Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Welcome to the Fallen City
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“Is this a dungeon too?”
Confirming the message floating before his eyes, Shin Yu-hyun looked ahead.
As always, an unsettling red moon hung in the sky.
However, the time of day was not night, but daytime.
At least that's a relief.
During the day, magic beasts tended to be less active.
And right before Shin Yu-hyun's eyes stretched a city lined with ruined high-rise buildings.
Buildings everywhere were weathered, with walls crumbling or half-collapsed.
But there was something odd about the buildings.
Why are they so tall?
In South Korea, there weren't many skyscrapers over 100 stories.
Yet most of the buildings in this ruined city exceeded 100 floors.
And that wasn't all.
Thick plant stems, about one to two meters in diameter, were wrapped around the skyscrapers.
It looked as if decades had passed since the city's fall.
“Hunter Shin Yu-hyun.”
At that moment, a young man's voice called out from behind him. Shin Yu-hyun turned toward the sound.
There stood a hunter who appeared to be in his mid-twenties, one of the investigation team members for the unconfirmed dungeon gate. He was Yi Sang-hyuk, a low 3-star superhuman.
Only then did Shin Yu-hyun notice the anomaly.
“Is it just you, Hunter Yi Sang-hyuk?”
“Yes. It seems like we're the only ones here, separated from the others.”
Yi Sang-hyuk nodded with an anxious expression in response to Shin Yu-hyun's question.
And that wasn't all.
“There's no exit either.”
“Ah.”
Yi Sang-hyuk flinched in surprise at Shin Yu-hyun's words and glanced around.
Too preoccupied with the absence of the investigation team, he hadn't even thought about the dungeon gate entrance until now.
“W-what do we do?”
Yi Sang-hyuk looked at Shin Yu-hyun with a tense expression.
But Shin Yu-hyun didn't answer right away. Instead, he stroked his chin, lost in thought.
I knew colorless dungeons had a lot of sudden events...
He hadn't expected to be scattered from the investigation team the moment they entered.
Colorless dungeons were full of unknowns from the start. There were only a handful of them known, and almost no information available.
All that was known was that they were more dangerous than other dungeons and prone to unexpected situations.
And those system messages are bothering me too.
The suspicious system messages that had popped up upon entering the dungeon.
Space-time buffer zone.
Space-time tunnel.
What did they even mean?
No, who had created the system and the dungeons in the first place?
Humanity had already inferred that they were made by some entity.
Thus, all sorts of speculations abounded.
Conspiracy theorists claimed aliens did it, while religious folk said it was gods.
But in the end, humanity had learned nothing concrete.
They simply fought the magic beasts in the dungeons, seeking survival.
Because if a stampede occurred, the surrounding area would be reduced to ashes.
But what is this place?
Shin Yu-hyun looked around.
The ruined city he was in felt utterly alien.
According to known information, battlefields existed in places identical to reality.
The only difference was the phase.
In simple terms, the location was the same, but the space was different.
So when entering a dungeon, the place remained, but all life vanished.
Only inanimate objects stayed behind.
This place was no different.
This was where the city of Gangneung had stood.
It should have been a devastated wasteland of scorched earth.
So why were skyscrapers over 100 stories—rare even in the modern world—sprawling before his eyes?
“Let's scout the area first. We need to either link up with the investigation team or find the dungeon exit.”
After scanning the surroundings and pondering for a moment, Shin Yu-hyun turned to Yi Sang-hyuk.
He was in his mid-twenties, with a mild-mannered, likable face.
His skills are average, but...
During their introduction at the Hunter Association meeting room, he'd said he was a D-rank hunter like Shin Yu-hyun, a low 3-star superhuman.
Traveling with him didn't seem like it would cause issues.
Better than being alone. And the real problem right now is the 4-star hunters.
One of them was the Joker.
The key was when that bastard would make his move.
“Yes, understood.”
Yi Sang-hyuk nodded readily at Shin Yu-hyun's words.
Thanks to that, Shin Yu-hyun didn't have to waste time bickering.
Is this thanks to the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan's reputation?
Shin Yu-hyun gave a wry smile inwardly.
With that, they began moving while staying alert to their surroundings.
Fortunately or unfortunately, no signs of magic beasts were felt.
And they spotted a building among the skyscrapers that looked relatively intact.
Shall I head up to the roof?
Climbing to the top of the tallest one might give a full view of the city.
“Shall we go inside the building?”
“Pardon? The building?”
Yi Sang-hyuk looked at the building at Shin Yu-hyun's suggestion, then shook his head.
“Those things are blocking the entrance, aren't they?”
Green stems about one to two meters thick obstructed the entrances of most buildings.
“We can just burn stems like those away.”
Shin Yu-hyun smirked.
Whoosh!
Shin Yu-hyun summoned black flames from Ignis.
“Whoa!”
Yi Sang-hyuk's face lit up with surprise, then admiration.
