Dungeons That Vanish Without a Trace
The next morning after the meeting, I headed down to the parking lot. The sensation at my fingertips was noticeably sharper than the day before. The underground parking garage of the Uijeongbu Center. A gray SUV, Sigma-03, sat waiting. The trunk was neatly organized with sensor cases and equipment boxes. I climbed into the passenger seat and powered on the sensor.
“Readings are normal. Reception’s good too,” Jaehun said as he checked the comms gear.
“Connection’s solid here. Let’s hope it doesn’t drop midway today.”
Team Leader Yoo Mira handed me the terminal. “Today’s destination is Cheongpyeong E-04. Check what you need while we’re moving.”
“Got it. I’m ready.”
While I finished prepping the gear, Jaehun asked, “Jihoon, your psychokinesis has improved lately. You’re using it much cleaner than before.”
“It feels like it’s getting a little better each time. After going in and out of dungeons… controlling it has become easier. I don’t even need much effort to move something like an equipment box now.”
“That’s definitely progress. Back then, even lifting one thing used to be a struggle.”
“It was really chaotic back then. Now my hands are used to it, so it’s manageable.”
“If you two are done, get in the vehicle.”
“Yes, we’re good.”
I closed the trunk, climbed in, and started the engine. The vehicle responded smoothly as the engine hummed lightly. Following the ramp, I accelerated and headed straight toward Cheongpyeong.
As we drove along the road, a convoy of military trucks passed in the next lane. The low rumble of engines mixed with the heavy sound of tires, and the orderly formation moved at even intervals. Short-cropped hair, matching uniforms, and heavy gear slung over shoulders lined up in rows. The faces visible through the windows carried deep shadows. Overall, they looked no different from a unit moving after training.
Team Leader Yoo Mira glanced out the window. “Jihoon, if you’re F-rank, you’re still eligible for conscription, right?”
“Yes. If I reach D-rank by next year, I’ll be exempt.”
“So that’s why you’ve been increasing your psychokinesis training lately.”
“It’s more about survival than practice.”
From the driver’s seat, Jaehun’s voice drifted lightly. “Dungeon’s better than the military. At least you get hazard pay here.”
“They serve meals on time over there, though.”
“Still, no weekend passes in a dungeon.”
Team Leader Yoo Mira turned her head. “But you chose the dungeon anyway. That’s the answer.”
“Yes. I need to reach D-rank somehow. Whether it’s for the exemption or survival, it all depends on that.”
Jaehun nodded. “If that’s your motivation, it’s more than enough.”
“You ranked up with that kind of drive, didn’t you, hyung?”
Jaehun scrunched his nose and let out a short laugh. “Guilty. I chugged quite a few elixirs. Thanks to that, one side of my circuit’s still creaking.”
“Just don’t blow both your equipment costs and medical bills like I did.”
“I’ll try.”
A quiet breath filled the car. Outside the window, the truck convoy gradually faded into the distance, and the ridges of Cheongpyeong’s mountains blurred beyond the glass. By the time the laughter died down, everyone knew without saying it—once a reading above 5.0 appeared in an unstable dungeon, jokes naturally tapered off.
The sky above the road to Cheongpyeong was clear and open. The sign reading “Cheongpyeong E-04 Approach Zone” flashed briefly as we passed. Inside the SUV, the low engine hum continued unbroken, settling evenly in our ears.
The vehicle slowed to a stop in front of the gate.
“We’ll set up the sensor, check the readings, and head straight in.”
I pulled the equipment from the trunk, set up the tripod, and powered it on. A short tone sounded as the initial values appeared on the screen.
“Baseline established.”
Carrying the device, I passed through the entrance. Inside was quieter than expected, and the traces left on the floor had already been neatly cleared. I walked slowly along the passage, checking both walls one by one.
“No residual reactions. The stabilization zone is holding.”
“It’s E-rank, so we’ll skip resource surveying. Let’s withdraw.”
