Dungeon & Commander (75)
An Seong-ho, Kim Jang-woo, and Lee Seung-jin bowed their heads and headed to the locker room.
"You, come with me."
Gu Gil-won took Baek Seungtae with him into the master room. The spacious, comfortable master room was furnished with high-end leather sofas, display cabinets, and other expensive pieces.
"Perfect timing—some fine tea just came in from China. Give it a try. You're about to swim in deeper waters, so it's not a bad idea to get some experience beforehand."
Gu Gil-won personally prepared the fragrant tea and handed it to Baek Seungtae.
Baek Seungtae took a sip but said nothing. He simply fiddled with the Domoto Ring on his finger. The solid feel of the metal brought a sly grin to his face.
This thing's worth at least three billion. Four if the timing's right. No rush to sell it, though.
Gu Gil-won sat across from him.
"Seungtae."
"...Yes, Master."
"You know I think highly of you, right?"
Baek Seungtae stayed silent. He knew exactly why the man's attitude had shifted so suddenly.
"You're the hope of the Gwanpo Guild. If you grow properly, you could be the next Lee Hwan. That's how unlimited your potential is. But if you don't meet someone with the eye to recognize that talent, it'll remain just a pipe dream."
"Ah, yes."
A half-hearted response.
"I'll raise you myself. I was already planning to promote you to team leader next year."
"Thank you, Master."
"So, how about entrusting that ring to me? You're at the age where you need to focus on growth. If one item shakes your resolve, it's a loss for both of us, don't you think?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure."
Baek Seungtae eyed his master suspiciously.
"You think I'm coveting that ring? I'm truly disappointed. I genuinely care about you. If you can't shake that suspicion, feel free to leave the guild. I won't hold you back."
The moment he heard those words, Baek Seungtae thought, Jackpot!
"I don't doubt you, Master."
"Good! That's the spirit—I'm Gu Gil-won, after all!"
"But I am planning to switch guilds."
"...What?"
"Every time you slapped me around, I endured it thinking I'd ditch this shitty guild someday. No need for a resignation letter, right? And no more laying hands on me from now on. Keep it up, and everyone might walk out."
Baek Seungtae left the speechless, dumbfounded master behind and walked out.
It felt incredibly satisfying.
He went to his colleagues and shared the news.
They didn't seem surprised. They just glanced enviously at the Domoto Ring on his finger. If they'd found a valuable item like that, they would've bolted from the guild too.
An Seong-ho approached.
"Let's grab a drink sometime."
"Sure."
After shaking hands, Baek Seungtae left the guildhouse.
O Won-jin pressed the stethoscope to his chest, listening intently to the sounds within. The sturdy heart beat powerfully and steadily. A smile naturally formed on his face at the rhythm.
He removed the stethoscope from his ears and looked at Master Go Cheolmin.
"Fatigue will fade with some good rest. Physically, he's fine."
Kim Jun, who had been lying on the master room sofa, sat up.
"I told you I was okay."
Kim Jun tilted his head slightly to glance at Go Cheolmin.
The master, lost in thoughts of the dungeon incident, nodded blankly without a word.
Choi Muhyun and Yeom Sang-taek, who had already finished their checkups, waited for Kim Jun as he descended the metal stairs from the master room.
"Articles are already out."
Choi Muhyun showed him his phone.
A sharply captured photo of a carrier slung over a tanker's back, blood dripping down, sat above a Daily Raider article from that morning. The text was packed with vicious, underhanded, childish attacks that could erase any memory of the piece.
Kim Jun grinned widely, but it left a bitter taste.
He hated being in a position where he had to go this far. Having to play the fool just to stay safe—what a joke.
Someday, this system would change.
He was determined to make it happen, one way or another.
Just then, a car pulled into the parking lot. Skyla stepped out.
"Where's Min-jeong?"
Choi Muhyun asked.
"Sleeping. She must be exhausted."
Skyla pointed toward the back of the car with her finger.
The car door opened. Yoo Min-jeong yawned as she got out, then retrieved the Thunder Brain Sword and Legio, both wrapped tightly in cloth.
"...Master?"
"In the master room."
Choi Muhyun answered.
"I'll go report."
Yoo Min-jeong climbed the stairs to the master room without sparing Kim Jun a glance.
