Rank 0 Arrives
"We're here."
With a creak, Seoya opened the car door and hopped out lightly. A road intersection blocked off by police controlling traffic. In the center, an unrealistically spinning blue gate.
So this is the aura of mana.
The vaguely familiar energy Seoya had sensed during the monster wave and the previous dungeon. Now that she knew the truth, she understood why it felt so familiar. It was mana energy, diluted to the faintest trace.
The inside of a dungeon must be a space thick with concentrated mana.
S-rank DungeonFinding_SeoYa_05
This dungeon's name was similar to the previous one. Only the number at the end differed.
We cleared number 4 earlier, and this is 5.
All the newly spawned S-rank dungeons undoubtedly bore Seoya's name.
"This is the Gangdong-gu dungeon, right?"
"Yeah. Forty-nine hunters went in, and some civilians got dragged along too."
"WithYou Guild and a coalition of unaffiliated hunters from a few other guilds."
"Strong?"
Seoya asked lightly, even though she knew their skills were child's play by her standards.
"With world rank 1 Go Heejae and rank 2 Na Seonghyeon inside, it's not like we can call them weak. And WithYou Guild, led by Na Seonghyeon, forms one of Korea's two top guilds alongside Neverending, so their overall level is high."
Lee Gayeon added gravely, her expression serious.
"I wouldn't think there've been casualties yet... but the dungeon's level is way too high. No matter how hard we struggle, we can't clear it. We need to rescue them as soon as possible."
"Okay. Got it."
Seoya clutched her mantle to keep it from slipping off and strode toward the dungeon. As expected, it seemed best to dive in quick, clear it, and get out.
The police, who had moved to block anyone approaching the dungeon, spotted the other hunters behind Seoya and assumed she was one of them, lowering their arms.
"You sure you don't want us coming along?"
Baek Yena, who had been trailing Seoya closely, tilted her head.
Seoya shook her head firmly.
"You'd just take mental damage if you came in. It's not dangerous for me, so it's fine."
"Seoya's right. We'd only be a burden."
Ibin would never have left any dangerous elements from this dungeon on Earth for Seoya.
"Watch out for water, watch out for fire, watch out for people, don't talk to any weirdos, and..."
"See you later."
Ignoring the endless nagging, Seoya stepped one foot into the gate. In an instant, something yanked her leg hard, sucking her body inside.
Seoya grimaced at the unpleasant sensation. Her breath caught in her throat.
"Hah."
Feeling her feet touch solid ground, Seoya slowly opened her eyes.
Smells salty.
A familiar yet strange scent. Vast rocky terrain blanketed in glittering pure white snow, and...
"The sea."
It was Toda's sea.
She had seen pictures of Earth's oceans, but they seemed far shallower than Toda's. To Seoya, Earth's seas felt unfamiliar and trivial—shallow enough for kids to splash around in.
The sea she knew best was this one: bitingly cold, waves crashing large enough to swallow people whole, unfathomable depths too dark to peer into, pitch-black like ink. Toda's sea.
"Long time no see."
The horizon stretched endlessly into the distance.
Did Ibin unnie set an end to this dungeon?
The sea seemed to go on forever, but what if there was a wall midway? Would you crash into it?
Seoya tilted her head, then attuned her senses to the air around her.
There are already hunters inside, so let's find some human voices first.
"Leader! Monsters are coming this way!"
"What? From which direction?!"
"They're coming from all sides, like they're surrounding us! If we run, the only way is back toward the sea!"
"...No, we can't go in that sea. Go Heejae, how far out is backup?"
"We'll hold them off ourselves until support arrives."
"Hey! You might be fine, but most other hunters will take serious mental damage!"
"That's why I'll take the front. I'll bear the brunt of it, so trust me."
"You..."
Voices of several people echoed from somewhere. Seoya tapped one foot lightly on the ground, preparing to dash.
That side sounds urgent.
Even with Korea's ranks 1 and 2 together, they couldn't handle those puny mutants.