After finishing the work, I packed the equipment back into the trunk. The SUV soon moved toward the exit and climbed onto the road shortly after. Once we passed the checkpoint, Team Leader Yoo Mira closed the terminal and let out a short breath.
“I’ll handle the report.”
“Just like you said, Team Leader—it was really quiet today.”
“Days like this are nice when they repeat. They just don’t happen often.”
Jaehun stared out the window before turning to me. “Whenever people talk about living outside lately, everyone seems more exhausted.”
Then, naturally, the conversation shifted to me. “Jihoon, how’s the house these days? You’ve been living alone for a while now.”
“It’s alright. Livable, but… there are some issues.”
“What broke this time?”
“The boiler. The landlord keeps saying ‘connecting you to a technician.’”
“Just fix it yourself and deduct it from the rent.”
“If I do that, he’ll complain again. That’s his style.”
“Still, living alone has its perks, right?”
“It does… but the couple next door is pretty loud. They fight all the time, then suddenly get all over each other again. Sometimes it feels like I’m watching an entire drama episode.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to stay at your parents’ place?”
“The distance. Three hours round trip is better spent on one more personal training session.”
Jaehun chuckled briefly. “Hearing that… living outside seems more tiring than the dungeon.”
“Lately, it does. But I can manage. I’ve got that much survival instinct.”
“Use that survival instinct to get through the next schedule too.”
A light laugh circled inside the car. The road lights flowed faintly as the day naturally came to an end. The report for the day was filed just like that.
The next morning, at the Uijeongbu Northern Branch briefing room. The wall monitors slowly powered on from sleep mode. Only the quiet blinking of terminal lights filled the air unique to the start of a day.
“Cheongpyeong E-04, which we investigated yesterday, has been recorded as a natural disappearance. The closing speed was slower than expected, and the internal fluctuations lingered, causing some residual mana to seep into the strata. The related report has been submitted upstairs.”
She flipped the screen, bringing up a new map and readings.
“Today’s site is Cheongpyeong E-05. A new gate was detected near the brake point. It’s classified as a secondary formation case.”
Jaehun leaned slightly forward in his chair. “Looking at the distance, it’s probably connected, right?”
“1.3 km south of Cheongpyeong E-07. Same mana stratum.”
Team Leader Yoo Mira enlarged the map. “Under the sluice gate, near the previous brake point. There’s a high chance residual mana still remains in the soil there.”
“Another brake zone. The freelance hunters probably went in first.”
“Today we’re only confirming internal readings. We’ll check for remaining monsters and withdraw as soon as the stabilization values are secured.”
“So we’re just surveying this time?”
“Yes. Record only the necessary values and come straight out.”
“What if we see monsters inside?”
“I’ll handle them. Jihoon, just maintain the readings from behind.”
Team Leader Yoo Mira wrapped up the briefing. The terminal screen went dark, and the meeting ended.
“Let’s move out.”
We gathered our gear and left the briefing room. After passing through the hallway and heading down to the parking lot, the SUV was already waiting. We boarded, started the engine, and the vehicle began moving out of the temporary base.
“Today we’ll just confirm the procedure and return immediately.”
As the SUV slowed while traveling along the road toward the checkpoint, the unique wavelength of the gate came into clear view. Blue light rippled at regular intervals, subtly vibrating the surrounding air.
“Stop.”
The moment the door opened, damp air rushed in. I headed straight for the trunk and pulled out the sensor. Setting up the tripod on the ground naturally prepared us for work.
“Power’s on.”
The device chimed briefly, and the default screen appeared.
“Readings normal. Mana flow inside the gate is stable.”
“No fluctuations?”
“No. We can enter.”
Team Leader Yoo Mira simply nodded. “Good. Keep the values steady. We’re going in right away.”
We organized the equipment’s position and walked toward the gate. A low engine sound could be heard from afar. At the gate’s entrance stood an old tent, oil drums, and two trucks. A faded flag barely displayed the words “Freelance Hunter Zone.”
