Dungeon & Commander (87)
Go Cheolmin waited a moment. Digesting all that information would take time.
A long while later, Choi Min-su finally spoke.
"…If what you're saying is true, then why did that guy hand his sword over to Muhyun?"
"He didn't hand it over. Dungeon Association regulations don't recognize ownership of items found by carriers. That's why Muhyun stepped up to hold onto the sword for him."
"Hah."
Choi Min-su knew his son well enough to believe he'd do something like that for a friend.
"I'm sorry, Sunbae-nim."
"If it hadn't come from your mouth, I wouldn't have believed it. The Yeon family doesn't know about this, do they?"
"They have no idea."
"Right. If they did, that carrier kid wouldn't be breathing."
"…Yes."
There was no way the prideful Yeon family would accept a carrier as the owner of the Cheonroegeom. They'd bury the truth under a pile of corpses to protect the family honor.
Choi Min-su pulled out his phone.
"Yeah, it's me. Find Muhyun right now and protect him. Yeah, it's dangerous. Alright, thanks."
He set the phone down and looked at Go Cheolmin.
"What's your angle here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Even if that carrier kid has exceptional talent, if you hadn't taken him in—if you hadn't pushed so hard—none of this would have happened. What are you trying to achieve through him?"
Go Cheolmin was startled by the sharp question.
He could hide the truth, but he wanted this man to know. Just to see his reaction.
"A commander."
"…You can't mean…?"
"Exactly. The one Master Nam Eung-ryeol talked about."
"A carrier as commander? You're not the man you used to be."
Go Cheolmin wasn't disappointed. Even he saw it as a near-impossible dream.
"With your influence, Sunbae-nim, you can view the footage the Dungeon Association has. Please watch the test and raid videos with Kim Jun in them."
"If you say so, fine. I promise."
Choi Min-su stood up.
Go Cheolmin rose as well.
As Choi Min-su turned to leave, he paused.
"One more question."
"Go ahead."
"Do you trust me? How can you be sure I won't spread what I've heard here?"
"'Choi Min-su's a tight-lipped bastard,' Master Nam Eung-ryeol said."
"Hahahahaha. That's my master for you."
The laughter faded into the distance.
Left alone in the room, Go Cheolmin collapsed into a chair. Tension released, his fingertips trembled.
He couldn't be sure if he'd convinced him. Predicting Choi Min-su's actions was impossible.
If Choi Min-su threw his weight behind Kim Jun, it'd be like gaining a heavenly army.
Go Cheolmin's eyes fell on the leftover food.
Gurgle.
He scooted up to the table and picked up his chopsticks.
His forearms, back, and thighs were covered in wounds.
His clothes were shredded and torn to rags.
Choi Muhyun panted for breath, yet he poured every ounce of strength into dodging Yeon Yuk-su's twin daggers.
Yeon Yuk-su wiped sweat from his neck and brow with his sleeve, then glanced sideways at his seniors' reactions.
No one mocked him openly, but they wouldn't look kindly on his failure to quickly drop Choi Muhyun, who had already burned through his stamina fighting Yeon Chil-su.
True to traditional tanker form, Choi Muhyun was slow. That had given him the early edge.
'He's avoiding fatal wounds perfectly. Is this the depth of a prestigious family's training?'
Dragging it out longer might earn him a worse evaluation than Yeon Chil-su.
Yeon Yuk-su decided to sacrifice his cherished daggers if needed to take Choi Muhyun down.
Shatter Fragment Sword.
A skill that injected internal energy into the daggers, smashing them mid-air to unleash a barrage of fragments that overwhelmed the opponent. Even the toughest tank couldn't withstand the dozens of razor-sharp shards flying at them.
It was devastating, but he rarely used it. Two major drawbacks.
First, it destroyed the twin daggers.
Second, it took time to activate.
Yeon Yuk-su, who had been circling and harassing Choi Muhyun with his daggers, stopped abruptly and lowered his hands.
