Chapter 258
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 258
Chapter Title: National Hero
Starting with Team GGW's assault on the [A-2] difficulty Daegu City Hall Dungeon, the heroes' efforts to cleanse the corrupted lands of Daegu continued unabated.
But destroying dungeons was no easy task.
Statistically speaking, even when a dungeon clear succeeded, the probability of the dungeon actually breaking was less than 0.5%. As a result, their efforts yielded frustratingly meager results.
A few dungeons had vanished after repeated assaults, but they were only at [B] difficulty, so calling them meaningful achievements felt like a stretch.
They couldn't throw every raid team in the country at Daegu either. Corrupted lands infested with dungeons and voids spanned not just Daegu, but the entire nation.
"Feels a bit bad leaving you guys first."
Lee Ji-yeon, who had taken over as Memoria's dealer lead in place of the retired Kang Chaeyoung, spoke in a voice thick with regret.
Having lived together at the outpost and tackled the [A-2] dungeon alongside them, she had grown close to Team GGW's heroes—and Minguk himself.
Minguk just shrugged it off as he saw her off.
"Everyone's got their roles to play. And it's not like you're off on some wild errand—you're just heading to Seoul to clear a dungeon there, right?"
"Glad you see it that way. Anyway, I was imagining the Daegu City Hall Dungeon collapsing by the end of this schedule... Guess it was just a dream."
"It'll crumble soon enough."
"I hope you're right..."
Lee Ji-yeon trailed off, staring at the gate rippling with void mana.
She knew Minguk was just trying to comfort her. But his words weren't empty.
Ppuu and Qyuu♡ were feeding him real-time updates on the dungeon's status. Even the infamous Daegu City Hall Dungeon was weakening bit by bit under the relentless assaults from Team GGW and Memoria.
Proof came in the form of fewer regular monsters spawning upon entry—noticeably less than when they'd first started.
'Not to mention, the dungeon's world itself is showing faint signs of leakage here and there.'
It was subtle enough that you wouldn't notice without looking closely.
Minguk knew exactly what it all meant. Their raids were chipping away at the dungeon, no doubt about it.
"Anyway, you all worked hard. Safe travels back up top... And let's all grab drinks with Chaeyoung later."
"Whoa?! For real?"
"Seriously?"
His parting words lit up Lee Ji-yeon and the other Memoria first-string heroes nearby.
Even those with boyfriends perked up their ears. Minguk's appeal to female heroes was off the charts—he was handsome, talented, and had stamina for days.
No Memoria hero bunking at the outpost hadn't envied the GGW women waking the night with their cries. And by morning, those same women reappeared with flawless, reborn skin.
"You better mean it!"
"Yeah, I'll hit you up later."
With a promise to meet in Seoul, Memoria's first-string raid team departed under military escort.
"Guess it's just us again?"
As the Memoria heroes left, Hyun-ah sidled up to Minguk and hooked her arm in his.
Having shared a bed with Minguk and Yuna the night before—and plenty of protein—she was practically glowing.
A few civilian women living at the outpost shot her envious glances before moving on.
"Huh? We've got tough women here, and clans clearing [B] dungeons too."
"But they're not sticking around."
"Well, yeah, but..."
Even without them, their own efforts were steadily eroding the void mana plaguing Daegu's corrupted lands.
Sure enough, that doctor's hypothesis Ppuu mentioned held water—the more they raided, the higher the odds of a dungeon breaking.
"Alright, back to trials in two hours. And..."
Minguk checked the date and schedule on his Hero Pad.
A red circle marked this Friday. It clicked: his hospital visit with Kang Chaeyoung.
'Already 24 weeks?'
Chaeyoung was well over five months along.
Hearing the baby's heartbeat for the first time had been profoundly moving... Hyun-ah, who'd gone with them, had teared up too.
Civilian Kim Tae-yeon, the heiress carrying Minguk's child, had heard hers last week.
The sight of the flawless chaebol third-gen sobbing with a wrecked face was equal parts hilarious and heartwarming.
This week, they were finding out the gender with Chaeyoung.
'The world my child will be born into...'
It was his duty anyway, but for the baby's safety, he had to smash every last darkness monster.
"Hm? What?"
He glanced at Oh Hyun-ah beside him, then gently stroked her wide-eyed head.
