Dungeon & Commander (268)
Maeng Gyu-pil was taken aback.
The Formicanse was a massive monster that nested deep underground, making it incredibly difficult and dangerous to hunt.
When he heard that Pink Team had emerged from the Changwon Dungeon with a Formium core straight from the Formicanse, everyone figured they'd gotten lucky and picked up some high-value core... and Maeng Gyu-pil had thought the same.
In dungeons, stuff like that happened with lottery-level odds sometimes.
Skyla, Yeom Sang-taek, and Choi Muhyun recounted the whole ordeal in vivid detail.
Skyla, true to her journalist roots, wove the facts into a gripping tale that captured the on-site tension perfectly.
She described how they'd lured the Quetzalcoatlus with the Formicanse's tentacles to escape the ant pit, then clung to its talons as it startled and soared up the cliffside. Watching her eyes light up, her expressions shift, and everyone hanging on her every word... it stirred old memories for Maeng Gyu-pil.
Back in the days when talent and effort made anything possible, everything shone with promise.
The golden era of unbreakable trust.
That was exactly the vibe of Team Luster.
Back then, he'd thrown himself into raids with unbridled enthusiasm.
As team leader, he'd do anything to help his teammates, and when those choices made the team stronger, the joy was intoxicating.
But when harsh reality hit, all that fun shattered. Far too late, Maeng Gyu-pil realized his mistakes—and there was no going back.
Maeng Gyu-pil eyed the guys sharing Kim Jun's exploits and the ones listening with rapt delight.
They had no clue how much Kim Jun suffered, how agonizing it was to shoulder the leader role. They didn't even try to find out.
Dumping an unbearable burden on one guy while the rest sat idle... He couldn't stand it.
"Aren't you guys relying on him a bit too much?"
The air turned icy, like someone had flung open a freezer door.
Choi Muhyun shot Maeng Gyu-pil a look.
Maeng Gyu-pil braced for an emotional denial. As Choi Min-su's son, even a scratch to his pride might set him off in a rage.
"Yeah, you're right. That's why we're giving Kim Jun a break next month."
A calm admission.
"...What do you mean?"
"Gonna take the leader spot from him. No way he'd step down willingly, so we'll push him out."
Choi Muhyun grinned as he said it.
Bang Yun-a's eyes widened as she flashed a thumbs-up. Yeom Sang-taek straight-up clapped, and Skyla pinched her lip, whistling low.
A scarlet flare shot skyward from the Pacific Team up ahead—a warning to pipe down.
Everyone stifled giggles.
Maeng Gyu-pil chuckled along.
Thank goodness—Pink Team seemed safe from the trap that had doomed Luster.
Pink Rule #4 flashed in his mind: The one who beats the leader becomes the leader.
That clause made all the difference.
If anyone could claim the top spot, no one would blindly dump everything on the leader and call it normal.
Oddly, chatting with the team eased his irritation. He figured he could tough it out another hour or two.
Then a blue flare burst from Pacific Team. Signal to meet up.
"Halt."
Choi Muhyun, acting leader, scanned the group and pointed at Skyla.
The two broke from Pink Team and headed toward Pacific.
Maeng Gyu-pil tilted his head, peering at them. They hadn't even entered the South Sector yet—why the summons?
"You were badass back there."
As they walked the thirty-odd meters to Pacific Team, Skyla whispered.
"Huh?"
Choi Muhyun glanced sidelong at the dealer.
"The bit about stealing the leader spot."
"Honestly, not sure if I can pull it off. I'm grinding hard my way, but Kim Jun's lapping me. Feels like the gap's widening."
Skyla was floored by his sigh.
She got why he felt frustrated. In her years as a reporter, she'd never covered a Raider quite like Kim Jun—unique, ferocious, growing at breakneck speed.
He went all-in on getting stronger, bullheaded yet revolutionary. No cheats, but he'd blow past outdated rules without a second thought.
"You're sprinting too. Plenty fast."
"For real?"
"Myeol-ok-su."
A soft smile curved Choi Muhyun's lips.
The first time she'd seen his hand turn ghostly white, Skyla had felt the power of his bloodline.
Myeol-ok-su wasn't some skill anyone could pick up easily. Choi Min-su, the ultimate tanker, had popularized it, but the training was brutally demanding.
With teammates like Yoo Min-jeong and Sa Yeonggyo—pure talent magnets—he didn't stand out, but Choi Muhyun was strengthening at an astonishing pace too.
All comparisons were relative.
Around deadweights or folks with zero drive to improve... he'd be a standout.
But his crew was charging ahead at full throttle—especially Kim Jun, who staked his life on martial arts training. That's why he felt left behind by comparison.
"Huh?"
Skyla squinted, peering intently.
Pacific Team's Raider count... had grown.
She spotted the latecomer beside Hwang In-su: Kwon Joo-chan, Mars Team leader.
What the hell was he doing here?
Her heart plummeted.
No way...>
Skyla glanced at Choi Muhyun.
The acting leader glared at Kwon Joo-chan with murderous intensity. His fists trembled. But in just three seconds, the fury cooled—his face hardened yet softened to its usual calm.
