Rookie Baek Jaesung 11
“Did you get a request for help from the Association too, Seungjin?”
Meeting Han Seungjin here was the last thing I expected.
“Yeah. Things just worked out that way. It's a big enough mess to make the news, so we've gotta pitch in and help out.”
Han Seungjin
The ridiculously handsome hunter with a face that could launch a thousand ships.
He's the awakener of Darkness Control, which carries this subtle stigma of being a demonic ability, but the guy bulldozes right through all the negative press with his looks and skills alone. He's a total monster. Sociologically speaking, this dude belongs in the monster category too.
Han Seungjin's arrival was powerful enough to yank everyone's stares away from my girls.
“That guy's Han Seungjin, right? He looks even better in person than on TV.”
“Ah, fuck... please tell me his dick's small at least...”
“That spot next to the ugly fucker would suit Han Seungjin perfectly.”
Some asshole was trash-talking me. Before Han Seungjin showed up, I could've brushed it off as loser rage, but getting compared to him? It made my blood boil. If this were some alternate timeline, I'd hunt that prick down and beat his ass.
“Our patrol zones are on opposite sides. Oh, right—they said the dungeon's connecting passages shift randomly? So we might run into each other inside.”
Han Seungjin flashed a smile that screamed perfect for a CF ad. I wasn't thrilled about crossing paths with a pretty-boy genius like him.
“Well, we'll head in first.”
He waved casually and headed toward the dungeon. His party members trailed after him like ducklings following their mama duck.
In stark contrast to Han Seungjin, his party looked totally average. Or maybe they just seemed that way next to him.
“Time for us to get going too.”
Yeonji eyed the dungeon entrance. I locked eyes with each of the girls.
“Everyone ready?”
They all met my gaze and nodded. We headed toward the rundown building that used to be a flour mill warehouse. That was the dungeon entrance.
We passed the gate set up in front of the warehouse and opened the door. I figured the dungeon would be right there, but nope. Inside was just your standard filthy warehouse.
Dust blanketed the floor, and spiderwebs hung from the corners of the ceiling. No way I'd eat anything made from flour processed here.
“The dungeon entrance is over there.”
The Association staffer guarding the gate pointed at the warehouse wall. Right below where he pointed was a small hole.
“A dog hole...?”
Yeonji tilted her head with a look of disbelief.
“Is that really the dungeon entrance?”
Rina asked the staffer, who nodded like it was no big deal. Guess we weren't the first to ask. Who wouldn't?
“It's not your typical entrance. But it's definitely the way in.”
We exchanged awkward glances and nodded. Sujin quietly shut the warehouse door. No way she wanted outsiders seeing us crawl in. Pretty damn embarrassing for a girl.
The hole was big enough for even a burly adult guy. I sent tank Yeonji in first, followed by Jisu, Rina, me, and Sujin last. Our standard party formation.
“Oppa! Don't sniff my ass!”
“You're the one going slow—your butt hit my face. Speed up a bit. Rina, you're tiny; you can move faster.”
“Ugh! How am I supposed to go faster?! Ahh! Again!”
I teased Rina as we army-crawled forward. The tunnel was about 10 meters long. It spat us out into a small room.
Aside from stark white walls like some psych ward holding cell, the room was empty and boring. A round glowing orb on the ceiling lit the cramped space. Concrete walls painted white.
Rina pulled the dungeon map from a pouch on her shock-absorbing suit.
“This is the starting room. Only known safe area in the dungeon so far.”
Jisu pointed to a red room on the map.
Unlike every other room in Level House, this one had just three doors. Normal rooms had one per wall—four total. But the starting room had one door per three walls. The fourth had our dog hole.
“Follow the map? Passages might've shifted though.”
Our goal: explore uncharted areas and find the dungeon core. Known zones were marked, but with the shifting paths, who knew how reliable it was.
“Let's start there. Our survey zone... the room next to F1, right?”
Every party got pre-assigned survey areas from the Association. Rooms had ID numbers; ours was everything connected to F8.
“Gotta hit F1 first.”
Map said four rooms to target. But no guarantee paths hadn't changed since it was made. We'd find out by moving. Might wander this maze forever.
