Dungeon & Commander (253)
Yu Wan-seop furrowed his brow.
"Could it be... you're from the underground?"
At that moment, Hyun-chu's smile vanished from his face.
The bastard's real strength wasn't in combat power, but in his exceptional situational judgment. To think he'd figure out where I came from after just a few words. If I let him be... he might even uncover clues about the Black Society.
If that happened, forget catching Maeng Gyu-pil—I'd be the one hunted down.
Without a word, Hyun-chu backed away, extending his left hand forward while drawing back the bowstring with his right.
His prized bow, Devil Blood Bow, materialized, along with a blood-red arrow.
Ping.
The arrow flew straight at him.
'Die!'
Hyun-chu was certain the fight was over. But Yu Wan-seop dodged nimbly to the side. The red arrow that flew to the wall curved in a wide arc, targeting his back.
Ping ping.
Hyun-chu fired two more Bloody Arrows in quick succession.
Yu Wan-seop floated lightly into the air and moved with blinding speed.
His footwork was on another level entirely.
"Impressive archery, but a notch below rapid-fire techniques. And those arrows... not quite on par with Gyugok arrows."
After such intense movement, one would expect him to be winded... but Yu Wan-seop was utterly calm. His voice didn't waver in the slightest.
Hyun-chu bristled at the words.
"Hmph!"
He immediately unleashed seven Bloody Arrows at once.
Red arrows swarmed from all directions—front, back, left, right.
Yu Wan-seop had nowhere left to dodge.
Chaeng chaeng chaeng.
Suddenly, a single sword sliced through the air, effortlessly batting away the Bloody Arrows.
The arrows pierced the simulator or burrowed deep into the walls, leaving holes.
The sword hovering in midair gleamed ominously.
As Yu Wan-seop gripped the hilt, a low hum emanated from the bluish blade.
It was the sword's resonance.
Hyun-chu was speechless.
This was a master beyond his imagination.
"Your movements and skills... hard to trace their origins. I thought I'd mastered most martial arts from guilds and sects, or even magic. You seem to have come from underground, which would make you a Black Society member. So why show up here? Who are you trying to kill? Was that last Absorption Tree incident tied to the Black Society too?"
"......"
Hyun-chu gritted his teeth.
The name Black Society had slipped from the bastard's lips. Now it was kill or be killed.
Pouring strength into his left hand, the bowstring tightened twice over. He added fire attribute to boot. The barrage of red arrows blazed fiercely as they hurtled forward at tremendous speed.
The arrow reaching him right in front split into three.
Yu Wan-seop deflected two, but missed the last. It sank into his shoulder.
"Hit by a Bloody Arrow—you're dead......"
Cold metal pressed against his throat.
Yu Wan-seop was empty-handed. The sword he'd been holding... was now aimed at Hyun-chu's neck.
The arrow had pierced only his clothes.
Yu Wan-seop was unscathed.
He'd deliberately let the third arrow through to lure him into complacency, subtly shifting his shoulder to dodge while faking a hit with his expression.
Yu Wan-seop approached slowly.
Hyun-chu could see his face clearly.
No tension whatsoever. It meant he'd subdued him effortlessly without even revealing his true power.
To think Yu Wan-seop was this strong.
Because of his belief that the underground world outclassed the surface, he hadn't investigated Yu Wan-seop—or anyone—in detail. And now, he'd made an irreparable mistake.
Hyun-chu felt the poison capsule implanted inside his molar with his tongue.
The moment he infused it with mana, deadly toxin would flood his body... killing him within a minute.
Of course, he had no intention of going quietly.
"Your name?"
Yu Wan-seop asked.
"Death."
Hyun-chu grinned widely and bit down on his molar.
As the poison erupted and spread through his body, his mana reacted instantly.
Red mana coiled around Yu Wan-seop like vines, constricting him like an anaconda squeezing and swallowing its prey whole.
"Cheongmyeong Swordsmanship, Fourth Form: Falling Water."
A calm voice.
The bluish sword flew in, stabbing the vine-like mana repeatedly.
The moment the vines moved to seize the Cheongmyeonggeom, Yu Wan-seop exploded his inner energy, blasting away the constricting mana.
Emerging leisurely, he grabbed Hyun-chu by the scruff and dragged him out of the Raid Center, hurling him across the street into a pile of rubble.
As he crashed into shattered bricks and a twisted refrigerator amid the trash heap, the red mana detonated.
Kaboom!
In the instant his lifelong blood mana tore his body to shreds, Hyun-chu suddenly realized he'd been played by Maeng Gyu-pil. The bastard had lured him to the Raid Center. Using Yu Wan-seop's hand to kill him.
He sensed a gaze.