With the relentless attacks halted, Choi Muhyun caught his breath and eyed his foe.
His eyes widened.
'That stance! That motion!'
He vaguely remembered it from childhood—the exact pose just before the two daggers collided and shattered in mid-air.
Waiting meant defeat.
Desperate, Choi Muhyun charged forward to close the gap. Still thinking it wasn't enough, he kicked off one sneaker and hurled it at Yeon Yuk-su.
Thwack.
The sneaker smacked Yeon Yuk-su right between the eyes. He couldn't move while gathering energy. The humiliation shook his focus, delaying the skill by half a second.
Yeon Yuk-su whipped his left hand back in a wide spin and flung the dagger forward. His right followed a beat later, but with far more force.
Just before the daggers collided, Choi Muhyun dove forward, curling into a ball and rolling like a dung beetle. He barely escaped the attack radius as they smashed together.
The fragments sliced through the air.
"…How?"
Drained of energy, Yeon Yuk-su staggered.
Choi Muhyun surged up and drove his fist into him, sending Yeon Yuk-su flying backward. He lost consciousness before hitting the ground.
A burly man with a wooden sword stepped forward.
The training hall—Yeonmu-dae. It hit Choi Muhyun late.
To an ordinary person, it might mean an army boot camp, but to raiders, Yeonmu-dae was where the Yeon family's most promising young awakeners with high potential gathered. Every family head had come from its ranks, making it a symbol of unparalleled prestige.
Choi Muhyun glared at Yeon Min-gyun standing by the exit behind Yeon O-su.
'He might one day lead the family as head.'
Yeon O-su raised his wooden sword. His intent to end it in one strike was clear.
An aura incomparable to Yeon Chil-su or Yeon Yuk-su.
Having defeated two elites, Choi Muhyun's stamina was spent, his internal energy hanging by a thread. Yeonmu-chilsu were the seven top experts of Yeonmu-dae. Beating two meant no shame in losing here.
'Still, I need to drop one more. With everything I've got.'
Resolve burned in Choi Muhyun's eyes.
Yeon O-su closed in fast, roaring as he thrust the wooden sword forward.
In that instant, Choi Muhyun punched out. Golden energy erupted from his fist, hurtling toward the sword.
Boom!
The Diamond Fist splintered the wood and crumpled the black iron core inside. It hurled Yeon O-su straight into the arena wall.
He crashed, slid down, struggled up—then dropped the sword and collapsed.
"Aaaargh!"
Choi Muhyun, roaring like a beast, toppled backward too. He'd expended his last reserves.
Yeon Min-gyun approached and looked down at the unconscious Choi Muhyun.
"Like father, like son. Carry him out."
"Yes, Daeju."
Yeon Sa-su and Yeon Sam-su replied, then hauled Yeon O-su and Choi Muhyun out of the arena.
Yeon I-su stepped up beside Yeon Min-gyun.
"Touching Choi Muhyun means we've declared war on the Yeon family."
"Exactly."
Cheonhondan would descend into chaos now. Would the traditional forces led by the Yeon family seize it, or would Choi Min-su and Mun Hyo-rin’s rising faction claim dominance? This fight would decide.
The sudden emergence of the Cheonroegeom had merely ignited the already tense atmosphere.
"Let's go."
Yeon Min-gyun left the arena.
"All set."
The phone shop owner handed Yoo Min-jeong a large-screen smartphone with a vibrant display.
"Number transferred too, right?"
"Of course."
Yoo Min-jeong stepped out and called Kim Jun. It rang, but no answer.
She looked up Choi Muhyun's number and dialed, sighing. His phone was off.
Thankfully, Yeom Sang-taek picked up immediately, as if waiting.
"It's me. New number."
―I'm at the shop getting a new one too.
"You know where Kim Jun is?"
―Probably at the guildhouse.
"Got it. Text me your new number."
―Sure.