“Let's hustle. Even if paths are stable now, they could shift while we're scouting.”
“Jaesung's right. Move fast as we can.”
Sujin nodded firmly in agreement. We opened the east door and stepped in.
“Mm~! Sunlight?”
Yeonji, in the lead, squinted and shaded her eyes with her left hand.
Blinding sunlight greeted us. We'd stepped through a door into a vast plain. Dungeon weirdness at its finest.
“Oppa! Look over there!”
Jisu pointed ahead and shouted. In that direction loomed a massive wall stretching endlessly high.
“That's the 'wall' of this room, huh.”
It looked like an open field, but it was still a Level House room. A similar sky-piercing wall stood behind us too.
This huge plain was just an artificial setup inside a giant room. The clouds and sun overhead? Fake, man-made.
I shut the door. Level House rules: close doors to keep monsters from crossing rooms.
The starting room was maybe 10 pyeong tops. This first room? You'd measure it in hectares. What monsters lurked here?
“Grrrr!”
Speak of the devil—like thinking of tigers summons one. A feral beast roar echoed right after I pondered monsters. Something charged us from afar.
Up close: a boar covered in red fur. Crimson Boar?
Nah, not quite. Flames wreathed its mane instead of bristles. Hot steam from its snout withered the grass yellow.
“Looks like a Crimson Boar, but with a burning mane? Those exist?”
Jisu tilted her head. No clue here.
“Some undocumented variant?”
“Nah, it's a Blaze Boar. Variant of Crimson Boar. Between 7- and 8-rank.”
Master Kim Minyoung said Level House monsters varied wildly in strength. Dungeon rated 7~8-rank, so top threats should cap there. We hit the jackpot first thing: an elite.
“Grrr!”
Shh! Shh!
The Blaze Boar pawed the ground, scraping furrows. Its aggression stabbed like spikes. Fiery as its flames.
“Groooar!”
Its mane blazed hotter. Riled up? It radiated battle lust.
Flames engulfed its whole body.
“Incoming!”
Yeonji braced. Flame-shrouded, it bullet-rushed like a cannonball.
“Dangerous!”
Even with her Material Conversion, that hit would hurt bad. The charge alone was lethal, flames or not.
“Jet Stream!”
Fire and water: classic matchup. Sujin's shout unleashed a high-pressure water jet from her palm straight at the boar.
Her stream dwarfed a fire hose, slamming head-on into the downhill runaway truck of a Blaze Boar.
Sssshhhh!
Water douses fire, but fire boils water. Her jet hit and vaporized in massive steam. Superior force flips the matchup.
The boar's flames didn't dim. It barreled at Yeonji, but weaker after punching through.
Yeonji didn't budge. Tanks fear nothing.
Throw yourself at any threat—fire, water, earth, wind, poison, lightning. Turn your back? Party's done.
“Stone Skin!”
Her skin turned deep gray. She thrust both arms at the full-tilt boar.
It looked like a living iron flail smashing a reed. Collision obvious.
Sssshhh!
Boar's head met Yeonji's hands. Feet planted, she leaned in, absorbing the impact.
Looked one-sided pre-impact, but her heels dragged furrows without flying off.
She gouged twin parallel lines over 10 meters. Boar stopped cold.
Its flames vanished except mane and tail. Like ancient tree roots, her feet dug in; she gripped its twin horns.
“Chain Prison!”
Rina's call cracked space around it. Black chains erupted, lunging.
Boar spun without panic. Flaming tail whipped like a lash, batting them away.
“That thing's fast!”
Rina's face hardened.
“Groooar!”
Its roar boomed. Blue flames churned in its maw. Bad mojo incoming.
“Watch out, everyone!”
“Roooar!”
Fireball spewed. Scorching from meters away.
Aimed at Jisu. Sword drawn, she was ready.
Slash!
Mana-clad blade bisected the orb. Her priceless sword—house-affordable—handled it clean.
Boar didn't quit, charging Jisu. She held ground. Close-range dealer; it closing distance was a gift.
“Roooar!”
Flames cloaked it again.
Simple patterns, but hits packed wallop. Non-tank grazed? Heavy damage.
“Over here!”
Yeonji swung fists, drawing aggro.
“Yeonji! Behind you!”