Go Cheolmin stopped the impatient Yoo Min-jeong from starting her report right away. Guild doctor O Won-jin examined her first. Only after confirming she was fine did Yoo Min-jeong recount the raid.
"I'll head out now. Got some wrapping up to do."
"See you tomorrow."
Go Cheolmin escorted O Won-jin to the guildhouse entrance and returned.
"Alright, let's begin."
Go Cheolmin looked at team leader Yoo Min-jeong.
Yoo Min-jeong detailed everything from entering the dungeon to safely escaping amid all the twists and turns, leaving nothing out.
Go Cheolmin listened with pursed lips, his heart growing heavier by the minute. He keenly felt the limitations of being a master.
After finishing her report, Yoo Min-jeong placed the Thunder Brain Sword and Legio on the table.
As Go Cheolmin unwrapped the cloth, Yoo Min-jeong said,
"Better not touch it."
"...Ack."
The moment his hand touched the hilt, sparks crackled—pop!—and Go Cheolmin dropped the Thunder Brain Sword.
Yoo Min-jeong carefully rewrapped it in the cloth and lifted it.
"I got zapped too."
"As expected of the Thunder Brain Sword. Just like the legends—no one but its owner can even touch it."
"Kim Jun handles it fine."
"Probably due to the contamination phenomenon."
"...I think so too."
Yoo Min-jeong suspected there were reasons beyond the recovery ability from contamination but kept it to herself.
Go Cheolmin placed the Thunder Brain Sword and Legio in the safe built into the master room wall. Item storage safes were one of the mandatory facilities for guild licensing.
"Good work today. Being team leader must've added extra tension. Rest well—you must be exhausted."
"Yes, Master."
Yoo Min-jeong went down to the first floor where her team waited. Their eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"What're you waiting for? Food not ordered?"
"Already did."
Choi Muhyun grinned.
Everyone knew it wasn't the time for a full-blown afterparty outside the guildhouse.
Excitement bubbled in their conversations.
As Kim Jun laughed and chatted with them, he quietly slipped back toward the exercise equipment. He called on his phone, and Kang Jin-gu picked up before the second ring.
"It's me."
―Hold on a sec.
Kim Jun lightly kicked the bench press frame with his foot. He'd informed Kang Jin-gu of the truth through the master, since the newspaper photo might shock him, but his mom must have been terrified worrying about her son anyway.
―Ar... you okay?
"Of course. Whose son am I?"
―Good... job.
Her voice choked, words short.
"I'll be home soon."
―Okay.
The call ended briefly.
Thinking of his mom made him realize choosing carrier was an utterly unfilial decision. Knowing that, he still couldn't give it up. Maybe finding his father was just a goal he'd set to justify entering the dungeon world.
As he walked back to his teammates, friends, and colleagues, pain stabbed his lower abdomen. It wasn't a fleeting ache. He nearly collapsed, rolling on the floor.
The thick, heavy, sharp agony ended in just one or two seconds, but sweat beaded on Kim Jun's forehead.
Fortunately, no one saw his twisted expression.
...From the inner power?
Kim Jun recalled Yeon Chung-jae's curse-like words. A chill ran down his spine.
He'd only told the team and master that he'd simply picked up the Thunder Brain Sword. A full explanation would require mentioning his training on Yeongun Island, his body transformed by Bone Transformation, and Nam Eung-ryeol, creator of Moomyeonggong.
I need to see the elder.
Kim Jun walked over to his friends unpacking the delivered food.
A quaint little village nestled at the foot of a deep green mountain came into view. Kim Jun, seated toward the back of the bus to Yeosu, gazed at the serene landscape unfolding outside the window.
A boringly peaceful countryside.
The dungeon's interior flashed in his mind, barely visible in the darkness. Heren Sauri hunting in packs, Ulpen Sauri, relentless snake swarms chasing them, and Absorption Trees bursting from the ground, tentacles strangling people.
Feels like a vivid dream.
In a world where dangers meant thieves, robbers, or car accidents at worst, dungeons were true wilderness—unpredictable, where a moment's lapse meant death.
A yawn escaped him.
Even after two full days of rest, his body felt languid and heavy.
He sensed eyes on him. Kim Jun pulled his baseball cap low, but it was too late.
A young woman approached his empty adjacent seat and spoke.
"Um, excuse me... it is you, right?"
"Pardon?"
Kim Jun put on his most vacant expression.
"You're Kim Jun."