“Jihoon, the freelance hunters are in again.”
“Is the outer section always their territory?”
“Yeah. The outer line has always been their share. Even if the rewards are small, people who can’t get in often have to take what they can there.”
“Still, they need to hold out for us to get in. If the outside gets blocked, the inner route shuts down immediately.”
“Exactly. They have to clear the low-grade monsters and return the resources for the follow-up work to be possible. The people out there have more influence on how the field runs than you’d think.”
The area around the entrance bustled like a small marketplace. Body retrieval teams, resource extraction teams, and temporary trading posts were all mixed together. The metallic sound of pickaxes striking veins and the footsteps of people continued without pause.
“Even if it looks organized on the surface… half of them are probably unregistered teams, right?”
“That’s how brake zones are. The market opens before official registration, and everyone just looks the other way.”
“It stays running even when it’s crowded.”
“Right. We can only do our job because those people hold the line.”
The forest path had split into multiple trails from people’s footsteps. Though there was no designated route, the speed and direction of movement were strangely consistent. A truck loaded with cargo passed noisily, with several people sitting on the back of the bed, enduring the shaking.
“Those hunters over there… they barely have any armor.”
“Those aren’t freelance hunters.”
“They’re supposed to be E-rank or below… but almost all of them are F-rank. Corpse disposal and mana stone scavenging teams. Low pay, almost no insurance.”
“The compensation is pretty low compared to the risk.”
“There are a lot of teams like that among lower-ranked hunters. Since they can’t get in often, they have to be greedy when they do.”
“Still, they seem to be working hard.”
“Speaking of which—” Jaehun grinned crookedly. “Jihoon, if you hadn’t become an investigator, you’d be over there, wouldn’t you?”
“Hyung, that’s too much.”
“What’s wrong with that? It’s a fact that you’re F-rank. Everyone still remembers you failing the exam three times.”
“Twice. One was a paperwork error.”
“Still, the record remains.”
“You’ve got a record too—getting electrocuted and carried out as a power meter user.”
“Both of us have flashy track records. Now stop joking and maintain the calibration.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“Confirmed.”
Just then, a heavy explosion rang out from afar. A blue flash burst as a cloud of dust shot upward.
“The freelance hunters over there have entered combat.”
As the dust settled, four hunters could be seen rushing out. Worn protective gear, practiced hand movements. Behind them, retrieval teams and trucks carrying mana stone carts followed at precise intervals.
“Their movements are pretty fast. It looks like they’re trying to push straight inward.”
“That’s how they make money. If you only mess around at the entrance of a brake zone, your income is basically zero.”
“Is the difference that big?”
“Of course. Inside, both monsters and resources mean money. The entrance has weak monsters, so few mana stones and nothing worth harvesting.”
“That’s why everyone’s rushing to claim the inner spots first.”
“Exactly! One spot is a day’s earnings. If you’re late, there’s nothing left to take. Even if it looks like cooperation on the surface, the inner spots are fiercely competitive.”
“So that’s why their eyes were so sharp. They keep pushing inward without rest.”
“That’s how it is here. Once you clear the entrance, you have to advance immediately to survive.”
While we were installing the sensor and recording readings, the graph wavered briefly before stabilizing.
“No anomalies in the sensor readings. Today’s schedule ends here. We’re withdrawing.”
“No particular issues today.”
“Days like this actually make me more nervous.”
“Still, with a schedule like this, the burden is lighter.”
“Then we’d be the first in line for restructuring.”
“We have to avoid that.”
Hearing that, she lightly relaxed her lips. “You two say that, but your expressions say otherwise.”
“Jihoon looks like he’s in a great mood.”
“Your mouth corners are pretty lifted too, hyung?”
A short sound circled inside the car. The gate’s light pulsed steadily before gradually fading. The mission for the day ended just like that.