First Dungeon Dive
At the sudden mention of his 'trump card,' Lee Ah-hyun frowned. Han Seong-il looked at her and answered calmly.
"Hmm... You can't show it right now...?"
Seong-il flashed a playful grin at her question.
"Ha... Well... If you put it that way."
Lee Ah-hyun wore a slightly dumbfounded expression at his words, but she quickly composed herself, shrugged her shoulders, and replied.
"Sure~ See you tomorrow~"
After parting ways with her, Seong-il returned home and reflected on the day's battle, replaying it in his mind.
'Whew... I really lack real combat experience. Of course, I've been pouring everything into training the Mountain Shattering Divine Fist for two to four hours straight every day without rest... but that's clearly not enough. Especially after facing unexpected variables like I did against Ah-hyun today. I desperately need real combat experience to learn how to respond quickly in those situations...!'
Lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling, Seong-il continued his thoughts.
'It's tricky... really tricky. Lately I've been so hooked on the Mountain Shattering Divine Fist that I've been training only fist techniques like a madman... but when it comes to killing rather than subduing an opponent, sword arts are definitely more efficient, aren't they? That's why I really need to start training the Taeguk Geomgyeol properly...'
'The problem is that the world of 『Magic World and Great Detective』 I'm currently focused on treats killing as absolutely illegal no matter the reason... so physical techniques are more effective there than swordsmanship. That's why focusing on the Mountain Shattering Divine Fist, which I can use right away, is more beneficial for clearing it...'
'This is tough... As a result, my Taeguk Geomgyeol training keeps getting neglected... Plus, according to Eunwol, if my sword arts are lacking and I use a regular sword while failing to control my inner energy properly, an ordinary blade won't be able to withstand it and will shatter instantly... To make up for that, maybe I should look for a 『Divine Weapon』 somewhere. Hmm...'
Seong-il agonized over his immediate problems for a long time. After racking his brain for quite a while, he finally made a decision.
'Ugh...! For now, I'll focus on the Mountain Shattering Divine Fist, clear the dungeon, and clear the 『Magic World and Great Detective』 world too!! After that, I'll enter a game world with a suitable difficulty level, get myself a good sword, and then train the Taeguk Geomgyeol...!'
Having roughly outlined his plan for becoming stronger, Seong-il pondered how to make it more concrete before finally falling asleep.
The next day.
Seong-il met up with his teammates and threw himself into intense training covering formations, tactics, and ability combinations. Exhausted, he took a short break near the sparring room, sipping a drink from the vending machine as he thought to himself.
'Fuck... This is brutally hard... Now I understand why two teams contacted me the moment I awakened as a dual esper...'
After finishing his first team training session, Seong-il had gained a bone-deep appreciation for the importance of the vanguard role. He chugged the rest of his drink and continued reflecting.
'If the vanguard is some clumsy idiot without talent, it'll completely ruin the whole team, won't it? After trying it a few times, it seems like physical enhancement espers who don't have much else going for them can only really be used as pack mules...? At least I can double as a pack mule and an Induction agent when needed... but the others...'
'I finally understand why people mock physical enhancement espers as half-baked combatants while still dragging them into dungeons every single time...'
During team training, Seong-il had been assigned every dirty job in the vanguard position. In the mock battles, he had to throw his body in front of virtual enemies charging at the team's dealers and supporters, buying time by blocking them with his own flesh.
The massive mental strain made him fully realize the vanguard's critical importance. As a result, he began worrying about tomorrow's first dungeon run.
'Fuck... What if I cause an accident tomorrow? If the vanguard panics and loses it, the dealer team will just get wiped out...'
After worrying for a while, Seong-il shook his head, dismissing his concerns.
'No, the main vanguard for now is Ah-hyun anyway... It'll be fine...!'
Having finished his internal debate, he returned to team training, pushed through the intense session, then went home to prepare for the dungeon exploration the following day.
The next morning.
With a tense heart, Seong-il headed to a 9-Grade Dungeon that had appeared only a week or two ago, accompanied by his teammates. Government psychonic security officers and police were strictly controlling the area around the dungeon entrance.
When his team approached the officials, they blocked their path and asked,
"We're first-year students from the Hunter Department. We've come to investigate the risks of this 9-Grade Dungeon and destroy its core."
Lee Ah-hyun spoke confidently to the security officer. At the same time, she handed over the documents she had prepared in advance. After carefully examining them for a long time, the officer nodded and replied to the group.
"Are there any special notes we should know about?"
Lee Ah-hyun nodded at his explanation and thanked him.
Leaving the security officer behind, the group approached the dungeon where an orange barrier shimmered.
'So this is a dungeon...'