Skyla blinked in surprise.
It was like Kim Jun disguised as Choi Muhyun.
Choi Muhyun joined Pacific and addressed Kwon Joo-chan.
"Thought you were moving with Lincoln Team."
"Regret having to bring this news. Captain Jeong Myeong-ho and Kim Jun... went missing deep in Second Zone South Sector."
"...How? What monster did they encounter?"
Choi Muhyun asked evenly.
"Mana vortex surged abnormally strong, and swarms of tougher-than-expected monsters hit us. Tragic accident. Cost us our Mars buffer, and Lincoln took heavy losses."
Kwon Joo-chan gestured to a makeshift stretcher with a Lincoln teammate.
Skyla scrutinized Kwon Joo-chan as he explained politely.
No averted eyes.
Voice steady, pleasant baritone. No fidgeting or feigned distraction.
Two possibilities.
Truth... or a master liar.
Skyla shifted to the ragged survivors behind Kwon Joo-chan.
Under the buffer's light orb, shadows cloaked slumped faces. Shaky eyes, bowed heads. Fear and shame radiated.
But no anger?
And why was Jeong Myeong-ho missing?
If they'd lured Kim Jun into a trap and taken him out, no need to lose Jeong Myeong-ho too.
Something more was at play!
Journalist's instinct!
"In short, severe mana vortex disruption and monster swarms caused the accident. Without the captain and Kim Jun stepping up, casualties could've been worse."
Kwon Joo-chan finished, turning to Hwang In-su.
"So we need to start searching ASAP. Survival odds drop by the minute. Pacific, mind handling that? Head out, grab Grintree and Apgujeong. Mars, Lincoln, and Pink will scout the missing zone first. I'll lend a Mars member for navigation."
Skyla couldn't believe her ears.
Reasonable, efficient, no fluff—it almost convinced her Jeong Myeong-ho and Kim Jun had detached from the team due to the mana anomaly and gotten isolated.
After brief discussion, Hwang In-su led his team toward the relic entrance.
Skyla and Choi Muhyun returned to Pink Team to report.
Not just Yeom Sang-taek—Bang Yun-a, An Seong-ho, even Do Jin-yong were stunned silent. They couldn't assume Kim Jun had fallen into a trap just from casualties and Jeong Myeong-ho's disappearance.
"Right now, we start the search as fast as possible."
Everyone agreed with Choi Muhyun.
Soon after, Pink merged with the Mars-Lincoln alliance. They headed into Second Zone South Sector.
"Close call, huh?"
Jeong Myeong-ho muttered from Kim Jun's back.
Kim Jun got it instantly. The Blue Label Potion.
Ono Jiro was a world-renowned item crafter, so with its rarity on top of quality, that #777 potion would fetch relic-tier prices at auction.
That cash could've spruced up the shabby Urama Raid Center... maybe.
If they escaped safely.
"If I were you, I wouldn't have popped the cap."
Another voice from his back.
Kim Jun understood this one too. Gratitude, delivered rough as always.
Jeong Myeong-ho wasn't the type to say "thanks" or feel the need.
Kim Jun never imagined hearing it before entering Sokcho Dungeon. The arrogant, selfish captain uttering that... only because of the unforeseen betrayal.
Stabbed in the back by his own team—even his guild master. It'd broken his pride.
But had Jeong Myeong-ho himself changed?
If he survived, shook off death, healed, and reclaimed captaincy... what then?
Would he revert like post-bathroom attitude shift? Back to the insufferable captain?
Or change, even a little?
Up to Jeong Myeong-ho.
Kim Jun hoped he'd become a cooler Raider, but he had zero urge to lecture or advise. If the will was there, he'd change solo. If not, nagging wouldn't help.
"Legs any better?"
"Definitely. Just throbs when jostled now. Bearable."
"Arm?"
"Same."
"Think you can walk?"
"...Not yet."
Kim Jun hadn't expected miracles, so no disappointment.
But if Jeong Myeong-ho could walk alone... cast spells again... they'd escape faster, easier.
Plan was clear.
Push through Second Zone to relic entrance, hunt charging monsters. Feed Jeong Myeong-ho every core with even a whiff of Larium or Medicinium.
He'd hate it, but Kim Jun would force it.
Side effects beat miserable death.
"Hold up!"
Jeong Myeong-ho yelled.
Kim Jun stopped dead.
"Look ahead, closely. Something's there."
Jeong Myeong-ho pointed three meters ahead at the ground.
Subtle color shift in the dirt. Dug up, buried something, covered it—mixing changed the hue.
One, two, three... at least seven similar spots.
Kim Jun backed off and chucked a rock.
It hit the off-color patch—BOOM. Massive blast.
Shockwave and heat detonated everything nearby.
Air scorched; ears rang from the bomb's power.
"Core Mine. Buried real precise."
Jeong Myeong-ho said.
Mines rigged with cores.
No need to say who set them.
"How'd you spot it?"
"Experience."
Jeong Myeong-ho smirked.
Kim Jun liked that look. Wounds not fully healed, but his spirit was back—confident captain mode.