Gangwon Branch Support — First Skill
Through the car window, the ridges of the mountain range drew closer. The sky over Chuncheon was clear, but the closer we got to the gate, the thicker the fog settled in layers. It was different from before. I unlocked the case and spoke.
“It’s only E-rank, yet the access control feels pretty loose.”
Oh Jaehoon kept his eyes on the road. “This used to be guild territory. It’s been abandoned for over a month.”
“So we’re filling in for them.”
Kang Doyun’s low voice drifted from the back seat. “All the guild members are tied up in higher-rank dungeons these days.”
“Then today we’re handling both investigation and combat.”
Team Leader Yoo Mira added, “There’s no guild support. The Gangwon branch is short on field personnel too.”
Baek Sorin asked cautiously, “Team Leader, did the combat hunter teams also get pulled out?”
“Yes. It’s just us going in.”
The truck slowed as it climbed the winding mountain road. The fog drifted weakly, swallowing the headlights’ glow, while the blue light of the gate shimmered along the mountainside in the distance.
A single SUV bearing the Gangwon branch logo was parked in front of the gate. The man standing beside it recognized us and slowly raised his hand.
“Hello. I’m Moon Taehyun from the Gangwon branch’s Investigation Division 2. I’ll be your guide today.”
“Team Leader Yoo Mira. Thank you for your hard work.”
His tone carried the weight of an all-nighter. “We’re short on staff these days… Thank you for the support.”
“Has the interior not been entered yet?”
“Correct. We’ve only cleared the perimeter. The residual mana readings are quite high.”
Yoo Mira summarized concisely. “Then let’s follow standard procedure. Sorin, start recording.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
The sensor values slowly appeared on the wrist pad. “Residual mana 5.4–5.6. Unstable zone.”
We finished our preparations and stepped through the blue membrane. The dungeon interior carried a mix of metallic scent and cold air. The walls faintly refracted light as the passage stretched deeper. Footsteps echoed at regular intervals, and the air was almost still.
Yoo Mira took the lead, Jaehoon and Doyun held the middle, while Sorin and I covered the rear.
“Sensor reading 5.7. Residual mana 2.3.”
Jaehoon spoke without taking his eyes off the terminal. “Confirmed unstable zone.”
“Watch the front. Be careful of pattern disruptions.”
Jaehoon focused on the right wall. “Team Leader, there’s a faint vibration on the right wall.”
“Sorin, send a light airflow through it.”
“Understood.”
As the wind slipped through a narrow gap, dust rose gently. Carried on the current came the sound of breathing and mana vibrations.
“We have a reaction.”
Yoo Mira signaled with her fingertips. “Combat ready. Sorin, stay in the rear.”
Red flames condensed at her fingertips. “Flame Bullet.”
The explosion split the wall, and eight Little Orcs burst out through the smoke.
“Everyone, battle stance. Doyun, lock down their movements!”
“Gravity Weight.”
Pressure slammed into the floor and spread through the passage. The orcs’ joints buckled and they collapsed.
“Now! Continuous Flame Bullets!”
Three streams of fire engulfed the front line and detonated, sending three orcs tumbling into the flames.
“Blade Whirlwind!”
At Sorin’s cry, slicing winds mixed with the whirlwind tore through the passage, cutting down two more.
Jaehoon gathered electricity. “Thunder Bullet!”
The blue sphere passed through a chest, and the current jumped to the next target, binding two orcs at once.
The moment the remaining two tried to rise, I hurled both daggers with all my strength. Using psychokinesis to adjust their trajectory, I pierced their abdomens and faces cleanly.
“All clear. Suppression complete.”
The residual mana settled and the heat rapidly cooled.
“Begin cleanup. Jihoon, please collect the mana stones.”
“Understood. I’m still not used to it, but I’ll try.”
“Whew—Sorin, your abilities have really improved lately. Those orcs flew around like goblins.”
“It’s thanks to Doyun oppa. They could barely move.”
Yoo Mira gave a brief assessment. “That’s right. Gravity Weight has stabilized. Sorin’s wind was clean too, and the lightning was sufficient.”
“Team Leader’s three simultaneous Flame Bullets are seriously overpowered. We’re just decoration.”
“Decoration? With this combination, we could take on a B-rank party.”
“Jihoon oppa’s fully combat-ready now too, right?”
“Yeah. Today was a proper deployment. The daggers went straight through.”
“It’s official field duty now. Your attacks connect and your reactions are faster.”
“At this rate, all three of you could reach near B-rank by next year’s regular promotion review.”
I sorted through the corpses, extracting mana stones one by one. From now on, I should just pull them out with psychokinesis.
The mana stones rolled out along with the blood. “Three E-rank mana stones.”
“Three recovered from the entrance. Logged.”
“Good. Moving to the next passage.”
Shortly after, the end of the passage began to ripple darkly. A massive silhouette rose between the dust pillars, and the stench of blood and metal flooded in all at once, pressing down the air.
It was a Blood Orc. Bloodshot red eyes emerged from the darkness, and a rusted iron hammer hung from its thick arm. Droplets of blood fell from the hammer’s head, marking the floor with soft sounds.
Behind it, five silhouettes—one size larger than the Little Orcs—appeared. An orc pack.
The sound of claws scraping the floor and heavy breathing pushed into the passage. Shadows crawled up the walls in the flickering light.
“Damn it! Why is there a C-rank monster here?!”
Jaehoon shouted the moment he identified them. “Jihoon, can you control the bomb’s trajectory with psychokinesis?”
“I can.”
“Good. We’re detonating it before we move. Combat starts after the bomb signal.”