Yu Wan-seop was looking at him. One word, and he could screw over Maeng Gyu-pil.
Do Jin-yong is a fake!
But Hyun-chu didn't open his mouth.
As a Black Society member, he couldn't betray a comrade's identity to the enemy—no matter how much he despised Maeng Gyu-pil.
He could have lived like a worm and died like one.
Fortune had smiled, letting him play a proper game once. No regrets in death... except he wouldn't witness the Black Society rising to the surface and turning the world upside down.
"Maeng Gyu-pil."
Yu Wan-seop said.
At that name, Hyun-chu's eyes widened. He already knows!
Then, his consciousness faded entirely.
The Hummer screeched to a halt.
Stepping out and heading toward the Raid Center, Choi Min-su spotted Yu Wan-seop slumped against a roadside tree near the entrance.
Surprisingly, his face was flushed like a drunkard's.
Had he gotten smashed to keep from standing? That'd happen sooner than the sun rising in the west.
In that very posture, Yu Wan-seop raised a hand.
"Hey, you got here quick."
"...What the hell happened?"
"Almost got done in."
Yu Wan-seop glanced across the street.
The already wrecked building looked like it'd taken a bombing run, shattered to bits, with a nearly three-meter crater below.
"What in the world...?"
Choi Min-su stared at his friend.
A wisp of smoke rose from his head. The red smoke reeked foully.
Struggling, Yu Wan-seop met his friend's eyes and spoke.
"Black Society."
"......"
Choi Min-su was at a loss for words.
He'd heard whispers of the Black Society—an organization owning and running black markets for all sorts of items—but without substance or proof, he'd dismissed it as rumor.
"Baekseondan?"
"Here."
Choi Min-su opened the jade box.
Yu Wan-seop shakily took a white pill and chewed it.
Color returned to his pale face.
His inner energy and the Baekseondan's power began expelling the invading toxin from within.
Choi Min-su watched silently, scanning the surroundings. The traces told him enough of what had gone down.
Someone had sneaked into the Raid Center—the lock showed signs of tampering. Unlucky for them, they'd run into Yu Wan-seop inside.
Their fate was sealed the moment that happened.
Several simulators were reduced to scrap.
Deep holes scarred the walls, ringed in red like splattered blood.
He circled the Raid Center but found no further threats.
Yu Wan-seop approached. His eyes were clear and sharp as ever. He'd shaken off the poison completely.
"Why would the Black Society come here?"
The guild master asked abruptly.
Choi Min-su eyed his friend squarely. It was exactly the question on his mind.
"This raid... you good?"
"No choice even if I'm not. Gotta do it."
"Fair enough."
Canceling with the gate opening in two days? The Dungeon Association would hit them with harsh penalties. Worst case, they'd lose their guild license.
"I was about to call you for a favor anyway."
"Pass."
Yu Wan-seop asking a favor? Whatever it was, he refused upfront. That way, he'd get to see those pleading eyes and voice.
Yu Wan-seop just stared.
Choi Min-su grinned, savoring the moment.
"It's about Kim Jun. Involves your grandson too."
"What?"
"We need a test. If he fails, I'll keep Pink Team out of the dungeon even if it means disbanding the guild."
"...For real?"
"Want your help with the test."
"Then count me in. What kind?"
"First, call Teacher Yang Hee-seon. Tell her the location changed—not Raid Center, come to Uramata Guildhouse."
"She too?"
"Now."
Choi Min-su found "Crazy Old Hag" in his contacts and hit call. She picked up after three rings. He briefly explained, then gave the new spot.
Yang Hee-seon went silent at "Black Society"—clearly shocked.
After she said she'd head out right away, he hung up and looked at his friend.
Yu Wan-seop was on the phone.
"Yeah, come to the guildhouse. Now. Don't tell the others. Meet at the house."
"Who?"
"Kim Jun."
Yu Wan-seop answered.
Choi Min-su realized it was just Kim Jun for the test, not the whole Pink Team.
Yu Wan-seop's meticulous decision—no arguing there.
But seeing him so grave... a test two days before the raid? It drove home how dangerous this dungeon truly was.
'Will Muhyun be okay?'
Raiders could die anywhere, anytime in a dungeon. That's why most wrote wills before entering.
Choi Min-su had steeled himself for death as a raider and accepted it as fact. But with his son, it was different.
He'd act nonchalant, even boast exaggeratedly to hide his worry, but once Muhyun entered a dungeon, food lost its taste, and he couldn't focus on training.
It even made him irritable.
Since it involved his son's safety, he'd give any test his all.
"Let's go. To the guildhouse."
Yu Wan-seop climbed into the passenger seat.
Choi Min-su floored the Hummer into the darkness.