"No, I'm not."
"...Really?"
"I'm Choi Muhyun. I get it—what you're thinking. People keep staring because I look like that famous carrier from TV."
"Oh, sorry."
The woman returned to her seat, tilting her head skeptically at Kim Jun's denial.
Upon arriving in Yeosu, Kim Jun bought sunglasses from an eyeglass shop to stand out less. With them on, the stares and suspicions dwindled.
Next, he hit the market for thick pork belly, makgeolli, well-fermented kimchi, and more. Then he called fisherman Kang to head to Yeongun Island.
As Kim Jun boarded with his luggage, Kang said,
"You're somethin' else. Saw your face on TV—shocked me silly. Knew it from the first time I saw ya. Goin' to see that elder? No ordinary fella, that's for sure."
"...Yeah."
He didn't want to lie to this honest fisherman.
The fisherman chattered nonstop until they reached Yeongun Island, most of it gratitude for giving ordinary folk like him a sense of pride.
Kim Jun was quite surprised by the old man's words, who was like a grandfather to him.
The hot reactions from the Daily Raider article were unexpected, but young people sensitive to discrimination might cheer a non-awakened guy sticking it to talented raiders.
The boat arrived at Yeongun Island as the sea turned orange in the sunset.
Kim Jun hopped lightly from the bow to the rocks and waved to the departing Kang.
"You punk, why're you back here?"
A voice from above.
Kim Jun spotted Nam Eung-ryeol standing at the cliff's edge, looking down.
"Coming up!"
Kim Jun shouted.
After dinner of pork bossam and kimchi, Kim Jun explained why he'd come. He detailed the F-rank dungeon events, especially finding the Thunder Brain Sword.
Nam Eung-ryeol glared at him.
Nearly five minutes passed before the old man spoke.
"Extend your hand."
Kim Jun held out his left hand.
Nam Eung-ryeol checked his pulse, eyes widening in shock. The energy flowing through his meridians clearly mixed with the distinctive inner power of the Thunder Heart Technique.
Nam Eung-ryeol jabbed a finger at Kim Jun's lower chest and nearly groaned. The Thunder Heart Technique energy repelled his finger, scorching the tip with a powerful spark.
"You okay?"
"Like hell I am."
Nam Eung-ryeol sighed, then burst into laughter as realization dawned.
Kim Jun simply watched the seemingly mad old man.
"Jun."
"Yes, Elder."
"You must learn the Thunder Heart Technique. Fail, and you'll die."
"......"
Kim Jun's jaw clenched.
"Shortest: one year. Longest: three. Master it to the third stage within that time to save your life. The problem? It's owned by Cheonhondan. Only a select few talented raiders affiliated with them qualify."
"...No other way?"
Kim Jun grasped at straws.
"There is."
"...There is? What?"
"Your head."
"......"
Kim Jun stared silently. The old man's stern face made it hard to tell if he was joking.
"Yeon Chung-jae's memories transferred to you, so the Thunder Heart Technique should be in there too, right?"
"Ah!"
"Don't get too excited. You're not Yeon Chung-jae, so you can't pull them out at will. Thus, before the Thunder Heart Technique... learn Mukhon Gong first. Master that, and you can extract it from the memories."
"I'll do anything."
"Damn right. To avoid dying, that is."
Nam Eung-ryeol's eyes gleamed strangely at Kim Jun—a mix of wisdom and madness.
Though he understood and respected Nam Eung-ryeol more than anyone, Kim Jun sometimes feared the old man. He might not be entirely sane. Last time, a slight mistake could've ended him on Yeongun Island.
Hell, surviving might've been a miracle.
"Rest here tonight. Climb back tomorrow."
"What about Mukhon Gong?"
Kim Jun had expected to stay and learn Mukhon Gong from him.
"Go Cheolmin will teach you. Tell him I approved—he'll handle it."
"Really?"
"I taught him Mukhon Gong. I'll contact and explain, so don't worry."
"Yes, Elder."
Nam Eung-ryeol went inside. Kim Jun headed to the cliff overlooking the sea.
The setting sun dyed the ocean red, and salty wind whipped his hair atop the cliff. Water mana and light mana pleasantly enveloped and passed over him.
A heavy pain started in his lower abdomen and spread through his body.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead and cheeks. The agony tormented him for about thirty minutes before slowly fading.