yang Hee-seon asked, sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed.
"That was... my decision."
"You expect me to believe a mere department head like you planned and executed test manipulation?"
"......"
He could tell the truth. But he knew better than anyone that keeping his mouth shut was wiser.
"This ends here. Play around more, and I'll snap your neck. Got it?"
"I'll take immediate action."
Lee Wan-yeol hurried out.
With Kim Su-nam down, Brave Guild's team was automatically eliminated. From the second test onward... no more manipulation was possible.
As he walked briskly, Lee Wan-yeol wondered who had brought such a powerhouse here. None of the guilds with 32 teams had connections to Yang Hee-seon.
"Anyway, things got complicated. I need to balance it carefully. This could even be an opportunity. If I grab the right line with Yang Hee-seon, promotion's in the bag."
Lee Wan-yeol was adept at turning crises into opportunities. That survival skill was how he'd endured in the Dungeon Association without any real power.
Pork belly sizzled on the grill.
Beer foam overflowed the glasses.
Cheers rang out warmly.
Go Cheolmin tried to smile broadly at the kids who'd worked hard today, but it wasn't easy.
These deep kids wouldn't spill what had happened in the Dungeon Association's simulator. Instead, they just said they'd passed the first test by hunting monsters as trained at the guildhouse.
He never imagined the Association would pull such a backstab.
Bringing in Brave Guild's team to artificially reduce the number of passers.
The people wiped out by Kim Su-nam's team, who had dropped out early, were furious and causing a scene.
Some contacted major outlets like Daily Raiders, but the responses were cold. Reporters all asked the same thing.
"Do you have proof?"
The notoriously secretive Dungeon Association had zero chance of releasing simulation footage as evidence. Even legally, the Association held the advantage, so the reporters stayed put.
The current legal system didn't specifically address crimes in virtual spaces.
Reality was changing at breakneck speed, but the law had barely advanced a step or two from Joseon-era levels.
"Master, have some too."
It was Yeom Sang-taek.
Greasy shine on his lips. He'd already devoured 7 or 8 servings of pork belly.
"...Yeah."
He wanted to say thanks but held back.
Go Cheolmin didn't want the kids to know he was aware of the truth. He couldn't admit he'd hung back, letting them shoulder the heavy burden alone while he watched.
Thanks to them, Uramata's guild license grade would stay intact. They'd passed the first test.
The second and third tests would only determine promotion.
Uramata's current license was F-grade, limiting them to F-grade dungeons—the lowest.
If they did well in the next tests, they might even get E-grade or D-grade licenses.
Tears welled up.
"Smoke's spicy. Be right back."
Go Cheolmin made an excuse and stepped out of the barbecue joint. He lit a cigarette.
Giggles pierced his ears.
Yoo Min-jeong looked especially radiant today. He'd worried about her as team leader always prioritizing authority and feeling like an outsider, but now the team felt truly united.
Their glances were full of affection. Lovable, even. Those kids were now... comrades. Even if it was a virtual test, the weight on their backs was no different from real combat.
Indeed, adversity was the ultimate glue binding a team!
Then, someone approached from the darkened street. Their movements were no ordinary.
Go Cheolmin tossed his cigarette and assumed a tanker's stance. Pure instinct.
"Not rusty, I see."
The figure under the streetlamp.
"Elder!"
Go Cheolmin beamed and approached.
"I didn't even notice such filth happening under my roof. I don't deserve the title."
"No, ma'am. Without you... it would've been much harder."
"Still, a wrong is a wrong. I apologize."
Yang Hee-seon bowed lightly. The legendary buffer, prouder and more upright than anyone, was apologizing.