Thud—
Seoya kicked off the ground and soared smoothly into the air. Her body floated lightly before landing softly, then pushed off silently again, leaping higher. The uneven terrain required extra balance, but it was no challenge.
Kieeeek—
Got it.
Hearing the mutants' cries, Seoya drew the dagger from her waist.
Now I have my dagger.
Fists were convenient, but smashing mutant heads barehanded wasn't exactly pleasant. All Seoya needed to fight was a dagger. And now she had one, making her stronger than in the previous dungeon.
"Never thought I'd die without even spending my money."
Na Seonghyeon leaned haphazardly against a rock in resignation, muttering at the clear blue sky.
"Hah... Come to think of it, that fixed deposit I put in last time matures next month... Should've blown it all instead of saving."
Ignoring whether Go Heejae was listening, Na Seonghyeon kept rambling.
"I can hear it... If I die here, Na Corporation's stock will tank... Ah, gotta sell quick... Wait, who cares if I die."
"Hey, Na Seonghyeon. Pull yourself together."
"Do I look like I can?"
Na Seonghyeon shot up from his spot, yelling, then clamped his own mouth shut, mindful of the monsters hearing.
"Is it really true that rank 0 is coming? Baek Yena said so, but..."
Na Seonghyeon tapped anxiously at the chat window.
"Hah, why's it taking so long? Don't tell me she's taking public transport?"
"Not all Neverending members are like you."
At Go Heejae's jab, Na Seonghyeon—who always took public transit to dungeons—flushed and shut his mouth awkwardly, only to blurt out again from frustration.
"Go Heejae, so who's this 'Seoya'? You know her, right?"
Go Heejae nodded curtly and spoke slowly.
"Back during that D-rank monster wave, I saw Neverending Guild there. With some unfamiliar girl."
"Girl? A kid?"
"Looked middle-school age. Maybe high school. Hard to tell these days."
"You look like one of 'these days' kids yourself."
"...I tried scanning her info with a skill, but it failed, so I got suspicious and checked admin records."
"Classic you."
Na Seonghyeon replied with a weary look.
"Seventeen years old, name Baek Seoya. Listed as Baek Yena's cousin, but probably not blood-related. Her system registration is 'Seoya,' so that's likely her real name."
Go Heejae narrowed his eyes, as if recalling something.
"No records before this year. No school, no bank account, no hospital vax info... Like she popped into existence one day."
"Super suspicious."
Na Seonghyeon brushed off Go Heejae's paranoia lightly and drifted into his own thoughts.
If I get out of here, I'll blow it all. Saving just turns it to shit.
...But actually spending was the hard part. You had to know how to spend to spend well. Where the hell does one even blow money? Taxi instead of transit? Subscribe to Netflix, WhatsApp, Tving and never watch a single episode?
God, please... If I survive this, I'll donate big tim— Wait, prayers to God never worked anyway.
Irritation surging, Na Seonghyeon cut off his prayer.
Anyone, hear my wish. Save me, and I'll give you everything I have. Money's all I got, but money's everything, right? That should be enough...
"Leader! Monsters are coming this way!"
"What? From which direction?!"
Na Seonghyeon tensed to bolt behind the rock, eyeing his guildmate.
"They're coming from all sides, like they're surrounding us! If we run, the only way is back toward the sea!"
"...No, we can't go in that sea. Go Heejae, how far out is backup?"
"We'll hold them off ourselves until support arrives."
"Hey! You might be fine, but most other hunters will take serious mental damage!"
"That's why I'll take the front. I'll bear the brunt of it, so trust me."
"You..."
"If we fight to the end and die, at least we'll go out honorably."
"Honor doesn't feed you?! I've lived so hard— I can't die like this!"
As they clashed without agreeing, something appeared in the air.
A pure white coat topped by a white mantle, her face shrouded in hazy mist, slender ankles peeking from under the coat.
...And a few strands of blue hair poking haphazardly from under the mantle.
"Ha."
Go Heejae let out a hollow laugh.
"She's here, rank 0."