A deeper vibration echoed from the end of the passage. Metal dragged across stone as the Blood Orc fully revealed itself, advancing while dragging its massive hammer along the floor. Its crimson eyes locked directly onto us, and the five orcs followed closely behind.
Yoo Mira signaled with a gesture. “Jihoon, prepare the bomb.”
I pulled a mana-stone bomb from my belt and lifted it with psychokinesis. The safety pin twisted free in midair, the sharp click echoing clearly through the passage.
“Now.”
The bomb shot forward and landed at the Blood Orc’s feet. A blinding flash and shockwave erupted simultaneously. The blast swept through the passage, obliterating two orcs without leaving a trace. Stone fragments flew in every direction. The Blood Orc at the center staggered, its balance broken.
“Flame Bullet.”
Red fire stretched from Yoo Mira’s fingertips. Riding the residual heat of the explosion, the flames wrapped around the Blood Orc’s upper body. Its metal armor heated instantly, sparks flying from the surface.
The Blood Orc roared and swung its hammer in a wide arc. A shockwave spread, making the floor tremble briefly.
“Gravity Weight!”
Doyun’s power pressed down again. The floor sank further as gravity crashed down in a mass. The moment the Blood Orc’s feet were pinned, its posture collapsed.
Sorin seized the opening and thrust out her hand. “Wind Blade!”
A razor-thin gust sliced like a blade, grazing the Blood Orc’s arm. Her wrist movement shifted again.
“Blade Whirlwind!”
A rotating current exploded outward, engulfing the entire passage. The remaining three orcs were severed at once and slammed into the walls and floor.
“Now!”
Jaehoon adjusted his elbow. “Thunder Bullet!”
Blue electricity followed the flames into the armor. Metal crackled and melted as current burst from within. The Blood Orc’s body stiffened. Its eyes turned white, and the hammer slipped from its grasp, striking the floor.
“Gravity Weight!”
Doyun pressed down once more. Enormous pressure slammed the Blood Orc into the side wall. Armor tore and the shockwave rang through the passage.
I seized the moment and threw my daggers. Psychokinesis curved their trajectory toward its neck. But the gravity had settled more violently than expected. The daggers veered slightly off course and pierced the Blood Orc’s vital area dead center.
“Kyaah!!! Gack! Kraaagh!!”
“Oh my… what do we do…”
Sorin gasped and covered her mouth.
Jaehoon couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Hey, Byun Jihoon. You’re a cruel bastard. You turned it into a female.”
“Sorry… it was an accident. But hang in there, I’ll finish it quickly.”
“Doyun, release the gravity!”
“If I hit there again… it’d be too pitiful.”
Doyun chuckled as he hurled his sword, adjusting its path. This time the trajectory was perfect, piercing straight through the heart.
The Blood Orc slumped against the wall, body limp.
In that instant, it became clear through sheer sensation. Even against a C-rank boss, my attacks work.
“Stop laughing and clean up the area. Check the stabilization readings.”
Jaehoon quickly scanned the terminal screen. “Dropped from 5.9 to 4.2. Residual mana 1.8.”
“Good. Begin recovery.”
I removed my gloves and approached the corpse. As I pulled the dagger from its vital area, a faintly strange feeling brushed past me. Still, the work had to continue.
I sliced open the chest with the dagger blade. An orange-red C-rank mana stone slowly emerged from the blood. Psychokinesis separated it from the blood and lifted it into the air. Untouched by even a single drop, the orange-red mana stone shone clearly.
Sorin’s eyes widened. “Wow… that’s cheating. You pulled it out without even touching it.”
“It’s convenient, but concentrating gives me a headache.”
Yoo Mira examined the mana stone. “Four C-rank stones. Good size.”
Jaehoon muttered while counting. “Even for an unstable dungeon, suddenly getting elite C-rank monsters in an E-rank gate is excessive.”
“That’s exactly why it’s an unstable dungeon. At least it ended cleanly.”
I rolled my shoulders as I replied.
Jaehoon smirked. “A C-rank mana stone plus the Blood Orc’s hammer—there’ll be a nice bonus this time.”
He added with a joke, “Buy yourself some elixir with that money.”
“If the bonus is big enough, I’ll consider it. But we don’t get many combat missions in our line of work. Bonuses aren’t likely to be huge.”
“Still, saving little by little adds up.”
“Yes… someday I’ll earn enough to buy elixirs too.”
“By the way, the bomb worked well. Clean finish this time.”
“The best part is not getting any blood on me.”
Sorin burst out laughing. “Having psychokinesis really is convenient.”
“It is convenient. If you’re B-rank or higher, that is. I’m still far from that.”
Yoo Mira pointed at the iron hammer left on the floor. “Let’s recover the Blood Orc’s weapon. Appraisal at the Hunter Department Store should fetch a decent price.”
Doyun lifted the hammer. The mass of metal rang with a low tone as it moved. “This is basically an iron ingot. We’ll need to clear trunk space.”
“This should be enough for today.”
“Still, this is the fun part of our job, isn’t it?”
“I don’t see the dungeon core. We took down the boss, but no reaction means it might be internally sealed.”
“The residual readings are slowly decreasing. If the core isn’t exposed, the dungeon has entered its own stabilization phase.”
“Then let’s wrap up here. Prepare to withdraw.”
We gathered our equipment and headed toward the gate. I lingered behind for a moment.
The cracks in the floor, the metal fragments, the air currents—all seemed to converge at a single point. From somewhere in that center, a heavy pressure pulsed steadily.
…There it is.
I marked a spot on the floor with my eyes. No one else noticed.
When I let a thin stream of mana flow from my fingertips, the energy beneath the floor responded ever so faintly.
I’d need to check again this weekend.
With that thought settled, I turned and walked away with an ordinary expression.