In that time, Shin Yu-hyun charged at the stems blocking the entrance.
Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship.
First Form: Ignorance.
Shing!
A crimson sword light flashed from Ignis, and black flames spread everywhere, incinerating the green stems.
Soon, they crumbled into ash and vanished.
“Whoa...”
Yi Sang-hyuk watched in awe, his expression envious.
“That's... impressive.”
“Any 3-star superhuman could do this much, right?”
“At your age? That's remarkable. As expected of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan.”
Shin Yu-hyun gave a wry smile at Yi Sang-hyuk's words. Just a few days ago, his clan had treated him like trash, calling him incompetent.
Who knew someone would envy him now?
“Anyway, let's head in. We need to find the others.”
Shin Yu-hyun stepped into the building as he spoke.
“Ah, yes!”
Yi Sang-hyuk followed him inside.
Namdu Group's eldest daughter, Nam Yeon-ah.
She walked the path of a magitech engineer while also becoming a hunter.
Perhaps because of that, her personality was a bit unique. The Namdu Group treated her like an eccentric.
Typical magitech engineers researched artifacts safely in labs, but she was different.
She went into dungeons herself to gather materials needed for artifact development.
That was why she joined the investigation team for this unconfirmed dungeon gate.
To obtain new materials available only in unconfirmed dungeons.
But a problem arose.
“Where is this? The others...”
The moment she entered the unconfirmed dungeon gate, Nam Yeon-ah found herself dropped into a forest of unidentified skyscrapers.
Fortunately, she wasn't alone.
Three D-rank hunters—one woman in her late twenties and two men—mid 3-star investigation team members—were with her.
“No dungeon entrance either?”
“So it's just us?”
Half the investigation team gone, and no dungeon entrance.
But then.
“Lucky break?”
“To target her right as we enter the dungeon.”
“Let's wrap this up quick and grab a drink.”
They were giving Nam Yeon-ah meaningful looks.
“What...”
The moment Nam Yeon-ah sensed something off in their expressions and opened her mouth.
Swoosh!
Lee Jae-gang, the nearest hunter, lunged at her and swung his sword without warning.
“...!”
Caught off guard by Lee Jae-gang's sudden attack, Nam Yeon-ah instinctively leaped backward.
But it was already too late.
She retreated, but couldn't escape his attack range.
At that instant.
Clang!
A blue barrier enveloped Nam Yeon-ah, blocking Lee Jae-gang's strike.
Her white robe, Aegis MK2, had activated its barrier magic.
“It blocked that?”
Lee Jae-gang stared at Nam Yeon-ah in surprise.
Most magitech engineers, focused on lab research, weren't strong.
Maybe 1- or 2-star at best.
But Nam Yeon-ah was different from typical magitech engineers.
She was a low 3-star D-rank hunter who entered dungeons herself for materials.
And not only that—she carried custom artifacts she'd developed.
Using them boosted her power to high 3-star.
So-called gear advantage.
“What is this?”
Nam Yeon-ah glared sharply at Lee Jae-gang, eyes narrowed.
Why were they targeting her?
And who the hell were they?
Questions swirled.
Whoooosh.
Suddenly, mana began gathering above Lee Jae-gang's head.
Soon, a massive mana hammer materialized.
2nd-class magic.
Mana Hammer.
Nam Yeon-ah's offensive spell.
She was a magitech engineer and a mage.
“What's this now?”
Seeing the mana hammer plummeting toward his head, Lee Jae-gang activated Body Strengthening Technique and swiftly retreated.
Right after, the mana hammer grazed past him and smashed the ground.
Boom!
A dull roar echoed as the asphalt cratered and cracked deeply.
“Dodged it?”
Nam Yeon-ah looked disappointed at Lee Jae-gang evading the mana hammer.
But there was no helping it.
With the rank difference, and swordsmen faster than mages.
“Sis, I really like your attitude.”
This time, the woman among the three, Lee Ji-su, spun the daggers in her hands and approached Nam Yeon-ah.
“If this wasn't business, I'd want to be friends.”
Lee Ji-su eyed Nam Yeon-ah with heated gaze.
To counterattack without flinching even in a murder attempt.
And to look regretful at missing the mana hammer.
“You could probably endure my poison a while. Want me to heighten your senses with it? Or melt you from the fingertips? I wanna hear you scream cutely.”
Lee Ji-su, face flushed red, licked her lips as she stared.
This was probably her true face.
Until now, she'd tortured countless victims to death with her poison.
Lee Jae-gang and Choi Seung-cheol, who followed her, were the same.
That's why Lee Ji-su liked spirited types like Nam Yeon-ah.
They'd rage and scream at first, then beg for death at the end.
Just imagining it made her heart pound wildly.
And to her, Nam Yeon-ah frowned and shot back.
“You're a total psycho bitch. How about I use you as my lab rat?”