Silent Infiltrators

The helicopter rose into the sky with a deafening thrum-thrum-thrum. The ride was bumpy and far from comfortable, but Seoya pressed her face flat against the window, peering out at the landscape below.

This is the highest I've ever flown.

Baek Yena stroked Seoya's head affectionately before shooting a glare at Go Heejae. He'd tagged along on the helicopter under the pretense of needing to discuss something with Lee Gayeon.

"Go Heejae, you made damn sure my baby didn't get hurt, right?"

"Don't worry. I've acknowledged her status now, after all."

Go Heejae gazed at Seoya's back. She'd taken off her cloak, letting her indigo hair fall freely. Na Seonghyeon was just overwhelmed by the sight of her judging the monsters... but I actually know her face. There's something superior about that. She definitely belonged to a different breed from the rest of them. That fairy-like aura that shimmered every time she blinked, combined with her overwhelming strength that transcended humanity—it would be weirder if she were the same as them.

"What's the situation like now?"

"What do you think? The world's been turned upside down. A World Rank 0 shows up, and it's not gonna be quiet."

"Yeah, my phone's been blowing up nonstop. It's exhausting."

Lee Gayeon nodded in agreement with Baek Yena, pointing at her phone, which had been vibrating constantly.

"For now, we've bought time until all these dungeons are cleared. Once that's done, we'll have to issue a statement to the press right away."

"Only pre-vetted reporters."

"Obviously. I'll handle that on my end."

Seoya, bored of the unchanging view outside, slumped listlessly before perking up again to look out. Her eyes sparkled at the unfamiliar sight—one she'd only seen in videos before. The ocean. Earth's ocean, for the very first time.

"We're here."

It was Tongyeong.

Entering the dungeon without any interference, Seoya ran a quick mental simulation. Head toward the presence of the Mutants and wipe them all out first...

This was her third S-rank dungeon in a single day. By now, she had her own routine for what to do the moment she stepped inside.

"This place has the ocean too, huh."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The interior of the Tongyeong dungeon wasn't much different from the Gangdong-gu one. A vast expanse of pitch-black sea. The salty smell, the biting, sharp wind. The air felt so cold and heavy it bordered on violent. The main difference from the previous Gangdong-gu dungeon was the cluster of large buildings right by the shoreline—likely warehouses for storing goods from Toda.

With places to hide, the odds of survivors not being detected by Mutants were higher. Seoya felt a spark of hope that she might be able to rescue civilians here.

First, find the people.

Seoya focused all her concentration on her ears, straining to pick up distant sounds.

"No, hunters! Why haven't you found the monster yet?!"

"If it's humanoid, it's gotta be hiding somewhere in between, right?"

"Aigoo, you think we can't tell monsters from humans?"

"Mommy, where are we going?"

"Shh, we can't let it hear us..."

What?

Seoya, poised to leap, planted her feet back on the ground. Why are they so scattered?

The atmosphere felt chaotic. If they'd encountered Mutants, their minds wouldn't be this intact—they'd be arguing and spread out everywhere.

"System."

Come to think of it, the hunters were reporting their situations in that "chat" thing. It might be useful here, so Seoya opened her chat window.

"Huh?"

A translucent message had appeared in midair. Looking back at the System, a new menu had appeared that wasn't there before.

"Search."

"Korea."

"Aha."

This was the familiar chat room she'd seen through Baek Yena or Ji Sein's System windows before.

No responses came after Seoya sent her messages.

"Hmm..."

Maybe people didn't feel like replying to a total stranger? Then, messages ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠started trickling in slowly.

"No way..."

Realization dawning, Seoya's eyes widened as she looked up.

"B-type Mutant."

The Mutants in the two Seoul dungeons she'd cleared were all basic A-type Mutants. But if the hunters still hadn't spotted any here...

"There are definitely B-type Mutants in this dungeon."

B-type Mutants looked exactly like humans. They blended into crowds, pretending to be people, then unleashed black energy at the perfect moment to kill as many as possible in one go. They could even learn human speech by listening, speaking languages fluently. It was similar to Seoya's innate language magic. But their speech never flowed quite naturally—they were a race bound by malice, existing solely to maximize kills.

I need to move now.

With the truth clear, Seoya kicked off the ground. Her body floated lightly into the air. If B-types were here, speed was essential. Unlike other Mutants, people wouldn't sense the danger intuitively.

Back on Toda, B-types always caused the most casualties. She had to eliminate them before they gathered enough people and released their energy.

"Wh-what?!"

People yelped in surprise as Seoya leaped from somewhere and landed lightly in front of them.

"M-monster for sure!"

"We have to kill it!"

They raised hostile voices toward her. The sudden intrusion into the dungeon had everyone on edge, tempers flaring. One even picked up a rock from the ground, ready to throw.

This is tricky.

Come to think of it, the cloak was the problem. With her face hidden, civilians might mistake her for a monster.

"Could you be... the Rank 0 here to help?!"

One person stepped forward from behind the civilians. Seoya eyed his outfit: a small bag at the waist for easy combat, sturdy boots for any terrain, leather gloves. Hunter. Several others behind him looked the same.

"Yeah."

Stunned by her tiny frame and childlike voice, he blinked before calming the still-murmuring crowd.

"Everyone, quiet down! The Rank 0 hunter is here to help!"

"Hunters are useless in this situation anyway!"

"Right! Hunters haven't helped at all!"

But the people showed no fear of Seoya whatsoever. The few remaining hunters sighed, rubbing their foreheads. They clenched their fists but could do nothing more.

Why?

On this Earth, hunters wielded immense power—objects of envy and fear for civilians. Yet here, they couldn't control the crowd at all. Instead, the civilians were seething with hostility.

"Um, hunter..."

One of the hunters, who seemed to be the leader, whispered to Seoya.

"Is it the mental strain? Everyone's acting weird. Maybe the civilians who got pulled in first are affected. It's an S-rank dungeon, after all."

"Probably..."

Seoya knew what this meant. It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wasn't just the S-rank dungeon draining mental strength. They were under the influence of B-type Mutants. B-types amplified people's violent tendencies, making them impulsive. The civilians had entered first, so they might have encountered one already.

What do I do with these people?

Seoya pondered as she watched them continue their aggressive behavior.