A spherical mass the size of a two-story building, with an ominous-looking orange energy membrane rippling across its surface. When Seong-il tensed up at the sight, Seung-jin, who had come to stand beside him, spoke reassuringly.
"Ah... Yes..."
Snapping out of it thanks to Seung-jin's encouragement, Seong-il followed closely behind Ah-hyun, who was sharing the vanguard position with him, as they approached the dungeon.
Once they reached it, they used exploration tools to locate the section of the wall with the lowest energy density. Seung-jin then projected his powerful psychokinesis, causing part of the wall to ripple and soften. Soon after, they could see the energy density of the dungeon wall visibly decrease.
The team members nodded at Seung-jin's words. They assumed the formation they had agreed upon the day before, with Ah-hyun and Seong-il at the front, and began their entry.
'Finally...! My first dungeon dive...!'
Seong-il pushed through the wavering energy membrane. A blue light flooded his vision, accompanied by an intense shock, before the surrounding world began to transform.
'...Huh? This feeling...!?'
Experiencing a sensation and pain that felt incredibly familiar, Seong-il completed his entry into the dungeon. It was remarkably similar to the feeling he got when using the Game Master to enter game worlds. As he registered that strange sensation, an old, seemingly ruined medieval city unfolded before his eyes in a unique style.
"Whoa..."
"From the outside it only looked like a two-story villa-sized sphere, but the inside is incredibly vast..."
At Seong-il's comment, Seung-jin nodded and replied.
"Huh... I see."
"The 7-Grade Dungeon I went to with the third and fourth-years before was seriously terrifying."
"What kind of place was it?"
"That one? It was a fantasy world."
"What?!"
"I'll tell you about it later. For now, focus on the exploration."
"Yes!"
After walking for some time, two bizarre creatures appeared in the distance—half machine, half energy.
"...Are those Energy Walkers?"
The alien minions they had learned about in class. Beings created from a base of psionic energy with mechanical parts crudely attached all over their bodies. They were known as the worker units that formed the foundation of dungeons.
At Seong-il's muttered question, Oh Yoo-ju nodded and answered.
"Is that how it works...?"
"Yeah. Despite their scary appearance, they're really nothing special. Besides..."
"Besides...?"
"The fact that they're here usually means we're already close to the core. It also suggests this dungeon hasn't even properly activated yet, let alone started operating."
"I see..."
As the group chatted in low voices, their leader Lee Ah-hyun cautioned them.
"Got it."
The team fell into formation, fell silent, and began carefully approaching the Energy Walkers using cover to avoid detection.
When they were about a hundred meters away, Ah-hyun gave silent hand signals to Seung-jin and Yoo-ju. They wordlessly began preparing their attacks.
Seung-jin quietly brought his hands together at his chest, gathering crackling lightning. The moment that power began to build, the Energy Walkers suddenly turned toward him and started emitting an ominous glow.
Lee Ah-hyun charged forward without hesitation. Seong-il silently followed behind her and began his own attack.
'My targets are their mechanical parts. They said focusing attacks there prevents them from mounting a proper offense...?'
Remembering the enemy's weakness, Seong-il aggressively struck the mechanical sections of the Walkers.
Clang!! Clang...!!
Since they were essentially just worker units in RTS terms, the Walkers couldn't handle Seong-il's physical harassment. They could only flail their mechanical arms wildly through the air.
'They're really nothing special, huh?'
Mocking the enemy's pathetic display, Seong-il continued his relentless harassment, striking their mechanical bodies with fists infused with inner energy.
While he and Ah-hyun kept up their endless suppression on the two Walkers, Seung-jin shouted from behind them.
The two quickly retreated, creating distance from the Walkers. Oh Yoo-ju then used her ability to apply a slowing effect on the Walkers to support their withdrawal. The creatures' movements became noticeably sluggish.
A round, blazing orb of light shot toward the slowed Walkers.
BOOM!!
The powerful energy sphere, a mix of lightning and psychic force, bombarded the Walkers. They let out a horrifying mental scream that echoed everywhere before their energy sources scattered and they vanished completely.
Thud...!
The metallic components that had formed parts of the Walkers' bodies fell powerlessly to the ground.
Their first battle inside the dungeon had ended far too easily. Feeling somewhat deflated, Seong-il spoke to his teammates.
Seung-jin let out a mocking snort and replied.
"...What happens when it mutates?"
"It's simple. It often transforms into a fantasy world, a futuristic world, or some other bizarre, unknown realm. The fact that it's only got these alien construction workers means this is one of the lowest-grade dungeons."
"I see..."
"Plus, from what I've seen, this has to be one of the five most pathetic dungeons I've ever been in. So don't overthink it~"