008. The Secret Dungeon
The chirping of birds, the sound of flowing water, and the rustle of bushes in the gentle breeze woke Lee Chang-hyun. When he opened his eyes, a lush forest stretched out on one side, while an open cliff with a cascading waterfall loomed on the other. He took in the scenery for a moment—how many minutes passed? A flood of thoughts rushed in: Are the other applicants nearby?
Deathmatch, huh... For Lee Chang-hyun, who had danced on the edge of death more times than he could count during solo operations in the Hunters League, it was welcome news. And the stage for this one? [Land Where the Lost Souls Sleep]. Before his regression, it was a dungeon so familiar it bordered on boring.
Was this the finale stage back then...? He'd studied it meticulously—not just the layout, but the core mechanics, hidden dungeons, everything. He could map it out with his eyes closed. Plotting his strategy ahead was a breeze. Knowing the map made picking the optimal path simple.
First things first: the hidden piece. That's the key on this map. True to its name, [Land Where the Lost Souls Sleep] hid a special gimmick—the [Lost Soul], leading to a hidden dungeon with Ether. The rewards there were insane.
Ether was one of the ancient relics from inside the Tower, an intangible gear that could be fitted onto any weapon. It sounded basic, but when it hit the market, it fetched billions. Sword, axe, bow—whatever you slapped it on, infusing it with that white Ether turned it into something else entirely. A dull blade that couldn't cut butter became a slicer that parted anything. A plain arrow became a piercing shot that drilled through steel. Who wouldn't covet that?
I'll rely on my memories and Piercing Eye to hit the hidden dungeon first. Grab the hidden piece, then aim for top kills... With his pre-regression knowledge and Piercing Eye, he set off for the dungeon where that hidden piece should be—if the map was faithfully recreated.
"Survival Game." It was Jo Ah-ra's brainchild, a targeted strike at the thorn in her side, Lee Chang-hyun.
Of course, it's not like I rigged the test unfairly or anything... Survival demanded more than one or two skills. They were hunter essentials. Did you know the randomly selected dungeon out of countless ones? If not, could you improvise as a hunter and survive? Or did you have some unique ability or edge to outlast the rest? And so on.
Sure, you could rush kills to thin the herd and advance, but with applicants all around the same level, it wasn't easy—and the risk of your own elimination was huge.
So it's testing basics... Combat prowess as a hunter, adaptability, intel-gathering, survival skills... Sloppy applicants always bombed the fundamentals. Like that half-assed Lee Chang-hyun from the prelims.
Unaware of Jo Ah-ra's musings, Jin Su-hyuk and Lee Min-seok chatted about promising applicants.
"The overall level of participants this time is pretty high, right? Seoul Hunter Academy sent a solid batch, and there are even pro-team trainees."
"True, and a survival game... Ah-ra cooked up something fun. Freshly awakened kids or those lacking basics will drop out fast. Smart pick."
"Excluding pure survival plays, who do you think makes top five in combat focus?"
Lee Min-seok stroked his chin, deep in thought. Combat-focused? Who'd risk that? Only someone insanely confident in their skills...
Still, a few came to mind. "First, Yoon Han-gyeol from LHR. His NutTube vids are everywhere—solid semi-pro level. Plays super aggressive from what I saw. Yoo Hye-ju too, maybe?"
"No one else?"
Hmm... The dual-pistol weirdo from prelims flashed by, but he dismissed it. No lucky exploits or rule loopholes here. Besides, that guy didn't seem like he'd survive. His application wasn't exactly meticulous or prepared...
Dungeons demanded precision: intel on the layout, your strategy versus opponents', long-term planning. But his prelim answers lacked depth.
Just then, Jo Ah-ra, monitoring screens, shouted urgently. "Is this a glitch? One applicant's gone outside the mapped area!"
"What?"
A glitch in the Virtual Reality Stadium? That'd be a broadcast disaster. Not the real Tower dungeon—this was a controlled field.
"Switch screens to that side, quick!" Jin Su-hyuk barked.
The myriad surveillance feeds before the three judges merged into one massive display.
"...!"
It was Lee Chang-hyun, striding beyond the mapped zone. Interestingly, it wasn't an unloaded void—just a vast, intricate cave sealed by enormous rune-carved stones.
"Where's that? It's unmapped—how's it accessible?" Lee Min-seok asked Jo Ah-ra, the map lead.
She gaped, speechless. How... how did he find that...?
Lee Chang-hyun was heading to the spot where, in the original conquest era, the relic slumbered. A forgotten relic site, unused for league matches— a byproduct of recreating the real dungeon in VR.
Impossible... Even regular 1st Division players don't know it, let alone an applicant. She rubbed her eyes, but reality didn't budge. She'd pegged him for weak intel and diligence, yet here he was.
Thunderbolt to her.
"Ah-ra, you know something? If it's a broadcast issue, we need countermeasures—spill it."
Lee Min-seok's prod snapped her out. "Not a glitch... It's a real map, but hidden from applicants—a secret dungeon."
"Explain simply."
"This VR is based on real dungeons, right? That spot's unknown to civilians and pros alike—a secret space, so unmapped."
Lee Min-seok frowned. "So it got included in the VR build by accident, and he wandered in?"
"...Yes."
"Any issues? What's in there?"
He sounded relieved, but Jo Ah-ra darkened. "That dungeon once held the famous relic [Ether]. Banned in Hunters League for being too OP."
"Can we recover it?"
"Not without halting the match. He can't take it out post-VR, but... he'll use it this round."
Hmm... True dilemma. Survival games needed balance; item-stomping fairness debates would erupt.
Then a thought struck Lee Min-seok. "Such a prime relic—no keeper?"
Keepers guarded treasures; better relic, tougher guardian. If one protected Ether, no problem.
"Keeper... Oh, right. Checking now."
At the end of the geometric rune path Lee Chang-hyun followed, a keeper loomed—as expected.
No ordinary keeper...
Typical ones were knight-types or spear-wielding minotaurs. But this?
Not even close... What the hell is that? A keeper?
A massive cube hovered before the giant door. Monster? Artifact? Indiscernible "something."
Since he'd started this audition, scraping by with a low rank wasn't on the table.
But I'm not at full power yet... Even with Bloom unlocked, his current unbloomed state and stats couldn't sweep everyone. Experience helped, but hunter limits—stats—were strict.
So, alternatives. Lucky this map had a known hidden piece.
Memory's fuzzy after so long, but... He wouldn't miss it.
Deep in craggy mountains, a small waterfall trickled through dense vines. Déjà vu hit. Cave behind here, for sure.
Parting vines revealed a massive cavern. Relief washed over him—regression real, memories true. He exhaled, lit his prepared torch, and plunged into the dark.
Clack. Clack. Jagged stone floors and stalactites vanished, replaced by orderly, intricate geometric patterns of eerie beauty.
Almost...
A vast chamber opened. Before its door: a keeper.
No ordinary one. [Cube]. An overtech guardian from Tower's ancient ruins zones.
This'll air on broadcast... Hope it's fine. Unknown to most Koreans save first-gen hunters. Powerful, but high-difficulty patterns and gimmicks made it tough—even for him.
Hmm...
Moment's hesitation. Answer came quick. Simple.
Hide as a pro hopeful? Results were assets anyway. Regression itself was a gifted stat-skill asset.
Hide? Pointless worry. Charge straight through.