The Golden Surge of the Ether Line
Particles of light began rising from the ground of the Ether Line, illuminating the nighttime Han River Park as brightly as midday.
The sight of the light rippling and shimmering like heat haze evoked a sense of divinity... but in a peaceful park, the phenomenon felt far too abrupt.
People lined up at food stalls, those out for strolls, even joggers—all scattered in panic, unsure what to do. Amid the chaos, the guards were struggling to calm the crowd.
"What the hell is going on now?!"
"What's happening?"
"Everyone, stay calm!! It's probably nothing!"
Meanwhile, the kids weren't scared at all—they were thrilled, jumping around excitedly. Parents could be seen chasing after their running children.
"Whoaaa!! Daddy, look, it's glowing!!!"
"Aigoo, Bina, come here right now! It's dangerous!"
Fortunately, the anomaly subsided in less than five minutes, returning everything to normal.
The meeting leader confirmed the dungeon anomaly had stopped and checked on the crew members.
"Is everyone alright?"
The meditation crew members checked their bodies for a while, but there didn't seem to be any issues.
"My body's fine, but what the heck was that...?"
"What... was that...?"
"Feels kinda refreshing... or maybe not...?"
"At least it didn't feel dangerous."
The sensation of the golden waves passing through their bodies had felt comforting, like being cradled in a womb, but it faded along with the light.
"Well, I think... we should end today's meeting here. Who knows if something else might happen? Better to disband now."
The meditation had just wrapped up anyway, so the leader suggested calling it quits.
Most people here were mid-layer or higher explorers like Jeonbung-i, entering with Golden Tickets instead of regular ones, so exiting the dungeon was no problem.
"Yeah, if it seems risky, best to pull back—that's exploring for you."
"So, when's the next meeting?"
"I'll post the details on the gallery at noon tomorrow, so check there."
Everyone agreed to disband for now, but one bushy-bearded explorer cautiously raised his hand.
"Um... before we go, could we do a quick upper dantian measurement? I'm curious how much we've grown..."
"Ah, sure? Early on, the upper dantian grows fast, and it's motivating and fun."
"Ooh, sounds good. Won't take long, so check mine too!"
I watched the crew members eagerly lining up for measurements, a satisfied smile on my face.
Even just an hour of meditation made them want to check their progress—human nature, I guess.
Phew... that was close. Thought we were in deep trouble for a second.
I'd feared we'd triggered something major in the dungeon.
That split-second influence lasting nearly five minutes? Never saw it coming.
But if I'd let that flow-manipulating sensation slip away, I might never feel it again.
Now that I've touched it once, I can do it twice.
The sensation had faded a lot, but I got the gist.
The leader pulled out the magic tool, placing it on a member's head for measurement while explaining.
"In the early stages of upper dantian development, values usually rise to around 20-30... The reason our breathing technique is so great is that it can boost it by over 100 in one go. So, if you attend diligently for a week, you'll likely hit the job change cutoff."
The first measurement finished, and the leader's eyes widened.
"Whoa... what was your value before meditation?"
"It was 98... how much did it go up?"
"267 now—over double. Congratulations. This is rare... you might have real talent! Of course, the bigger the upper dantian, the harder it gets to raise, but that's natural—don't get too down about it later!"
The members clapped, envious reactions all around.
"Lucky... I don't think I meditated properly... Guess I need a full week."
"Who knows? Not measured yet. Let's look forward to our turns."
Everyone except the one whose meter kept glitching got measured...
The leader stared at the device in bewilderment.
"...This can't be...? Everyone exceeded the baseline growth?"
Every explorer in the meeting had boosted their upper dantian by at least 150 points.
In one corner of Han River Park, where the golden waves had passed...
An elf with long ears stood dazed in place, pondering the anomaly.
"No way... it can't be...? This is a dungeon."
As someone who'd lived a long time and was fairly knowledgeable, she knew about this phenomenon.
She'd even experienced something similar long ago.
Back when she lived on the surface, in the capital of the elf nation Lielishon.
In other words...
"...Is it really an Ether Convergence...? If this is the real deal...!!"
If it matched what she suspected and could be sustained... impossible things would become possible.
Back in my studio, I showered roughly, lay on the bed, and thought.
The upper dantians of the meeting attendees grew so fast in such a short time—must be thanks to those golden waves.
The golden haze rising like heat waves while I manipulated the flow? Obviously the cause.
I'd intended to use that flow to make a meditation-boosting dungeon anyway, so this verified it.
Didn't expect such a flashy visual effect, though...
The breathing technique focused 'flow' using feng shui and artifacts to stimulate the upper dantian. Boosting the flow's density massively must've skyrocketed efficiency.
"Hmm..."
"Hek hek..."
I petted Kkomangi while pondering.
No one got hurt in the mishap, and I'd unlocked a new function—more options now.
But... I had no clue what that flow really was.
It affected the upper dantian, so mental-related, sure. But beyond that? Nothing.
Some kind of world-flow, yeah... but different from ley lines, the dungeon power source...
I realized I'd have to ask the know-it-all Joodak-noona about this.
Aisha or Dennis might answer, but bothering them late night felt wrong.
Don't disturb working folks after hours.
Joodak-noona, fellow gallery dweller, was always free anyway—no issue contacting now.
Lately, with the Sticky Thing stuff and her seeming unstable, I'd kept distance. But how much had she helped me? If she wanted harm, she'd done it already.
She's been pushing me to check the surface a lot... suspicious.
...Felt more like she was being chased by something, not trying to harm me.
Anyway, I messaged Joodak-noona about what happened.
Ether Convergence... another new term.
Right... matches my guess so far.
Hm, got the gist. Joodak-noona simplified, but it'd go deep if dug into.
A bulk ether-sucker?
...Huh?
World Tree? Burned up in the monster war, right...?
Caused major setback for elf spirit arts...
...Saw elves whining on the gallery.
As I finished reading Joodak's messages, a new chat popped up.
[Message received.]
...Contact from elves via Goseongji.