Hidden Piece
The right side rose a steep, moss-covered cliff face, while the left stretched into a narrow dirt path winding through the dense forest like a long, winding trail. The hour had long since passed noon, now well into the afternoon of 3 PM.
Kang Seojun and Jin Serin’s escort team had finally arrived at the entrance to the hidden dungeon.
Destination reached. Eye of Providence has terminated the path guidance.
“Here it is.”
“Huh?”
The bodyguard carrying Kang Seojun scanned the surroundings with a bewildered look.
“There’s nothing here?”
The right side featured the mossy rock wall, the left a steep slope. Aside from the thick canopy of trees overhead, nothing else met the eye.
Confused, the bodyguard asked, “Is that what you meant?”
Kang Seojun pointed downward. “Look below.”
The bodyguard followed his finger and spotted an arched gap beneath the rock wall, no wider than the entrance to a mouse hole.
He kicked the tiny fissure with his foot and asked, “You can’t be serious about this?”
“Correct. Lower me down. I need to inspect the entrance first.”
After setting Kang Seojun down, the bodyguard tilted his head in confusion. Calling this a “entrance” was absurdly narrow and tiny.
“An entrance…? Is that really it?”
Kang Seojun offered no reply to the question.
Instead, he knelt on the ground and carefully examined the dungeon entrance. It was exactly as the game had shown it—small and cramped.
“I’ll have to widen this opening by digging. Will you help me?”
Even a woman or a slender man would struggle to squeeze through Kang Seojun’s swollen frame right now.
“How do we dig it wider?”
“Just scoop out the soil around this gap.”
“Deputy Go. Come over here.”
“Ah… why is it always me…?”
Deputy Go grumbled under her breath, her face weary, as she rolled up her sleeves.
No shovel was needed. Jin Serin’s security team consisted of hunters all ranked B or higher. Their hands were sharper and tougher than any steel blade.
—Thud!
Deputy Go planted her feet wide and drove her palm straight into the dirt, as if stabbing a dagger. With a satisfied crunch, the soil caved in.
—Thud! Thud! Thud!
She scooped out the loosened earth between her legs, and the narrow gap rapidly widened, large enough for even a large dog to pass through.
—Whoosh!
Cold cave air, carrying a damp, musty stench, brushed across Deputy Go’s cheek.
She knelt to glance inside once before standing up.
“It looks like it connects to the cave.”
“A cave?”
Ser Eunha’s expression turned stony.
Digging into the ground and finding an artifact? No—entering a cave? That was the last thing anyone wanted.
Caves were terrible places to hide a VIP in an emergency. Limited escape routes, impossible terrain analysis. If the enemy set a trap, there was no way out.
Trusting an unknown man she had only met yesterday was far too risky.
Ser Eunha shot Jin Serin a meaningful glance, as if to say this was unacceptable.
“Hmm~ hmm~ ♬ The weather is nice.”
“Ah….”
Yet Jin Serin seemed as carefree as if she had wandered into a flower garden.
Ser Eunha stepped in before the situation could grow even more dangerous.
“Wait a moment.”
Looking straight at Kang Seojun, she said, “We’ve come this far. It seems we should receive a detailed briefing on where we are going and what measures you intend to take for Miss Jin.”
Even if he was deliberately deceiving them, she had to ask. It was merely a test, after all.
Kang Seojun nodded at Ser Eunha’s words.
“Very well. Everyone, gather around me. I was just about to deliver a briefing.”
The eight bodyguards and Jin Serin formed a circle around him.
Ser Eunha’s eyes burned with open suspicion, but Kang Seojun paid her no mind and began his briefing.
“This is an unregistered dungeon.”
“An unregistered dungeon?”
The mention sent the bodyguards exchanging uneasy glances.
They had only heard about fighting inside the dungeon, not that they would actually enter it.
And it wasn’t even a formally registered one—it was an illegal unregistered dungeon.
Was this really safe to proceed with?
“Yes. The dungeon isn’t enormous, and the monsters that appear are mostly C-rank. With your levels, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Also….”
“Just a moment.”
Ser Eunha cut him off.
“You said unregistered?”
“…By that I mean a dungeon not reported to the government.”
“No, my question is—how did you know the coordinates of an unregistered dungeon?”
The other bodyguards stared at Kang Seojun with the same skeptical eyes as Ser Eunha.
Eight pairs of eyes pinned him down.
Yet Kang Seojun responded without the slightest hint of embarrassment, as if the question were the most natural thing in the world.
“Is it strange that different people have different information? It’s entirely possible.”
“…What?”
Even brazenness failed to cover his arrogance. Ser Eunha felt her mind go blank.
