Chapter 18: Abruptly Summoned
After the light faded, the revealed background was an old stone chamber that exuded an ominous gloom.
What the hell is this?
Taejeong was utterly bewildered after being suddenly summoned somewhere. He'd just been about to hop in a taxi—what kind of ridiculous twist was this?
He hurriedly scanned his surroundings and spotted something floating in the air.
Paladin and 4 others recalled.
Measuring team members' ranks.
Rank 2, Rank 2, Rank 2, Rank 2, Rank 0
Average rank of Recall Dungeon measured.
Time remaining until Wave 1: 10 minutes.
"Ah. So this is Recall."
Recall—commonly called an instance dungeon—was jokingly referred to among hunters as the Kidnap Dungeon. It had earned that name because it summoned people regardless of time or place.
Taejeong had heard about it while working as a porter. The dungeon gauged the overall abilities of those summoned to set its difficulty, spawning far more monsters than a regular dungeon. It was a growth-type dungeon that struck without warning, making it incredibly dangerous—but once inside, it offered explosive growth, a hunter's ultimate dream.
"But where are the others?"
There should have been five people summoned in total, including Taejeong. That meant four more. Yet no matter where he looked, there wasn't a soul—or even a single bug—in sight.
As he glanced around, a notification chimed.
Time remaining until Wave 1: 9 minutes.
A window popped up at the top, and anxiety began to gnaw at him. All he knew about this place was fragmentary hearsay. He had no clue how the system worked or where the monsters came from—nothing substantial.
Moreover, those ranks floating there were odd. Four Rank 2s and one Rank 0. If he was the Rank 0...?
The dungeon's difficulty would be dangerously high, calibrated to Rank 2. Hunting would be impossible; survival alone might be a struggle.
"Gotta find the others first."
With his mind made up, Taejeong started walking. There was only one path anyway—no need to hesitate.
The stone chamber's passageway was wide. Torches lining both sides provided decent visibility.
Time remaining until Wave 1: 3 minutes.
How far did I walk?
He'd come quite a distance, but there were still no signs of people. Tension and fear tightened like a noose.
How much farther had he gone when...?
Wave 1 begins.
Wave 1 Monster: Ghoul.
Clear: 0/200
Kills: 0
With the starting message, Taejeong instantly summoned his exoskeleton legs and gripped the M60. At the same time, different barrels formed on his left and right shoulders.
Without hesitation, he'd opened his most powerful weapons at once. He had no choice—Ghoul was a monster he'd never even heard of. It had to be high-level. No way to know its strength, so he needed full power.
Where is it? Front? Back?
Taejeong's tense eyes rapidly swept the area. His iron resolve shone through: strike the moment it appeared.
Moments later, a chime rang, and the window's numbers ticked up.
Ghoul defeated.
11,000 EXP acquired.
Clear: 1/200
Kills: 1
……?
The unexpected EXP chime made Taejeong's head whip around. The passageway was eerily silent, almost oppressively still.
Then another chime.
Ghoul defeated.
11,000 EXP acquired.
"What? Something's happening?"
A battle was clearly underway somewhere. Otherwise, how could he be gaining EXP without doing anything?
Figuring it was nearby, he focused and strained his ears. But no sounds of combat or presence anywhere.
Just the steady stream of EXP notifications.
Kills: 75
Seventy-five out of two hundred already dead. Stunned by the bizarre phenomenon, another chime rang in his ear.
"What? That's good?"
The reflexive words slipped out. He had no idea what was happening, but free EXP was a sure thing. Pure honey.
Keep pushing forward for now.
No matter what, he needed to move. He didn't even know how to exit.
He resumed walking.
Crowga defeated.
21,000 EXP acquired.
Wave 4 begins.
EXP kept rolling in even as he moved. The amounts increased per wave—now nearly 1% per kill. A hundred would mean a level up.
He didn't know how many waves there were, but he'd already gained five levels. At this rate, level 90—no, 100—wasn't impossible.
But questions lingered.
No sign of them after all this way?
He'd walked nonstop for nearly an hour, yet no trace of the others. If summoned at the same time, he should've caught up even if they started first.
Am I trapped alone in some weird spot?
As unease crept in...
◈ Sealed Speed:350 km/h
◈ Warhead: Multi-purpose energy rocket
◈ Range:120m
◈ Kill Radius:20m
◈ Base Damage: -2,300
◈ Max Fire Rate: 1 per minute
"Oh. New weapon."
The unexpected gift prompted him to open his inventory immediately.