Yoo Min-jeong hung up and headed to her red Ferrari.
As she opened the heavy door to slide in, she caught sight of a man reflected in the glass front of a shop selling unique dolls and interior decor.
'Hey, that's the guy I saw near the guildhouse earlier.'
She didn't turn.
Sliding into the sports car, she drove home.
She parked the Ferrari in the garage and entered the living room, where the cats swarmed her. She petted Kate, Ryoko, and Hyeonju, then installed security apps on her new phone.
A few taps redirected the fence CCTV outward.
"There he is."
The man from the guildhouse and phone shop was lurking near the wall.
He glanced around, then tossed a stone over. Alarms blared; he backed off.
Her heart raced.
She nearly called the police, then realized he'd be gone by the time they arrived. Instead, she dialed Master Go Cheolmin.
Off, probably due to their promise.
Then her phone rang.
'Ah, Kim Jun!'
Yoo Min-jeong answered instantly.
"New number, huh."
―Suspicious guy's outside the house. Saw him near guildhouse and phone shop.
―Contacted the master?
"No answer. Where are you? Why didn't you pick up?"
―Actually…
Kim Jun explained.
Yoo Min-jeong just listened. Stalkers were shocking enough, but a raider infiltrating the guildhouse under pretense of water bottle replacement?
"Keep tailing him. I'll handle the guildhouse."
―Team leader through and through. See you soon.
Call ended.
The living room's heavy silence felt eerie today. Yoo Min-jeong dialed another number.
―New number.
Skyla.
"Got a tail."
―You too?
"You knew?"
―Just now.
Yoo Min-jeong relayed what Kim Jun told her.
Skyla went quiet, processing, then spoke.
―Come to the guildhouse. I'll head there too.
"Good."
―Contact Sang-taek too.
"On it."
Yoo Min-jeong texted Yeom Sang-taek to meet at the guildhouse as she walked to the garage.
Driving out, she resisted checking the rearview. The man was back there somewhere, following.
The rattling subway car.
Kim Jun eyed the man visible through the crowd. No sign of getting off yet.
"Um, you're Kim Jun, right?"
A nearby young woman asked.
Distracted by the gold-attuned man, Kim Jun hadn't noticed the stares. His sunglasses were in the car at the park.
He gave an awkward smile and moved to the next car. Several followed, phones out.
"It's really Kim Jun!"
"Where?"
"Whoa, Kim Jun!"
Chaos erupted.
Kim Jun was suddenly surrounded by phone-wielding fans. He craned his neck to see the man shifting toward the door, perhaps to exit.
Click-click.
Shutter sounds blared.
Kim Jun wormed through to the door.
The train stopped; doors opened.
He hopped off late and hurried. He caught only the man's back ascending the stairs.
"Excuse me."
Calling ahead as he ran.
Outside, Kim Jun bought a hat from a street vendor—chosen for face coverage, not style.
Hat on, he sprinted awhile, then scanned in panic.
'…Lost him.'
Sighing, he hailed a taxi but paused, looking up at the towering building.
'From up there, I can see the whole area.'
"Sorry," he told the waiting driver, then dashed into the building. No time for elevators—he took stairs four at a time.
Luckily, the rooftop door was unlocked.
Rushing to the railing, Kim Jun spotted a suited man. The man startled at the sight of him.
"Don't come closer! I'm jumping!"
The man threatened.
Kim Jun stared blankly, then said indifferently on purpose.
"I won't stop you."
Ignoring the suicidal man, Kim Jun went to the opposite railing, climbed up, and peered down at the streets and surroundings.
Narrow alleys spread like a palm, but no sign of the man.
'Focus.'
Breathing steady, he shifted position. Faintly, that distinctive silhouette appeared. Not certain yet—too many people.
"You're really not here to talk me down?"
A somewhat disappointed tone.
"Told you no. Don't talk to me. I'm busy."
Kim Jun didn't even glance at the suited man.