Dungeon & Commander (25)
Go Cheolmin felt a pang of bitterness. Yang Hee-seon's apology meant... there would be no official apology from the Dungeon Association.
"Thank you for today."
"Those kids?"
Yang Hee-seon pointed toward the children laughing and enjoying themselves beyond the foggy, rain-streaked window.
"Yes."
"Mind if I make a proposal?"
"Please, go ahead."
"I know it'll be tough for you, but could you let me have one of those kids?"
"Yoo Min-jeong is growing steadily. If Choi Muhyun weren't with Uramata, he'd be heading to Cheonhondan."
Go Cheolmin figured Yang Hee-seon had come in person for Yoo Min-jeong or Choi Muhyun.
"The one I want is that kid."
Yang Hee-seon's finger pointed at Kim Jun, who was still playing but looked utterly composed.
"...Kim Jun is a carrier."
Go Cheolmin was caught off guard.
"It's still top secret for now, but a Dimensional Guard Force is about to be established soon. Its affiliation hasn't been decided yet, but there's a high chance it'll fall under the president's direct command. The Dimensional Guard Force will handle OOPArts that pop into our world through various channels—sometimes for reasons we can't explain. From what I've seen, Kim Jun seems better suited to being an investigator with the Dimensional Guard Force, where he can put that cool head of his to proper use, rather than tailing raiders as a carrier. What do you think?"
"I... I wouldn't know."
Dimensional Guard Force!
It was the first Kim Jun had heard of it, but he could instantly tell it offered a much brighter future for him personally.
The problem was Kim Jun's presence in the Uramata Guild. Even as just a carrier, if he left, the guild would crumble.
Even if Yeom Sang-taek or Choi Muhyun—or even Yoo Min-jeong—left for personal reasons, as long as Kim Jun stayed, it felt like they could start over.
Damn, I rely on that guy way too much. Maybe I'm holding onto him for my own sake.
Go Cheolmin was impressed by Yang Hee-seon's insight.
She saw Kim Jun's true value without any preconceptions about his carrier status.
"Take your time to think it over. But keep it under wraps—your reputation for a tight lip means I don't have to worry much. It'll be at least a year before the Dimensional Guard Force launches anyway."
"Understood."
Yang Hee-seon extended her hand.
Go Cheolmin clasped it firmly.
As she vanished into the darkness, Go Cheolmin entered the meat restaurant with a broad grin. Seeing these kids always brought a smile to his face. Like adorable nephews.
"Second round—karaoke?"
"Hell yeah!"
Yeom Sang-taek and Choi Muhyun shouted in unison.
Laughter erupted.
It was well past 2 a.m.
Yoo Min-jeong arrived home, her face no longer lit with smiles. She had no energy left to laugh, nor any reason to.
There were plenty of reasons to be angry, to feel humiliated.
She could revel with Kim Jun, Choi Muhyun, and Yeom Sang-taek, but not here.
The buzz from the alcohol had vanished.
Sitting blankly on her bed, Yoo Min-jeong felt drawn downward to the underground training hall, as if by some force. Her father sat there still, posture impeccable and unyielding.
"Dad, today... it was rough."
The psychiatrist had called Yoo Wan-seop's condition a form of "enforced autism." He'd locked himself away.
Yoo Min-jeong didn't care if he understood or not. She just needed to pour out the truth to someone.
The words tumbled out haltingly.
Tears followed.
Exhausted, she fell asleep.
Silence filled the training hall.
Creeeak.
The groan of an old floorboard twisting.
Yoo Wan-seop rose like a ghost. He walked to his daughter and extended his left arm.
His fingertips trembled.
His hand touched her shoulder.
Yoo Wan-seop exhaled inner energy, lifting his daughter into the air.
He carried her to her bedroom and laid her down, then gazed at her for a long while. Tears streamed from his eyes too.
Stepping into the living room, Yoo Wan-seop thrust out his left arm.
The Cheongmyeonggeom flew from the wall of the underground training hall into his left hand. With his sleeve fluttering, Yoo Wan-seop left home for the first time since Devils Day.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sandbag dangling from the ceiling reeled back with every punch, staggering. The immense power was tearing it apart bit by bit.
Choi Muhyun couldn't sleep a wink.
Whenever he closed his eyes, that bastard Yi Do's face appeared, along with Yoo Min-jeong's screams echoing in his ears. Imagining Yi Do, he swung—snapping the chain holding the sandbag.
Thwack!
The sandbag flew to the far end of the training room, a massive hole in it.