The weapon's specs were solid. Speed and radius were a bit low, but raw damage outstripped the autocannon. It was his strongest gear and skill by far.
Taejeong eagerly pulled it out.
"Oh. So this is the rocket launcher I've only heard about."
The covered muzzle was clearly the warhead. Definitely bulkier than regular guns.
He wanted to test it right away but shook his head and stowed it.
No need to draw attention.
Based on his other weapons, the RPG-7 would be deafening. If it lured hidden monsters... trouble.
Best to stay cautious until he understood the situation.
"Priority is meeting the others."
* * *
Whish!
Slash—!
Thud! Boom! Boom boom!
Weapons clashed and explosions rang out everywhere. Monsters crumpled in droves.
Four figures emerged from the fray: Jo Yong-seok's team, out on an afternoon hunt when Recall struck.
Slash—!
Jo Yong-seok cleaved the monster in front and approached a nearby woman when nothing else was left. A mid-20s Knight-class hunter with a well-toned figure—Seo Ju-ah.
"Hey. Something feels off, right?"
Seo Ju-ah slashed a monster ahead and replied.
"What?"
"This wave, this number for our levels. Different from last time, no?"
"Can't be the same every time. That what you came to say? Help back up Ji-su."
"Ji-su's got Seong-ho."
Jo Yong-seok said that while slicing three nearby ghouls in sequence. Glancing over, Seo Ju-ah loaded a skill and spoke again.
"But who's the fifth one?"
"What? The Rank 0?"
She nodded at his question.
"Probably dropped somewhere else."
"Yeah. Wasn't there when we arrived. But it's weird."
"What?"
"You ever seen a Rank 0? Or even heard of one?"
"Hm... no?"
"Even low-levels get Rank 1. Rank 0's a civilian, right?"
"How's a civilian here? Fresh awakener probably. Watch the rear."
"Okay."
Slash—!
Whoosh!
Swoosh!
Their swords cleaved the air cleanly, backs to each other. Monsters splattered into bloody heaps.
Two more joined them.
"What're you guys doing here?"
The heavy-armored man with a greatsword was Paladin-class Lee Seong-ho, like Jo Yong-seok.
Jo Yong-seok shot back.
"Then what brings you?"
"We finished up, came to help. Right, Ji-su?"
The staff-wielding woman gave a firm look at his wink.
"No? Stop pretending we're close."
"What!? I backed you up, and that's how you talk to a battle brother?"
"Battle brother my ass. Whatever. Clear fast and eat during wait time. Starving—skipped lunch."
"Told you to eat before leaving. You wouldn't listen."
"Shut up. Hurry and kill."
"What a personality."
Bickering briefly, they sobered and methodically cleared the rest.
Wave 7 cleared.
Time remaining until Wave 8: 10 minutes.
Clear message up, Lee Seong-ho urged the group.
"Hurry, set up. No time."
His prodding unpacked their bundle into a quick meal. Just kimbap and snacks, but enough for empty stomachs.
"Hey, didn't you feel something weird? Chomp chomp. These guys seem tougher, right?"
Jo Yong-seok, stuffing kimbap, spoke up. Shin Ji-su looked surprised and agreed.
"Huh? Yeah. They don't die easy. Wasn't just me."
"Right? Tougher. Sword feel's different."
Lee Seong-ho, munching hotteok, nodded.
"Yeah. No clue why, but definitely took more effort."
Only Seo Ju-ah seemed puzzled.
"I didn't notice."
"Your gear's top-tier. New weapon recently, right?"
"Maybe."
"Anyway, why go through this? Your background's golden ticket. Can't wrap my head around it."
Lee Seong-ho's pointed words drew a stern glare from Seo Ju-ah.
"Told you not to bring that up."
"Ah, slip. Just jealous. No big deal."
Snack time ended swiftly; they rose and rearmed. Two minutes left.
"Wonder if that one's okay?"
Seo Ju-ah eyed the wave portal.
Lee Seong-ho scoffed.
"Dude, they'll come here anyway. Why worry? Probably grinning ear-to-ear by now. 'Jackpot' dancing or something."
"Still, to be safe, leave the last wave and fetch them. Might be scared. Especially Rank 0..."
"Tch tch. Such a busybody. Fair, fresh awakener might freeze. Okay, leave last wave to pick up? All agree?"
Nods all around as the wave start message appeared.
"Alright! Let's g—"
Lee Seong-ho, loading skills confidently at the front, doubted his eyes. The things crawling from the portal looked unfamiliar.
"Hey. What the hell are those?"