'Ppuu and Qyuu♡ said they'd send me home once all the darkness monsters are gone. But...'
Could he really go back when the time came? Honestly, he'd cross that bridge when he got there.
"What's up? Something bothering you?"
"Nah, nothing. Just thinking if we can one-shot clear the Daegu City Hall Dungeon this time."
"That's all on us doing our part..."
Hyun-ah stuck out her tongue sheepishly.
Minguk's raid leading was flawless. They just botched his calls or slipped up now and then.
"Still, compared to when we started, everyone's leveled up big time."
Minguk chuckled.
From their first raid, they'd become true raid experts. He was confident no domestic team outdid Team GGW.
"All thanks to you, Minguk. Anyway, compared to the old days, we've come far. You know some folks are calling us Rose Shield's first-string now?"
"Eh... I'd rather our current team just keep handling first-string duties."
"Huh? Why?"
Hyun-ah tilted her head.
"First-string means mandatory high-difficulty clears—no more schedule flexibility like now."
"That's a problem?"
"Yeah. Once we gear up here, break the dungeon, I'm eyeing [A-1]—or [S] depending on our specs."
And after snagging silver mana crystals from an [S-9] dungeon to hit 9-stars across the board, they'd tackle Garuda, one of the Twelve Calamities.
"...Ah."
Hearing Minguk's plan, Hyun-ah felt her chest burn with fervor.
People sometimes called the genius Minguk their hope to end the darkness war.
They'd scold anyone overburdening him—one man couldn't do it alone, or the war wouldn't have dragged on for nearly a century.
But her man was dead serious about purging the darkness from this land.
'Gotta tell unnie about this.'
For his plan to work, Rose Shield's first-string should handle clan dungeon duties as usual—freeing Team GGW for high-end raids.
Click.
Minguk donned his Gear Score gear, flexing his limbs.
Despite its age, the maintenance team's handiwork made it feel brand new.
With all his armor on, he strapped his main staff and Despair's Kraks to his waist.
"Entering now."
The Daegu City Hall Dungeon trial kicked off.
Team GGW had set 49 hours as their goal—doable without five-plus named wipes.
From first named El Kashak, to Red Orc Chief Khanvara, to finale Shiaz. Under Minguk's command, they carved through like a hot knife.
Purple crystals went to the heroes who needed them, boosting their power.
Once, twice...
The late-summer assault stretched into winter.
In that time, Minguk and Team GGW cleared the [A-2] Daegu City Hall Dungeon over fifty times.
Daegu notched a few more [B] breaks, but boss-tier dungeons and [A] ones stood firm.
[Raon Group Establishes Crystal Factory in Vietnam!]
[Heroic Age Clan Clears Pyeongtaek's [A-3] Dungeon. Citizens Relieved as Timer Looms.]
Media blasting Daegu updates daily had gone radio silent.
With progress stalled, ranker clans visiting Daegu tapered off dramatically—now only allies like Memoria, Ihwa, Rose Shield, and Minguk's circle dropped by when they could.
Undeterred, Minguk and Team GGW kept grinding. Their spec gains were solid.
Gearing from [A-2] drops pushed average Gear Score past 1170—on par with top-dog Memoria first-string.
Plus, six heroes including Minguk absorbed purple mana crystals. One silver crystal each, and they'd hit 9-stars.
"One-shot clear attempt this time?"
"How long till finale then? 40 hours?"
"35 maybe?"
Prepping for another run, the team bantered lightly.
Endless reps had turned Daegu City Hall into their playground—they could navigate blind.
Nearly half a year of monotony, yet no GGW member griped.
Purple mana crystals fueled their growth, and gear drops meant auction house windfalls.
And...
"Tonight: Jeong Ye-rin and Shiranui Mai."
"Yes! Yes!"
"Wait, didn't we have Mai unnie a few days ago? Why's her turn up so soon?"
"Your imagination. It's every five days, on the dot."
Outpost life meant regimented sex schedules for Minguk.
The women got their hot night every five days.
They loved it. Bonus rounds hit during instinct-fueled raid lulls.
Jeong Ye-rin had even wished for eternal dungeon grinds. But Minguk knew the clock was ticking.
《It's about time. One or two more, and it'll collapse.》
Author's Note
Bet you didn't expect this at this hour?
Next Chapter ▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