"I sense killing intent."
A familiar voice.
Choi Muhyun turned to the darkness. A silhouette approached—his father, Choi Min-su, grinning broadly, pleased by his son's change.
Choi Muhyun said nothing.
He didn't even mention passing the first test. He had no desire to voice any shred of joy.
His father fetched a first-aid kit, pulling out antiseptic and bandages to treat his son's knuckles.
The son entrusted his hand but his mind replayed the simulator... that humiliating moment.
"Want to learn Pacheon?"
"...Father?"
He'd begged and even gone on a hunger strike for Pacheon, but it hadn't swayed his father.
Now he understood why—and that surprised him.
"Wolyeong Geumgang Simbeop is a complete martial art. I guarantee it. Technically perfect, but psychologically, it has a flaw: killing intent. Rooted in Buddhism, it stresses serenity, favoring those innately calm. It's like a vast ocean of technique. Pacheon, on the other hand... is raw instinct and emotion—destructive. Know why your old man looks so young? Pacheon lets me vent stress. Even when your mom nagged, I could shake it off with Pacheon."
Choi Muhyun gave a wry smile.
Pacheon suited his father's personality perfectly.
Choi Min-su didn't ask what happened. Instead, he taught Pacheon—using Wolyeong Geumgang Simbeop's energy but in Pacheon's style.
"Now that you've learned it, put it to use."
"...Pardon?"
Choi Muhyun felt a bad vibe.
"Here I come."
His father's hand glowed red.
Pacheon Blood Hand.
Choi Muhyun tried to flee, but his father was already at the training room door.
His son was hurting, struggling—and Dad just taught him a move and wanted a spar. Fathers gonna father. Unchanging.
Maybe it's his unique way of comforting.
Choi Muhyun steeled himself.
Cold moonlight filtered through the window.
Lee Hwan's eyes lingered more on that moonlight than the woman asleep with her arm as pillow.
That cool, elegant moonlight couldn't be possessed by anything. He could only appreciate it in this moment. Ownership was absurd.
Compared to that, this top actress... was too easy. A moth drawn to his name and fame.
Today this one, tomorrow that one.
Marriage and family someday, but distant future.
Then, his sharp instincts blared like a siren. Danger approached, reason unknown.
The moment Lee Hwan sat up, a man burst through the window into the room.
A man gripping a sword in his left hand.
"...You?"
Lee Hwan recognized him—the once-top raider Yoo Wan-seop, said to be a broken man.
The naked woman screamed and fled.
Lee Hwan rose to face Yoo Wan-seop.
"You're recovered."
Lee Hwan was glad to see Yoo Wan-seop here. A man like that shouldn't be felled by disasters like Devils Day.
Lee Hwan wanted to test himself against Yoo Wan-seop.
The sword thrust out.
Its killing intent sharper than the blade.
Lee Hwan was stunned.
Yoo Wan-seop baring killing intent so openly?
Yoo Wan-seop had long excelled at team and guild management over personal prowess. That's why many swore Lee Hwan would win one-on-one.
No. Right now... I'd lose. Hate to admit it. One arm doesn't matter.
Lee Hwan couldn't move. The thick killing intent bound him like ropes.
"Can I kill Yi Do?"
"......"
Lee Hwan was shocked.
Yi Do? What the hell had that bastard done now?
"One warning."
Yoo Wan-seop turned and leaped out the window. No hesitation from the 19th floor.
Lee Hwan rushed to the window but saw no trace.
Dressing quickly, he called Kim Su-nam, who'd been handling Yi Do—no answer.
Chatting with Brave Guild's chief secretary, Lee Hwan was speechless.
Without a word to him, Kim Su-nam's team joined the association's test, clashed with Yoo Wan-seop's daughter, their plot exposed—Kim Su-nam now hospitalized.
Lee Hwan sighed, assuming Yoo Wan-seop had broken seclusion to find Kim Su-nam.
"Remember Yang Hee-seon?"
"The retired buffer."
"Kim Su-nam crossed her."
"...What?"
Headache for Lee Hwan.
Yang Hee-seon was retired but a heavyweight. Why would a permanent advisor with influence everywhere touch Kim Su-nam?
Lee Hwan asked the held-back question.
"Yi Do?"
"......Fled the country."
Fear leaked from the secretary's voice. Yi Do must've bolted fearing Lee Hwan's wrath.
Lee Hwan ended the call and hurled his phone out the window.
"That fucking bastard."
He stomped the floor—the hotel shook. Windows shattered in the vibration.
