[No title provided]

Han Yeoul stood before the door leading into the dungeon. Unlike the ones he'd cleared before, an ominous mana seeped through the cracks, thick and foreboding. It was a sign of mana saturation—a phenomenon that kicked in when a dungeon boss went unchallenged for too long. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠If it dragged on, the worst could happen: the dungeon's mana spilling out onto Earth, transforming the surrounding area into a dungeon-like hell through dungeonization.

In those zones, monsters respawned endlessly from the mana-tainted soil, just like inside a dungeon. Driven by instinct, they'd swarm toward any unpolluted land, spreading the corruption. Killing them did jack shit—their blood just accelerated the spread, widening the infested territory. That's why every nation's military locked down these areas, pouring everything into nonstop monster hunts to keep the bastards contained.

And that's where hunters came in. Their job was to keep clearing the endless stream of dungeons, nipping dungeonization in the bud. While the military guarded the borders, private hunters handled internal security. But most civilians? They chased cash. Exceptions like Cheonma Han Se-ah aside, they ignored dungeons with crap loot or tough clears that didn't pencil out.

To stop that, any dungeon without a recent clear got flagged as a dungeonization risk. Military awakeners handled it, or nearby guilds got orders to send in suitable hunters. Those military awakeners? They were the ones from Yeoul's old unit—like the squad he'd served with under Jeon So-young, sweeping neglected holes like this.

Yeoul knew the drill from back then. These abandoned dungeons had denser mana, beefing up the monsters. But the rewards scaled up too, from what he remembered. He'd busted guilds that deliberately let them "ripen" for fat payouts, calling it aging.

'Huh. Thinking about it now, what a shitshow.'

Not fond memories. Yeoul shook them off and focused on the dungeon ahead. His first 6th-grade one—the wall that broke countless hunters. No room for distractions.

"Alright, let's head in."

From 6th-grade on, no safe zones. They formed up as practiced, Yeoul at the front cracking the door open.

Kiiieeeek—

Thud, thud—

They slipped inside, scanning silently, advancing bit by bit. Once everyone was in, the light from the entrance snuffed out, plunging them into darkness.

"Brina, light the lantern."

"Yes, Master."

The prepped lantern lit up a labyrinth of pitch-black bricks welcoming them. Similar vibe to the Chimera Labyrinth from before, but darker, damper, more oppressive. Yeoul glanced back—the entrance door? Gone, like it never existed.

'So that's what "no mid-run ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠retreat" means.'

No way out but to kill the boss and exit through the dungeon's core. Confirming the vanished door, Yeoul turned forward again.

Cheonma's briefing had given basics, but this unpopular dump had squat for details. Useful intel was thin. Yeoul recalled one key bit.

'Never split the party to navigate the Shadow Labyrinth. That's when doppelgangers impersonate your allies and stab you in the back. But stick to formation like this, and they can't touch us.'

No need to fight every wandering doppel till the center. The real deal was the boss; the rest were clones that melted away once it died.

'Dense mana probably buffs the clones too. No point burning stamina on fights when just moving drains you.'

Plan: Dodge combat, blitz to the boss before rations ran dry. Yeoul took point, stepping deeper—

Then a collapse rumbled. The whole labyrinth shook.

Before he could react, a black tide surged from the distant passage, roiling like an obsidian wave barreling toward them.

Too fast to evade. Yeoul barked,

"Brace—hold out as long as you can!"

The black wave crashed over them right after. Yeoul jammed his sword into the ground, shielding his head.

Shaaaaaaa—

Sandstorm roar, vision gone.

"Master!!"

"Dizzy~?!"

"Can't... see...!"

Onahole voices faded, then silence.

Swoooosh...

Moment later, quiet returned. Yeoul cracked his eyes.

"It pass? What the hell was that?"

No mention in Cheonma's file. Probably a new pattern from the saturation boost. Black wave gone ahead, Yeoul checked his team.

"Huh?"

Nothing. No Brina, Slami, or Jeanne. Vanished without trace.

Yeoul pulled their status windows, just in case.

"Phew, all good."

Durability full, no damage—like him, unscratched.

"So where'd they go?"

Fine, but location unknown. If nearby, telepathy would've pinged. Nothing. No presence in his senses either.

Yeoul closed his eyes, focusing on their bond.

'I feel 'em, but something's jamming it.'

Unlike the crisp link ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠before, it was fuzzy. Dungeon mana couldn't touch his authority, but it muddied his senses. Pushing through, he pinned their spots.

'Pretty far. That wave scatter us?'

Bond showed them distant, spread in different directions and distances. Full sweep needed to regroup.

Yeoul memorized directions, snapped out.

Only he could track them all. Time to move.

"Nearest first?"

As if on cue, a system message popped.