Rookie: Baek Jaesung 26
I set down my backpack and stared at the collapsed cave passage. The area near the cracked passage was thick with dust from the cave wall that had crumbled away.
The gap between the fallen outer walls was extremely narrow. Not even a newborn baby could squeeze through. All we could do was talk back and forth.
"Sujin. Yeonji. Rina. Jisu. You all okay?"
"Yeah~! Oppa. But why'd you call me last!?"
Jisu's bright voice came back. Even in this unexpected situation, there was no tension or panic in her tone.
Just like the saying that even if you end up in a tiger's den, staying sharp is all that matters—as long as you keep your cool in an unforeseen accident, you can make rational judgments. With calm thinking, you can escape even the direst crises.
"Good to hear you're all fine."
Alright, time to rack my brain. What now?
Getting separated from your party in a dungeon is extremely dangerous. Worst-case scenario doesn't even begin to cover it. Unless you're a solo dungeon hunter, without the party system intact, your combat potential hits a hard limit.
A tank reaches their limit fast without a healer's support. A dealer is useless without a tank pulling aggro or a healer sustaining them. And a healer becomes monster bait without a tank or dealer protecting them.
With tanks, dealers, and healers in this interdependent cycle, losing even one spells disaster. That's why "never get separated" gets its own chapter in training academy courses.
The simplest way to reunite with the others on the other side of the blocked passage? Clear the obstacle. With raw physical force, we might manage to shift the rubble.
Kim Sunwook was thinking the same. He dropped his backpack, rolled up his sleeves, and approached me.
"You never separate from your group in a dungeon. Let's clear this somehow first."
Kim Sunwook was holding it together surprisingly well. Even a rotten fish like him was still party leader. He'd probably run simulations for situations like this.
"The gap's super narrow. But if we can shift this pile of rocks, we might make enough space to pass."
Kim Sunwook tapped the rubble-clogged section as he spoke.
"Sunwook! Can you hear me!?"
Hwang Minjun's voice—Kim Sunwook's party's tank—came from the other side.
"Yeah, I hear you! Minjun. You hurt at all?"
"Totally fine. Don't worry."
Hwang Minjun's voice sounded weirdly excited. Not from the golem fight. That bastard was with my women right now. Heaven for any guy.
Enjoy it while you can. My girls wouldn't let a punk like you touch them anyway.
A paradise of sweet fruit forever out of reach. Where Hwang Minjun was? Hell disguised as heaven—a Tartarus.
"Hmm... what to do."
As Kim Sunwook crossed his arms in thought, Do Byeongseok—who'd been silently watching the collapsed entrance—approached slowly. His blank expression looked like a psychopath right before a kill. My bad impression of him was coloring it that way.
"Better not act rashly."
Do Byeongseok pointed at the cracked cave wall with a finger. A faint crackling sound came from it. The fractured outer wall crumbling slowly. The golem-made cracks had destabilized our space badly.
"Mess with it wrong, and we all get buried."
Everyone held their breath at Do Byeongseok's words. Jang Hana swallowed involuntarily. Her gulp broke the silence, and she blushed faintly in embarrassment.
I examined the collapsed entrance closely. Do Byeongseok was right—it looked precarious.
But the cracks were limited to the entrance area. Clearing it would be a hassle, but not as risky as he claimed. Even if part of the wall gave way, it wouldn't bury us alive.
Any dungeon hunter here could handle that risk.
Do Byeongseok slamming the brakes on our work? Had to be another reason. And it was obvious: he didn't want our parties merging.
Planning a PK maybe?
Jisu mentioned Do Byeongseok's Exta Clan was in hot water after that incident. Dungeon access restrictions from the Association meant they were under watch. Another PK would be suicide.
Nah. PK's fine if you don't get caught.
Plus, this was Level House—a new dungeon stacked with unknowns. Perfect PK spot?
"Risky, sure. But we can't stay split from the group. And shifting the blockage shouldn't be that dangerous."
Kim Sunwook made the right call. Guess he didn't eat his party leader experience for nothing. Surprising from a guy who couldn't even protect his girlfriend.
Do Byeongseok clicked his tongue at Kim Sunwook's response. Irritation flashed across his face—gone in under a second. He was managing his expression. Obvious to me with Acting Skill Lv4.
Slimy bastard. Gotta watch him.
I didn't know the cave layout exactly. No other meetup points possible. Best option: clear the passage. But Do Byeongseok opposed it desperately.
"I'm a 6-rank dungeon hunter. My judgment's better."
Do Byeongseok pushed with his rank. Hunter rank reflects experience too—no results, no promotion. Results mean dungeon clears.
Kim Sunwook, mere 8-rank, couldn't easily counter a 6-rank's sharp claim.
"Fine. How about this compromise."
Do Byeongseok offered a middle ground.
"What?"
"Search nearby passages first. Cave's not a straight line—might find another route to that chamber."
"And if not?"
"Then no choice. We'll clear it, even if we have to force it."
The separated group had no healer, so they couldn't move freely. Without heals, running into a golem and getting hurt? No recovery. If anyone's searching, it's us.
"Sounds good. We'll look for another path today. None? Clear the passage."
"Agreed."
Decision made. I observed quietly, eyes on Do Byeongseok. Blocking reunion this hard? Shady motives for sure.
Advantage to me: he was off-guard. Believed my right arm injury solid. If he tried PK, that'd be my wildcard.
Others hold position; we search passages. Simple. For efficiency, split into teams. Forks ahead possible.
"Lucky we've got three healers. Three teams of three."
Our side: me + Kim Sunwook's 4 (total 5? Wait, narrative: me and Kim Sunwook party 4, Do Byeongseok party 5, total 10. Other side: our 4 girls + Hwang Minjun.
We split 3-3-4.
"Jaesung, right? Your right arm seems off since earlier. You good?"
Do Byeongseok eyed my right arm. No clue it was acting. Lv4 skill for ya.
"Left's fine. Can heal no problem."
"Then I'll stick with you, Jaesung."
He approached. No objections. Do Byeongseok seized control naturally. Guy had the power and charisma.
"Then our party sticks together?"
Jang Hana said timidly. Her party was exactly 4. Teams formed naturally.
I got Do Byeongseok and Woo Sangho—the blond, gold-necklace tank from his party. Rest: Sim Chunsik, An Jiho, Han Siyoung in the other team.
Only our team had a tank, but each had a healer. Small mercy.
"Seems like only evil bat variants nearby... But if golems show, run. From earlier, they don't activate unless we approach."
Everyone nodded at Kim Sunwook. Smart call. Unlike losing his girl, dungeon smarts were solid.
"Got it. Any danger, backtrack here."
We headed down the inner passage. As Kim Sunwook said, weak mobs only—no evil bats even.
"Huh? What's that!?"
Screech!
Strolling casually, a small round bat zipped past into the opposite passage. Baseball-sized body. The ones from outside. They lived here too. Caves suit bat monsters perfectly.
Luckily, they fled on sight—no attacks. We didn't hunt them. No stamina to waste.
A bit deeper: four-way fork.
"Straight leads to next room door. Each team takes a path. Sub-forks? Always left. Four forks deep? Return here."
We nailed details. Dungeon basics.
Kim Sunwook's team: rightmost. Mine: next. Others: leftmost. We split toward our paths.