"I can kill that punk later. At least Yoo Wan-seop's out now. Dungeon runs just got interesting."
Lee Hwan forced a grin.
Kim Jun sat at the bedside desk, staring at his laptop.
He'd drunk plenty, yet no buzz. He'd warned his mom and sister about the dinner, so they were asleep in their rooms.
The laptop brimmed with raid video analyses and reports. A glance at any brought the footage to mind.
This report covered teams passing the first test—or their guilds.
The test exposed their lack of prep. They'd nearly failed without even grasping what hit them.
Passing was sheer luck.
He sighed.
He'd seen Yi Do and Kim Su-nam's skills firsthand. The skill nullifying even a buffer's detection: Dark Stealth. Unique to negative mana users.
Though ranged dealers, they were brutally strong in close-quarters too. Rematch? He'd lose every time.
Mountains beyond mountains.
Like yelling from a hilltop, only to glimpse Everest beyond the clouds.
He felt his limits.
Yi Do and Kim Su-nam were strong, but kids next to monsters like Yoo Wan-seop or Lee Hwan. The world was vast, monsters plentiful—a raider truism.
How long could an ordinary guy last in a monster-infested world?
Another sigh escaped.
So far, luck had favored him. He'd toiled sleeplessly, but without it, he wouldn't be here.
Effort? He could grind endlessly. Nosebleeds, swollen legs—whatever humans could do, he'd conquer.
But the world ahead... was monsters' turf.
Like a lone lamb bleating in a wolf-packed forest.
Quit and pivot?
His father's survival odds... like winning the lottery, maybe slimmer.
Then, his phone alarm chimed.
A text: Can't sleep? Call.
From Master Go Cheolmin.
Kim Jun tilted his head and dialed.
"Master still up?"
―Can't sleep.
"Same here."
―Come to the guildhouse. Need to talk.
"Now?"
Nearly 4 a.m.
―Waiting.
Call ended.
Kim Jun dressed and took a taxi to the guildhouse. He pondered the late summons but drew a blank.
Go Cheolmin sat on the guildhouse's iron stairs, swigging wine from the bottle.
"Hey!"
Master waved at approaching Kim Jun.
"You're drunk."
"A bit."
"What's up?"
"You cute little punk!"
Go Cheolmin pinched Kim Jun's cheek.
Kim Jun chuckled and sat beside him.
He sipped the offered wine—initial buzz faded fast. At dinner, he'd downed three bomb shots from Yeom Sang-taek, yet the alcohol melted away inside.
"Gonna keep at this?"
Go Cheolmin asked abruptly.
"...Have to."
Kim Jun caught the meaning.
No confidence, but he'd started—push till the end.
Go Cheolmin eyed him.
Dimensional Guard Force under the president suited this kid. Cool judgment, unbound analysis, adaptability—maybe better than guild life.
I'm selfish. Can't let him go. Not yet.
Despite resolve, his mouth spilled about the Dimensional Guard Force.
Kim Jun listened quietly.
"If you want, I can recommend you. Train up, become an investigator there."
"No plans for that."
Kim Jun omitted "for now."
"For real?"
"Of course. Why would I leave you, Master?"
"You rascal!"
Go Cheolmin laughed heartily, grabbing Kim Jun's hand and dragging him to the simulator training room.
"You've watched 700 raid videos, analyzed thoroughly, even researched applications in reports. Know why I assigned that?"
Slurring from booze.
"No clue."
"Wanted a new raider style."
"New style?"
"Commander."
"...Commander."
Kim Jun liked the ring—leader, general.
He soon grasped Go Cheolmin's intent—eyes widening in shock.
Carriers had no must-join raids. The role existed because no tank, buffer, or dealer wanted core-hauling grunt work.
Commander was the opposite.
Pyramid apex.
Felt like pie-in-the-sky.
"Sounds crazy, right?"
"...You know it."
"Current raid system? C-rank dungeons max, in my view. Higher needs commanders leading massive units. With one, hundreds—maybe thousands—of raiders could tackle B-, A-, even S-rank dungeons."
"......"
Kim Jun recalled Master was drunk.
Don't take it seriously. False dreams destroy like despair.
"Trust and follow me."
"Yes."
"I'll make you..."
Master snoring. Asleep.
Kim Jun hauled Go Cheolmin to the master room, laying him on the sagging sofa.
Descending, Kim Jun inhaled the dawn air deeply.
His body itched.
Changing to training clothes, he started running with a shout.