She could endure nothing more of this sinister aura.
Grabbing Jin Serin’s arm, Ser Eunha whispered, “Miss. Let’s talk for a moment.”
“Eh? Why?”
Jin Serin asked in her innocent voice and followed her.
Kang Seojun folded his arms with a tired expression.
Ser Eunha shot him a sharp glare before leaning close to Jin Serin and murmuring, “He’s clearly suspicious. Learning illegal sorcery is already creepy enough, and now he knows about unregistered dungeons? The coordinates of an unregistered dungeon can only be obtained through the black market. This feels bad. Miss. That man is definitely operating in the shadows. We can’t get entangled with him. We should cut ties here.”
“…Why are you always like this since yesterday… No. We have to keep going.”
“Miss…!”
Jin Serin sighed.
Then she spoke in a voice so soft only Ser Eunha could hear, “If I turn back now, there’s no other way. I’ve tried every proven method for two years, and nothing worked. I think it’s time I seized this opportunity.”
Feeling both helpless and resigned, Jin Serin sighed again.
“The academy only has two weeks left until enrollment. But I’m still stuck in the same place. I understand what you’re saying, sister, but I can’t go back now. There’s no other way. I have to grab something now. I know the risks. But now I have to accept them too. I already mentioned this when we came here.”
Eye of Providence reads nearby conversation.
Kang Seojun listened to every word as though he were eavesdropping on a chat log.
“…If that is Miss Jin’s will… I understand.”
Ser Eunha lowered her head with a bitter expression.
As the owner’s decision was so stubborn, she had no choice but to obey.
“I’m sorry. But we’re going all the way today. And you’ve been overly suspicious lately, sister.”
Jin Serin returned after sighing once more, and Ser Eunha followed a beat later.
Kang Seojun clapped his hands once to gather attention and launched into the briefing again.
“Let’s continue. Most monsters here are ghost-type C-rank, but….”
Kang Seojun spoke about the dungeon with flawless fluency, as if wings had sprouted from his mouth.
He pinpointed every key point and efficiently summarized the necessary information—on par with a veteran briefing from a major guild.
The result of having written countless攻略 posts as a veteran of the Grand Hunter Academy.
Grand Hunter Academy veteran briefing—exemplary skill.
Why is the briefing so detailed and polished…
Yet Ser Eunha’s eyes widened further. Kang Seojun seemed not only to have cleared this dungeon countless times but to have mastered every dungeon ever recorded. The thought only deepened her confusion.
And how does he already know information about a dungeon he hasn’t even attempted to clear…?
With every passing second of the briefing, Ser Eunha’s lips jutted forward in stubborn protest.
Endless suspicion and anxiety churned inside her head, but with no way to act, the words simply spilled out.
After a brief explanation of the boss fight, Kang Seojun scanned the group and added, “I’ll give a more detailed breakdown of the boss fight right before we begin. Does anyone have any questions?”
Complete silence.
The briefing had been so perfect that no one dared ask.
Still, the bodyguards exchanged skeptical looks, each wondering if this was truly safe.
“Well then, that’s all. Briefing complete. Let’s enter.”
Yet Kang Seojun paid the doubt no mind.
After all, once they cleared the dungeon without issue, their attitudes would change on their own.
Passing through the narrow corridor, the dungeon revealed itself.
The quest window appeared.
Success condition: Eliminate every monster inside the dungeon.
If Kang Seojun had been alone, this would have been an impossible task. But with eight elite B-rank mercenaries and Jin Serin, it was manageable.
One thing remained for him to do: guide them at every junction and unlock any puzzle-locked doors.
And when the boss is cleared, I’ll feast on the hidden piece.
The main reward of this dungeon belonged to Jin Serin, but Kang Seojun had no use for it. The item was practically exclusive to her.
Still, he would have come here alone if necessary.
This dungeon held one priceless hidden piece sleeping beneath a reward that could at best add a few stat points.
With that alone, my growth rate could be tripled.
Kang Seojun smiled with genuine delight, as though the hidden piece already rested in his hands, and stepped deeper into the dungeon.
Quest triggered: Clear the Shrine Where the Demon Buddha is Sealed!
Clear the Shrine Where the Demon Buddha is Sealed!
📍 Location: Shrine Where the Demon Buddha is Sealed
🎁 Reward: Random stat +1
Quest success reward unlocked: Random stat +1
With the narrow passage behind them, Kang Seojun smiled at the sight of the quest window.
One difficult condition, eight elite mercenaries, and a loyal Jin Serin. He would clear this dungeon effortlessly.
And the hidden piece will be mine alone.